Live election updates: Who won and who lost in South Florida? Check results

Voters in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties headed to the polls Tuesday for midterm elections. Polls closed at 7 p.m. in South Florida.

We’ll be updating you through the night on races for governor and senator, state amendments and local seats.

Here’s the latest:

Watch live election results from South Florida

Polls have closed in South Florida.

Follow live election results for Miami-Dade races. These stories will be updated through the night.

See the Miami-Dade results ticker

See live election results for Broward races. These stories will be updated through the night.

See the Broward results ticker

In what may be the most consequential election in Florida in nearly a decade, voters cast ballots for a new governor, to choose Marco Rubio’s replacement in the U.S. Senate and to weigh in on the balance of power in Congress and the Florida Legislature.

See the Florida statewide midterm election results including governor

Salazar appears to narrowly edge out Rodriguez

Former TV reporter Rep. María Elvira Salazar appears set to serve a fourth term representing Florida’s Congressional District 27, as final ballots trickle in and show her a hair’s breadth ahead — and potentially safe from an automatic recount.

Around 9 p.m., her Democratic challenger, Eliott Rodriguez, told supporters that the race was “too close to call” and suggested to the enthusiastic crowd gathered at South Miami’s Pub52 that a recount was needed.

But by 10 p.m., Salazar declared victory in the race, which was a nail-biter that had the two candidates each with 50% of the vote for most of the night.

See full story

Florida Amendment 3 passes

In a year where cost of living is front of mind for voters, Floridians approved a constitutional amendment that would significantly cut property taxes for people who own the homes they live in.

Amendment 3, which is expected to save Florida homeowners thousands and cost local governments billions, passed with about 62% of the vote. It needed at least 60%.

Its approval means Florida’s tax and budget landscape is set to dramatically change as early as January.

See full story

Nixon concedes, vows 2028 return

After Tuesday’s loss, Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon already has her eyes on 2028 when Sen. Ashley Moody will be up for re-election. Moody won a special election Tuesday to finish former Sen. Marco Rubio’s term.

“I think we have proven ourselves and that with a little investment earlier on we can actually win this thing and so I’m excited to get to work,” she told reporters at her election night watch party in Jacksonville.

She pointed to underinvestment in Florida and Democrats’ voter registration disadvantage as key reasons she couldn’t pull out a win this time around.

“A 1.5 million gap as far as voter registration is a big thing. And so I’m looking forward to registering voters these next two years,” she said.

“I’m not some fly-by-night fluke. This was years of investment after people left this state and so I’m looking forward to 2028.”

— CLAIRE HEDDLES

Broward rains swamp turnout

Heavy rainfall likely affected overall voter turnout in Broward County on Election Day, according to the Broward Supervisor of Elections, Joe Scott.

About 48% of registered voters came out to vote—about 660,500 people—in Broward County this year during midterm elections, as of late Tuesday night. More voters cast ballots this year than in 2022—around 600,000 people—but the turnout was not as good as in 2018—around 715,000, said Joe Scott, Broward Supervisor of Elections.

“I think without the weather, there would have been a lot more — more people would have voted,” Scott said.

As of 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, a few thousand mail-in ballots still needed counting.

Aside from some technical hiccups at polling places in Broward County this morning, the elections went smoothly, said Scott. Broward County adopted a new check-in tool to scan voters’ ballots, which caused a delay at polling places early this morning.

“We haven’t had a chance to really dig into it yet, so we don’t know exactly what happened. But something went wrong where it was saying all the ballots were wrong,” Scott said. But, those ballot weren’t wrong. “They were the right ballots,” he said.

Polling precincts decided to disable the tool and proceed as they did in previous years. The result was that some voters left their polling place after not wanting to wait in line, but no counts were impacted.

“The worst thing about that was that some people left, which is awful,” Scott said.

The polling place with the longest lines this year was likely the Century Village Clubhouse in Pembroke Pines, where many voters were still waiting to vote after polls closed.

— LAUREN COSTANTINO

Byron Donalds becomes Florida’s first Black governor

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds won about half of the vote Tuesday, enough to enter his name in history books as Florida’s first Black governor and extend nearly 30 years of uninterrupted Republican rule in the state.

Boosted by an endorsement last year from President Donald Trump and a massive funding advantage that came with it, Donalds fended off Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican U.S. representative from Pinellas County who’s become a prominent cable TV pundit.

See full story

At his watch party from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Donalds thanked his wife and three sons for being on the journey with him. And he thanked his mother who was also on the stage with him.

“You laid the foundation, the man that I have become” he said.

Donalds said he just had two phone calls. One from his opponent for the governor’s seat, Jolly. He said wanted to “congratulate David on a hard fought race.”

