The Broward County AFL-CIO is a local chapter of the AFL-CIO, the largest association of labor unions in the United States. The chapter represents the interests of organized labor in Broward County, Florida. ¹

The Broward County AFL-CIO overwhelmingly endorses Democratic Party politicians for federal, state, and local offices. ² In 2020, this included then-U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings (D-FL), impeached former district judge, as well as controversial former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel (D). ^{3 4}

Political Endorsements

Like the national AFL-CIO, the Broward County chapter leans left politically. During the 2020 election cycle, the chapter endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden and then-California Senator Kamala Harris for president, as well as Democratic U.S. Representatives Frederica Wilson, Ted Deutch, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Alcee Hastings for Congress. ⁵ Hastings, who had been in the House of Representatives in 1993, had an extensive track record of misconduct in public office. The right-of-center watchdog organization Judicial Watch ranked Hastings first out of 435 members of Congress for nepotistic practices, including paying his then-girlfriend a six-figure salary to work as his deputy district director. ⁶ Prior to running for Congress, Hastings served as a district judge, but was impeached in 1988 for bribery, perjury, falsifying documents, and other offenses related to a corruption scandal involving him in the early 1980s. ⁷

In 2020, the Broward County AFL-CIO also endorsed former sheriff Scott Israel (D), who was attempting to win back his former office after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) had removed him from office. DeSantis suspended Israel in 2019, citing his handling of mass shooting incidents at Fort Lauderdale airport and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Israel also hired numerous political supporters, including several members of his 2012 election campaign team, to work in public outreach roles. The Sun Sentinel also reported that Israel’s critics had accused the supporters, who attended community events and political meetings while receiving taxpayer-funded salaries, of functioning as a re-election team for Israel. ⁸

Leadership

Daniel Reynolds is the president of the Broward County AFL-CIO. ⁹ He is a career labor union official, holding positions on the Florida AFL-CIO Executive Council and the National AFL-CIO President’s Advisory Council. He also sat on the Broward County Workforce Development Board and the county chapter of United Way, a nationwide left-of-center charitable organization.

Dana Shumate is the field representative at the Broward County AFL-CIO. ¹⁰ She previously worked as the director of special events for the county professional firefighters’ council, and as a communications specialist for the county teachers’ union. ¹¹

Financials

Sponsors of the Broward County AFL-CIO in 2021 included U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), whom the chapter endorsed in 2020, as well as several other state and local politicians and the Broward County Democratic Party. The health insurance provider Aetna and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the nation’s leading transportation workers’ union, also provided support for the chapter. ¹²

1. About Us. Broward County AFL-CIO. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://unionhall.aflcio.org/browardcounty/about-us
2. Election 2020. Broward County AFL-CIO. Accessed September 28, 2021.

   https://unionhall.aflcio.org/browardcounty/news/election-2020-0

3. “The Impeachment Trial of Alcee L. Hastings (1989) U.S. District Judge, Florida.” United States Senate. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Impeachment_Hastings.htm
4. Brittany Wallman. “Sheriff’s hiring of political supporters under fire.” South Florida Sun Sentinel. August 27, 2016. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-sheriff-political-hires-20160827-story.html
5. Election 2020. Broward County AFL-CIO. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://unionhall.aflcio.org/browardcounty/news/election-2020-0
6. “Alcee Hastings Ranks No.1 In Nepotism.” Judicial Watch. March 27, 2012. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://www.judicialwatch.org/corruption-chronicles/alcee-hastings-ranks-no-1-in-nepotism/
7. “The Impeachment Trial of Alcee L. Hastings (1989) U.S. District Judge, Florida.” United States Senate. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Impeachment_Hastings.htm
8. Brittany Wallman. “Sheriff’s hiring of political supporters under fire.” South Florida Sun Sentinel. August 27, 2016. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-sheriff-political-hires-20160827-story.html
9. About Us. Broward County AFL-CIO. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://unionhall.aflcio.org/browardcounty/about-us
10. About Us. Broward County AFL-CIO. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://unionhall.aflcio.org/browardcounty/about-us
11. Dana Shumate. LinkedIn. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/danashumate?trk=people-guest_people_search-card
12. “2021 Virtual Labor Ball Sponsors.” Broward County AFL-CIO. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://unionhall.aflcio.org/browardcounty/2021-virtual-labor-ball-sponsors