Republicans poised to lose Florida House supermajority; state Senate's supermajority also in doubt
Republicans have appeared to lose about 15 seats and their supermajority in the Florida House, but appear set to retake a district that includes President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, according to unofficial results Tuesday night.
In the Senate, the Republican supermajority is in doubt. Democrat John Lowndes, the mayor of Maitland, was ahead of Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Sanford Republican.
House Democratic Leader-designate Christine Hunschofsky said breaking the supermajority means Republicans can no longer act alone on certain major decisions, including overriding a governor's veto or bypassing legislative rules, which require a two-thirds vote.
"After years of Republican supermajority control, Floridians across the state stepped up to demand a different direction," Hunschofsky said.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a Washington group, called the results a "stunning victory."
"Florida Republicans have abused their power for years to push an unpopular and dangerous agenda, including attacking voting rights and rigging their congressional maps," DLCC President Heather Williams said in a statement. "Now that we have broken the supermajority in the House, Democrats are better positioned to fight back against rampant extremism and protect against attacks on our democracy."
A supermajority requires 80 seats. The House entered Tuesday with 82 Republicans and 34 Democrats, and 4 vacant seats previously held by Republicans.
Incumbent House Republicans set to lose include Chad Johnson of Chiefland, Monique Miller of Palm Bay, Erika Booth of St. Cloud, Rachel Plakon of Lake Mary, Danny Alvarez of Hillsborough County, Meg Weinberger of Palm Beach Gardens, Hillary Cassel of Dania Beach, Fabian Basabe of Miami Beach, Doug Bankson of Apopka and Hilary Holley of Polk City.
Miller's apparent loss to Democrat Daniel McDow appeared to be within the margin for a recount.
Cassel switched from Democrat to Republican after her 2024 reelection. Basabe lost a civil trial this past summer in which two former male staffers alleged he sexually harassed them. He has denied wrongdoing and is appealing. Weinberger was among those discussed as a potential running mate for Governor-elect Byron Donalds.
Republican Jon Maples, who lost a spring special election to Rep. Emily Gregory of Jupiter, was poised to win the District 87 seat along Palm Beach County's east coast. Gregory's win drew national attention, and Republicans wanted the seat back.
In the Senate, President-designate Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, thanked voters as he cruised to victory.
"There's no question that families in our region --- and across the state and nation --- are struggling with affordability," Boyd said in a statement. "It's no longer enough to focus on the future; we also have to focus on the present. In this new term, that is my commitment to you."
A Senate supermajority requires 27 seats. The Senate entered Tuesday with 26 Republicans, 12 Democrats, one independent and one vacancy.
The seat of former Sen. Bryan Avila remains vacant, and no special election has been called. Avila resigned to run for lieutenant governor as Donalds's running mate.
Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami, appeared set to win another term. Unofficial results early Tuesday night put her just outside the 0.5% margin that triggers an automatic recount.
Democrats were set to keep District 14 in Hillsborough County, which Sen. Brian Nathan won in a March special election. Republicans ran former state Rep. Josie Tomkow, who had served in House leadership before losing the special election, for the seat once held by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.