Florida

When is early voting in Florida for the 2024 primary election? What to know, by county

Published

2 years ago

August 7, 2024

When is early voting in Florida for the 2024 primary election? What to know, by county

A year’s worth of election news has happened in the last few weeks, but the election is in fact getting closer. Mail-in ballots for the Aug. 20 primary election have started going out and early voting locations are already open in some locations, although Tropical Storm/Hurricane Debby shut a few down for a day.

Here’s what you need to know.

When is the Florida Primary Election for 2024?

The primary election in Florida is on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.

What is early voting?

There are often long lines at the polls every Election Day, especially in areas without enough polling locations, with voters sometimes waiting for hours to cast their ballots, and some people can’t get to the polls on a Tuesday.

To help alleviate that, early voting was established to let people to vote early at a more convenient time, with the same equipment used on Election Day.

When does early voting in Florida start and end?

Any election that includes a state or federal race is required to offer early voting, which must run from at least the 10th day before the election to the 3rd day before the election. Each county Supervisor of Elections may choose to offer more early voting days, starting up to five days earlier or lasting one day longer.

Here are the early voting dates by county in Florida. Click the county names for more information and locations.

Alachua: Aug. 5-17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Baker: Aug. 8-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Bay: Aug. 5-17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Bradford: Aug. 5-18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Brevard: Aug. 10-17, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Broward: Aug. 10-18, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Calhoun: Aug. 8-17 at the Supervisor of Elections Office, Aug. 10-17 at Shelton Park Library
Charlotte: Aug. 5-18, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m
Citrus: Aug. 9-17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Clay: Aug. 8-17, from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Collier: Aug. 10-17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Columbia: Aug. 10-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
DeSoto: Aug. 5-17, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dixie: Aug. 10-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Duval: Aug. 7-18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Escambia: Aug. 10-17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Flagler: Aug. 10-17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Franklin: Aug. 8-17, from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gadsden: Aug. 7-18, no times provided
Gilchrist: Aug. 10-17, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Glades: Aug. 10-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Gulf: Aug. 10-17, no times listed yet
Hamilton: Aug. 10-17, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Hardee: Aug. 8-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Hendry: Aug. 5-17, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Hernando: Aug. 10-17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Highlands: Aug. 8-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Hillsborough: Aug. 5-18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Holmes: Aug. 10-17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Indian River: Aug. 10-17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jackson: Aug. 6-17, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Jefferson: Aug. 6-17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lafayette: Aug. 10-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Lake: Aug. 8-17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Lee: Aug. 10-17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Leon: Aug. 10-18, most locations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Leon County Courthouse open from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Levy: Aug. 6-17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Liberty: Aug. 6-17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Madison: Aug. 10-17, no times listed yet
Manatee: Aug. 10-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Marion: Aug. 10-17, from no times listed yet
Martin: Aug. 10-17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Miami-Dade: Aug. 5-18, various times
Monroe: Aug. 5-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Nassau: Aug. 7-17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Okaloosa: Aug. 10-17, no times listed yet
Okeechobee: Aug. 10-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Orange: Aug. 5-18, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Osceola: Aug. 5-18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Palm Beach: Aug. 10-18, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Pasco: Aug. 10-17, no times listed yet
Pinellas: Aug. 10-18, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Polk: Aug. 10-17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Putnam: Aug. 5-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Santa Rosa: Aug. 5-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sarasota: Aug. 10-18, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Seminole: Aug. 10-17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
St. Johns: Aug. 10-17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
St. Lucie: Aug. 10-17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sumter: Aug. 10-17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Suwannee: Aug. 10-17, no times listed yet
Taylor: Aug. 5-18, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Union: Aug. 10-17, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Volusia: Aug. 10-17, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wakulla: Aug. 10-17, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Walton: Aug. 10-17, various times
Washington: Aug. 5-17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Do I need an ID for early voting in Florida?

To cast a ballot at an early voting site, you must have a photo ID. Acceptable IDs include:

Florida Driver License
Florida ID Card (issued by DHSMV)
U.S. Passport
Debit or Credit Card
Military ID
Student ID
Retirement Center ID
Neighborhood Association ID
Public Assistance ID
Veteran Health ID (issued by the US Department of Veterans Affairs)
Concealed Weapon License (issued pursuant to F.S. 790.06)
Employee ID card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the state, a county, or a municipality.

If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature.

