Takeaways from Tallahassee — Young gun?

JJ Holmes just turned 20 years old this month.

But the Longwood resident has already been named the recipient of the Annual Idelio Valdes Leadership and Advocacy Award — the state’s top honor recognizing an individual with a developmental disability.

The decision by the Florida Developmental Disability Council is not surprising given Holmes’ energy and his passion for policy, politics and people.

For years he’s been attending local legislative delegation meetings and Tallahassee committee meetings to press lawmakers to spend more money on providing home and community-based services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

This comes as Holmes himself has spent 17 years on a waiting list for an optional Medicaid waiver program called iBudget, which provides home- and community-based services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Like other Zoomers, he’s an adept social media user and has flexed his online presence to become an influencer on the use of communication devices.

While Holmes has become an influencer in ID/DD circles he is broadening his advocacy efforts, lending his voice to Florida Voices for Health, a group associated with a push to expand Medicaid to low-income childless adults, such as his mother, Alison Holmes.

Alison Holmes was a featured speaker at a Feb. 1 news conference announcing the kickoff for a proposed constitutional amendment requiring Florida to expand Medicaid as allowable under federal health care law.

Alison has cared for JJ at home since birth and has been unable to work professionally outside the home. She is one of roughly 726,000 residents in Florida who fall into the coverage gap, the moniker given to people who earn too much to qualify for Florida Medicaid and not enough to qualify for subsidies under the Obamacare exchange.

During the news conference, Alison Holmes, who emigrated from England, said it was easier for her to become an American citizen than to access health care.

After Alison finished her comments, JJ, who was not a featured speaker, shared his thoughts.

“To be honest, I just can’t understand why my mom can’t get health care,” said Holmes, who is a wheelchair user. “Every day I try as hard as I can to make it easier for her when she lifts me, but I know I am hurting her, and I don’t know what to do. I wish people could see how hard her life is and see how much pain she is in. If they did, they’d understand how important this is,” he said. “It’s my birthday today and the best gift I could get is for Florida to expand Medicaid.”

Five days after that news conference, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo presented the award during the FDDC’s annual Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day dinner in Tallahassee.

“JJ is a hero to me and to so many others across our state,” Passidomo said. “His courage, tenacity, and good humor have been inspiring and uplifted me on so many occasions. He is making a difference in the lives of people living with disabilities as well as their family members and caregivers.”

Passidomo presented him the award the same day the Senate passed legislation that increases state funding for home and community-based services by $38 million, which would be matched by federal Medicaid dollars.

___

Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Gray Rohrer, Christine Jordan Sexton and the staff of Florida Politics.

But first, the “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

—Take 5 —

Slowdown ahead: There is a growing likelihood that Florida’s congressional map will remain in place for the 2024 elections even though there are still legal challenges pending against the redistricting plan that helped Republicans win 20 out of the state’s 28 congressional districts. The Florida Supreme Court this week said it would not speed up proceedings in the lawsuit that maintains the map wrongly diminished the voting power of Black communities. That means the court will not render a decision before qualifying in late April. A separate federal lawsuit is still ongoing but it’s not clear when a ruling in that case will be rendered.

The world’s a stage: Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this week that he was backing efforts to cut down on what he called “frivolous” book challenges that he insists are “all theater” intended to undercut Florida’s parental rights efforts. DeSantis once again took aim at books he said should not be in school libraries and defended his push to change the law to make it easier for people to challenge books. But he also said that “activists” have targeted some books in order to make a political statement. School officials have said they have removed books from school libraries to make sure they are not running afoul of new state laws.

Strike three for third-party financing: A leading House Republican was forced this week to defer a vote on a proposal to crack down on third-party litigation after a move to amend the substance of HB 1179 onto a sovereign immunity bill (HB 569) backfired. House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Tom Gregory’s priority legislation had stalled twice this Session in a House spending panel due to lack of support. So, when a bill to double the existing sovereign immunity caps was scheduled for debate this week in the House Judiciary Committee, a panel Gregory chairs, he saw an opportunity to make a tort train by amending the content of HB 1179 onto HB 569. But the Florida Justice Association made clear it would rather see HB 569 die than HB 1179 pass. As a result, Gregory was forced to temporarily postpone the bill in his committee.

