This week, legislators, legislative aides and Capitol-goers got a first-hand look at some of the innovations and technologies that make Tampa General Hospital (TGH) one of the nation’s leading academic health systems.

On We Are TGH Day, Tampa General patients, families and caregivers traveled to the Florida Capitol to share stories of the life-saving care they received at Tampa General. The coalition of patients was joined by students and health care advocates from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

As part of the event, Tampa General showcased one of its Aeromed helicopter fleet on Adams Street. Visitors could explore the vehicle used to transport critically ill or injured patients to TGH from 23 surrounding counties. Also on site was the TGH exoskeleton and AquaBot in partnership with the Florida Aquarium. Even the AquaFence, a water impermeable barrier that gained global attention when it effectively prevented storm surge from flooding Tampa General during hurricanes Helene and Milton, was on display.

The technologies and innovations utilized at Tampa General were the topic of discussion during a panel hosted by Tampa General and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Tuesday in the Senate Portico. Rep. Sam Garrison joined TGH President and CEO John Couris; Scott Arnold, TGH’s executive vice president and chief innovation officer; and Nishit Patel, vice president of medical informatics for USF Tampa General Physicians and professor and associate residency program director for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery.

“Florida’s strong leadership and commitment to pro-business, pro-family policies have made our state a destination not just for its beautiful beaches, but for opportunity and innovation,” Garrison said. “Hospitals like Tampa General play a key role in this vision by combining research, technology and innovation to provide the best possible care for families and visitors.”

The conversation, moderated by Stefan Grow, Chief of Staff at Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, focused on the growing reputation of the Sunshine State as a destination for world-class care.

“From the weather and our coastlines to our distinction as an entertainment capital, Florida has a reputation as a world-class destination,” Couris said. “But we’re also a destination for innovation in health care. Right here in the Sunshine State, we’re implementing the latest research findings and the newest technologies to provide the best possible care to our patients. Tampa General is truly transforming the health care landscape.”

As the region’s only university-affiliated academic health system, Tampa General is at the forefront of groundbreaking research, pioneering advancements, and world-class training that are reshaping the future of care delivery across the industry.

In partnership with USF Health and Tampa Bay Economic Council, and like-minded leaders of health care and life sciences innovation, Tampa General established a world-class medical and research district in the city of Tampa.

The Tampa Medical & Research District (TMRD) is firmly cementing Florida as a foremost destination for world-class clinical care, exceptional academics, cutting-edge medical research, and innovative life sciences and biotechnology companies. By serving as a catalyst for job creation, a more prosperous community and a healthier population, the TMRD is elevating Florida’s status as a globally recognized leader in the health care and life sciences industry.

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

First Shot

The Senate has passed a deal on immigration enforcement, ending a stalemate within the GOP and rejecting complaints from Democrats.

Senate Republicans were unmoved by Democrats’ pleas to protect Dreamers, who would lose their in-state tuition starting next school year under the bill.

SB 2C, co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Joe Gruters and Randy Fine, primarily concerns law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and the state’s efforts to collaborate with the federal government to crack down on illegal immigration. 

Under the bill, DeSantis, Simpson, the Chief Financial Officer, the Attorney General and law enforcement officials would serve on an eight-member Immigration Enforcement Council to coordinate with the federal government on immigration. Deciding who would oversee immigration enforcement had been a source of contention between DeSantis and Simpson.

The bill would also award $250 million in grants to local enforcement agencies to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The funds would cover agencies’ expenses and give up to $1,000 bonuses for law enforcement officials who now have more duties handling immigration as they work with the federal government.

The bill also strengthens criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants convicted of committing crimes and requires them to be sentenced to the maximum penalty for felonies.

But for Democrats, what Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo called “the poison pill” in the larger bill is a provision to eliminate in-state tuition waivers for roughly 6,500 undocumented students enrolled in Florida’s public universities and colleges.

A Pizzo-backed amendment to protect the in-state rates for current students was voted down Thursday, 22-14. Ultimately, the Senate passed the bill 27-10.

Read more on Florida Politics.

Evening Reads

—”Inflation helped Donald Trump get elected. Now it’s his problem.” via Greg Ip of The Wall Street Journal

—”Trump trashes totally normal spending … that his administration authorized” via Ryan Bort of Rolling Stone

—”Trumpflation” via Annie Lowrey of The Atlantic

—“RFK Jr. confirmed, elevating anti-vaccine activist to nation’s top health post” via Lauren Weber and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post

—”Behind Kennedy’s vow to ‘follow the science’ on vaccines” via Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Christina Jewett of The New York Times

—”15 *very* weird facts about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—”Trump’s new passport rules are trapping transgender Americans in bureaucratic limbo” via Rachel Cohen and Kelsey Piper of Vox

—”Twitter or Bluesky? How about neither.” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin

—”Climate-fueled hurricanes make Florida’s rampant growth slow down” via Craig Pittman of the Florida Phoenix

—”Federal aid still flows to small businesses amid Trump overhaul, but Florida firms are wary of cloudy future” via David Lyons of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Quote of the Day

“It is indeed remarkable that the Secretary must be instructed on this elementary legal principle.”

— Justice Charles Canady, in his concurrence reversing Rep. Debbie Mayfield’s disqualification from the SD 19 ballot.

