The Florida Chamber political team continuously analyzes new voter registration trends, changes to House and Senate districts, and voter behavior as we work to recruit and elect pro-jobs candidates to secure Florida's future. Please share this report with your management team and send us a note if you have questions, perspectives, or recommendations. Florida is at a crossroads and we invite you to help us continue on the right path forward.

In This Issue:

Florida Election Recap • Florida's Political Insights, Analysis and Highlights • Tools for Your Company's Political Strategy • Floridians Tapped for Key Roles in Trump Administration • 101 of 103 Florida Chamber-Backed Candidates Win General Elections • Florida Chamber of Commerce Applauds Defeat of Amendment 3 • Florida Voter Turnout Analysis • Tweets You Can Retweet • Upcoming Events

Trump, Scott Secure Double-Digit Statewide Victories as Florida Political Realignment to the Right Continues

In this month's political edition of Florida By the Numbers, the Florida Chamber's Director of Data and Analytics Alex Coelho looks at the results of Florida's general election last week and how Republicans secured wins across the Florida ballot. You can watch this month's video HERE for the full analysis from the Florida Chamber's Political Operations.

This month's video covered several key developments of the 2024 elections, including:

• Donald Trump and Rick Scott winning their respective Presidential and US Senate elections in Florida by double-digits, Trump's the largest margin of victory in a presidential contest in Florida since 1988

• Amendment 3 defeated on the Florida ballot, failing to secure the 60% required to be added to the Florida Constitution despite over 150 million dollars spent trying to pass the amendment.

• Florida Chamber-backed legislative candidates going 101 for 103 in the 2024 elections, a 98% success rate maintaining a strong pro-business presence in the legislature.

• A look ahead to some of the races that will be key to the 2026 election cycle, as well as the statewide and local ballots in 2026.

For more information on any subject covered in this video, or to find out more about the latest developments of Florida's political landscape, contact Alex Coelho.

• Florida's 2024 general election saw significant victories for Republican candidates across Florida, led by the results at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump and Rick Scott each secured double-digit victories over their Democratic opponents for President and US Senate respectively, and Republicans will continue to hold supermajorities in both chambers of the Florida Legislature. To find out more about last week's election results, click HERE to watch a breakdown of results from Florida Chamber Director of Data & Analytics Alex Coelho.

• The Florida Chamber's Political Operations team was proud to once again unite the business community in support of a bipartisan slate of pro-business candidates across Florida, and voters across the state gave these candidates their strong support as well. 101 of the 103 Florida Chamber-backed candidates for the Florida Legislature were elected to the Florida House and Senate, a 98% win rate for the business community. Already the Florida Chamber is gearing up for the 2026 cycle of elections as well, and to find out how to help continue to secure Florida's future contact Executive Vice President Frank Walker today.

• Amendment 3's "Adult Personal Use of Marijuana" amendment was defeated at the ballot box, failing to secure the 60 percent level of support required for an amendment to be added to Florida's constitution. This amendment failed despite the more than 150 million dollars spent on its behalf, as the Florida Chamber helped lead the effort to protect the Florida Constitution from an amendment that did not belong in Florida's foundational document.

• Turnout details from the 2024 general election show a decided advantage for Republicans among the nearly 11 million Floridians who cast ballots. By party registration, Republicans outvoted Democrats by 1.2 million votes in Florida for a lead of more than 11 percent of total turnout. While Democrats led among Floridians voting by mail, Republican turnout far outpaced Democrats among those voting early in-person and on Election Day itself.

• FCPI Completes Another Successful Round of Candidate Interviews: The Florida Chamber Political Institute, the Florida Chamber's nonpartisan research arm of political operations, recently completed its interviews of legislative candidates for the 2024 election cycle. The institute and members conducted nearly 100 interviews of candidates across 5 different locations across Florida, with more than 300 political institute members in attendance across the 5 sites. For more information on these events or the Political Institute in general contact Executive Director Marian Johnson.

• Interested in a Corporate Political Briefing?: Contact Frank Walker to schedule your customized corporate political briefing so your management team can better understand Florida's political landscape - an exclusive benefit for Florida Chamber Board of Governor members. 

• Exclusive Member Benefit: Be the first to know of changes to districts and counties through the Florida Partisan Performance Index. Discuss with Alex Coelho today.  

• Florida Free Enterprise Fund, a Florida Chamber initiative aimed at recruiting and electing pro-jobs candidates and advancing pro-Florida issues, invites your company to join to help Secure Florida's Future. E-mail Frank Walker to get involved today.

