Election headlines: Constitutional Amendment 1, which would have turned school board elections into partisan events with candidates being identified by party affiliation, was turned back by voters yesterday, as were amendments to legalize recreational marijuana and enshrine abortion rights in the constitution when none received the required 60 percent of the vote. Twenty-six of the 27 tax issues that went before voters were approved, some overwhelmingly, two school board incumbents lost their seats, and seven of the eight incumbent school superintendents up for re-election won. Gov. Ron DeSantis also had a good night, with the abortion and marijuana initiatives he opposed losing and about half of the school board candidates he endorsed winning. Here are details about other election results around the state and nation:
Miami-Dade: The school board will remain a majority conservative body after incumbent Mary Blanco crushed Maxeme Tuchman for the District 7 seat, 68-32 percent. Her election keeps five of the nine seats in conservative hands. In the other race, District 3, Joe Geller received almost 55 percent of the vote to defeat Martin Karp. Supervisor of elections. Miami Herald.
Broward: About 60 percent of voters decided Tuesday to change the Broward charter to allow the county general inspector to have the same oversight over the school district as the office does over county and city governments. Supervisor of elections. Sun Sentinel. WLRN.
Hillsborough: Two tax issues for schools were approved by voters Tuesday. A new 1-mill property tax to improve pay for teachers and other school employees was approved by almost 67 percent of voters, and a half-cent sales tax to help school infrastructure was renewed with 51.6 percent of the vote. In the District 7 school board vote, incumbent Lynn Gray narrowly edged Karen Bendorf, 50.8-49.2 percent. Supervisor of elections. Tampa Bay Times. WFLA. WTVT.
Orange: Anne Douglas won the District 4 school board race over Kyle Goudy by a margin of 59-41 percent. And about 72 percent of voters approved the renewal of the district’s half-penny sales tax for capital improvements. Supervisor of elections. WESH. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG.
Palm Beach: District 1 will be represented on the school board by Matthew Lane and by Gloria Branch in District 5 after Tuesday’s vote. Lane defeated Page Lewis with 54.6 percent of the vote, and Branch turned away Mindy Koch with 53.6 percent support. Residents also approved a half-cent sales tax for capital improvements for schools by a vote of about 60-40 percent. Supervisor of elections. Palm Beach Post. Sun Sentinel.
Duval: Reginald Blount won a 12-percentage point victory over Hank Rogers for the District 5 school board seat, ensuring a conservative majority on the board. Supervisor of elections. Jacksonville Today. WJXT.
Lee: Denise Carlin easily won the first election for the school superintendent’s job since 1974 with 68 percent of the vote against Victor Arias. In the District 7 school board race, Vanessa Chaviano was favored by 69 percent of voters over Sheridan Chester. Supervisor of elections. WINK. Repairs of hurricane damage continue at the Sanibel School and Fort Myers Beach Elementary. Sanibel has an air quality test this week that could allow it to reopen next week. Students are attending Heights Elementary. Damage was more severe at Fort Myers Beach Elementary, whose students have been attending San Carlos Elementary. District officials hope to have a timeline to return by Friday. WFTX.
Pinellas: Katie Blaxberg won a close race for the District 5 school board seat over Stacy Geier and will replace the retiring Carol Cook. Blaxberg received 52.22 percent of the vote to Geier’s 47.78 percent. And about two-thirds of voters supported doubling an existing property tax from a half-mill to a full mill to fund higher salaries for teachers and other district workers, arts programs and other student activities. It’s the sixth time county voters have approved the tax. Supervisor of elections. Tampa Bay Times. A 13-year-old Tyrone Middle School student is in stable condition after shooting herself Tuesday morning on the school bus as it headed to the St. Petersburg school. Police said the girl brought the gun onto the bus, and they’re trying to determine if the shooting was accidental. Twenty other students were also aboard, but none were injured. Tampa Bay Times. WFTS. Spectrum News 9.
Pasco: Republican John Legg will be the next school superintendent after he defeated Democrat Chris Dunning, 59-41 percent. Legg, a former state legislator and a charter school owner, will succeed Kurt Browning. Supervisor of elections. Tampa Bay Times. WUSF. Four scheduled early-release days have been turned into full days for students to make up some of the nine days of instruction time lost when hurricanes Helene and Milton closed schools in late September and early October. School officials decided not to wait until the end of hurricane season to announce that Jan. 29, Feb. 26, March 26 and April 30 are now full days, to allow families to go ahead with Thanksgiving and winter holiday plans. Tampa Bay Times.
