Politics
Last Call for 3.27.25 – 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
After years of failed attempts, it took Senators mere minutes to pass a monumental bill to repeal a unique restriction that today blocks some exonerees from receiving just compensation for time wrongly spent in prison.
Senators voted 38-0 to pass SB 130 to repeal Florida’s “clean hands” rule, which bars exonerees with more than one nonviolent felony from being eligible for recompense without legislative action.
The measure’s sponsor, Fleming Island Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley, noted that since state lawmakers created a compensation route for exonerees, just five have received it. Eighteen have been denied, totaling more than 300 years of lost liberty.
Six have waited for a decade or more.
“Each of us has an incredible honor to be able to represent our constituents, and part of that privilege … is the duty that comes with that to be able to right wrongs,” she said.
Bradley credited her husband, former Sen. Rob Bradley, and former Sen. Arthena Joyner for working on earlier versions of her legislation.
“The posture it’s in today (because of their efforts) is the right and just thing for a state to do (after taking) people’s liberty,” she said. “This bill rights that wrong.”
SB 130 and its lower-chamber twin (HB 59) by Tampa Republican Rep. Traci Koster, which now awaits a House floor vote, would also lengthen the window for exonerees to file for compensation to two years after an order vacating their conviction, up from today’s time frame of just 90 days.
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—”Donald Trump changes his tune on Signalgate: ‘I always thought it was Mike’ ” via Jake Traylor of POLITICO
—“Internal White House document details layoff plans across U.S. agencies” via Emily Davies and Jeff Stein of The Washington Post
—”America probably can’t have abundance. But we deserve a better government.” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin
—“Is the White House censoring Laura Loomer?” via Will Sommer of The Bulwark
—”Taxpayers spent billions covering the same Medicaid patients twice” via Christopher Weaver, Anna Wilde Mathews and Tom McGinty of The Wall Street Journal
—“Elon Musk targeted FEMA. Storm-battered communities are paying a price.” via Christopher Flavelle, Eduardo Medina and Luis Ferré-Sadurní of The New York Times
—”How Trump wants to make one of the most dangerous jobs in America even worse” via Kenny Torrella of Vox
—”Florida House speaker uneasy with child labor bill” via Ana Ceballos and Romy Ellenbogen of the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times
—“House Democrats get on board with bill requiring media to remove certain online articles” via Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix
—“‘Not discretionary’: James Uthmeier warns Donna Deegan not to veto Jacksonville illegal immigration law” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”Heat-not-burn legislation is getting hot in Tallahassee” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics
Quote of the Day
“We have to protect the sanctity of the uniform and make sure they are represented correctly.”
— Sen. Tom Wright on his ‘stolen valor’ bill (SB 402).
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.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is fuming about the House undoing “millions of dollars in cost savings,” but it just sounds like Sour Grapes to us.
I’m sorry, parents of teenagers. Lawmakers are taking back your late mornings and replacing them with an Early Riser.
Florida’s new unemployment claims have dropped for the second week in a row, signaling that it’s time to order another Daily Grind.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Gators continue March to a title
Florida will play Maryland in the Sweet 16 tonight, and the Gators will try to keep their hopes of a national championship alive (7:39 p.m. ET, TBS).
The top-seeded Gators beat Norfolk State 95-69 in the first round, then survived a 77-75 game against two-time defending national champion UConn, the eighth seed in the West Region.
All-America guard, Walter Clayton Jr., is a stand-out for Florida this season and in the tournament. Clayton scored 23 points in the first round in 27 minutes, making four three-pointers. He scored 23 against Connecticut, making five three-pointers, although he missed eight of 14 field goal attempts overall.
Maryland, the fourth seed in the West, opened the tournament with a dominating 81-49 victory over Grand Canyon, and, like Florida, narrowly won in the second round, beating 12th-seeded Colorado State 72-71.
Four Terrapins scored at least 12 points in the first-round win, led by senior forward Julian Reese. Against Colorado State, all five Maryland players scored in double figures, led by top scorer Derik Queen. During the season, all five Terrapin starters averaged at least 12 points per game this season.
Maryland has not advanced past the second round of the NCAA tournament since 2016. Florida has not made the Elite Eight since 2017.
The winner of the game will face the winner of tonight’s matchup between Texas Tech and Arkansas in the regional finals.
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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.
The lower chamber budgeted a third as much as senators want to spend on the Hometown Heroes program.
The Florida House touted budgeting for the Hometown Heroes Program. However, a review of line items shows that the lower chamber wants to spend far less than the Florida Senate on the effort.
The House proposed a $50 million budget for Hometown Heroes, while the Senate allocated $150 million.
