Jesse Scheckner
Rep. Daniel Perez wasted little time after being sworn in as Speaker to make clear that under his leadership, the House will focus more on serving Floridians than corporate, financial and special interest groups.
He didn’t go into specifics. But generally, he said residents and small businesses want a government that keeps the state’s roads paved, manages its financial books cleanly and efficiently, and promotes freedom of choice while ensuring they’re not priced out of the American dream.
Moreover, he said, they demand that their elected leaders act in good faith.
“In my experience, Floridians are realistic. They understand that there are trade-offs. They understand that in a state battered by hurricanes, insurance will be a challenge. But they need to know that our state’s insurance laws are not being written by and for the insurance companies,” he said to a roaring round of applause.
“They want to own their homes, not be tenants to private equity firms. They want to open up a small business without jumping through endless bureaucratic hoops. They want to pick their own doctors and send their kids to good schools. And they want elected leaders who are on their side.”
Florida Supreme Court Justice John Couriel swore Perez in as Speaker early Tuesday afternoon. In addition to new and returning House members and their families, many others attended the occasion, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez.
It capped a nearly six-year effort by the 37-year-old Miami Republican to lead the House for the 2024-26 term. Perez locked up the post in June 2019, defeating Bradenton Republican Rep. Will Robinson in a race for Speaker that cemented for him a growing position of power in the chamber.
In the years since, Perez proved himself an effective policymaker and consensus-builder. He’s also been a powerhouse fundraiser, stacking millions of dollars between his two political committees and the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee that he chairs, with much of the money coming from insurers, financial firms and other corporate interests.
As his campaign coffers and those of the Republican Party of Florida grew flusher, so did the state’s bank account. But Perez said Florida lacked fiscal discipline, making purchases after natural disasters with “little to no inventory control,” buying land the state has trouble tracking and managing and paying for subpar infrastructure renovations.
He said lawmakers have also errantly invested hundreds of millions of dollars in failed information technology projects. To address that problem, Perez has created a new Information Technology Budget and Policy Subcommittee—one of several new panels he unveiled this month as part of a House restructuring to make the chamber “leaner” and more effective.
To further foster efficacy, Perez said the House should “dismantle” any barrier to competition, including licensing requirements.
“They want to believe that if they play by the rules that the deck won’t be stacked against them,” he said. “We have two years to show the people we hear them. We have two years to act (and) to widen the open road to the Florida dream.”
Lakeland Republican Rep. Jennifer Canady, who won a race to be Speaker for the 2028-30 term last year, moved to formally nominate Perez as Speaker on Tuesday. In a short speech, she praised him as an earnest and straightforward leader who inspires loyalty and goodwill in his colleagues.
“Perhaps it’s because he’s reform-minded and mission-focused or because he’s unafraid to fight for what matters and speak truth no matter the stakes. Or maybe it’s his direct, steadfast approach, a quality that commands both admiration and action,” she said. “Whatever it is, these qualities not only make him the ultimate member’s member, but also something more: a leader perfectly equipped for this moment in time.”
Fleming Island Republican Rep. Sam Garrison, who is on track to succeed Perez as Speaker for the 2026-28 term, called Perez “the single most talented politician I have ever seen in my life.” But he warned against assuming that Perez’s penchant for The Process is effortless.
“Danny got here the hard way,” he said. “He wasn’t tapped by anybody. From his first Primary as a redshirt all the way to the (Speaker-designate) role, no one in the history of this House who is on these walls has had to work harder.”
The 2025 Legislative Session officially commences on March 4.
