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

First Shot

National Review is honoring Ron and Casey DeSantis with the William F. Buckley Jr. Prize as “conservative leaders who have shaped our nation.”

At the ceremony in Palm Beach at the Breakers, the First Couple addressed many topics, including Hope Florida.

The First Lady’s signature initiative is now the subject of a grand jury investigation after $10 million in Medicaid settlement funds to the state were diverted for political purposes rather than to provide health care to the economically marginalized.

The First Lady defended the program as a “really magical thing, which I think is a model for the nation, and it’s thriving here in the Sunshine State.” She did not mention the probe.

Gov. DeSantis, who has conceded that most Floridians disagree with him on restricting cannabis and reproductive rights, defended the use of the money as a last-ditch attempt to convince the general public not to pass measures that went against his policy preferences. He called the abortion and cannabis measures the “two most expensive initiatives in the history of the American Republic.”

“Amendment 3, which was a constitutional right to smoke weed wherever you want, and Amendment 4, which was abortion-till-birth and allowed abortions to be performed by non-physicians … if those (had) passed, that would obviously have changed the underlying dynamics in the state, and ultimately would have turned Florida purple and then blue,” DeSantis said.

“So, as Governor, I didn’t have a formal role in it. But I fought like hell to be able to do it because I’m thinking to myself, ‘what good is it to go through this, win elections, do the policy, if they can just do (George) Soros’ agenda through the back door with these initiatives?’ So we were the first state to beat a marijuana initiative, and we were the first state to beat an abortion-till-birth initiative in ’24. We beat the Left at that, very important,” he added, drawing applause.

Read more on Florida Politics.

Evening Reads

—”Donald Trump officials accused of bullying tactics to kill a climate measure” via Lisa Friedman, Max Bearak and Jeanna Smialek of The New York Times

—”‘None of this is good for Republicans’” via Russell Berman of The Atlantic

—”Flight-cancellation plans prompt scramble across travel industry” via Allison Pohle, Victoria Albert and Lindsay Wise of The Wall Street Journal

—“Why was John Mulaney at the Supreme Court?” via Alex Weprin of The Hollywood Reporter

—”Jurors find sandwich hurler not guilty of assault” via Zach Montague of The New York Times

—”Six election results that didn’t make the headlines” via Rebecca Crosby, Noel Sims and Judd Legum of Popular Information

—“James Uthmeier sues Planned Parenthood over chemical abortion drugs” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics

—“Haunted by Brightline” via Brittany Wallman and Susan Merriam of the Miami Herald

—”Bird-defending Audubon chapter defeats Florida development planned by nation’s largest homebuilder” via Craig Pittman of the Florida Phoenix

—”James Uthmeier sues Planned Parenthood over chemical abortion drugs” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics

—”Who is the ‘trad husband’?” via Anna North of Vox

Quote of the Day

“Access to healthy, fresh food is a right, not a luxury, and we should all want everyone in our state to be fed.”

— Rep. Michele Rayner, on her food insecurity legislation.

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.

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody gets a Blue Angel for appealing to the President for special consideration to fund the stunt team and aerobatic performance in Pensacola. 

Pour Gov. Ron DeSantis a Milestone in celebration of the groundbreaking on the new inflow pump station, expected to play a significant role in the EAA Reservoir project.  

Send a Desert Rain to Rep. Michele Rayner, who is championing legislation aimed at helping local governments open small-footprint grocery stores in Florida food deserts.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Gators look to bounce back after season-opening loss

After opening the season with a loss, the defending national champion Florida Gators play at home for the first time this season as they host North Florida tonight (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).

Florida, ranked third in the preseason poll, lost on Monday to No. 13 Arizona in Las Vegas in the Hall of Fame Classic. The Gators returned three starters from last year’s national championship-winning team and have added guard Boogie Fland, who starred at Arkansas last season.

The game marks the third time the Gators have hosted UNF in the home opener. Florida has won all 11 previous meetings between the two programs.

The game marks UNF’s season opener with a new head coach. Bobby Kennen makes his head coaching debut after serving as an assistant to Matthew Driscoll since 2009. Driscoll departed from UNF to join the staff at Kansas State.

Kennen is a well-respected and longtime assistant who is finally getting his shot to be the head coach. UNF will rely on Kamrin Oriol, the team’s top returning scorer, who was a reserve last season. The Ospreys also added Kent Jackson as a transfer from Jacksonville University, Dalton Gayman, a transfer from Division II Purdue Northwest, and freshman BJ Plummer from Rickards High School in Tallahassee.

After facing UNF, the Gators have matchups with two more in-state rivals, Florida State and Miami, next on the schedule.

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