Brevard Democratic Chair Stacey Patel of Satellite Beach seeks to lead Florida party

Satellite Beach resident Stacey Patel has entered the race to become Florida Democratic Party chair.

Patel is chair the Brevard Democratic Executive Committee, a post she won last December, at the same time her husband, Sanjay Patel, was elected Democratic state committeeman from Brevard.

Stacey Patel and at least three other candidates will be seeking to fill the state Democratic leadership position that became open after Stephen Bittel, a Miami Beach businessman, stepped down as chairman of the Florida Democratic Party. Bittel's resignation followed a Politico Florida report in which women accused Bittel of inappropriate conduct, including leering at female aides and consultants.

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Under Patel's leadership, the Democratic Party has experienced somewhat of a resurgence in Brevard this year, as the party proactively campaigned for candidates in "nonpartisan" municipal elections. Three of its six candidates won in November — in Cape Canaveral, Malabar and Rockledge.

The Brevard Democrats also recently fielded the largest county delegation to the Florida Democratic Party conference in Orlando, and won the party’s 2017 “Golden Gavel” award for knocking on the most doors in "get-out-the-vote" efforts of any Democratic county party organization in Florida this year.

Patel said she decided to run for the state chair after being called upon to do so by Democrats across Florida.

“The Democratic Party is our party. It’s the party of the people," Patel said in announcing her candidacy. "I really believe we can win elections in Florida if we inspire our grass roots by giving them real power and purpose in our party.”

In a message to Florida Democrats, Patel told this story: "About a week ago, I started receiving calls and messages from people here in Brevard and across the state asking me to run. At first, I just laughed. And then I got a call from a group of young people in South Florida who were at a bar together on a Friday night. And my heart broke wide open. My candidacy wasn’t birthed by bigwigs in backrooms, but at a bar in Broward, where young people still dare to believe that the Democratic Party might be where hope lives for them and for all of us. It is their hope, and not the machinations of men who have held power for far too long, who will decide the fate of our party. And it is the job of our party to keep that hope alive."

Patel said she told them she would run for Florida Democratic Party chair "if we’re all in this together. We set a goal of raising $2,500 for our campaign, and identifying 250 pledges of monthly donations and 250 volunteer pledges."

"So far," Patel said, "our movement has swelled to nearly 1,400 members on Facebook, 118 campaign donors who’ve given over $6,000, 255 pledged monthly contributors who will give over $41,000 per year upon our election, and 252 pledged monthly volunteers who will work nearly 30,000 hours per year — or the equivalent of about $450,000 a year in labor."

"If we can pull off commitments of nearly half a million in five days without a plan, a budget or any organization, imagine what we can do together when we, the people, have real power in our party again," Patel said.

Patel's campaign is being called a grass-roots "This Is #OurParty" movement.

Patel said her platform focuses on inspiring Democrats to engage and invest in the political process to win elections.

Her platform includes:

• Giving the party back to the people, funded by the people, rather than large corporations.

• Spreading "the power of the few to the many by giving our grass-roots the training, tools, technology and transparency they need in order to understand and fully engage in the party."

"Rules that have, for too long, consolidated the governing control of our party in the hands of a few must be surrendered to make way for true democracy," Patel said. "Those who feel real ownership of our party will also feel inspired to knock the doors and make the calls we will need to hold onto our seat in the Senate and take back the governor’s mansion."

The 2018 election season will be closely watched in Florida, with a governor's race with no incumbent, as Republican Gov. Rick Scott cannot seek re-election due to term limits. Additionally, U.S. Sen Bill Nelson, a Democrat, is up for re-election, with Scott as a potential challenger.

"Let’s build a party funded by the people that is really for the people," Patel said. "It’s also time to wrestle ourselves free of the massive overhead of consulting firms who profit from both parties and benefit financially whether we win or lose."

Among the other candidates for the state party chair position are Alma Gonzalez, a lawyer for Hillsborough County; Palm Beach County activist Terrie Rizzo; and Monica Russo, state president of the Service Employees International Union.

The election for Florida Democratic Party chair is scheduled for Dec. 9 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando.

Among those who will be eligible to cast ballots are the Democratic state committeeman and committeewoman in each of Florida's 67 counties; Democratic caucus presidents; other Democratic Party officials; Democratic members of the U.S. Senate and House from Florida; and Democratic members of the Florida Senate and House. There will be weighted voting, based largely on how many Democrats are registered to vote in each county.

Patel plans to attend a candidate forum later this week in Miami, as well as tour the state over the next two weeks to meet with county-level party officials to promote her candidacy.

"We've got plenty of work to do … on the road ahead, but I am forever grateful to every single soul who's pouring their heart into making #OurParty possible," Patel wrote in a posting on Facebook.

Patel is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz School of Public Policy. She has more than 20 years of experience in organizational transformation, social media fundraising, project management, small-business ownership, nonprofit leadership and performing arts administration.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

Dave Berman is government editor at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @bydaveberman

Facebook: /dave.berman.54