Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The Florida Chamber of Commerce announced that Gov. Ron DeSantis will speak at the 2025 Legislative Fly-In next week.
“As Florida continues to lead the nation in economic growth and policy innovation, Governor DeSantis will share insights on the key policy and economic priorities shaping Florida’s future,” a Chamber news release reads.
The Chamber previously confirmed that Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez will speak at the Fly-In, held Feb. 10-11 at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
The event comes amid a tiff between the Legislature and Governor over immigration enforcement legislation that has seen both sides hurl insults and appeal to Republican Party of Florida leaders to pick their side in the battle — Perez has accused DeSantis of wanting a “mini-version of ICE” while the Governor has lambasted the bill passed by lawmakers as “weak, weak, weak” and “grotesque.” Earlier this week, Rep. Mike Caruso, who voted against the TRUMP Act, was stripped of his committee chairmanship and corner office, which he described as “petty, retaliatory measures.”
The fireworks may not appear at the Fly-in, which focuses on issues relevant to the business community.
To that end, the Chamber recently published its 2025 Florida Economic Forecast and is expected to release its annual “Where We Stand” report, outlining its top priorities for the Legislative Session, concurrently with the event.
The full 2025 Legislative Fly-In agenda is available here.
Evening Reads
—”Republicans quiet as Donald Trump and Elon Musk move to gut some federal agencies” via Hannah Knowles, Colby Itkowitz and Liz Goodwin of The Washington Post
—“‘Holding us hostage’: Inside Trump and Musk’s USAID shutdown fiasco” via Andrew Perez, Asawin Suebsaeng and Tim Dickinson of Rolling Stone
—”How Trump gutted America’s $40 billion aid agency in two weeks” via Joel Schectman, Kristina Peterson, Laura Kusisto and Alexander Ward of The Wall Street Journal
—“‘Riviera’ in Gaza and aid agency assault capture Trump’s vision of U.S. power” via David E. Sanger of The New York Times
—”Nobody wants Gaz-a-Lago” via Yair Rosenberg of The Atlantic
—”Pam Bondi sworn in as Attorney General” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—“As Bondi takes over Justice Dept., official pledges no revenge on FBI agents” via Jeremy Roebuck and Perry Stein of The Washington Post
—“Trump is building his administration on a foundation laid by Ron DeSantis” via Barrington Salmon of the Florida Phoenix
—”What Trump’s tariffs could mean for Florida” via Rebecca Liebson and Shauna Muckle of the Tampa Bay Times
—“Secretary of State disqualifies Debbie Mayfield from running for her old SD 19 seat” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
Quote of the Day
“Today, Gov. DeSantis used the executive branch to punish me for endorsing Donald J. Trump for President. He has weaponized the Department of State just like Joe Biden weaponized the Department of Justice against Donald Trump.”
— Rep. Debbie Mayfield, vowing to fight her disqualification from the SD 19 ballot.
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.
Is It Over Yet? has been the official drink of the Florida property insurance market for a while now, but its run is ending, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is officially U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi — help her celebrate being sworn in with a Justice Served.
It’s said revenge is best served cold; that’s also the case for Retribution, which the Department of State just served Rep. Debbie Mayfield.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Struggling Magic try to snap road skid
The struggling Orlando Magic try to snap a four-game road losing streak as they face the Kings in Sacramento (10 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Network-Florida).
Orlando (24-27, second in Southeast Division) began a six-game road trip with a double-overtime loss in Miami, followed by losses at Portland, Utah, and Golden State. Monday’s 104-99 loss to the Warriors was the third straight game in which the Magic failed to reach 100 points.
Over a longer stretch, the Magic have won just two of their last 13 games, with the only victories coming against struggling Philadelphia and Detroit. Injuries have been a factor for the Magic. Last month, they lost center Moritz Wagner for the season to ACL surgery. He averaged nearly 13 points per game in less than 19 minutes per contest before the injury.
The Magic will likely be without shooting guard Jalen Suggs, who is recovering from a quadriceps injury. Suggs averages more than 16 points per game this season, which is the third-best on the team.
Sacramento (25-24, third in the Pacific Division) is coming off a 116-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday behind 33 points from Demar Derozan.
After tonight’s game, the Magic move on to Denver to face the Nuggets before returning home for the first game at the Kia Center in two weeks on Saturday.
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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.