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.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio could use a Дочь шахтёра … er, Coal Miner’s Daughter … as he tries to convince Ukraine to fork over mineral rights to defray U.S. war funding costs.

Order a Snow on the Beach for the Yankees, keeping Florida at the top of the winter destination list.

Sorry, Dreamers, in-state tuition wasn’t spared in the new immigration bill. Accept this Keeping Dreaming as your consolation prize.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Daytona 500 on Sunday

The green flag drops on the first NASCAR Cup race of the season and the biggest race of the year on Sunday with the running of the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX).

“The Great American Race” will see Chase Briscoe starting from the pole position with 2022 winner Austin Cindric on the outside of the first row.

Last season, William Byron edged his teammate Alex Bowman to win the race. Byron finished third in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, which Joey Logano won. 

Briscoe won only one race last season and finished in the top five three times. 

“A great way to start our season,” Briscoe said after winning the pole. “Unbelievable way to start off the year. Unbelievable way to start off with Toyota. To be able to be the guy to deliver them the first anything when they’ve already accomplished so much is pretty cool.”

Two more drivers to watch are Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. They posted the two fastest qualifying times among nine drivers of unchartered cars. Johnson won the Daytona 500 in 2006 and 2013.

Truex, a former NASCAR Cup Series champion, has never won the Daytona 500. He finished second in 2016, his only top-five finish at the race.

The purse for the Daytona 500 last year was more than $28 million, the largest in history. Officials expect this year’s purse to break the record. Individual payouts are no longer made public, but typically, the winning team receives eight to 10% of the total purse. 

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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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Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP leaders, who were publicly at odds with each other just weeks ago, celebrated a package of newly signed immigration measures they say will help President Donald Trump fight illegal immigration and protect Florida.

The legislation marked the end of several turbulent weeks and three Special Sessions, with Republicans fighting internally as the Legislature made a rare rebuke of DeSantis.

Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez joined DeSantis at the bill-signing press conference where the Governor praised what he called a team effort.

“There was a lot of twists and turns, but I like to tell people, ‘When you’re on an airplane, sometimes you have turbulence.’ … You think of the minute you land safely, you just kind of forget about it. You move on with your day,” DeSantis said.

“This is business. It’s not personal. … You get the job done and you move on.”

DeSantis vowed to continue working with the GOP leaders over the next two years.

“Sometimes, siblings squabble,” Albritton added.

The bills’ reforms include creating new state crimes for illegal entry or reentry into Florida, raising driving without a license to a felony for undocumented immigrants and automatically ordering a death sentence as punishment for an undocumented immigrant convicted of a capital felony, such as sexual battery on a child under 12.

The legislation also sets up DeSantis and Agriculture Wilton Simpson, who were political foes in recent weeks, to work together to coordinate with the federal government on a new state council on immigration with other officials.

Democrats had pushed back against some of the changes. The minority party argued the legislation stokes anti-immigrant sentiment and unnecessarily targets undocumented students, who will now lose their in-state tuition rate.

House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell called the immigration laws “tone deaf” when Floridians are dealing with high prices and economic issues. She also said mandatory death sentences have been struck down as unconstitutional by the courts.

Other Democrats said the immigration measures aren’t strong enough and don’t crack down on the root of illegal immigration by going after employers and businesses hiring undocumented workers.

Albritton told reporters Thursday he is open to new legislation restricting employers from hiring illegal immigrants during the upcoming Regular Session. He added that regulating the private sector didn’t fit in with the state government’s infrastructure and enforcement efforts in Special Session bills.

DeSantis also said he is supportive of expanding E-Verify for smaller employers when asked during his press conference.

“That’s something that’s appropriate, so I would absolutely support it,” DeSantis said. “And I would also support funding for that.”

Sen. Joe Gruters, whose close relationship with Trump led to Gruters co-sponsoring the bills, argued the legislation should have been saved for the upcoming Regular Session starting next month.

“I wish we would have done this in the Regular Session, had committees, been able to work out our differences, and that way we never would have had the public fight that we did,” the Republican from Sarasota said Thursday on the Senate floor.

“But even with the public fight that we did, what happens when you have disagreements is you end up with a better bill, and this bill is a good bill. This bill isn’t the end all, be all, but it will have maximum coordination and collaboration with President Trump, with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).” 

DeSantis had ordered the Legislature to return last month for a Special Session to support Trump’s call for mass deportations and other issues.

GOP leaders grudgingly returned to Tallahassee as DeSantis held press conferences accusing them of being soft on illegal immigration. Lawmakers gaveled in and out and then called their own second Special Session, passing the TRUMP Act that bestowed the power of state immigration enforcement to Simpson.

DeSantis complained that the Legislature was putting the “fox in the hen house” and threatened to veto the bill. 

The Legislature’s third Special Session, held this week, reached a compromise where DeSantis and Simpson, plus state and law enforcement officials, will sit together on a council to coordinate immigration with the federal government. The new legislation would also give $250 million in grants for local law enforcement agencies who are being asked to step up and help with illegal immigration.

Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo used a moment on the Senate floor Thursday to chide Republicans for the drama. 

“By the way, if anyone needs instruction in the future on how to do a three-way call on a phone, just ask me, or ask any of your aides,” Pizzo said during the Senate floor debate Thursday. “You can get Trump, the Legislature and the executive on the same phone at the same time, and spare the vitriol and crap that’s been slung among our members back and forth nationally.”

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