Rep. Daniel Perez formally designated as incoming House Speaker

Rep. Daniel Perez on Monday was officially designated as the incoming Speaker of the Florida House. Perez’s tenure is scheduled to span from November 2024 to November 2026, contingent on Republicans maintaining their majority in the legislative chamber.

In his acceptance speech, Perez strongly advocated for limited government and emphasized his belief that the government should focus on safeguarding citizens, ensuring equal application of laws, and aiding those genuinely in need, rather than inserting itself centrally in people’s lives.

“Our Founding Fathers understood that man created government to keep ourselves safe, but that the authority of that government also poses the greatest risk to our freedom. They knew that power without restraint leads to tyranny just as freedom without responsibility results in anarchy,” said Perez. “My belief in limited government doesn’t come from a classroom. I believe in limited government because history has taught us what happens when people with power begin to think they know more than the people who gave them their power.”

The representative also presented his vision for the role of Speaker which he states encompasses teamwork, encouraging open dialogue, and focusing on meaningful legislation.

“When I am your Speaker, I would like to see a House where every decision hasn’t been worked out in advance; where committees have a dialogue about bills and make decisions together. If we spend less time with agendas filled with bills that don’t really matter, we can spend more time talking about the things that do,” Perez said. “Let’s ask whether government really needs to act, and if we decide to act, then are we doing it in the smartest way possible.”

Perez, a Miami Republican, was first elected to the Florida House in 2017 via special election before winning re-election in 2018 when he defeated Democrat James Harden. During the forthcoming Legislative Session, Perez will serve as Chair of the Rules Committee and sit on the House Appropriation Committee. As Speaker-designate, Perez will succeed Rep. Paul Renner, who has led the lower chamber since November 2022.

“Speaker-designate Daniel Perez is a principled conservative who cares deeply about his community and the state of Florida,” said Renner on Monday. “He will do a fantastic job as the next Speaker of the Florida House because of his ability to build consensus and bring people together.”

Perez’s designation was lauded by statewide organizations, including the Associated Industries of Florida (AIF), which stated that it “looks forward” to the representative’s work to keep the state “thriving and prosperous.”

“Congratulations [Rep. Perez] on your designation today as the next Speaker of the House! We look forward to your leadership and working together to keep Florida thriving and prosperous,” AIF said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.