Florida State University

With Gov. Ron DeSantis term-limited, Florida's November 3 election will determine who succeeds First Lady Casey DeSantis, known for her cancer-prevention advocacy and the Hope Florida welfare initiative. Erika Donalds, wife of Republican nominee Byron Donalds, is a former Collier County school board member and founder of the Education Freedom Foundation, and says she would continue pushing for school choice. Laura Jolly, wife of Democratic nominee David Jolly, has not committed to specific duties given the couple's two young children but says she would lend her voice to issues benefiting Floridians. The race's outcome will shape both Florida's governorship and its next First Lady's priorities.

Tallahassee voters will choose a new mayor in the Nov. 3 general election, a nonpartisan race for City Commission Seat 4 that pays $99,167 annually. The winner is sworn in Nov. 16.

Two candidates are competing: Loranne Ausley, 62, an attorney and small business owner who spent more than 20 years as a Florida state senator and representative and founded Whole Child Leon and the South City Foundation; and Jeremy Matlow, 41, the lone sitting City Commissioner in the race, a co-owner of Gaines Street Pies with eight years of local government experience.

Both candidates say restoring public trust in City Hall is a top priority, though they frame the city's challenges differently. Ausley emphasizes unifying a divided commission and addressing housing costs and growth while protecting neighborhoods. Matlow casts himself as a break from entrenched political and developer interests, pledging affordable housing units, permitting reform and neighborhood reinvestment. The race will test voter appetite for continuity versus change in city leadership.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 25 counties ahead of a strengthening storm system in the Gulf of Mexico. The order covers counties across the Panhandle and North Florida, including Baker, Columbia, Bay, Escambia, Leon, Santa Rosa and Walton, among others.

The National Hurricane Center expects the system, now a Category 3 hurricane, to make landfall along the central Gulf Coast as early as Friday night, with impacts extending well beyond the landfall point, including heavy rainfall, strong winds, coastal flooding and isolated tornadoes across North Florida. Some counties are not expected to be seriously impacted directly but are already contending with separate flooding from days of heavy rain, with three to six inches reported in Columbia County; additional rain could further saturate soils and raise flash flooding risk. The state has staged more than 1,000 generators, half a million gallons of gasoline, a million gallons of diesel and over a million bottles of water, mobilized 5,000 National Guard troops, and pre-positioned more than 16,000 linemen for power restoration. DeSantis urged residents to finalize plans and stock supplies for at least 72 hours.

Democratic candidate David Jolly and Republican Rep. Byron Donalds outlined contrasting positions ahead of Florida's gubernatorial election. Jolly said he would impose a moratorium on hyperscale data centers on his first day in office, citing health and environmental concerns and polling showing broad voter opposition. Donalds countered that siting decisions belong to local governments under existing law, pledging to guard against utility rate hikes and protect water supplies. On AI, Jolly called for guardrails around job displacement and classroom use, while Donalds argued the technology is already too widespread to regulate away and pointed to space-industry growth as an economic opportunity.

The candidates also diverged on Amendment 3, the property tax relief measure on next month's ballot. Jolly said he plans to vote no, warning it would strip funding from law enforcement, and favors targeted relief such as a homestead exemption for first-time buyers. Donalds backs the amendment, arguing property taxes have surged and that public safety funding is protected. Both campaigns have intensified outreach to Black voters in the closing weeks: Donalds unveiled a coalition of Black leaders and faced pointed questions from students during a visit to Florida A&M University, while Jolly has accused him of pursuing an "anti-Black agenda," citing past votes and remarks. A Donalds win would make him Florida's first Black governor; a Jolly win would end a decades-long Democratic drought in the governor's mansion.

Florida lawmakers from both parties say Congress must act on artificial intelligence oversight, but the House has broken early ahead of the midterms, leaving the issue unresolved. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) criticized the early adjournment, calling for federal AI safety guardrails, including protections against deepfakes and misinformation. The House did pass her Ratepayer Protection Act, addressing data center impacts, before leaving.

Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) argued Congress should go further and repeal Section 230, which shields tech companies from liability, saying AI firms should face accountability similar to other adults responsible for children. He cited Florida State University's 2025 shooting, in which the suspect reportedly consulted ChatGPT before the attack, as evidence current liability protections leave no accountability. Republican leaders say their broader legislative agenda is stalled in the Senate and argue lawmakers are better served campaigning ahead of November. Democrats say the early exit delays urgent safety action, leaving AI regulation's fate dependent on the outcome of the midterm elections.