The second call, he said, was from President Donald Trump, who he thanked for supporting him.

“Mr. President I want you to know from Florida that we are still red.”

Donalds’ message to those who didn’t vote for him?

“You have my word, that I will be your governor too.”

— CHURCHILL NDONWIE

Challenger issues statement in attorney general race

José Javier Rodríguez, hoping to unseat James Uthmeier for Florida Attorney General, issued a statement after a close race favored the incumbent.

“While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, I want to thank every Floridian who supported our campaign. For 519 days, we worked to raise expectations of what the attorney general’s office should deliver for Florida families,” Rodríguez said.

“I congratulate James Uthmeier on his victory and wish him and his family well. I hope he will serve all Floridians and prove wrong those who have raised concerns about the politicization of the office.”

Coral Gables reelects mayor

Coral Gables voters on Tuesday reelected Mayor Vince Lago for a fourth and final term and added a new face to the five-member City Commission: political newcomer and Florida International University fundraiser Dominique “Nikki” Whiting. A third race between incumbent Commissioner Melissa Castro and her challenger, Nestor Menendez, remains close. As of 9:15 p.m., Menendez was leading Castro by 93 votes. That puts the race within the half-percentage point margin that can trigger a recount under Florida law.

See full story

Disappointment for Nixon

As disappointment spread through the room when results came in during Angie Nixon’s Election Night Watch party, speakers took to the stage to rally supporters to continue her fight.

“Tomorrow we will continue to organize,” Maurice Mitchell, the National Director of the Working Families Party, told the room about . “Because that’s what our people do,” he said.

“No matter what your outcome is, we are winning. They are scared. They are afraid,” said Gainesville activist Chane Jackson just after the race was called for Republican Sen. Ashley Moody.

Shortly after, the room started singing together “We are building a new Florida,” before Beyoncé’s Break My Soul played over the loudspeaker as the crowd waited for Nixon to take the stage.

— CLAIRE HEDDLES

Baez-Geller beats Basabe

Democrat Lucia Báez-Geller defeated incumbent Republican Fabián Basabe for Florida House District 106, returning to elected office after serving on the Miami-Dade County School Board. Báez-Geller taught at Miami Beach Senior High School for 15 years before entering elected public service.

“I am honored that our community has once again trusted me to serve, and I am so grateful to my family, friends, volunteers, and supporters,” Báez-Geller said in a statement. “As a mother and an educator, I know how much families are counting on us. I’m proud to return to public service and continue the work that brought me into the classroom and onto the School Board.”

Basabe had numerous confrontations outside a Miami Beach polling location during early voting, squaring off with campaign volunteers, a police officer and even the Miami-Dade mayor, records and videos show.

Florida House District 106 covers coastal communities in northeastern Miami-Dade County, including Miami Beach, Surfside, Sunny Isles Beach and Aventura.

Miami-Dade early counts for governor, senate seats

Early counts show Democrat David Jolly leading in Miami-Dade county in Florida’s gubernatorial race with 54.5% of the votes after 7:15. Republican candidate Byron Donalds was at 44%.

Six years ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis had decisively taken Miami-Dade, among the most swing counties in the nation, with 55% of the votes — the largest margin of any GOP gubernatorial candidate in more than four decades on his path to re-election in 2022.

As of 7.15 PM, Democrat Angie Nixon was leading Ashley Moody in Miami-Dade for the state’s senate seat.

— SHIRSHO DASGUPTA

Coral Gables candidate Whiting wins

“It’s a surreal feeling to see your name on the ballot and to be surrounded by your family, friends, and loved ones makes it all worthwhile,” said Coral Gables candidate Dominique Nikki Whiting as she closely watched the election results on her phone with supporters at the historic Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables.

She won the vote with nearly 56% of the vote.

Whiting, the youngest of the candidates at 33, was running for the Group V seat vacated by Coral Gables Commissioner Ariel Fernandez. Her opponent is longtime Gables resident and real estate investor Gonzalo Sanabria.

“There’s no such thing as doing anything alone. These are the wind beneath my wings and I have a responsibility, I feel an obligation to to do right by them. And God, not just by them, not just by the donors or the people in here, but by the residents,” Whiting said.

Her current boss and former Lieutenant Governor and current FIU president Jeanette Nuñez and former bosses former Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo turned out to support her.

“You can differ and be in agreement with a candidate … but at the end of the day what matters most” is not how the person votes on one particular issue, it’s “about character,” said Ros-Lehtinen.

— MICHELLE MARCHANTE

Miami voters reject Virginia Key deal

Miami voters soundly defeated a plan that would have let a developer lease about 28 acres of city-owned land on Virginia Key to redevelop two marinas off the Rickenbacker Causeway. The controversial ballot question #3 — which led to a campaign to save the popular Gramps Getaway bar and a call from environmentalists to protect Biscayne Bay — had as of 8 p.m. around 65% voting no (against the deal) and about 35% percent voting for it.

