Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Supporters of legalizing recreational cannabis in Florida have taken a major step toward placing the issue back on the ballot, submitting more than 600,000 verified petition signatures for a proposed 2026 constitutional amendment.
State records show that as of this week, the political committee Smart & Safe Florida has submitted 613,206 valid petition signatures.
While the committee still needs to reach the 880,062-signature threshold to make the statewide ballot, it has already surpassed the minimum needed to trigger mandatory review by the Florida Supreme Court and the Financial Impact Estimating Conference.
The initiative, titled “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana,” would allow adults 21 and over to possess, purchase and use pot for non-medical purposes. It includes added safeguards not present in the 2024 version, such as prohibitions on marketing to children and bans on public smoking and vaping — two key issues Gov. Ron DeSantis and other opponents previously seized upon.
The previous ballot measure, known as Amendment 3, drew 56% support in the 2024 election, falling short of Florida’s 60% threshold for constitutional amendments.
That effort saw a record-setting $150 million spent in support of the effort, much of it from Trulieve, the state’s largest medical marijuana operator. But it faced fierce opposition from DeSantis, First Lady Casey DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier, then the Governor’s Chief of Staff, who chaired a political committee focused on fighting the measure.
Smart & Safe Florida is facing even more obstacles this time around. In federal court, the group is challenging a newly enacted state law that restricts ballot initiatives by capping volunteer petition circulators to 25 forms each and barring out-of-state participants.
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—”Immigration, Jeffrey Epstein, Ukraine: Donald Trump’s moves roil MAGA base” via Natalie Allison of The Washington Post
—“Supreme Court refuses to allow Florida to enforce immigration law” via Ann E. Marimow of The Washington Post
—”Is Pam Bondi going to get fired?” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—“‘People are going to die’: A malnutrition crisis looms in the wake of USAID cuts” via Kate Knibbs of WIRED
—”The problem with ‘move to higher ground’” via Zoë Schlanger of The Atlantic
—”Student loans are about to get worse” via Abdallah Fayyad of Vox
—”David Jolly rolls out endorsements from ‘Democratic powerhouses’ Gwen Graham, Donna Shalala, Karen Thurman” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—“Stephanie Murphy declares candidacy for Orange County Mayor” via Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel
—”AIF poll: Florida GOP holds edge on the issues and at the ballot box” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics
—”Weather experts say accuracy of storm forecasts will suffer under budget cuts” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix
Quote of the Day
“He’s a good Governor. And whatever personal differences he had, or whatever deficiencies he thought I had, are long past my thinking about them.”
— Susie Wiles, on Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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.
Grab your local Party Chair a Blood Orange, because Florida Republicans’ advantage on the issues and at the polls is still growing according to new polls.
Pour a Boulevardier for Palm Beach Republican Rep. Meg Weinberger for her role in designating a stretch of road in Palm Beach County as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
The Supreme Court is serving a Simmer Down to Attorney General James Uthmeier, telling him Florida cannot enforce its own immigration law.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Messi, Miami back at it tonight
Leo Messi and Inter Miami resume play in the Major League Soccer season with a visit to Foxborough, Mass., to face the New England Revolution tonight (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+).
Inter Miami played its first game back from the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday, a 4-1 win at Montreal. Messi scored a brace in the victory.
Miami advanced to the knockout round of the Club World Cup before losing 4-0 to the defending European champions, Paris-Saint Germain, last Sunday.
Tonight’s game marks the first meeting of the season between Inter Miami and the Revolution. Miami comes into the match in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings while New England is in 11th, eight points behind Miami. With months to go in the regular season, Miami has time to climb in the table, but Messi and company have not maintained the pace that they showed last season when they won the Supporters’ Shield with the top regular season record in the league.
As for Messi, he still delivers moments of brilliance. In 14 matches in MLS play this season, the 38-year-old has delivered 12 goals and six assists. Last season, he scored 21 goals in 22 MLS matches. He still has the magic but the question remains about how the veteran team around him will handle the long season.
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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.
