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

First Shot

The Associated Industries of Florida has released its 2025 Voting Records report, along with naming this year’s recipients of the “Champions for Business” award. 

AIF bills the report as the “definitive legislative scorecard for the business community.” It grades lawmakers based on how they voted on AIF-backed legislation throughout Session, including committee votes and abstentions. This year’s edition tracks 3,856 votes cast by lawmakers on 47 bills. 

 “For more than 50 years, AIF has produced its Voting Records report to ensure Florida’s employers know exactly where each legislator stands on the issues they had the opportunity to vote on that would impact the business community,” said AIF President and CEO Brewster Bevis. 

“This provides one important metric that can help illustrate how strongly and consistently a legislator supports Florida businesses, but we recognize that their votes are just one of the ways they can support job creators. The non-vote actions that legislators take can be just as crucial to either advancing a priority of the business community or, sometimes even more importantly, stopping one that would be detrimental to it.”

The “Champions for Business” awards are reserved for the top-scoring lawmakers, whom AIF says “provided strong leadership in advancing key legislation and stood up to protect the interests of Florida’s business community.”

“AIF’s Champions for Business are those elected officials who have gone above and beyond to fight for Florida’s job creators,” said Bevis. “They not only consistently vote in support of the business community, they take action — both behind the scenes and publicly — to advance policies that promote free enterprise and economic prosperity and to stop legislation that would be harmful to Florida’s business climate. Our Champions for Business are our most powerful advocates in the Florida Legislature, and we are proud to support them and recognize them with this distinction.”

The 2025 honorees are Senate President Ben Albritton, Senate Majority Leader Jim Boyd, Sen. Gayle Harrell, Sen. Stan McClain, Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, Rep. Mike Caruso, Rep. Tom Fabricio and Rep. Toby Overdorf. Notably absent from the list is House Speaker Daniel Perez, and notably present is Gov. Ron DeSantis, who, while not casting votes on legislation, was recognized for his public comments on AIF priorities and his veto of the “free kill” repeal.

AIF’s 2025 Voting Records report is available here.

Evening Reads

—”Donald Trump revives trade war, threatening steep Aug. 1 tariffs on allies” via Ana Swanson and Tony Romm of The New York Times

—”Annoying people to death” via Annie Lowrey of The Atlantic

—“Trump’s big bill will make Americans uninsured again” via Elizabeth Pancotti of Rolling Stone

—”Now Republicans have to sell Trump’s megabill to voters” via Aaron Zitner, Lindsay Wise and Natalie Andrews of The Wall Street Journal

—”Winners and Losers of the One Big Beautiful Bill” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—”Jeffrey Epstein ‘client list’ doesn’t exist, Justice Dept. says, walking back theory Pam Bondi promoted” via The Associated Press

—“Tolerance is a heavy lift. Democracy needs a warm-up.” via Karen Cyphers of Decyphered

—“America’s fastest-growing suburbs are about to get very expensive” via Marina Bolotnikova of Vox

—”Miami postponed its 2025 Elections. Why did the city do it?” via Sabrina Rodriguez of The Washington Post

—”Florida releases A-to-F school report card; state and region earn more As” via Zoey Thomas of the Orlando Sentinel

Quote of the Day

“I don’t think it would even move the needle, even if they got elected.”

— Gov. Ron DeSantis, on Elon Musk’s “America Party.”

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.

What’s the most fitting drink for this year’s “Champions of Business” honorees? The Drink Of Champions, of course.

Gov. Ron DeSantis had more than one report card to celebrate today. Order him and, what the heck, likely next Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas a High Score to celebrate the state’s improving K-12 school grades.

… Just make sure it’s not mixed up by the world’s first AI bartender, which (who?) just so happens to be in Orlando. That wouldn’t align with the Governor’s vow to “prevent AI from taking over everything.”

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Rays open set in Detroit

The Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series in Detroit against the Tigers tonight as both teams look for momentum heading toward the All-Star break (6:40 p.m. ET, FS1).

Tampa Bay has lost six of the last nine games, including dropping two of three in Minnesota against the Twins over the weekend. The only victory of the series for the Rays came yesterday in a 7-5 win in 10 innings. Yandy Diaz doubled in the go-ahead run as part of a three-run 10th that powered the Rays to victory.

The Rays are tied with the New York Yankees for second place in the American League East, three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. However, if the season were to end today, the Rays would be in the postseason as a wild-card team.

Detroit leads the American League Central by 13.5 games over the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers lead the league, having outscored the opposition by 106 runs this season. Detroit has won 30 of its 44 home games this year.

 Over the weekend, the Rays learned that first baseman Jonathan Aranda would represent the team at the All-Star Game. Aranda, the only Rays’ player to make the squad, is batting .320 with 10 home runs and 47 runs batted in this season. Aranda ranks fourth in the American League in batting average.

After the three-game series in Detroit, the Rays are scheduled to face the Red Sox in four games in Boston before the All-Star break arrives.

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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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