Clearing the field: The Florida Senate this week passed a bill that would put new restrictions on the state’s hemp industry and bans the sale of delta-8 products. Those who work in the hemp industry contend the legislation could lead to widespread closures of existing shops across the state. But the bill drew bipartisan support and was approved unanimously by the Senate which suggests it could soon be on its way to the Governor’s desk. The move comes months ahead of an expected vote on whether to allow the sale of recreational marijuana in the state, which would be a boon for those companies already allowed to sell medical marijuana products.

Bear down: The Florida House passed a bill that would make it easier to kill black bears without fear of punishment. Rep. Jason Shoaf, the bill sponsor, contends that the legislation is needed so that people can defend themselves or their pets and not worry about getting prosecuted. Shoaf said bears had lost their fear of humans and that the number of encounters, especially in North Florida, was growing. Opponents pointed out there were no recorded incidents of black bears in the state killing humans. They said the measure would just lead to the unnecessary killing of bears and that people who move into areas with bears need to secure their trash and remove items that attract them.

— Hurt —

Attorney General Ashley Moody has some good news and some bad news.

First, the good: Overdose deaths were down in 2022 — the first decrease since 2018 — according to the newly released Florida Medical Examiners’ Drugs in Deceased Persons Annual Report.

The bad news: They’re still high, and fentanyl is still the primary culprit.

Moody blamed the federal bend-don’t-break border defense for allowing kilo after kilo of the potent opioid to flow across the U.S.-Mexico line.

“Illicit fentanyl from Mexico is killing more than 100,000 Americans every year. In Florida, we are fighting back with coordinated criminal interdiction efforts, opioid reversal medications and innovative treatment approaches. While there is hopeful news in the latest data — we will never end this catastrophic crisis until Biden closes the border and those struggling with addiction seek help,” Moody said in a news release.

The AG vowed to continue putting thumbscrews to drug peddlers who dare enter the Sunshine State and likewise promised to keep fighting “to force Biden to secure the border.” In the meantime, she is urging Floridians struggling with addiction to seek help. A good place to start: DoseOfRealityFL.com.

Moody’s office also helped launch Treatment Atlas, a free treatment-locater tool that can be accessed at TreatmentAtlas.org. Floridians struggling with addiction can search the tool to find local treatment services.

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass added, “Fentanyl is everywhere, in every Florida community and it continues to be one of the top threats we face. Because of the influx of illegal immigration and smuggling at the Southern Border, we are all on the front lines of this national crisis, even in Florida. But with the support of Attorney General Ashley Moody, we are doing everything we can to protect our Florida communities.”

— For love or money —

Are you the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar? Then you probably had a bad Valentine’s Day.

But Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis wants you to know that you may be the heir to something better: Cash! And lots of it!

The state is currently holding on to billions of dollars’ worth of unclaimed property, such as dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, stocks, dividends, uncashed checks, deposits, credit balances and refunds.

Patronis’ role as the state’s financial steward means he’s more than happy to let the cash sit there and collect interest. But he’d be even happier to reunite you with your favorite dead presidents and treasury secretaries. (Of note, Benjamin Franklin was the president of Pennsylvania, so feel free to be a pedant next time someone tries to say he was only Postmaster General.)

“Roses are red, violets are blue, and I love returning money back to Floridians like you,” Patronis said in a news release.

The CFO did encourage some V-Day fun, however, by recommending visitors to FLTreasureHunt.gov search the state database for Floridians with “Valentine’s-themed names” such as Love, Valentine or Heart. At the very least, it’s better than the Smiths’ recommendation you leave the club in tears pondering eternal loneliness.

