The sine die hankies in the Florida Capitol rotunda dropped and that means the 2024 legislative session is over. While Republicans celebrated a successful legislative session, Florida Democrats responded to the end.
According to Democrats, the 2024 session was remarkably different from 2023: “but while the Florida Senate rejected more culture war bills and there was a greater spirit of bipartisanship, there was more we could have done to help Floridians with their kitchen table issues: housing, food insecurity, infrastructure, transportation, child care affordability, health care costs – the list goes on.”
In response to the end of session, leaders of the Florida Senate Democratic Caucus shared these statements.
Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book, of Davie, said, “This session left much to be desired for Floridians who are facing daily, pressing problems like the skyrocketing cost of property insurance and rising costs of living. With the Governor’s mostly absent voice, we saw the Senate grow a backbone rise against many of the culture war bills that popped up. I hope that strength continues. I am proud of the Senate Democratic Caucus for using our voices, diplomacy and experience to advocate for everyday Floridians.”
Senate Democratic Leader-Designate Jason Pizzo, of Sunny Isles Beach, set to lead the caucus next session, said, “I am leaving this session with a sense of optimism that I haven’t felt in a long time. This Legislature has demonstrated that we can work across the aisle on reasonable and rational policy. When we are not bearing the burden of an executive agenda above our own, we see that cooler heads can prevail. We will continue to build relationships and consensus across the aisle, on policy that creates and keeps neighborhoods viable, safe and prosperous.”
Jacksonville Senator Tracie Davis, a future leader approved by her caucus to head the Senate Democrats in 2026, said, “Thankfully this session we spent less time on culture wars, but there were still committees and staff dedicated to hateful, unhelpful legislation. We missed significant opportunities to address property insurance rates, public safety, affordable healthcare, and other issues that are actually important to Floridians.”
