Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Florida’s Supreme Court won’t immediately hear a dispute about “Alligator Alcatraz,” the state’s high-profile illegal immigrant internment camp.
Instead, Justices sent the case down to be heard by a lower court.
“The Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto is hereby transferred to the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit in and for Leon County, Florida. The transfer of this case should not be construed as an adjudication or comment on the merits of the petition, nor as a determination that the transferee court has jurisdiction or that the petition has been properly titled as a Writ of Quo Warranto,” the high court announced.
“The transferee court should not interpret the transfer of this case as an indication that it must or should reach the merits of the petition. The transferee court shall treat the petition as if it had been originally filed there on the date it was filed in this Court.”
Democratic lawmakers — Sens. Shevrin Jones and Carlos Guillermo Smith and Reps. Anna Eskamani, Angie Nixon and Michele Rayner — sued the Gov. Ron DeSantis administration last week over “denial of unannounced access” to the site, which they called “blatantly unconstitutional” after they were refused entry on July 3.
The DeSantis administration said the lawsuit is “frivolous” and “dumb.”
Lawmakers did get access this weekend, via a guided tour from the DeSantis administration, to the training airport on the edge of the Everglades that in recent weeks has become a staging ground for deportations from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Perceptions of whether the makeshift camp was above board or below standard were predicated on party identification, however.
Jones said people with “traffic infractions” were inside, disputing that the “worst of the worst” were in there, and that his Republican “colleagues” were “taking this as a game,” noting it was 83 degrees in there.
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—“How the GOP regulars won over Donald Trump” via Jonathan Martin of POLITICO
—“Under Trump, the government mobilizes in response to fringe theories” via Naftali Bendavid of The Washington Post
—“Facing painful cuts, the V.A. reported dubious savings to DOGE” via David A. Fahrenthold, Nicholas Nehamas and Jeremy Singer-Vine of The New York Times
—”Knives out on K Street” via Ben Terris of New York Magazine
—”It’s not just Jeffrey Epstein. MAGA is angry about a lot of things” via David Gilbert of WIRED
—“Before it was Alligator Alcatraz, this airstrip sparked fury and changed America’s landscape” via Bill Kearney of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
—“Prosecutors in Carolina Amesty case seek more time, citing ‘ongoing investigation’” via Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel
—“Better wear a helmet: Analysis finds Bay County most dangerous in Florida for bicyclists” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics
—“We should be in a golden age for sleep. So why are we not sleeping?” via Allie Volpe of Vox
—“Can the French reinvent America’s broken department-store model?” via Kate King of The Wall Street Journal
Quote of the Day
“We get to add another number one ranking to our list of successes.”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, on Florida’s No. 1 rating in protecting religious liberty.
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.
Order a Bold Fashioned for Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, who just rolled out the city’s first $2 billion budget.
Attorney General Pam Bondi gets a Modern English for assisting with Trump’s recent affirmation that English should be the official language of the United States.
There’s a ways to go, but polling so far indicates U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is heading toward the Winner’s Circle.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Caminero among Home Run Derby participants
With the Major League Baseball All-Star break here, the festivities begin tonight with the Home Run Derby (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The event is scheduled to be held at Truist Park, the home stadium of the Atlanta Braves, where the All-Star game will be played tomorrow.
Among the eight participants is Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero. Tampa’s third baseman has hit 23 home runs this season, the fourth most in the American League. Caminero is the fourth player in Rays’ history to participate in the Home Run Derby. Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, and Randy Arozarena have all been a part of the competition in past years. No Tampa Bay player has won the Home Run Derby, although Arozarena was the runner-up in 2023.
Caminero is 22 years old. If he wins the Derby, he will be the youngest to ever do so. Juan Gonzalez won in 1993 at the age of 23 years, eight months, and 23 days. Juan Soto was one day older than Gonzalez when he won in 2022.
Among the favorites to win this year is Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors with 38 home runs. The Braves’ Matt Olson will have the home-field advantage, although he has only hit 17 home runs this season, tied for 31st in the big leagues.
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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.
