Florida Senate's Democratic leader says the state party is dead and he's leaving it

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The apical Democrat successful Florida's Senate is leaving his party, declaring that “the Democratic Party successful Florida is dead."

Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo's announcement connected the Senate level Thursday that he's changing his registration to nary enactment affiliation is the latest stroke to a enactment that has struggled to specify itself aft a bid of crushing electoral losses successful caller years.

Pizzo called modern partisanship “a mess” and said "constituents are craving applicable leaders, not governmental hacks.”

Once the country's premier plaything state, Florida's statesmanlike elections utilized to beryllium decided by the narrowest of margins. But the authorities has progressively slipped retired of Democrats' grasp, and the GOP has made important in-roads successful formerly Democratic strongholds similar Miami-Dade County. Registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by much than 1.2 cardinal voters.

Pizzo is connected a shortlist of rumored gubernatorial candidates for 2026. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited.

“I deliberation stripping myself of the rubric of a enactment designation allows maine to tally escaped and clear, cleanable and transparent, and assistance many, galore more," Pizzo said Thursday.

Nikki Fried, the seat of Florida’s Democratic Party, called Pizzo “ineffective and unpopular" successful a connection aft his announcement.

“Jason’s nonaccomplishment to physique enactment wrong our enactment for a gubernatorial tally has led to this last embarrassing temper tantrum. I’d beryllium lying if I said I’m bittersweet to spot him go, but I privation him the champion of luck successful the governmental wilderness he’s created for himself," Fried said. "The Florida Democratic Party is much agreed without him.”

Pizzo, a erstwhile authoritative who represents parts of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties successful South Florida, is known arsenic a polished debater consenting to openly critique some parties, his enactment relation notwithstanding.

His Democratic colleagues successful the Senate told reporters they were taken aback by his announcement Thursday, though they said it's not retired of quality for the “independent thinker.”

“We’re presently successful a refocusing phase,” Democratic authorities Sen. Shevrin Jones said of his party. “I wouldn’t accidental we are dead. I volition accidental that the Democrats person a batch of enactment to do. And I won’t beryllium present and sugarcoat that astatine all.”

While Democrats were amazed by the announcement, the bureau of Florida's Republican Senate President Ben Albritton was notified Thursday morning.

In January, Pizzo told The Associated Press that helium would not see moving for politician arsenic an autarkic and that helium welcomed the "challenge” of moving wrong the Democratic Party.

A drawstring of Florida lawmakers person near the Democratic Party successful caller months, including authorities Reps. Susan Valdés and Hillary Cassel, who some joined the GOP. As a subordinate of her caller party, Valdés connected Thursday ascended to the apical of the House dais, dressed successful red, to preside implicit a level session.

___ Kate Payne is simply a corps subordinate for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is simply a nonprofit nationalist work programme that places journalists successful section newsrooms to study connected undercovered issues.