Last Call for 3.4.24 — 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.

First Shot

The Senate today passed a replacement bill regulating social media use by minors. After a 30-5 vote, the measure now heads back to the House.

Days after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed legislation barring anyone under age 16 from most social media platforms, lawmakers brought new language to the floor giving more say to parents. Sen. Erin Grall, a Fort Pierce Republican, filed an amendment to another House-passed bill (HB 3) that would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to have social media accounts with permission from a legal guardian.

The bill still has a total blanket ban for anyone under age 13, but federal law in place for 23 years already bars children age 13 and younger from having online accounts. DeSantis has noted that there is no genuine enforcement of that federal statute, so states should take on that responsibility.

Also on Monday, the Legislature sent a bill to the Governor that would create a group of new specialty license plates that run a gamut, including one honoring the recently deceased legendary troubadour Jimmy Buffett and his Singing for Change charity, which purports to “inspire personal growth, community integration and the enhanced awareness that collectively, people can bring about positive change.”

The bill also exempts low-performing collegiate license plates from discontinuation, and allows the Divine Nine plate that honors traditionally Black fraternities and sororities to be obtained by family members of alumni of those organizations.

But that’s not the only DMV-related legislation to move today — the House also passed a bill to prevent Florida motorists from involuntarily having their political party affiliation switched while renewing their driver’s licenses. The bill cleared the chamber floor with unanimous support. If approved in the Senate, it will create new safeguards that the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) must abide by to ensure voters can only switch or leave a political party on purpose.

Bill Day’s Latest

Evening Reads

—“Donald Trump prevails in Supreme Court challenge to his eligibility” via Adam Liptak of The New York Times

—”Republicans cheer Supreme Court decision, Democrats express wariness” via Mariana Alfaro of The Washington Post

—“The Supreme Court is not up to the challenge” via Quinta Jurecic of The Atlantic

—“7 numbers from the new New York Times poll that should really worry Joe Biden” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—“Trump’s White House was ‘awash in speed’ — and Xanax” via Noah Schachtman and Asawin Suebsaeng of Rolling Stone

—”Can Nikki Haley stop a Trump sweep on Super Tuesday?” via Geoffrey Skelley and Nathaniel Rakich of FiveThirtyEight

—”Florida lawmakers scrutinize child welfare groups, consider change after state reports” via Ana Ceballos and Romy Ellenbogen of the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times

—”Ron DeSantis appoints Disney district chief Glen Gilzean as Orange elections supervisor” via Steven Lemongello and Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel

—”Why Florida doesn’t have wind energy, but lawmakers want to curb it anyway” via Emily L. Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times

Quote of the Day

“The Florida Legislature, and with our current Governor, they do a lot of things based on optics and on politics, rather than on the well-being and the growth of our state. They have a lot of shorter-term goals in mind, whether that’s the fantasy of the Governor’s now-failed campaign for President, or whether that’s sticking into the ‘libs’ with the flavor du jour, which now happens to be immigrants.”

— Florida Immigration Coalition communications director Adriana Rivera, on legislative funding that would help AHCA develop a system to capture immigration status.

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 may have vetoed the House Speaker’s priority bill last week, but the Legislature is already set to send him a replacement that’s expected to get his signature. That gets Paul Renner a Do-Over.

Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing TDs, has some choice words following UF’s move to eliminate DEI positions … someone grab him a Blue 22 — made with Herradura Tequila, of course — for speaking up.

How about a Caipirinha for your local Brazilian butt lift doc? They’ll need a drink or two when they see how much medical malpractice insurance costs.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

The two best teams in the Eastern Conference meet tonight as the Florida Panthers travel to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET, Bally Sports).

Florida (41-16-4, 86 points) leads the NHL’s Atlantic Division while the Rangers (40-17-4, 84 points) lead the Metropolitan Division.

The Panthers have won four straight games, including an overtime victory over the Washington Capitals on Feb. 24. Over a longer stretch, they have won 10 of their last 11 dating back to Feb. 8. Sam Reinhart has been a big driver of Florida’s success. Since the calendar flipped to 2024, Reinhart has scored a goal or assisted on one in 21 of 25 games. He has scored 19 goals in that span to tie for the second-most goals in the NHL.

Playing away from home has not deterred the Panthers this season. They have virtually the same record on home ice (20-8-2) as they do away (21-8-2). The Rangers have defended home ice well, winning 21 of 28 games in New York.

The two teams met in Sunrise, FL on Dec. 29 with the Panthers winning 4-3 in a game where Reinhart scored two goals and Aleksander Barkov tied a franchise career record for assists.

The two teams are scheduled to meet again in the regular season as the Panthers return to New York on March 23. They could also meet in the Eastern Conference Finals if things play out as they have so far.

Also tonight:

6:30 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida A&M Rattlers @ Southern Jaguars

7 p.m. — NCAAM: Queens University Royals @ Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

9 p.m. — NCAAM: Florida A&M Rattlers @ Southern Jaguars

___

Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.