Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The embattled Hope Florida program is missing in legislative budget requests from both the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF), raising questions about the charity’s future and current status.[1][2]
It’s unclear what is happening with charity navigators at Hope Florida, which has been in the hot seat this year over a Medicaid spending scandal.
Since Hope Florida is omitted from the LBRs, does that mean it’s dead, or is it being shifted elsewhere?
“It’s possible they’re trying to simply ‘rebrand’ them or something. Until we have a longer, more in-depth discussion with the agencies, I’m not sure which is the case,” said Republican Rep. Alex Andrade, a leading critic of Hope Florida, when Florida Politics reached out for comment.[3][4]
AHCA and DCF did not respond to questions sent on Wednesday.
Hope Florida charity navigators give one-on-one help with people who are struggling. However, some lawmakers have argued that Hope Florida duplicates services that already exist.
Hope Florida, backed by First Lady Casey DeSantis, came under fire this year as revelations emerged that the organization received a $10 million Medicaid settlement. Much of that money later ended up in the coffers of a political committee to fight the marijuana legalization effort. That committee was under the control of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ then-Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier.
Read more on Florida Politics.[5]
Evening Reads
—”Donald Trump administration wields its full toolbox to bring media to heel” via Jim Rutenberg of The New York Times[6]
—”An escalation in every way” via David Sims of The Atlantic[7]
—”How Jimmy Kimmel became Trump’s nemesis” via Constance Grady of Vox[8]
—“The newest face of long-term unemployment? The college educated.” via Noam Scheiber of The New York Times[9]
—”An evangelical’s story fueled Trump’s fight against banks” via Alexander Saeedy and Dylan Tokar of The Wall Street Journal[10]
—”The left’s political violence problem: A counter-argument” via Chris Cillizza of So What?[11]
—”Poll: One in three Florida voters don’t think state officials should have to obey court rulings” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics[12]
—”Poll: Nearly two in three Deerfield Beach voters support renewing contract with Broward Sheriff’s Office” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics[13]
—”AI psychosis is rarely psychosis at all” via Robert Hart of WIRED[14]
Quote of the Day
“Obviously, eliminating a poorly thought-out initiative that injects unlicensed social workers into the process of constituent case work is a good idea from my perspective, but I can’t say if that’s the case or not, simply based on the LBRs.”
— Rep. Alex Andrade, on Hope Florida’s omission from legislative budget requests.
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.
Well, two out of three voters get a Ready To Obey. The rest, it seems, would prefer an Anarchist’s Pop.[15][16][17]
If you’re near The U, don’t order an Organ Donor — it’s a sore subject. [18][19]
We’re going to need a lot of Chartreuse, given how popular green energy is among Florida voters of all stripes.[20][21]
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Dolphins kick off Week 3 in Buffalo
The Miami Dolphins try to avoid a 0-3 start when they face the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
Miami (0-2) opened the season with a 33-8 loss in Indianapolis against the Colts, followed by a 33-27 loss to the Patriots on Sunday. The Dolphins are in danger of starting the season 0-3 for the first time since 2007.
The Bills have opened the campaign with wins over the Ravens and Jets, in the process scoring a league-high 71 points through two weeks.
The Dolphins have lost the last six games to the Bills and have not beaten their AFC East rivals since a 21-19 victory in Miami on Sept. 25, 2022. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel has never beaten the Bills.
While Buffalo has outscored the opposition by 21 points through two games, Miami has been outscored by 31 points, the widest margin in the AFC and second-highest in the NFL.
The game is of particular importance for the Dolphins. In the past 25 seasons, only three NFL teams have begun the season 0-3 and made the playoffs.
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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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References
- ^ AHCA (ahca.myflorida.com)
- ^ DCF (www.myflfamilies.com)
- ^ Alex Andrade (www.flhouse.gov)
- ^ leading critic (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Read more on Florida Politics (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Donald Trump administration wields its full toolbox to bring media to heel (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ An escalation in every way (www.theatlantic.com)
- ^ How Jimmy Kimmel became Trump’s nemesis (www.vox.com)
- ^ The newest face of long-term unemployment? The college educated. (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ An evangelical’s story fueled Trump’s fight against banks (www.wsj.com)
- ^ The left’s political violence problem: A counter-argument (chriscillizza.substack.com)
- ^ Poll: One in three Florida voters don’t think state officials should have to obey court rulings (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Poll: Nearly two in three Deerfield Beach voters support renewing contract with Broward Sheriff’s Office (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ AI psychosis is rarely psychosis at all (www.wired.com)
- ^ Ready To Obey (adultbar.com.au)
- ^ it seems (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Anarchist’s Pop (www.liquor.com)
- ^ Organ Donor (www.cocktailbuilder.com)
- ^ it’s a sore subject (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Chartreuse (urbanwinesnyc.com)
- ^ voters of all stripes (floridapolitics.com)