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

First Shot

Loranne Ausley will hold the first major fundraiser of her Tallahassee Mayor bid tomorrow, a reception at The Governor’s Inn that effectively serves as her formal campaign kickoff.

The event comes a little over two months after she entered the race to replace current Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey, who is not running for re-election.

Ausley’s return to politics follows a long recovery from a serious triathlon accident last fall that left her hospitalized for weeks. She has said her medical team has cleared her to campaign, and she’s been easing back into public life since filing in September.

The former state Representative and Senator joins a field that already includes Commissioner Jeremy Matlow and civil rights attorney Daryl Parks. The nonpartisan race is particularly important because whoever wins could tip the balance in favor of one of the two competing factions on the current Commission.

When she launched her campaign, Ausley avoided commenting directly on current Commission battles, stating she wanted to focus on “finding the things that we have in common versus focusing on things that we don’t have in common.”

As of the close of the last campaign finance reporting period on Sept. 30, Parks led in overall fundraising with $88,527 on hand, followed by Matlow at $66,948 and Ausley at $63,380.

Ausley’s fundraiser runs from 5-7 p.m. at the Governor’s Inn, 209 South Adams Street.

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A coalition of voting-rights groups will gather at the Capitol for a news conference and day of action against the mid-decade redistricting push ahead of the Florida House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting’s first meeting.

Organizers of the “We Draw the Lines: No Partisan Maps” event say the message is simple: partisan gerrymandering is prohibited under Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments, and the state shouldn’t test the limits.

“Any attempt by politicians to engage in drawing new voting maps designed to tip the scales of power for partisan gain is unconstitutional and illegal in Florida,” said Genesis Robinson, Executive Director of Equal Ground. “Redistricting decides who represents us in government, so it is critical that the process serves the people, not politicians.”

The effort is timed to coincide with Tuesday’s inaugural Committee hearing, where members are expected to outline how they intend to approach a redraw of Florida’s congressional map.

The state currently has a 20-8 Republican advantage in the Congressional delegation, and the controversial map, which went into effect for the 2022 elections, was upheld by the state Supreme Court in July.

However, Gov. Ron DeSantis has made clear he wants the Legislature to look at the maps again ahead of the 2026 Midterms. President Donald Trump has called for red states to redraw their maps to preserve the slim GOP majority in the U.S. House, spurring an arms race in which both Republican- and Democratic-led states are seeking ways to tilt their maps further toward one party.

The Day of Action begins with an 11 a.m. press event on the House side of the Fourth Floor Rotunda. Speakers will include Robinson, Southern Poverty Law Center Florida Policy Director Jonathan Webber, All Voting is Local Florida State Director Brad Ashwell and ACLU of Florida Senior Strategist Abdelilah Skhir.

After the news conference, attendees plan to visit legislative offices to show lawmakers “that Floridians won’t stand for illegal political manipulation of our representation in Congress.”

Evening Reads

—”For ‘No Tax on Tips,’ the IRS gets intimate” via Andrew Duehren of The New York Times

—”In Miami’s ‘Little Venezuela,’ deportation fears collide with hope for regime change” via Alex Leary and Vera Bergengruen of The Wall Street Journal

—”GOP faces a familiar dilemma: What to do about Obamacare?” via Dan Diamond, Riley Beggin and Jacob Bogage of The Washington Post

—“Companies strategize over Donald Trump-focused approach to lobbying” via Isabel Gottlieb of Bloomberg Law

—”Florida Democratic House Leader calls plan to redraw congressional map ‘illegal’” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix

—“Private school vouchers in Florida redirecting funding away from public schools” via Kaitlyn McCormack of Fresh Take Florida

—”Educators are challenging new rule requiring college syllabi to be posted 45 days in advance” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

—”In South Florida, the new third space isn’t a coffee shop. It’s your networking group” via Abigail Hasebroock and Shira Moolten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—”Buy now, pay later? Florida has a problem with credit card delinquency” via Michael Butler of the Miami Herald

—”The people outsourcing their thinking to AI” via Lila Shroff of The Atlantic

Quote of the Day

“When an unelected Board passes a rule to micromanage how professors teach a class, they not only demonstrate how little they understand the teaching profession, they demonstrate how little they respect it.”

— FEA President Andrew Spar, on a new state rule requiring college professors to submit a final syllabus 45 days before class starts.

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.

Governor candidate and former House Speaker Paul Renner has a drink recommendation for embattled U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Cory Mills: Get Out.

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is sipping on a Windfall as political committees continue dumping millions into ad buys supporting his as-yet-unannounced Governor campaign.

Sen. Danny Burgess gets a Good Son for refiling legislation that would enable more grandparents to petition for visitation of their grandchildren after a tragic family event.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Magic try to stay hot against Bulls

The Orlando Magic host the Chicago Bulls in a game that both teams need to stay in playoff contention nearing the quarterpost of the season (7:30 p.m. ET, Peacock).

Orlando has won eight of the last 10 games to climb to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. If the season ended today, the Magic would automatically qualify for the playoffs. Coming off back-to-back wins at Philadelphia and Detroit, the Magic are a game behind the division-leading Miami Heat in the Southeast Division. Remarkably, the team has accomplished the run without star Paolo Banchero, who has missed eight straight games with a groin strain. Banchero is not expected to return for tonight’s game.

Before the injury, Banchero averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. In his stead, Franz Wagner has stepped up, leading Orlando in scoring (22.8 points per game).

Chicago is heading in the opposite direction, losing three straight and seven of the last 10 games. Losses at New Orleans, Charlotte, and Indiana opened the road trip, which continues tonight in Orlando. If the season ended today, the Bulls would be the last team to qualify for the play-in round of the playoffs.

Tonight’s game is the first of three straight at home for the Magic, including a matchup with Miami on Friday in the NBA Cup.

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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.