Republican Rick Scott defeated his opponent Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in the race for U.S. Senate 55% to 42%.

Scott, who served two terms as governor of Florida before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, will now serve a second term.

Voters in Florida rejected a ballot measure to the repeal the public campaign financing requirement for campaigns for statewide office.

The current law makes funds available to individuals who wish to run for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, chief financial officer and agricultural commission.

The original purpose of this law was to make funds available for anyone to run for office but also allowed those fully capable to fund raise for themselves to get additional funds from the state. .

Voters in Florida rejected a ballot measure to require candidates for school boards to pick a party if they want to run.

The measure was slightly controversial as some voters believed it would make the process of electing members of the school board more transparent while other voters believed it could disenfranchise them.

The civil penalty for violating revolving door restrictions has increased.

Senate Bill 7014 doubled the maximum fine to $20,000 for former officials who violate the state’s six-year ban on lobbying on matters of policy and procurement.

The bill also makes changes to ethics investigation procedures and to public disclosures allowing public officials who are lawyers to claim clients as a source of income without divulging their names.

Senate joint resolution 1114 has passed both chambers and now making its way to Gov. DeSantis.

The resolution calls for a referendum on whether the public wants to end the Public Campaign Finance Act of 1986, which uses a portion of taxpayer money to help fund political campaigns.

The act provided roughly $13 million to candidates and is credited with allowing less wealthy candidates to run.

The 2023 session of the Florida Legislature adjourned sine die on May 5.

Florida lawmakers approved a $117 billion budget that includes $2.7 billion in tax cuts for consumers and businesses, then moved quickly to adjourn their regular session.

The new budget that starts July 1 is $5 billion higher this last year’s, thanks largely to unexpectedly high revenue collections.

The budget adds nearly $2 billion to the state’s reserves, bringing the total to about $10.9 billion, about $4 billion less than Gov. Ron DeSantis requested.

The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature will hold a special session this week to deal directly with Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Gov. Ron DeSantis previously pushed lawmakers to end the existence of Reedy Creek and in April of 2022, signed into law the legislation abolishing the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Now, the state must decide whether to assume control of the district and how to deal with the district’s debts.

The special session began February 6.

A special election has been set for February 27, to fill the seat recently vacated by former Commissioner Ken Russell.

Commissioners had 10 days to appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of Russell’s term but could not find a consensus candidate.

District 2 comprises portions of Coconut Grove, Brickell, Edgewater, Morningside and downtown.

Gov. Ron DeSantis scheduled a special primary and election to replace former state Rep. Joe Harding who resigned after he was indicted on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements.

Harding previously represented House District 24.

The special primary is scheduled for March 7 with the special election following on May 16.

The Office of Secretary of State is expected to announce reporting dates for any PACs making contributions or expenditures to influence the elections.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won his bid for reelection against his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist.

DeSantis won by a wide margin with almost 60% of the vote.

DeSantis appears to have done well in Miami-Dade County, which has historically voted Democratic.

Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost has won the seat for Florida’s 10^th Congressional District.

Frost becomes the first member of Generation Z to serve in the United States Congress.

Frost defeated his Republican opponent Calvin Wimbish and will succeed the current Democratic Representative Val Demings.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is planning to call another special session to address the property insurance industry.

The governor is working with lawmakers to schedule the upcoming session.

While no confirmed date has been announced, DeSantis indicated lawmakers could convene sometime after the November 8 election and before the end of the year.

Democrat U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch has submitted his resignation, which became effective September 30.

Deutch was first elected to Congress in 2010, representing northern Broward County and southern Palm Beach County in what is now Florida’s 23^rd  Congressional District.

Deutch is leaving to join the American Jewish Committee where he will become the new CEO.

The district will be without a representative until a winner of the November election replaces him in January.

The Tallahassee City Commission adopted Ordinance No. 22-O-20 and Resolution 22-R-22, amending certain lobbying provisions.

Ordinance No. 22-O-20 repeals the requirement of quarterly compensation reports and requires lobbyists to register individually rather than by firm.

Resolution 22-R-22 raises the registration fee from $25 to $500. The changes are effective December 31.