Florida Senate minority leader says Democratic Party is ‘dead,’ switches to independent

In the latest blow to Florida Democrats, the Senate Democratic leader abruptly announced Thursday that he is leaving the party in favor of no-party affiliation. In a dramatic speech on the floor of the chamber, Sen. Jason Pizzo said he has sent his voter registration change and will ask the Senate Democratic caucus to choose a new leader. “Here’s the issue. The Democratic Party in Florida is dead,” Pizzo said. “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.” Pizzo said the Democratic Party today isn’t the party of his father. He said that the modern party “craves and screams anarchy and then demands amnesty.” “I think stripping myself of a title of a party designation allows me to run free and clear, clean and transparent and help many, many more,” Pizzo said. Pizzo, who is term-limited in the Senate, has been eyed as a candidate for governor in 2026. Earlier this year, he told reporters that he would not mount a campaign for governor as an independent, according to the Florida Phoenix.

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