11/08/2016 18:03 EST | Updated 11/09/2017 00:12 EST

The Latest: Trump narrowly beats Clinton in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Latest on Election Day in Florida (all times local):

11 p.m.


Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and is now in line to receive Florida's 29 votes in the electoral college.


They repeatedly made campaign swings through the state to boost turnout.



10:45 p.m.

Democrat Stephanie Murphy thanked supporters after defeating 12-term Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica and said she'd work to end deadlock and dysfunction in Congress.

Murphy spoke Tuesday at an Irish pub in Maitland after defeating Mica with about 51 per cent of the vote for the District 7 seat in the Orlando area.

Murphy said voters want change, security and equality. She promised to fight in Congress for women's rights, veterans and what she called common-sense gun safety measures.

Mica had easily won his previous elections, but this year his district wasn't as Republican-friendly after the Florida Supreme Court ordered lawmakers to redraw congressional maps to comply with the state constitution.


10:00 p.m.




Republicans have controlled the Florida Legislature for the last 20 years.


The changes gave Democrats an opportunity to shrink the gap between the two parties, but it wasn't enough to give them a majority.


9:05 p.m.


Murphy was helped in Tuesday's election by several million dollars pumped into the race by Democratic groups who spotted an opportunity to knock off an incumbent in a year where Trump's comments about women and minorities hurt other Republicans on the ballot.


Mica had easily won his previous 12 elections, but this year his district wasn't as Republican-friendly after the Florida Supreme Court ordered lawmakers to redraw congressional maps to comply with the state constitution.


8:55 p.m.


Curbelo edged out Democrat Joe Garcia in one of the nation's most competitive congressional districts.


The 26th Congressional District covers Miami's western and southern suburbs, the Florida Keys and a large chunk of the Everglades.



8:55 p.m.

An Army veteran who lost both his legs while trying to dismantle a bomb in Afghanistan has won one of Florida's most bitter congressional races.



Republicans cast Perkins as a shady businessman who profits off of others' misfortune. Perkins runs a debris removal company that did cleanup work after disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy.


8:50 p.m.


Currently, solar owners who send extra power back into the energy grid earn credit that can offset the price of any energy they might use, in what is known as "net metering." Such homeowners might produce all of their own power — and then some — during sunny periods.


Utility companies argue that solar homeowners unfairly take advantage of infrastructure costs paid by other customers, and Amendment 1 would have allowed them to make changes to the state's net metering system.


8:40 p.m.


Crist's victory Tuesday in the St. Petersburg-area seat comes after he lost the 2010 U.S. Senate race as an independent and the 2014 governor's race as a Democrat.


Crist was one of the state's most successful politicians until he ran for Senate instead of seeking a second term as governor. Marco Rubio chased him from the GOP primary and Crist's independent bid failed. Crist changed parties after the election.


8:40 p.m.

U.S. Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the state's longest serving member in Congress, has been re-elected to another term.


The 64-year-old Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Cuba and moved to the U.S. when she was a young girl, was first elected to Congress in 1989. She has been critical of President Barack Obama's push to re-establish diplomatic ties to Cuba.




8:30 p.m.



The measure lists 10 illnesses: cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis. It also allows doctors to prescribe pot for any other similar kind of ailment.

A similar ballot measure narrowly failed in 2014, when opponents expressed concerns including that children wouldn't be adequately protected. Proponents said loopholes were closed this time, including parental consent for underage patients.


8:10 p.m.


Rubio defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy in Tuesday's election in a race that was seen as critical for Republicans if they were to maintain their Senate majority.

Rubio's decision to seek re-election boosted the GOP's chance of keeping the seat, and outside groups pumped millions of dollars into the race to help ensure Rubio's victory.

Rubio repeatedly said he wouldn't seek a second term after he dropped out of the presidential race when Donald Trump soundly beat him in Florida's primary. But Rubio changed his mind two days before the deadline to get on the ballot.


