State Senator Jason W.B. Pizzo, whose district includes parts of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in South Florida, said in a speech on the Senate floor that he was changing his voter registration to “no party affiliation,” the most common registration in Florida for independent voters. “The Democratic Party in Florida is dead,” Mr. Pizzo told his fellow lawmakers. “There are good people that can resuscitate it. But they don’t want it to be me. That’s not convenient. That’s not cool.” Mr. Pizzo had signaled that he might run for governor next year. He had been visible in many high-profile debates, using his background as a former prosecutor to grill Republicans.

The top Democrat in Florida’s Senate is leaving his party, declaring that “the Democratic Party in Florida is dead.” Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo’s announcement on the Senate floor Thursday that he’s changing his registration to no party affiliation is the latest blow to a party that has struggled to define itself after a series of crushing electoral losses in recent years. Pizzo called modern partisanship “a mess” and said “constituents are craving practical leaders, not political hacks.”

Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo — who had been serving as state Senate Democratic Leader — announced that he is switching to no party affiliation. State Sen. Lori Berman has been tapped to replace Pizzo as Senate Democratic Leader. During a speech on Thursday, Pizzo declared that "the political party system here in Florida is nearly dead." He asserted that the "Democratic Party in Florida is dead," adding that "there are good people that can resuscitate it. But they don't want it to be me." He also said the Republican Party has many problems.