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With qualifying days away, 5 competitive House seats remain unchallenged

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With qualifying days away, 5 competitive House seats remain unchallenged


Less than a week from the qualifying deadline, 25 Florida House district races remain uncontested by one of the two major political parties.

That means each race has either only Democrats or Republicans running, with, in some cases, a third-party challenger with little to no shot of winning.

That arrangement is understandable in 80% of those contests, where one party has such an edge with the electorate that, for now, running candidates to flip those seats would be a waste of money and resources.

But in five House districts (two Republican-controlled, three Democrat-led), the voter divide is narrow enough that the absence of a challenger from the opposing party is eye-raising at best and confounding at worst.

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They range from a district in Palm Beach County that sided with Kamala Harris in 2024 by just 1 percentage point, based on 2024 state presidential vote analyses by Matt Isbell of MCI Maps, to an Orange County district Harris won by 11 points.

That’s roughly the same margin by which President Donald Trump won in House District 87, which Jupiter Democratic Rep. Emily Gregory flipped in a national news-making March upset that has bolstered hopes of further such returns in November.

The other three races — set in Duval, Miami-Dade and Pinellas counties — have even smaller divides between Democrats and GOP voters. Yet none are contested.

Of four uncontested Senate races, just one — SD 36 in Miami-Dade County — is remotely close. Incumbent Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia is on track to win the seat she won in 2020 by 34 votes and kept two years later by 18 points.

Voters there picked Trump over Harris by a 16-point margin.

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In a statement to Florida Politics, the Florida Democratic Party said that despite the gaps in winnable races, the organization has worked hard to identify “strong, quality candidates up and down the ballot who are willing to work hard for Floridians and create a state where we can all thrive.”

“The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) has spent the last several years investing in year-round organizing, and a part of that is candidate recruitment,” the group said. “Floridians across the state have raised their hand to run, with over 1,300 Democrats expressing a desire to learn more about running over the last 18 months.”

Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power, meanwhile, expressed confidence that his group will further grow its already supermajority share of the Legislature and threw shade across the aisle.

“Just like last year when (FDP Chair) Nikki Fried was worried about giving out participation trophies in every race, the Florida GOP remains focused on winning races. We know we will field quality candidates across Florida that will drive us to big victories,” he said in a statement. “The Florida Democrats are on the verge of extinction. Floridians have rejected the radical left agenda and we are confident that we will be on offense.”

The Primary Election is on Aug. 18, followed by the General Election.

Here are the House Districts with candidates from only one of the two major political parties running, as of Friday.

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House District 12 — Republican-controlled

HD 12, which covers part of Jacksonville’s Westside and Southside, crossing the St. Johns River, went 10 points for Trump in 2024. Republican Wyman Duggan, the district’s current Representative, must leave office in November due to term limits, and former Jacksonville City Council President Terrance Freeman is running to keep it in GOP hands.

He’s the only person in the race.

Image via MCI Maps. Click to enlarge.

House District 44 — Democrat-controlled

HD 44, which spans portions of Orange County, including Orlando and parts of the unincorporated areas of Hunters Creek, Meadow Woods, Sky Lake and Southchase, is a D+11 district, based on MCI Maps figures.

Democratic Rep. Rita Harris is seeking her third consecutive term in the district and, so far, no one is blocking her path to an easy re-election.

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Harris, first elected in 2022, has yet to face a Republican on the ballot. Her only opponent in the past two cycles was former state Rep. Diasy Morales, whom she unseated by about 8.5 points and repelled with a whopping 65% share of the votes in a 2024 rematch.

House District 60 — Democrat-controlled

HD 60, a D+7 district, is getting a new Representative after incumbent Rep. Lindsay Cross announced that she will not seek re-election this year. The district covers a bay-facing portion of Pinellas County that includes parts of St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park, along with the communities of Feather Sound and Lealman and the neighborhood of Grande Bayou.

Lawyer Lindsay Polega-Quigley, a former Vice President of the St. Petersburg chapter of the League of Women Voters, filed to run for the seat within hours of Cross’ withdrawal and is thus far unopposed.

House District 89 — Democrat-controlled

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In what would be the closest contest, if anyone else were to run, Democratic Rep. Debra Tendrich enjoys an unobstructed path to re-election in HD 89, a D+1 district that spans part of inland Palm Beach County, including Greenacres, Lake Clarke Shores, Lake Worth Beach and Palm Springs.

Tendrich, a nonprofit executive, won the seat in 2024 by a 2-point margin, keeping the seat previously held by Democrat David Silvers.

House District 114 — Republican-controlled

An R+10 district, HD 114 covers parts of Miami-Dade, including Coral Gables, Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami and West Miami.

