Democrats pick another Broward senator to replace Thurston in leadership position

With Sen. Perry Thurston of Fort Lauderdale planning to run in a special election for Congress, Sen. Lauren Book of Plantation was chosen Wednesday to serve as the next leader of Florida Senate Democrats.

Book will formally take over as Democratic leader after the November 2022 elections and serve two years in the post. Thurston had been scheduled to become Democratic leader but announced Monday he will run in a special election to try to succeed Congressman Alcee Hastings, who died this month after a battle with cancer.

Lighthouse Point Democrat Gary Farmer is the current Senate Democratic leader.

Book, who was first elected to the Senate in 2016, chairs the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee. She is the CEO of Lauren’s Kids, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent sexual abuse of children. “For Senate Democrats to effect real and meaningful change without leaving anything on the table, we must fight for our strongly held Democratic values that benefit everyday people,” Book said in a statement. “I believe that through effective consensus building, Senate Democrats can be powerfully pragmatic without compromising our principles, and there is no doubt the people of Florida deserve that much from their elected leaders.”

Book’s father, Ron, is one of the Capitol’s most prominent lobbyists.