Once a crucial battleground state, Florida has turned deep red.
That shift was cemented Tuesday night when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won Florida for the third consecutive election, earning the state's 30 electoral votes. Incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Scott crushed his Democratic opponent.
The Associated Press called both races at 8:01 p.m. almost immediately after polls closed statewide.
As for local, state and congressional races, voters saw a slew of reelections down the ballot. WLRN reporters were stationed at watch parties across South Florida. Below, we've compiled a roundup of the key results from the 2024 general election.
Senate races
Sen. Rick Scott to return to U.S. Senate following easy victory over Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Republican incumbent Sen. Rick Scott will return to his U.S. Senate seat after coasting to victory over Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell on Tuesday night in an election that will help secure his party's control of the Senate.
The Associated Press called the race for Scott at 8:01 p.m. just after polls statewide closed.
Scott, one of the richest members of Congress, pumped millions of dollars of his own money into the race, as he has with his previous three elections.
Murcarsel-Powell struggled to gain attention. She collected little financial support from national Democrats until the last few weeks of the race and had little name recognition outside South Florida.
Local races
Keys voters elect Sherri Hodies for Supervisor of Elections
One of the most contentious Florida Keys races came to a close Tuesday as voters elected Republican Sherri Hodies over Democrat Ron Saunders to replace longtime Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin.
Griffin, a Democrat, decided to step down after nearly four decades working for the elections office when Florida legislators began making changes to election laws. Since 2021, Florida has added several new rules over mail-in and early voting. They included new ID requirements, changes to how many ballots a person can turn in on behalf of someone else and limiting after-hours access to drop boxes.
Now, Hodies will step in to lead the county office. She gave an emotional acceptance speech Tuesday night that was broadcast via Keys Talk Radio and Monroe County TV.
“I told all of you that integrity and transparency is what I’m about, and that is what I promised, and I will never let you down,” Hodies said. “I pledge to fulfill my promise to all of you, the people of the Florida Keys.”
Hodies is one of two top county GOP leaders under investigation for election fraud and unlawful disbursement of funds during the primary election.
Cordero-Stutz decisively wins Miami-Dade's first sheriff race in over 60 years
For the first time in six decades, there's a new sheriff in Miami-Dade County: Rosie Cordero-Stutz.
Cordero-Stutz, a Republican, defeated Democrat James Reyes by a convincing 55% to 44% margin Tuesday night, according to the latest results. She will take office on January 7, 2025, in charge of policing for all of Miami-Dade County.
Her election marks the first time since the early 1960s that Miami-Dade has an elected sheriff. For the past six decades, the county's law enforcement chief has been an appointed police director. But a 2018 state ballot initiative mandated that all Florida counties now elect sheriffs as well as several other government posts.
As Sheriff, Cordero-Stutz will also be a significantly more powerful and autonomous law enforcement boss than Miami-Dade's police directors, who have been under the oversight of county commissioners.
At her campaign victory party at the EB Hotel in Miami Springs, Cordero-Stutz told supporters:
"To all the citizens of Miami-Dade, the message is clear: When it comes to the importance of law and order, Miami-Dade stands strong…make no mistake. My commitment is exclusively to the city and the protection of the residents of Miami-Dade County."
U.S. House District 20: Democrat Sheila Cherfilus McCormick wins reelection
Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday.
She ran uncontested in the 20th District, which includes Fort Lauderdale and western Broward County in southeast Florida. It’s among the state’s most Democratic districts, as Democrats outnumber Republicans by a nearly 5-1 ratio.
Cherfilus-McCormick initially won the seat in a January 2022 special election after the death of longtime Rep. Alcee Hastings. She went on to the win the general election later that year.
She is the first Black woman to represent the district.
U.S. House District 21: Republican Brian Mast wins reelection
Republican Rep. Brian Mast won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday.
The 21st District falls along the state's eastern Treasure Coast and includes Port St. Lucie and Jupiter.
