by Beth Kassab | Nov 6, 2026 | Uncategorized
Let's Talk About Florida
And why the rest of the country should be thanking us
By Bob Morris, columnist
No matter what side of the political fence you fall on — and these days, it’s a high-voltage, barbed-wire, soaked-in-cyanide fence — there’s one thing that unites our great nation today:
Post-election fatigue.
None of us wants to read another word about WHAT IT ALL MEANS or WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE or HOW SOON CAN WE IMPEACH (fill in the blank.)
***
Be that as it may, forgive me, we need to talk about Florida.
A headline in yesterday’s New York Times read: “Florida: A GOP Bright Spot.”
It ain’t exactly true.
Because if Florida is a GOP bright spot, then the future for Team R looks increasingly dim.
And if, as Gov. Ron “Out-of-the-Gate for ‘28” DeSantis crowed the day after the election, “Florida is the last main anchor standing for Republicans,” then he should stop mixing his metaphors and recognize that the anchor is dragging and our state is adrift.
I’m not saying Florida is surfing the wave to blue statehood, like our good neighbors in Georgia. Heck, we’re not even in purple waters.
But the red tide that has tainted us in recent years? It’s turning kinda pinkish.
***
Let’s remember that it wasn’t all that long ago — 2008 and 2012, to be exact — that Florida went for Obama and Democrats outnumbered Republicans by a comfortable margin.
Then began the “Great Red Migration,” prompted by three things: COVID and DeSantis’s lax masking and vaccine measures; low taxes; and Donald Trump taking up official residency at Mar-A-Lago in 2019. It all led swarms of ultra-right leaning folks to move here. In The Villages (pop. 157,000), a magnet for the MAGA crowd, the head count increased by 67 percent from 2019 through 2025.
Nowadays, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in Florida by 1.4 million. So you might reasonably expect that any statewide election would be a Republican rout, as it was in 2022 when DeSantis won almost 60 percent of the vote.
Nope.
Bryan Donalds, our new governor, barely got 50 percent of the vote. The race was a sand-dune hanger until the end. The incumbent U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, who was predicted to win by a 10-12 percent margin, came out only 2 percentage points ahead of Angie Nixon, who is, horrors of horrors, a Democratic socialist.
***
There’s more.
DeSantis and the Florida Legislature did their best to gerrymander Congressional districts to get rid of four Democratic incumbents, in one case creating a district that slithered through seven counties.
Didn’t work.
All four Democrats won, bolstering the now-lopsided U.S. House majority.
And Dems prevailed in enough local races — one big upset: Maitland Mayor John Lowndes defeating two-term incumbent Jason Brodeur for a Florida Senate seat — that they toppled the Republican super-majority that has ruled the Florida Legislature for years.
If you call that a “GOP bright spot,” here’s some advice: Go see an eye doctor.
***
As for Ron DeSantis …
Can I get a big WHEW! of relief, please?
There have been plenty of rumors down here about where he would next inflict himself when his term as governor ends.
The most horrifying one started last year when DeSantis had to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Marco Rubio, now U.S. secretary of state. Lots of folks fully expected DeSantis to appoint himself, since running for president was off the table after he had proved so unpopular on the national stage when going up against Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries. He could just slide into the Senate and play his cards from there. Instead, he tapped Ashley Moody, his attorney general, to fill the seat.
What was the term-limited DeSantis thinking?
Well, maybe he had his eye on an ever cushier seat than the Senate. There was talk that either Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito, or maybe both, would step down from the Supreme Court and that DeSantis had an insider agreement with Trump to fill one of their seats. The appointment would require only a simple majority vote of the Senate for approval. Which looked like a fairly safe bet until . . . well, you know what happened on Tuesday.
The latest rumor: Trump will dump Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and appoint DeSantis in his place.
Will the world be a better place as a result? Beats me. But at least it would get DeSantis out of our hair.