See the full story

Donalds’ watch party

The doors are now opened at the Byron Donalds campaign watch party at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood as the first set of election results came in.

Antonette Campbell, 59, who came from Naples, was one of the first to walk in through the doors. She immediately began dancing to “Before I Let Go” by Frankie Beverly and Maze.

Campbell, who emigrated from Jamaica in 1996 said, “Byron is going to become the next governor of Florida, one of the most beautiful states in America. … a dream come true.”

“His mom is from Jamaica, and I’m Jamaican. And from when he was in Congress, he’s always passing these bills to make lives better. And now he’s become, now he’s the governor of Florida. He’s gonna make Florida great again,” she said before all the votes were tallied.

— CHURCHILL NDONWIE

Midterm voter turnout best in a quarter century

Voter turnout in this year’s election appears to be the best in a midterm in Miami-Dade in over 20 years.

Turnout in this year’s election was over 60% after most polls closed, meaning more of Miami-Dade’s voters cast ballots this year than in any other midterm election since the turn of the century.

“Things have gone largely very smoothly,” said Juan Mendieta, who manages strategic communications for the Supervisor of Elections. “We’ve been spared any technical glitches or any of the weather that happened farther north.”

Preliminary results at 7:30 p.m. show Miami’s registered Democrats narrowly hold the lead on Republican turnout by about 1%. That doesn’t indicate how those voters cast their ballots, though.

See the full story

— OLIVIA LLOYD

New faces to represent Florida’s historically Black districts in Congress

Debbie Wasserman Schultz will serve her 12th term in Congress as the new leader of District 20, which includes central Broward and parts of Fort Lauderdale and Deerfield Beach.

Oliver Gilbert, former Miami-Dade County commissioner, succeeded longtime Congresswoman Frederica Wilson as the new representative for District 24, which stretches from El Portal to Dania Beach and includes Miami Gardens.

See the full story

Polls close. Results next

Polls closed in Miami-Dade and Broward and most of Florida at 7 p.m. Eastern as scheduled.

If you were in line before 7 poll workers will let you vote.

Some parts of North Florida run on Central time, an hour behind, so precincts in Pensacola, Panama City, Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Crestview will close at 8 p.m. Eastern.

‘Call that ex you don’t like’

Attendees at Angie Nixon’s watch party in Jacksonville stayed true to her campaign strategy of tireless community organizing until the final minutes before polls closed Tuesday.

Florida House Rep. Michele Rayner took to the microphone at the warehouse event venue to remind everyone in the room to “Stay on the dialer” and keep phone banking, saying the race could come down a tiny number of votes.

“Call your mama, call your doctor,” Rayner said. “Call that ex you don’t like.”

Filling the room and lining the sidewalks outside, Nixon’s supporters heeded the message. Dozens of people were touting bright pink T-shirts and looking down tensely at their cell phones, each running through the list of voters’ phone numbers to asking people to make last-minute plans to get to the polls.

— CLAIRE HEDDLES

A cat’s tale?

As supporters of David Jolly trickled into the Tampa Convention Center on Tuesday night to a soundtrack that included songs like “Walking on Sunshine,” Marty Miller stood behind a folding table and organized an array of memorabilia.

“How much are the T-shirts?” a woman inquired, lifting a bright pink tee with CATS AGAINST TRUMP printed on the chest alongside three orange felines.

Miller, 85, flew in from California nine days ago to follow the campaign in its final days and sell merchandise — buttons that read ‘Make Love Not War,’ hats that stitched with ‘GULF OF MEXICO EST 1550’ across the face.

People pick at those, Miller said. But the money is in the cat shirts.

“That’s my bestseller,” he shrugged. “People love them.”

— LAUREN PEACE

What does a Florida senator make?

The answer may surprise you.

A candidate’s thoughts

About two hours before polls close to voters in the Sunshine State, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor Gwen Graham said she was feeling hopeful.

“I feel so excited and that optimism is not just based in numbers we’re seeing, but it’s based in my experience the last five months along the trail,” Graham told reporters on Tuesday. “I have people come up to me all the time. They say I’m a Republican or I’m an independent and I can’t wait to vote for you.”

Graham, who represented Florida in Congress from 2015 to 2017, joined gubernatorial candidate David Jolly as a running mate in June of this year.

She said her time on the campaign trail has made clear that Floridians desire change.

“It was always going to be close,” Graham said. “At the end of this evening, the voters will have voted for change.”

