Live Updates: Election Day with Central Florida Public Media

Orange County voters reelected two County Commissioners and chose a third who has focused on environmental issues.

District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson retained her seat on the Orange County Commission, defeating Austin Arthur. Wilson received 52% of the vote.

In District 3, Commissioner Mayra Uribe also held onto her seat, defeating State Sen. Linda Stewart. Uribe received 52.6% of the vote.

In District 5, Kelly Semrad will replace term-limited Commissioner Emily Bonilla. Semrad, a University of Central Florida professor and environmental advocate, received 57% of the vote. She defeated former Winter Park mayor Steve Leary.

With about 53% of the vote, incumbent Abby Sanchez will remain Seminole County’s district 3 school board representative.

Sanchez defeats Stephanie Arguello, who was being backed by the county Democrat Party. Although Sanchez is registered with no party affiliation, her win comes off county Republican endorsements.

Sanchez has held the seat since 2016.

Amy Pennock has been elected Seminole County’s Supervisor of Elections. Pennock defeated current supervisor Chris Anderson in August’s primary election.

She walks out with about 54 percent of the vote. Her campaign highlighted issues like voter suppression, misinformation and office cybersecurity upgrades.

Pennock, a Republican, defeats Democrat Deborah Poulalion.

Florida voters rejected adding abortion rights to their state constitution Tuesday, keeping a ban on abortion after the first six weeks of pregnancy in place.

It’s the first time abortion rights groups have lost in a statewide ballot question since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a national right to abortion in 2022.

Most voters supported the measure, but it fell short of the required 60%, a victory for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Eight other states have similar measures before voters Tuesday.

WEST PALM BEACH — Florida voters rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana for adults at least 21 years old and allowed them to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.

It failed to obtain the required 60% threshold at a time when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is making moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Florida’s Republican-dominated government has a lengthy history of opposing marijuana legalization.

Another measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution was too early to call Tuesday night.

The approval of the marijuana measure wouldn’t have immediately made marijuana legal in Florida. It would have allowed the Florida Legislature to create regulations or decide how to implement the amendment during the legislative session that begins in March.

Florida Republican officials were mixed on their support for this ballot measure. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders opposed the measure, with DeSantis saying it only benefits large marijuana corporations and would leave a marijuana stench in the air.

But former President Donald Trump signaled support in early September for the measure and a potential federal policy shift to reclassify marijuana. He said he’d vote in favor of the initiative, one of the few positions where he and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris agreed.

A medical marijuana ballot initiative in 2014 failed to receive the required 60% threshold to pass. In 2016, then-Gov. Rick Scott approved a law allowing medical marijuana for patients with terminal conditions, and in that same year Florida voters approved a ballot referendum that extended access to people with conditions including HIV, PTSD, Parkinson’s disease or Crohn’s disease.

In Tuesday's General Election, Central Florida incumbents reclaimed their seats in the U.S. House.

• Republican Rep. Cory Mills won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday. Mills has represented the 7th District, which runs from the northeastern suburbs of Orlando to the Atlantic Coast, since 2023. Prior to entering Congress, he served in the U.S. Army. He serves on the Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Foreign Affairs. He defeated Democrat Jennifer Adams.
  
• Republican Rep. Kat Cammack won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday. She has represented the 3rd District, which includes north-central Florida and University of Florida's home Gainesville, since 2021. Prior to her election, she served as deputy chief of staff to her predecessor, former Rep. Ted Yoho, who held the seat for four terms. Cammack defeated Democrat Tom Wells, an engineer.
  
• Republican Rep. Michael Waltz won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday. Waltz won his fourth term representing the 6th District in east-central Florida, which includes Daytona Beach. Prior to his election to Congress, he served in the U.S. Army, including in Afghanistan, and in the Department of Defense. He defeated Democrat James Stockton, a pastor and former president of a local NAACP branch.
  
• Democratic Rep. Darren Soto won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday. Soto was first elected in 2016. His district stretches from eastern Orlando past Kissimmee. It is plurality Hispanic and solidly Democratic. Before being elected to Congress, Soto served in both chambers of the Florida state legislature. He defeated Republican Thomas Chalifoux and an independent candidate, Marcus Carter.
  
• Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday. Frost, the youngest member of the House, first won his seat in 2022 at the age of 25, becoming the first member of Generation Z to win a seat in Congress. The gun reform and social justice activist handily won a three-person primary earlier this year. Frost defeated Republican Willie Montague to win a second term representing the Orlando-area district.
  
• Republican Rep. Daniel Webster won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Florida on Tuesday. The 11th District includes western Orlando, Disney's four theme parks and The Villages, a large retirement community. The Central Florida district is comfortably Republican. Webster has represented some version of this district since 2017, but was first elected to Congress in 2012 from a seat that was redistricted. Prior to entering Congress, Webster served as speaker in the state House and majority leader in the state Senate.

Danielle Prieur

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Central Florida Public Media

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost has been reelected. He was first elected in 2022. His predecessor was former Congresswoman Val Demings.

Frost said he’s honored he gets to return to the Congress to represent Florida.

“I'm honored to be able to represent my home for another two years. You know, the power that elected officials have is a borrowed power, and I'm honored that the people are gonna allow me to borrow that for another two years,” said Frost.

Frost, now 27, was the first Gen-Z member of Congress.

He’s dedicated to causes like criminal justice reform and making healthcare more accessible and affordable for all.

But he said gun violence prevention is especially on his heart and mind tonight, after the mass shooting in downtown Orlando on Halloween.

Republican Patrick Breeden will succeed Sheriff Bill Farmer, who was first elected to the position in 1996.

Farmer will retire when his term ends in January. With about 80% of the county's vote and just about 9,000 votes left to count, Breeden defeats NPA opponent Eric Ryan Anderson.

Breeden has worked for 34 years in law enforcement.

Monique Worrell, whom the governor removed as state attorney for Orange and Osceola counties, has been reinstated by the voters.

With partial results in both counties, Worrell, a Democrat, had already received more than half the total ballots cast. She defeated Andrew Bain.

Bain, a former judge who was running as an independent, had been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August 2023.

A "Vote No on Amendment 4" party hosted by the Liberty Council is buzzing with optimism.

The crowd is expressing a lot of hope that Floridians will vote down the "Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion," which would codify abortion protections into the state constitution.

A supermajority is needed for it to pass, or 60% of the vote.

Matt Staver, the founder of Liberty Council of Florida, said he believes Florida will be the first state in the country to vote down an abortion amendment.

Joe Mario Pedersen

"I think there's no question Florida will be the first state in the country to vote down an abortion amendment," he said. "Obviously, we're on the East Coast, so we're going to get counted early. And not only that, I think we're going to have a big victory tonight. And I think going forward, it will set a trend."

Orange County voters approved charter Amendments 9 and 10, establishing a Rural Boundary and Rural Area and adding restrictions to annexations by cities within the county.

With partial results posted, the charter amendments had already received more than half the total ballots cast.

The Rural Area, created by Amendment 9, consists of largely undeveloped land outside the cities and areas where development is planned. A vote of half the County Commission plus will be needed to increase the density of development in the Rural Area.

The new rules for annexations, created by Amendment 10, will maintain those restrictions even if the land is annexed into a city. And the county can block that annexation by a majority-plus-one vote.

Orange County voters have decided to renew a half-cent sales tax that funds school construction and improvements.

The sales tax will run through 2035.

As of 7:45 p.m., with partial reporting, the initiative had already received 330,476 votes, which is more than half the total votes cast.

Orange County Public Schools said the current tax has generated more $4 billion since 2002 and has funded construction of 65 new schools.

Lillian Hernández Caraballo

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Central Florida Public Media

Republican Mike Haridopolos won election to a U.S. House seat representing Florida's 8th District on Tuesday.

The district, which is east of Orlando and covers Florida's Space Coast, is the state's only open seat this cycle.

Rep. Bill Posey held the seat for eight terms but announced his retirement in April.

Haridopolos, who had the support of Posey and other members of the congressional delegation upon entering the race, won the primary for the safely Republican seat.

He is a state legislator who served two years as president of the state Senate. The Associated Press declared Haridopolos the winner at 7:13 p.m.

