Last Call for 8.6.25 – 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

A sitting Congressman. A state GOP official. A pageant crown. Threats, texts, and accusations of revenge porn.

The latest scandal surrounding U.S. Rep. Cory Mills is pushing the New Smyrna Beach Republican into uncharted political peril — not just with Democrats, but possibly within his party.

Columbia County Republican State Committeewoman Lindsey Langston, the reigning Miss United States, alleges that Mills threatened to release sexually explicit videos and messages after their relationship ended earlier this year. The claim comes months after another woman, who lived with Mills in his Washington, D.C., apartment, called police to report an assault (she later withdrew the accusation). Langston has filed a report with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the case.

Mills is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations that defense contractors in which he holds a stake benefited from his legislative work. A D.C. landlord has also sued over unpaid rent. And now, for the first time since Mills flipped the seat red in 2022, Democrats are mounting a serious play for Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

Winter Park Democrat Noah Widmann outraised the incumbent in Q2, pulling in over $254,000 since launching in May. Mills, who raised $253,000 during the same period, has more overall this cycle, but is also carrying more than $2 million in debt and continues to spend steadily. Widmann’s momentum has prompted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to list the district among its top targets.

The question now isn’t whether Mills is vulnerable in a general — it’s whether Republicans are willing to take that chance. With their House majority hanging by a thread and a mid-decade redistricting fight on the horizon, GOP strategists may soon ask whether defending Cory Mills is worth the cost — political, financial, or otherwise.

Evening Reads

—“Deplete the Police: How the federal immigration crackdown could cripple local law enforcement” via Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims of Popular Information

—”Donald Trump weighs getting involved in New York City Mayor’s race” via Nicholas Fandos, Jeremy W. Peters, Maggie Haberman and Katherine Rosman of The New York Times

—”Trump’s tariffs have pissed off the right’s favorite ‘pervert’” via Zack Beauchamp of Vox

—”How many times can science funding be canceled?” via Katherine J. Wu of The Atlantic

—”Charter planes and bidding wars: How Bitcoin miners raced to beat Trump’s tariffs” via Joel Khalili of WIRED

—”Reigning Miss United States says Cory Mills threatened to release revenge porn after she dumped him” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

—”Florida’s top marijuana regulator leaves post” via Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix

—“Amnesty for Carolina Amesty: Feds won’t pursue criminal case over COVID loans, defense lawyer says” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

—”After illness outbreak, Wilton Simpson urges Floridians to stick with pasteurized milk” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics

—”The mystery of the L.A. mansion filled with surrogate children” via Katherine Long, Ben Foldy and Sara Randazzo of The Wall Street Journal

Quote of the Day

“If we’ve made the technological advances to make milk safe. Why would we want to go backward to making milk unsafe?”

— USF public health professor Jill Roberts, on the raw milk illness outbreak.

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.

Slide a Sinking Ship Swizzle to Cory Mills, whose political future was already in rocky waters before the latest scandal dropped.

Send a White Russian to the raw milk fan in your life — if they won’t do as the Agriculture Commissioner says and switch to pasteurized, might as well nuke the germs with vodka.

The investigation into her business dealings might’ve made political opponents salivate, but for now, Carolina Amesty is walking away with a Scot-Free.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Arik Armstead has yet to play a down in Jacksonville’s training camp, a lingering absence that has the Jaguars concerned about his availability for the season opener.

The 31-year-old defensive tackle opened camp last month watching from the sideline in what coach Liam Coen equated to giving him “a little bit of a veteran start.” Now, two weeks later and with Armstead still without a practice rep, Coen said he is dealing with a back injury that has him on the shelf indefinitely.

Although Coen expressed optimism that Armstead could be ready for the team’s opener against Carolina on Sept. 7, he added, “It’s hard for me to say right now.”

“Ultimately, he’ll probably know how to get himself ready to go, I would hope,” Coen said Tuesday. “The key is just making sure that he’s healthy and ready to go for the first game. Ultimately, it’s a long season, as we know.

“Not to say that early (games) aren’t obviously as important as late ones, but it is a long season, and we’re really just trying to get him to be as healthy as possible.”

Armstead signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract with Jacksonville in 2024 that included $28 million guaranteed. It was an eye-popping deal for a 6-foot-7, 290-pound player on the wrong side of 30 who missed 13 games over his final two seasons in San Francisco.

Read more via The Associated Press.

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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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