Republican state congressman Daniel Pérez became the third Cuban-American to be appointed as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives on Monday. He follows in the footsteps of Marco Rubio and José Oliva.
Pérez, who represents the q16 district of Florida, will hold the presidency of the House from November 2024 until November 2026, provided that the Republicans maintain control of the legislature.
"The most important message is for them to know the gratitude I feel towards them, that they have always voted for me, they trust in my leadership and that of my team, and I am very proud to have this opportunity. I hope that when these three years are over, the state of Florida will be a better state than we already have. It is already a great state, but we can always move forward," Pérez said in statements to América Radio.
In his acceptance speech, the Cuban American highlighted his philosophy of limited government and his focus on reducing regulations and government spending, as well as prioritizing public safety and disaster response.
"I believe in limited government because history has taught us what happens when those in power begin to think they know more than the people who granted them that power", he stated.
He also expressed his belief that the state government must protect its citizens from threats to life and property, whether due to public safety concerns or natural disasters.
Daniel Pérez, 36 years old, studied at Florida State University and received his law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans.
The Republican congressman, whose parents left Cuba in 1969, was born in New York but raised in Miami-Dade from an early age.
He has been representing his district since 2017 and is currently in his third consecutive term.
In 2019, his colleagues recognized him for his leadership and elected him as the future president of the state House of Representatives in Tallahassee.
District 116 of Florida has 96,000 voters and encompasses parts of Kendall, Westchester, and Doral.
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