The supervisors of elections in Flagler, Lake, Marion and Osceola counties have announced they'll transition their websites to "Election Night Mode" at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The "slimmed-down version" of the websites will look a little different but are designed to handle an increase in web traffic, according to a news release.

“The website will change in appearance, and we want to assure you the new look is our doing and not the actions of some nefarious operators tinkering with our website," said Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays in a prepared statement. "We have posted a preview of our website on our social media pages."

Election Day voters in Ocala reflect a diversity of experiences and opinions.

At the First Baptist Church of Ocala, 44-year-old Joe Sullivan said he was voting for the first time. It was his support for former President Donald Trump that drew him out.

“I’m a Trump guy,” Sullivan said. “He’s very passionate. He’s had several things happen to him and he’s still standing up strong. And I like that. He’s not scared. I lean on somebody that’s not scared.”

Sullivan’s top issue for this election is rebuilding the economy.

Another first-time voter was 75-year-old Elsa Maria Carrillo, from Guatemala. She became a U.S. citizen earlier this year.

“I am so happy. Really. It’s something very special for me because I am so thankful to this country that opened its arms for me to be free and to be happy,” Carrillo said.

She, also, voted for Trump.

Across town at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center, 90-year-old Edith Adams said she voted for Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Well, I like Harris for president,” Adams said. “I have nothing against Trump except his actions, words of speaking and how he speaks to people and how he treats people.”

Adams had driven herself to the polling place. She said it was her freedom that brought her out -- the freedom of being able to vote.

Adams said she votes whenever she can.

“I hope and pray that everyone come out and vote,” Adams said. “Whoever you vote for just make sure that you vote. And when you go to bed at night be comfortable that I’ve voiced my opinion.”

Brendan Byrne

In Orange, Lake and Osceola County Supervisor of Elections offices report issues connecting with a statewide voter database called the Florida Voter Registration System.

Kerri Ewalt, the Administrative Services Director with Osceola County, said the technology issue prevents the office from seeing someone’s voter history. If someone was registered in one county and moved to another, election offices cannot see if they voted already.

Because of this, counties are having people fill out provisional ballots; ballots used when a voter’s eligibility is uncertain. Those ballots will go before a canvassing board to determine if a voter was acting in good faith.

In Orange County, a spokesperson from the election supervisor’s office said the county was experiencing intermittent issues connecting with the system, but was able to rely on internal information to resolve some day-of voting problems. Like Osceola, the county is issuing provisional ballots should it need information only available via the statewide system.

Alan Hays, Lake County’s Supervisor of Elections, said the issue was the biggest obstacle the county has had to face today.

“We do have some problems with the state database, with voters trying to find out where their precinct is and things like that, but that's being worked on,” Hays said.

Image from the Lake County Supervisor of Elections Office website.

As of 2:00 p.m. with just five hours left before the polls close, Lake County’s Supervisor of Elections, Alan Hays, is urging people to continue voting in the local elections and not just the big ballot issues like race for president and the proposed constitutional amendments.

Hays said voting is an American responsibility and voting allows people to express their opinions. He encouraged anyone who has not voted yet to let their voice be heard.

“It's the least we as citizens can do today to honor the sacrifices that our soldiers and sailors and airmen have made over the centuries, to thank them and their families for those sacrifices by us going and voting,” Hays said. “They're just so many other countries that they don't have the privilege of voting like we do.”

While Hays said voting has been going smoothly in Lake County, he emphasized the importance of citizens learning about each candidate on the ballot prior to voting instead of leaving sections of the ballot blank; something Hays said most people do.

“People need to understand those local races are vitally important to your day-to-day work,” Hays said. “Those decisions that are made by city council members and county commission members, school board members; these types of decisions affect you and your family every day.”

As of 1:25 p.m. on Election Day in Seminole County, around 11,000 people had shown up to cast their ballots.

Luis-Alfredo Garcia

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Central Florida Public Media

Beyond the race for president, residents said they were drawn in by the recreational marijuana and abortion amendments. Seminole County resident Adam Shirley said the pair of amendments were at the top of his list.

He said he was pleased with the swift election process this year, as he thought lines would be longer and comparable to how they looked at some early voting sites.