***
The rest of the country should be thanking Florida for the results of the mid-term election.
At least, that’s the opinion of my friend Scott Maxwell, the ever-astute columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. While I don’t think Florida was wholly responsible for the national outcome, or even largely responsible — there were so many solid Democratic candidates and so many sorry, Trump-backed Republican ones — I like Scott’s thinking on the matter.
It all goes back to the “Great Red Migration” mentioned above, which also prompted a goodly number of Florida’s Democratic voters to move elsewhere, along with young people looking for more profitable and compatible pastures.
Writes Scott: “There’s actually an argument to be made that Florida’s migration patterns helped turn the rest of the country blue. Every conservative voter that moved to Florida, after all, was one less who could cast a ballot elsewhere. And every dollar spent getting Republicans across the finish line in Florida was one less dollar that could be spent in states like Ohio, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina, all of which turned blue.”
So, on behalf of my fellow blue voters in Florida, to our compatriots throughout the rest of our great nation, I say: “You’re welcome.”
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
This commentary originally appeared on Bob Morris’ Substack. A former newspaper columnist and magazine editor, Bob is author of the Zack Chasteen series of mysteries set in Florida and the Caribbean, along with several non-fiction books and collections of essays. A fourth-generation Floridian, he lives in Winter Park.
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 4, 2026 | City Commission, Election, News, Taxes
See How Winter Park Voted: Three Big Midterm Election Takeaways
Winter Park voters rejected Amendment 3 but have to live with it anyway, helped flip state seats and some turned in split ballots
Nov. 4, 2026
By Beth Kassab
Amendment 3 won 62% approval statewide, but Winter Park voters opposed the measure, which will reduce property taxes paid by homesteaded property owners and cut into the revenue cities and counties collect to provide everything from police and fire services to parks.
About 8,300 people voted against Amendment 3, representing approximately 51% of those who voted in the 10 precincts within Winter Park city limits.
Only three of the 10 precincts favored the amendment, and all did so by margins well below the 60% threshold required for passage statewide. A little more than half of the voters in Precinct 502 at First Baptist Church of Winter Park, Precinct 503 at Winter Park YMCA Family Center, and Precinct 504 at First Covenant Church of Winter Park voted in favor.
The measure is expected to prompt discussions about additional budget cuts or new ways to generate funds over the coming months, beginning as soon as next week.
Byron Donalds
The City Commission is scheduled to hear a presentation Wednesday on crash and pedestrian data related to red-light cameras. Commissioners will also consider an ordinance allowing additional cameras, which could generate new revenue through traffic citations.
At a recent work session, commissioners also discussed putting five mini-parks up for sale to raise money and reduce maintenance costs. Each park is approximately a quarter-acre and is located in a residential area. The parks include Bonnie Burn, Lakeview, Leith, Villa View, and Alberta Drive Lake Lookout.
Other potential cuts were discussed during budget hearings and the subsequent approval of the city’s $247 million all-funds budget. Those measures included freezing vacant firefighter positions, reducing operating hours at city swimming pools, and eliminating a vacant code enforcement position.
City Manager Randy Knight has estimated that the city will need to cut approximately $3.7 million from its $90 million general fund budget next year, followed by another $7.5 million the year after.
In addition to collecting less revenue from property taxes, which fund most city services, higher expenses propelled by inflation and anticipated slower growth in property values could further complicate the budget outlook.
Michelle del Valle, who will take over as city manager in January, said Wednesday that city officials will “discuss many options over the next six months” as they prepare the 2028 budget.
“It is too soon to speculate what specific actions the City Commission will ultimately approve to meet the challenges presented by Amendment 3’s passage,” del Valle said. “Fortunately, Winter Park is in a better financial position to meet this challenge than many other communities around the state, but it will not be met without some noticeable impacts.”
Seats Flipped
Winter Park and surrounding communities contributed to two legislative seat changes, with one seat each in the Florida House and Senate flipping from Republican to Democratic control.
