One month after firing Jeff Ryan — former finance director of the Florida Democratic Party — the Party welcomes him back into the fold, at least for now.
The FDP fired Ryan in September, after 10 years at the Party, when Rep. Darryl Rouson’s outside-the-party fundraising committee became public.
Rouson formed an Associated Party Committee that set off a firestorm within FDP, leading to his ouster as incoming minority leader, reports matt Dixon in the Florida Times-Union. The party fired both Ryan, who had knowledge of the committee, and Chris Mitchell, Rouson’s political director.
Rep. Mark Pafford, the West Palm Beach Democrat who took over as future leader, confirmed the FDP rehired Ryan sometime last week.
“[Ryan] knows the position very well, and I wanted him to help as we get past the next few weeks,” said Pafford told the Times-Union.
Pafford will oversee candidate recruitment and fundraising for House races.
Rouson set up the committee outside party control, opening its own bank account. It became the latest in a series of troubles between Rouson and the Democratic Party.
