With elections for local, state and federal posts just months away, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried is suspending the head of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, according to party officials.
On Monday, Fried called Robert Dempster, who’s helmed the county party since 2021, to ask for his resignation. Dempster declined to step down, according to party officials, prompting Fried to suspend him from the job.
The decision on Monday came just over a month after Florida Democratic Party officials sent a letter to Dempster notifying him that the Miami-Dade party was out of compliance with the state party’s rules and bylaws.
“Due to ongoing and unresolved issues, and failure to comply with the rules that govern all local parties, the Florida Democratic Party has made the decision to suspend the Chair of the Miami-Dade [Democratic Party] and rebuild in 2024 – because the cost of inaction is too high,” Fried said in a statement to the Miami Herald.
She described the decision to suspend Dempster as “part of an overall strategy to get Miami-Dade back on track” following a more-than-year-long rough stretch that included a series of disappointing election results for Democrats in the county, as well as internal disputes over Dempster’s leadership.