Senate confirms 65 gubernatorial appointees after debate over Tina Vidal Duarte

The Florida Senate accepted the Ethics and Elections Committee report and confirmed a package of 65 gubernatorial appointments by a 37-0 vote after a heated exchange over one nominee.

An unnamed senator raised objections to the confirmation of Tina Vidal Duarte, alleging that companies associated with her had “racked up contracts over the last several years valued at more than $537,000,000” and accusing her of benefiting from detention contracts at what the senator called an “Alligator Alcatraz Detention Facility.” The senator referenced an NBC 6 Miami investigation and said Vidal Duarte had made nearly $2,000,000 in contributions to political action committees, calling the pattern “pay to play.”

Senator Pizzo responded in defense of Vidal Duarte, recalling that during the COVID-19 pandemic Vidal Duarte’s company provided testing and vaccination support in Little Haiti and other hard-to-reach areas. “If I had to make a shortlist of people I could depend on… Tina Vidal Duarte would be at the top of my list,” Pizzo said, noting personal appreciation for Vidal Duarte’s service and her appointment to a university board of trustees in the senator’s district.

After brief procedural instructions from the presiding officer about recording dissenting votes, the Reading Clerk announced the result: “37 yays, 0 nays,” and the presiding officer declared the report adopted, confirming the appointees.

No individual roll call for each nominee was reported on the floor; the vote accepted the committee’s report recommending confirmation. The Ethics and Elections committee’s report—read into the record by the Reading Clerk—said the panel conducted inquiries and public hearings as required by Senate Rule 12.7 and recommended confirmation in accordance with section 114.051(c), Florida Statutes.

The session moved on to other business after the vote.