Since taking office in 2017, Patronis’ office has returned more than $2.3 billion in unclaimed property to Floridians. There’s still $2 billion up for grabs, including $20 million for people and businesses with Valentine’s-themed names. The top of that cohort was “Love” with about $3.2 million available across 36,700 accounts.

— Rain on the scarecrow —

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is praising two investment giants — JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock — for bailing on the United Nations-led Net-Zero Banking Alliance.

The goal of the alliance is to finance ambitious climate action, with the goal of transitioning to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Supporters say it’s an important step to reduce carbon emissions and improve the environment. But detractors, like Simpson, say it’s bad for agriculture.

“I was proud to stand with 11 other state agriculture commissioners demanding accountability from America’s largest banks over their commitments to left-wing, anti-agriculture, ESG (environmental, social and governance)-driven and anti-consumer climate policies from the United Nations’ Net-Zero Banking Alliance. If these banks had their way, they would unilaterally force America’s farmers and ranchers — through the threat of withholding capital and financing — to adopt ‘green’ infrastructure, technology and equipment,” Simpson said.

“We will not stand idly by and allow unelected individuals and woke institutions to make unchecked decisions that would intentionally cripple American agriculture and threaten our food security and national security.”

JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock withdrew from the alliance this week, instead pledging to focus on in-house climate policies.

Simpson was one of a dozen agriculture commissioners across the nation to call on executives from six major banking institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, to withdraw from the alliance, which they claim would increase costs, limit credit access for farmers and have sweeping economic consequences overall. BlackRock was not a recipient of that letter.

All the agriculture commissioners who were signatories to the letter were Republicans.

In all, 143 banks from 44 countries have signed onto the alliance, representing $74 trillion in total assets or 41% of all global banking assets.

Remaining North American signatories include Amalgamated Bank, Areti Bank, Bank of America, BMO Financial Group, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Citi, Climate First Bank, Coast Capital, Morgan Stanley, National Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, TD Bank Group, Goldman Sachs Group, Vancity and Wells Fargo.

— Fix you? —

A pair of disaster recovery programs are shipping out $4.5 million to Florida farmers less than a month after they launched, Simpson announced this week.

The Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program and the Silviculture Recovery Program, both administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services are aimed at helping farmers rebuild and recover from Hurricane Idalia.

“While the federal government’s agricultural disaster recovery programs can take years to launch, review applications, and provide financial support to impacted producers, Florida is serving as a model for how all future disaster recovery programs should be operated,” Simpson said in a news release.

“Less than a month after launching our programs, we’ve now approved over $4.5 million for Florida farmers impacted by Hurricane Idalia. Our work to aid producers is far from over, but I’m proud of how Florida has stepped up to the plate to support our agriculture community.”

The programs officially launched Jan. 16. Simpson announced the $4.5 million milestone Feb. 13, exactly four weeks later.

The Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program is stocked with $75 million in recovery cash that will be disbursed through interest-free loans of up to $500,000 each. The Silviculture Recovery Program has an additional $37.5 million, and successful applicants will receive grants worth up to $250,000 to cover costs for site preparation and tree planting.

— Instagram of the week —

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bob Graham Center (@bobgrahamcenter)

— Flashing lights —

In an attempt to increase safety for first responders the House this week gave the green light to a bill (HB 463) that allows government-owned fire trucks that weigh over 24,000 pounds to have blue lights on the back of the vehicles.

Police vehicles and vehicles leased by the Department of Corrections and any county correctional agencies are currently the only vehicles allowed to display blue lights when responding to emergencies. Fire trucks currently are limited to red and white lights.

FEMA and the Emergency Responders Safety Institute have conducted studies that show red lights are most visible during the daytime, and blue lights are the most visible at night. Given that, 29 states have now allowed their firefighters to use a combination of blue and red lights to better protect their first responders

“Every first responder deserves to come home to their families at the end of their shift, and this legislation is another safeguard to protect our first responders. Studies show a combination of blue and red lights are more effective at night,” said HB 463 sponsor Rep. Robin Bartleman, who, along with Rep. Lauren Melo and Sen. Jennifer Bradley, have worked with the Florida Fire Chiefs Association and other law enforcement agencies on the bill.