• The Florida Institute for Political Leadership (FIPL) is partnering with local chambers of commerce and hosting virtual candidate schools on how to run a winning local political campaign. With over 6,200 local elections in the coming years, we're working with local chambers of commerce to help educate local business leaders about local opportunities to serve. Click here to register and learn more.

• Learn about legislative candidates and make decisions on how your company can strategically make political contributions by joining the Florida Chamber Political Institute (FCPI). Learn more here.

• Keep up-to-date on Florida's economy by checking out The Florida Scorecard.

Chamber Members can access exclusive political intel here:

The election last week of former President Donald Trump to a second term as President marked a milestone for Florida. Trump is the first Florida resident to ever be elected President of the United States (at the time of his 2016 victory Trump's official residency was still in New York). With it, Florida was already poised to take a more central role in national politics and governance than the state had ever previously seen. This central role of Florida has only grown in scope and numbers since last week's election however, as numerous Floridians are now poised to take on vital roles within the incoming Trump administration.

The first appointment from out of the ranks of Floridians came late last week with the announcement that Susie Wiles, who served as a co-chair of the successful Trump 2024 presidential campaign, will serve as White House Chief of Staff. Wiles will also make history as the first woman to serve in this pivotal role overseeing the Executive Office of the President. She won't be a lone Floridian in the upper echelons of administration staff however, as James Blair and Taylor Budowich will both serve as Deputy Chiefs of Staff as well as Assistants to the President.

This week a series of additional appointments pulling from the ranks of Florida's elected officeholders were announced. Two of the highest level Cabinet offices in the nation, overseeing America's foreign affairs and judicial departments, are to be entrusted to Floridians as well: Senator Marco Rubio is Trump's choice to be America's next Secretary of State, a move that (pending Senate confirmation) will leave Governor DeSantis to appoint a replacement for Rubio's Senate seat, and Congressman Matt Gaetz is Trump's nominee for Attorney General. Additionally, Congressman Mike Waltz will serve as Trump's National Security Advisor in a post that does not go through the Senate confirmation process as Cabinet posts do. The Gaetz and Waltz appointments would trigger a pair of special elections in 2025 to fill these open Congressional seats, with both seats holding a decided Republican advantage that makes them more a contest of who wins the GOP primary in each respective district.

In the coming weeks it remains to be seen how many other notable Floridians end up getting the call to come to DC or around the world in various ambassador roles. As additional appointments are made, the Florida Chamber's Political Operations team will continue to monitor the impact of these appointments on the state landscape as well as the federal.

Chamber Political Action Team Shifts Focus to Pivotal 2026 Election Cycle

The Florida Chamber of Commerce united the business community to help defeat Amendment 3 to keep drugs out of the Florida Constitution. Additionally, the Chamber saw general election wins for 101 of 103 Chamber-backed candidates, continuing an unmatched track record of success in recruiting, supporting and electing pro-jobs candidates. This bipartisan group of diverse candidates have committed to securing Florida’s future by focusing on free enterprise principles and job creation for their communities while working to keep Florida competitive on the global stage.

“Congratulations to the 98% of Florida Chamber pro-jobs candidates who won their General Election races,” said Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce. “Floridians continued to have their voices heard with 79% of registered voters turning out to vote in the 2024 General Election including, as predicted by the Florida Chamber’s Political Operations team, a record returned ballot advantage for Republicans in a presidential election. We are confident those elected will work to pass the right pro-jobs policy, and alongside a united Florida business community, Florida will continue to grow and further diversify its economy.”

Keeping Florida competitive is essential to growing Florida to a top-10 global economy by 2030. As we unite business for good, the Florida Chamber trusts those elected will champion free enterprise, prioritize job creation and keep Florida moving in the right direction.

Through its Florida Chamber Political Institute, the Florida Chamber constantly strives to recruit better candidates for the legislature and 2024 has been a very successful year for growing our collective effort as Chamber members interviewed over 100 candidates across five cities. Here are a few highlights from the General Election:

• This General Election, the Florida Chamber endorsed 103 legislative candidates, backing many of their candidacies with financial resources and substantial voter education efforts.

• In the past few months, millions of dollars were invested to win Florida’s General Election legislative races. Campaigns are getting more expensive which is why the Florida Chamber launched the Free Enterprise Fund – a non-partisan member-driven fund to support pro-jobs candidates and causes for Florida’s future.

• With newly registered voters every month, Florida’s electorate continues to grow and evolve as Florida remains one of the most important states when it comes to elections. The Florida Chamber’s exclusive voter file, ChamberHub, is constantly tracking and analyzing these electorate trends for our members.

