DEMOCRAT SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK RESIGNS
Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned before the U.S. House of Representatives could sanction her in an ethics case. The district she represented includes western and central Broward County and surrounding areas, as well as a small portion of southeastern Palm Beach County.
For more than two years, Cherfilus-McCormick had been the subject of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which had recently concluded that she had violated several federal laws and House rules. She is also facing federal criminal charges accusing her of embezzling $5 million in federal disaster relief funds and using that money to purchase items, such as a three-carat yellow diamond ring.
Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges and maintains she is not guilty of the ethics violations either. During a previous hearing before the ethics committee, the 47-year-old defendant refused to testify, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Her attorney argued that lawmakers should have allowed for a full ethics trial, during which he could have presented witnesses and evidence to challenge the findings of the House investigators.
JOHN MORGAN WILL NOT RUN FOR GOVERNOR
Billionaire attorney John Morgan, founder of the Orlando-based personal injury giant Morgan & Morgan and a former major Democratic donor, has put an end to speculation that he would run for governor of Florida.
In a video posted on X on April 20, the 70-year-old—now registered as an independent voter and living outside Florida for much of the year—said, “I love living in Hawaii, I love my marijuana, and I love spending time with my grandchildren.”
Politico reports that Morgan also said he would still create a third party in the Sunshine State and offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who could come up with a name for it. Morgan’s announcement comes about two months before the deadline to enter the race for Florida governor to replace Ron DeSantis, whose term is coming to an end.
Trump has endorsed Republican Representative Byron Donalds in this race, propelling him to the status of front-runner. Also on the Republican side are Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins and former State House Speaker Paul Renner. On the Democratic side, former Representative David Jolly (formerly a Republican, then an independent, and a Democrat since 2025) leads in the polls against Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings—a former sheriff and husband of former Representative Val Demings, both of whom are close to Morgan and have benefited from his support in the past.
REDISTRICTING: DESANTIS UNDER PRESSURE
A special legislative session dedicated to redrawing Florida’s congressional districts is being held from April 28 to May 1, 2026. Lawmakers are gathering in Tallahassee to review the new electoral maps and any related legislation; this session was originally scheduled to begin earlier in April before being postponed.
DeSantis announced this session last January, following Texas’s initiative to redraw its districts, and pressure is now mounting on the Florida governor following a similar initiative in Virginia in April. All eyes are on DeSantis, as Florida could tip the scales in favor of or against the Republican Party in the redistricting process (Politico).
