Florida Politics

Florida Rep. Alex Rizo says he won’t seek reelection as Miami-Dade GOP chairman

Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, center, speaks during a press conference at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Miami, Fla. Members of the Florida Bar called on local and state authorities to indict retired Cuban colonel Luis Raúl González-Pardo, who is residing in the United States, for his alleged role in the 1996 shoot-down of two civilian planes over the Florida Straits that killed four Miamians.
Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, center, speaks during a press conference at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Miami, Fla. Members of the Florida Bar called on local and state authorities to indict retired Cuban colonel Luis Raúl González-Pardo, who is residing in the United States, for his alleged role in the 1996 shoot-down of two civilian planes over the Florida Straits that killed four Miamians. MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com

Florida state Rep. Alex Rizo won’t seek another term as the chairman of the Miami-Dade GOP, he told the Miami Herald on Monday.

Rizo has led the county party since 2022 and was widely expected to run for another two-year stint as chairman. In recent weeks, however, he’s told party members that he was considering stepping down after his current term ends this month, and notified the Republican Party of Florida of his decision.

Rizo, who was just reelected to a third term representing his Hialeah-based state House district in Tallahassee, said that he ultimately decided against another term as chairman because of his work in the state Legislature.

“The chairman job is a lot of work, and with my job as a legislator and the positions I fill up there, I just think we need someone that can really focus on the party,” he said.

Rizo said he intends to formally announce his plans on Monday evening before the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee meets to elect its officers. With the chairman role opening up, committee members will nominate and vote on his successor.

Rizo is leaving the chairmanship on a high note for his party. Republicans captured several high-profile offices in last month’s elections, including Miami-Dade sheriff and supervisor of elections, while Trump emerged as the first Republican presidential candidate in more than three decades to win the county.

READ MORE: Trump won Miami-Dade, once solidly blue, with significant support from Hispanics

“I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish,” Rizo said. “It’s time for me to move on and focus on other things.”

MG
Max Greenwood
Miami Herald
Max Greenwood is the Miami Herald’s senior political correspondent. A Florida native, he covered campaigns at The Hill from both Washington, D.C. and Florida for six years before joining the Herald in 2023.
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