Florida’s 10th District House Race: Who Will Win

Election officials in several Florida counties, including Seminole, Broward, and Monroe, are investigating delays in vote-by-mail ballots moving through the U.S. Postal Service. Seminole County has issued more than 500 replacement ballots, with one local delivery taking seven days; a Broward official's son waited 12 days for a ballot sent from Orlando. USPS says it has found no delivery issues in Broward or Monroe. Central Florida counties outside Seminole report no similar problems. With Florida's 7 p.m. Nov. 3 return deadline approaching, officials are urging voters who haven't mailed ballots to instead vote early in person or drop ballots at secure intake stations.

Orange County, Florida election officials held public logic and accuracy testing on voting machines less than a month before Election Day, part of a process required by state law before every election. Workers ran sample ballots through randomly selected machines to confirm they function properly and tally votes correctly, with members of the public invited to observe.

Karen Castor Dentel, Orange County Supervisor of Elections, said the exercise supports transparency and public trust in election integrity. Resident Patti Strandberg, who has volunteered in multiple roles throughout the election process, said watching the testing firsthand offered reassurance and encouraged others with concerns to attend future public viewings.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting runs from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1, and voters seeking mail ballots must request them by Oct. 22. The testing comes amid ongoing national attention to election security and voter confidence ahead of the midterm election cycle.

Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, who led identification and autopsy efforts after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, said he deliberately kept gunman Omar Mateen's body in a separate, smaller morgue from the 49 victims. He said there was no legal requirement to do so, calling it a personal decision: "It's just what I felt was right." Stephany, filling in as medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties with a small staff, set a goal of identifying and autopsying all victims by Tuesday, enlisting two state pathologists to help process the bodies.

Technicians used fingerprints, driver's licenses, tattoos, and other identifiers to confirm victims, with a final John Doe matched through a discarded wallet found at the club. Stephany personally conducted Mateen's autopsy along with several victims' autopsies, saying evidence suggested the victims did not suffer prolonged struggles. By Thursday, all victims' remains had been released to funeral homes; Mateen's body had not. Stephany was named permanent chief medical examiner the same week, amid an unusually heavy caseload including other high-profile Orlando-area deaths.

Orange County, Florida commissioners voted 6-1 to approve a roughly $9 billion budget prioritizing public safety, affordable housing and homelessness services, even as county leaders warn that a statewide ballot measure could upend future budgets. Amendment 3, which would increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes, could cut $275 million from county revenue by 2028, officials say. Mayor Jerry Demings noted the measure lacks a public safety exemption, meaning optional services like social programs would likely face cuts first if it passes in November.

Other Central Florida law enforcement leaders share the concern: Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood says his agency could lose $37 million next year alone, while Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma has warned of a 20 percent budget cut leading to layoffs and hundreds fewer patrol officers. Commissioner Mayra Uribe suggested the county should first seek internal efficiencies before residents feel the impact. The approved budget also includes $19.5 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, part of a goal to add or preserve 10,000 housing units by 2028.

Florida's primaries produced a mixed picture for both parties ahead of November's general election. Rep. Byron Donalds won the Republican gubernatorial nomination with Trump's endorsement and a large financial edge, beating Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former House Speaker Paul Renner and newcomer James Fishback despite Gov. Ron DeSantis's public misgivings; Donalds would become Florida's first Black governor if elected. Former Republican congressman David Jolly, running with Gwen Graham as his lieutenant governor pick, won the Democratic nomination over state Rep. Dotie Joseph and others, pitching himself as a centrist who wants to end the culture wars. The two will meet in November to succeed the term-limited DeSantis, in a state where Democrats haven't won the governorship in over 30 years.

Progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon defeated establishment-backed Alex Vindman for the Senate Democratic nomination despite being outspent; she faces Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who won her primary with Trump's backing, in the special election for Marco Rubio's former seat. Incumbents Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz turned back challengers, including Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, in redrawn districts under Florida's new Republican-favored congressional map. Trump-endorsed Cory Mills lost his House primary amid domestic violence allegations, while far-right figures Dan Bilzerian and Madison Cawthorn were also defeated, alongside Rep. Randy Fine's contentious win.

