Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the 2024 Legislative Session will be in the books by this time tomorrow. But the few remaining hours won’t be a snoozefest.
As lawmakers wait for the budget’s “cooling off” period to expire — that happens at 11:58 a.m. Friday, by the way — they’ve been voting through a flurry of legislation.
Thursday saw the Legislature give final approval to bills loosening regulations for public schools (SB 7002/SB 7004), establishing a genetic genealogy grant program to aid in cracking cold cases (SB 678), requiring all Florida inmates to submit DNA samples (HB 533), and allowing first responders to establish a “harassment-free zone” around themselves while working in public (SB 184).
The penultimate day of Session was also notable for what did not happen. Namely, the Senate declined to confirm Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich’s appointment to the Commission on Ethics.
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo put the confirmation vote on hold. She said the Senate didn’t need to rush the process because the lack of a confirmation vote this year will not bar Descovich from continuing to serve on the Commission through the next Session.
The Governor placed Descovich on the Commission in September and his office has already stated that she will be reappointed and will stay on the board until (at least) the next Legislative Session.
One issue still up in the air: The latest battle in the long-running “eyeball wars.” The Senate is refusing to budge on Passidomo’s top priority dealing with health care providers and who can use the titles “physician” and “doctor.”
The Senate has refused to accept an amendment the House tagged on to SB 1112, another priority bill for Passidomo, whose late father was an ophthalmologist. In refusing to concur with the amendment, the Senate sent the bill back to the House for consideration.
Bill Day’s Latest
Evening Reads
—“Can Joe Biden begin a reset tonight?” via Ronald Brownstein of The Atlantic
—“How the State of the Union became a picture of disunion” via Peter Baker of The New York Times
—”Ronna McDaniel shows why nearly every alliance with Donald Trump eventually frays” via Kristina Peterson of The Wall Street Journal
—“Here are 25 bills that died this Session. Will they come back next year?” via Jacob Ogles, Gray Rohrer and Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
—“Moms for Liberty boss Tina Descovich loses confirmation fight for ethics post in Florida Senate” via Dan Christensen of the Florida Bulldog
—“Moms for Liberty executive’s job gets in the way of confirmation to Florida ethics post” via the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times
—”Judge rules Florida can’t ban noncitizens from voter drives” via Juan Carlos Chavez of the Tampa Bay Times
—”Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power” via Evan Halper of The Washington Post
—”Jason Palmer, the guy who beat Biden in American Samoa, briefly explained” via Li Zhou of Vox
Quote of the Day
“How about noon?”
— Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, when asked what time the 2024 Session would adjourn, Sine Die.
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.
Tina Descovich isn’t out at the Florida Commission on Ethics, but she isn’t fully in, either. Order her a Wait For It — and keep them coming until the 2025 Legislative Session kicks off.
Find the nearest cop, EMT or firefighter and deliver them a sixer of Personal Space (it’s apparently a fairly well-regarded beer). Just make sure you announce the drop-off from at least 25 feet away, OK?
Florida’s amateur detectives are eagerly awaiting the Governor’s signature on the genetic genealogy grant program bill. If and when it comes, there’s no shortage of appropriate libations — if you need some guidance, pick a random episode of True Crime & Cocktails and follow along.
We’ve heard of prison wine, but not prison rum. Assuming that’s a thing, they’ll only need some strawberries and pineapple juice to enjoy a Double Helix Daquiri before their upcoming DNA submissions.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Miami and Florida State conclude the ACC regular season Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee with both teams in need of a win to improve their seeding for next week’s conference tournament (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Miami (15-15, 6-13 in ACC) is in 14th place, next to last, in the conference, ahead of only Louisville. While the Hurricanes cannot climb high enough to avoid a first-round tournament game, a win can potentially improve their second-round matchup.
Florida State (15-15, 9-10) is tied for eighth in the league entering the weekend. A win could push the Seminoles as high as the seventh seed, but a loss could drop them to 10th, which would mean a first-round game on Tuesday in the ACC tournament.
When the Hurricanes and Seminoles met in Coral Gables in January, FSU led the entire way in an 84-75 win. At the time, the Noles were red-hot, having won five games in a row and seven of eight. Since the win over Miami, Florida State has won four of their last 13 games and has settled into a state of ACC mediocrity. Since the five-game winning streak, the Seminoles have not won consecutive games.
Miami is currently mired in an eight-game losing streak, the longest current skid in the conference.
As for March Madness dreams, both teams would have to win the ACC tournament to gain a bid to the NCAA tournament.
Also tonight:
7 p.m. — Philadelphia Flyers @ Florida Panthers
7 p.m. — Calgary Flames @ Tampa Bay Lightning
7 p.m. — NCAAW: UTEP Miners @ Florida International Panthers
7 p.m. — NCAAM: Jacksonville Dolphins @ Stetson Hatters
7:30 p.m. — NCAAW: Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Florida State Seminoles
7:30 p.m. — Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks
8:30 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Gators @ Vanderbilt Commodores
9 p.m. — NCAAM: Florida International Panthers @ UTEP Miners
9 p.m. — NCAAW: UCF Knights @ Cincinnati Bearcats
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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.
