In a stunning move that has drastically shifted power in the state of Florida, Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo announced Thursday he is leaving the party to become an independent, declaring on the Senate floor that “the Democratic Party in Florida is dead.”
“I Fed-Exd my voter registration form to change my party affiliation to ‘No Party Affiliation,'” Pizzo told shocked colleagues during the evening session. “Our constituents are craving practical leaders, not political hacks.”
“There are good people who can resuscitate it but they don’t want it to be me. I got elected because of NPAs (voters with no party affiliation),” Pizzo, a former prosecutor representing parts of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, said.
His defection marks the third Florida lawmaker to abandon the Democratic Party in just six months, following State Representatives Susan Valdés and Hillary Cassel, who both joined the Republican Party in December. Valdés, now a Republican, was seen Thursday presiding over a House floor session “dressed in red,” according to the first report.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried responded with a blistering statement, calling Pizzo “one of the most ineffective and unpopular Democratic leaders in recent memory.”
“Jason’s failure to build support within our party for a gubernatorial run has led to this final embarrassing temper tantrum,” Fried said. “I’d be lying if I said I’m sad to see him go, but I wish him the best of luck in the political wilderness he’s created for himself. The Florida Democratic Party is more united without him.”
Pizzo is widely rumored to be considering a run for governor in 2026 when Republican Governor Ron DeSantis reaches his term limit.
In his floor speech, he suggested his independence would give him greater political freedom.
“I think stripping myself of the title of a party designation allows me to run free and clear, clean and transparent, and help many, many more,” Pizzo said.
The move comes as Florida Democrats continue to struggle in what was once America’s premier swing state. Florida’s presidential elections were historically decided by narrow margins, but Republicans now hold a registration advantage of more than 1.2 million voters and have made significant inroads in former Democratic strongholds like Miami-Dade County.
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power seized on the defection as evidence of clear disfunction within the Democratic Party.
“Senator Pizzo didn’t leave the Democratic Party; the party left him,” Power said in a statement. “This decision underscores the radicalization of today’s Democratic Party under the likes of Nikki Fried, Maxwell Frost, and David Hogg. It stands in stark contrast to the party of JFK or even Senator Bob Graham, who was honored yesterday at the Florida State Capitol.”
Pizzo’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate said they were shocked by his announcement. State Senator Shevrin Jones rejected Pizzo’s assertion that the party is dead but acknowledged they face serious challenges.
“We’re currently in a refocusing phase,” Jones told reporters. “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.”
The timing of Pizzo’s announcement is particularly striking given a January statement to 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.