For the past few years, leading Florida House Democrats has meant losing votes with dignity.
Christine Hunschofsky’s leadership team may actually get to win a few.
The House Democratic Leader-designate on Tuesday named four lawmakers to help run a caucus that looks dramatically different from the one lawmakers left behind last Session.
Rep. Marie Woodson of Hollywood will serve as Leader Pro Tempore; Tallahassee Reps. Gallop Franklin II and Allison Tant will serve as Rules Leader and Caucus Whip, respectively, and Rep. Rita Harris of Orlando will be Policy Chair.
Democrats entered Election Day with just 34 House seats. They will return with 50 after breaking the Republican supermajority, following Democrat Dan McDow’s recount win in Brevard-based House District 33.
Republicans still have the keys to the chamber. Speaker-designate Sam Garrison, who announced his Committee Chairs Monday, will control the agenda and has more than enough votes to pass ordinary legislation.
But Democrats now have something they haven’t had in years: a brake pedal.
That makes Hunschofsky’s choice of Franklin particularly interesting.
Franklin, a pharmacist first elected in 2022, has already been tapped to succeed Hunschofsky as Democratic Leader for the 2028-30 term. In announcing him as Rules Leader, Hunschofsky pointed directly to the new reality of a more closely divided House.
His “critical thinking and analytical skills” will be especially useful, she said, when “rule adherence may be the difference between a bill’s passage and failure.”
That isn’t an abstract concern. Suspending a House standing rule requires a two-thirds vote of members present, while the Florida Constitution requires a two-thirds vote to waive the requirement that bills be read on three separate days. A Republican caucus of 70 members can pass ordinary legislation without Democratic help. It can no longer clear those procedural hurdles on its own.
The lineup also gives Tallahassee Democrats an unusually large footprint in caucus leadership. Franklin and Tant will hold two of the four posts — and the two most directly focused on procedure and keeping members moving together.
Tant’s promotion is a particularly natural fit with the style she described last year while launching what she called her “last hurrah” House campaign. Before she was sworn in, a constituent gave her some advice: “We don’t want you to get in there and just yell and scream about things.”
Tant said she took it to heart.
Her House tenure has instead been defined by picking her spots, leaning on lived experience — particularly on disability policy — and working across the aisle. Hunschofsky said Tant knows the legislative process “like the back of her hand,” and her political instincts will keep a 50-member caucus pointed in the same direction.
Woodson, meanwhile, gets the No. 2 job after serving as Caucus Whip under outgoing Leader Fentrice Driskell. Hunschofsky credited her with keeping members informed and engaged — no small assignment for a caucus about to absorb a sizable freshman class.
Harris rounds out the team as Policy Chair, with Hunschofsky highlighting her work on affordable medications, public schools and working-class families.
“I’m grateful to enter the upcoming legislative term with a talented and strong team of leaders, whom I consider friends, by my side,” Hunschofsky said. “With the newly broken supermajority and dozens of new members joining our ranks, we are ready to work for the people of Florida.”
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Coming up: The usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week in Florida’s capital city, by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Drew Dixon, Liam Fineout, and the Florida Politics staff.
But first, the “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:
— Take 5 —
Sam Garrison’s picks — Incoming House Speaker Garrison has announced his leadership team for the 2026-28 term, including several top leadership posts for Tampa Bay area and South Florida Representatives. Leading the House Appropriations Committee as the lower chamber’s top budget negotiator will be Rep. Traci Koster, whose House District 66 covers part of northern Hillsborough County. Koster will succeed Rep. Lawrence McClure, who led House budget negotiations through the past two challenging Sessions. Rep. Mike Redondo will lead the healthcare Appropriations Subcommittee, where healthcare funding issues will be make-or-break. Redondo represents House District 118 in Miami-Dade County.
