Last Call for 10.12.26 – 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 — David Jolly gets his turn before Florida A&M University students tonight. The Democratic nominee for Governor will appear at a student-run town hall beginning at 7 p.m. in FAMU’s Lee Hall Auditorium, the second of two separate candidate forums arranged after a planned televised debate between Jolly and Republican nominee Byron Donalds fell apart. Jolly declined to debate Donalds, citing what he called Donalds’ “repeated lies and bad faith.” FAMU canceled the debate but said its Student Government Association would give each candidate an equal opportunity to present his platform, priorities and vision for Florida. Donalds went first Sept. 29. The Republican, who attended FAMU before transferring to Florida State University, faced pointed questions about immigration enforcement, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and the economic value of college degrees. His exchanges with some students grew heated before a fire alarm interrupted the event near its conclusion. Jolly will have the stage to himself tonight, but Donalds’ appearance doesn’t necessarily signal a soft landing. FAMU is billing the forum as a student-led discussion of higher education and issues affecting the broader Tallahassee community. The event is open to the public, though participation in the question-and-answer session is reserved for current students. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.; nonstudent guests will be seated on the auditorium’s second level. Signs and audio or video recording are prohibited. — Evening Reads — —“Inside Elon Musk’s $276 million Midterm rescue mission for Republicans” via Theodore Schleifer of The New York Times —“The Pentagon gave $350 million in contracts to a firm closely tied to a senior Defense Department official” via Aaron Davis and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica —“They war-gamed dimming the sun. It went even worse than you think” via Karl Mathiesen of WIRED —“As U.S. medical debt grows, AI will be used more to collect it” via Jessica Glenza of The Guardian —“AI company lets cops pinpoint specific houses based on a single interior photo” via Joseph Cox of 404 Media —“How state officials fought for months to keep a lid on Hope Florida report” via Kate Payne of The Florida Trib —“Christian group backing Jackie Toledo also supports accused child molester and sexual assaulter” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics —“Naples has a workforce housing crisis, but Casey Askar rents two-bedroom condos for more than $10K a month” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics —“Vouchers are set to get more than half of Miami-Dade’s state per pupil funds” via Austin Horn of the Miami Herald — Quote of the Day — “But, you know, do I think he’s my daddy? No.” — U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, explaining his “daddy’s back” remark about Donald Trump. — 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 on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well. Pour Ron DeSantis a Remember the Maine after his Isaias pronunciation backslide, because apparently remembering the name is asking too much. Buy David Jolly a Money in the Bank for his record fundraising week, but with Byron Donalds raising more than twice as much, he should probably keep the change. Order some Daddy Issues for Byron Donalds, who assured Luther Campbell that Donald Trump isn’t his daddy and would like the endorsement without the family plan. — Breakthrough Insights — — Tune In — Rays open ALCS The Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians open the American League Championship Series tonight in St. Petersburg (8 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV). After posting the best record in the American League in the regular season, the Rays advanced with a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, including a 4-3 win in the decisive game in the Bronx. The Rays are four wins away from the franchise’s third trip to the World Series, having previously won American League pennants in 2008 and 2020. The Guardians last made the World Series in 2016 when they lost to the Chicago Cubs in seven games. The Guardians came back from two games to none down against the Chicago White Sox to win the best-of-five series with a dramatic 2-0 Game 5 win. Tonight, the Rays are scheduled to send Drew Rasmussen to the mound to open the series. Rasmussen finished the regular season with 16 wins, the third-most in the league, and a 2.67 earned run average, the seventh-best. The Guardians are scheduled to start 15-game winner Foster Griffin in Game 1. Griffin picked up a win in the divisional round against the White Sox. ___ Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics. The post Last Call for 10.12.26 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics appeared first on Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..