Last Call for 11.29.23 — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics

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

First Shot

With cold fronts pushing temperatures down, it’s beginning to feel a lot, or at least somewhat, like Christmas in some pockets of the state.

That means many Floridians will be turning their heaters on for the first time in the better part of a year, which is cause for concern for Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who doubles as the State Fire Marshal.

Home heating appliances and housefires have a tight relationship. According to the National Fire Protection Association, firefighters respond to about 44,210 fires caused by home heating equipment every year. Although fireplaces and central heating aren’t blameless, space heaters are the culprit in more than 80% of house fires where a person dies. It’s a stat Patronis doesn’t want to go unnoticed.

“As temperatures are predicted to get below freezing in many parts of Florida, I am encouraging Floridians to be aware of the fire dangers associated with space heaters, as they’re the equipment most often involved in home heating fires. By following a few simple heating safety tips and precautions, you can avoid accidents and keep your family safe and warm during the winter months,” he said in a news release.

The tips are indeed simple. The big one: keep flammable objects away from the thing pumping heat into your home. The CFO also recommends cleaning chimneys and fireplaces so an errant ember doesn’t set your house ablaze and testing out smoke and carbon monoxide detectors so that if a fire does occur, you can catch it quickly.

This last tip should be able to go unsaid, but it’s unwise to take chances with Florida Man and Florida Woman: Do not use your oven to heat your home.

Evening Reads

—“Ron DeSantis should be winning in Iowa — he’s likely to get blown out” via Brent D. Griffiths and John L. Dorman of Business Insider

—“DeSantis never caught fire. Now it’s catching up to him.” via Jake Lahut of The Daily Beast

—“The dual threat of Donald Trump” via David A. Graham of The Atlantic

—“Nikki Haley’s ‘rise’ and the Republican flight from reality” via Zack Beauchamp of Vox

—“Big DeSantis donors land on powerful government boards” via Jeffrey Schweers of the Orlando Sentinel

—“California vs. Florida: Why are people moving from one state to the other?” via Hailey Branson-Potts of the Los Angeles Times

—“Rosalynn Carter buried near the Georgia home that she built with Jimmy” via Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan of The Washington Post

—“Rare gathering of former First Ladies shows style, and subtle differences” via Vanessa Friedman of The New York Times

Quote of the Day

“We’ve actually never had a team in the College Football Playoff since the playoffs started.”

— Gov. Ron DeSantis, erasing FSU’s embarrassing 2015 Rose Bowl defeat from our collective memory.

Put It on the Tab

DeSantis picked up a new nickname from Donald Trump: “Absentee Governor.” As people with lisps say, absinthe makes the heart grow fonder, so pick up one of these for DeSantis next time he’s in town.

One thing DeSantis doesn’t need is a Mind Eraser — he’s apparently good at forgetting when Florida teams make the NCAA football playoffs.

Former Amb. Nikki Haley’s poll numbers keep climbing and her campaign continues laying into DeSantis. This pun may be yesterday’s news, but she’ll take a Rum & Koch, with Koch rum.

Election Day is a long way away, but Rep. Kim Daniels will still take a Smooth Sailing now that she’s running for re-election unopposed in House District 14.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

7 p.m. — Washington Wizards @ Orlando Magic

7:15 p.m. — NCAAW: Miami Hurricanes @ Mississippi State Bulldogs

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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.