Transition positions — Florida Gov.-elect Byron Donalds and running mate Bryan Avila have chosen transition leaders to help transfer power from Gov. Ron DeSantis to the new Donalds administration in January. Manny Kadre will Chair the transition, with Ryan Smith, Donalds’ campaign Chief Strategist, as Executive Director. Tarren Bragdon will lead policy and Teresa Ressel will serve as senior adviser. “We are proud to announce this incredible team of leaders from across our great state, who are already working diligently to ensure that our administration arrives in Tallahassee fully primed to execute on our mission for the people of Florida,” Donalds said.
Kat Cammack takes the helm — U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack was unanimously elected Republican Chair of the Florida congressional delegation. The Gainesville Republican succeeds retiring U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Longboat Key Republican. The win came after Republicans held on to 20 U.S. House seats in the Midterm Election despite a national blue wave. That also means Florida Republicans will make up a sizable share of the GOP caucus in the House, which, based on current national results, is expected to have 176 members. In her own race, Cammack led Democrat Seth Harp by about 12 percentage points. Last year, Cammack launched the Republican Women’s Caucus and served on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Florida’s Republican delegation is a powerhouse on Capitol Hill,” Cammack said. “When we move as a united coalition, we’re able to deliver real results for all Floridians. Whether it’s working across the aisle when disaster strikes — or pushing for commonsense policies to keep Florida free and prosperous — the Chair of the delegation position is a critical, Florida-first leadership role. I’m grateful to my colleagues for their trust, and I’m looking forward to working with each of them.”
Buchanan, who has held the post since 2012, said Cammack was a worthy successor.
Borrowing big — New College of Florida is seeking state approval to borrow up to $47.5 million to assume debt from the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus and refinance its own housing debt, under a plan that would raise student housing rates. The State University System’s Board of Governors is scheduled to consider the proposal after New College Trustees approved it. Staff recommends approval despite the plan’s departures from several state borrowing guidelines. Of the $47.5 million, about $28.6 million would go toward paying off debt on Atala Hall, a 200-bed residence hall and student center acquired from USF. Another $15.8 million would pay off existing New College housing debt, with the rest covering reserves and financing costs, according to the Board’s project summary.
Rebound ahead? — Florida TaxWatch is forecasting a brighter decade for the Sunshine State, projecting average annual real GDP growth above 3.4% — nearly half a percentage point higher than its previous forecast. The watchdog now expects unemployment to peak at 4.51% this year rather than next year, nearly 0.3 percentage points below its earlier projection. By 2036, unemployment is forecast to fall to 4.07%. TaxWatch also projects Florida will add 2.5 million residents through 2036, although population growth is expected to continue slowing. Tourism is projected to grow 28% over the next decade, with household budgets and energy prices remaining risks.
— Down with DSA? —
Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced that his Office issued an investigative subpoena to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
He said the Office is looking into possible ties between the organization’s Florida chapters and foreign governments.
“We’re examining foreign contributions — including from Cuba and China — tied to their delegations and travel fund solicitations,” Uthmeier said on his X account.
In a video statement, Uthmeier said Florida donors deserve to know how DSA is using the money they gave.
“Today my Office issued an investigative subpoena to the Democratic Socialists of America under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and our laws governing the solicitation of funds,” Uthmeier said.
“We are examining whether DSA accepted contributions or support from foreign sources of concern, including the regimes in Cuba and China, and whether its fundraising from Florida donors has been fully transparent and lawful.”
Since July 2025, Florida law has barred organizations that solicit donations from Florida residents from soliciting or accepting contributions from a “foreign source of concern.” That category includes the governments of countries such as China and Cuba.
Uthmeier said his Office will scrutinize recent DSA delegations to Cuba that included national leaders and Committee members who met with Cuban government officials, as well as another DSA delegation that traveled to China.
According to Uthmeier, tens of thousands of dollars covered the costs of those trips “and related activities involving Florida chapters.” He said the investigation will examine whether that money came from foreign governments.
“Our laws prohibit accepting contributions from foreign sources of concern,” Uthmeier said. “They require organizations to be honest and transparent about how money is raised and used.”
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