Last Call for 3.19.25 – 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

LGBTQ lawmakers are celebrating at least a temporary defeat of two bills seen by critics as furthering assaults on gender and sexual minorities.

At an Equality Florida press conference, advocates for LGBTQ Floridians said they see fewer direct attacks on rights this Session.

“We see it as a hopeful sign that far fewer bills specifically targeting the LGBTQ community have been filed this year,” said Stratton Pollitzer, Deputy Director of Equality Florida. “Maybe, just maybe, more legislators are growing tired of the cruelty, the distractions and the endless culture wars pushed by these extremists.”

The tabling of legislation critics maligned as the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work” bill (SB 440) and the “Banning Diversity and Equity in State Agencies” bill (SB 1694) at the Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee further bolstered the sentiment. Upward of 1,000 public comment cards were submitted at the meeting, which coincided with Pride Days at the Capitol.

Importantly, Senate President Ben Albritton’s Office stressed that the fact the bills were not heard at a Tuesday hearing does not mean the bills are dead. The committee can take the bills up at a later date.

Florida Politics reached out to Sens. Stan McClain and Randy Fine, the respective sponsors of SB 440 and 1694, about whether they intend to pursue the policies. Fine said he expects his bill to come up again before the committee as soon as next week.

But Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat who is gay, noted that both bills are marked on the Senate website now as “Not Considered.” The same goes for a bill restricting union negotiation power (SB 1328), also tabled from the agenda.

Read more on Florida Politics.

Evening Reads

—”‘Have you seen our Congressman?’ Angry voters press GOP for answers.” via Hannah Knowles of The Washington Post

—”Donald Trump’s tariffs have sown uncertainty. That might be the point.” via Alan Rappeport of The New York Times

—“The Trump right’s pro-Israel antisemitism” via Zack Beauchamp of Vox

—”War-torn Congo has a deal for Trump: Kick out rebels, get minerals” via Benoit Faucon, Nicholas Bariyo and Alexander Ward of The Wall Street Journal

—”The DEI Catch-22” via Rose Horowitch of The Atlantic

—“Can a DeSantis ever win another election?” via David Catanese of Too Close To Call

—”It’s time once again for insurers vs. attorneys in Florida’s Legislature” via Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—”Eyeball wars: Ophthalmologists say optometry scope of practice bill is shortsighted” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics

—“Claims bill clearing $1.7M to Broward man wrongly imprisoned for 34 years advances” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics

—”For Ukrainian sisters in Gulfport, Trump sparks fears of deportation” via Lane DeGregory of the Tampa Bay Times

Quote of the Day

“If 34 years of my life was stolen, that’s not a big number. There is no number.”

— Sen. Ed Hooper, as the Senate Judiciary Committee OK’d a $1.7 million claims bill for Sidney Holmes, who spent 34 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

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.

It’s not a huge bump, but Florida gearheads get a Zoom now that a bill upping max speed limits is rolling through Committee.

“Stolen valor” fraudsters finagle enough free drinks, but if a bill making it easier to call them out continues advancing, they’ll be forced to suffer the nigh-undrinkable Phony Negroni.

It shouldn’t take the threat of enhanced DUI penalties to drink responsibly, but a committee nod for “Trenton’s Law” is as good a reason as any to ask the barkeep for a water and double-check that Uber’s installed on your phone.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Gators host FAMU

The Florida Gators host Florida A&M in a midweek out-of-conference baseball game tonight (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).

Florida has played well against teams from the Sunshine State. The Gators beat Jacksonville in February and again last night. They took single games from Stetson, North Florida, and Florida Atlantic, won two of three against Miami, and topped previously undefeated Florida State last week. The only other loss to an instate team came at UCF on March 4. 

However, Florida (17-5) is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of #2 Tennessee in SEC play. 

The Gators’ offense has been led by catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay. The junior is hitting .380 with a team-high eight home runs and 18 runs batted in. After a hot start to the season, he has not collected an extra-base hit in his last five games.

Florida A&M (9-10) has beaten Florida in baseball only once in the last 32 games, a 4-3 win in 2014. The game is a makeup for a game that was postponed in February. The two schools have only played one another in Gainesville since the start of the series in 1980.

The Rattlers’ top hitters are Brady Campbell and Broedy Poppell, who each have 10 hits this season.

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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.

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