Republican Rep. Demi Busatta has held the seat since 2020, when its prior Democratic occupant, South Miami Mayor Javier Fernández, left for an unsuccessful Senate bid.

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Busatta has proven popular among voters in past races, winning re-election in 2022 by almost 13 points and again in 2024 by 17 points after dwarfing her Democratic opponents in fundraising.

Other unchallenged races

There are 23 other uncontested state legislative races, including:

Senate District 16 (D+26), which covers part of the Tampa Bay area including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner are the only two candidates.

Senate District 32 (D+39), an inland Broward County area that includes Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Plantation, Sunrise and Tamarac. Incumbent Sen. Rosalind Osgood currently faces one opponent, no-party candidate Crescente Furnaguera.

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Senate District 34 (D+39), which covers parts of north Miami-Dade, including Bay Harbour Islands, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, North Miami, North Miami Beach and Opa-locka. The district’s current representative, Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones, is leaving to run for Congress, and just one candidate, Miami Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt, has filed to succeed him.

House District 7 (R+54), which covers a large Panhandle area including Dixie, Franklin, Gulf, Hamilton, Lafayette, Liberty, Suwannee and Wakulla counties, and a southern portion of Leon County. Incumbent Republican Rep. Jason Shoaf faces no opposition.

House District 8 (D+42), which spans all of Gadsden County and part of Leon County. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Gallop Franklin faces Independent Party of Florida candidate Aaron Ruddell.

House District 13 (D+24), which covers a northeast portion of Duval County. The all-Democrat field includes former Sen. Audrey Gibson and candidates Brandon Groover, Leslie Jean-Bart and Christopher Thomas.

House District 14 (D+25.5), which covers part of Duval County. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Kimberly Daniels faces two Primary challengers: Elgin Foreman and Rhian Tutson.

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House District 24 (R+28), which covers a southeast portion of Marion County. Incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Chamberlin faces Primary challenger Scott Wilkins.

House District 27 (R+37), which spans parts of Lake, Marion and Volusia counties. Republican Rep. Richard Gentry is unopposed in his re-election bid.

House District 40 (D+35), which covers an unincorporated swath of Orange County, including the Riverside Acres neighborhood and census-designated areas of Lockhart, Pine Hills and Rosemont. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Ra’Shon Young is unopposed.

House District 56 (R+27.5), which covers a coastal stretch of Pasco County encompassing New Port Richey and the census-designated areas of Bayonet Point, Beacon Square, Elfers, Jasmine Estates and Holiday. Incumbent Republican Rep. Brad Yeager has no opponent.

House District 62 (D+34), which covers part of Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, and a portion of Hillsborough County, including Tampa and the unincorporated Gibsonton area. Democrats Kyandra Darling, Upton Fisher and Wengay Newton are competing to succeed Rayner.

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House District 63 (D+41), which covers much of inland Hillsborough, including Temple Terrace, the census-designated area of Harney and Tampa’s Sulphur Springs, West Tampa and Ybor City neighborhoods. Democrats Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks, Robin Lockett and Conrad Schupay are running to replace outgoing Rep. Dianne Hart-Lowman..

— House District 68 (R+29), which covers a northeast portion of Hillsborough, including Plant City and the unincorporated Shiloh and Valrico areas. Republican Ryan Gill is the only candidate in the race to succeed Rep. Lawrence McClure, who has endorsed Gill.

— House District 96 (D+19), which covers west Broward. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Daley, who briefly considered a Senate District 30 bid, faces no opposition.

— House District 97 (D+52), which covers part of Broward, including Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, North Lauderdale and the Sabal Palms Estates and Sunrise Heights neighborhoods. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Lisa Dunkley is unopposed.

— House District 98 (D+30), which covers part of Broward, including Oakland Park and unincorporated Lakeview and North Andrews Gardens. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Mitch Rosenwald faces Primary challenger Keith Abel.

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— House District 99 (D+44), which covers part of Broward, including Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Plantation and Wilton Manors. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Daryl Campbell faces no opposition.

— House District 104 (D+28), which covers a southern part of Broward, including Miramar and Pembroke Pines, and part of Miami-Dade County, including Miami Gardens. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Felicia Robinson is unopposed.

— House District 105 (D+27), which covers part of south Broward County, including Hollywood and West Park. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Marie Woodson faces no opposition.

— House District 110 (R+40), which covers part of northwest Miami-Dade County, including Miami Lakes. Incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Fabricio is unopposed.

— House District 111 (R+35.5), which covers part of northwest Miami-Dade County, including Doral, Hialeah and Hialeah Gardens. Incumbent Republican Rep. David Borrero faces no opposition.