“This proactive approach demonstrates our commitment to prioritize the well-being of those who protect us every day.”

Melo added, “This measure ensures that our firefighters are equipped with the tools they need to safely respond to emergencies. This lets them be more visible and coordinated when responding to urgent situations, ultimately improving how we handle crises.”

The Senate companion measure, SB 1158, filed by Bradley, is on the Senate calendar.

“This bill goes the extra mile to support our first responders. This is one additional safety precaution we can take to help protect those who protect us,” Bradley said.

— It’s a man’s man’s world —

A proposal to create a new state-funded and Department of Health-maintained pregnancy and parenting website became another flashpoint in the battle between Republicans and Democrats over abortion rights and types of birth control methods.

The House passed HB 415 by an 83-33 vote after shooting down several amendments that would have required the website to include information about abortion access and becoming a new parent. The bill requires the website to maintain information and educational materials on pregnancy and parenting, maternal health services, prenatal and postnatal services, educational and mentorship programs for fathers, social services, financial assistance and adoption services.

Democrats offered amendments that would have required the website to also include information on all available methods of contraception, including emergency contraception and abortion access. Democrats also offered amendments that would have required the information maintained on the websites to be medically accurate.

The website isn’t only targeted at women, though. The bill requires the website to include educational and mentorship programs for fathers.

Democratic Rep. Susan Valdés suggested that the bill sponsor, Republican Rep. Berny Jacques, was missing an opportunity to provide information on vasectomies.

“In reference to this particular website, will there be a mention for men to have vasectomies,” she asked Jacques. “The reason I ask is because if there’s resources out there for the education of what services are available, then that’s part of education for the fathers. I mean that’s an option as well. I just wanted to make sure that was one of the considerations.”

The answer from Jacques was no. The final vote on the bill was largely along party lines although two Democratic legislators did vote yes.

— Doctor! Doctor! —

While it’s not in the main “Live Healthy” bill, SB 330 is considered part of the proposal, and this week, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services passed it unanimously after tacking on an amendment that infused more than $110 million into behavioral health teaching hospitals.

The underlying bill establishes medical school and hospital partnerships in a three-year pilot program. The idea will be tested at the USF Morsani College of Medicine and Tampa General Hospital, the UF School of Medicine and UF Health Shands in Gainesville, and the UF School of Medicine and UF Health Jacksonville.

Specifically, the committee amended the measure to direct $6 million in recurring state and federal funds for the graduate medical education program called “Slots for Doctors” to create 10 new resident positions within each of the pilot behavioral health teaching hospitals. Each position receives $150,000.

The amendment also directed $100 million in nonrecurring funds for the Department of Children and Families to develop and implement the Behavioral Health Teaching Hospital Act.

The funds will go to the pilot behavioral health teaching hospitals. The funds would be placed in reserve and disbursed only after DCF submits to the Legislature equitable allocations and a detailed plan showing how the money will be spent. Additionally, the amendment directed $2 million in recurring funds to the Training, Education, and Clinicals in Health (TEACH) Funding Program and requires that the funds be equitably distributed to the pilot behavioral health teaching hospitals.

Sponsored by Sen. Jim Boyd, SB 330 also establishes a new Center for Behavioral Health Workforce within the existing USF Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute to focus exclusively on tracking, analyzing and increasing the number of behavioral health professionals in the state.

The bill also requires a study to evaluate behavioral health workforce issues, bed capacity for forensic and civil commitment, and costs related to integrating those beds into behavioral teaching hospitals.

The companion measure, HB 1617, hasn’t been heard in committee.

— Under cover of night —

Attorneys don’t often get love from the Florida Legislature.

But the House this week passed legislation to exempt information about city and county attorneys from public records.

