Newly elected state Sen. Randy Fine will only be a Senator until Mar. 31, he revealed in his Tuesday resignation letter, because he will run for a congressional seat vacated by President-elect Donald Trump's future national security adviser.
Fine, 50, submitted his resignation letter Tuesday morning announcing that Mar. 31 will be his last day serving as a Brevard County Senator. This is one day before the special general election for Congressional District 6, formerly held by Rep. Mike Waltz who resigned Monday to join Trump's cabinet.
"Serving the people as a Member of the Florida Legislature has been the highest honor of my life," Fine, a former state Rep., reflected on his time in the Legislature. "Our colleges and universities are a cesspool of wokeism and antisemitism, and beyond the ivory tower, our country has been invaded by illegal immigrants, our families are suffering from unacceptable inflation, and our nation's finances are on the verge of ruin.
"It is my belief that President Trump is our nation's last, best chance to right the ship," he continued. "While I am sorry that my service in the Senate will be abbreviated, it seems that my path will return me to a People's House where I will fight for Floridians under the familiar title of Representative."
Fine officially announced his candidacy for Waltz's seat Tuesday morning, hours after Waltz resigned and just three days after Trump urged the Floridian firebrand to run for Congress on social media, posting, "RUN, RANDY, RUN!" A staunch Israel advocate and the sole Jewish Republican in the state Legislature, Fine earned a hardened reputation as an anti-Palestine, anti-Hamas spokesman.
In his dedication to bannering all Israeli causes, the so-called "Hebrew Hammer" publicly clashed with Gov. Ron DeSantis after the governor went to Ireland for a football game. Why? Because Ireland recognized Palestine as a sovereign state, which Fine likened to endorsing "Muslim terror."
During his time in the Legislature, he sponsored laws increasing security for Jewish Day Schools, creating school chaplain programs, and defining antisemitism in state statute. The only other CD-6 candidates who have filed to run are Republican former Marion County School Board member Don Browning and Republican Joshua Vasquez of Ocala.
Former state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a Republican, has expressed interest in challenging Fine though no campaign documents have been filed.
The CD-6 special primary election will be on Jan. 28 and the general will be on Apr. 1.