In one of the night’s biggest upsets, Republican incumbent Jason Brodeur lost his District 10 Senate seat to Democrat John Lowndes, the mayor of Maitland. The district includes Maitland and Winter Park and extends north into Seminole County.
Lowndes won all three precincts with Maitland addresses, as well as all but one precinct in and around Winter Park. In Precinct 502 at First Baptist Church of Winter Park, Brodeur finished ahead by just 27 votes.
John Lowndes
Democrat Jane Aman also won in all three Winter Park precincts where some voters are part of House District 37. The district stretches from just west of State Road 436 east to Lake Pickett Road, then north into Oviedo and toward the Volusia County line. The seat was previously held by Republican Susan Plasencia.
Those victories followed a broader trend in Orange County, where voters elected Dr. Jarod Fox, a Democrat and infectious disease specialist at Orlando Health, over Republican incumbent Doug Bankson in District 39. The district includes Apopka, Winter Garden, and Zellwood.
Democrat Eric Gray also defeated Republican incumbent state Rep. Erika Booth, flipping House District 35, which stretches from southern Orange County into Osceola County.
“In Orange County there are now no elected Republicans to the state house,” said Allison Cassidy, executive director of the Orange Democrats.
Cassidy said her party benefited from strong turnout, with approximately 67% of registered Democrats in Orange County casting ballots. That figure is more typical of a presidential election year than a midterm election.
In 2022, the last midterm election, only 49% of registered Democrats in Orange County voted, compared with 64% of Republicans.
Some Voters Split Their Ballots
While voters in Winter Park overwhelmingly favored Democratic candidates at the top of the ballot including Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate and David Jolly for governor, some voters split their ballots between R’s and D’s.
In Precinct 503 at Winter Park YMCA Family Center, voters favored statewide winner and Republican Ashley Moody (50.3%) over Nixon (47.7%) in the U.S. Senate race.
However, the same precinct favored Jolly (53%) over Republican Byron Donalds (46%), who won statewide and will become Florida’s next governor.
In Precinct 504 at First Covenant Church on Howell Branch Road, Jolly received 54% of the vote. Nixon, meanwhile, narrowly edged Moody, receiving just under 50% of the vote and winning by only 11 votes out of the 1,119 ballots cast.
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 4, 2026 | County News, Election, Environment
Quinnie Perez Becomes Florida's First Transgender Person Elected to Public Office
Perez won a seat on Orange County’s Soil and Water Conservation District, a board with hardly any budget or power, but one she hopes to improve
Nov. 4, 2026
By Beth Kassab
Quinnie Perez made history Tuesday night as the first openly transgender person elected to public office in Florida.
Her position, Seat 1 on the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District, doesn’t carry much authority. The district has no dedicated funding source and little power over policy other than a bully pulpit.
But Perez, 32, said her election sent a message about the effectiveness of connecting with voters on the campaign trail. She hopes to use that experience, along with lessons learned while working on other campaigns, to raise the district’s profile.
Jimm Middleton
First, though, she needs time to absorb what she described as the astonishing outcome of her victory. Perez captured nearly 37% of more than 96,000 votes cast. Opponent Doug Sahr received 32%, while Vicente Rafael Perez Carreno received about 18%. Another 13% of voters left their ballots blank.
“I’m still in shock,” Perez said Wednesday morning. “Last night was definitely something else. I won in probably the most conservative part of Orange County. I did not expect to win.”
Seat 1 encompasses a broad swath of southwest Orange, including Hunter’s Creek, Winter Garden, Oakland and Lake Buena Vista.
“My phone is just blowing up,” she said.
Perez, who describes herself as the daughter of Mexican farmworkers, grew up in Ocala and now works in the medical cannabis industry.
She said a typical campaign day started at 4 a.m. so she could clock in at her day job by 6 a.m. After work, she would “hit the pavement” and attend events to get her name out to voters.