However, the exemption does not apply to a county attorney, assistant county attorney, deputy county attorney, city attorney, assistant city attorney, or deputy city attorney who qualifies as a candidate for election to public office.

Florida has a broad public records law and to create exceptions requires a two-thirds vote of the members present.

But that shouldn’t be a problem.

Filed by Rep. Kristen Arrington, HB 103 passed the House unanimously and three hours later was sent to the Senate for consideration. Sen. Bobby Powell has filed the companion measure, SB 712, which has cleared two Senate panels without opposition.

“This is my fourth year running this legislation and I am so proud that it has finally passed the House floor. I am immensely grateful that we can deliver this critical legislation back to our communities and protect our hardworking county and city attorneys,” Arrington said in a news release.

— The future’s so bright —

Florida students may need to put on shades because things are getting bright.

Arrington’s legislation to create a Bright Futures mentorship program has passed the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously. It has one more committee stop before the full House can consider it.

HB 895 is aimed at increasing students’ access to other students who have utilized the lauded Bright Futures program here in Florida. The idea is by having a certified school counselor connect with students earlier and communicate more often, students will be more informed about the Bright Futures program and where they stand in the process.

The school counselor would be required to review eligibility requirements with students so they can be updated and informed of their status, as well as go over the awards the student is on track to be eligible for.

“This legislation aims to inform students about the Bright Futures program earlier and more often, as well as provide them with success stories from other students. Bright Futures is such a wonderful program in the state of Florida, and we hope that this legislation will allow students to take advantage of it. I’m so grateful our bill contest resulted in such a wonderful idea that will help so many students across the state,” Arrington said.

HB 895 must still be heard by the Education & Employment Committee. The Senate counterpart, SB 1484, has yet to be heard in any committee, though.

—Shut up and fish —

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has launched a new event that’s one part Golden Ticket search and one part trimethylamine.

As part of its TrophyCatch program, FWC has let loose some bass sporting bright pink tags in a handful of renowned fishing holes: the Northwest Winter Haven Chain of Lakes, Lake Lochloosa, Lake Beauclair, Lake Okeechobee and Porter Lake.

Each of the tags is on a trophy bass weighing 8 pounds or more. Designed to provide valuable data about bass movements and growth rates, these conspicuous pink tags offer one other unique advantage: special prizing for the angler who catches, cuts, and properly reports the tag.

And just to make doubly sure you get the meaning of “cuts” in this context, FWC is talking about the tag, not the fish. An integral requirement of the program is that all bass must be released alive. It’d nigh impossible to collect growth or movement data on a filet.

“Seeing a flash of pink as you land that giant bass will make an extraordinary experience even more memorable,” said Tom Graef, Director of FWC’s Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management. “TrophyCatch data also shows us that anyone fishing these waters might be the lucky one to catch a trophy — and a pink tag!”

FWC says it’s still finalizing the prize packages but said anglers looking to collect should still cut and keep the pink tag and document the bass at TrophyCatch.com.

TrophyCatch is a largemouth bass conservation program designed to promote the responsible catch, documentation and release of trophy-size bass while rewarding anglers for their contributions to fisheries research and management.

— You can call me Al —

Gator Day at the Florida Capitol took place Wednesday with the usual orange and blue bunting and décor and the invasion of the University of Florida devotees — including UF President Ben Sasse, who met with DeSantis the day before — into Seminole country.

But one UF-loving lawmaker voiced tongue-in-cheek displeasure with the recent showings of its football team, which trudged to a 5-7 record last year, missing out on a bowl game.

Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. 😂😂

In all seriousness, I hope Coach Napier proves me wrong. I’d be more than happy to crawl back to @X with a huge apology.

Go Gators! 🐊 #flapol pic.twitter.com/iFJYDTNRD1

— Blaise Ingoglia (@GovGoneWild) February 14, 2024

Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican, posted on X (née Twitter) a picture stating that he “wishes everyone a happy Gator Day” with a further message at the bottom adding “(to everyone except coach Napier),” referring to the Gators head ball coach Billy Napier.

