Darryl Rouson’s life of legislative public service may not yet be over

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 6/16/25-Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, speaks during session, Monday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Sen. Darryl Rouson has served in the Legislature since his first election to the House in 2008, and then to the Senate in 2016. By the time he reaches term limits in the Senate and leaves office, his legislative career will have spanned about 18 years. 

But Rouson may not yet be done. Sources familiar with Rouson’s thinking say he’s considering running next year for Florida House District 62, the seat currently held by Rep. Michele Rayner, who is now running for Rouson’s Senate seat, making the possibility of a Rayner victory in his Senate District 16 and his hypothetical election to HD 62 something of a seat-swapping opportunity. 

That consideration, sources tell Florida Politics, is based less on Rouson’s drive to keep serving in the Legislature, and more about his call to service that tells him now is not the time to leave. 

It began with a group of Tampa Bay area ministers. What started as a few whispers and a nudge here and there quickly turned into dozens of faith leaders urging Rouson to stay in the game, even if it means basically demoting himself to the state’s lower chamber, where, by then, he won’t have served for nearly a decade. 

But it’s that longevity of service that is driving the push. 

Those familiar with Rouson’s thinking say supporters who have approached him about running for the House have expressed concern about losing institutional knowledge. Three Democrats have so far filed in the race. One of them, Upton Fisher, currently serves as a legislative aide to Rayner, but has no elected experience. Another, Wengay Newton, served in the House one term and was Rayner’s immediate predecessor, and served two full terms on the St. Petersburg City Council, but critics question Newton’s legislative acumen. The third, Kyandra Darling, has no elected experience. 

But beyond the limited scope of the current field of HD 62 candidates, those pushing Rouson to run are worried about an overall loss of institutional knowledge in the Legislature. While Rouson has expressed to those speaking to Florida Politics on condition of anonymity about the importance of new faces in the Legislature, and is glad a new class of hopeful leaders is emerging, he understands the dilemma. 

And indeed, Rouson expressed that very challenge back in May, when he was part of a panel at Tampa Tiger Bay discussing the impacts of term limits on the Legislature 25 years after implementation. 

Ron Pierce, a veteran lobbyist who has seen Tallahassee operate both with and without term limits, directly (and literally) pointed to Rouson. 

“What’s going to happen in 2026?” Pierce asked, referring to Rouson’s term expiring. “We’re going to elect a freshman.”

That means, Pierce said, “they’re not going to have anywhere near the influence” Rouson has in the Senate now. 

While those talking points refer to Rouson’s seat, which is actually not likely to see a new face with both Rayner and House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell running, the same thought process can be applied to House seats. 

That’s especially true for Democrats, who currently serve from a super-minority and aren’t likely to see significant gains anytime soon in the Legislature. 

Also speaking at a Tampa Tiger Bay luncheon, Rouson vocalized the importance of institutional knowledge in Tallahassee.

“I have found a way to remain a Democrat, but work both sides of the aisle,” he explained about ensuring resources were brought home for his constituents. 

His supporters, sources tell Florida Politics, worry a freshman Democrat in the House — the seat skews heavily Democratic and is unlikely to see a Republican represent it — might not be as effective in securing state funding for local projects or in passing meaningful legislation that impacts constituents. 

Indeed, Rouson showed this year just how much respect he has earned in the GOP-controlled Legislature despite serving from across the aisle. Among other funding items, Rouson secured $1 million each for renovations to the Historic Manhattan Casino and a Shore Acres infrastructure resiliency project, both located in Rouson’s home city of St. Pete. 

And in perhaps an even more salient point, colleagues, including Republican leadership, came to Rouson’s defense this past Legislative Session after the House nixed plans for a substance use research center to be named after Rouson, who, as a recovering addict, has been a force majeure in mental health and addiction treatment, research and awareness policy. Senators, including budget chief Ed Hooper and former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, both Republicans, came to Rouson’s defense. Ultimately, it was Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis who brokered a deal to name the center in Rouson’s honor. 

So it’s no wonder there are those close to the political process who want to see that ability to transcend partisanship continue. 

And if Rouson does heed the encouragement he’s been receiving, sources say it may not be for long. While he’s reportedly considering a House run, he also isn’t mulling it as a long-term goal, meaning the seat could be yet again open for a new class of leaders in a term or two, should Rouson run and be elected.