“The Florida Chamber continues to unite Florida’s business community for good,” said Florida Chamber Executive Vice President of Government & Political Relations Frank Walker. “Congratulations to those pro-jobs candidates who were elected and thank you to our Florida Chamber members who work to recruit and elect pro-jobs candidates as we advocate the right policy to keep Florida competitive.”

The Florida Chamber looks forward to working alongside the following Chamber-backed election winners after putting its nearly 150 years of combined political experience behind supporting them in the months and sometimes years preceding this election.

Chamber thanks Governor Ron DeSantis, First Lady Casey DeSantis, Florida Sheriffs Association and Local Law Enforcement, and Local Businesses for protecting our constitution and preventing efforts to impose California-style drug laws onto Florida’s businesses and communities

The Florida Chamber of Commerce continues to be the unifying voice for business in Florida politics and tonight applauds the defeat of Amendment 3 – Adult Personal Use of Marijuana.

“Amendment 3 was bad for Florida and even worse for Floridians,” said Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce. “This pro-drug amendment was bad for our kids, bad for our communities, bad for our local business, and ultimately bad for Florida. The Florida Chamber was proud to stand with Governor DeSantis to unite community and business leaders across Florida to help ensure this amendment’s defeat.”

Despite nearly 150 million dollars spent on Amendment 3 by a single marijuana company to buy their way around the legislative process and into the constitution, Floridians weren’t fooled into importing the same problems seen in California, Colorado and elsewhere and instead voted to maintain Florida’s competitiveness and quality of life. The Florida Chamber launched the employer-to-employee education website www.FLBizAgainstA3.com to help local businesses learn about the negative consequences of this misguided proposal and joined Governor DeSantis, First Lady Casey DeSantis, law enforcement leaders and local businesses across Florida for statewide webinars and roundtables to educate Florida voters.

The Florida Chamber has long opposed importing drugs into our constitution and special interest efforts to bypass the legislative process by abusing the ballot initiative process. The Florida Chamber will continue to work to protect our constitution and secure Florida’s future by aggressively opposing amendments that are wrong for Florida and have no place in Florida’s foundational document.

Republicans Build Turnout Advantage Through In-Person Voting Methods

One trend seen following the covid outbreak and its impacts on the 2020 election cycle has been a clear shift where how a person chooses to vote says a lot about who that person votes for. This continued into the 2024 election cycle, as profound differences between the three methods of voting (Vote-by-Mail, Early In-Person, and Election Day) were seen on a partisan level. Republicans cast an 11.2% higher share of votes in the 2024 election than did Democrats, casting 43 percent of all votes in Florida's general election, but this varied greatly based upon the method of vote used.

The turnout pattern seen in last week's election mirrored the trends seen in the preceding two general elections. Democrats have turned vote-by-mail, at one time a source of Republican turnout advantage, into their firewall to try and withstand the Republican waves of votes that will come from early vote and on Election Day itself. The realities of Florida's registration shift toward Republicans, ending with a nearly 8 percent registration advantage over Democrats by bookclosing for the 2024 general elecion, meant that early in-person had already wiped out the Democratic vote-by-mail advantage within a matter of hours once early vote sites opened. Ultimately, Republicans cast roughly 1.2 million more votes than Democrats across Florida in the 2024 general election.

Amendment 3 went up in smoke! Grateful to stand with Governor Ron DeSantis, First Lady Casey DeSantis, law enforcement, and local businesses to protect our constitution and keep Florida, Florida. #DontCaliforniaMyFlorida

Congratulations to our good friend @RickScott on your reelection to the U.S. Senate! Proud to endorse your reelection because Washington needs more lawmakers that are focused on Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Congratulations to our Chamber-endorsed House candidates on their victories! Click here to read more: https://flchm.co/3AuttgM

2024 Florida Transportation, Growth & Infrastructure Solution Summit - December 3, 2024

2024 Florida Chamber Annual Insurance Summit - December 3-5, 2024

2025 Florida Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit - January 30, 2025

2025 Legislative Fly-In - February 10-11, 2025

Florida Chamber Safety Council On-Demand Trainings

To learn more, run for office, or help the Florida Chamber, please contact:

Frank Walker, Executive Vice President of Government & Political Relations

O: 850-521-1211 | E: fwalker@flchamber.com

Marian Johnson, Executive Director, Florida Chamber Political Institute

C: 850-212-7073 | E: marianjohnson@flchamber.com

Andrew Wiggins, Senior Director of Political Affairs and Coalition Advocacy

O: 850-521-1240 | E: awiggins@flchamber.com

Alex Coelho, Director of Data & Analytics

O: 850-521-1250 | E: acoelho@flchamber.com