Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., the Sunshine State’s senior senator, successfully staved off a primary challenge Tuesday night and will be the GOP’s nominee for re-election in November.

Scott, a former health care executive, also previously launched an intraparty bid to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as the Republican leader in the upper chamber.

Scott barely survived a challenge from current NASA administrator Bill Nelson by about one-eighth of a percentage point in his 2018 race.

Scott now faces the winner of the Democrat primary, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

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A noted swing state for decades, Florida has been increasingly shifting comfortably toward the Republican column in recent races.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/File)

In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bush v. Gore put an end to the tallying of “hanging chads” on paper ballots as the Sunshine State narrowly went to pick then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the presidential election.

These days, the state has reliably re-elected statewide Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, who trounced former Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., in 2022.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Scott has been a reliable ally of former President Trump and currently sits on the Senate Homeland Security, Budget, Aging and Armed Services committees.

On his campaign website, primary challenger John Columbus described himself as a “modern millennial Florida man with a big dream and patriotic spirit.”

Columbus said he wants America to remain a “beacon of freedom” and that a change is needed in Washington, D.C.

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump pumps his fist after speaking at a campaign rally in Wilkes Barre, Pa., on Aug. 17, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Keith Gross said he was running to buck the “Washington Uniparty” and that “spineless RINO Republicans have sold our country out to foreign nations and corrupt insiders.”

Gross also plugged his support for Trump.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz survived a primary challenge Tuesday backed by his nemesis, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 

McCarthy spent $3 million on Aaron Dimmock’s campaign against Gaetz. Dimmock is a former Navy aviator and director of the Missouri Leadership Academy. 

Last year, Gaetz led a group of eight Republicans to oust McCarthy from the speakership with the help of Democratic members, spawning a feud between the two. 

McCarthy’s attacks on Gaetz stem from a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and drug use. But the allegations aren’t new, and Gaetz had a loyal following in his district, making Tuesday’s result the likely outcome.

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As of this summer, Gaetz is still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. The bipartisan committee, led by Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., issued a statement in June saying that it needs to further review allegations against Gaetz involving sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts.

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Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy donated $3 million to Gaetz’s rival. (Getty Images)

The committee also accused Gaetz of being uncooperative with its probe and said it had “difficulty in obtaining relevant information” from him.

Gaetz has denied all the allegations. 

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U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., appears onstage on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Florida law enforcement officials arrested 148 people and recovered seven victims during a human trafficking sting called “Operation Summer Shield.”

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said during a press conference Tuesday the goal of the operation was to prevent children from becoming victims of human trafficking during the summer, when they’re out of school and spending more time on the internet.

He said his office wanted to be proactive to ensure the children did not fall victim to human trafficking.

“From April 29, the 102 days during summer until Friday before school started, we really ramped up our efforts to combat human trafficking to assure that no child fell victim to human trafficking operations,” Chronister said.

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During the first day of the operation, the sheriff’s office said, several records were broken.

“That day, they broke a record for the number of individuals wanting to purchase sex on a single day,” Chronister said. “That was until the second day, when they smashed that record almost an hour before the operation started.”

The operation resulted in 148 arrests for various crimes, with 11 of the suspects being charged with human trafficking.

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Seven victims were rescued, according to Chronister, two of whom were 17-year-old girls.

Chronister highlighted four of the arrests during the press conference Tuesday, which he said were of the “more egregious offenders.”

One suspect, 33-year-old John Randall Craddock, was arrested after he allegedly sent explicit messages to someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl, but Chronister said the suspect was actually communicating with an undercover detective.

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John Randall Craddock was arrested during the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s “Operation Summer Shield.” (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

Devante Kershaw, 28, was arrested during the operation when he, too, allegedly communicated with an undercover detective.

“After attempting to groom our undercover detective for nearly a month, it was time to meet,” Chronister said. “Kershaw was so confident that he met with our undercover detective for more than an hour, and our human trafficking squad closed the deal with a solid arrest and a RICO charge, amongst others.”

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Devante Kershaw, 28, was arrested during “Operation Summer Shield” in Hillsborough County, Fla. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

Deputies arrested 39-year-old Dontae Burton, who allegedly forced a 17-year-old girl to have sex for money. Chronister said Burton would post explicit photos of the victim on adult escort websites, set up dates and collect the money she brought in.

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Dontae Burton was arrested during the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s “Operation Summer Shield.” (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

The 17-year-old girl, Chronister added, was living at home with her mother, who did not know what was happening.

“This sick scheme went on for about three months until we received a tip, and our human trafficking squad quickly went to work. A federal arrest warrant was issued, and Burton was taken into custody,” the sheriff said.

The fourth suspect Chronister highlighted was 35-year-old Dennis Jose Aguilar-Maroto, who allegedly met his victim when she was just 16 years old at a neighborhood park.

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Dennis Aguilar-Maroto was arrested during the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s “Operation Summer Shield.” (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

Aguilar-Maroto allegedly groomed the teenager for months before paying her between $40 and $60 for sex acts when she turned 18, authorities said. The sheriff added that the suspect paid the 17-year-old at least four times.

“It was not until our deputies encountered the two at an abandoned restaurant in Brandon that Aguilar-Maroto’s criminal behavior ended,” Chronister said. “While on proactive patrol, deputies found the two in the back seat of a small SUV where they had sex in exchange for money, and Aguilar-Maroto was immediately arrested.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the sheriff’s office for further comment.

Chronister posted to social media that his office’s mission was clear — “to protect our community and hold traffickers accountable.”

“We will not rest until every victim is safe and every trafficker is behind bars,” the sheriff said. “Let me be clear: Traffickers, your days of exploiting innocent people are over in Hillsborough County.”