Osceola: Incumbent District 5 school board member Scott Ramsey was upset by Paula Bronson, who won with almost 60 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections. Florida Today.
Brevard: Incumbent District 4 school board member Matt Susin has been re-elected over Avanese Taylor with about 60 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections. Florida Today. WKMG.
Seminole: District 3 school board incumbent Abby Sanchez has held on to her seat by defeating challenger Stephanie Arguello 53-47 percent. The county’s 1-cent sales tax surcharge for infrastructure gathered 73 percent support. Twenty-five percent of the money raised by that tax goes for school construction. Supervisor of elections. Central Florida Public Media.
Volusia: Incumbent school board member Carl Persis was handily beaten Tuesday for his District 4 seat by Donna Brosemer, 58.6-41.4 percent. The other seat, District 2, was claimed by Krista Goodrich over Cassandra Gonyer, also with 58.6 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Manatee: Heather Felton and Charles Kennedy were elected Tuesday to the school board. Felton defeated Mark Stanoch in District 1, 57.6-42.4 percent, and Kennedy topped Jon Lynch in District 3 with 57.5 percent support. And an overwhelming 82.6 percent of voters approved the renewal of the 1-mill property tax initiative for school operations, including higher teacher pay, and improving school safety, early childhood education and athletic programs. Supervisor of elections. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
St. Johns: Two tax measures for schools were approved Tuesday by voters. A half-cent sales tax for capital improvements was favored by 60 percent of voters, and a new 1-mill increase in property taxes to boost salaries for teachers and other school employees received the support of 68 percent of voters. In the race for the District 5 school board seat, Linda Thomson was favored by 51 percent to slip past Bethany Hilbert. Supervisor of elections. WJXT. Jacksonville Today. St. Augustine Record.
Collier: School officials will be able to shift 35 percent of the revenues from an existing 1-mill property tax for capital improvements to also help pay operating expenses after almost 85 percent of voters approved the district’s request. Supervisor of elections. Naples Daily News.
St. Lucie: Sixty-seven percent of voters have agreed to renew the half-cent sales tax to help build schools and upgrade existing ones. The tax is forecast to raise $25 million a year for the next 10 years. Supervisor of elections. TCPalm.
Marion: The school district’s request for a half-cent sales tax for 10 years to make capital improvements, bolster school security and retain teachers was approved Tuesday by a vote of 59.4-40.6 percent. Supervisor of elections. Ocala Star-Banner. WKMG.
Sarasota: Eighty-four percent of voters agreed Tuesday to renew a 1-mill property tax to raise money for school operations, including attracting and retaining high-quality staff, elevating workforce education, ensuring safe and secure schools, enriching learning experiences and promoting student achievement. Supervisor of elections. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Clay: Robert Alvero has won the District 2 school board seat over James Hughes, 54.5-45.5 percent. Supervisor of elections.
Escambia: Carissa Bergosh narrowly won the District 4 school board seat over Rich Holzknecht by a margin of 51.4-48.6 percent. Voters voted 68.8-31.2 percent to renew a half-cent sales tax for school infrastructure. Supervisor of elections. Pensacola News Journal.
Leon: Superintendent Rocky Hanna easily won re-election Tuesday over his challenger, Chiles High School principal Joe Burgess, receiving more than 70 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections. Tallahassee Democrat. WTXL.
Santa Rosa: District 2 school board incumbent Elizabeth Hewey held off challenger Oscar Locklin, 52.1-47.9 percent. Supervisor of elections.
Alachua: Voters overwhelmingly renewed a 1-mill property tax to support school district operations. About three-quarters of those who went to the polls backed the initiative. Supervisor of elections.
Hernando: Michelle Bonczek won the race to represent District 4 on the school board, defeating Mark Cioffi by a margin of about 55-45 percent. Two tax measures that benefit schools were renewed Tuesday with more than 60 percent support. The 1-mill property tax that will be in place for four years raises money for teacher salaries, mental health and safety, technology and continuation of academic programs. Capital improvements will benefit for the next 10 years from revenue from the half-cent sales tax. Supervisor of elections. Hernando Sun. Hernando Today.
