Ron DeSantis leaves HD 113 without a voice because he can — as always

Proposed law would force him to call special election
While everybody and their tio knew that former State Rep. Vicki Lopez was getting appointed to the Miami-Dade Commission seat vacated by Eileen Higgins and her Miami mayoral run, the governor still sat on his hands instead of calling the special election the minute her resignation hit his inbox. And now? Congratulations, HD 113. You are officially the next Florida district going into the 2025 legislative session with zero representation.
No seat. No vote. No voice. Nada.
There are already five candidates chomping at the bit: Three Republicans and two Dems. But apparently, the governor likes to wait until the celestial alignment suits him politically. It’s practically tradition at this point.
Read related: Three wannabes are vying for House seat 113 — but there’s no election yet
This isn’t an isolated pattern — it’s a whole Ron DeSantis production. Just look at Palm Beach and Hillsborough counties, where voters also won’t have lawmakers in place when session gavels in next month. Why? Because the governor took 73 days to call a special election after promoting Sen. Jay Collins to lieutenant governor, and 67 days after tapping Rep. Mike Caruso for a county clerk post. Both special primaries are now scheduled for the same day the 2026 session starts — and the general elections won’t happen until after session ends.
That’s not a coincidence.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit earlier this year after DeSantis blew past legal deadlines again for the vacancies in Florida State House District 3 and Senate District 19 seats.
Even Jeb Bush and Rick Scott — not exactly humanitarians — at least understood you don’t leave entire districts voiceless for months. Historically, governors have called special elections within a week of a vacancy.
But apparently our governor likes to run the Legislature with empty chairs as long as they’re in districts that won’t affect his agenda.
HD 113 should be livid. They’re already missing out on committee weeks — that’s where lawmakers build relationships, negotiate bills, and get carve-outs for their constituents. Instead, residents of Brickell, the Roads, and Little Havana are stuck watching everyone else get their legislative wish lists in while they sit on the sidelines.
And here’s the cruelest twist: there’s legislation filed right now that would stop this nonsense.
Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky dropped SB 460 this week, and it basically says: Basta. Senate Bill 460 would force the governor to call special elections within 14 days of a vacancy — or within five days if the vacancy is close to session. It even creates a legal escape hatch: if the governor refuses to do his job, any voter in the district can petition a court to set the dates.
Imagine that — Floridians being able to compel their governor to let them vote. What a radical concept.
Except, of course, HD 113 will not get that luxury this year. Their seat is empty now, the session clock is ticking, and DeSantis is —surprise, surprise — already behind. Again.
There are already five candidates interested in the seat, but they’ve had to file under the 2026 election timeline.
Read related: Two more jump in: Bruno Barreiro, Gloria Romero Roses join HD 113 race
In the red column, we have former Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barrerio, who resigned in 2017 to run for Congress and also served in the State House from 1992 to 1998 — grassroots, small businesses owner Tony Diaz, who had applied for the D5 appointment, and former chief of staff to Sweetwater Mayor Manny Maroño (before he was arrested and charged with bribery in 2013) Frank Lago, a onetime Hialeah council candidate who also ran for state house a long time ago in that Northwest District.
Democrats are hoping that this is an opportunity to flip a seat and there are two blue candidates already: Newcomer Justin Mendoza Routt, president of both the Historic Bayside Civic Association and the Miami-Dade Young Democrats, and Gloria Romero Roses, who ran for Congress once against David “Nine Lives” Rivera.
Lopez is also listed as the “active” incumbent. But she’s no longer interested. On Monday, she filed paperwork to run in the county District 5 race in August. Maybe Barreiro should run against Lopez, instead. Her election is not a gimme.
And who knows when the special election in HD 113 will be announced?
Ladra can already hear the spin from Tallahassee: “It’s complicated.” “We’re evaluating.” “It takes time.”
Por favor. When the governor wants something — like suspending a Democratic prosecutor or launching a vanity presidential campaign — he moves with lightning speed. When it’s democracy? Pues… mañana.
Too bad the people of HD 113 — including Key Biscayne, parts of Coral Gables, and parts of Miami — won’t have anyone in the room when lawmakers decide whether to pass Polsky’s bill. That irony tastes like a cafecito that’s been sitting out all day. Cold. Bitter. And preventable.
But hey — maybe silence is representation now. At least in Ron DeSantis’ Florida.

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The post Ron DeSantis leaves HD 113 without a voice because he can — as always appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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