Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Florida’s Governor is pressing the case for property tax abatement, saying he won’t entertain a House plan to cut sales taxes from 6% to 5.25%.
At Tampa’s Hula Bay Club, Gov. Ron DeSantis convened a roundtable designed to address his stalled-out request to phase out millage in favor of taxing “snowbirds and tourists” via hotel and consumption taxes.
“This is what it means to be a low-tax state,” he said.
But DeSantis also directly threatened to veto House Speaker Daniel Perez’s proposal as lawmakers look to hammer out a budget and tax framework during an extended Session.
DeSantis said he is willing to work with Senators and “relevant House members” on a Florida-first tax package, while saying the House sales tax reduction proposal is a nonstarter in any budget deal.
“None of the Senators support it,” DeSantis said. “Honestly, a lot of the House members don’t support it either, but the way the House is run, you know, they threaten you, they take away your committee, they do all that.”
DeSantis bemoaned that “Canadian tourists” would get a “tax break” while visiting Florida under the Perez plan and said any proposal that emerges should focus on relief for Florida residents.
“I can tell you any Florida-last tax package is going to be dead on arrival,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to kneecap our ability to provide you property tax relief just so we can give a little bit of a benefit to Canadian tourists.”
DeSantis wants an amendment on the 2026 ballot to eliminate the tax on primary homeowners, but has thus far been frustrated by the House, which has instituted a 37-person select committee that includes what the Governor calls “far-left” Democrats, intended to “smother” his proposal “in the crib.”
He said House leadership “reflexively opposed” his proposal due to personal animus against him.
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—”U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Elon Musk’s Starlink, cables show” via Jeff Stein and Hannah Natanson of The Washington Post
—”Donald Trump administration welcomes World Cup visitors to enjoy a nice, but brief, stay” via Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times
—“Inside Ron DeSantis’ ‘made-for-TV’ fall in Florida” via Marc Caputo of Axios
—”Joe Biden is *still* in denial about 2024” via Chris Cillizza of So What?
—“DeSantis says he’ll sign bill to ban golf, hotels in Florida state parks” via Emily L. Mahoney and Max Chesnes of the Tampa Bay Times
—”OAN to take over Radio Martí, Office of Cuba Broadcasting” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—”UF presidential finalist defends decision to dismantle Michigan DEI program” via Jeffrey Schweers of the Orlando Sentinel
—”Low-performing nursing schools could face harsher penalties under this bill” via Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix
—”‘We’ll never forget’: Families remember loved ones lost in last year’s tornadoes” via Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat
—”The high-school juniors with $70,000-a-year job offers” via Te-Ping Chen of The Wall Street Journal
Quote of the Day
“I trust the people that were involved in that process. They were trustees that I’ve appointed, that have performed exemplary for the state of Florida in those capacities.”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, standing by the Presidential Search Advisory Committee that selected Dr. Santa J. Ono as the next University of Florida president.
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.
Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that … no-fault repeal backers are being served a Pump The Brakes.
Order a Crossfire for Jax Mayor Donna Deegan and her predecessor, Lenny Curry, who are at odds over who’s responsible for an “illegal gun registry” at Jacksonville City buildings.
You’re safe to order a Toxic Tonic now that bills banning certain chemicals and vaccines in food are officially dead.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Gators begin softball postseason play
The Florida Gators open play in the SEC softball tournament against Ole Miss this evening in Athens, Ga. (5:00 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Florida (43-13, 14-10 SEC) ended the regular season by taking two of three games against #1 ranked Oklahoma to finish as the sixth seed in the conference.
Kendra Falby was one of the stars of the season. The senior center fielder hit .437 in the regular season, ranking 33rd nationally, and showcased highlight plays in the field. Florida head coach Tim Walton called Falby the best center fielder he’s ever seen.
Freshman outfielder Taylor Shumaker has provided power at the plate with 17 home runs, second-most on the team, and a team high 17 doubles.
Sophomore Keagan Rothrock has been the stalwart of the pitching staff, starting 20 games and finishing the regular season with a 12-5 record.
In April, Florida took two of three from Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. Falby starred with seven hits in 11 at-bats. She scored four runs, knocked in four more, and added a pair of doubles and a triple to her resume.
Ole Miss advanced to the second round of the tournament after beating Missouri 1-0 yesterday. The Rebels scored at the bottom of the first and held on to win. The winner of tonight’s game advances to face third-seeded Texas in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
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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.
