By Zoey Patrick
The 2026 midterm elections brought major decisions for voters across Florida and the Tampa Bay area. Statewide races and local elections, as well as ballot measures, voters headed to the polls on Nov. 3, to make their voices heard.
Z News conducted an hour long live election show, with upwards of 60 students and multiple staff members helping to make this happen. There were students live in-studio as well as live out in the field covering races to help keep viewers up to date on election coverage.
The broadcast featured updates on several key races, including Florida’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races, along with congressional races across the Tampa Bay area. Students also covered amendments 1, 2 and 3, on the ballot.
Students followed Florida’s gubernatorial race, which determined who would serve as the state’s next governor.
Governor-elect Byron Donalds, a New York native, graduated from Florida State in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree. Following his graduation, Donalds worked in the finance, insurance, and banking industries. Donalds won an election to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016, representing the 80th District for two terms. He then won a seat in Congress in 2020 and secured reelection in 2022 and 2024.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly faced Republican candidate Byron Donalds in the race for Florida governor. Jolly grew up in Dade City and is a native of the Tampa Bay area. He represented Florida’s 13th Congressional District from 2014 to 2017 as a Republican before switching to the Democratic Party in April 2025.
Both candidates secured their party’s nominations in the August primaries, setting up a general election match-up for Florida governor.
Republicans will continue to hold the governor’s office after Donalds won the race with 50.02% of the vote. Jolly received 48.71%, according to The Associated Press.
The governor’s race was just one of the several major races Floridans decided on election day. Voters also weighed in on the U.S. Senate race, congressional seats across the state and three proposed constitutional amendments.
Republican incumbent Ashley Moody defeated Democratic challenger Angie Nixon in the U.S. Senate race; Moody received 50.9%, while Nixon earned 48%, according to the Associated Press. The AP called the race for Moody on Election Night.
Moody previously served as Florida’s attorney general before Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Senate in 2025 to fill the vacancy left by Marco Rubio, who became U.S. Secretary of State. Nixon, a state representative from Jacksonville, has served in the Florida Legislature since 2020.
Along with the statewide races, Florida voters also decided on three proposed constitutional amendments. The measures addressed the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund, tax exemptions for agricultural and agritourism equipment, and property tax relief for homeowners.
Each amendment needed at least 60% voter approval to pass, voters approved Amendment 3 but rejected Amendments 1 and 2.
Amendment 3, passed with nearly 62% of the vote, exceeding the 60% approval threshold required for constitutional amendments. The measure increases Florida’s homestead property tax exemption for qualifying homeowners to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. The change applies to non-school property taxes and is expected to provide tax relief to homeowners.
Florida voters also decided several state legislative races, including the race for Senate District 14. Democrat Brian Nathan defeated Republican Josie Tomkow in the general election. Nathan received 52.24% of the vote to Tomkow’s 47.76%, according to unofficial results from the Florida Division of Elections. Nathan previously defeated Tomkow in a March special election, securing the Senate seat for a full term.
The attorney general race was another closely watched statewide race. Republican incumbent James Uthmeier defeated Democratic challenger José Javier Rodríguez, receiving 50.93% of the vote compared to Rodríguez’s 49.07%.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Uthmeier to the position in February 2025 after Ashley Moody left the office to join the U.S. Senate. The November win gives Uthmeier his first full term as Florida’s attorney general.
The St. Petersburg mayoral race was another major contest in the Tampa Bay area. Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist defeated incumbent Mayor Ken Welch, receiving 62% of the vote compared to Welch’s 38%, according to unofficial results from Pinellas County. The nonpartisan race ended with Crist returning to public office after previously serving as governor and a U.S. representative
The final race followed by Z News was the U.S. House race in Florida’s 14th Congressional District. Incumbent Democrat Kathy Castor faced Republican Mike Beltran in a newly redrawn district. Castor won reelection with 51.2% of the vote, defeating Beltran, who received 45.9% of the vote, according to The Associated Press. Castor has represented the Tampa area in Congress since 2007.
More than 8.3 million Floridians cast ballots in the midterm election; the results shaped leadership at the state and federal levels, while voters decided on several proposed constitutional amendments.
The election show produced by Z News and The Zimmerman School at USF allowed students to apply their reporting, writing, and production skills in a real-time environment, while keeping viewers informed throughout Election Night.