Politics

Last Call for 3.27.25 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida

Published

1 week ago

March 27, 2025

May Greene

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.

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Politics

Auburn Tigers take on the Florida Gators in Final 4

Published

9 hours ago

April 5, 2025

May Greene

The game is tonight.

Florida Gators (34-4, 17-4 SEC) vs. Auburn Tigers (32-5, 16-4 SEC)

San Antonio; Saturday, 6:09 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Gators -2.5; over/under is 159.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 4 Auburn and No. 3 Florida meet in the NCAA Tournament Final Four.

The Tigers’ record in SEC play is 16-4, and their record is 16-1 against non-conference opponents. Auburn scores 83.2 points while outscoring opponents by 14.0 points per game.

The Gators’ record in SEC action is 17-4. Florida has a 2-1 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

Auburn averages 9.1 made 3-pointers per game, 2.4 more made shots than the 6.7 per game Florida gives up. Florida has shot at a 47.3% rate from the field this season, 6.7 percentage points above the 40.6% shooting opponents of Auburn have averaged.

The teams meet for the second time this season. The Gators won 90-81 in the last matchup on Feb. 8.

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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.

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Politics

Donald Trump makes big bet on tariffs

Published

12 hours ago

April 5, 2025

May Greene

Not even 24 hours after his party lost a key Wisconsin race and underperformed in Florida, President Donald Trump followed the playbook that has defined his political career: He doubled down.

Trump’s move on Wednesday to place stiff new tariffs on imports from nearly all U.S. trading partners marks an all-in bet by the Republican that his once-fringe economic vision will pay off for Americans. It was the realization of his four decades of advocacy for a protectionist foreign policy and the belief that free trade was forcing the United States into decline as its economy shifted from manufacturing to services.

The tariff announcement was the latest and perhaps boldest manifestation of Trump’s second-term freedom to lead with his instincts after feeling his first turn in the Oval Office was restrained by aides who did not share his worldview. How it shakes out will be a defining judgment on his presidency.

The early reviews have been worrisome.

Financial markets had their worst week since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign trade partners retaliated and economists warned that the import taxes may boost inflation and potentially send the U.S. into a recession. It’s now Republican lawmakers who are fretting about their party’s future while Democrats feel newly buoyant over what they see as Trump’s overreach.

He has promised that the taxes on imports will bring about a domestic manufacturing renaissance and help fund an extension of his 2017 tax cuts. He insisted on Thursday as the Dow Jones fell by 1,600 points that things were “going very well” and the economy would “boom,” then spent Friday at the golf course as the index plunged 2,200 more points.

In his first term, Trump’s tariff threats brought world leaders to his door to cut deals. This time, his actions so far have led to steep retaliation from China and promises from European allies to push back.

As Trump struggles with the economy, Democrats are beginning to emerge from the cloud of doom that has consumed their party ever since their election drubbing in November.

They scored a decisive victory in Wisconsin’s high-profile state Supreme Court election on Tuesday, even after Elon Musk and his affiliated groups poured more than $20 million into the contest. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker then breathed new life into the Democratic resistance by delivering a record 25-hour-long speech on the Senate floor that centered on a call for his party to find its resolve.

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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.

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Politics

State can enforce DEI general education course ban while litigation plays out

Published

13 hours ago

April 5, 2025

May Greene

The state of Florida may enforce a law eliminating general education courses that teach “identity politics” at Florida’s institutions of higher education pending resolution of a lawsuit filed by professors, a federal judge has ruled.

In January, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed suit on the professors’ behalf alleging that SB 266, a 2023 law limiting general education course classifications and funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, harmed the professors’ academic ambitions. General education courses are required for students to graduate.

Days after a preliminary injunction hearing in Tallahassee in front of U.S. District Chief Judge Mark Walker, he ruled Wednesday that the professors had not established they would suffer any harm.

“This ruling is disappointing, but also offers a clearer path forward to prove this law is unconstitutional,” said Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida in a news release. “The law is a blatant effort to control the content of higher education, muzzle Florida’s scholars, and erase perspectives the state finds politically inconvenient. We remain committed to fighting alongside faculty, students, and the broader academic community until this undemocratic law is struck down.”

Among the plaintiffs is University of Florida political science professor Sharon Austin, who complains she was denied funding to present at a 2024 conference hosted by Diversity Abroad, which the school had paid for her to present at in 2023. The school specifically cited SB 266 in refusing to pay for her to appear subsequently, the suit alleges.

“As for Plaintiff Austin, her declaration demonstrates that she has already suffered a denial of state funding to attend conferences in 2024. However, to obtain prospective relief, she must demonstrate an unambiguous intention to seek funding to attend conferences at a reasonably foreseeable time in the future. That she has not done,” Walker wrote.

Professors who have had their courses removed from general education requirements, or fear it may happen, say their injury is chilled speech and potential repercussions in post-tenure review.

“To the extent these Plaintiffs claim their classroom speech associated with courses for which they have no stated plans to teach at a reasonably foreseeable time in the future will be chilled, such a hypothetical future chill is both too remote and speculative to amount to a cognizable injury in fact,” Walker wrote.

ACLU will continue
The plaintiffs allege viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment; that the law is over-broad; and that it violates Florida’s Campus Free Expression Act.

State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said in January that the law has helped address a Gallup poll that found “political agendas” as Americans’ Number One reason they have lost confidence in higher education.

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said the law helps students who can be “overwhelmed by the number of courses that are out there,” and that students can take whatever classes they wish, “but the easier we can make it for them when it comes to general education and making sure that they’re getting what they need there I think is very important.”

Walker did not rule on merits of the underlying case and the ACLU said it will continue its challenge.

“Plaintiffs’ evidence does not demonstrate that any Plaintiff faces an imminent injury — namely, chilled speech — that is traceable to any Defendant’s enforcement of the general education requirements,” Walker wrote.

“For what it’s worth, Plaintiffs’ existential concerns about the survival of their academic departments and the future viability of their areas of expertise in the state of Florida are certainly understandable. However, these concerns, as described at length in Plaintiffs’ declarations, do not give rise to a concrete, imminent, and non-speculative injury in fact sufficient to permit Plaintiffs to seek a preliminary injunction against Defendants’ enforcement of the general education requirements.”

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Jay Waagmeester reporting. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: [email protected]

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