Florida

Last Call for 1.31.24 — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics

Published

2 years ago

January 31, 2024

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Last Call for 1.31.24 — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics

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

First Shot

A bill that would ban alternative cannabinoids and cap the amount of THC in hemp products is headed to the Senate floor.

Sen. Colleen Burton’s bill (SB 1698) targets substances that produce the same “high” as delta-9 THC, the euphoria-inducing compound commodified by the state’s medical marijuana program.

Ahead of a 17-2 vote, more than one lawmaker on the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee shared their experiences with over-the-counter hemp products — Sen. Corey Simon, a Tallahassee Republican, said he took a hemp product with delta-8 to help him sleep but ended up in the emergency room.

In the House, Republican Rep. Ryan Chamberlin pitched a bill (HB 1371) that would examine abolishing property taxes in Florida. He’s not the first lawmaker to float the idea, and similar plans have failed to gain traction over the decades.

The freshman lawmaker from Belleview said now “it’s time” to try again, equating revenue stream to a tax on unrealized gains and even “slavery” since homeowners must fork over cash every year to keep their homes, even if their mortgage is paid free and clear.

“Think about it. If the IRS started charging us a tax not just on your income but what they thought we could have earned, we would have riots in the streets,” he said. “Yet we get a property tax increase every year on most of our properties in Florida not based on any realized gain in our bank account but based on what the gain could be if we decided to sell it.”

Though Democrats expressed concern on how abolishment could impact local governments, Republicans on the panel embraced the idea and intimated it has support from House Speaker Paul Renner and Speaker-designate Daniel Perez.

The House also moved forward with a plan that would boost pay for the Governor and members of the Cabinet.

The plan, which was introduced with unanimous support from the House Appropriations Committee, would increase statewide elected officials’ salaries to match the pay of Florida Supreme Court justices, who make $251,414 a year. That amounts to a $110,014 pay increase, however, it would not go into effect until 2027 — after Gov. Ron DeSantis and current Cabinet officials term out of office.

Bill Day’s Latest

Evening Reads

—“‘Traitor’: After bitter primary, Ron DeSantis may struggle to win over Trump supporters if he runs again” via Jill Colvin of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—“Recruited to play sports, and win a culture war” via Susan Dominus of The New York Times

—”Donald Trump to lose 53% of swing-state voters if convicted of a crime” via Jordan Fabian and Gregory Korte of Bloomberg

—”Federal judge dismisses Disney lawsuit against DeSantis” via Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel

—”The broken promises of the NFL concussion settlement” via Will Hobson of The Washington Post

—“Florida child labor bills: Women farmworkers worry about kids working longer hours in fields” via Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix

—“A trove of ‘lost Basquiats’ led to a splashy exhibition. Then the FBI showed up.” via Bianca Bosker of The Atlantic

—”We can still make a good economy much better” via Oshan Jarow of Vox

Quote of the Day

“When I used to smoke marijuana, one joint maybe had about 10 milligrams (of THC). As I’m listening and been researching this hemp thing, it would be like me smoking 100 joints.”

— Sen. Rosalind Osgood, who would go on to describe herself as a “former professional marijuana smoker” currently in “recovery.”

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.

House Budget Chief Tom Leek is warning that the days of state coffers overflowing with pandemic cash are over and that the next budget will be “austere.” Maybe you can shave a few bucks off your bar bill by ordering him something plain, such as a whiskey-water.

Whatever you do, don’t order members of the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee a CBD-infused Hop Water — they’ll stick to regular booze; thank you very much.

Deliver a round of Sidecars to the tiny home down the street; just double-check that it’s under 400 square feet before you hand them off.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

The Florida Gators shoot for a fourth straight win when they travel to Rupp Arena to face 10th-ranked Kentucky tonight (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Gators (14-6;4-3 in SEC) and Wildcats opened SEC play on Jan. 6 in Gainesville with a two-point Kentucky win. Florida has lost five straight games in the series and has won just one of the last 10 against the Wildcats (15-4; 5-2).

A Florida win could pull the Gators to within a game of the top spot in the SEC standings.

