Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
It’s Giving Tuesday, and Attorney General Ashley Moody warns Floridians to think twice before clicking “donate.”
On Tuesday, the state’s top cop warned Floridians about some of the more common charity scams and offered tips to avoid falling victim to them.
“On Giving Tuesday, it is crucial for generous Floridians to be aware of the possibility of charity scams before donating. We want to ensure that charitable donations go to legitimate organizations that genuinely support their causes, rather than lining the pockets of fraudsters,” Moody said.
The Attorney General said Floridians should do their due diligence before giving to any charity, including checking whether it is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and has a decent rating on CharityNavigator.org.
One common scam tactic employed by phony charities is using a name that sounds strikingly similar to a legitimate one, so double-check the spelling while you’re at it.
Also, it’s generally wise to avoid donating on the fly — most legitimate charities will not phone you with an ask unless you have a prior relationship, and many of the supposed charities that do call this time of year would make Santa’s naughty list.
Floridians can report charity scams to the Florida Attorney General’s Office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.
Evening Reads
—“Speech is freer in California than in Florida, watchdog warns ahead of Gavin Newsom-Ron DeSantis debate” via Noah Bierman of the Los Angeles Times
—“Newsom wants Fox News viewers to hear him out” via Adam Nagourney of The New York Times
—“Anti-Trump network backed by Charles Koch endorses Nikki Haley in loss for DeSantis” via Katherine Doyle, Brian Schwartz and Matt Dixon of NBC News
—“DeSantis meets with potential GOP donors to new super PAC” via Amy B. Wang and Hannah Knowles of The Washington Post
—“Why the 5th Circuit keeps making such outlandish decisions” via Stephen I. Vladeck of The Atlantic
—“Carolina Amesty’s school should pay taxes on $1.6 million home, magistrate rules” via Leslie Postal and Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel
—“Gov. DeSantis appoints campaign donor, lawmaker’s daughter to University System Board of Governors” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
—“Florida university leaders bash plan to downgrade sociology” via Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times
—“Principal, staffers of Broward high school removed over transgender student-athlete” via Jimena Tavel of the Miami Herald
Quote of the Day
“How can we take a bill seriously from someone who literally tried to “cancel” the Democratic Party legislatively last year?”
— Sen. Shevrin Jones, on Sen. Blaise Ingoglia’s anti-reparations bill.
Put It on the Tab
DeSantis gets a Remember the Maine for making the Primary ballot in the Pine Tree State.
If somehow the 2024 election comes down to DeSantis vs. Newsom, polls predict a tossup. Maybe the two Guvs can split a Coin Flip.
Sen. Blaise Ingoglia’s latest bill seeks to end the debate over whether reparations should be paid to descendants of slaves. It probably also ends the debate over whether he gets invited to Reparations Happy Hour.
The onePULSE foundation could use an Audit while preparing to open the books for the Orange County Commission.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
7 p.m. — Florida Panthers @ Toronto Maple Leafs
7:30 p.m. — Milwaukee Bucks @ Miami Heat
7:30 p.m. — NCAAM: Miami @ Kentucky
9 p.m. — Tampa Bay Lightning @ Arizona Coyotes
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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.
