Although Gov. Rick Scott declared victory late Tuesday in his race for a U.S. Senate seat, numbers posted Wednesday morning on the Florida Division of Elections website indicate a recount could be needed.
The updated numbers showed Scott with 4,074,001 votes, or 50.21 percent, while Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson had 4,039,498 votes, or 49.79 percent. Under state law, a recount is triggered when the margin is 0.5 percent or less.
Such a recount would involve running ballots through tabulating machines to determine the accuracy of the vote totals, according to state law.
An automatic recount also appeared certain in a high-profile state Senate race in Hillsborough County. In that race, incumbent Sen. Dana Young, R-Tampa, trailed Democratic challenger Janet Cruz on Wednesday morning by a margin of 50.07 percent to 49.93 percent, the state Division of Elections website showed.
Similarly, a recount appeared necessary in a Volusia County House race, where Republican Elizabeth Fetterhoff led Rep. Patrick Henry, D-Daytona Beach, by a margin of 50.06 percent to 49.94 percent.
