Florida Sen.-elect Rick Scott has opted to remain governor of the Sunshine State until Republican Ron DeSantis takes over, delaying his swearing-in for the Senate to Jan. 8.

His fellow senators-elect will join the chamber on Jan. 3 at the start of the 116th Congress.

“Gov. Scott will remain governor until January 8th, 2019,” John Tupps, a spokesman for Scott, told the Tampa Bay Times. “U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to hold the ceremony for Governor Scott’s swearing-in as U.S. senator from Florida that afternoon.”

Tupps said Scott is delaying his move to the Senate because he “promised to fight for Florida families every single day of his term” as governor.

Due to his delay, Scott will be the most junior member of the Senate. He had been slated to be the 97th most ranking member in the chamber if he was sworn in on Jan. 3 with the rest of his incoming colleagues.

Seniority determines where senators sit on the chamber floor, and is taken into consideration when determining committee assignments office space in the Dirksen, Hart, and Russell Senate Office Buildings.Watch: GOP Senators Remain Convinced of Saudi Prince’s Involvement in Khashoggi Murder