Last Call for 8.4.25 – 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

Redistricting is supposed to be like a leap year: rare, predictable, and mostly ignored until it messes with your calendar. But in Florida, the mapmakers seem to live on a different timeline entirely.

After a court-ordered redraw ahead of the 2016 elections and a Governor-engineered one in 2022, it’s looking increasingly likely that Florida’s congressional map could get another shake-up before the 2026 elections.

At the Florida Freedom Forum in Orlando, where a quarter of the state’s congressional Republicans gathered this weekend, few were eager to endorse a mid-cycle redraw.

Still, the specter of redistricting looms. Gov. Ron DeSantis has floated the idea of a “snap census” to justify new lines — arguing Florida was shortchanged in the 2020 count while states like California benefited from including noncitizens. It’s a move that mirrors efforts in Texas, where Republicans are already advancing new maps, and in New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul has signaled her intent to redraw boundaries to bolster Democratic control.

But Florida’s legal path is trickier. U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, who helped draft the state’s redistricting rules, noted that partisan considerations remain restricted under the Fair Districts amendment, even after the Florida Supreme Court upheld a DeSantis-drawn map that weakened protections for minority voting power.

“If it’s using the same population numbers from a few years ago, I don’t really understand how you legally justify it,” Fine said.

Nationally, both parties are testing the boundaries. In New York, Hochul’s push could erase multiple GOP seats. In Texas, Republican-crafted maps are already triggering quorum-denial standoffs. A mid-cycle census, as DeSantis proposes, could scramble it all, forcing states back to square one.

In Florida, the math is murky, the law uncertain, and the appetite limited — even among Republicans.

“I do not engage in redistricting conversations,” said U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Naples Republican now running for Governor. “I don’t want to be in a redistricting lawsuit.”

That may be the only bipartisan consensus in 2025: no one wants to draw the short straw — or the next subpoena.

Evening Reads

—“How the new Texas map changes the outlook for control of the House” via Nate Cohn of The New York Times

—“With Texans in tow, Kathy Hochul vows to redraw New York’s House maps” via Grace Ashford of The New York Times

—“Mark Zuckerberg fired the fact-checkers. We tested their replacement.” via Geoffrey A. Fowler of The Washington Post

—”Turns out the Donald Trump economy is not doing so well after all” via Eric Levitz of Vox

—”Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is becoming a bubble” via Nancy A. Youssef of The Atlantic

—”The billionaire behind mysterious immigration ads targeting Miami Republicans” via Patricia Mazzei of The New York Times

—”The Jeffrey Epstein saga and the Ghislaine Maxwell drama prove that the rules are different here in Florida” via Diane Roberts of the Florida Phoenix

—”Florida’s DOGE is coming to St. Petersburg with questions” via Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times

—“The big money and high cost of the U.S. military’s on-base slot machines” via Molly Longman of WIRED

—”How the Savannah Bananas are reinventing baseball, one crazy sellout at a time” via Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal

Quote of the Day

“I’d like to stick with what I got.”

— U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, whose district has been redrawn five times since his 2010 election to Congress.

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.

There’s a long way to go until Election Day, but CD 27 Democrats are ordering Close Calls after a Kaplan Strategies poll showed three-term Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar is vulnerable in 2026.

If you cast a bid or chipped in directly to help 40-year Tallahassee resident and current Senate staff member Creston Nelson, order yourself a Sweet Charity.

Send a batch of Crossfire Hurricane down to St. Petersburg, the next target of Florida’s state-level DOGE.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Red-hot Marlins open series with struggling Astros

The Miami Marlins look for a sixth straight victory as they  host the Houston Astros tonight in the first of a three-game series (6:40 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Florida)

Miami is coming off the first sweep of the New York Yankees in franchise history. Miami beat New York 13-12 in dramatic comeback fashion on Friday, then shut out the Yankees 2-0 on Saturday before taking a 7-3 decision on the back of a Kyle Stowers three-run home run on Sunday. 

The sweep made six consecutive series wins for the Marlins, who have crept back to the .500 mark with a record of 55-55. The Marlins are 7.5 games back in the National League East and six games out of the final wild card spot in the National League. 

While Miami still has been outscored by a combined 40 runs this season, the recent improved play has the team thinking about a playoff chase. 

The Astros lead the American League West by 2.5 games over the Seattle Mariners, but Houston enters the series struggling, losing three straight games and eight of the last 10. Over a longer stretch, the Astros have lost 15 of 22 games. 

If the Marlins can win the series, they could position themselves for a playoff chase.

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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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