Florida Rep. Daniel Webster announced his retirement Tuesday, joining the wave of House members opting against reelection this fall. “It has been an honor and privilege to represent my beloved state in the U.S. House of Representatives,” the eight-term Republican said in a statement. “The time has come to pass the torch to the next conservative leader and spend more precious time with my wife, children and 24 grandchildren.” Webster is leaving behind a central Florida seat, which includes Orlando’s western suburbs. His retirement announcement comes one day after Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a new congressional map aiming to give Republicans up to four pickup opportunities. Under the new lines, Webster’s 11th District remains one that would have backed Donald Trump by 16 points in 2024, according to calculations by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. Webster, who turned 77 on Monday, has been a fixture in Sunshine State politics for decades, seeing it shift from purple to solid red. The former air conditioning and heating company owner was first elected to the Florida House in 1980 and served as minority leader before becoming speaker in 1996. He later served in the Florida Senate, where he rose to majority leader in 2006. He first won election to Congress during the 2010 tea party wave, unseating Democrat Alan Grayson. Two years later, he won reelection by a narrow 4-point margin over Val Demings, a future Democratic House colleague. He’s been reelected by double digits since as Florida began its rightward drift. In Congress, Webster has cultivated a low-key profile, pursuing policy priorities that align with those of his Florida district. He regularly joins with other members of the Florida delegation to advocate proposals that boost the state’s interests, including local infrastructure, emergency preparedness and citrus growers. Webster, whose committee assignments include a senior position on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said Tuesday he intends to remain focused on the panel’s work on the once-in-a decade surface transportation reauthorization bill. “There is much work left to do before this Congress closes and I am fully focused on finishing strong,’’ he said in his statement. Despite his quiet tenure throughout most of his congressional service, Webster had his moment in the national spotlight in 2015 when he launched a pair of improbable bids for speaker. His first attempt came that January, when he ran as a tea party-friendly alternative to Speaker John A. Boehner. He only got a dozen votes, but the attempt cost him politically. The GOP leadership stripped Webster of his seat on the Rules Committee, punishing him along with two dozen other Republicans who voted against Boehner. Later that year, when Boehner stepped down, Webster launched another bid despite having little chance, this time against Wisconsin’s Paul D. Ryan. On the House floor, Webster got nine votes for speaker from a cadre of limited-government conservatives, including Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie.
