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

TALLAHASSEE Fla AP The top Democrat in Florida s Senate is leaving his party declaring that the Democratic Party in Florida is dead Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo s announcement on the Senate floor Thursday that he s changing his registration to no party affiliation is the latest blow to a party that has struggled to define itself after a series of crushing electoral losses in latest years Pizzo called modern partisanship a mess and disclosed constituents are craving practical leaders not political hacks Once the country s premier swing state Florida s presidential elections used to be decided by the narrowest of margins But the state has increasingly slipped out of Democrats grasp and the GOP has made critical in-roads in formerly Democratic strongholds like Miami-Dade County Registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by more than million voters Pizzo is on a shortlist of rumored gubernatorial candidates for Republican Gov Ron DeSantis is term-limited I think stripping myself of the title of a party designation allows me to run free and clear clean and transparent and help various multiple more Pizzo reported Thursday Nikki Fried the chair of Florida s Democratic Party called Pizzo ineffective and unpopular in a message after his announcement Jason s failure to build backing within our party for a gubernatorial run has led to this final embarrassing temper tantrum I d be lying if I disclosed I m sad to see him go but I wish him the best of luck in the political wilderness he s created for himself Fried mentioned The Florida Democratic Party is more united without him Pizzo a former prosecutor who represents parts of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in South Florida is known as a polished debater willing to openly critique both parties his leadership role notwithstanding His Democratic colleagues in the Senate recounted reporters they were taken aback by his announcement Thursday though they announced it s not out of character for the independent thinker We re at present in a refocusing phase Democratic state Sen Shevrin Jones announced of his party I wouldn t say we are dead I will say that the Democrats have a lot of work to do And I won t sit here and sugarcoat that at all While Democrats were surprised by the announcement the office of Florida s Republican Senate President Ben Albritton was notified Thursday morning In January Pizzo informed The Associated Press that he would not consider running for governor as an independent and that he welcomed the challenge of working within the Democratic Party A string of Florida lawmakers have left the Democratic Party in newest months including state Reps Susan Vald s and Hillary Cassel who both joined the GOP As a member of her new party Vald s on Thursday ascended to the top of the House dais dressed in red to preside over a floor session