The district has become increasingly Republican, particularly in presidential elections, since Mast was first elected in 2016. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Army. While in Afghanistan, Mast was wounded and had both of his legs amputated.
After joining Congress, he became the first lawmaker to open a satellite office in a Department of Veterans Affairs facility.
The Associated Press declared Mast the winner at 7:40 p.m. EST.
U.S. House District 22: Democrat Lois Frankel wins reelection
Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday.
The compact 22nd District is located along the Gulf Coast and falls entirely within Palm Beach County.
Frankel, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, served seven terms in the Florida House of Representatives. Despite the strong Democratic lean of her district, Frankel's 2020 race, which she won by 20 percentage points‚ attracted wide interest because she faced a far-right Republican candidate.
Her 2022 and 2024 challenger, Republican Dan Franzese, was less controversial.
U.S. House District 23: Democrat Jared Moskowitz wins reelection
Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday. Most of the district is in Broward County, though it also overlaps with Palm Beach County.
The first-term Democrat previously served in the state House and as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. He defeated Republican Joe Kaufman to hold on to his seat.
U.S. House District 26: Republican Mario Diaz-Balart wins reelection
Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday.
The 26th District stretches across southern Florida from Hialeah and the northwestern suburbs of Miami to just west of Naples on the Gulf Coast. It is majority Hispanic.
Diaz-Balart is the longest-serving member of the Florida congressional delegation, first elected in 2002. He is the son of Cuban refugees and a founding member of a caucus for Hispanic Republicans.
He defeated Democrat Joey Atkins.
U.S. House District 27: Republican Maria Elvira Salazar wins reelection over Baez-Geller
Republican Maria Elvira Salazar wins reelection to U.S. House in Florida's 27th Congressional District, defeating Miami-Dade County School Board member Lucia Baez-Geller.
U.S. House District 27 covers areas of downtown Miami, Key Biscayne, Little Havana, Coral Gables, Kendall, and Cutler Bay.
Salazar represents a Miami-Dade district that has swung toward Republicans in recent years.
While Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the district in 2016 by double digits, former President Donald Trump narrowly carried it in 2020.
U.S. House District 28: Republican Carlos Gimenez wins reelection
Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez won election to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday. The 28th District was created during the 2020 redistricting cycle, as Florida gained a seat following that year's census.
It is the state's southernmost district, covering the Florida Keys, Miami's southwestern suburbs and the Everglades. Gimenez, a former mayor of Miami-Dade County, defeated Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell to win the previous iteration of the seat in 2020. This year, he defeated Democrat and U.S. Navy veteran Phil Ehr.
School board
Broward voters strongly approve watchdog for county's public schools
Broward voters made a momentous referendum decision Tuesday night to put their corruption-checkered public school district under the expanded scrutiny of the county's inspector general.
Broward County’s Office of the Inspector General has investigative authority over countywide elected officials and appointed officials. Now, thanks to County Referendum 2 passing overwhelmingly — by a 68% to 32% margin — that watchdog eye will include the Broward school board, the superintendent and any district employees.
The result from voters is likely a response to a wave of school board scandals over the past few years.
DeSantis appointee retains seat on Miami-Dade County School Board
Tuesday night’s re-election of an incumbent Miami-Dade school board member and the election of a new school board member will allow conservatives to maintain its five-member majority in the nation's third-largest school district.
Sitting Miami-Dade County School Board member Mary Blanco — who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis — won reelection to her seat in District 7, which encompasses much of the southwest region of the county, including Kendall and South Dade. She beat political newcomer and tech consultant Maxene "Max" Tuchman by more than 30 percentage points, according to preliminary results.
Joseph "Joe" Geller, a former legislator in the Florida House of Representatives and North Bay Village, won his first race for school board against former school board member Martin Karp, according to preliminary results. Both ran to replace Lucia Baez-Geller who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in U.S. House District 27.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
