Last Call for 4.8.24 — 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

A reminder to the procrastinators out there: It’s officially one week until Tax Day. Or, for the hard-core procrastinators, there’s one week left to put in for an extension.

But as late filers sift through the collection of 1099-DIVs, W-2s, and K-1s, Attorney General Ashley Moody wants to ensure they don’t become fraud victims.

“We’re concluding our 2024 Tax Season Scam Series with a warning about direct deposit refund scams. As Floridians finalize their tax filings and wait for refunds to be delivered, it is important to remain vigilant for fraudulent schemes,” Moody said.

Throughout tax season, the state’s top cop has been spotlighting the most common tax-related grifts via a series of primers and info packets produced by her office. The 2024 Tax Season Scam Series concluded Monday with a warning about direct deposit refund schemes.

Refund scammers may call, text or email potential victims posing as Internal Revenue Service agents claiming a mistake was made with the target’s tax return. The fraudsters then demand that the victim refund the money immediately, usually in the form of wire transfers or gift cards.

While these are seemingly obvious red flags, the number of taxpayers who fall victim to this trick proves otherwise.

The facts, per Moody and the feds, are that IRS agents will never text or email regarding payments, the IRS accepts multiple means of payment, none of which are gift cards, and the IRS will never call to demand immediate payments through specific methods.

If a call or text seems fishy, taxpayers can report it to ReportFraud.FTC.gov. The IRS also has an app and a dedicated page to track tax refunds.

Evening Reads

—”Why you can’t miss what Donald Trump said this weekend” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—”How Trump’s abortion stance has shifted over the years” via Amy B. Wang and Adriana Usero of The Washington Post

—“Fake photos, real harm: AOC and the fight against AI porn” via Lorena O’Neil of Rolling Stone

—”Bob Iger won the battle — but Disney’s ‘woke’ war isn’t over” via Beth Kowitt of Bloomberg

—“Michael Flynn’s anti-vax pals want to take over this Florida hospital” via Kate Briquelet of the Daily Beast

—“DeSantis fentanyl bill-signing veers off into attack on transgender athletes” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix

—”Home insurance cost hikes slowed at the end of 2023. Some say the crisis may be nearing its end.” via Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—”The RFK-curious women of Bucks County” via Elaine Godfrey of The Atlantic

—”Movie theaters have weird real estate. It’s saving them.” via Kate King of The Wall Street Journal

Quote of the Day

“It was like a five-alarm fire and, you know, they didn’t put their money where their mouth is.”

— Gov. Ron DeSantis, railing against Martha’s Vineyard’s response to his migrant flights program.

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 federal front in Disney v. DeSantis isn’t over yet, but Bob Iger and the Mouse are sipping on pints of Pause Button following the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ approval of a two-month delay in the proceedings.

Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo found a way to bend a news conference on the fentanyl crisis into a praise-a-thon for the 2021 transgender athlete sports ban. We’d recommend a Purdy Irrelevant, but it seems he’s already had a few.

You and every other Florida driver deserve a Dozen in celebration of gas prices dipping 12 cents week-over-week.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

One shining moment tonight

Tonight’s college basketball national championship game doesn’t involve any Florida teams, but it could see a Florida record matched as Connecticut faces Purdue for the title (9:20 p.m. ET, TBS).

The Huskies (36-3) are the defending champions and can become the first team since the Florida Gators in 2007 to repeat as men’s basketball national champions. Connecticut has cruised through the tournament, winning every game by at least 14 points, including a Final Four victory over Alabama.

Purdue (34-4) is out to complete their redemption after last year’s first-round loss to Farleigh Dickinson, just the second time a 16-seed upset a #1 seed in the tournament. The Boilermakers boast the back-to-back Naismith national player of the year, Zach Edey. The 7-foot-4 center averaged 24.9 points and 12.2 rebounds per game this season.

While Connecticut does not boast a dominant single player like Edey, UConn will rely on five starters who all average double figures this year. Guard Tristen Newton is an all-around threat, leading the team at 14.9 points and 6.2 points per game while pulling down 6.6 rebounds per contest.

Connecticut is a 6.5-point favorite to win the game and repeat as champions. It would be the school’s sixth basketball national championship, all coming within the last 25 seasons.

Purdue has never won a national title, advancing to the title game once before, in 1969.

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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.