How Florida’s Speaker of the House race is conducted needs to change — and fast. Right now, it’s a process that’s decided 5 to 6 years in advance by a handful of freshman legislators who barely know the ropes.
If the idea of electing a speaker this many years in advance sounds strange, it’s because it is, and the results of this setup have significant consequences for Floridians, as we are currently witnessing during this legislative session.
The current setup is excellent for the power of current and future leadership, but the winner isn’t necessarily the person who best represents the values of most Floridians. Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami), an anti-DeSantis representative, wields an absurd amount of power.
His legacy, should it continue, could mean a reversal of tort reform laws, the legalization of marijuana, defunding the police, and a less conservative overall agenda for the next decade, even though a mere 14 people voted for him to be speaker in 2018, and 4.6 million people voted for Ron DeSantis to be governor for a second term in 2024. This isn’t a member-driven process — it’s a carefully choreographed power play that leaves most legislators stuck and Florida’s government dysfunctional.
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Often, new members who have won special elections decide to run for speaker as they have one additional session under their belts than the rest of their class. These special election members are still part of the next incoming class and are dubbed “red-shirted” freshmen. They have a definite advantage because of the experience that new elected members do not have.
Still, all freshmen are thrust into a high-stakes political game long before they’ve had a chance to understand the complexities of governing. Members are solicited to vote for the speaker as soon as they are sworn in.
Should a speaker be chosen right before they serve? That really wouldn’t work, and here’s why. The incoming speaker, known as the Speaker Designate, is the one who fundraises for the party. That person’s job is to keep current majority members in their seats and possibly snag a couple of more seats in areas where they’re ripe for a party change. One idea is to have a speaker’s race after the first session of their junior term. That would mean the person has been elected three times, and they’ve been in office long enough for the members to get to know them, and instead of their class being the only ones to vote, open it up to the class below as well. The way it works now, these newbies don’t even know where the bathrooms are. Worse, the rules say members shouldn’t discuss the speaker’s race during the session, but they always do, with lobbyists, political consultants, and special interest groups pressuring members behind the scenes.
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Dr. Joel Rudman is a former Republican state representative from Navarre, Florida. He revealed that when now-Congressman Jimmy Patronis was the CFO (Chief Financial Officer for Florida), Patronis allegedly called him into his office and told him to vote for Jennifer Canady, who won her race and will be speaker in 2028. There’s nothing wrong with Patronis or anyone else expressing their opinion. Still, when the current speaker and other powerful elected officials get involved, the pressure is overwhelming, and members become pawns, making decisions based on fear. Members are free to vote however they would like, but it’s clear that they are being heavily influenced to vote a certain way by people who have been involved in this process for much longer than they have and have a specific agenda. This top-down influence shows how the process is anything but grassroots or transparent.
What Does the Speaker Do — And Why So Much Power?
The Speaker of the Florida House is one of the most powerful figures in state government. They control the legislative agenda, appoint committee chairs, decide which bills get heard, and essentially steer the entire House. This power means the speaker can make or break legislation from tort reform to marijuana legalization. The governor has the power of the veto pen, but we saw in the 2025 session that if a two-thirds majority in the House and the Senate agree to override the governor’s veto, it can be done.
The current speaker, Danny Perez, is a perfect example of how early positioning translates to long-term power. Perez won a special election before other freshmen arrived, giving him a head start. He formed a tight-knit leadership group along with two other “red-shirted” freshmen. In 2018, Perez was named future speaker, giving him years to build influence, raise money, and position himself to dominate the legislature.
The Perez DeSantis Divide
What many didn’t know — except perhaps Florida’s leadership — was that Perez was quietly anti-Ron DeSantis. When DeSantis was re-elected with a strong mandate, signaling Floridians wanted the state to keep moving in the same direction, Perez was already plotting a different course.
Perez’s first major test came with immigration. When DeSantis called a special session to enforce Trump’s immigration agenda, Perez gaveled it in and out quickly. Then, he held his special session to pass a weaker bill called the “Trump Act.” Far from cracking down on illegal immigration, critics, including the governor, a few members of the legislature who were willing to let the chips fall where they may by voting their conscience, and many Floridians, saw it as a pro-amnesty sanctuary bill. The speaker’s bill fell short of the governor’s tough stance, creating a rift that would only deepen.
Initially, Perez and the Senate President were aligned, but that alliance broke down as the governor and the Senate President reached their own agreement. Perez’s war with the governor escalated, and by what should have been the end of the session, he was publicly feuding with the Senate President, even calling him a “liar” at a press conference.
Why Members Are Stuck
Many House members are unhappy with Perez’s leadership but feel trapped. They have discussed it but are too afraid of the consequences to speak up. Perez has doled out chairmanships, vice chairmanships, and whip positions, giving members a personal stake in maintaining the status quo. They fear losing influence, having bills blocked, or losing appropriations for their districts. This fear has paralyzed the House, preventing critical legislation like property tax relief.
Florida risks a decade of legislative stagnation under the same leadership mold.
What’s Next? The Race for the Next Speaker
The current buzz is that Representative Mike Redondo (R-Miami), a trial attorney and allegedly a longtime friend of Perez from law school, is the front-runner for the next speaker. Freshmen members are already feeling the pressure to pledge votes for Redondo, fearing retribution from Perez.
But there’s another option: Representative Ryan Chamberlin (R-Marion County). Chamberlin voted against reversing tort reform and isn’t part of the current leadership swamp. He represents a fresh start, a chance to reboot the House and align it with Governor DeSantis’s vision for Florida.
It’s Not Too Late for Change
Going against the current leadership is tough. But Florida is counting on the representatives they voted for to further Governor DeSantis’s agenda to break free from this broken system. The speaker’s race shouldn’t be decided years in advance by a small, inexperienced group under special interest influence. It should be a transparent, member-driven process that puts Florida’s future first.
The legislature’s job is to pass a balanced budget and govern effectively. Instead, the job has become one of infighting while the Speaker’s race plays out like a shadow game behind closed doors. Floridians deserve better. It’s time for the House to get the reboot it desperately needs — and for the speaker’s race to be fair, open, and truly reflective of the will of Florida’s people.
Only then can Florida continue on the path Governor DeSantis set, as a beacon of conservative success and a model for the rest of the country.
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