Florida Democrats remove two county chairs in a move to turn the state blue

The Florida Democratic Party voted to remove two county chairs on Sunday as state Democrats strive to become a more competitive force in the Republican stronghold. 

Following a seven-hour virtual meeting, the 120 Democratic Party leaders voted to oust Miami-Dade County Chairman Robert Dempster and Franklin County Chairwoman Carol Barfield, Politico reported. Party rules require a two-thirds vote to remove the chair of a county, allowing Palm Beach County Chairwoman Mindy Koch to hold on to her position narrowly after only receiving 67 votes. The chairs are volunteers who help register voters and recruit donors. 

Party leaders removed the chairs over accusations of a string of violations of the state party’s rules. Dempster was accused of having outdated membership lists and not following the required steps for local candidate endorsements. Barfield was removed for overdue financial audits from 2022, the party said.

Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said the decision to remove the county chairs is part of the party’s effort to turn the tide in Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature.

“In order for us to make sure that [Miami-Dade County] stays blue and continues to move forward and carry Joe Biden into the presidency, we have to make changes,” Fried told WLRN earlier this month.   

Though Koch was able to cling to her position, she was accused of not canceling contracts that were not approved by the Democratic Executive Committee. 

The chairs reportedly received several warnings ahead of their removal. In early March, they were informed that they were suspended after being warned they had violated rules and bylaws in February. On Sunday, they were able to argue their cases before the votes.

Dempster’s friend Thomas Kennedy, a former Democratic National Committee member, said he had re-registered as a nonparty voter and said the party should expend its efforts reaching out to voters who have left the party. 

“Democrats are wasting valuable time, energy, effort, media opportunity, and staff time,” Kennedy said. 

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Florida Democrats are outnumbered by nearly 800,000 registered voters.  

“When I was elected chair, I made a promise that we would never have another election cycle like 2022,” Fried said in a statement after the vote. “My hope has always been to get these local parties fully operational and back on track, and I trust that this process has helped them do that. We need our local parties to register voters, recruit candidates and raise money to ensure that we’re competitive in 2024 and beyond.”