Florida Politics 2025: Winners, Losers, and What Comes Next

Florida Politics 2025: Winners, Losers, and What Comes Next

Winner and Loser of the Year in Florida Politics: What 2025 Reveals About 2026

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Key Takeaways

  • Statewide power is realigning: Florida’s CFO, Attorney General, and House Speaker dramatically expanded their political profiles in 2025.
  • 2026 Governor’s race is already taking shape, with Byron Donalds emerging as the clear Republican frontrunner while others stumble.
  • Ethics, safety, and accountability dominated the “losers” column, from rail safety concerns to indictments and high-profile resignations.
  • Higher education became a soft landing for term-limited and embattled Republicans, extending the current Governor’s ideological influence.
  • Both parties enter 2026 with strengths and liabilities, from energized urban Democrats to scandal-weakened incumbents.

Table of Contents

Overview: Why Florida’s 2025 Winners and Losers Matter

Florida Politics’ 2025 “Winner and Loser of the Year” roundup offers more than a year-end scoreboard. It functions as a road map to the 2026 election cycle, revealing which institutions are gaining clout, which leaders are ascendant, and where legal and ethical cracks are beginning to show.

From the Governor’s succession battle to local corruption cases and federal indictments, the article surfaces patterns that anyone following Florida politics should track: executive power vs. legislative assertiveness, culture-war-driven enforcement, and the growing role of universities as ideological battlegrounds.

If you’re a voter, staffer, lobbyist, or local advocate, this snapshot of 2025 helps you anticipate who will drive policy—and who may exit the stage—by 2026.

Winners: Who Gained Power and Momentum in 2025

On the winners’ side, the article highlights eight forces reshaping Florida’s political landscape:

  • Blaise Ingoglia transformed the CFO’s office into a statewide megaphone by launching high-visibility audits of local governments through the DOGE initiative. By tying “excessive, wasteful” spending in counties like Miami-Dade and Palm Beach to property tax pressures, he positioned himself as a fiscal watchdog and 2026 contender.
  • Byron Donalds used fundraising dominance, an early and powerful endorsement from Donald Trump, and strong polling to become the momentum candidate in the race to succeed the term-limited Governor. As of late 2025, he sits firmly in the driver’s seat of the GOP Primary.
  • Daniel Perez, in his first year as House Speaker, reasserted legislative independence. By pushing back on the executive branch over budget priorities and programs such as Hope Florida, he signaled that the House will no longer be a rubber stamp—even if that meant a 100+ day Session.
  • Eileen Higgins won a decisive Miami mayoral runoff, becoming the city’s first woman Mayor and first registered Democrat in nearly three decades to hold the job. Her 19-point victory pushed back on the narrative that South Florida is turning uniformly red, despite heavy GOP investment and national attention.
  • James Uthmeier, elevated from Chief of Staff to Attorney General, deployed the office aggressively on culture issues, tech platform lawsuits, immigration enforcement, and even a high-profile “Alligator Alcatraz” project. Despite legal and political controversy, he emerged as a central figure in Florida’s conservative legal movement.
  • Marco Rubio, as U.S. Secretary of State, handled an unusually broad national security portfolio while remaining in the 2028 presidential conversation. His role in conflicts from Sudan to Ukraine solidified his profile as a major architect of U.S. foreign policy under the current administration.
  • Republicans seeking higher ed positions found 2025 to be a banner year. Leaders such as the former Lt. Governor and other GOP-aligned figures moved into university and college presidencies, extending the Governor’s educational vision well beyond his term.
  • Rick Scott quietly amassed influence as chair of the Senate Steering Committee, hosted marquee political events, blocked controversial nominees, and inserted himself into key state issues like the University of Florida presidency. His steady presence and conservative bloc-building set him up as a long-term power player.

For politically engaged readers, these winners point to where money, institutional support, and narrative advantage are currently flowing.

