Last Call for 2.5.26 – 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

A bill easing zoning and facility requirements for small private schools cleared its first House stop on a 13-3 vote.

HB 833 by Dania Beach Republican Rep. Hillary Cassel would block local governments from imposing zoning restrictions on private schools with 150 or fewer students, effectively allowing them to operate in existing buildings within commercial and mixed-use zoning districts so long as they meet or exceed the same fire safety standards in place for traditional public schools.

Opponents during public testimony argued the bill would accelerate privatization and divert attention from repairing and modernizing public schools.

Supporters, including representatives from the James Madison Institute, Step Up For Students, and Americans for Prosperity, said the measure would expand capacity for students eligible for school choice scholarships who were unable to secure a seat in a school that met their needs.

Lawmakers on the House Education Administration Subcommittee largely focused on additional compliance issues, particularly the lack of language requiring schools to comply with local traffic and public-safety rules in school zones. 

Cassel stressed that the legislation would not affect public school funding and framed it as a land-use and regulatory change intended to reduce barriers to school attendance without compromising school safety.

The bill now moves to the Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee.

___

Attorney General James Uthmeier is launching a new enforcement arm within his office to counter alleged threats from companies with ties to the Chinese government.

The Consumer Harm from International Nefarious Actors (CHINA) Prevention Unit will focus on identifying and preventing deceptive trade practices, unlawful data sharing, and foreign influence embedded in consumer-facing products sold in Florida.

“Florida will not allow foreign adversaries to exploit our markets, steal our data, and threaten our security,” Uthmeier said. “The focus of this new office will be prevention, which is why we are sending letters to multiple medical device manufacturers to audit and identify any ties with the Chinese Communist Party. If a company is funneling Floridians’ personal information to China or other foreign countries of concern, we will hold them accountable.”

Former Amb. Kelley Currie, a member of the State Armor Advisory Board, framed the initiative as both consumer protection and national security enforcement and warned that Chinese-made consumer products can double as tools for espionage. 

Since he was appointed Attorney General last year, Uthmeier has gone after several foreign companies his office alleges are “bad actors.” The list includes network equipment manufacturer TP-Link, medical device company Contec and security system manufacturer Lorex.

The CHINA Prevention Unit is kicking off by issuing a subpoena to Shein, a popular fast-fashion retailer that Uthmeier is says has engaged in deceptive trade practices and violated data privacy laws. The unit has also demanded audits from multiple medical device companies with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Evening Reads

—”The GOP Senator who can’t stop thinking about the boy ICE detained” via Caroline Kitchener of The New York Times

—”ICE and CBP’s face-recognition app can’t actually verify who people are” via Dell Cameron and Maddy Varner of WIRED

—“How sparkly bomber jackets became the uniform of the modern MAGA lady” via Maura Judkis of The Washington Post

—”Despite rhetoric, feds continue aggressive crackdown in Minneapolis” via Judd Legum and Noel Sims of Popular Information

—”2026 will be the first AI election. Full stop.” via Chris Cillizza of Katie Harbath of So What

—”A wargame shows just how vulnerable Europe is to a Russian attack” via Yaroslav Trofimov of The Wall Street Journal

—”How Jeff Bezos broke The Washington Post” via Hanna Rosin of The Atlantic

—“The messy truth about TikTok’s Donald Trump-aligned takeover” via Jonquilyn Hill of Vox

—”DOJ holding up Everglades detention reimbursement, Florida emergency director says” via Liv Caputo of the Florida Phoenix

—”Proposal to overhaul voter citizenship verification clears House Committee” via Jesse Mendoza of Florida Politics

Quote of the Day

“I mean, quite frankly, I wouldn’t expect any kind of major property insurance changes this year.”

— Senate President Ben Albritton, tempering expectations on major property tax reforms.

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.

Pour a glass of Moon Blight for Rep. David Borrero, whose bill to greenlight dense housing developments on environmentally contaminated properties cleared the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee.

Bay County Tax Collector Chuck Perdue gets The Fold for announcing he will not launch a campaign for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District.

Toss a round of Day Old Bread to the DeSantises and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who shone a spotlight on loaves tainted by a chemical commonly found in weed killer.