Last Call for 3.2.26 – 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 sweeping tax package cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, but not before sparking pointed debate over a tacked-on provision barring state and local governments from pursuing “net-zero” policies.

Sen. Don Gaetz, standing in for bill sponsor Sen. Bryan Avila, presented a strike-all amendment to SB 7046 that bundled together dozens of tax and policy changes — from revenue shifts for fiscally constrained counties to charter school funding adjustments and EV charging tax clarifications.

But the flashpoint was language prohibiting governmental entities from adopting, funding, or incentivizing net-zero greenhouse gas policies.

Sen. Jason Pizzo asked whether the measure would effectively block local efforts such as Broward County’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Gaetz acknowledged he could not fully explain the provision’s scope or intent, noting he was substituting for Avila and suggesting those questions be taken up on the floor.

Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman questioned why a climate-related prohibition was embedded in a tax package at all, arguing it intrudes on home rule and local policymaking authority. She said cities and counties should be free to pursue environmental policies if their communities support them.

The exchange underscored an unusual dynamic: Gaetz repeatedly deferred to Avila — who is on National Guard Duty — on the net-zero section, even as he carried the amendment.

The bill also drew questions from Sen. Tina Polsky about expanded sharing of voter-approved property tax revenues with charter schools, including those authorized by state colleges and universities. Gaetz confirmed the change would allow funding to follow students regardless of the charter sponsor and acknowledged current law permits charter schools to contract with private management companies.

Despite the concerns, the committee adopted the strike-all amendment and reported SB 7046 favorably.

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A foreign interference bill aimed at tightening restrictions on adversarial governments took an unexpected turn in Senate Appropriations when a late-filed amendment added sweeping new restrictions on surrogacy — triggering a procedural fight and bipartisan frustration.

SB 1178, sponsored by Sen. Erin Grall, is designed to curb foreign influence by expanding disclosure requirements, tightening prohibitions on government contracting, and increasing transparency regarding foreign countries of concern.

But a strike-all amendment filed the morning of the hearing added language requiring both parties to a surrogacy agreement — the surrogate and the commissioning parents — to be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, with at least one intended parent domiciled in Florida.

Sen. Tina Polsky immediately objected under Senate germaneness rules, arguing the surrogacy language was unrelated to foreign political influence and constituted a new, independent issue that had not been vetted in Committee. She noted the amendment was barcoded at 8:06 a.m. and had not received testimony or expert input. Chair Ed Hooper ruled the objection not well taken. Polsky appealed the ruling to the Senate President, but debate proceeded.

Pressed on why surrogacy restrictions were being folded into a foreign interference bill, Grall cited a Wall Street Journal article detailing reports of wealthy Chinese nationals using U.S. surrogacy arrangements to secure American citizenship for children. She described the amendment as a national security safeguard against foreign exploitation of U.S. laws.

Lawmakers questioned the breadth of the language, which applies to all non-citizens — not just individuals from foreign countries of concern — and raised concerns about potential discrimination based on national origin. Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith asked whether couples from allied nations would be barred from entering surrogacy agreements in Florida under the proposal. Grall confirmed they would.

Even some Republicans expressed unease with the process. Sen. Gayle Harrell questioned how such a significant policy shift was being introduced at the final committee stop without prior vetting.

Testimony reflected similar divides. Supporters emphasized the need to protect Florida from foreign adversaries such as China, while business representatives warned that other portions of the bill could create regulatory conflicts.

Despite the procedural objections and sustained debate over the surrogacy language, the Committee voted to advance the bill to the Senate floor.

Evening Reads

—”How Donald Trump decided to go to war” via Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager, Edward Wong, Eric Schmitt and Ronen Bergman of The New York Times

—”Trump pursues Iranian decapitation without a plan for what comes next” via Greg Miller and Karen DeYoung of The Washington Post

—“From ‘America First’ to ‘Always America Last’” via Toluse Olorunnipa, Jonathan Lemire, and Ashley Parker of The Atlantic

—”The 5 big ‘Known Unknowns’ of Trump’s new war with Iran” via Garrett M. Graff of WIRED

—“Trump’s Iran war is uniting a strange new anti-war alliance” via Christian Paz of Vox

—“Did JD Vance just blow his 2028 shot?” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—“Ron DeSantis isn’t quite full” via Colin Wolf of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

—”Senate panel sends bill strengthening protections, penalties against domestic violence to floor” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics

—“Compare the candidates in Tampa’s state Senate Special Election” via Shauna Muckle of the Tampa Bay Times

—”Florida history series ‘A Land Remembered’ is close to shouting ‘action’” via Rosanne Dunkelberger of Florida Politics

Quote of the Day

“As the state pursues politically motivated deflections that waste taxpayer dollars, the Mayor remains focused on addressing affordability challenges for the people of Jacksonville. It would be nice to have a state partner that is doing the same.”

— Jax Mayor Donna Deegan’s office, on James Uthmeier exploring civil action against Jacksonville for ‘firearm logbook.’

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 Tampa General Hospital team gets a round of Simply the Bests for landing the top spot in Tampa Bay on Newsweek’s annual “World’s Best Hospitals 2026” for the eighth year running.

CFO Blaise Ingoglia’s latest endorsement earns a Flaming Hurricane. If anything goes awry, Lakeland firefighters will be on hand to put it out.

Send a Producer to Hillsborough County Rep. Danny Alvarez and RSA Consulting CEO Ron Pierce for their part in getting “A Land Remembered” ready for TV screens.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

ICYMI: Gators perform at SEC championships

The SEC indoor track and field championship concluded this weekend, but with no pro or college Florida teams playing this evening, you can re-live the event tonight (8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

Spoiler alert: It went very well for the Florida Gators women’s team. Florida won the 19th conference title under head coach Mike Holloway and its first women’s title since 2014.

Among the outstanding performances were Alida van Daalen, who placed third in the women’s shot put. Asia Phillips earned a spot on the podium with a third-place finish in the triple jump.

Distance runner Hilda Olemomoi finished second in both the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters. In the mile, Claire Stegall was the runner-up, finishing just .09 seconds out of first. And Sydney Sutton set a personal best while finishing fourth in the 400 meters.

The men finished fourth in the competition behind champions Arkansas, second-place Ole Miss, and third-place Texas A&M.

Top performances by the Gators included Oussama Allaoui finishing as the runner-up in the mile. Jarno van Daalen set a personal best as he finished in second in the shot put. Wanya McCoy was runner-up in the 200 meters, and Kelvin Cheruiyot finished third in the 3000 meters.

The indoor track season culminates on March 13 and 14 at the NCAA Indoor Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Select Gators have qualified to compete for national honors.

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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.