Politics
Last Call for 8.24.26 – 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 —
Florida is moving to drop four vaccines from school entry requirements with a proposal that would also broaden the state’s religious exemption to include a “sincerely held moral or ethical belief.”
The Florida Department of Health published the proposed rule amendment Monday, nearly a year after Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced a push to eliminate Florida’s vaccine mandates.
The agency’s revised immunization guidelines struck requirements for vaccines against hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease, chickenpox, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
The rule does not alter the requirements set by Florida law, which mandates immunization against polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, pertussis, mumps, and tetanus. Those requirements will remain in place.
The proposed guidelines also state that a family may qualify for vaccine exemptions based on religious tenets or practices “which include a sincerely held moral or ethical belief,” and that county health officials should not seek additional information from a parent or guardian.
Notably, Hib, pneumococcal disease and varicella were included in President Donald Trump’s Aug. 10 executive order as immunizations recommended for all children. The order places hepatitis B in categories for high-risk groups or shared decision-making.
Democrats were quick to deride DOH’s proposal as a threat to public health.
“Dr. Ladapo’s crusade to remove vaccine requirements is an extreme political agenda with no basis in scientific fact. If we move forward with this rollback, our children would be more susceptible to things like Hepatitis B, pneumonia, meningitis, and blood infections — preventable illnesses that can lead to death,” Berman said.
“Vaccines keep our children healthy and make our schools safer. They are broadly popular, but removing vaccines from the schedule tells parents that the government doesn’t think those vaccines are important. Florida already has incredibly broad religious and medical exemptions, so that any family with a sincere opposition to vaccination can opt out.”
The proposal is not yet final, and the existing requirements remain in effect while the rulemaking process continues. The public may submit comments through Sept. 14.
— Evening Reads —
—”The Donald Trump comedians are tired” via Will Gottsegen of The Atlantic
—”White House crops Natalie Harp out of Grand Prix content” via Nikki McCann Ramirez of Rolling Stone
—“Can Democrats win back the Senate? Why their chances are improving.” via Tim Balk of The New York Times
—”Ron DeSantis: Redrawn congressional seats ‘winnable’ for GOP, but ‘it’s going to require some effort’” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”DeSantis wants to stop people from spending government benefits on tanning beds, tattoos” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics
—”Did school vaccines just become a campaign issue?” via Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix
—”After redistricting, DeSantis hedges bets on who will win 4 new red seats” via Shauna Muckle of the Tampa Bay Times
—”They dedicated their lives to teaching. Then the deepfakes started” via Caroline Haskins of WIRED
—”How a donkey named Eloise became a symbol in the fight against Florida data centers” via Emily L. Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times
—”A billionaire CEO, a Hamptons town and the endless fight over a seafood shack” via Erin Mulvaney of The Wall Street Journal
— Quote of the Day —
“If this were 2022, and these guys were running those races, we’d win all four — no questions, slam dunk. This year, they’re winnable, but I think it’s going to require some effort.”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, on whether redrawn congressional seats are “winnable” for Republicans.
— 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.
Tampa City Council members are considering a round of Wild Wests, with plans to piggyback on the proposed Hillsborough vacation rental registry.
Meta likely didn’t bring any booze, but if their local-business AI training session had an open bar, Llama’s themed suggestions include the Neural Nibbler and Data-Driven Delight.
DeSantis isn’t exuding confidence in the GOP’s chances of picking up four Florida seats, so send him a TBD pending November’s results.
— Breakthrough Insights —
— Tune In —
Marlins look for fourth straight win
After a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, the Miami Marlins open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox tonight in South Florida (6:40 p.m. ET, Marlins.TV).
Entering the series, the Marlins sit four games out of the final wild card spot in the National League with 31 games to play in the regular season. Miami is scheduled to send Sandy Alcantara to the mound against Boston’s Ranger Suarez.
Alcantara is tied for fifth in the Major Leagues with 13 wins and is looking for his first victory since Aug 8. The Marlins scored a total of one run in his last two starts. Suarez is coming off his fifth victory of the season, a 9-4 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he tossed 5.1 innings of four-hit baseball. He allowed all four runs scored by the Diamondbacks in the game but got the win.
Like Miami, Boston is in a postseason chase. The Red Sox, who have also won their last three, hold the number two spot in the American League wild card race and are six games behind the A.L. East-leading Tampa Bay Rays and three games behind the second-place New York Yankees.
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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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