— LAUREN PEACE/TAMPA BAY TIMES

What some local voters say about the races

Voters streamed steadily into Dayspring International Church of the Nazarene in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday afternoon, a polling site just north of Fort Lauderdale International Airport where support for Republican President Donald Trump and former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris was even in 2024.

Alvin Cunningham, a 75-year-old electrician left the polls with a small work flashlight tucked beneath the brim of his hat still on. A registered Democrat, Cunningham said he votes every cycle, but he came out this time because “the way this guy (Trump) is running this country is ridiculous.”

The war in Iran and gas prices were top of mind.

But not all Democrats who voted in the South Fort Lauderdale polling place did the same.

Shane Prescod, a 41-year-old who works in the screen printing industry, said he skipped some races. An independent until registering to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential primary, Prescod said he gladly voted for state Rep. Angie Nixon, the Democrats’ candidate for Senate.

He didn’t lend the same support to Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly or Moskowitz.

Alex Tucci, a 34-year-old Republican fitness instructor, said he was more interested in local Broward County elections than national ones. Still, he went with what he knows on the partisan ballot.

Tucci feels that Florida has thrived under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and didn’t want to see radical change.

“I hope they keep things the same,” Tucci said. “We’ve been Republican for you a while as a state, so I just kind of want to keep it as what I’m familiar with.”

Jessica Mesa, who works in sales, brought up Trump’s handling of immigration – particularly the administration’s push for more deportations of undocumented immigrants.

“I don’t like the fact that innocent people are being detained. The things going on with the kids, too, like being separated from families – It’s very heartbreaking and I don’t think it’s fair,” Mesa said.

— AUSTIN HORN

Problems at Broward polling sites

Election Day started with some hiccups at Broward precincts when tech issues delayed voting by 20 minutes. Some people didn’t wait in line after 7 a.m., and left.

Two Broward precincts also were affected by flooding and relocated.

See the full story.

— MILENA MALAVER

What’s on your ballot?

Here’s a rundown of some key races to help voters prepare to go to the voting booth on Election Day.

Voter guide: Everything South Florida should know

Herald Editorial Board’s general election endorsements

Will it rain as you dash to the polls before they close?

Tuesday’s forecast calls for a 60% chance of rain in South Florida, with storms most likely before 3 p.m. but they are forecast to resume after 5 p.m. and hit a peak 66% chance in the Miami area around 6 p.m. before tapering off to the 30% range at 7 and later, according to the National Weather Service in Miami. The renewed late afternoon and early evening thunderstorm activity comes just when many of you will be heading to the polls after work before they close at 7 p.m.

Fort Lauderdale could be a bit more active with rain and thunderstorms forecast at 70%, with wind gusts over 20 mph possible, after 4 p.m.

There’s a coastal flood advisory in Miami-Dade, Broward and the Florida Keys through Tuesday. But rain chances are less in Monroe County, about 30% all day Tuesday.

But remember, you have to vote in your assigned precinct. You can’t drive around searching for a dry one even if the weather is nasty.

Temperature will be in the comfy range of 82 down to 78 range between 4 and 7 p.m.

How to vote on Election Day

On Tuesday, you must go to your assigned polling place on Election Day. To find your assigned polling location, go to the online portals for Miami-Dade, Broward or Monroe counties.

READ MORE: Here are 5 things to know when voting today in South Florida

If you still have your mail-in ballot, you have two options to make sure your vote counts.

You can bring your mail ballot to your county’s Supervisor of Elections office and drop it off anytime before 7 p.m. today. Miss the deadline and your vote won’t count.

You can also bring your ballot to your assigned polling place, but don’t just drop it off. Poll workers at your precinct cannot accept a filled-in mail-ballot, but they can cancel it and allow you to vote there in person.

Bring a valid ID.

— AMAIA GAVICA

Social media posts

Will social media play a role in these midterm elections Tuesday and in future campaigns? Some political experts, as well as young voters, seem to think so.

The University of Miami’s School of Communication and its digital publication Community Wire recently hosted a panel of reporters on campus at the Bill Cosford Cinema to discuss the 2026 election and how social media and AI may play a role. Panelists included WLRN’s Daniel Rivero, NBC6’s Jackie Nespral, Politico’s Kimberly Leonard and independent journalist Raisa Habersham.

“One clip of you looking really bad and looking like you don’t know what you’re talking about and having that clip just go viral, that just didn’t used to be the case. Candidates used to be able to kind of mess up and re-find their feet. Then after the 2024 debate with President Biden and Donald Trump, that sunk that campaign, that just destroyed it. But the fear is those clips just going viral,” Rivero said.

Social media on the campaign trail, said UM Broadcast Journalism sophomore Harrison Wilmot, “is going to be a massive factor, for the future, for now, forever. It’s here. You gotta embrace it. It’s the digital age.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2026 at 3:15 PM.