She also raised about $6,000 — a modest war chest by most political standards, but more than any other candidate in the races for the district’s seats.
Her identity as a transgender person, she said, likely helped her campaign in some ways but hurt it in others.
“It was probably a little bit of both,” Perez said. “Whenever someone told me they voted for me and I asked them why they usually said something about the merits of the campaign. Being trans wasn’t something that really came up. But I tried to build a broad coalition and the people who didn’t vote for me probably weren’t going to vote for me anyway.”
Quinnie Perez speaks to supporters on Election Night. (Photo courtesy of VoxPopuli)
Perez said she began identifying as transgender about four years ago, while still in her 20s. After experiencing depression and burnout, she began to better understand what made her feel healthy and “more like myself.”
When she considered running for office, some friends who had also worked on previous campaigns with her expressed support but raised concerns about her safety.
“People did say, ‘I love this for you, but be safe,'” she recalled. “But ultimately this was something that is bigger than myself.”
Quinnie Perez
Jimm Middleton, who won the district’s Seat 5, representing Winter Park, over Zack Green with 48% of the vote, said he was happy for Perez and admired the campaign she ran.
Middleton had personally supported Carreno for Seat 1 because the two already volunteer together for the district. They had tried to run as a slate along with Erik Melear, who sought Seat 3.
“I’ve got to give credit where credit is due,” said Middleton, who works as an IT manager at Walt Disney World. “She was out there raising money and getting a bunch of endorsements and personally greeting voters.”
Middleton said he was disappointed that Carreno and Melear, who lost to José Antonio Rodriguez, would not be joining him on the district board. Still, he was hopeful the district could improve the way it operates.
“I’m OK with anybody who can get work done,” Middleton said of the winners. “As long as people contribute.”
The district board, whose members receive no pay and lack even basic resources such as an official email address, has struggled in the past with members missing meetings and failing to take ownership of their roles.
The board has no significant budget and must fundraise to cover some of its needs, but the district itself has been around for about 80 years. Florida began establishing soil and water conservation districts as far back as the 1930s, charging them with carrying out local programs to conserve and protect soil, water and land for agricultural purposes.
In recent years, lawmakers in Tallahassee have made several attempts to abolish the districts outright, though none has succeeded.
Several candidates argued that a board focused on teaching residents best practices to maintain clean water, the local tree canopy and growing plants and food could surge back to relevance. They point to an age of AI data centers that consume water and power, soaring grocery prices and environmental challenges such as frequent named storms.
According to the district’s current budget plan, it will hold a fundraiser in November, an attempt to raise the board’s profile and build a cash balance that is starting from nearly zero. The district projects about $3,000 in cash and nearly $1,000 in expenses, including renting a post office box, maintaining its rudimentary website and buying supplies for outreach and education events, such as handouts and volunteer shirts.
Its most critical budget item is a donation in the form of space and services from Orange County government valued at about $11,000. The donation includes a meeting room for the board, broadcasts of its meetings on OrangeTV and some legal services.
The board members use their personal email addresses to conduct business and, without a staff, volunteer for different roles such as acting as treasurer, keeping records, sending out agendas and minutes and updating the website and Facebook page.
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 3, 2026 | Election, News
John Lowndes Upsets Incumbent Republican Jason Brodeur
The mayor of Maitland benefited from a strong showing for Democratic candidates not only in Orange, but also in Seminole County
Nov. 3, 2026
Oviedo Community News
John Lowndes, a Democrat, unseated incumbent Republican Jason Brodeur for a seat in the Florida Senate that represents Winter Park, Maitland and a portion of Seminole County.
Lowndes, who will leave his post as the mayor of Maitland for the seat, said he would represent all voters, even if they didn’t vote for him. He struck a tone of mending bridges and crossing party lines in his victory speech, as dozens cheered.
