2026 Midterms State GuideFlorida
Hold on to your gators and flip-flops.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in Florida, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
A prayer for Florida
Light of the World, all eyes are on the Sunshine State. In the midst of that pressure, we ask that You would shine Your light on places of darkness and fear this midterm season. Anchor Floridians in wisdom to vote, seeking the righteousness of Your Kingdom and the flourishing of their communities.
Read the whole prayerUpdated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you... the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your gators and flip-flops, and let’s get into it.
Florida at a glance
Florida votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate, all 28 U.S. House seats and three statewide ballot measures.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 5: Voter registration deadline
- Early voting
- Oct. 24 to Oct. 31: Early voting period
- Governor
- 10 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 3 candidates
- U.S. House
- 28 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 3
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
Florida certifies the results
Results become official once Florida certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- Aug. 18Primaries This date has passed.
- Sep. 24 to Oct. 1Vote-by-mail ballots go out to voters who requested them. This date has passed.
- Oct. 5Voter registration deadline This date has passed.
- Oct. 22Deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot mailed to you This date has passed.
- Oct. 24 to Oct. 31Early voting period This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; vote-by-mail ballots must be received by 7 p.m. (not just postmarked). This date has passed.
What’s at stake
Floridians are feeling loyal. According to a 2026 Stetson poll, 85%-91% of voters support their party’s candidate no matter who it is, and they’ll get a shot to prove it. Technically, 2026 isn’t a Senate election year for the Sunshine State, but Marco Rubio vacated his seat to be Secretary of State. Ashley Moody (appointed by the governor) has filled the seat, but voters must decide whether they want her or someone else to serve out the rest of Rubio’s term. The same Stetson poll found that 39% named cost of living as the most important issue facing the state, followed by immigration for Republicans and democracy and voting rights for Democrats.
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Florida is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 3 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 3 picked
- Top priorities
David JollyDemocrat- Solving the affordability and insurance crisis with a state catastrophic fund and no-interest loans for condo owners
- Saving public schools by increasing funding and requiring voucher-funded private schools to offer equal services
- Strengthening Florida's campaign finance and ethics rules
Byron DonaldsRepublicancurrent U.S. Representative, District 19
Top priorities- Advancing President Trump's agenda in Florida
- Securing the border, cutting public benefits for immigrants in the country illegally, and stopping drug trafficking
- Making Florida affordable by addressing the property insurance crisis and lowering housing costs
- Top prioritiesScott JewettLibertarian
- Improving affordability by testing whether state decisions raise costs and cutting rules and fees that raise prices
- Fixing the insurance affordability crisis by increasing competition and protecting homeowners from abusive claims practices
- Lowering property taxes by eliminating homestead property taxes and requiring governments to set priorities
- Top prioritiesDean AbramsNo Party Affiliation
- Lowering property insurance premiums by requiring insurers to disclose costs and capping insurer profits
- Making government agencies serve the public by tightening lobbying and gift rules and publishing performance scorecards
- Ending warrantless license-plate-reader surveillance and auditing existing state surveillance systems
- Top prioritiesCharles BurkettNo Party Affiliation
- Keeping Florida affordable by cutting and eventually eliminating property taxes for homeowners and renters
- Rewriting insurance laws to bring more competition to the property and auto insurance markets
- Reversing what he calls the damage lobbyists and special interests have done to local communities
- Top prioritiesMoliere “Moe” DimancheNo Party Affiliation
- Empowering residents by turning unincorporated land into municipalities
- Permanently closing the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center and preventing similar facilities
- Abolishing homeowners associations and homestead property taxes
- Top prioritiesFrank RussoNo Party Affiliation
- Making Florida affordable again by lowering costs and protecting homeowners
- Investing in people by raising average teacher pay to at least $75,000 and expanding skilled trades
- Building Florida's next economy with pro-business, pro-innovation policies and AI-ready workforce training
- See platform
Jeffrey DattoNo Party Affiliation - Kathy AndersonWrite-in
- Erik MorrisWrite-in
- Get to know ’em
Angie NixonDemocrat - Neil GillespieNo affiliation
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
This year, Florida is debuting some new
Evergladesdistrict boundaries, making it one of nine states to feature a new Congressional map in 2026.- Shadrach’s big picture
Floridians will elect 28 candidates to represent them in the U.S. House. Under the new map, Republicans are expected to hold 24 of those seats (up from 20 under the previous map).
