A leading Florida Democrat dropped a bombshell Thursday — he’s quitting the party and registering as an independent because Democrats in the state have lost their way. 

“The Democratic Party in Florida is dead,” the state Senate Democratic leader, Jason Pizzo, proclaimed on the floor of the chamber. “But there are good people that can resuscitate it. But they don’t want it to be me.”

He added of the Democratic party, “It craves and screams anarchy, and then demands amnesty. That’s not okay.”

Mr. Pizzo’s move — which drew a scathing rebuke from the state Democratic chairwoman and glee from Republicans — comes as the once-purple state turns increasingly red. Before the move, Mr. Pizzo had been regarded as a potential leading Democratic candidate for governor in 2026 when Governor DeSantis is term-limited out of office.

Mr. Pizzo, who represents parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties and who also will be stepping down from his leadership post, told his fellow senators, “The party that my dad volunteered for with JFK, when he was 18 years old in 1960, is not the party today.” 

He said he had already “FedEx’ed” his voter registration form to change his party affiliation to “No Party Affiliation,” which is the Florida label for independent voters who are not affiliated with any political party.  

Mr. Pizzo’s split from the party reportedly came as a surprise to several state Democrats, Politico’s Gary Fineout shared on X. 

The Florida Republican Party chairman, Evan Power, responded to the news by reposting a video of Mr. Pizzo’s speech and tagging the Florida Democrats’ page on X along with a skull emoji — presumably referencing the “death” of the party. 

Mr. Pizzo’s grim outlook on the future of the Democratic party in Florida comes as the once-swing state has cemented its transformation into a Republican stronghold. 

President Trump crushed Vice President Harris in Florida in the 2024 election, carrying the state by 13 percentage points and flipping several reliably blue counties to red, including Miami-Dade, the state’s most populous. Ms. Harris was the first Democrat to lose Miami-Dade County in a presidential contest in more than 30 years. 

Mr. Pizzo is now the third sitting Florida lawmaker to quit the Democratic party in the past six months. He follows state Representatives Susan Valdes and Hillary Cassel, who became Republicans.

Florida Democrats, however, don’t appear to be shedding any tears at the news that they’ve got one less member. 

“Jason Pizzo is one of the most ineffective and unpopular Democratic leaders in recent memory, and his resignation is one of the best things to happen to the party in years,” the party’s chairwoman, Nikki Fried, stated. 

She added: “Jason’s failure to build support within our party for a gubernatorial run has led to this final embarrassing temper tantrum. 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.”