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— House District 112 (R+45), which covers part of Miami-Dade County, including Hialeah and Miami International Airport. Incumbent Republican Rep. Alex Rizo, the immediate past Miami-Dade GOP chair, is unopposed.

___

Jacob Ogles contributed to this report.





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Florida

Will Florida see its next named storm this weekend?

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Will Florida see its next named storm this weekend?


Forecasters are tracking a broad disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast that could bring much-needed rain to parched communities this weekend.

Gulf tropical development potential

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What we know:

Models continue to indicate there is a potential for an area of low pressure to form over the northeast Gulf off the west coast of Florida over the weekend.

The National Hurricane Center says an area in the Gulf has a 30% chance of tropical development over the next seven days.

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Models a shifting away from the forecast of the system moving over the state and off the coast of the Carolinas.  Models are now indicating a more likely scenario that it lingers in the Gulf over the weekend and may drift more to the northwest near the Florida Panhandle or Louisiana coast. Early next week conditions look like they will become less conducive and may prohibit much development. Regardless of whether it organizes, the system will bring tropical downpours and increased moisture across Florida and parts of the Southeast. 

FOX 13 Meteorologist Jim Weber states we are close to 7.50″ below average on our rainfall in Tampa for the year. A weak area of low pressure or tropical system can be beneficial in helping to make up for the rainfall deficit we have been experiencing.  Drought conditions continue over much of the state of Florida. If this system ends up drifting more westward, it would limit the total amount of rainfall and the highest totals would be along the immediate west coast.

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Atlantic tropical development potential

A tropical wave southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands remains disorganized.

It is moving west-northwest and, according to the NHC, there is a chance for slow development over the next day or two.  By the weekend it is expected to move into less conducive conditions and Saharan dust will begin to affect this wave, limiting its moisture. The time for this system to develop is very limited and will not develop after the weekend.

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The NHC is giving it a 10% chance of developing. 

Weather factors and storm names

What we don’t know:

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Officials cannot yet confirm if the disturbance will overcome environmental hurdles like land interaction, wind shear and dry air. Computer models remain uncertain on how much this system will develop over the waters of the Gulf.  If it stays over the warm waters of the Gulf longer, it may give it additional time to organize. Interactions with land and wind shear will likely pose obstacles in further development.

To become a tropical system, it must develop a defined circulation with organized thunderstorms. If it reaches maximum sustained winds of 39 mph, it will become a tropical storm and be named Bertha. 

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13Meteorologist Jim Weber, the National Hurricane Center tropical weather outlooks, as well as forecast computer models.

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Florida TODAY: Homes get expensive, license to blush, fuzzy invader

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Florida TODAY: Homes get expensive, license to blush, fuzzy invader



Sign up to get the Florida TODAY statewide newsletter in your inbox weekdays. It’s free.

Here’s a quick glimpse of Florida TODAY, our statewide newsletter:

How long does it take to save for a first home, Florida?

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In Jacksonville, the answer could be less than a year.

In Miami, it could be more than 40.

A new report suggests homeownership is slipping further out of reach for many Florida workers — especially those in retail and restaurant jobs.

There’s a lot more going on across the Sunshine State:

License to blush: A South Florida retiree was taken aback by her new license plate. Her family thinks she should keep it. Would you?

Tiny terror: Florida is racing to stop a fuzzy new invasive pest that can wipe out a field in weeks. It has a taste for everything from grass to corn to sugarcane.

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Small miracle: Black skimmer chicks are back on the Sanibel Causeway for the first time in 30 years. Photojournalist Andrew West got a close look at the comeback.

That’s not all. Want the full statewide newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to Florida TODAY

NOTE: If you are a digital or print subscriber to a USA TODAY Network-Florida site, follow this link to subscribe via your local site.



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‘Experimental explosion’ reported off Central Florida coast, experts say

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‘Experimental explosion’ reported off Central Florida coast, experts say


VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – If you felt shaking along Florida’s east coast on Thursday, you’re not alone. But it wasn’t an earthquake.

A strong “experimental explosion” was reported in the waters off Central Florida on Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS website indicates that the explosion happened around 3:04 p.m., roughly 91 miles east-northeast of Ponce Inlet.

Experimental explosion

Per the agency, the event registered a preliminary magnitude of 3.9. However, few other details about what may have caused the explosion have been provided at this time.

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“The recorded ground motions from this event are more typical of an explosion than a naturally occurring earthquake,” the USGS website reads. “The Navy has conducted Full Ship Shock Trials in this region in the past.”

[A LOOK BACK: U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford performs shock trials on an aircraft carrier in 2021]

News 6 has reached out to Navy officials for more information and is awaiting additional details.

Anyone who felt the impact of the explosion is urged to report their experience here.

Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.



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