Palm Beach County Republican Party Chair Carl Cascio addressed the controversy surrounding Mike Caruso, who served about a year as Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller after being appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August 2025, before being suspended amid child sex charges. Caruso's continued appearance on a voter guide following his arrest drew scrutiny, which Cascio discussed on WFLA's Battleground Florida podcast alongside broader Republican prospects in Florida's midterms.

The podcast also featured Rep. Darren Soto, who is seeking reelection in Florida's 9th Congressional District against Republican Dan Green, a Trump administration Department of Defense appointee whose campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Soto's district, redrawn mid-decade under DeSantis and the Republican legislature, now has more registered Republicans than Democrats. Also featured was Branden Scrivener, a No Party Affiliated, self-described progressive candidate challenging Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Democrat Kimberly Overman in District 12, as independent candidates seek traction in competitive races ahead of November.

Early voting opens in Harris County, Texas, running through Oct. 30, with several closely watched local races on the ballot. Voters will choose a new county judge for the first time since 2018, with Democrat Letitia Plummer facing Republican Orlando Sanchez to succeed the retiring Lina Hidalgo; a recent University of Houston poll showed Plummer with a narrow lead. Commissioner races are also on the ballot in Precincts 2 and 4, pitting Democratic incumbents against Republican challengers. Redrawn congressional districts add further intrigue, with new matchups in Districts 9 and 18. Houston voters will additionally decide Proposition A on marijuana enforcement and no-knock warrants, while League City weighs license plate camera use and Cy-Fair ISD considers a bond package.

As early voting begins in Orange County, Florida, the two mayoral candidates have staked out opposing positions on Amendment 3, a property tax measure that county officials project would cut revenue by $165 million in 2027 and $275 million in 2028. Chris Messina backs the amendment, arguing it would deliver meaningful savings to homeowners amid an affordability crisis and disputing the county's revenue projections, citing recent tax revenue growth. Tiffany Moore Russell opposes it, warning it threatens discretionary programs like the Housing Trust Fund and offers no relief to the roughly 45% of county residents who rent. She says she would pursue budget cuts and efficiencies if it passes.

Florida's Latino voters, roughly a quarter of the state's electorate, are emerging as a key constituency heading into the 2026 midterms, after many shifted toward Republicans in 2024. Republican and Democratic strategists interviewed by News 6 disagree sharply on which issues will determine whether that shift holds.

Republicans, represented by RNC Hispanic communications director Jaime Florez, credit President Trump's economic record — citing lower inflation, prescription drug costs and job growth — for the party's gains. Democrats, through Puerto Rico Democratic Party chair Luis Dávila Pernas, counter that cost of living remains a burden and claim some Latino Trump voters now feel "buyer's remorse." Immigration enforcement is another flashpoint: the administration has reported more than 985,000 deportations and moved to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans and Haitians, actions Republicans defend as lawful enforcement while Democrats argue they have alarmed immigrant communities amid aggressive ICE arrests. Both sides agree voters increasingly want results over partisan conflict as Florida heads toward November's vote.

Alex Alvarado, a GOP operative implicated in Florida's 2020 "ghost candidate" scheme, is now sending text messages suggesting Democratic attorney general candidate Jose Javier Rodríguez won't "defend reproductive freedom." The texts, funded through a newly registered committee called Lower Our Costs Now, cite a 2015 abortion bill vote Rodríguez missed on the floor but later recorded a "no" vote on afterward. Rodríguez's campaign calls the ads misleading and notes his Planned Parenthood endorsement. Alvarado, an early donor to incumbent Attorney General James Uthmeier, was previously tied to 2020 efforts—some resulting in convictions—to siphon votes from Democrats using decoy independent candidates, including a scheme that helped defeat Rodríguez's state Senate bid.