Last Call for 9.22.25 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida

Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.

First Shot

Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a new state tool aimed at preventing political violence on college campuses.

The Combat Violent Extremism Portal, unveiled at Valencia College, comes in the wake of the assassination of conservative organizer Charlie Kirk in Utah earlier this month.^[1]

Uthmeier praised Kirk as a leader who valued discourse and debate. “He literally would sit down on campuses and invite people to engage in discussion … unfortunately, someone who disagreed with his ideology chose not to respond with debate, but instead to assassinate him and take his life,” he said.

The portal will allow anonymous submissions of “screenshots, videos, and other evidence of threats of violent extremism” directly to the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution. 

Uthmeier stressed it is not about “cancel culture” or silencing individuals but preventing violence before it erupts. Uthmeier, a Republican, said violence on the Left is a reason this initiative is necessary.

“We’ve seen political violence more so than ever. We’ve seen BLM (Black Lives Matter) riots that burn cities down. We’ve seen people (who) launch attacks in Catholic churches and schools, killing children,” Uthmeier said. “We saw the Pennsylvania Governor’s home set ablaze by a pro-Palestinian radical. We’ve seen assaults on federal immigration law enforcement officials.”

Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas joined Uthmeier for the announcement, vowing that “any educator who makes vile, despicable comments celebrating and encouraging violence in schools will be investigated and held accountable.”

Read more on Florida Politics.^[2]

Evening Reads

—”The 32 strangest lines from Donald Trump’s eulogy for Charlie Kirk” via Chris Cillizza of So What^[3]

—”Disney brings back Jimmy Kimmel, sidelined after Charlie Kirk comments” via Scott Nover of The Washington Post^[4]

—”Trump administration set to tie Tylenol to autism risk, officials say” via Dan Diamond and Ariana Eunjung Cha of The Washington Post^[5]

—“What is Chuck Schumer’s shutdown endgame?” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin^[6]

—”Democrats don’t seem willing to follow their own advice” via Marc Novicoff of The Atlantic^[7]

—”Some Republicans warn of government overreach on free speech” via C. Ryan Barber of The Wall Street Journal^[8]

—”America’s flood insurance system is doomed to fail” via Umair Irdan of Vox^[9]

—”James Uthmeier honors Kirk with portal combating ‘violent extremism’” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics^[10]

—”UWF’s conservative makeover: Fires its top lawyer; hires Ron DeSantis-linked firm; Manny Diaz seeks school presidency” via Garrett Shanley of Fresh Take Florida^[11]

—”Tampa Pride cancels 2026 events, citing ‘political and economic climate’” via Nina Moske and Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times^[12]

Quote of the Day

“I have a problem with the appearance of hiring a special firm when we all know that Diaz is going to be the president.”

— Former Trustee Jeanne Godwin, on UWF’s search for a new president.^[13]

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.

Gators fans will need to wait a year or more for a rank worth touting, but UF Law gets a Mind-Bending Blue Orange Whiskey Sour for taking the No. 1 spot in first-time Bar passage rate for the July exam.^[14][15]

It’s a Bitter End for the former lawmaker, but the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission has dismissed misconduct charges against former Broward Circuit Judge Gary Farmer.^[16][17]

UCF is announcing it has cleared the hurdle to become a “pre-eminent” state research university. Sounds like it’s Knightro time in Orlando.^[18][19]

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Seminoles, Gators, Bulls among teams at Al.-American tennis championships

One of the biggest college tennis tournaments continues today in Cary, North Carolina, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as Florida State, Florida, and USF compete in the ITA All-American Championship (streamed here).^[20]

The tournament is the first step to qualify for the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments in November. Ten singles players and four doubles teams will qualify through the All-American Championships. 

Five Seminole tennis players entered the tournament, including first-timers Eva Shaw, Laura Putz, Kristyna Lavickova, and Mary Boyce Deatherage. Millie Bissett competed for the third straight year. 

Florida’s Valery Gynina won her round of 64 match in straight sets this morning.

Four Seminoles are entered into the men’s competition: Corey Craig, Luis Felipe Miguel, Gabriele Brancatelli, and Erik Schiessl. Craig reached the quarterfinals last year, and Schiessl competed last year as well, while Brancatelli and Felipe Miguel made their first trek into the competition. 

Florida’s Henry Jefferson advanced to the prequalifying round of 64 today, while fellow Gators Kevin Edengren, Tanapatt Nirundorn, and Andreas Timini won a pair of matches in the prequalifying to earn a spot in the main field this morning. 

The competition opens the schedule for the USF men’s team, with Hugo Car, Elijah Cham, Agustin Cuellar, Toto Llanes, and Gughi Verdese earning spots in the field. Cham, Cuellar, and Verdese lost in straight sets on Saturday, while Llanes won his first match on Saturday in three sets before being ousted on Sunday morning.

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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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