Jason Pizzo Quits Democrats, Resigns Senate Leadership

Florida Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo has resigned both his party leadership post and his membership in the Democratic Party, now registering as No Party Affiliation. Pizzo, who represents parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, cited Democratic Party infighting, ineffective messaging, and internal hostility as reasons for his decision, aiming to represent the 3.7 million Floridians without party affiliation. In his announcement, he declared the Democratic Party in Florida 'dead' and lamented its current state compared to its past. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried criticized Pizzo as 'ineffective' and said the party is more united without him. State Sen. Lori Berman has been selected as the new Senate Democratic leader. Pizzo's departure comes amid Republican dominance in Florida and continued speculation about his possible independent run for governor.