U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson has announced she will not seek a ninth term in Congress.
The Miami-Dade Democrat, the oldest member of Florida’s congressional delegation at age 83, announced her retirement after decades of service in Congress and, before that, in the Florida Legislature.
She publicly announced her decision at a Miami Gardens ceremony renaming a roadway after Wilson, adjacent to the already legacy-ensuring adjacent to Dr. Frederica S. Wilson/Skyway Elementary School, where the Congresswoman once served as principal.
“I know all of you are wondering, ‘What is the congresswoman going to do?’ Well, the congresswoman is going to not seek another term,” she said.
Wilson spoke to the Miami Herald about her decision before the event.
“I think it’s time, and I think I really held on as long as I did because of the 5000 Role Models program, and my concern about the future of it,” she said.
While Wilson was the principal of Skyway, the school launched the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project focused on bringing positive male role models to mentor students.
The retirement news makes Wilson the fifth U.S. Representative from Florida, and the first Democrat, to announce she will wrap up her service at the end of this Congress.
The move also came after Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a new congressional map that, while leaving Wilson’s seat as a strong Democratic district, shifted boundaries to include areas where she had not previously campaigned.
While she was most recently re-elected in a district covering from Miramar and Miami Gardens on the west over to the Atlantic coast from Aventura to Miami Beach, Florida’s 24th Congressional District now sits entirely inland and reaches north to Hollywood and Pembroke Pines. That map is under legal challenge by voting rights groups.
A Democratic Primary will likely determine who represents the seat next year. More than 68.7% of voters there in 2024 supported Democrat Kamala Harris for President even as Republican Donald Trump won statewide. Wilson won with 68.2% of the vote over Republican Jesus Gabriel Navarro.
While DeSantis’ Office said they drew the new map in a “race-neutral” fashion, the seat remains a majority minority seat, with 47.7% of voting age residents there Black and 40.9% Hispanic.
Speculation about Wilson’s potential retirement intensified this month as she missed 59 votes in April and May, about 71.1% of votes cast in that time, according to GovTrack.us. Amid public criticism of absences, Wilson released a statement making clear she had scheduled time off in Washington for a surgery on her left eye.
During the last Democratic majority in the U.S. House, following the 2022 elections, Wilson served as Chair of the House Education Committee’s Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee.
She is currently the Ranking Democrat on the House Water, Resources and Environment Committee.
In 2017, she earned national attention during a high-profile rhetorical battle with then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. She had criticized the manner in which Trump informed one of her constituents of her husband’s death while serving in Niger. Kelly later leveled accusations about her work naming an FBI building for two slain FBI agents.
Before serving in Congress, Wilson served in the Florida Senate from 2002 to 2010 and in the Florida House from 1998 to 2002.
State Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Miami Gardens Democrat likely running for her seat, praised Wilson’s entire record of service.
“Before she was my Congresswoman, she was my principal,” Jones noted.
“Like so many people across South Florida, I have known Congresswoman Frederica Wilson not only as an elected official, but as a mentor, an advocate, and a relentless champion for young people. I was proud to be part of the inaugural 500 Role Models program, which has since grown into the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, impacting the lives of thousands of young Black boys across our community. Whether in the classroom, the community, or the halls of Congress, she dedicated her life to helping young people see possibilities for themselves that they may not have otherwise imagined.”
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democratic co-chair of the Florida congressional delegation, praised her colleague. The two served in the Florida Senate together before ascending to Congress.
“Congresswoman Frederica Wilson has been a champion of South Florida over her entire career,” Wasserman Schultz said. “As an educator and principal, or on the School Board, the Florida House and Senate, and in Congress, she’s been there for our community. With the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, her Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, and endless work to create jobs and lower costs for working families, she’s been a giant in Miami. I’ll miss working with my friend, my former Tallahassee and D.C. housemate, and her iconic sense of style. I wish her the best in whatever comes next.”
She also recieved love from colleagues across the aisle.
“Congresswoman Wilson is a trailblazing educator, stateswoman, and incredibly effective legislator who has earned the respect of her colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Throughout her career, she has been a tireless advocate for the people of South Florida and a powerful voice on issues important to our community,” said U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Miami-Dade Republican.
“We have worked together on many bipartisan initiatives that have delivered results for South Florida, and I have always appreciated her passion, determination, and commitment to public service. As Congresswoman Wilson prepares to conclude her service in Congress, Lourdes and I thank her for her years of dedication to our community and wish her continued success in the years ahead.”
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried also offered kind words.
“Congresswoman Wilson did not just represent South Florida, she was a part of its soul. She stood among giants as a pillar of the community and a force in Washington when it mattered the most. Her decision to retire marks the passing of the baton of leadership to a new generation, one who will have a big hat to fill, For more than two decades, Congresswoman Wilson was a champion for working families who needed a champion, for students who needed a mentor, for communities who needed someone willing to fight without apology,” Fried said.
“From bringing millions of dollars into South Florida through appropriations, to changing the trajectory of countless lives through her 5,000 Role Models mentorship programs, Congresswoman Wilson never just talked about leadership–she lived it. She led with love, courage, and a refusal to accept anything less than what her constituents deserved. Her legacy is measured in the lives she touched and the doors she opened for those who came after her. The Florida Democratic Party is profoundly grateful for her service and tireless work on behalf of the people of our state.”
