Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
After initially undercutting disaster spending amid uncertainty about federal funding, the Senate has shifted toward the House’s position on relief for communities.
The latest Senate budget offer in the Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development budget silo includes more than $646 million for funding communities affected by federally declared disasters.
That puts the upper chamber in alignment with the House’s current budget proposal. It also resolves one of the most significant budget disparities between the chambers, which had persisted for weeks during overtime negotiations.
The Senate, which initially called for more than $846 million in the line item, attempted to reduce that amount to just $100 million, with a promise to communities that as long as federal dollars remained available, governments could request support and still receive it.
That decision was primarily driven by budget uncertainty at the federal level, where President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have openly discussed the possibility of eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and transferring responsibility for disaster response primarily to the states.
However, the House has consistently maintained that, regardless of what happens with FEMA, the state must budget appropriately for disaster funding. The Senate ultimately came into line with that position.
“The underlying issue on the line is the same — this is not state revenue, it is authority to spend federal funding,” said Katherine Betta, a spokesperson for the Senate President’s Office.
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—“It’s getting harder for Donald Trump to keep the gang together” via Nate Cohn of The New York Times
—“Why Elon Musk is vulnerable in conflict with Trump” via Trisha Thadani and Faiz Siddiqui of The Washington Post
—”Trump’s big, beautiful bill, explained in 5 charts” via Nicole Narea of Vox
—”An ICE raid disrupts life on Martha’s Vineyard” via Arelis R. Hernández of The Washington Post
—”An uproar at the NIH” via Katherine J. Wu of The Atlantic
—”The bleach community is ready for RFK Jr. to make their dreams come true” via David Gilbert of WIRED
—”The other nasty breakup inside MAGA” via Joshua Chaffin of The Wall Street Journal
—”As New College’s financial oversight unraveled, critics were removed” via Alice Herman of Suncoast Searchlight
—”Truckling to MAGA ended in humiliation for Santa Ono” via Diane Roberts of the Florida Phoenix
—”6,300 pounds of pythons: What one group pulled from the Florida wilderness” via Bill Kearney of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Quote of the Day
“I would hope your statements were mere political posturing, but if not, your expressed positions would constitute a failure of your statutory obligation.”
— Attorney General James Uthmeier, warning Gregory Tony that he must enforce U.S. immigration laws.
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.
Raise a Fuzzy Hippo for Lu, Citrus County’s larger-than-life legend who died over the weekend.
Order a General’s Orders for Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, who received some clarification on his job duties from James Uthmeier.
Welcome Point Blank Enterprises, the largest manufacturer of body armor in the United States, to the Sunshine State with an Armour.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Panthers back home for Game 3 of Stanley Cup Finals tonight
After taking Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Edmonton, the Florida Panthers return home to take advantage of home ice against the Oilers tonight (8 p.m. ET, TNT).
The Panthers used a Brad Marchand goal in double overtime to beat the Oilers 5-4 to earn a split of the first two games of the best-of-seven series. Marchand’s heroics would not have been possible but for Corey Perry’s game-tying goal with 17.8 seconds to play in regulation. Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 42 saves, including 14 in overtime.
This year’s series is a rematch of last year’s finals, won by Florida. Last year, the Panthers won the first three games of the series, then lost the next three before winning in seven games.
Remarkably, the Panthers have not dominated at home in the postseason. In the opening round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Panthers split two games at home but won three in Tampa. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, Florida won two of three at home. Against the Carolina Panthers in the conference finals, the Panthers again won three games away from home ice, splitting a pair at Amerant Bank Arena.
During the regular season, Florida won 27 games at home, losing 12 times and losing twice more in overtime.
Game four of the series is scheduled for Thursday in South Florida.
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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.
