Last Call for 11.5.25 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida

Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.

Ed. Note — The Florida Politics crew went hard through the weekend and Election Day Tuesday, covering the 2025 municipal races, so we’re easing off the gas tonight. Sunburn will take Thursday off, and back in your inbox Friday. Thanks for your support, and have a great evening. Stay safe!

___

First Shot

Gubernatorial hopeful Paul Renner says he will “lead the nation in health freedom” if elected next year.

The former House Speaker spoke in Naples, laying out a plan that includes embracing good food and physical fitness and resisting artificial intelligence and governmental coercion.

Renner said he would not “allow another COVID-type assault on our civil liberties,” alluding to strict precautions and sanctions against people who resisted mandatory vaccination. He also said he would “end vaccine mandates” and “stand strongly in support of parental rights in health care,” including against requirements from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health.

Renner also promised to collect information on vaccine injuries and adverse effects, and to protect data privacy. Childhood nutrition and exercise are also part of Renner’s platform.

“I’ve got a 5- and a 3-year-old, a daughter and a son. I know that a successful day starts with a good night’s sleep, and nutritious meals, as well as plenty of exercise,” Renner said.

“So to support healthy kids in our schools, we will partner with our farmers to make sure they get nutritious meals from the farm to the cafeteria. We will make sure that we remove harmful ingredients from our foods and also have an exercise challenge for all of our K-12 students in the Governor’s Physical Fitness Program.”

One thing Renner isn’t embracing is the Affordable Care Act.

“It should be repealed so health care decisions return to us in the state when we can deliver lower cost and improved access and quality for every Floridian,” Renner argued.

Read more on Florida Politics.

Evening Reads

—“Can Tuesday’s success carry Democrats to the Midterms?” via Nate Cohn of The New York Times

—”The anti-MAGA majority reemerges” via David A. Graham of The Atlantic

—”Democrats dent Donald Trump’s coalition with three big election victories” via Aaron Zitner and Anthony DeBarros of The Wall Street Journal

—“The moment on Election Night 2025 that blew my mind” via Chris Cillzza of So What

—”The Supreme Court might actually stand up to Trump” via Ian Millhiser of Vox

—”How Gavin Newsom and allies delivered a redistricting counterpunch against Trump” via Maeve Reston of The Washington Post

—”More New Yorkers? More redistricting? Election results to ripple through Florida” via John Kennedy of the USA Today Network-Florida

—”Paul Renner rolls out ‘health freedom’ agenda to end vaccine mandates, increase school nutrition” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

—“Felony charges ‘a tough hill to climb’ as Regina Hill’s political comeback falls short” via Ryan Gillespie of the Orlando Sentinel

—”Florida Mayors urge support for F-35 fighter jets, citing huge economic impact” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics

Quote of the Day

“Every town now is a border town. It’s going to take all hands on deck to fix it.”

— CFO Blaise Ingoglia, providing immigration enforcement funds to North Florida law enforcement.

Put it on the Tab

Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.

CFO Ingoglia is handing out top-shelf Border Spritzes to law enforcement across Leon, Franklin, Suwannee and Jefferson counties.

Paul Renner gets a Rinse & Repeat for rolling out a “health freedom” agenda remarkably similar to dozens of others released in the post-pandemic era.

The 30 top Florida Mayors are keeping it simple: half Amaro, half Limoncello and a little ice. Just make sure both are of the F-35 variety.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Heat heads to Colorado

The Miami Heat face the Nuggets in Denver tonight with a chance to climb two games over the .500 mark (9 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Network – Sun).

The Heat (4-3) beat the Clippers in Los Angeles on Monday, snapping a brief two-game losing streak thanks to 25 points and 10 rebounds from center Bam Adebayo. 

Early in the season, Miami is two games behind the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls.

The series is a rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals, won by the Nuggets four games to one.

The Nuggets (4-2) are coming off a 130-124 victory over the Sacramento Kings behind 34 points, seven rebounds, and 14 assists from three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. 

Miami was strengthened by the return of shooting guard Norman Powell, who played for the first time since a groin injury cost him three games. Powell, Miami’s leading scorer this season, tossed in 21 points in the victory over the Clippers.

Following the game in Denver, the Heat return to South Florida to begin a four-game homestand starting Friday against the Charlotte Hornets.

___

Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.