- Open seats
Seven: Reps. Neal Dunn (R-2), Daniel Webster (R-11), Vern Buchanan (R-16), and Frederica Wilson (D-24) are retiring from office; Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19) is running for governor; Rep. Lois Frankel (D-22) is running in the newly redistricted FL-23; and Rep. Cory Mills (R-7) lost his primary.
- The redistricting effect
Rep. Moskowitz (D-23) was pushed into FL-25 and Rep. Wasserman Schultz (D-25) was pushed into FL-20. Rep. Frankel chose to leave her now-redder FL-22 for the now-bluer FL-23, and Reps. Webster (R-11) and Buchanan (R-16) chose to retire after their seats were shifted.
- Competitive districts
Two districts, FL-14 and FL-25, are considered competitive toss-ups. FL-22 leans but isn’t solidly Republican. FL-10, FL-20, FL-23, and FL-24 are ranked solidly Democratic, and the rest are likely or solidly Republican. FL-10 was guaranteed to Democrats because no Republicans filed to run.
Statewide ballot measures
3 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
The measure would let Florida save more money in its "rainy day fund" for emergencies or economic downturns, raising the cap from 10% to 25% of the state's general revenue, and would require the state to add at least $750 million to it every year, with some exceptions.
Voting yessupports raising the cap on the rainy day fund from 10% to 25% of the state's general revenue and requiring the state to add at least $750 million to it every year, with some exceptionsVoting noopposes the change, keeping the rainy-day fund's cap at 10% and not requiring an annual depositThis amendment would exempt tangible personal property (translation: farm equipment or tools) from property taxes if the property is typically present on agricultural land, used for farming or agritourism activities (like corn mazes or pumpkin patches), and owned by the landowner or leaseholder of the land.
Voting yessupports exempting farm equipment and tools from property taxes when they are kept on agricultural land, used for farming or agritourism, and owned by the landowner or leaseholderVoting noopposes this amendment, keeping farm equipment and tools taxed as property under the current rulesHomeowners who live in their Florida home full-time already get an exemption of about $50,000 on non-school property taxes. This amendment would raise that to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, while cutting the amount local governments have to spend by close to $12 billion a year once it's fully phased in, and capping how fast taxes can rise on rentals and commercial property.
Voting yessupports raising the full-time homeowner exemption on non-school property taxes from about $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, cutting what local governments have to spend by close to $12 billion a year, and capping how fast taxes can rise on rentals and commercial propertyVoting noopposes the change, keeping the exemption at $50,000, the assessment cap on rentals and commercial properties at 10%, and current local governments' spending rules as they are
Also on the ballot
Other races Florida voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Agriculture Commissioner
- Treasurer
- State House
- State Senate
- Special state legislative
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- Municipal government
- Recalls
- Local ballot measures
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
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From the newsroom
How TPO has covered Florida this cycle. Tap one to read it here.
- August 21Primary elections
- May 1New congressional map approved
The latest round of America’s redistricting battle came Monday. The Supreme Court cleared Texas’s redrawn congressional map—projected to give the Lone Star State up to five more red House seats—ending a multi-year legal fight. Hours later, Gov. DeSantis (R-FL) unveiled a proposed Florida map that could net the GOP four more seats; Florida’s legislature opens a special session Tuesday to consider.
One story from that day’s newsletter.
Read the full day’s news
A prayer for Florida
Light of the World, all eyes are on the Sunshine State. In the midst of that pressure, we ask that You would shine Your light on places of darkness and fear this midterm season. Anchor Floridians in wisdom to vote, seeking the righteousness of Your Kingdom and the flourishing of their communities.
We pray for every candidate. Keep them from performance, posturing, and contempt. Instead, help them campaign with transparency and integrity. May whoever wins steward the weight of this office well, leading with dignity and discernment.
For the many who will be disappointed by the result, comfort them in their grief and make Yourself known to them in their fear of tomorrow. Open doors for conversations about the good news that Your sovereignty is not suspended on election night, and your good purposes aren’t undone by any election cycle.
And for the many who will be pleased, turn their hearts toward love of neighbor, humble service, and gracious speech.
Amen.