Florida’s general election results were certified by the Election Canvassing Commission on November 17th. Republican Ileana Garcia prevailed over Democrat incumbent Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez in Miami-Dade County by 32 votes, requiring a recount. There are now 24 republicans and 16 democrats in the Senate and 78 republicans and 42 democrats in the House of Representatives. The Florida Legislature now has the largest freshman class in almost two decades. Additionally, there are 55 women serving in the Legislature, representing the highest number in history.
On the congressional level, newly elected Congresswoman Kat Cammack will be the youngest GOP woman currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives at age 32. She succeeds former Congressman Ted Yoho representing the 3rd congressional district. Former state representative Byron Donalds (R-Fort Myers) also won a contested race for the 19th congressional district.
Florida’s presidential electors met on December 14th to cast votes for the U.S. President and Vice President. Florida’s 29 electoral votes went to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris defeated the incumbents on a final electoral college vote of 306-232.
On the economic front, Florida’s revenue collections for the state’s previous fiscal year, ending June 30th, were not as bad as anticipated. While they were $1.9 billion below estimates, the $2 billion surplus effectively negated it.
Fortunately, the actual revenues exceeded the official revenue estimates for the current fiscal year. The revenues for the months of August through October were:
- August – $177.3 million above estimate
- September – $230.2 million above estimate
- October – $313.5 million above estimate
This means that general revenue collections for the current state fiscal year are $193.5 million below the pre-pandemic January 2020 forecast. This is good news for Florida’s struggling economy.