Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Measures that would place age verification requirements on websites and social media platforms have quickly advanced this Session.
The House took up one prong of the House Speaker-backed proposal (HB 3) on Tuesday. The bill would mandate websites that publish material “harmful to minors” implement more stringent age verification systems.
Some prominent websites such as Pornhub say they see eye-to-eye with lawmakers on the underlying concept but that the legislation needs to walk a tightrope in order to be effective and, thus far, policymakers haven’t come up with an effective solution.
“Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard and dangerous. Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy,” said Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, expressed a similar sentiment during a Wednesday press briefing on a separate measure (HB 1) that would outright ban children younger than 16 from social media platforms. The House passed the legislation during its Wednesday floor Session.
The company says it supports certain measures, such as requiring parental consent for app store downloads or purchases, but that a youth social media ban or overly strict age verification requirements could possibly do more harm than good — and that courts elsewhere have already blocked similar proposals.
A law that went into effect in Arkansas last year required parents users to verify their identity with a government-issued ID. However, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas-Fayetteville Division blocked it, ruling that it violated free speech rights.
Instead, Meta is pointing to tools it already has in place to make its platforms safer for younger users. While Meta already has guidelines banning certain content from the platform, it has also implemented systems that prevent media that skirts the lines — say, users describing their experience with eating disorders or addiction — from showing up in teens’ feeds.
Beyond online safety, the company highlighted algorithms designed to encourage healthier, more balanced online behavior — one feature, “nudge,” checks in with users if they’ve been viewing the same type of content for extended periods of time.
Bill Day’s Latest
Evening Reads
—“It’s fair to ask: Is the Republican race over?” via Nate Cohn of The New York Times
—”‘I can’t deal’: Nikki Haley voters signal they won’t vote for Donald Trump against Joe Biden” via David Catanese and Max Greenwood of McClatchy/the Miami Herald
—“This is really happening” via David A. Graham of The Atlantic
—“As strong as Trump was in Iowa and New Hampshire, a bigger challenge lies ahead” via Dan Balz of The Washington Post
—“What would it take for Haley to win at this point?” via Andrew Prokop of Vox
—“Disney asks for delay in Ron DeSantis appointees’ lawsuit, as worker describes a distracted district” via Mike Schneider of The Associated Press
—”Young Democrats felt overlooked in Florida. Now, they’re launching a PAC” via Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix
—”Why are Pasco ‘luxury’ apartments getting affordable housing tax break?” via Barbara Behrendt of the Tampa Bay Times
Quote of the Day
“When it comes to social media, it follows us everywhere with addictive little pings and algorithms that keep us constantly turning back to it, turning down sleep, turning down food so we can keep up with the latest on what’s going on in our community.”
— Rep. Fiona McFarland, presenting the House bill banning teens from social media.
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.
The Governor gets to sip on a Mapmaker while the Florida Supreme Court considers whether his controversial congressional redistricting plan violates the state constitution.
The next time the former President — no, not Trump — swings through Tallahassee, pour him a Record Breaker to mark Florida’s highest-ever Obamacare enrollment numbers.
Maybe it’s a bit on the nose, but order a Margarita for Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book, whose bill designating State Road A1A as “Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway” cleared its second committee stop.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Gators face pivotal SEC game tonight
Two teams looking for an identity meet as the Florida Gators host Mississippi State tonight in Gainesville (8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Florida (12-6; 2-3 in SEC) has been a team of multiple personalities this season. On their best day, the Gators can look like a team with the talent to be a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. They won six straight games in December, albeit against mostly inferior opposition. They opened SEC play with a two-point loss to Kentucky.
They can also look like a team that does not deserve to be on the court with a top-10 team. A 19-point loss at 6th-ranked Tennessee as an example.
Tonight’s game against Mississippi (13-5, 2-3 in SEC) is a litmus test for the Gators. It’s a game they should win if Florida can handle the veteran muscle of the Bulldogs. Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith leads the team in scoring averaging 19.7 points per game. The Bulldogs are at their best when Smith is supported by another scorer. When Mississippi State beat Tennessee, freshman guard Josh Hubbard scored 25 points to complement Smith’s 23-point performance. It resulted in Mississippi State’s biggest win of the season.
What’s on the line tonight? The winner gets back to the .500 mark in conference play while the loser falls to 2-4. With February approaching, tonight’s game will give one team the hope to make a run toward the top third of the conference in the final full month before March Madness.
Also tonight:
7 p.m. — Arizona Coyotes @ Florida Panthers
7 p.m. — NCAAM: Miami Hurricanes @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7 p.m. — NCAAM: South Florida Bulls @ Temple Owls
7:30 p.m. — Memphis Grizzlies @ Miami Heat
8 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Atlantic Owls @ Rice Owls
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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.