As part of the Live Local Act, the program was recently expanded from helping first responders and other public employees to assisting any qualified first-time home buyers by providing loans to assist with down payments, closing costs and new mortgages.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has frequently touted the program’s success, which is entering its fourth year. When he announced his proposed budget for the 2025-’26 fiscal year, he included $100 million for the program while extending it to all members of the Florida State Guard.
The House proposed budget touted the program as part of $285 million for affordable housing efforts. However, the budget also cuts overall spending on housing by $99 million from the current budget year.
Much of the affordable housing spending outlined specifically in the House’s proposed budget is earmarked for local efforts, such as $471,000 budgeted for the Community Land Trust to use on affordable housing in Northwest Florida or $1.5 million for strategic infrastructure to support multi-use affordable housing in Miami-Dade County.
But there is $71.2 million in the budget for the Florida Housing Finance Corporation to use on affordable housing grants and other assistance.
By comparison, the Senate budget currently includes about $221.2 million for grants similar to those of the state agency.
DeSantis’ budget called for spending about $506.2 million on affordable housing through all programs run by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
Overall, the House has called for less spending in its budget than the Governor or Senate. Both chambers of the Legislature released budget proposals this week.
As the National President of Born to Ride for 45, I’m here to tell you what I saw in Tallahassee this week. I rode all the way to the Capitol with my brothers and sisters to fight for affordable auto insurance in Florida in support of HB 1181. Why? Because Florida’s current system is a raw deal for us and it’s time for change.
It’s been suggested that we were at the Capitol doing the bidding of other organizations – LIES. I stand with and for the 1.5 million bikers in Florida – add in their wives and children and you’re talking about 3 million residents of this state. That’s 3 million voters that are paying attention.
Here’s the truth: when my fellow bikers get maimed, there’s no one else left to turn to, no one else fighting for us. That’s why I’m out there fighting for real change. Changes that mean everyone is responsible on Florida roads.
What I saw this week in Tallahassee made me mad. We the people – regular Floridians – are going up against a corporate insurance industry that’s been protected by a bureaucracy that coddles the rich and powerful, backed by a couple of high-level politicians. And what’s at stake? Our ability to afford to live in Florida.
This isn’t just about repealing PIP. It’s about a no-fault system that’s rigged against working-class people, the ones struggling with inflated insurance premiums, while the big corporations cash in and no one takes responsibility. And boy, have they cashed in. It’s time for a responsibility-based system that protects everyone on the roads when they are injured in an accident and puts some money back where it belongs – in the people’s pockets!
Testifying before lawmakers, I showed them my pocket Constitution and reminded them they swore an oath on it, an oath to “We the People.” Not, we the insurance companies.
I was also in Tallahassee in 2023 when lawmakers passed the “reforms” they’re now trying to tell us worked. They didn’t work for anyone other than insurance executives.
Florida has the highest rates in America, and they haven’t gone down. No one’s rates have gone down, and now they’re trying to block a bill that would eliminate a garbage insurance requirement that doesn’t protect anyone – especially not guys and gals who ride. I’m willing to bet it does protect insurance companies’ bottom line, though!
I don’t know what “consumers” the insurance industry and politicians are talking to when they claim these reforms are a “win.” Everyone I know is still getting hammered with higher costs — again, the highest in the nation.
President Donald Trump told it to us straight during the campaign. He noted that we “have the highest insurance in the nation, and the bill they passed made it good for the insurance companies.” And make no mistake—those rates specifically discriminate against freedom bikers like us.
The so-called “reforms” didn’t reduce anything. They’ve only continued to stack the deck in favor of the insurance companies while leaving regular Floridians to pick up the tab. Nothing’s gotten better. It’s just the same old scam. You know what they say about lipstick on a pig, right?
And trust me, I know Donald Trump. Using his name to justify these so-called reforms is not right. What he said was the truth: Florida’s reforms were the most significant insurance industry bailout and a total SCAM!
He said in 2024, “Your automobile insurance is up 73%. VOTE FOR TRUMP, I’LL CUT THAT NUMBER IN HALF!” HB 1181 is the harbinger of that. We need a system for the people, not for the profits. Nothing has changed for the better. The system’s more rigged, complicated, and less accountable than ever.
The only people benefiting from these “reforms” are the corporate elites and a few politicians. Meanwhile, Floridians are still struggling to afford basic insurance. We were promised relief, not a scam.
But here’s the good news: Byron Donalds will change that, so I support him for Governor.
It’s time for leadership that fights for the people and an affordable Florida. Leadership that embraces the Constitutional oath of “for the people.”
Because when they don’t, we the people will be watching, and we will keep riding.
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George Colella is the National President of Born to Ride for 45.
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