5:23 p.m.


In the past he has voted for Al Gore, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. After eight years of President Barack Obama, he may have wanted to vote Republican this time around but couldn't bring himself to support Donald Trump.

So Windroff cast his vote Tuesday for Hillary Clinton.

"I feel strongly about it," Windroff said. "It's been a challenging voting process and I've been really disappointed in it. I would say I'm a conservative or in the middle. But I would say I'm disappointed the Republicans don't have a better candidate. I feel the party is terribly organized and it's a shame."


"There are some things I don't like about her, as well. I think she cuts the rules sometimes and I think she is very scripted but I can understand why she is," he said.


4:08 p.m.


Jupiter police Sgt. Bradley Vince says officers responded to the centre Tuesday morning following multiple 911 calls. Police say 52-year-old Tom Garrecht and 58-year-old Donna Tatlici had exchanged words as Garrecht went in to vote, and the argument continued as he left.

Statements from Garrecht, Tatlici and witnesses conflicted. Tatlici says she sprayed Garrecht because she was afraid of him. At some point, the woman was knocked to the ground, but it wasn't clear if Garrecht was purposefully attacking her or flailing around after being pepper-sprayed.

The state attorney's office will decide whether file assault charges against Garrecht. No arrests were made Tuesday. Both people were treated at the scene.


1:30 p.m.


But on Tuesday morning, Ortiz says he cast a vote for Republican Donald Trump. He says that while he doesn't like much of what Trump says, he can't trust Democrat Hillary Clinton either.

Uncertainly was also an issue for 63-year-old Jack Leviton in Orlando. The retail worker says he usually supports Democrats, but ultimately decided to cast his ballot for the Green Party's Jill Stein because her views more closely align with Bernie Sanders. He supported Sanders in the presidential primary.

Leviton says he didn't believe in the messages of either Trump or Clinton.


12:57 p.m.

Josee Voigt stopped by a Gainesville church on Election Day to cast a vote for Hillary Clinton, adding that as someone who moved to the United States and became a citizen she's been put off by Donald Trump's portrayal of immigrants.

But like 73-year-old Wanda Bass who voted for Donald Trump at a church in nearby Waldo on Tuesday morning, 49-year-old Voigt says she's just happy that the election is almost over.

Voigt says the stress of the election is causing her 15-year-old daughter to have nightmares. While she doesn't support Trump, the registered nurse says she hopes if he wins he'll "be able to behave as a head of state and not embarrass us."

Bass says the divisive election is having a positive impact by inspiring "more people to get involved in the process." Bass says she's not going to worry about who wins, adding "one of them will get in and serve their four years."

8:25 a.m.

More than half of Florida's active registered voters have already cast ballots ahead of Election Day.







8 a.m.

In Gainesville, three University of Florida students were among the millions of the state's voters who voted early.

Two of them — 21-year-olds Austin Young and TJ Pyche — cast ballots for Democrat Hillary Clinton. In fact, Pyche says he was a registered Republican who changed his party affiliation to no party after John Kasich lost to Donald Trump. The third, 22-year-old Michael Beato, declined to say who he voted for. But he was a Jeb Bush supporter in the presidential primaries.



Young and Pyche also voted in favour of a Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana.


7:15 a.m.

Polls are open in Florida, where roughly half of the state's active voters have already cast their ballots.


Marcy Osier who moved from Georgia to St. Petersburg in October was among those casting early voters in Florida. The 63-year-old retired tax accountant says she's "nervous" about the election because "there are too many undecideds out there."

Osier says she voted for Clinton, adding that she's always been a fan. She's mainly concerned about the economy, the middle class and education. She says she voted a straight Democratic ticking, including for U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy. Though she says she knew little about Murphy, she "had no trouble voting for him."


3:19 a.m.




The race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton has also been close in the nation's largest swing state. There's little chance Trump can win the presidency without the state's 29 electoral votes.