“I was in line for like five minutes. Got in the door, got my ballot, voted and was in-and-out in another five minutes,” he said.

Fellow county resident 31-year-old Sarah Avila was more focused on abortion. She said the birth of her 4-month-old son made her think about a woman’s freedom to choose and abortions in ways she hadn’t before.

“In going through the process of motherhood, I was able to make an informed decision on that amendment that I felt was best for me and my future,” she said.

Avila brought her son to experience the voting process, as she said it’s never too early to begin. She intended to scrapbook the sticker she received and plans to document her son’s journey until he is old enough to vote.

Seminole County’s turnout in the 2020 General Election was 78.4 percent, according to the Florida Division of Elections. As of 1:25 p.m., the county’s voter turnout is 58.5 percent.

More than 5 million Floridians voted early ahead of the presidential election this year, compared to about 4 million that voted early in the last presidential election in 2020.

Gov. Ron DeSantis

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Governor Ron DeSantis conducted an informal poll of how his supporters had voted at both a Miami and Orlando stop on Monday.

Almost the entire room raised their hands when he asked if they had voted early at both sites.

“That's interesting. That's a change," he said. "If I asked that question, four years ago, most a lot of people were waiting for Election Day. Now people are going and banking, banking their votes earlier, which, which, I think is probably, you know, a good thing. It certainly means less lines on Election Day.”

Registered Republicans voted early more than Democrats this year, and Democrats tended to vote more by mail.

Polls remain open until 7 p.m. local time.

Election Day voting is going steady at polling places around Central Florida – but still trails early voting by large numbers.

In Marion County, for instance, about 38,000 on Election Day had voted as of 12:45 p.m. Many more voted early and by mail. The overall turnout was around 70% so far.

At the First Baptist Church in Ocala, voters waited in a short line of about a dozen people outside the polling place. By noon, the line had disappeared.

Joe Byrnes

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Central Florida Public Media

Seventy-four-year-old Susan Moring loves seeing the turnout.

“I’m pleased to see that this turnout is really good,” she said after casting her ballot. “I tried to vote early and the line was too long – I couldn’t stay. And I think that is absolutely the best thing for this country – people exercising that duty and privilege."

Moring didn’t want to talk about her presidential preference. As a voter, she said her biggest concern is unity and civil behavior.

Elsewhere in Central Florida, Sumter County leads the way with more than 79% turnout so far and Lake County with more than 77%. Most of those people voted before election day.

Translated ballots in Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog, a primary language in the Filipino community, are now available for voters in Orange County, according to a press release shared Tuesday by the local nonprofit AAPI Coming Together (ACT), which stands for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Coming Together.

The group describes the partnership with the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office a “groundbreaking” step, with the goal of breaking down language barriers to ensure a fully accessible, inclusive voting experience for Asian American voters in the county.

“Providing translated ballots ensures that our community members, who speak Chinese, Vietnamese, or Tagalog, can fully engage in the democratic process. This is a crucial step toward greater representation and participation in the political system,” said ACT Co-Founder Ricky Ly in a prepared statement Tuesday.

Orlando’s diverse AAPI community includes significant populations of Chinese, Vietnamese and Filipino people, according to ACT’s press release.

“Together, these three language groups represent a substantial segment of Orlando’s Asian American population, many of whom face language barriers when it comes to fully participating in the electoral process,” according to the release.

Ricky Ly

The state Division of Elections’ voter lookup tool was down as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Election Day and the last day to vote in the 2024 General Election.

In a press release shared shortly after 11 a.m., the Florida Election Protection Coalition called the website crash a “failure … to provide critical voting information for voters who are seeking to cast their votes today,” according to a press release from the nonpartisan coalition, made up of more than 35 groups based in Florida.

“It is urgent for voters to be able to find the information they need to vote today. While these websites are down, voters should call their county supervisor of elections office on the phone to get the information they need before they go vote,” wrote Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida, a member of the coalition, in a prepared statement.

The coalition shared another state link where voters can locate contact information for their county’s supervisor of elections office.

As of 11:41 a.m., the voter lookup tool appeared to be back online, albeit loading information slowly; however, the website stalled and failed to actually produce the requested voter information