Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The Florida State Guard received new orders from Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday.
Amid turmoil in Haiti, there are concerns that people fleeing the island nation could find their way to South Florida. In response, the Governor is sending a 133-member contingent of the Florida State Guard to the area to ward off “illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti.”
In addition to the State Guard, the mission, “Operation Vigilant Sentry,” will see the deployment of 39 officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 23 officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 30 Florida Highway Patrol troopers, and 48 members of the Florida National Guard.
“Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state. No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida,” the Governor said.
The move came as members of Florida’s congressional delegation pressed Department of Defense officials about how the federal government plans to respond to a potential influx of Haitian refugees — or “Haitian invasion,” as Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz called it.
Gaetz specifically cited power granted by a standing executive order issued by President George W. Bush in 2002 that allows the military to intercept migrants in the Caribbean. Gaetz said he would rather ensure individuals be sent back to Haiti than come to the U.S. or even to American facilities nearby, such as at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.
But Democratic members want to take a different approach. U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Haitian American who co-chairs the Haiti Caucus, has long advocated for Haitians to be granted “humanitarian parole.”
But her priority now is on providing stability on the island. She and other leaders of the Haiti Caucus issued a joint call on Monday for Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down. This week, she hosted an event in Fort Lauderdale on the crisis in Haiti.
Evening Reads
—”Did Georgia just send a major warning sign to Donald Trump?” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—“Florida’s unusual (or boring?) Presidential Primary set for next week” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix
—”Say gay, Florida” via Judd Legum of Popular Information
—”Ron DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ regime is crumbling” via Melissa Gira Grant of The New Republic
—”Man wanted on rape charges released when Oregon refuses to request transfer from Florida; then Gov. DeSantis steps in” via Fedor Zarkhin of The Oregonian
—“Why so many members of Congress are calling it quits” via Li Zhou of Vox
—”The royals have totally lost control of the narrative” via Louis Staples of Rolling Stone
—“The terrible costs of a phone-based childhood” via Jonathan Haidt of The Atlantic
Quote of the Day
“Ambiguity in the law opens the door to abuse.”
— U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, explaining his vote against the TikTok ban.
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 U.S. House overwhelmingly passed legislation that could shut down TikTok in the U.S., but there was bipartisan pushback from members of the Florida delegation. If you can get Maxwell Frost, Matt Gaetz and Greg Steube in the same room, order all three of them a Bitter Dissent.
State ethics officials found “no probable cause” indicating Miami Mayor Francis Suarez accepted pricey tickets to high-profile events in exchange for governmental influence. Since there’s no cocktail named Innocent, we’d recommend serving him a Not So Guilty.
It took her a few days, but Mayor Donna Deegan is finally hailing a $147 million federal investment in Jacksonville’s Emerald Trail. Mix her up a Pocket Full of Green … and snag one for U.S. Reps. Aaron Bean and John Rutherford while you’re at it.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Heat, Nuggets meet in NBA Finals rematch
With a month remaining in the regular season, the Miami Heat sit in an uncertain position for the playoffs as they host the Denver Nuggets in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals tonight (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Miami (35-29) enters tonight in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. If the season were to end today, the Heat would need to win their way into the playoffs in the play-in tournament.
Last year, the Heat advanced to the NBA Finals after finishing the regular season in seventh place in the conference. They advanced through the play-in tournament and didn’t lose a series until the finals. Interestingly, Miami’s winning percentage last year was .537, 10 points lower than this season.
The Nuggets (45-20) are in a better position heading toward the postseason. Denver enters tonight’s game tied with Oklahoma City atop the Western Conference standings. Denver has won nine of its last 10 games.
Tonight’s game marks the second meeting in three weeks between last year’s finalists. The Nuggets beat the Heat on Feb. 29 in Denver 103-97 despite 22 points from Heat big man Bam Adebayo.
Miami continues to battle injuries. Point guard Tyler Herro will miss tonight’s game with a foot injury. Forward Kevin Love won’t play either due to a heel injury. Leading scorer Jimmy Butler is day-to-day with an illness but is listed as probable for tonight’s game.
Also tonight:
6:30 p.m. — NCAAM: Florida International Panthers @ Sam Houston Bearkats
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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.
