Florida officials react to Biden's 2024 exit

President Biden's sudden exit from the 2024 race prompted swift reactions from Florida's political leaders, including Democrats who remained staunch supporters even as questions about his viability grew.

Why it matters: The Florida Democratic Party profusely welcomed Biden's re-election campaign and its presence in the state. Chair Nikki Fried touted the president's support as a sign of the embattled state party's vitality.

• The party even canceled its presidential primary in March and awarded all its delegates to Biden — a controversial show of support that some said dampened turnout in local races.

What they're saying: "Thank you @POTUS," Fried said in a statement posted to X. "Joe Biden will be remembered as one of the greatest presidents of our lifetimes — the nation is eternally grateful."

• "Now, the Democratic Party must be more united than ever to defeat Donald Trump."
• Rep. Maxwell Frost wrote of Biden: "The most progressive and one of the most effective Presidents in our country's history."

The other side: "Let me be clear, if Joe Biden can't run for re-election, he is not capable of serving as president for the next six months and needs to resign today," Republican Sen. Rick Scott said in a statement .

• "While we welcome the news that one of America's most destructive presidents will be denied a second term, it changes very little as to the stakes of this election."

Gov. Ron DeSantis turned his sights to Vice President Kamala Harris, who received Biden's endorsement for the Democratic presidential nomination.

• DeSantis accused Harris of being involved in a "massive coverup to hide and deny the fact that Joe Biden was not capable of discharging the duties of the office."
• He also criticized her handling of the "worst border crisis in American history" even as arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border fell 30% in June — the lowest levels in Biden's presidency.
• "Democrats are just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," he wrote on X.

Zoom in: Republicans in Tampa Bay also perceived Biden's announcement as evidence he is unfit to continue as president and should step down.

• Hillsborough Commissioner Joshua Wostal said Biden ought to "resign from the presidency now then," while state Sen. Danny Burgess (R-Zephyrhills) said , "We are... without a Commander-in-Chief right now."

Tampa Bay Democrats , meanwhile, applauded Biden for "putting our country first" and embraced Harris as his successor.

• "Thank you [Biden] for your incredible service to our country," state House Minority leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) wrote on X . "@KamalaHarris, [I] can't wait to call you POTUS."
• "President Biden today demonstrated his character and patriotism, putting our country first," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor wrote on X . "He has delivered for Tampa."

One day after questioning media narratives about Biden's candidacy, Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chair state Sen. Shevrin Jones threw his support behind Harris.

• The Miami Democrat had been door-knocking for Biden in Milwaukee less than 24 hours before news broke that the president would suspend his candidacy and endorse Harris instead.
• "President Joe Biden is the greatest president of our lifetime," he wrote on X . "The nation is forever indebted and grateful for his years of service."

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava issued a statement praising Biden's investment in local communities and his compassion, pointing to how he comforted victims' families in Surfside following the deadly Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in 2021.

• "Miami-Dade County, and the entire nation, are better because of President Joe Biden's steadfast leadership," she wrote on X .

Former Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a Democrat who previously served as a state senator, called Biden's decision "both selfless and patriotic."

• "He has been an enormously successful leader, so this must have been incredibly hard," Gelber told Axios in a statement.
• "We have an opportunity now to coalesce as a party and country behind Vice President Harris, a strong and accomplished public servant who offers a stark and favorable contrast to former President Trump."

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign as a Republican, said on X that it was "clear Joe Biden isn't capable of governing or campaigning" and thanked him for his service.

• "It should have never come to this."