Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Leon County’s legislative delegation is headlining the Capital Tiger Bay Club’s luncheon on Wednesday.
State Sen. Corey Simon and Reps. Gallop Franklin and Allison Tant will speak about the highlights — and possibly lowlights — of the Legislative Session that wrapped earlier this month.
Simon, who just wrapped up his second Session after knocking off incumbent Sen. Loranne Ausley in 2022, is the only Republican member of the county’s delegation. Franklin and Tant are members of the Democratic minority in the House.
Simon was the Senate sponsor of a couple of controversial bills — one would allow people to shoot bears in self-defense, and another would allow those under 18 to work on parts of residential building projects. He also championed the measure renaming Tallahassee Community College to Tallahassee State College.
Tant, meanwhile, was successful in passing a bill that allows individuals or parents of those diagnosed with developmental disabilities to note that on their motor vehicle registration form, while Franklin sponsored bills dealing with home health services and putting pharmacists on the front line of the state’s efforts to prevent the spread of HIV infection.
The latter bill cleared both chambers with unanimous support. And, in one of the more emotional moments on the House floor this Session, Franklin amended the bill to be named the “John W. Rheay Act” in honor of Republican Rep. Dana Trabulsy’s brother, who died of AIDS.
The hourlong Session wrap-up will also include the legislators’ thoughts on what lies ahead for both Leon County and the state.
The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m., with the programming set to begin at noon, and will be held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Those wishing to attend must RSVP online. The attendance fee for non-members is $35.
Evening Reads
—”An all-American Bible — with a cut of the sales going to Trump” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post
—”Joe Biden’s TikTok challenge: Reach Gen Z, without drawing its wrath” via Anjali Huynh of The New York Times
—”The Supreme Court is shaming itself” via Andrew Weissmann and Ryan Goodman of The Atlantic
—“The 30 wackiest lines from Donald Trump’s news conference” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”Should we care about RFK Jr. and his new running mate?” via Nicole Narea of Vox
—“Ron DeSantis lobbied for windmill ban, records show” via Jason Garcia of Seeking Rents
—“If Florida Supreme Court approves cannabis ballot language, will voters go for recreational weed or not?” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix
—”The other border wall going up south of the U.S.” via Santiago Pérez of The Wall Street Journal
Quote of the Day
“The state of Florida stands willing to help and our prayers are with the victims and first responders.”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, on the Baltimore bridge collapse.
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.
Chris Spencer has been confirmed as the next State Board of Administration chief. Since there’s no cocktail matching his title, though, you’ll have to spring for two drinks: An Executive and a Director.
If retailers are going to rake in as much as they expect this Easter, we all need to do our part. So, swing by your favorite liquor store and snag the ingredients for a Cottontail.
Andres Felipe Salazar was arrested for allegedly forging petition signatures in Sarasota County. It has also been alleged he could use a Prison Blues while he’s out on bond.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
After winning its first 19 games of the season, Florida State baseball will try to snap a three-game losing skid as it faces Florida Tuesday night in Jacksonville.
FSU (19-3) dropped all three games of a series on the road at Clemson over the weekend.
Florida (14-9) took two of three from #5 LSU over the weekend after a Tuesday night loss to Jacksonville. Baseball America ranked the Gators fourth in the nation this week, while Florida State is ranked 12th.
This is the 260th all-time meeting between the schools in baseball. Florida State leads the series 132—127—1.
Also tonight:
6 p.m. — NCAA Baseball: Miami Hurricanes @ Florida International Panthers
7 p.m. — Boston Bruins @ Florida Panthers
7:30 p.m. — Golden State Warriors @ Miami Heat
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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.
