Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
Ed. Note — While Peter is at a two-day conference, Sunburn will take a brief hiatus this evening and will return to inboxes fresh Monday morning. Meanwhile, don’t forget to enjoy Takeaways From Tallahassee, our hot Tally tipsheet that will hit your inbox on Saturday morning — including everyone’s favorite, Capitol Directions!
Have a great evening. Thanks for your support, and please stay safe!
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First Shot
Though Hope Florida remains at the center of a high-profile scandal, First Lady Casey DeSantis said it’s lifted thousands of Floridians out of poverty and could help thousands more with help from Florida’s business community.
Hope Florida is the charity currently under scrutiny for its role in funneling $10 million to political committees that fought against the 2024 ballot amendments to legalize recreational pot and restore abortion rights, both of which failed.
Gov. Ron DeSantis initially said the money it forwarded was the “cherry on top” from a Medicaid settlement with provider Centene; however, reports indicate it was part of Centene’s $67 million settlement with the state for Medicaid overbilling, not an additional $10 million.
While Casey DeSantis’ conversation with Advent Health Senior Executive Vice President & CEO Audrey Gregory at the 2025 Florida Prosperity & Economic Opportunity Solution Summit focused on Hope Florida’s charitable efforts and how Florida businesses can pitch in, the First Lady didn’t ignore the elephant in the room.
“You know, there’s a lot of misinformation right now — a lot. There is a positive, though. It gives me a great opportunity to talk about the promise of what Hope Florida is doing to change the trajectory of a lot of people’s lives and to provide them a pathway to happiness,” DeSantis said.
She later posited that Hope Florida’s work coordination with religious nonprofits put it in the crosshairs: “We’re the only state that incorporates the faith-based community, which you should ask yourselves, is that why I’m getting a lot of heat right now? Because I think, why would you not?”
The meat of the conversation saw DeSantis call for business buy-in on Hope Florida’s mission. According to the First Lady, supporting Hope Florida ultimately supports the state’s economic growth — the more people the charity helps, she argued, the more stable the workforce, which will “help our businesses and communities thrive.”
The Summit audience heard similar reasoning during Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson’s opening remarks.
“I want every company in here who has employees, who’s thinking about hiring someone in the next 10 years, to become a Hope Florida employer in the next month,” he said. “We want to have employers who are interested in providing flexible work for people who want to work and need to work.”
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—“How Donald Trump has remade America’s political landscape” via Shane Goldmacher of The New York Times
—”The punch that launched Trump’s war on American universities” via Eliza Collins, Douglas Belkin, Tarini Parti and Liz Essley Whyte of The Wall Street Journal
—”Trump’s crackdown on foreign student visas could derail critical AI research” via Will Knight, Lauren Goode, Kate Knibbs and Louise Matsakis of WIRED
—”The International Trade Court just threw Trump a lifeline. Yes, a lifeline.” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”Striking down Trump’s tariffs isn’t a judicial coup” via Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic
—”The Supreme Court’s latest decision is a love letter to the abundance agenda.” via Ian Millhiser of Vox
—”‘There simply isn’t enough justice to go around’: Controversial ‘free kill’ law to survive with Governor’s veto” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
—”‘Incredible’: Jay Collins addresses potential 2026 run for Governor” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”We’re all addicted to Zillow now” via Rachel Kurzius of The Washington Post
—”’Everything could have been a huge disaster’: Nathan Fielder on making ‘The Rehearsal’ season 2” via Stephen Rodrick of Rolling Stone
Quote of the Day
“There simply isn’t enough justice to go around and have the system be able to stand up on its two feet.”
— Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, on the ‘free kill’ veto.
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.
It undersells the achievement, but Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson gets a Hundred Acre Wood for securing a 421-acre tract in Alachua County through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
Despite passing with overwhelming support, the ‘free kill’ repeal got the veto pen. Encourage the sponsors to bring it back next Session with ‘Malpractice Makes Perfect.’
Sen. Jay Collins said it’s “incredible” his name is being floated for a 2026 Governor run … as for whether that will come to be, pencil him in as a Definite Maybe.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Florida State opens NCAA baseball regionals against Bethune-Cookman
The Florida State Seminoles have never won the College World Series. On Friday, the Seminoles begin play in the NCAA regionals to reach the College World Series in Omaha and win the championship for the first time.
Florida State earned the #9 seed nationally and will host a regional in Tallahassee starting Friday. The Seminoles open the double-elimination round against Bethune-Cookman (3 p.m. ET, ACC Network).
The Seminoles (38-14) were eliminated from the ACC tournament in the semifinals by North Carolina. FSU is listed as a 25/1 shot by SportsBetting.ag to win the College World Series, the 11th-best odds in the field of 64.
Florida State is led by shortstop Alex Lodise, who hit .415 this season, ninth best in the nation. He led the team with 66 runs batted in and tied for the team-high with 17 home runs.
Bethune-Cookman (33-25) dramatically won the SWAC tournament. Andrey Martinez hit a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Florida A&M and win the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA regionals.
Martinez enjoyed a monster year at the plate, hitting .354 with a team-high 20 home runs and 63 runs batted in.
The other teams in the Tallahassee regional include Mississippi State and Northeastern.
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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.
