SUMMARY: Florida Republicans retained their supermajority in both legislative chambers following the recent elections. The House now consists of 85 Republicans and 36 Democrats, while the Senate remains at 28 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Despite significant Democratic efforts, they only flipped one house seat, with Leonard Spencer defeating incumbent Carla Amesty, who faced felony charges. Republican Anne Gerwig holds a narrow lead in District 93, and Erika Booth secured a notable win against Tom Keen in District 35. House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo celebrated the continued Republican dominance, pledging to deliver results for Floridians.

Read the full article

The post Republicans retain supermajorities in Florida Legislature | Florida appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

SUMMARY: In the recent presidential election, Florida exhibited a notable shift in political identity, moving from battleground status to a more solidly red state. President Trump won by over 1.5 million votes, aided significantly by Latino voters, particularly in Hispanic counties that flipped from blue to red. Many Latinos, including Puerto Ricans and Cubans, prioritized economic concerns like inflation over party loyalty, leading to their overwhelming support for Trump. Voters expressed their desire for change and improvement in their financial situations, highlighting a distinct divergence in how different Latino communities approach voting, defying the notion of a monolithic Latino vote.

If there was any doubt about Florida being a “red” state after Governor Ron DeSantis’ victory in 2022, that doubt was erased Tuesday with a dominating win for Republicans in the Sunshine State.

Source

SUMMARY: Meteorologist Jessica Dobson provided an update on Hurricane Raphael, which is currently a category 3 major hurricane with winds at 115 mph. It is expected to make landfall in Cuba as a category 2 or 3, bringing heavy rainfall, flooding, and storm surge. Central Florida will experience indirect impacts, primarily heavy downpours, possibly leading to reduced visibility and brief tornadoes due to moisture and wind shear. While the storm will weaken after landfall, scattered showers may persist into Thursday. Residents are advised to stay alert for weather updates as the hurricane season continues.

FOX 35’s Jessica Dobson has an update on Hurricane Rafael, which became a major Cat. 3 storm.

Get your tropical weather forecast each day during hurricane season from the FOX 35 Storm Team. We’ll issue a new hurricane update each day, and more frequently when needed.

Subscribe to FOX 35 News: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuXT13wiqK56NR7QSfDWpvg?sub_confirmation=1

More weather videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzmRitN2dDZvVfv7Akm3yobzA3KU8d0Or

Tropical maps and models: https://www.fox35orlando.com/orlando-hurricane

Watch more FOX 35 News video: https://fox35orlando.com/

Watch FOX 35 News live: https://fox35orlando.com/live

Download our free FOX 35 Storm Team weather app: https://www.fox35orlando.com/apps

More FOX 35 weather coverage: https://www.fox35orlando.com/weather

Get our newsletter: https://www.fox35orlando.com/email

Source