Losers: Scandals, Setbacks, and Missed Opportunities

On the other side of the ledger, 2025 dealt heavy blows to institutions and individuals across the spectrum:

  • Brightline drew national scrutiny after investigative reports tallied roughly 182 deaths since service began, giving it the reputation as one of the deadliest major passenger railroads in the country. A former conductor’s $60 million lawsuit, persistent crossing collisions, and a bond downgrade compounded its safety and financial challenges.
  • Casey DeSantis and Hope Florida saw a dramatic fall from grace. A $10 million Medicaid settlement payment routed into the Hope Florida Foundation—and then to groups ultimately supporting a campaign against a marijuana legalization amendment—triggered legislative probes and a reported grand jury. The controversy significantly dimmed prospects for a future gubernatorial run.
  • Cory Mills faced overlapping personal scandals: a restraining order tied to alleged threats against a former partner, a previously reported assault inquiry, and a House Ethics Committee report exploring possible “sexual misconduct.” Add in a damaging story about a trip during the Afghanistan withdrawal, and his once-rising profile is now in freefall.
  • Gary Farmer, a former Senate Democratic Leader turned Broward Circuit Judge, was suspended and ultimately resigned after a misconduct investigation found repeated “sexually charged” comments from the bench. His exit under a cloud of unfitness findings effectively ends his judicial career.
  • Jay Collins, chosen as the new Lieutenant Governor and initially floated as a counterweight to Donalds in the 2026 Governor’s race, struggled to gain traction. Leaked texts, criticism of a high-profile extradition stunt, and the Governor’s reluctance to fully back him left Collins with diminished prospects and no clear next step.
  • Marcos Lopez, the Osceola County Sheriff, was arrested over an alleged multi-county illegal gambling protection scheme. Suspended by the Governor and left as the only defendant facing racketeering charges after multiple plea deals, his tenure will likely be remembered for the criminal case rather than his law enforcement record.
  • Mike Waltz lost his role as National Security Advisor after “Signalgate,” a controversy involving sensitive discussions on encrypted messaging where a journalist was accidentally included. His reassignment as U.N. Ambassador preserved relevance but clearly signaled a demotion.
  • Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted on 15 federal counts related to an overpayment of $5 million in COVID vaccination staffing funds to her family’s company, allegedly diverted for personal and campaign use. While she strongly denies the charges, travel restrictions, loss of leadership roles, and a looming trial now define her political reality.

The common thread: ethics, safety, and public trust became decisive factors in pushing these figures into the loser column.

For readers tracking Florida’s near-term future, the article points to several structural trends:

  • Legislative Independence: Expect more friction between the Governor and legislative leaders, particularly on budgets, oversight, and controversial programs.
  • Criminal and Ethics Cases as Political Weather: From sheriffs to members of Congress, indictments and investigations are reshaping who will even be on the ballot.
  • Urban vs. Statewide Partisan Dynamics: Miami’s mayoral result suggests Democrats can still win big in urban Florida, even as Republicans maintain a statewide advantage.
  • Institutional Power in Education: University presidencies and college leadership roles are becoming extensions of partisan strategy, not just academic posts.

If you follow policy areas like rail safety, higher education governance, criminal justice, or election law, these trends are likely to drive 2026 agendas and legislative fights.

What This Means for Voters, Advocates, and Insiders

Whether you lean red, blue, or independent, Florida’s 2025 winners and losers list is a useful tool for planning your next move:

  • Voters can flag which leaders are consolidating power (like Donalds, Ingoglia, Perez, Rubio, and Scott) and which races might be open or vulnerable due to scandal or resignation.
  • Advocacy groups and local officials can identify who to engage on budget oversight, safety regulation, and higher ed governance, and where scrutiny around ethics or spending may gain traction.
  • Campaign professionals and operatives can study how media visibility, institutional roles, and scandal management impacted each figure’s 2025 trajectory.

For a deeper dive into each individual story—including specific dollar amounts, timelines, and investigative details—explore the full original reporting and consider tracking related follow-up pieces on audits, indictments, and 2026 candidate announcements.

Source: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/770494-winner-and-loser-of-the-year-in-florida-politics-2025-edition/

Steve

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