“It’s a fantastic result; the hard work of all these people here today, it’s awesome,” Lowndes said. “Thank you all, to everybody, in Oviedo, Winter Springs, Geneva, everyone. People who voted for me, and people who didn’t. I’m gonna work for everybody.”
Lowndes won about 63% of the vote in Orange County and about 55% of the vote in Seminole County with most precincts reporting, according to the county results.
Brodeur comes from a health care and consulting background, and was the Florida Senate’s President Pro Tempore, which is the No. 2 in command in the Senate.
Brodeur’s campaign has focused on the $130 million in funding for the district he’s secured over the last four budgets – including while he was the second-in-command for the Florida Senate, running bills on the floor.
“Time wise for me, one of the roles that I have is that I spend about 90% of my time in the chair, meaning that while session is actually going on, I’m the person in the rostrum making sure that the bills are moving and doing all that stuff,” Brodeur previously said to Oviedo Community News. “If I’m doing that, I can’t be running bills. And so that’s just a mechanical hazard of running the chamber.”
Brodeur has been a controversial figure. During a previous campaign, a “ghost candidate” was running in the race to siphon votes from the Democrat.
More recently, Brodeur championed a bill that would have gutted Seminole County’s rural boundary, angering many voters.
“For those inside the rural boundary, and most love being there and want to be there, but there are some that want to develop their land, and they’re not allowed to because a bunch of people in Lake Mary and Altamonte (Springs) voted that they’re not allowed to do it,” Brodeur told Oviedo Community News in 2025. “That is a reverse subsidy, and that’s a takings.”
Lowndes put the rural boundary and environmental issues front and center in his campaign. Lowndes, a lawyer, has also put affordability at the front of his campaign.
“The differences are pretty stark,” Lowndes said. “When folks vote at that rate that they’d like to keep this land use designation and people in the rural boundary area want to keep their area rural, we’ve got to respect that. And so I’m here to make sure that right is respected.”
Lowndes wants to work on property insurance issues as his first bill.
“We’ve got to get to work tomorrow,” Lowndes said. “The session is coming right up. We’re going to have to get to work on bill drafting, figuring out how to bring home these issues of affordability we’ve been running on.”
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 3, 2026 | News
NewsMatch 2026 begins! Double your impact.
Every November, the the Winter Park Voice along with hundreds of other local nonprofit newsrooms across the country kick off our annual fundraiser. You can make the difference.
Nov. 2, 2026
Dear Reader,
Every day is a big day at the Winter Park Voice. That’s because we’re here to cover the stories that matter most to Winter Park — from our Voter Guide to new development proposals and city budget cuts to the breaking-news moments that can change everything.
Doing this work takes people, time, and resources. And right now, we have a chance to make your support go even further.
Today, we’re kicking off our biggest fundraiser of the year: NewsMatch, a nationwide campaign to support nonprofit newsrooms like ours.
From now until Dec. 31, your donation to the Winter Park Voice will be matched by NewsMatch, doubling the impact of your gift up to the first $1,000 of your contribution. All donations are tax deductible.
The Winter Park Voice relies on donations — and fundraisers like this one — to keep our coverage going. NewsMatch is a collaborative fundraising initiative that brings together funders, individual donors, and communities to grow and diversify support for news organizations that are members of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN). Since 2017, NewsMatch campaigns have helped bring nearly 600,000 new donors to support INN members serving their communities with fact-based, unbiased news and information.
Many of you already know the value of our coverage and contribute. Thank you. Your support helps us show up, day after day. Will you make a NewsMatch gift and help us keep this work going?
For those of you who are considering donating to the Voice for the first time, this month is the best time to join the people who make our coverage possible. Click here to give now.
The news changes by the day. Our commitment to covering it doesn’t.
We are here to ask the questions, follow the facts, and keep you informed about what’s happening — every step of the way.
Help us keep Winter Park covered:
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Beth Kassab
Editor, Winter Park Voice
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