Can I still vote in Florida if I forgot or don’t have an ID?

If you don’t have an ID with you when you vote you’ll still be allowed to, but you will be required to vote a provisional ballot which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board to make sure it’s eligible.

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Florida

Florida cities rank among best and worst places to raise a family

Published

41 minutes ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

Florida cities rank among best and worst places to raise a family

Port St. Lucie ranked No. 147 among 182 cities in the United States for places to raise a family in 2026, according to a WalletHub study.

Port St. Lucie ranked among the best places in the United States to raise a family in 2026, according to a WalletHub study.

The free personal finance website compared 182 cities in the United States to find the best and worst places to raise a family in 2026.

The website scored cities based on these criteria:

Family fun
Health and safety
Education and child care
Affordability
Socio-economics

Port St. Lucie ranks for best places to raise a family

The rankings range from 1 to 182, with 1 being the best.

Family fun rank: 179
Health and safety rank: 40
Education and child care rank: 160
Affordability rank: 135
Socioeconomics rank: 70
Playgrounds per capita: 101
Violent-crime per capita: 4
Overall rank: 147

Top-ranked Florida cities to raise a family

49. Orlando
59. Tampa
60. Pembroke Pines
63. St. Petersburg
117. Jacksonville
123. Tallahassee
133. Cape Coral
147. Port St. Lucie
163. Miami
166. Fort Lauderdale
173. Hialeah

Best places to raise a family in 2026

1. Fremont, California
2. Overland Park, Kansas
3. Irvine, California
4. Plano, Texas
5. Columbia, Maryland
6. Bismarck, North Dakota
7. South Burlington, Vermont
8. Charleston, South Carolina
9. Seattle, Washington
10. Boise, Idaho

Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.

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Florida

As Florida debates property tax relief, a local official analyzed the potential impact on South Florida

Published

11 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

As Florida debates property tax relief, a local official analyzed the potential impact on South Florida

Florida homeowners who have been lobbying for property tax relief may be closer to receiving it with a newly filed bill in Tallahassee.

Joseph Zamb, who works in real estate, said the ultimate goal should be to eliminate property taxes entirely for homesteaded properties. He believes this step would benefit both investors and homeowners.

“I think that the next step for South Florida, all of Florida, is to completely eliminate property taxes,” Zamb said. “You need to get the American dream back, buy a house, and not have to constantly be paying, paying, paying”.

The official bill calls for a $150,000 homestead exemption in 2027, followed by a $250,000 exemption in 2028. The legislature would then be tasked with creating a long-term plan for the following years.

Broward Property Appraiser Marty Kiar analyzed the potential impact based on 2025 property values. Kiar found that with the $150,000 exemption, the 425,000 homesteaded property owners in Broward would save about $2,100. However, this exemption would mean the county loses $195 million, and schools are down by $294 million. Kiar noted that the current version of the bill does not include a carve-out for schools.

“Whatever city you live in will depend on the loss of revenue to your city, based on how many homesteaded properties there are, how many commercial properties there are,” Kiar said.

The legislature is scheduled to hash out the details next week during a special session. If the bill passes, it would be presented to voters as a constitutional amendment for approval or rejection.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to be the most consequential vote that anybody is going to make if anything’s on the ballot in November, because it could potentially change the way things are done,” Kiar said.

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Florida

Traffic stop goes viral after Florida deputy accuses driver missing right hand of holding phone

Published

23 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Traffic stop goes viral after Florida deputy accuses driver missing right hand of holding phone

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Video of a traffic stop in Palm Beach County is going viral over an awkward exchange between the driver and a deputy who accused her of holding a phone while driving.

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“You drove past me holding a phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone,” the deputy tells 36-year-old Kathleen “Katie” Thomas.

“Obviously not,” Thomas says while laughing and holding up her right arm, showing that she’s missing her right hand.

“So you wanna call this a day?” she asks.

“I don’t want to call this a day. You had a hand up, manipulating,” the deputy responds.

“You just said my right hand,” Thomas counters.

“Well, I thought I saw your right hand,” the deputy says.

“So you didn’t,” Thomas responds.

Thomas posted the bodycam footage on Instagram and TikTok where it gained millions of likes.

In the video, although she shows the deputy she doesn’t have a right hand, the deputy doubled down.

“I’m asking you now; did you or not have your phone in your hand?” the deputy asks.

“I did not,” Thomas responds.