Alcee Hastings

Health care CEO Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was elected to fill the seat of late Democratic Florida U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings on Tuesday, boosting the Democrats’ slim majority in the House.

Health-care executive Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was certified Tuesday as the winner of a special Democratic primary election for a congressional seat that opened when longtime Congressman Alcee Hastings died this year.

Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness showed up to the Broward Supervisor of Elections office in Lauderhill, opting to personally question rejected ballots instead of relying on his attorneys.

The winning Republican in this week’s congressional primary in South Florida is a convicted felon who did not go through the state’s process to restore his civil rights after his imprisonment, interviews and records show. That step is required under Florida law for a candidate to hold political office.

The winning candidate flip-flopped multiple times on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, as the race is headed to a recount.

The vacancies, effective at the beginning of January, have been certain since the end of July. Because DeSantis didn’t set the special elections when he first knew about the pending vacancies, the three South Florida legislative seats — all held by Black Democrats from Broward and Palm Beach counties —may remain vacant through the 2022 legislative session.

What to expect next in the Parkland shooter case and the crowded race in the Democratic primary for the 20th U.S. Congressional district Democratic primary.

A new Black political voting bloc in Palm Beach County plan to use election report cards to hold Democratic and Republican politicians accountable for their campaign promises.

The vacancy left behind by the death of U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings will be one of the longest in modern American history. Now, the ripple effects are coming to light in the race to fill his seat.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the special election to fill the vacancy created by the April 6 death of Congressman Alcee Hastings won’t be held until January 2022, meaning residents of the South Florida district will go more than nine months with no representation — far longer than normal.

State Rep. Bobby DuBose announced his candidacy to succeed the late Alcee Hastings, making DuBose the fourth elected official to toss his hat into the ring.

In the 10 days since former U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings' death, two of Broward County's most influential Black leaders have sped up the race to replace his seat in Congress. Former County Mayor and Commissioner Dale Holness launched his campaign Monday.