Politics
Last Call for 8.25.26 – 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 —
At Miami’s Freedom Tower, Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds introduced state Sen. Bryan Ávila as his running mate and cast the General Election as a battle between “freedom” and “socialism.”
Venue, messenger, message — all of a piece.
Ávila gives Donalds a Hialeah-born son of Cuban exiles, a Florida National Guard captain and a 12-year lawmaker with no Tallahassee learning curve. His legislative record runs from the “Stop WOKE Act” to property taxes and data centers.
The rollout looked like a party closing ranks. Gov. Ron DeSantis called Ávila a “good dude.” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott called him a “great pick.” U.S. Reps. Kat Cammack and Meg Weinberger, both considered for the slot, joined the chorus.
Donalds and Ávila laid into Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly and running mate Gwen Graham for pushing what they cast as “radical” policies that would lead to “bigger government, more taxes, weaker borders, and a radical ideology.”
Jolly swung back, hitting Donalds’ relationship with President Donald Trump, whose endorsement largely propelled the Southwest Florida Congressman to a dominant Primary victory last week.
The Democratic Party’s left flank has won enough high-profile Primaries to make “socialism” irresistible to Republicans while Trump’s middling approval numbers — even in Florida — make exploiting the connection low-hanging fruit, so expect riffs on the same script ad infinitum over the next 10 weeks.
Ávila’s shift from the Senate also means another Special Election is on the way. DeSantis controls when voters will pick a replacement and, so far, the only hint from his office is “soon” — November, of course, is too soon, meaning SD 39 will likely be Senator-less at least through a few Committee weeks leading up to the 2027 Session, which begins March 2.
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Florida’s homegrown manufacturing smackdown is down to its Elite Eight.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce and FloridaCommerce announced the quarterfinalists in their second annual Coolest Thing Made in Florida competition after thousands of votes and three rounds. The surviving products represent seven counties, with Alachua County placing two entries in the bracket.
The lineup has enough range to make any seeding committee sweat: a spacecraft and a Navy early-warning aircraft share the bracket with an orthopedic implant, a hospital transport robot, cooling equipment, mining drills, an autonomous mine-detection drone and a reusable bottle made from recycled plastic.
The Top 8:
— Arro Tech: GEON E61, Bay County
— Arthrex: TightRope PRO, Collier County
— Danfoss: Turbocor HVAC TGS380 with Active Cooling, Leon County
— Koozie Group: Garyline Cubbie RPET Bottle with Straw Lid, Pinellas County
— Lockheed Martin: NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Brevard County
— Northrop Grumman: E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, St. Johns County
— Rovex Technologies: Rovi Autonomous In-Hospital Transport Robot, Alachua County
— Sandvik Mining: Sandvik Electric Rotary Blasthole Drills, Alachua County
“Florida’s manufacturers are doing more than making products. They are creating good jobs, driving innovation and strengthening the communities they call home,” Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said.
“The Top 8 represent the ingenuity and diversity of Florida’s manufacturing industry, and this competition allows Floridians to see firsthand what is being made right here in our state. As we move toward naming this year’s winner, we encourage Floridians to keep voting and keep celebrating Florida-made products.”
The competition kicked off with 100 products representing all 67 counties with the field getting slashed through public voting.
Five of this year’s eight companies — Arthrex, Danfoss, Koozie Group, Lockheed Martin and Sandvik — also appeared in the inaugural competition’s Top 32. Chromalloy ultimately claimed the 2025 title with its advanced jet engine turbine blades.
— Evening Reads —
“Kennedy Center finances deteriorated sharply after Donald Trump name change” via Johnathan Edwards of The Washington Post
“The Qataris gave Trump an airplane. He crippled their country in return.” via Shane Harris of The Atlantic
“Pete Hegseth’s purge of top generals leaves the Army rudderless” via Greg Jaffe, Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper and Adam Entous of The New York Times
“Flock cameras are spreading across America. The backlash is growing just as fast.” via Kris Maher of The Wall Street Journal
“The county prosecutors who became ICE informants” via Aura Bogado of WIRED
“Winners and losers emerging from the 2026 Primary Elections” via Peter Schorsch and Drew Wilson of Florida Politics
“Florida GOP argues David Jolly-Angie Nixon is the Democrats’ real ‘socialist’ ticket” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Florida, hard-hit by Obamacare drop-off, feels the squeeze of rising healthcare costs” via Ali Swenson and Jacquelyn Martin of The Associated Press
“Palm Beach County could be next local government to temporarily ban data centers” via Abigail Hasebroock of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“The real reason voters hate data centers so much” via Astead Herndon of Vox
— Quote of the Day —
“Simply put, David Jolly’s policies are as invasive to the state of Florida as the Pythons are to the Everglades.”
— Sen. Bryan Ávila’s opening zinger as Byron Donalds’ Lieutenant Governor pick.
— 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.
We’re only doing this once to get it out of the way: send a Cuba Libre over to Donalds-Ávila HQ.
Only the Governor knows when SD 39 voters pick their next Senator for now, but we can guarantee Ron DeSantis won’t serve them a Too Soon.
Unfortunately, there’s no sales tax holiday on booze, but the outdoorsy crowd might be able to save enough on camping and fishing gear to spring for some fitting cocktail pairings.
— Breakthrough Insights —
— Tune In —
Rays staying on top
Clinging to the best record in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays continue a three-game series in Detroit against the Tigers (6:40 p.m. ET, Rays.TV).
The Rays lead the American League East by three and a half games over the New York Yankees with 31 games remaining in the regular season. On Monday, Jonathan Aranda homered in a 4-1 win to open the series. The Rays have won 22 of the last 33 games to remain atop the division.
Tonight, Tampa Bay is scheduled to send Ian Seymour to the mound. Seymour (9-4, 4.17 ERA) Seymour (9-4, 4.17 ERA) is seeking his first victory since Aug. 9. In each of his last two starts, Seymour has surrendered three earned runs in each game. He has surrendered five home runs in those two games.
Rays’ outfielder Junior Caminero is fourth in baseball and second in the American League with 35 home runs. Only one player in Rays’ history, Carlos Pena, has led the league in home runs.
The Tigers enter the game four and a half games out of the final wild card spot in the American League. Jackson Jobe is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season for the Tigers.
The series concludes tomorrow afternoon before the Rays return to host a series against the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.
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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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