TALLAHASSEE—Republican Rep. Mike Redondo has the votes to be the Florida Speaker of the House in 2030, thanks to current Speaker Danny Perez allegedly helping him clear the field.
"He has the votes to be Speaker," a top Republican, granted anonymity to speak freely, told The Floridian.
Two other Republican politicos similarly confirmed that Redondo, from Miami, is running virtually unopposed and has the Speakership within his grasp because fellow Miamian Perez made sure the top slot was wide open.
"He's pretty much had it since he got here," said one of the Republicans familiar with the process.
Redondo has positioned himself as a strong ally to Perez, heading up the Speaker's February workgroup analyzing over 60 projects Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed last year. Redondo, along with the nine other lawmakers in the Human Services workgroup, recommended eight vetoes to be overridden by the legislature.
He was also on Rep. Alex Andrade's Health Care Budget Subcommittee, which investigated First Lady Casey DeSantis's charity, Hope Florida, for not paying its taxes and allegedly illegally funneling money to DeSantis's then-Chief of Staff James Uthmeier's anti-marijuana political committee.
Since Perez took over House leadership in November, he's had a strained relationship with DeSantis. From helping close out the governor's special session in January, to supporting Andrade's Hope Florida probe, to suggesting dueling tax cut proposals to the governor, Perez has led the rare, rebellious charge against DeSantis.
He says it's to help establish the Legislative branch as its own, separate, equal branch.
Republican Rep. Sam Garrison will be the Speaker of the House in 2026, and Republican Rep. Jennifer Canady will lead the chamber in 2028.
Redondo is a freshman lawmaker and a personal injury attorney based in Miami. He founded his company, Redondo Law, in 2019.