Politics
Last Call for 4.9.26 – 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
House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison will attend the Florida Chamber Leadership Conference on Safety, Health + Sustainability next month. He is expected to focus on a key issue for his upcoming term: mental and behavioral health.
The Clay County Republican, set to lead the House after the November elections, plans to discuss how mental health connects to workforce readiness, public safety, and long-term economic growth.
This focus aligns with the Florida Chamber Health Council’s efforts to treat mental health as both a business and a health care issue, especially as employers address retention, absenteeism, and workforce resilience.
Garrison has repeatedly signaled that mental health programs will be a priority during his term. He chaired the House’s health care spending panel from 2022 to 2024, which made him aware of the gap between Florida’s behavioral health needs and available resources.
“I was really struck by the need for a comprehensive approach to how we spend our behavioral health dollars,” he said at the time, adding that the state needs to develop a “plan of attack” for services ranging from acute hospitalization down to preventative measures.
Organizers said Garrison will also discuss how collaboration among government, business, and health systems is helping create a statewide model for workplace well-being.
The Chamber’s conference, described as the cornerstone of its mission to make Florida the safest, healthiest, and most sustainable state in America, is expected to bring together over 600 leaders from health, HR, environmental health and safety, and public policy. The event starts May 14 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
You can find more details and registration information here.
Evening Reads
—“Donald Trump’s CFTC goes to war with states — to protect his family’s business partners” via Rebecca Crosby of Popular Information
—“How big could a Democratic wave *actually* get?” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—“The pro-Iran meme machine trolling Trump with AI LEGO cartoons” via David Gilbert of WIRED
—“Tako? Takou? TACO-ru? Decoding the Trump TACO meme around the world.” via Michelle Ye Hee Lee of The Washington Post
—“The political transformation of college grads is weirder than you think” via Eric Levitz of Vox
—“Surging HOA fees are pushing homeowners to the brink” via Nicole Friedman of The Wall Street Journal
—“Vegetative patients may be more aware than we knew” via Katie Engelhart of The New York Times
—“James Uthmeier launches investigation into ChatGPT for role in FSU school shooting” via Liv Caputo of the Florida Phoenix
—“Billions at stake as Port Everglades dredging project puts fragile reef system at risk” via Kailey Aiken of the Florida Bulldog
—“Tallahassee Bar associations silent so far on judge impeachment push” via Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat
Quote of the Day
“You’ve been in this race for a year, you have the President’s endorsement, all this money, and you’re going backward in real polls.”
— Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, blaming “suppression polling” for his single-digit support in the Republican Primary for Governor.
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 Lt. Governor got a Blame Game yesterday; today, it’s a round of True Believers for the 4% … +/-4.5% … of likely Primary voters who are ride or die for the Tampa Republican, even with ‘suppression polling’ pinning him down.
The best thing about out-of-staters is they shoulder TDT taxes, and Florida TaxWatch says the state’s tourism engines should keep churning out Perfect Guests while policymakers keep their hands off the cash.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alex Vindman is celebrating a close internal poll of the race, but veteran pollster Steve Vancore is encouraging onlookers to down a Salt Foam Float with a shaker’s worth of NaCl on the rim while reading the fine print.
Tune In
Green Jacket on the line this weekend
The 90th Masters concludes on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club (final round coverage 2 p.m. ET, CBS).
Rory McIlroy is the defending champion. McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam last year when he outdueled Justin Rose in a playoff to win.
This year, three golfers have better odds to win than McIlroy. Two-time Masters Champion Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player, is the odds-on favorite. Scheffler won the tournament in 2022 and again in 2024.
Also among the favorites is Jon Rahm, who has been playing on the LIV Golf tour, but who qualified for the tournament as a past champion. Rahm won in 2023, defeating Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson by four strokes. Rahm finished tied for 14th last year when he shot 3-under par.
Also among the favorites is Bryson DeChambeau, another LIV Golf player, who won the last two LIV Golf tournaments, both in playoffs. DeChambeau, one of the more unconventional thinkers in professional golf, told ESPN on Wednesday that he will play with a 5-iron that he made with a 3D printer.
If recent form matters this week, keep an eye on long-hitting Gary Woodland, who won two weeks ago in Houston, and last week’s winner, JJ Spaun, who took the tournament in San Antonio.
Two big names who are not in the field are Mickelson and Tiger Woods. It is the first time since 1994 that neither is playing the Masters.
___
Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.