Florida's Latest News

Florida Supervisors of Elections ask for more voting accommodations post-Milton

An organization representing election officials in all 67 Florida counties is again asking state officials for short-term accommodations so voters can cast ballots in storm-ravaged areas after Hurricane Milton.

The Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) sent a letter to Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Division of Elections Director Maria Matthews requesting temporarily loosened voting restrictions in 10 counties.

They include Manatee, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties, which the FSE letter noted as having suffered “extensive damage” from Milton; and Collier, Glades, Highlands, Indian River, Orange and St. Lucie counties in Central and East Florida, which sustained tornadic and water damage that could hinder regular election activity.

Sarasota was also among 13 counties for which the FSE sought changes on Oct. 2 after Hurricane Helene. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order three days later honoring every request the organization made, and even offered more concessions so voting could go smoothly.

Ron DeSantis boasts of ‘zero tolerance’ for storm looters, animal abusers

Gov. Ron DeSantis says the state and subsidiary agencies have “upheld” their “commitment” to punish looters who would exploit the tragedy of Hurricane Milton.

“If you loot, we’re going to hold you accountable,” DeSantis said, noting that around the state, law enforcement has had to deal with malingerers and malefactors trying to take advantage of the crisis.

“It’s been a commitment that’s been upheld across all state agencies, whether it’s our Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, whether it’s the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, who got somebody trying to take a generator away from a power light, or Daytona Beach arresting people for looting,” DeSantis said.

He also noted that in Sarasota, officers apprehended “a guy (who) was breaking into an apartment complex.” DeSantis also said that in New Port Richey, a person “taking debris and dumping it in somebody else’s private property” couldn’t escape the law.

Hurricane Helene damage estimate raised to $225 billion

Damage estimates for Hurricane Helene have risen to as much as $225 billion, according to an updated assessment by AccuWeather. The estimate, which could climb to $250 billion, reflects widespread destruction across the southern Appalachians and southeastern U.S., including severe infrastructure damage and economic losses.

AccuWeather’s revised estimate includes damage to power grids, highways, and bridges, with some areas expected to take years to recover. Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 are impassable in parts, and the electric grid in some regions has been destroyed.

“Helene brought historic devastation and has tragically changed lives forever. The level of human suffering, the rising death toll and the tremendous damage to people’s homes and businesses, as well as to critical infrastructure, from telecommunications to roads and highways and water supplies has been overwhelming. Helene was a truly historic storm,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter.

The estimate also accounts for healthcare costs, long-term mental health impacts, and disruptions to businesses, particularly in the tourism, technology, and agriculture sectors. AccuWeather initially projected damages between $95 billion and $110 billion but raised the figure as the extent of the destruction became clearer.

Among Florida’s Hispanic voters, Trump emerging as the clear favorite for president

As Donald Trump prepares to sit for a town hall with Hispanic voters in Doral on Wednesday, the former president appears on track to carry the Hispanic vote in Florida, according to a spate of recent polls that show his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, underperforming past Democratic presidential candidates among Florida Hispanics.

Trump’s lead is glaring. A survey from Marist College released last week found Trump with 58% support among Hispanic voters in his home state, while Harris trailed at 40%. That advantage isn’t far off from an internal poll commissioned by the Republican Party of Florida and conducted by the polling firm The Tarrance Group that, according to the Florida GOP, shows Trump leading Harris 56% to 40% among the state’s Hispanic voters.

Another poll from NBC6 and Telemundo 51 out on Sunday showed Trump running 5 percentage points ahead of Harris among Florida Hispanic voters.

The spate of recent polling suggests that Trump — who has vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants from the U.S. and repeatedly claimed that migrants are stealing American jobs — has gained a foothold on a crucial electorate in a state that only few years ago stood as one of the most closely divided and hotly contested political battlegrounds in the country.