Martin: About 64 percent of voters decided Tuesday to renew a half-mill property tax for school operations that includes technology, recruiting and retaining teachers and improving school safety and security. Supervisor of elections.
Indian River: A half-mill property tax for school operations, including technology, recruiting teachers and improving school security, was easily extended by voters Tuesday. Nearly three-quarters of the votes supported the tax. Supervisor of elections.
Citrus: Ken Frink has won the District 2 school board race over Victoria Smith by collecting almost 60 percent of the votes. Frink narrowly missed winning the election outright in the Aug. 20 primary with 46 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections. Citrus County Chronicle. Florida Politics.
Putnam: Rick Surrency, the incumbent Republican superintendent, was chosen on more than 9 out of every 10 ballots to win re-election over write-in candidate Pat Wilson. Supervisor of elections.
Monroe: Two school board referendum were approved by voters. the half-cent added sales tax for capital projects for the next 10 years was approved by 71.4 percent of voters, and renewal of a half-mill property tax for operational expenses and school security for the next four years received 81.8 percent support. Supervisor of elections. As a reminder that the hurricane season isn’t over yet, district school officials announced that classes have been canceled today because severe weather from Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to affect the lower Keys. Key West Citizen. Miami Herald. WSVN.
Jackson: Republican Hunter Nolen easily won the school superintendent’s seat over Democrat Eddie Ellis, 68.4-31.6 percent. The renewal of a half-cent sales tax for 10 years for school infrastructure and technology also won voter approval, 58.5-41.5 percent. Supervisor of elections.
Suwannee: Republican Superintendent Ronnie Gray was named on almost 90 percent of ballots to wallop write-in candidate Janene Fitzpatrick. In the race for the District 1 school board seat, Lesley Fry collected 55 percent of votes against Adam Hitt. Supervisor of elections. WTXL.
Gadsden: Stacey Hannigon appears to have won the District 5 school board seat in a very close battle with Jamaal Holt. With all precincts reporting, Hannigon won 50.73 percent to Holt’s 49.27 percent, a difference of just 56 votes. Voters narrowly defeated a 15-year half-cent sales tax for upgraded facilities and school safety by a margin of 50.9 percent to 49.10 percent, or 369 votes. Supervisor of elections.
DeSoto: Republican Bobby Bennett was re-elected school superintendent, 63-37 percent, over Democrat Jermaine Andrews. Supervisor of elections.
Bradford: Incumbent Republican Superintendent Will Hartley received more than 80 percent of the votes cast to defeat nonpartisan candidate Alan Bhajan. Supervisor of elections. WUFT.
Gilchrist: Tammy Moore was elected to the District 4 school board seat over Patricia Philman by a margin of 58-42 percent. Supervisor of elections.
Madison: Republican Karen Pickles has upset the incumbent superintendent, Shirley Joseph, by attracting 60 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections.
Gulf: A 1-mill, four-year property tax for school operations, including teacher pay, school security, arts programs and technology upgrades, won renewal Tuesday with about 80 percent support from voters. Supervisor of elections.
Glades: Larry Luckey II has been elected to the school board’s District 2 seat over Kari West by about an 18-percentage point margin. Supervisor of elections.
Hamilton: Incumbent Republican Superintendent Lee Wetherington-Zamora received about 70 percent of the votes cast to turn away Democratic challenger Paula Williams. An extra 0.25-mill property tax for school operations that would run from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, was also renewed with about 60 percent support. Supervisor of elections.
Franklin: Republican Steve Lanier easily defeated Democrat Jill Rudd for the superintendent’s job with more than 70 percent support. Voters also passed a half-mill increase in a property tax for school operations, including higher pay for teachers and other district employees, increasing career and technical education and improving school security. Supervisor of elections.
Jefferson: Democrat Jackie Pons, the former superintendent of Leon County and current principal at the Jefferson County School, has been elected to lead the school district. He defeated Republican Al Cooksey with about 58 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections. Tallahassee Democrat.
Around the nation: Former President Donald Trump easily carried Florida and is on the cusp of winning the presidency this morning, Republicans regain control of the U.S. Senate, Rick Scott is re-elected to his Florida Senate seat, it is still unclear which party will control the U.S. House, and ballot issues were decided around the country.
