Florida – Since Ron DeSantis took office as Governor, Florida has increasingly leaned Republican, transitioning from its former swing state status to a stronghold for the Republican Party. This shift is reflected in voter registration numbers, with the Republican Party of Florida surpassing the Florida Democratic Party by nearly 810,000 registrants.
Total control
Under Republican leadership, Florida has enacted numerous controversial laws, driven by initiatives from the GOP-dominated legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis himself. Despite criticism and the arrival of new residents from traditionally Democratic states, the Republican grip on both state and local governance in Florida remains nearly unchallenged. This consolidation of power is further bolstered by internal strife within the Florida Democratic Party, contributing to its weakening position.
Disputes amid the presidential campaign
On Monday, the Florida Democratic Party decided to suspend three local leaders because they kept breaking the party’s rules. This event was dramatically called the “Monday Massacre” by one journalist. The people who lost their jobs were Robert Dempster from Miami-Dade, Carol Barfield from Franklin, and Mindy Koch from Palm Beach. Nikki Fried, the leader of the Florida Democrats, said this was part of a big plan to fix and improve how local parties work.
The Democratic Party in Florida has been working hard to win more support across the state but hasn’t been very successful lately. Even though many people thought the Republicans would win big in the 2022 midterm elections, that didn’t completely happen. However, Governor DeSantis was re-elected with 59% of the votes and did really well in places that usually vote for Democrats, like Miami-Dade County.
The suspended leaders didn’t follow party rules
Nikki Fried explained on the party’s website that they had to suspend the leaders from Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Franklin because of ongoing problems and their failure to follow the party’s rules. The goal is to make changes and start fresh in 2024.
“The actions taken today are part of an overall strategy to get our local parties back on track,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried following the suspension of Robert Dempster, Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chair, Mindy Koch, Palm Beach Democratic Party Chair and Carol Barfield, Franklin Democratic Party Chair.
“Over the past year, the Florida Democratic Party has made repeated attempts to mitigate complaints received prior to my election as Chair and support the leaders of Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Franklin Democratic Executive Committees (DECs). One of my first actions as Chair was the launch of an assessment team to evaluate issues, review plans and provide guidance to parties identified as noncompliant.
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“The success of Florida Democrats depends on the success of our local parties on the ground, and the majority of our DECs are working tirelessly to organize year-round across the state. There is too much at stake to ignore the challenges before us and we need all of our local parties engaged in our mission to take back Florida.”
The removal of Robert Dempster
Just over a month after the Florida Democrats sent a letter to Dempster on February 1, telling him he wasn’t following the party’s rules and needed to fix things within a month. Dempster, speaking to the Miami Herald, said he’s challenging the suspension and believes he’ll be put back in his position during the next meeting of the Florida Democratic Party’s central committee. To remove a party chair, a two-thirds vote from the 120-member committee is needed.
The removal of Mindy Koch
Fried also contacted Koch, the Palm Beach County Democrats leader, on Monday. She said Koch hadn’t followed the rules set by a Judicial Council Agreement on January 11, 2024, because she didn’t cancel some contracts she signed without getting the necessary permissions. Fried also mentioned that Koch’s decision to remove members and her failure to resolve disagreements among her members forced her, as the State Chair, to step in.
