Politics
Last Call for 3.19.26 – 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
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two environmental measures on Thursday aimed at bolstering coastal protections and streamlining restoration efforts, using a Manatee County news conference to highlight his administration’s broader conservation record.
The Governor approved SB 302 and HB 1417, a pair of bills focused on coastal resiliency, water quality and environmental regulation. The event also doubled as a progress update on the long-awaited reconstruction of the Sunshine Skyway fishing piers.
SB 302 strengthens protections for the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, banning dredging and new fill projects in the area — a provision that effectively shuts down a proposed cruise port in Manatee County. The measure also expands the use of nature-based coastal protections, including mangrove planting, oyster reef restoration and wetland rehabilitation.
HB 1417 takes a more procedural approach, eliminating the Environmental Regulation Commission and shifting rulemaking authority directly to the Department of Environmental Protection to speed up updates. The measure also ratifies water supply protections for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers and adds stricter stormwater requirements for solar facilities to limit runoff and protect nearby waterways.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis Lambert said the changes will allow the agency to “carry out its mission more efficiently while maintaining strong environmental protections.”
Senate Majority Leader Jim Boyd, a future Senate President whose district includes the Terra Ceia area, framed the legislation as a long-term safeguard against overdevelopment.
“With this bill now signed into law, this region, the precious coastlines, pristine waters and wildlife habitats are effectively protected from massive transformations that would have destroyed them,” said Boyd, who authored the amendment blocking Terra Ceia dredging. “Since I was a teen, I have explored these natural treasures, and now future generations will have the opportunity to see, enjoy and love the Terra Ceia we know today.”
Rep. Will Robinson added, “This legislation takes historic steps toward environmental protection and resiliency, ensuring that our coastal communities stay strong, our waters stay clean, and our state is preserved for generations to come.”
Evening Reads
—”Everyone but Donald Trump understands what he’s done” via Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic
—”The Trump resistance is thriving … in one of America’s most Republican states” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”‘Go big and go loud’: Inside the Justice Dept.’s push to prosecute protesters” via Alan Feuer, Alexandra Berzon and Ernesto Londoño of The New York Times
—“The rage-bait candidate who wants to govern Florida” via Miles Bryan and Sean Rameswaram of Vox
—“Ron DeSantis rejects gas tax pause, warns of Cuba ‘exodus’ amid global turmoil” via Gary Fineout of POLITICO
—”‘Incoherent’: DeSantis slams GOP sheriffs’ pushback on deporting all undocumented migrants” via Liv Caputo of the Florida Phoenix
—”Sam Garrison opposes Governor’s pitch to subsidize fiscally-constrained counties if property tax axed” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”House-passed repeal of ‘free kill’ dies after Senate stays silent on malpractice tort reform” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
—”The fight to hold AI companies accountable for children’s deaths” via Varsha Bansal of WIRED
—”What the rise of chicken thighs says about America” via Adam Chandler of The Wall Street Journal
“I owe my mom $20.67 for Chipotle last night. She is the only one I’ll be paying back.”
— James Fishback, telling Florida Politics he has no intention to pay his legal debts.
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.
Another Session, another dead state bird swap … and another year of Tequila Mockingbirds.
Now that he’s put his signature on the first two bills of the 2026 Session, Gov. Ron DeSantis gets his signature drink, which, last we checked, was a Guinness Stout.
Send some Medical Malpractices to the Senate, which served as the cause of death for this year’s House-passed ‘Free Kill’ repeal.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Florida teams in March Madness
March Madness has begun, and three teams from Florida will tip off tomorrow.
After USF lost to Louisville on Thursday, the rest of the Florida teams play tomorrow.
Tomorrow, 10th-seeded UCF will face seventh-seeded UCLA in Philadelphia (7:25 p.m. ET, TBS). It’s the first time in the Big Dance for the program since 2019. The Knights (21-11) stumbled down the stretch, losing a one-point game to Baylor, falling in overtime to Oklahoma State, before a 15-point loss at West Virginia to close out the regular season. UCF took an overtime win over Cincinnati in the Big 12 tournament before falling to No. 2 Arizona.
UCF and Miami are the only teams to make the NCAA tournament without any returning scorers from last season. UCF has only one NCAA tournament win in program history.
The top-seeded Florida Gators (26-7) face Prairie View A&M on Friday in Tampa (est. 9:25 p.m. ET, TNT).
Florida is the defending national champion and has won 12 of the last 13 games, only losing in the SEC Tournament to Vanderbilt. This is the third time the Gators have opened NCAA Tournament play in Tampa, and the fourth time they have earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Prairie View A&M (19-17) advanced from the opening round with a 67-55 win over Lehigh on Wednesday night. The 16-seed Panthers are the champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Finally, Miami faces Missouri on Friday (est. 10:10 p.m. ET, TruTV) in St. Louis. The Hurricanes (25-8) set a program record for wins this season and won 10 of the last 13 games, losing in the ACC Tournament to No. 10 Virginia. In head coach Jai Lucas’s first season in charge, Miami notched two wins over ranked teams, beating North Carolina and Louisville.
Missouri (20-12) finished eighth in the Southeastern Conference and lost three straight games leading up to the NCAA Tournament.
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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.