Last Call — A prime-time read of what's going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Every Session, Florida Politics assembles the definitive list of who walked away from the 2024 Session victorious, who tanked and who landed somewhere between.
But sometimes, we miss a few — when we put out the call, make sure to get those nominations in — or need to issue a correction. That said, here's a bite-sized addendum to The Winners and Losers emerging from the 2024 Legislative Session.
CORRECTION: In our winner's note for Florida's legal climate, we incorrectly stated that lawmakers approved legislation related to asbestos-related claims. We regret the error.
UPGRADE:
Ashley Moody — Yes, we did give Moody a middling grade in our original W&L assessment. We're not correcting it to an A+, but the Attorney General is getting a slight bump now that we've had a few days to get some perspective. It is indeed impressive that Moody's office was able to get seven agency bills to the finish line, and when it comes to the budget, there's a lot her staff can be thankful for — No. 1 on the list, of course, are attorney pay raises, but OAG also secured funding for 40 new positions, which is nothing to sneeze at.
DeployUS — Climate change didn't get a lot of attention this year, and most of the attention it did get wasn't all that positive. There was a bill banning near-shore windmills, but Florida isn't really a prime location for turbines anyway. Still, DeployUS, a right-of-center group promoting policy that combats climate change, was able to get lawmakers' attention. Their victory came by way of a memorial bill urging Congress to examine how much other countries are polluting (we're looking at you, China) and hold them accountable. It might not seem like a big deal, but national environmental groups are thrilled that DeployUS was able to convince the deep-red Legislature to even send the message.
Florida Health Care Association — It was yet another successful year for the FHCA. Representing more than 80% of Florida's nursing centers, FHCA's highest priority focused on securing a Medicaid funding increase to help those centers attract and retain a pipeline of caregivers to meet the needs of Florida's aging population. Ultimately, they convinced the Legislature to pour another $247.8 million into nursing centers via a Medicaid funding increase. Are you getting déjà vu? You're right, FHCA was already in W&L, but we're also adding a salute to Toby Philpot. Floridian Partners may have snagged him away from the in-house team at FHCA, but he proved that even while he's juggling other clients, he can still QB a win for nursing homes.
FJA — Trial lawyers aren't the first people to come to mind when one thinks about Session winners. For years, the legislature has prioritized bills kneecapping trial attorneys by making it harder to file lawsuits, and last year's torts bill (or "reform," depending on how you lean) was a gut punch to the Florida Justice Association. Early in Session, it seemed lawmakers would chip away at trial lawyers a bit more, notably through a bill that would have cracked down on the third-party litigation financing industry. After initial traction, that bill died … and it was the ball and chain that killed the proposed increase in sovereign immunity caps, too, which was an FJA priority, but not a big enough one for them to get on board with the Frankenstein bill ginned up by Rep. Tommy Gregory. While that was a big one, FJA scored several other wins — they opposed 18 issues across 40 bills this Session and not a single one passed.
Homeowners, Part II — Property insurance may be the most-hated bill homeowners have to pay, but HOA fees are a close second. This year, lawmakers came within inches of passing a bill that would have prohibited homeowner or community associations from charging fees for estoppel certificates. While eliminating a fee sounds like it would be a good thing, it isn't — those certificates aren't free and ditching the fee would force HOA members to cover the costs. All told it would have led to another $100 million in new HOA fees for homeowners across the state. Cheers to the House for standing firm and rejecting the so-called "Home Tax" bill.
Oral health care — Say cheese! Thanks to a bill sponsored by Sen. Jay Collins, Floridians will have more access to high-quality dental care. SB 1600 allows dental professionals to relocate to Florida and alleviate critical workforce shortages that are currently hampering access to dental care across the state. Currently, 65 of 67 Florida counties are underserved when it comes to dental care which is why the Association of Dental Support Organizations pushed so hard to get this bill over the finish line. Luckily for your teeth, they managed to get it done.
Evening Reads
—"Joe Biden's vs. Donald Trump's economy, in 8 charts" via Nicole Narea of Vox
—"Trump's freewheeling speeches offer a dark vision of a second term" via Ashley Parker, Marianne LeVine and Ross Godwin of The Washington Post
—"Here's why governments around the world are trying to ban TikTok." via Sapna Maheshwari and Amanda Holpuch of The New York Times
—"Florida settles lawsuit over parental rights law, will clarify vague wording" via Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times
—"Florida rivals ask courts to stop online sports gambling off tribal lands" via Mike Schneider of The Associated Press
—"Miami's office market was red-hot. Now its tallest planned tower can't fill its space." via Deborah Acosta of The Wall Street Journal
—"The people rooting for the end of IVF" via Elaine Godfrey of The Atlantic
—"Oscars analysis: Why 'Oppenheimer' dominated, 'Killers' crashed and 'Poor Things' outperformed 'Barbie'" via Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter
Quote of the Day
"We can't leave this alone and expect it to get better without legislative action. And I won't."
— Rep. Spencer Roach, on his plan for universal wind coverage.
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.
The date has been set: The next Disney v. Florida court date will be held July 25 in Orlando. It's never too early to start prepping with a Showdown.
Speaking of court dates, West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corporation might get one in their quest to dismantle the Gaming Compact. If past is prologue, the odds aren't great, but it's hard to say no to a Double or Nothing.
Rep. Spencer Roach's massive insurance reforms didn't gain any traction this Session, but he's promising to give it another go next year, so mix him up a Sheets to the Wind.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Gator softball looks for sweep at Alabama
While the big conferences in college basketball tip off their conference tournaments in advance of March Madness this week, tonight's spotlight falls on college softball as two of the best teams in the country face off as #13 Florida faces #10 Alabama in Tuscaloosa (7 p.m., SEC Network).
Florida (21-3, 2-0 in SEC) took the first two games of the three-game series including run-ruling the Crimson Tide (19-3, 0-2) Sunday 11-2 in five innings on the strength of a seven-run fifth inning. It was the 17th time this season the Gators run-ruled an opponent, the most in the SEC. Alabama struggled in the field, committing six errors in Sunday's game.
With the two wins in the series, Florida has pulled to within two games of Alabama in the all-time series, 45-42.
Florida's only losses this year came against Michigan in two separate events and one loss to #6 Oklahoma State.
Ava Brown has been the Gators' star in the series. In the first two games against Alabama, Brown collected three hits in five at-bats, drove in four, and recorded the win as Sunday's starting pitcher.
Following tonight's series finale, the Gators return to Gainesville to face Stetson at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The next SEC series begins on March 22 when Kentucky comes to Gainesville.
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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.
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