Is the Florida Democratic Party 
Salvageable?
The Florida Democratic Party [FDP] is in crisis.  The dismal results of the 2022 midterm elections in our State show this unequivocally.    
The effects of this crisis at the State level are not felt only in Florida.  It has repercussions at the national level.  It is practically consensus that Florida is now a red State.  And as a party, FDP is not contributing to Democratic control of our federal government.  
To make matters worse, the FDP’s reputation has been marred by numerous scandals going back decades.  These scandals, while serious, are not about one person or a particular group of people alone.  They are symptoms of a larger condition.
If we are ever to become a viable party contributing to Democratic success locally and federally, we must identify the root of their problem and find a solution.
Let’s start with an example of how not to do this.  In 2020, current FDP chair and former City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz ran on the following platform:
“Year-Round, Statewide Infrastructure
Data &amp; Efficient Use of Resources
Showing Up &amp; Message Discipline
Vote By Mail
Candidate Recruitment &amp; Municipal Victory
Redistricting
Fundraising
Diversity &amp; Inclusion
FDP Operations &amp; Governance”-“An issue of importance to me that has distracted this party for way too long is the weighted vote. It is clear to me decades ago our predecessors created a system of voting to further their personal interest versus the interest of the party. In so doing, the power was vested in the hands of a few. The resulting manner in which we conduct business at the State Executive Committee has reduced morale and limited meaningful involvement in key party decisions.”[1]
Chair Diaz did not deliver on any of the points in his own platform.   He did not build the  67-county strategy. In his post-midterm public letter, Mr. Diaz admitted that to this day, he has only visited just over half of the counties in our State and when he ran, he campaigned only in approximately the six with the most allocated weighted votes.  He also failed to deliver on his promise (his own point #9) to eliminate the weighted vote that disproportionally gives money, power, and representation in State party matters to specific people and regions of our State, which is in direct violation of the DNC recommendations.  These are just some of his administration’s failures.  Absenteeism, finger-pointing, excuses, and incompetence characterized his administration.  At the personal level, Mr. Diaz was known for failing to consider the views of progressive and other party leaders and for canceling important meetings with other leaders in direct violation of party bylaws. [2]
Manny Diaz has broken FDP bylaws since the very day he was elected, manipulated the DNC elections, went to illegal endorsements of Democratic candidates over other Democrats before the primary elections, and instructed county representatives to hold meetings for that candidate alone.  Under Chair Diaz, there has never been any actual finance status report. The only numbers presented to the Central and Executive committees in the past two years included an aspirational number (based on fundraising goals) in December of 2021 when the SEC approved a large budget as we were starting the election year.  Furthermore, elected DNC members are supposed to oversee party finances; but they have yet to see these numbers.
It is no surprise, therefore, that the FDP was wiped out in November.  Mr. Diaz’s campaign and tenure serve as an example of how not to save the FDP (if anything, Mr. Diaz has sunk the FDP into a deeper hole from where it used to be).  Mr. Diaz’s strategy, already a mediocre one, was doomed to fail from the start by not analyzing the party's state.  His mediocre and empty promises thus could never address the real needs of the FDP.
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.
The last is to say thank you.
In between, the leader is a servant.
—Max DePree
Can we save the FDP? In theory, yes.  But to do so, we need an honest assessment of the party’s ability to represent Floridians.  Past mistakes serve as lessons.  But the FDP must be able to diagnose the problem and identify solutions.  Below we identify how the FDP can begin to do this.
Why is the FDP failing?  After our many years of involvement, our conclusion is clear and rather simple:  The Party is not adequately representing the needs of the people.  The problem is so bad that voters are barely able to notice a meaningful difference between the Republican and Democratic parties.  Indeed, the FDP has diluted values and messaging to attract voters from the right.  As a result, ironically, Republicans now brand themselves as the party of the working class.  The Democrats are now perceived as the party of the professional class.  Either way, neither party provides solutions to the everyday needs of the majority.  
What do Florida voters care about?  The top concerns are economics, healthcare, and housing.  Floridians are also concerned about education, LGBTQ rights, environmental policies, immigration policies, and justice reform.  If this sounds to you like Florida voters sound more left-leaning than the officials they elect, then you are correct.  Floridians, in fact, favor left-leaning policies (just like the rest of the country).  For example, a significant majority (close to 80%) of Floridians favor public healthcare.  
Again, it is no surprise that the winning candidates are progressive ones that people trust and have adequate financial support.  Ideally, the party should provide that support.  But in reality, the party opposes and demonizes progressive candidates and members.  As a result, progressive candidates end up raising their own funds entirely independent of party support.
What made these progressive candidates win?  It’s simple: Bold ideas that meaningfully respond to the concerns listed above.
It would seem that the solution to save the FDP is straightforward.  The party needs to get behind bold, progressive candidates.  These candidates inspire young voters, the largest growing group among Democrats and the future of the party.  So why does the party not support them?  Answering this question and resolving this issue was the job that Mr. Diaz spectacularly failed to accomplish.
The answer is that the party is hijacked by special interests, dark money, and corruption.  In fact, the party is so rotten that it is barely doing anything to change this.
What would a solution look like?  Ideally, the gatekeepers need to go.  This includes the Chair, the entire Bylaws Committee, and the Executive Director.  Next, the bylaws must be changed, so the party does its job.  Popular candidates need a level playing field, and the party needs to support those popular candidates.  The bylaws need to enable this.
How can we, as FDP members, make this happen?  Unfortunately, there are no easy answers.  Eliminating the current gatekeepers will take two-thirds of the weighted vote holders within the FDP doing the right thing.  On November 22th, 2022, the Democratic County Chairs Association [DCCA], the organization within the FDP that houses all the county chairs, with 78% of the voters, approved a Vote of No Confidence in Mr. Diaz. With that, we estimate that we are close to this number but have yet to arrive.
Until this happens, the FDP will continue to lose in Florida, the Democratic party will not gain control of the federal government, and the majority will pay the consequences.
Carolina Ampudia, MD. Es la ex-presidente inmediata del Caucus Democrático Progresista de Florida [DPCF]. Fundadora de Healtgcare is an act of Love. Asesora de varias organizaciones progresistas nacionales y estatales.
Osvaldo “Oz” Hernandez - Demócrata, miembro de la DSA, miembro de la NAACP, ex-secretario correspondiente del DEC del condado de Leon, ex-presidente del capítulo de Florida y miembro de la junta de Future March.
Russell Giambrone - Board member of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida. Advisory Board Member for Florida Progressives for Democracy for America.  Board member of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Tampa Bay.
Lorenzo Canizares - Co-Chair Labor Community Alliance of South Florida. Former member of Miami-Dade County DEC. Outreach Committee Chair Democratic Labor Caucus of Miami- Dade.
James G. (Jim) Langford, LMT. CMT.  CHT. Board Member - Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF). Board Member - Central Florida Democratic Progressive Caucus (CFL DPC). Board Member - Medicare For All Florida. Steering Committee Member-State Democratic Party Progressive Caucuses Network (SDPCN). Board Member, Board of Directors Florida Chapter - Physicians for a National Healthcare Program (PNHP)-Florida

Referemces:
[1] https://mannydiazforchair.com/vision/ 
[2] https://www.floridadems.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Florida-Democratic-Party-Charter-Bylaws-2020-08-29.pdf  section 4 (page 4)