Florida’s leading scorer, Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points against Kentucky in the first meeting between the two teams. He has played well on the road, averaging nearly 18 points per game as a visitor.

Florida has been one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 85.4 points per game. Only 10 Division I teams are scoring more per contest than the Gators. One of those teams is Kentucky (88.5 points per game). One statistical area the Gators could exploit is rebounding. Kentucky ranks 102nd in the nation in rebounding. Florida is the fifth-best rebounding team.

Getting over the hurdle and beating Kentucky has been a challenge for Florida for most of the last decade. A win in Lexington would be a huge emotional boost in addition to being a substantial win in the standings.

Also tonight:

6:30 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Gulf Coast Eagles @ Bellarmine Knights

7 p.m. — NCAAW: Florida Atlantic Owls @ UAB Blazers

7 p.m. — NCAAW: Stetson Hatters @ Eastern Kentucky Colonels

7 p.m. — NCAAM: South Florida Bulls @ East Carolina Pirates

7 p.m. — NCAAM: Lipscomb Bisons @ North Florida Ospreys

7 p.m. — NCAAM: Austin Peay Governors @ JU Dolphins

7 p.m. — NCAAM: Baylor Bears @ UCF Knights

7:30 p.m. — Sacramento Kings @ Miami Heat

8 p.m. — Orlando Magic @ San Antonio Spurs

___

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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Florida

House ethics panel finds Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations

Published

3 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

House ethics panel finds Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee found Friday that Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida had committed numerous violations of House rules and ethics standards, a ruling that could add weight to Republicans’ push to expel her from Congress.

After meeting for over seven hours Thursday night, an ethics panel composed of four Democrats and four Republicans found that Cherfilus-McCormick had committed 25 ethics violations. The panel said it would recommend a punishment in the coming weeks.

The allegations center around her receipt of millions of dollars from her family’s health care business after the state of Florida made an overpayment of roughly $5 million in disaster relief funds. Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of using that money to fund her 2022 congressional campaign through a network of businesses and family members.

The congresswoman, who is running for a fourth term representing a southeastern Florida district, has denied wrongdoing, and her attorney stridently criticized Thursday’s public hearing — the first open proceeding in nearly 15 years. But the ruling from the Ethics Committee could fuel a potential vote on her expulsion and divide a Democratic Caucus that is trying to make a comeback to power in the November elections.

Cherfilus-McCormick also faces federal charges for allegedly stealing the $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds and using it for purchases like a 3-carat yellow diamond ring. Her brother, former chief of staff and accountant were also charged in the alleged scheme. She pleaded not guilty to those charges, and her attorney indicated Thursday that the trial is expected to start in the coming months.

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Florida

Driver arrested after allegedly plowing onto Florida airport tarmac

Published

15 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Driver arrested after allegedly plowing onto Florida airport tarmac

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Florida

Audubon Florida leader has built reputation for working across party lines | The Invading Sea

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Audubon Florida leader has built reputation for working across party lines | The Invading Sea

By Issabella Gutierrez

As a child growing up in rural Florida, Julie Wraithmell once stood at the foot of a tall pine tree and watched a woman climb 50 feet into the air to occupy an abandoned eagle’s nest. The woman, Doris Mager, stayed there for a week to raise money for raptor rehabilitation. For young Julie, the “nest-in” became a blueprint for a life in conservation.

In Florida’s often unpredictable environmental policy landscape, Wraithmell has built a reputation for working across party lines.

Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Photo courtesy of Audubon Florida)

Today, as the vice president and executive director of Audubon Florida, the state office of the National Audubon Society, she leads the organization’s statewide science and advocacy efforts from her office in Tallahassee. She spends the legislative session in committee hearings and meetings with lawmakers, agency officials and conservation leaders.

Over two decades, she has evolved from a field biologist and self-described “bird nerd” into an influential environmental leader in Florida, navigating a political landscape that can be as unpredictable as any treetop.

A native Floridian, Wraithmell earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Duke University and a master’s degree in science from Florida State University.

