News Cast for November 6th:
The results are in
A big night for Republicans as Donald Trump was returned to office as the 47th President.
He won Florida by nearly 14 percent and Okeechobee County by nearly 53 percent.
Okeechobee had a high voter turnout of 78 percent.
Trump spoke in Florida after the victory and promised to help American families and help the country heal from its divisions.
US Senator Rick Scott also won a big victory by over 12 percent over Debbie Powell.
US Congressman Scott Franklin won re-election by nearly 30 percentage points.
In Okeechobee races Noel Chandler and Vice Mayor Monica Clark were returned to office on Okeechobee City Council.
Chandler had 1,192 votes, Clark 933 and Jamie Gamiotea 730 votes.
In the one county commission race Mike Sumner easily cruised the victory with 11,885 votes or over 76 percent to Austin Harvey’s 3,672 votes or just under 24 percent.
In Glades County Tim Stanley won re-election to the county commission with 80 percent of the vote to Kevin Flanaghan’s 20 percent. Stanley had 4,044 votes to Flanaghan’s 1,004 votes.
Larry Luckey the 2nd won a seat on the school board with 59 percent of the vote to Kari West 41 percent.
76 percent of voters cast ballots in Glades County.
In the state races, Kaylee Tuck easily won re-election to her house seat with nearly 75 percent of the vote after former journalist Danika Fornear.
Erin Grall won re-election to the State Senate with nearly 65 percent of the vote to Randy Aldieri’s 35.3 percent.
Erika Booth won a state house seat that covers Kenansville and Yeehaw Junction.
Voters approved the amendment to protect fishing and hunting rights while failing to pass recreational marijuana and abortion rights. The fishing and hunting measure passed with 67 percent. It takes 60 percent of the vote to approve a constitutional amendment.
Former Okeechobee County Judge Burton Conner was retained on the 4th District Court of Appeals.
In regional races of interest, Richard Del Toro won the race for St. Lucie County Sheriff with 57 percent of the vote to 43 percent for businessman Steve Giordano.
Commission chair Kathy Townsend defeated former state legislator and clerk Cliff Barnes 55 percent to 45 percent. Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky was defeated by James Clasby by a vote of 53.6 percent to 46.4 percent.
Eileen Vargas won a seat on the Martin County Commission.
In Osceola County Marcos Lopez won re-election with 55 percent of the vote to Donnie Martinez 42 percent.
Paula Bronson won a school board seat that covers Southern Osceola with 59 percent to Kenansville’s Scott Ramsey who had 41 percent.
Osceola voters also approved a land conservation ballot measure.