Please click here for the complete report from our lobby team at Liberty Partners of Tallahassee
The 2024 General Election in Florida delivered big wins for Republicans across the state, as the GOP maintained a supermajority in the Florida Legislature with 28 Republicans in the Senate, while picking up a seat in the House and extending their supermajority to 85-35. Voter turnout played a key role in Republican success, as 78.76% of all registered voters made their voices heard in the General Election – the highest voter turnout since 1992.
While Democrats edged Republicans in vote-by-mail ballots by approximately 200,000, Republicans had over than one million more early voters than Democrats. This was key to Republicans maintaining their supermajority in the Legislature.
One United States Senate race appeared on the ballot, as incumbent U.S. Senator Rick Scott handily defeated former U.S. Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell by more than 12%. Of the 28 U.S. House seats that appeared on the General Election ballot, Republicans won 20 seats compared to eight seats won by Democrats.
General Election surprises in the Legislature included the defeat of three House members: Representative Carolina Amesty (R-Orlando), Representative Tom Keen (D-Orlando), and Representative Katherine Waldron (D-Wellington).
With Florida Attractions Political Action Committee (FAPAC) supported candidates winning each of their 22 respective races in the General Election and the House and Senate retaining supermajorities, the attractions industry and the Florida Attractions Association (FAA) governmental affairs team will maintain positive relationships with incumbent legislators and create new relationships with newly-elected legislators.
During our meetings with newly-elected officials and incumbents, we reminded them of the value that tourism brings to our state and the unique experience that FAA member attractions offer. By making connections with legislators prior to the beginning of the 2025 Legislative Session and encouraging them to visit their local attractions, we are ensuring that FAA and its members will have a seat at the table when decisions are made in Tallahassee that would affect the tourism industry.
