TALLAHASSEE—In a shock announcement hinting at a gubernatorial run, Sen. Jason Pizzo revealed Thursday that he will leave his post as Democratic Leader and become an Independent.
Pizzo, already rumored to be toying with a gubernatorial run in 2026, blindsided his 10 Democrat colleagues with a 4-minute speech after Thursday's floor session, where he declared that the Democratic Party is "dead."
"There'll be a caucus meeting later this afternoon where I hope that the members of the Democratic Caucus will elect a new leader," the Broward Senator said, revealing that he's already "FedExed" his voter registration form to change his registration from Democrat to No Party Affiliation.
"I am not in this position because of Democrats. I got elected by NPAs—3.7 million people who have no party, who have no representation," he continued, before mentioning that "stripping himself" of his title will allow him to "run free and clear."
When asked after the session if "running" meant pursuing the state's top office, Pizzo was silent. Of note, Pizzo's party switch came the same day that David Jolly announced that he will run as a Democrat for governor.
"The Democratic Party in Florida is dead. There are good people that can resuscitate it, but they don't want it to be me. That's not convenient. That's not cool," he added.
Democrat Senators Shevrin Jones, Carlos Guillermo Smith, Darryl Rouson, and Lori Berman all said they were given no heads up before his speech, though Republican Senate President Ben Albritton said that Pizzo did notify him before his speech.
All lawmakers said it would allow Pizzo to "be free" and "follow his heart," though disagreed with the notion that the party is "dead." Democrats promptly left the room after the session, revealing that they would host an imminent caucus meeting to elect a new leader.
But chairwoman of the Democratic Party, Nikki Fried, delivered a blistering statement minutes later, blasting Pizzo as "ineffective."
"Jason Pizzo is one of the most ineffective and unpopular Democratic leaders in recent memory, and his resignation is one of the best things to happen to the party in years,” Fried said. “His legacy as leader includes continually disparaging the party base, starting fights with other members, and chasing his own personal ambitions at the expense of Democratic values.
She slammed him for his "failure" to build support within the Democratic Party for a gubernatorial bid, insisting it led to Thursday's "final embarrassing temper tantrum."
"The Florida Democratic Party is more united without him," Fried added.
Publisher Javier Manjarres said that he knew Sen. Pizzo was going to become an independent weeks ago but kept it to himself, saying,"I was not going to be the one to break this news," adding, "this was Jason's decision and announcement to make on his own time."
This story is developing...
