Former Florida House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston’s back in Tallahassee--this time as a member of the state Senate and he continues to reel in leadership posts.
The Fort Lauderdale Democrat had a rough 2014 as he faced term limits in the House and got walloped by former DCF Secretary George Sheldon in the primary to see who would take on Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in the general election. Despite Sheldon having had little look in his previous tries for statewide office, he routed Thurston in the primary, 61 percent to 39 percent.
After the primary loss, Thurston set his eyes on the state Senate, getting in early to replace then Florida Senate Democratic Leader Chris Smith who was term limited in 2016.
Thurston had nothing in the way of competition in the heavily Democratic district covering parts of Broward County. He won the primary and the general election without facing any opposition.
Thurston, who led Democrats in the House from 2012-2014, is back holding leadership posts despite winning a Senate seat earlier this month. The Florida Legislative Black Caucus (FLBC), which has 28 members, tapped Thurston to be its chairman for 2016-2017 on Tuesday.
“I am honored to serve and represent my constituents once again in the Florida Legislature and grateful that my colleagues have elected me to serve as the chair of the FLBC,” Thurston said on Tuesday night after the announcement was made.
That’s now the only leadership post Thurston has. Last week, Florida Senate Democratic Leader Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, named Thurston as part of his leadership team, tapping the former Florida House Democratic leader to be the caucus’ rules chair.
“The Senate Democratic Caucus has a proud tradition of not only standing up for the millions of Floridians whose daily lives are impacted by the decisions made in Tallahassee, but in stopping bad legislation from becoming law,” Braynon said as he filled out his leadership team. “We intend to continue that tradition. And we will continue to push for Democrats’ core values including criminal justice reform, protecting Florida’s environment, access to affordable health-care, and more investments that bring better jobs with better pay.”
