Dan Daley passes on SD 30 bid to again run for HD 96, citing ‘outside’ influences on Senate race

Coral Springs Democratic state Rep. Dan Daley spent years planning an upper-chamber run. But for now, he said, he’s staying on his current track.

Daley has confirmed he will not run for Senate District 30, ending weeks of deliberation and speculation while effectively clearing the Democratic Primary path for former Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book.

Instead, he said, he will seek re-election to his seat representing House District 96, for what would be his final term before term limits take effect.

“After a great deal of thought and many conversations with supporters, community leaders, and residents across the district, I have decided not to run for the State Senate seat,” Daley wrote in a statement posted to social media.

“This decision is disappointing personally because I truly love this community. I’ve served parts of this district as an elected official since 2012 and have spent nearly twenty years involved in public service and civic life here.”

He added that “there is much left to be done” in HD 96, which covers part of northwest Broward County and overlaps partially with SD 30.

“I am committed to that work for two more years,” he said.

Daley said he had long “prepared seriously” to run for SD 30 — which spans part of Boca Raton in Palm Beach County and Broward communities including Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Parkland, and Pompano Beach — including working with local leaders and investing time in communities he “believed deserve strong and authentic representation.”

But while his community support and ties are strong, he said, political movement behind the scenes has made it increasingly evident that other, vital backing isn’t there at the moment.

“Over the last several weeks, it became increasingly clear that the path forward for a local, community-driven campaign had narrowed considerably due to decisions being made well outside the neighborhoods and communities this district was created to represent,” he wrote.

A Coral Springs-raised lawyer and alum of Florida State University and Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center, Daley has represented northwest Broward County in the House since winning a 2019 Special Election to succeed now-U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz.

He began his public service career in 2012 as a Coral Springs City Commissioner — the youngest in the city’s history — and later served as Vice Mayor and President of the Broward League of Cities.

Before focusing on private practice, Daley joined the Broward County State Attorney’s Office, an experience that helped shape his legislative priorities, including court reform measures and school- and gun-safety legislation inspired by the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High — his alma mater.

He has been recognized as a School Safety Champion by Stand with Parkland and received multiple “Home Rule Hero” awards from the Florida League of Cities.

Book launched her campaign for SD 30 last week, with endorsements from the district’s outgoing state Sen. Tina Polsky, Moskowitz, Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman and state Sen. Mack Bernard.

Book represented parts of Broward in the Senate from 2016 to 2024 before reaching term limits and lives in Davie, outside the district, meaning she would need to relocate if elected.

Republican Jerusa Zitta, who filed in January, remains the only other active candidate.

Daley, meanwhile, is unopposed in HD 96.

The Primary is Aug. 18, followed by the General Election on Nov. 3.