Florida House Republicans voted unanimously Monday for Rep. Steve Crisafulli to lead their caucus and cleared the way for the Merritt Island Republican to be the next Speaker of the Florida House.
The House will convene an organizational session Tuesday and formally elect the Speaker for the next two legislative sessions.
“Here we are, we made it,” said Crisafulli in brief remarks upon his selection. “Our entire Republican Cabinet is back. Our entire Legislature is back – with a supermajority and we re-elected Gov. Rick Scott. Across the country voters rejected the failed policies of President Obama and opportunistic politicians like Charlie Crist.”
Crisafulli said he would never ask House members to vote for a bill he himself does not support. He said voters entrusted them to govern with their core principles and beliefs and that he will have more complete remarks about policy Tuesday when the full House meets.
The Speaker-designate has worked in real estate and agriculture and has been mentioned as a potential Commissioner of Agriculture once Commissioner Adam Putnam is term-limited out of office in 2018. He has served as chair of the House State Affairs Committee and vice chair of the Appropriations Committee.
Crisafulli has already named some of his leadership committee. Naples Rep. Matt Hudson will serve as Speaker Pro Tempore, Tampa’s Rep. Dana Young as Majority Leader and Melbourne’s Ritch Workman will chair the Rules & Calendar Committee.
“Steve is a thoughtful leader,” Workman said. “He is most concerned about the policy, and doing what is right, not about the politics of the moment.”
During remarks on Crisafulli’s nomination, Miami Rep. Erik Fresen noted the new Speaker “understands that we are to be an institution to serve, not an institution to be served.”
“Many can have dreams of how things should be, but few have the granted honor of leadership and a strategic vision of how to make it so,” Fresen added. “I can assure you that in my time working together with Steve and discussing the future with him, things will get done.”
