Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
If Florida legalizes marijuana, new research shows state universities could see a significant enrollment bump.
An analysis of freshmen enrollments comparing states that have legalized recreational marijuana with those that have not found that states where pot is legal have recorded enrollment spikes of up to 9%.
The influx is largely from out-of-state students, who pay higher tuition than their in-state peers.
The study, authored by University of Oklahoma graduate student Ahmed El Fatmaoui, also found that recreational marijuana legalization did not negatively impact graduation rates, college prices, quality, or in‐state enrollment.
El Fatmaoui noted that the study, first published in Economic Inquiry, did not consider how legalization affects which degrees students pursue.
“Future research should focus on how this policy impacts peer dynamics and the selection of academic disciplines, with a special emphasis on differentiating between STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and non-STEM fields,” he said.
Florida voters will have the opportunity to legalize recreational marijuana in November.
The proposal, which will appear on the ballot as Amendment 3, would allow adults 21 years or older to “possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.” It also would permit “Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers, and other state-licensed entities, to acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell, and distribute such products and accessories.”
Amendment 3’s sponsoring committee, Smart & Safe Florida, is largely bankrolled by Trulieve, a Tallahassee-based medical marijuana company that has spent more than $40 million on the effort so far. Other marijuana companies, such as Curaleaf, Verano Holdings, Greenthumb Industries, Ayr Wellness, and Cresco Labs, started pouring money into the effort after the state Supreme Court gave it the green light to appear on the ballot.
The amendment must get 60% support from voters to pass.
Evening Reads
—“Suddenly Donald Trump’s got nothing to say about Hunter Biden” via Merditith McGraw, Alex Isenstadt and Jonathan Lemire of POLITICO Magazine
—”Behind closed doors, Joe Biden shows signs of slipping” via Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes of The Wall Street Journal
—”Why RFK Jr.’s poll numbers are basically bullsh*t, for now.” via Dave Trotter of Voting Trend
—“Relations between Moscow and Washington won’t change, no matter who wins the U.S. election, Vladimir Putin says” via James Jordan and Harriet Morris of The Associated Press
—“Tourism oversight board backs $17B Disney World development plan” via Skyler Swisher of The Orlando Sentinel
—“The formulas home insurance companies use to set rates in Florida may become more secretive” via Jason Garcia of Seeking Rents
—“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stands by to help Trump vote — if needed” via John Kennedy of The Tallahassee Democrat
—“Andrew Warren campaign says he’s raised more than $200K in first 45 days as a candidate” via Mitch Perry of The Florida Phoenix
—“Hurricane expert Paul Hebert dies. His namesake ‘Box’ remains a forecasting tool decades later” via Claire Grunewald of The Miami Herald
Quote of the Day
“Yes, your honor; I’m still here.”
— Ron Labasky, responding to Leon County Circuit Court Judge John Cooper’s surprise to see the former longtime general counsel for the election supervisors’ association in his courtroom.
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.
We’re sending a Blackjack Redux to members of the Financial Impact Estimating Conference who have been ordered by a Leon County Circuit Court Judge to develop a financial impact statement for the abortion rights amendment. The combination of cold brew, mescal and Banane du Brasil should hit the spot.
Disney World and its state-controlled Governing Board are on the verge of approving a new multibillion-dollar developer agreement. At the risk of jinxing it, order Magic Truces all around.
Order a Stadium of Light for Jacksonville City Council members to sip on while they mull the question, ‘If we build it, will they stay?’
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
NCAA track championship opens with plenty of Florida stars
The NCAA track and field championship gets underway today in Eugene, Oregon with the first of four days of competition. (7:30 p.m. ESPN2).
The Day One schedule includes 22 men’s events, including the finals of the 10,000 meters on the track as well as all five field events: the hammer throw, pole vault, javelin, long jump, and shot put.
The Florida Gators have 12 men competing on Day 1, including sprinter Wanya McCoy, who finishes second in the SEC championships in the 100 meters and 200 meters. Also competing on Day One for the Gators is Parvej Khan, who was the champion in the 1500 meters and the third-place finisher in the 800 meters at the conference championships.
Kai Chang is scheduled to compete in the discus throw, William Gross IV in the hammer, and SEC runner-up Abraham Sargent in the Javelin.
Florida State, Miami, and USF will all be represented on Day 1. Seminoles’ Tyson Williams will be featured in the semifinal of the men’s 110-meter hurdles.
USF could contend for a national championship in the men’s 4×100-meter relay. Anchored by Shevioe Reid and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, the Bulls have run the five fastest times in the 4×100 this year. The 38.44 run at the American Conference championships was the ninth-fastest 4×100 relay time by a Division I NCAA university team in history.
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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.
