On June 10, the Florida Democratic Party Central Committee voted unanimously to use the presidential primary to choose delegates to the national convention. The legislature earlier this year moved the primary to January 29.

The Democratic National Committee rules provide severe punishment for any state Democratic Party (other than the New Hampshire and South Carolina Democratic Parties) that uses a presidential primary to choose delegates, if that primary is earlier than January 29. The national rules say Florida would lose all its super delegates and half its regular delegates. Furthermore, any Democratic presidential candidate who campaigns in Florida would lose all his or her delegates from Florida. The state party will ask for an exemption.

The state party’s other alternative would have been to choose delegates at a caucus, but the state party has rejected that idea. The Florida Democratic Party will lean heavily on the fact that since it is in the minority in both houses of the legislature, and since the Governor is a Republican, there is nothing to party could do to stop the primary from being moved to January 29. Thanks to Tony Roza for this news.