He added, “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. In all seriousness, I hope Coach Napier proves me wrong. I’d be more than happy to crawl back to X with a huge apology. Go Gators!”

— Caloosahatchee flow —

There’s a new advocacy day in town.

Conservation Florida, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation and Wildpath gathered in the Capitol on Monday to host the inaugural Florida Wildlife Corridor Day and the third Wild Florida Legislative Reception.

The groups were joined by conservationists from around the state, including land trusts, nonprofits, agency partners, artists, philanthropists, and legislative leaders. They spent the day on the plaza level of the Capitol Rotunda, directly engaging with the community and spreading awareness and excitement for the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Florida Wildlife Corridor Day culminated in the Wild Florida Legislative Reception on the 22nd floor, overlooking the Capitol city.

The audience heard special remarks from Senate President Passidomo, House Speaker Paul Renner, DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton, Sen. Jason Brodeur, Conservation Florida CEO Traci Deen, FWCF CEO Mallory Dimmit and National Geographic photographer Carlton Ward Jr.

SR 1818, introduced by Brodeur, recognized Feb. 12 as Florida Wildlife Corridor Day — a day to celebrate and reaffirm the importance of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and its significant environmental, cultural, economic, and tourism value.

“It is important to make sure that we embed in our legislative memory the importance of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and funding for conservation lands,” Passidomo said. “I want to make sure it’s embedded in our hearts and minds. That’s the Florida Wildlife Corridor — don’t touch it.”

The Florida Wildlife Corridor, stretching over 18 million acres, generates more than $30 billion in revenue annually and stimulates roughly 100,000 jobs in the state. Since the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act passed in 2021, more than 160,000 acres have been approved for protection.

“A conserved, statewide corridor is a vision and a common conservation goal that has brought all of us together — it’s empowering and truly exciting,” Deen said. “Conservation Florida looks forward to continued partnership and completing critical land acquisitions to save our special places. To say we’re grateful to our state’s leaders and the many partners and land conservation practitioners making this vision a reality is an understatement.”

— Baby I’m a star —

A Florida A&M University graduate will be honored as a 2024 Legendary Superstar at the BronzeLens Women Superstars Honors festival.

Anika Noni Rose, an award-winning film, screen and stage actor, will receive the award at the festival’s 15th-anniversary celebration on March 2 at the historic Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta.

This year’s festival will celebrate the accomplishments of women of color in the entertainment industry, both onstage and off.

Ross earned her bachelor’s degree in theater from FAMU in 1994 and, since then, has starred as Lorell Robinson in “Dreamgirls” and was the voice of Princess Tiana in Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog.” In that role, she became the first African American Disney Princess. The film received three Oscar nominations and it earned Rose the honor as the youngest inductee as a Disney Legend.

Most recently, Rose starred in the Showtime series “Let The Right One In” and in Netflix’s limited series “Maid.”

She also has film credits for “For Colored Girls,” “Half of A Yellow Sun,” “Everything, Everything,” and “Assassination Nation.”

She has television credits for “Them,” “Little Fires Everywhere,” “The Quad,” “Power,” “The Good Wife,” “The Simpsons,” “Roots,” and “Ladies’ Detective Agency.”

In another win for FAMU alums, actor KJ Smith will be named the 2024 Emerging BronzeLens Women SuperStar. Smith has starred in the BET Network series “Sistas,” as well as in “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” “Giants,” “The Available Wife,” “Fatal Affair,” and “A Madea Family Funeral.”

— Simply the best —

Florida State University has received nearly 77,000 student applications for the first-year class of 2028.

The school released its regular admissions decisions Thursday for those who applied by Dec. 1. and those who applied in Early Action, resulting in nearly 17,000 students admitted from all 50 states as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and 48 countries from across the globe.

The accepted students also include students from 719 high schools in Florida, from all 67 counties.

