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

First Shot

The state-level Department of Government Efficiency — DOGE, in the Governor’s preferred acronym — officially got to work today with state auditors descending on Broward County and Gainesville.

While boosting efficiency is the claim, a more plausible interpretation of the effort is that it’s the opening volley in a campaign targeting Democratic enclaves coded in the pretense of fiscal oversight and cloaked in doublespeak.

DeSantis previewed the campaign during July 22 swing stops in Gainesville and Fort Lauderdale, framing it as a response to “complaints” and claiming both jurisdictions had exploded their budgets through runaway spending on DEI programs and climate initiatives. On Monday, Orange County joined the list, with DOGE letters flying and auditors scheduled for early August.

There appears to be little, if any, urgency to open the books in GOP-aligned areas, some of which have hiked taxes considerably — the fully Republican Seminole County Commission bumped rates there by 10% just last week.

The Gainesville “85%” property tax increase that the DeSantis administration is claiming? Fuzzy math. Actual tax bills for in-city properties have gone up more in the ballpark of 25% to 30% since 2020, mainly as a function of increased property values fueled by inbound migration, a trend DeSantis has frequently highlighted as a positive in the post-COVID era. Meanwhile, homeowners outside Gainesville city limits have seen bumps in the 12%-15% range.

The idea that Gainesville doubled its burden on taxpayers doesn’t square with reality and many of the claims of mismanagement lobbed against local governments elsewhere are equally dubious. Alas, nine auditors in Broward. Daily fines for incomplete responses. Deep dives into rainbow crosswalks, DEI trainings and parade floats.

From Gainesville to Fort Lauderdale and now Orlando, the audit trail suggests this isn’t about rooting out waste or boosting efficiency, but asserting control … and providing make-work to Tallahassee number crunchers who ostensibly have nothing better to do.

Evening Reads

—“Donald Trump’s sloppy effort to distract from Jeffrey Epstein mess creates a ‘ticking time bomb’” via Asawin Suebsaeng of Rolling Stone

—“How Laura Loomer became one of the most feared people in Washington” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—“‘Welcome to hell’: Inside the megaprison where the U.S. deported migrants” via Samantha Schmidt, Helena Carpio, María Luisa Paúl, Silvia Foster-Frau, Teo Armus and Aaron Steckelberg of The Washington Post

—”Every scientific empire comes to an end” via Ross Andersen of The Atlantic

—”Unnoticed whistle-blower document alarms Justice Department veterans” via Devlin Barrett of The New York Times

—“The inside story of Eric Trump’s American Bitcoin” via Jessica Klein of WIRED

—”Josh Weil drops out of U.S. Senate race against Ashley Moody” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

—”Florida DOGE looks at Palm Beach County’s spending. New county leader calls it ‘an opportunity.’” via Abigail Hasebroock of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—”UCF wants $50 million to be an engineering powerhouse – and out-of-state students to pay 10% higher fees” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

—”‘A victory for every voter’: Appeals court blocks Miami election delay, calling move unconstitutional” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics

Quote of the Day

“They tried to silence the public. They tried to rewrite the rules mid-game. They lied about turnout, lied about costs, and ignored our city’s Constitution. And they did it all for themselves. The court saw through it.”

— Emilio González, on the 3rd District Court of Appeal’s decision blocking Miami’s election delay.

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.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and DEP Secretary Alexis Lambert get a Country Breeze for adding another 12,243 acres to the state’s portfolio of conservation land.

The Governor is giving the Hulkster another salute by lowering state flags in his honor. Join in on the final farewell with a Red, White, and Blue.

Serve up a Get Well Soon to Josh Weil, who ended his U.S. Senate campaign. Incumbent Ashley Moody gets one as well for her classy response to the announcement.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Football returns with Hall of Fame game

Football is back. Starting tonight, a week will not go by without football until Super Bowl LX on Feb. 7, 2026. This evening, the Los Angeles Chargers face the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement week in Canton, Ohio (8 p.m. ET, NBC).

The Chargers finished the 2024 season 11-6 under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh before losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs to the Houston Texans. This offseason, the Chargers focused on the line of scrimmage and the running game, adding former Philadelphia Eagles guard Mekhi Becton and former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris in free agency.

Then, in the draft, the Chargers selected North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton with the 22nd pick of the first round.

The Lions earned the top seed in the NFC playoffs last season after a 15-2 regular season, but a playoff loss to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round left the Lions hungry for more in 2025. Detroit added cornerback D.J. Reed in free agency, but most of the team’s moves were to add depth.

Like the Chargers, the Lions also went big in the draft, using a first-round pick on Ohio State’s 334-pound defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and a second-round pick on Georgia guard Tate Ratledge.

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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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