She began her career in 1997 as a biologist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where she worked for eight years and helped launch the Great Florida Birding Trail, a 2,000-mile network connecting more than 500 wildlife-viewing sites.

Wraithmell now oversees 80 Audubon Florida staff members and 45 chapters statewide. Beyond lobbying, she directs habitat restoration strategies and coordinates policy teams focused on land conservation and water quality.

Renée Wilson, a senior communications coordinator at Audubon Florida, described Wraithmell as a “getter-donner” who remains “cool as a cucumber” even when tension runs high in the Capitol.

“She’s not a micromanager,” Wilson said. “She gives you the direction you need, and she’s there if you need a course correction, but she really empowers the staff to follow their passions.”

A great blue heron at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, where the state proposed to build golf courses before public outcry scuttled the plan. (Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Her leadership was tested in 2024 and 2025, when proposals surfaced to add golf courses to state parks and to swap protected land at the Guana River Wildlife Management Area for development. Audubon Florida helped generate tens of thousands of public comments and coordinated bipartisan opposition that led to the withdrawal of both proposals.

Elizabeth Alvi, senior director of policy for Audubon Florida, said Wraithmell’s leadership in these sensitive moments is defined by a refusal to be pulled off course by short-term pressure. She added that Wraithmell is widely respected by lawmakers across the aisle.

“People know that when she speaks, it is grounded in science and aligned with a clear organizational priority, not opportunistic positioning,” Alvi said. “That discipline earns respect in the Capitol because it’s consistent and thoughtful.”

Wraithmell often quotes a mentor who told her that advocacy requires “weaving back and forth across the political aisle like sloppy drunks.”

“You might find yourself fighting a legislator over a road project one year, but you have to be ready to partner with that same person on a land conservation bill the next,” Wraithmell said. Holding onto professional grudges, she said, is a luxury the environment cannot afford.

That pragmatism shapes her push for stable funding for Florida Forever, the state’s land acquisition program that has preserved more than 1 million acres. While funding has fluctuated in recent years, she said unstable funding could impede critical habitat purchases as development pressures increase.

Heavily oiled brown pelicans waiting to be cleaned following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. (International Bird Rescue Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

In 2010, Wraithmell led Audubon’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, advocating for restoration settlement funds to be directed toward coastal bird habitat recovery. Her efforts earned her the Charles H. Callison Award in 2015, the highest honor from the National Audubon Society.

Wraithmell does not shy away from the topic of climate change.

“The ocean is coming for us,” Wraithmell said. “Whether you call it climate change, sea-level rise or flooding, we are seeing the impacts on our shorebirds and our coastal communities right now.”

Under her leadership, Audubon Florida has expanded coastal resilience efforts, including protecting nesting grounds threatened by rising sea levels and promoting nature-based solutions such as wetland restoration and living shorelines. Alvi said many people underestimate how difficult it is to align science, policy timing and organizational reputation simultaneously.

“The most significant win will likely be institutional strength: a conservation movement in Florida that is more strategic, more science-driven and more disciplined in its public engagement,” Alvi said.

When asked to summarize Florida’s environmental story in a single place, Wraithmell pointed to the Everglades. She described it as an ecosystem shaped by historical “screw-ups,” from ditching and draining to the exploitation of birds.

“It’s a site of people coming together and saying, ‘Whoop, we screwed up. Now what are we going to do about it?’” Wraithmell said. “With billions of dollars in investment, we are seeing results.”

Despite the rapid pace of development across Florida, Wraithmell remains optimistic about the future, pointing to volunteers, students, and local advocates who make up the Audubon Florida network.

“Watching kind of the creative magic that they get up to together,” Wraithmell said. “That is what gives me hope for the next decade.”

The little girl watching from the ground is gone. Now, Julie Wraithmell is the one in the treetop, asking young Floridians to climb with her and protect wild Florida.

Issabella M. Gutierrez is a junior majoring in multimedia journalism at Florida Atlantic University. Banner photo: A great egret flies over the Florida Everglades (iStock image).

Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here. To support The Invading Sea, click here to make a donation. If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe.

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