Ryan Nicol
With Democratic Rep. Nick Duran planning to exit the House one term ahead of schedule, he’s now endorsing lawyer A.J. D’Amico as his preferred successor.
Duran represents House District 112, but proposed redistricting maps appear to place Duran’s home in House District 113. Duran is serving his third term in the House after winning re-election by 6 percentage points. But he’s walking away from a fourth term and wants D’Amico to fill his shoes.
“I’m proud to endorse A.J. D’Amico for the Florida House,” Duran said in a Monday statement.
“He will be a focused and dedicated representative to his future constituents in HD 113. A.J. shares my commitment to lifting up Miamians — and all Floridians — by expanding the Medicaid program in Florida. And perhaps most importantly, A.J. is passionate about going to Tallahassee to actually get things done for his constituents. I’m confident that when (not if) A.J. gets to the House, he is going to deliver for Miami.”
D’Amico filed for the race in late November. He works at the Mase Mebane Seitz law firm in Coconut Grove. The proposed new HD 113 boundaries would cover parts of Miami and Key Biscayne.
Duran was seen as a consensus builder during his time in the House, giving D’Amico big shoes to fill should he succeed Duran. Duran previously worked as the executive director of the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. He recently stepped down from that role to take over as president and CEO of Primavera Health.
“Deciding not to run for a final term in the Florida House was difficult, whereas public service has always been an easy decision for me,” Duran said in October when announcing his decision not to run.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve beside each and every one of you in this chamber. And despite serving during one of the most bitterly partisan periods in our state and nation’s histories, we proved again and again that it is, in fact, possible to come together in the spirit of compromise and public service, to deliver for the people and the communities which we represent.”
Duran will continue serving in the House through next year’s Legislative Session before stepping aside later in 2022.
