Florida Labor Letter – Elections, Actions, and More (Week of 3/27)

Daniel Diaz |

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 3/27!

🏛️Legislative Session: A Recap

It has officially been 2 weeks since the Florida Legislature’s unofficial “Sine Die,” and on brand with the session that it (partially) ended, many are still asking when the most important issues forecast for session (like the budget) are going to be addressed. As we wait for clarity from lawmakers on their next steps, we thought it a good time to take advantage of the temporary quiet to look back on the 2026 session at large through the lens of its most important participants- YOU! With so much powerful testimony given and actions taken over the 9 weeks, please enjoy this recap of what that experience was like as told by our Working Family Lobby Corps. Special thanks to Silver Digital Media for partnering with us this session and helping gather footage and edit together videos like this behind the scenes!

Reflecting on The Past and Future of Florida’s Unions

This past week, the FL AFL‑CIO’s own Director of Politics and Public Policy Dr. Rich Templin joined Senior Statehouse Reporter Dara Kam of State Affairs Florida for an episode of her podcast, Between the Lines, which features in-depth interviews with leaders and lawmakers across Florida’s political scene, including figures like Senator Rick Scott, Congresswoman Debbie-Wasserman-Schulz, and former State House Speaker Paul Renner. This week Dara brought Rich on her latest episode to shift the discussion to Florida’s working class unions and what this session (and the past quarter century of them) have meant for Florida workers, as lived through by one of Florida Labor’s most experienced and steadfast advocates. You can listen to the podcast on the State Affairs Podcast Website, as well as Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

🍊Florida Labor News /Solidarity Spotlight ✊

Labor Wins Big Across Florida Elections!

In perhaps the biggest story this week, two Special Elections in Florida made national headlines when Florida’s State House District 87 and State Senate District 14 flipped from majority control in favor of two blue pro-labor and Florida AFL-CIO endorsed candidates! The seats were most recently occupied by State Rep. Mike Caruso (R) and now Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins (R) respectively, who had previously won in 2024 and 2022 with decisive leads.

This Tuesday though, despite the odds, Floridians bore witness to a remarkable electoral upset when Palm Beach’s Emily Gregory (D) took the lead and won the race for HD 87, flipping control of the legislative district most famous for including the Mar-a-Lago home of President Donald Trump. Gregory’s win was guaranteed by just shy of 800 votes, a lead in part provided by the hard work of workers and activists in our Palm Beach/Treasure Coast CLC, who drove action and turnout on her commitment to fight for the issues most important for working families!

Meanwhile, over in Tampa, another surprise upset emerged in the race of for Senate District 14, where IBEW Local 915 Brother and Former West Central Florida Labor Council Vice President Brian Nathan (D) achieved victory in the race against Former House Rep. Josie Tomkow (R). SD 14 was won by another tight margin of 408 votes, demonstrating the critical role that every vote plays in our elections and the importance of turnout come time to face the ballot box. ICYMI: Watch the reaction from FL AFL-CIO President Holdridge on our Facebook.

While politicos nationwide analyze these two upsets for their political implications come November, we recognize and want to lift up the under-reported role of all those involved in achieving these hard fought victories. We extend our biggest congratulations and thanks to the countless activists, campaigners, and laborers in both Palm Beach/Treasure Coast and West Central Florida as well as those on the Gregory and Nathan Campaign for their big win, and thank both for showing that when it comes to what really matters to Floridians, its the campaigns and candidates that speak to the experiences and issues of the working class that ultimately prevail. Union Strong!

🗓️On the Horizon

Nationwide: “No King’s” Returns

This Saturday, March 28th, the nation at large will be rallying across the 50 states to join in solidarity, protest, and opposition to growing trends of authoritarianism and tyranny in the United States Government. The message of the people is clear and is one that dates back to the nation’s founding: There shall be no kings in America!

Florida will be an active participant in the fight, with protests taking place statewide. In the effort to stand up for Democracy and against growing authoritarianism, where will you be? You can find and join your nearest No King’s Protest action with the interactive map at https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/map/

🛠️Business Board

📸Bonus Bulletin : No King’s October 2025

Turnout at No King’s in Last October was hailed nationwide as the largest single day protest in U.S History. Will this weekend’s top that feat? Stay tuned… Until next week!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

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