Florida’s Marco Rubio wins 3rd Senate term, defeats Demings

Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has won a third term, defeating U.S. Rep. Val Demings and holding a key seat as the GOP tried to regain control of a closely divided Senate. Rubio, 51, faced perhaps his toughest battle since he was first elected in 2010 after serving as the Florida House speaker. Once a […]

Combating election disinformation and misinformation

Combating disinformation and misinformation during an election season is critical not only on the day you cast your ballot but also in the weeks and months that follow. Millions of people have already voted across Southwest Florida. “We are Americans. It’s a big deal to be American. I know so many immigrants that come here, […]

DeSantis defeats Crist, wins 2nd term as Florida governor

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection to a second term Tuesday in a victory over Democrat Charlie Crist, bolstering his rise as a prominent GOP star with potential White House ambitions. DeSantis’ win continues a rightward shift for what was once the nation’s largest swing state, as voters embraced a governor who reveled in […]

DeSantis allies privately express anger at Trump’s ‘DeSanctimonious’ jab

Several allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis, including some who are close to former President Donald Trump, have privately expressed anger and even disgust with Trump for publicly calling his fellow Republican “Ron DeSanctimonious,” CBS News reports. They’re urging DeSantis, his family and his top aides to move forward with a 2024 presidential bid. The allies […]

Trump says he’ll make ‘big announcement’ Nov. 15 in Florida

Former President Donald Trump said Monday he will make a “big announcement” next week as he teased a third presidential run while campaigning on the eve of the final day of voting in this year’s midterm elections. “I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said before […]

Florida GOP looks to seize advantage of redrawn House maps

There will be at least six newcomers to the U.S. House of Representatives in Tuesday’s vote from Florida as Republicans try to take advantage of an aggressively redrawn congressional map spearheaded by Gov. Ron DeSantis. In the wake of the 2020 census, DeSantis had ordered the GOP-controlled legislature to adopt a map devised to maximize […]

Early voting wrapping up ahead of Election Day

People were out casting their votes on Monday, the last day of early voting before Election Day. Lines here for early voting have been picked up throughout the afternoon at Fort Myers Regional Library on Monday as many people say they’re here hoping to avoid even bigger lines ahead of Election Day. Jackie Lou said […]

Gov. DeSantis’ Don’t Tread on Florida Tour at Alico Arena

Gov. Ron DeSantis is on the campaign trail, and Sunday night he stopped by the Alico Arena in Fort Myers. This event at the Florida Gulf Coast University area is part of his “Don’t Tread on Florida Tour.” Thousands showed up to Alico Arena to support DeSantis and listen to some country music. A group […]

Spread of election lies in Florida’s Spanish-speaking communities is ‘fracturing democratic institutions,’ advocates warn

With voting already underway in this year’s midterms, election lies and QAnon conspiracy theories are circulating among Spanish-speaking communities, raising alarm bells for advocates that it could discourage Latinos from voting and further divide communities. The impact of disinformation has been especially acute in south Florida with its large Spanish-speaking community, foreign-born population, and significant […]

vote by mail

Fixing flagged mail-in ballots

Voters are encouraged to track their ballot online if they voted by mail to be positive it’s accepted without issue since there were more than 15,000 rejected vote-by-mail ballots statewide. The votes were flagged due to problems including, but not limited to, signature issues. The mail-in ballots that have been flagged are at risk of […]