Remembering a giant of Florida politics, Alcee Hastings

ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL: When the news alert hit my phone Tuesday morning, my heart skipped a beat. Ever since U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in 2018, many in South Florida had dreaded the death news alert, especially when COVID upped the danger. But the time had come. On Tuesday, April 6th, we learned that Alcee Hastings joined his good friends Elijah Cummings and John Lewis. And now South Florida mourns one of its last remaining great men. 

Instead of my typical analysis piece, I take the time to honor Alcee Hastings, celebrate his accomplishments, acknowledge his human faults, and reflect on his legacy. 

Few people in Florida politics can boast of having such an impactful and colorful legacy. One of the first Black Floridians elected to represent the state in Congress since Reconstruction, elected alongside former Reps. Corrine Brown and Carrie Meek in the 1992 election, Hastings was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Representing a district drawn to represent Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach’s majority-Black municipalities, Hastings served fourteen consecutive terms in Congress, becoming a champion for South Florida’s Jewish community and a mentor to many lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. 

Even before his service in Congress, Hastings made many firsts as South Florida’s first Black federal judge, as a founder of Broward County’s Black Bar Association, and as a leading civil rights lawyer working with the NAACP.  

His passing inspired almost immediate condolence and remembrance from South Florida’s political class and community leaders, as well as national Democrats. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), President Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, DNC Chair Jamie Harrison all offered condolences, as did Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, almost all of Hastings’ Florida Democratic colleagues, and most local officials in Broward and Palm Beach County. 

Republicans, too, offered their condolences. Sen. Marco Rubio, up for re-election in 2022, offered warm words about Hastings’ legacy, noting his work on civil rights and their collaborative work on Everglades restoration. Former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), described Hastings to the Sun Sentinel as a “one of a kind human being” and a “commensurate gentleman.” His counterpart on the Rules Committee, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), noted that “while we often disagreed politically, I marveled at his eloquence and passion and enjoyed his wry wit, civility and personal decency.”

But perhaps the most touching tribute came from Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), the new Dean of the Florida Delegation. In a statement that honestly surprised me amidst so much polarization in Washington, Díaz-Balart wrote:

“Congressman Alcee Hastings was more than a colleague; he was a dear friend of mine and my family… Florida lost a legend today. Goodbye, my dear friend.” 

Hastings was that kind of a leader in Washington, who built bridges where many in recent times have torn them down in their political opportunism. And his goodwill was reciprocated by those who treasured good faith in politics.  

Hastings was no saint. He had his fair share of controversies, including a reported sexual harassment controversy in 2017 and a 2019 House Ethics investigation over a romantic relationship he had with a staffer. In conjunction with the details of his impeachment as a federal judge, these improprieties will certainly cloud his legacy. 

Still, South Florida mourns a giant, a man who has left an indelible mark on our state's political landscape and our nation. 

Already, even though the body is still warm, several South Florida politicians have signaled their interest in running to replace Rep. Hastings, including Sen. Perry Thurston, leader of the Florida Senate Democratic Caucus who declared as such to Matt Dixon of Politico on Tuesday proper. Others like former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, who led Broward County during the first stages of the COVID pandemic, have long been proposed as candidates in the event of Hastings’ retirement or passing. They, too, are likely to enter the race, though perhaps after some time passes and the period of public mourning subsides.  

Regardless, whoever prevails in the heavily Democratic district’s primary (the de facto winner of the seat) will have big shoes to fill in Washington. 

Eric Bazail-Eimil is a second-year student in the School of Foreign Service studying Latin America and Europe as a Regional and Comparative Studies major. A native South Floridian and a proud Cuban-American, Eric’s column “The Florida Project” appears biweekly in “On the Record.”