Last Call for 12.16.25 – 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.

First Shot

Former House Speaker Paul Renner is formalizing his push for the Governor’s Mansion with a new organizing arm focused on women voters.

Renner’s campaign just announced the creation of a statewide steering committee for its “Women for Renner Coalition,” assembling dozens of conservative activists, educators, business leaders and faith-based advocates to amplify women’s voices supporting his gubernatorial bid.

The coalition, the campaign said, is designed to mobilize women across political and professional lines around issues. Among them: parental rights, public safety, faith, economic opportunity and what the campaign describes as “principled leadership.”

Renner said in a statement Tuesday that the coalition will serve as both a values-driven and operational component of his campaign.

“Women are the heart and voice of families and communities,” Renner said. “I am honored to have the growing support of strong, dedicated female leaders that will ensure their concerns remain front and center — especially when it comes to protecting faith, American exceptionalism, parental rights, a prosperous economy, and defending the principles of freedom that guide us.”

The “Women for Renner Coalition” will function as an internal organizing network, encouraging women across Florida to share personal stories, engage voters and advocate on key campaign issues. The campaign said the group will also work to elevate women’s perspectives in policymaking and community engagement.

Adriana Renner, the candidate’s wife, said she has seen her husband’s commitment to families and praised the coalition as a vehicle for advancing what the campaign calls a “Florida First agenda.”

Read more on Florida Politics.

Evening Reads

—“What the end of Donald Trump’s first year looks like” via Amber Phillips of The Washington Post

—”Takeaways from Susie Wiles’ candid interviews describing Trump World” via Peter Baker of The New York Times

—”Here’s what Donald Trump’s chief of staff *really* thinks of him” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—”The factory workers who build the power grid by hand” via Jennifer Hiller of The Wall Street Journal

—“Trump widens the breach” via John Dickerson of The Atlantic

—”What Rob Reiner believed” via Judd Legum and Noel Sims of Popular Information

—”New head of Trump’s cancer panel speculated about links between vaccines and cancer” via David Gilbert of WIRED

—”It’s been 25 years since America decided to save the Everglades. Where do we stand?” via Bill Kearney of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—”New poll shows Byron Donalds maintains front-runner status in GOP Primary” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

—”‘Sadly-timed’: New bill would allow professors, TAs to open carry on campus” via Liv Caputo of the Florida Phoenix

Quote of the Day

“The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.”

— White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, on a controversial Vanity Fair profile.

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.

The latest GOP Primary poll shows U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is still due for a Coronation Cocktail No. 1.

UWF Ph.D. student Valeria Martin is getting an I’m on Fire for a good reason — CalFireSeg-50, a dataset that will improve how damage from wildfires is mapped.

The Florida League of Cities gets an Obvious Bridge for its study noting that eliminating property taxes would hit rural communities hardest.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Miami tips off against FIU

The Miami Hurricanes try to stay undefeated at home as they host Florida International tonight in a South Florida basketball matchup (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra).

Miami (9-2) has won four straight games, including a 104-79 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. In the game, Malik Reneau led the Hurricanes with 22 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Ernest Udeh Jr. added 14 points and 15 rebounds in the win.

For the season, Reneau leads the team, averaging 20.4 points per game, while Udeh, who started his career at Kansas before transferring to TCU and finally to Miami, leads the squad in rebounding.

FIU (5-3) comes in on a three-game winning streak, including an 88-65 win over Jacksonville University 10 days ago. The Panthers have played only two games outside Florida and will not leave the state again until Jan. 7, when they face Jacksonville State in Alabama.

The Panthers are led by Corey Stephenson, who averages 17.5 points and eight rebounds per game, both team highs. Stephenson transferred from Cal State Bakersfield to FIU ahead of this season.

After tonight’s game, Miami has one more nonconference opponent on the schedule before ACC play begins. The Hurricanes will host North Florida on Sunday and then open conference play at home against Pitt on Dec. 30.

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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.