Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Gov. Ron DeSantis will decide who replaces U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio after he heads to the State Department.
On Monday, the Governor hinted at a timeline for his decision.
On X, DeSantis said he expects to have a final answer after the new year — Rubio is currently not expected to resign before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
“We have already received strong interest from several possible candidates, and we continue to gather names of additional candidates and conduct preliminary vetting. More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks, with a selection likely made by the beginning of January,” DeSantis wrote.
“Florida deserves a Senator who will help President Trump deliver on his election mandate, be strong on immigration and border security, take on the entrenched bureaucracy and administrative state, reverse the nation’s fiscal decline, be animated by conservative principles, and has a proven record of results.”
As for who is expressing “strong interest,” DeSantis didn’t drop any names, though Republican National Committee co-Chair Lara Trump has some big names lining up behind her — namely, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.
Florida’s junior Senator reiterated his support for the President’s daughter-in-law on Monday.
“We need more Republicans in Washington who actually represent the Republican Party back home and will be steadfast in their commitment to fulfill the mandate from this election — to Make America Great Again,” Scott wrote on X a few hours after DeSantis’ post, adding that Lara Trump “is that person.”
Evening Reads
—”The one agency that might have the muscle to oppose Elon Musk” via Oriana Pawlyk of POLITICO
—”House Ethics panel to meet Wednesday as Matt Gaetz question looms” via Brittany Gibson and Andrew Howard of POLITICO
—“Europe braces for Donald Trump: ‘We’re just going to have to deal with him’” via McKay Coppins of The Atlantic
—”13 things everyone should know about Pete Hegseth” via Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims of Popular Information
—”Trump confirms mass deportations will involve national emergency, military” via Patrick Svitek of The Washington Post
—”‘Morning Joe’ hosts visited Mar-a-Lago for Trump meeting” via Andrew Howard of POLITICO
—”Joe Biden screwed up on inflation — badly” via Andrew Prokop of Vox
—”A wistful Biden says goodbye in a closing appearance on the world stage” via Annie Linskey and Samantha Pearson of Wall Street Journal
—”Heritage CEO sees ‘stabilization’ in Florida’s home insurance market” via Matt Sczesny of WPTV
—”How ‘Conclave’ become one of awards season’s biggest indie box office hits” via Rebecca Rubin of Variety
Quote of the Day
“I think our tribal, poisoned politics got the better of you, Mr. Artiles, and you lost sight of right and wrong.”
— Judge Miguel de la O, sentencing former Sen. Frank Artiles to 60 days in jail and 15 years of probation for his role in the “ghost candidate” scheme.
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.
After jumping on social media, Rick Scott needs a Full Court Press to push Lara Trump as Rubio’s successor.
Some Arab Americans who supported Donald Trump are apparently having second thoughts … someone order them a Furlong Too Late and remind them there are no do-overs in voting.
Matt Gaetz can put his feet up and sip on a Sidestep because Trump already has a workaround planned even if the Senate nukes his appointment.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
UNF looks to extend best start in program history
After beating two power four teams to open the season, the University of North Florida looks to bounce back from their first loss of the year as the Ospreys host UNC Asheville (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
UNF (3-1) picked up road wins at South Carolina and Georgia Tech, with a home victory over Charleston Southern sandwiched in between to open the season before falling to Georgia on Tuesday, 90-77.
The wins over South Carolina and Georgia Tech were the first over SEC and ACC programs in the Ospreys’ history.
The loss to the Bulldogs was the fourth game in eight days to open the season. Despite the loss, the Ospreys 3-1 start matches the best opening four games of a season in the program’s Division I history.
So far this season, Liam Murphy leads UNF, averaging 16.5 points per game. He has made 62% of his three-point attempts (16/26).
UNC Asheville (0-2) began the season with losses at Ohio and #2-ranked Alabama. This is the first time the two programs have met.
UNF’s early games have been high-scoring, with the Ospreys averaging 86.5 points per game and surrendering 80 points per contest.
After facing UNC Asheville, the Ospreys are scheduled to host another Jacksonville team, Edward Waters on Friday.
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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.
