Overview
- Rep. Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick, who resigned Tuesday minutes before a scheduled sanctions hearing, ended the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction and denounced the process as unfair.
- The Ethics panel’s adjudicatory subcommittee had found clear and convincing evidence for 25 of 27 violations after a two‑year probe that issued 59 subpoenas, conducted 28 interviews, and reviewed more than 33,000 pages.
- Federal prosecutors indicted her in November 2025, alleging she routed a $5 million FEMA overpayment through accounts to fund her campaign and personal purchases including a 3.14‑carat yellow diamond ring, and a trial is set for February 2027.
- Her departure leaves a vacancy in Florida’s 20th District until Gov. Ron DeSantis sets a special election, as Republicans readied an expulsion vote and some Democrats signaled they were prepared to back removal.
- This was the third House resignation in a week, and the episode is fueling calls to change rules so members cannot end ethics cases by quitting while attention also turns to a separate probe of Rep. Cory Mills.