Last Call for 1.4.24 — 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.

Ed. Note — As you may already know, today is Peter’s 48th birthday — and the celebration is entering overtime! That said, he surprised our staff by giving Sunburn the night off. Don’t worry; your daily dose of the hottest in Florida politics will return first thing Monday morning.

Thanks for your readership and loyalty. Have a great weekend, and please stay safe!

And once again, Happy Birthday to our friend and leader!

First Shot

A voter recently questioned Ron DeSantis on why he’s avoided attacking Donald Trump directly, but a new ad from a super PAC supporting the Governor’s bid for President doesn’t pull any punches.

Good Fight’s spot, backed with a six-figure ad buy, swings at Trump — referred to as “one man” by the narrator — as the President who “shut the country down and added $8 trillion to the national debt.” DeSantis, meanwhile, “stood for freedom and will do the same as President.”

“Trump is running on his issues. (Nikki) Haley is running on her donors’ issues. I’m the only one running on your issues, and as your President, I will not let you down,” DeSantis says in the ad.

The ad drops as DeSantis and Haley continue to spar for what will likely be a distant second place in the Iowa Caucuses. The former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Ambassador under Trump has debuted two ads attacking DeSantis this week. The first cast DeSantis as soft on China; the second hammered his “mini-Trump persona.”

DeSantis has enlisted help in pushing back.

A Thursday news release from the campaign features a crew of Iowa elected officials defending DeSantis and dinging Haley for “insulting Hawkeye State voters” over her recent comment that New Hampshire voters could “correct” Iowa Caucusgoers, purportedly for picking a candidate other than her.

“I trust Iowans to make their own decisions. No ‘corrections’ needed,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a cornerstone endorser of DeSantis’ presidential bid.

Iowa state Rep. Skylar Wheeler added, “Nikki Haley with another absolute disaster on her hands. Iowa won’t make a mistake because we won’t pick a lib like yourself. We actually value conservatism in our state.”

Evening Reads

—”The high cost of Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid? Vaccine misinformation.” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post

—”After Iowa school shooting, DeSantis says gun violence is a ‘local and state issue’” via Katie Akin of the Des Moines Register

—”‘The grassroots have left DeSantis’: Donald Trump crushes Florida Governor in Miami-Dade GOP straw poll” via Kimberly Leonard of POLITICO

—“Will DeSantis replace dozens of local officials who resigned ahead of a new disclosure law?” via C.A. Bridges of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

—”DeSantis is flaming out and blaming Trump” via Mary Ellen Klas of Bloomberg

—”How Oct. 7 changed America’s free-speech culture” via Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic

—”The 5th Circuit just made it even more dangerous to be pregnant in a red state” via Ian Millhiser of Vox

—”Moms for Liberty members say parental rights have limits with reading rule” via Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times

—“Florida observatory may be forced to shut down if county OKs sand mine” via Craig Pittman of the Florida Phoenix

Quote of the Day

“I think two people have benefited from the $105 million worth of ads in Iowa: Donald Trump, the front-runner, and the people who get paid 20% to run those ads.”

— Political strategist Kellyanne Conway on Ron DeSantis’ and Nikki Haley’s Iowa ad spending.

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.

Serve DeSantis a White Russian, but sub the cream for 2% milk to match his support among men likely to vote in the New Hampshire Republican Primary.

Meanwhile, Team DeSantis could use a cup of Mulled Wine for braving the blustery cold of the Hawkeye State in some flimsy jackets.

Floridians who are looking to buy or sell a home had a rough December, but a Sunny Day Real Estate could tide them over until the market’s expected rebound in the spring.

According to a new UF survey, Florida consumer confidence is on the upswing. It’s possible that they’ve already sipped on a Confidence Builder. If not, they should be.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Playoffs on line for Jaguars

The final week of the NFL’s regular season includes the Jacksonville Jaguars traveling to Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

The Jaguars (9-7) can clinch the AFC South and the #4 seed in the playoffs with a win. They can also earn a wild-card spot with a loss and losses by the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jacksonville snapped a four-game losing streak with a 26-0 shutout of the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. They did so with C.J. Beathard starting at quarterback in place of the injured Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence is trying to return to the lineup this week and returned to practice yesterday.

How much will the Titans (5-11) put into the game? Tennessee has been eliminated from the playoff chase and quarterback Will Levis was knocked out of the game Sunday with a foot injury. Head coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday that he simply didn’t want to lose the game, regardless of what’s at stake for his team.

“It sucks to lose,” Vrabel said. “Losing. Awful. That’s why I want to win. Because you don’t sleep. You want to win for the players (who) bust their tails. That’s it. It’s not about, ‘Hey, we’ll go into the offseason on a good note.’ Nobody knows what you did on Jan. 7.”

If the Jaguars win on Sunday, they will host the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the playoffs. If they qualify as a wild card team, they could face either the Buffalo Bills or Miami Dolphins. 

ALSO THIS WEEKEND

TONIGHT

6:30 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Gulf Coast Eagles @ JU Dolphins

7 p.m. — NCAAW: South Carolina Gamecocks @ Florida Gators

7 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida State Seminoles @ NC State Wolfpack

7 p.m. — NCAAW: Miami Hurricanes @ Boston College Eagles

7 p.m. — NCAAW: Stetson Hatters @ North Florida Ospreys

7 p.m. — NCAAM: Temple Owls @ South Florida Bulls

7 p.m. — NCAAM: JU Dolphins @ Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

7 p.m. — NCAAM: North Florida Ospreys @ Stetson Hatters

8 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Atlantic Owls @ SMU Mustangs

8 p.m. — Tampa Bay Lightning @ Minnesota Wild

10 p.m. — Florida Panthers @ Vegas Golden Knights 

FRIDAY

9 p.m. — Miami Heat @ Phoenix Suns

9 p.m. — Orlando Magic @ Denver Nuggets

SATURDAY

12:30 p.m. — NCAAM: Kentucky Wildcats @ Florida Gators

1 p.m. — NCAAW: Jacksonville State Gamecocks @ Florida International Panthers

2 p.m. — NCAAW: Kansas State Wildcats @ UCF Knights

2 p.m. — NCAAM: JU Dolphins @ Stetson Hatters

2 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida A&M Rattlers @ Bethune-Cookman Wildcats

2 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Gulf Coast Eagles @ North Florida Ospreys

2:15 p.m. — NCAAM: Miami Hurricanes @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons

3 p.m. — NCAAW: South Florida Bulls @ Tulane Green Wave

4 p.m. — NCAAM: Florida Atlantic Owls @ Charlotte 49ers

4 p.m. — NCAAM: Virginia Tech Hokies @ Florida State Seminoles

4 p.m. — NCAAM: Florida A&M Rattlers @ Bethune-Cookman Wildcats

4 p.m. — Florida Panthers @ Colorado Avalanche

5 p.m. — NCAAM: Florida International Panthers @ Jacksonville State Gamecocks

6 p.m. — NCAAM: UCF Knights @ Kansas State Wildcats

7 p.m. — NCAAM: North Florida Ospreys @ Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

7 p.m. — Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins

SUNDAY

1 p.m. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

2 p.m. — NCAAW: Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Miami Hurricanes

2 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Gators @ Vanderbilt Commodores

3 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Atlantic Owls @ North Texas Mean Green

3 p.m. — NCAAM: South Florida Bulls @ UAB Blazers

4 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida State Seminoles @ Clemson Tigers

6 p.m. — Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks

8:20 p.m. — Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins

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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.