3 days ago
Florida Libertarians, meeting in Daytona Beach, sense opportunity in Musk-Trump breakup
DAYTONA BEACH − Fallout from the week's nuclear-bomb-level blowup between President Donald Trump and his billionaire buddy Elon Musk had yet to settle when a few dozen true believers in absolute freedom and small government gathered to map out plans for the 2026 election.
The Libertarian Party of Florida held its annual convention at The Daytona Hotel June 6-7, and attendees were energized by the opportunities presented by the Trump-Musk spat and skepticism about Trump's spending plan, aka the "Big, Beautiful Bill," that's being hashed out in the Senate.
Steven Nekhaila, national chair of the Libertarian Party, is from Key West and was in attendance at the Daytona convention. He described a Republican-Democratic "duopoly," two boots of the same creature that continue to kick the American public that keeps electing it.
"We have a saying. There's nobody more Libertarian than a Republican who's running for office until they get in power," Nekhalia said in a June 7 interview. "And we've seen that with the GOP over and over again at the federal level."
Following Musk's break with Trump, the world's richest man posted to X, his own social-media platform: "Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?"
Smelling an opportunity, Nekhaila pounced, posting: "We've been building this party for the 80% who are tired of being ruled by liars, spenders and tyrants. The door is open. The Libertarian Party isn't new, but it's finally impossible to ignore."
While Nekhalia worked at a national level, other Libertarians at the Daytona convention were eying positions at the local and state level.
Two Libertarians elected at the local level in Seminole County led a candidate training session.
Altamonte Springs City Commissioner Jim Turney and Winter Springs City Commissioner Paul Diaz talked about how in Florida, most local elected positions are non-partisan, which creates an opportunity for minor-party candidates to introduce themselves to their communities and build trust without running into the major-party machinery.
Turney suggested that when presenting themselves, candidates be Libertarian, authentic and themselves.
Diaz said he campaigned in 2024 on a message that much of what is being proposed by government is outside of its role.
"Is that really the role of government? Is that really what we should be doing? My line during my campaign was, 'Government's role is not to entertain people.'" Diaz said. "Stick to what we're supposed to be doing, and in my case I go right back to my lane, which is fiscally sound policy, only doing what you're supposed to do, and why on Earth are you even proposing a budget that's going to increase ... a tax increase ... when you still have mismanagement in your books?"
As a two-time candidate, Matt Johnson, the state chairman, learned that he had a better shot when he ran for the DeLand City Commission in 2022 than the Florida Legislature in 2024.
Even though the City Commission was a nonpartisan race, Johnson said the first question out of most voters' mouths was whether he was a Republican or Democrat.
"I was able to take just over 30% away from an incumbent in a heavily Republican district," Johnson said.
In the 2024 Florida House District 29 race, incumbent state Rep. Webster Barnaby won 55.6% of the vote over Democrat Rosemarie Latham and Johnson, who managed just 2.8%.
"Our messaging and our policies and our methodologies of governing (are) popular, but when it comes down to the machine that is the Republicans and the Democrats, we just don't have the money to compete, and so I would say start small, start local, win there, where your party is not allowed to be a part of the discussion, build a resume of success and fighting for their rights," Johnson said.
The Libertarian Party, founded in 1971, has hung on as a minor party because of its core beliefs, Johnson said.
"Our principles are more aligned with the founders than either of the two parties as they currently exist," he said. "What keeps me going is I believe if humanity, if Americans, DeLandites, Volusia County citizens are to fully live to their full potential, they have to be as free as possible without government intervention. I think it is purely principles that keeps us going."
Libertarian Joe Hannoush, an Ormond Beach resident who has run for multiple offices over the past decade, said he has previously been a member of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
"I left for the same reason. They don't do what they actually believe," Hannoush said. "They tell you they're for anti-war and they keep going to war. They tell you they're for fiscal responsibility. They keep raising the debt. Both sides. ... I think we have to have hope because the only other option is another revolution, you know, and I'm not ready for that, so I'm trying to do it the peaceful way, the voting way."
Hannoush said he is "hopeful" the Libertarians will soon be on an "upward swing," but he also cautioned that the parties involved in the Trump-Musk clash of titans have self-interest at heart. Musk − owner of Tesla, the electric car manufacturer − has expressed dismay that a Joe Biden-era electric vehicle mandate will be eliminated, while Trump has also threatened to cut Musk's company off from other government contracts.
"Libertarians want an equal playing field under government. Not having government pick winners and losers," Hannoush said. "Most people don't want to have that spending, which is what the Big, Beautiful Bill does. The Big Beautiful Debt is what it is."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Libertarians stand for small government. Can any win in 2026 election?
