Florida Democrats did some house cleaning. It’s a jolt the party needed | Opinion

The Florida Democratic Party appears to be waking up this week with the decision to suspend the chairs of party organizations in three counties — Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Franklin — a house cleaning that apparently was needed. Is this a much-needed “fire in the belly” moment for Democrats, something that’s been lacking even as November approaches?

It’s no secret that Democrats have been struggling in Florida, losing ground to Republicans, including with Hispanic voters in South Florida, and failing to capitalize on demographic shifts that could favor their party. Meanwhile, energized Republicans have been gaining voters.

This week, Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, finally said: Enough.

“The cost of inaction is too high,” Fried said in a statewide news release announcing the shakeups.

Fried is right. It’s smart for the party to make corrective moves now. But will they have any impact?

It was a difficult week for Democrats. Results from a poll done in November by the reelection effort for Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, showed how things have changed since 2020. That’s when Donald Trump lost Miami-Dade by 7 percentage points to Joe Biden.

The new survey — of 500 likely voters, conducted by EMC Research using phone and text — found that Biden was the choice of 35%, compared to Trump’s 46%.

If that survey is an indication — and it’s still somewhat early in the election cycle — it may be too late for Florida Democrats to make a difference in the presidential elections. If Trump stays in the race — even as he faces 91 criminal charges and vows to be a dictator for “one day” — it seems likely he’ll take his home state of Florida, which is increasingly considered a red state.

But what about other Democrats in crucial local races? The poll forecasts a political headwind for Democrats running for countywide positions, like sheriff — a new elected position — and supervisor of elections.

“Unlike the last 30 years, I don’t think we can say in 2024 that Miami-Dade is definitely a blue county. If anything, it’s a purple county in a state that’s leaning toward — if it’s not outright — Republican,” Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster and analyst told the Miami Herald.

There are more Democrats that Republicans in Miami-Dade, and more NPA (no party affiliation) voters than Republicans, as well. Out of 1.4 million registered voters in the county on March 1, there were 512,854 Democrats, 464,065 NPAs and 439,253 Republicans.

Statewide is a different story. As of December 2023, there were 5,141,848 Republicans and 4,362,147 Democrats in Florida, according to state election records.

But Republicans have been whittling down Democrats’ lead in Miami-Dade. In 2024, Dems still led by 73,600 voters, but back in 2023, that lead was 138,000, according to county election department records. And then there’s voter turnout — numbers indicated Democrats were casting ballots less than their GOP counterparts. That’s a dangerous combination that Democrats must address if they are to stay relevant.

That’s no doubt a main reason that Fried took these actions to, in effect, reenergize the party. Florida Democrats may not be much of a factor in the big race but there is still ground to be gained with local races.

As Fried pointed out, candidates rely on local parties to help with their ground game — registering voters, mobilizing volunteers and engaging donors to support their efforts.

On Monday, Fried called Robert Dempster, who’s led the Miami-Dade party since 2021, to ask for his resignation. Dempster declined. Fried suspended him. Also facing removal are Mindy Koch in Palm Beach and Carol Barfield in Franklin.

With the 2024 election cycle already under way, Democrats can’t afford complacency or inaction, and that includes on down-ballot races.

Fried was chosen to lead the party on a promise to turn things around. She’s showing a willingness to make tough decisions, and warned more changes could be coming. That type of accountability has been missing in Florida Democratic circles.

For democracy to work, we need the kind of robust debate that happens with two strong parties. Suspending the county party chairs may cause temporary turmoil, but it could be just the jolt Democrats need.

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