Of those admitted, 21% will be the first in their families to attend college.

The Class of 2028 is shaping up to be a top-notch cohort, with those admitted for the Summer and Fall 2024 semesters having an average core GPA of 4.4, an average ACT composite score of 31, and an SAT average score of 1390.

Additionally, 88% of admitted students are ranked in the top 10% of their high school classes.

The top three areas of study for admitted students are business, engineering and biological sciences.

FSU expects to enroll between 6,000 and 6,200 first-year students for the Summer and Fall semesters.

— Capitol Directions —

Florida Legislature — Fist — Finally! FINALLY! After five Legislative Sessions, y’all are finally realizing you’re an equal branch of government versus the Governor.

Ron DeSantis — Crossways arrow — An arsonist is still an arsonist even if he runs back into a burning building with a bucket of water.

Ron DeSantis, Part 2 — Down arrow — Florida will welcome all five of you with open arms!

Bryan Griffin — Up arrow — Welcome home!

DCF — Up arrow — Neglect, death and cover-up … not a good look. Thank you, Carol Marbin Miller.

Kathleen Passidomo — Double up arrow — The Senate Prez has an adamantium backbone.

Jenn Bradley, Chuck Brannan — Up arrow — They’re repeating it for everyone in the back: Don’t 👏 Leave 👏 Kids 👏 In 👏 Hot👏 Cars!

Jay Collins — Up arrow — The earlier kids learn to stick it to the Soviet bear, the better.

Ileana Garcia — Crossways arrow — You’ve got that ménage a trois feeling … are the Zieglers on your mind?

Erin Grall — Down arrow — The six-week abortion ban wasn’t enough? Now personhood?

Blaise Ingoglia — Up arrow — This is not the year to ask Dad for a bigger allowance.

Linda Stewart — Down arrow — Caught working behind the scenes to sell out her constituents to the hotel lobby? Happy retirement — and don’t come back!

Alex Andrade — Down arrow — Who is he not fighting? Moreover, does anyone he’s fighting know that he’s fighting them?

Randy Fine — Up arrow — Hold on just a little longer wait listers, Rep. Fine won’t let you linger.

Alina Garcia — Down arrow — Is anyone surprised she’s taking her ball and going home?

David Rivera — Up arrow — If Alina Garcia wins Miami SOE race, a Rivera election victory will be just a big box of magical mail ballots away.

Lindsey Cross — Crossways arrow — Yoga on the 22nd floor? No mats, no skirts and no bills passed required.

Tommy Gregory — Down arrow — He’s the chief engineer of the little legislative train that couldn’t.

Susan Valdes, Dianne Hart — Up arrow — They just won the power slap contest.

Floridians Protecting Freedom — Up arrow — You know you aced it when the best arguments for the initiative come from the Supreme Court justices themselves.

Thomas Baker — Up arrow — Duty called, and he showed up.

Chris Carmody — Down arrow — Bruh, we know you were just trying to help a member, but NEVER. PUT. ANYTHING. IN. WRITING.

AI — Down arrow — Disclosing AI use in political ads will just make all the terrible creative shoveled by real people stick out more.

DraftKings & FanDuel — Up arrow — First, we get sports betting; now, we might get legal fantasy leagues? Pinch us.

Bears — Down arrow — They’re going to hunt you anyway, so you might as well do a rail.

Flamingos — Down arrow — Get it together or we’re changing the Lottery logo.

Firefighters — Up arrow — COLA is in budget conference negotiations and Fire Service Day at the Capitol was a hit!

Jimmy Buffett — Margarita — In more than one Florida town, Margaritaville will be only a couple blocks down from “Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway.”

Nebuchadnezzar — Up arrow — If you can’t down 15 liters of wine, you don’t deserve to be the King of Babylon, the King of Sumer and Akkad, or the King of the Universe.

Jeremy Matlow — Down arrow — This is one step away from the Shaggy defense. Bold.