Florida election 2022 live updates: Voters line up to cast ballots in Brevard County
It's Election Day in Florida. Voters across the Sunshine State are headed to the polls to cast ballots in local, statewide and federal races in the 2022 midterm elections.
In the Florida governor's race, Gov. Ron DeSantis faces off against Democratic challenger and former governor Charlie Crist. In a key U.S. Senate race, incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio is being challenged by Democrat Val Demings.
Various local races in Brevard County are also on the ballot. Learn more about them here.
FLORIDA ELECTION RESULTS 2022: See results from local and statewide races
Voter guide for Brevard County: Ultimate guide to candidates, issues for 2022 election
Gubernatorial debate recap: Long-anticipated Crist-DeSantis debate transforms downtown Fort Pierce
Palm Bay tax amendment fails
A Palm Bay charter amendment removing restrictions on property taxes failed, receiving only 34.96% of the vote as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The passage of this amendment would have removed provisions that kept City Council from using ad valorem property taxes at a millage rate that would cause the budgeted revenues to increase over the budged ad valorem revenue from the previous fiscal year by more than 3%.
Voters elect candidates across several communities
9:25 p.m. EST: Brevard County voters elected candidates in an array of communities on Tuesday's general election ballot, according to unofficial results.
Read the full story with results from all the communities here.
Wright wins Florida Senate race
9:13 p.m. EST: Incumbent Senator Tom Wright easily won, defeating Democrat Andrea Williams for the Florida Senate District 8 seat with 62% of the vote.
Wright, a Republican, served the four-year term won by Dorothy Hukill in 2018, just a few weeks after her death. Wright was chosen by a Republican Party caucus to be her replacement, but because ballots had already been printed, her name remained on the ballot.
Voters approve Brevard charter change
9:13 p.m. EST: Brevard County voters approved a change to the county charter during Tuesday’s election that sets up a process for Brevard School Board members to be recalled.
Voters also narrowly approved codifying a rule to address the growing affordable housing shortage plaguing the county, creating a workforce and supportive housing program.
Titusville: Cole defeats Perez
8:46 p.m. EST: Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Herman Cole defeated Kate Perez to win Seat 1 on the City Council Tuesday night. Cole's 54.7% of the vote easily defeated Perez, who secured 45.3% of voters in Tuesday's election.
Titusville's newest City Council member has been served in many prominent positions, including board member of Titusville YMCA; board member of Parrish Medical Center; Rotary Club president; and Titusville Planning and Zoning board member.
"I was hoping I was going to win but I never want to get overconfident about anything," Cole said.
School board: Trent edges past Dunne
8:45 p.m. EST: Gene Trent edged past Erin Dunne in the race for Brevard County School Board, paving the way for a conservative-dominated school board.
With all 34 precincts reporting and 45,987 votes cast, Trent had 24,630 (53.56%) votes to Dunne's 21,357 (46.44%).
Though School Board seats are non-partisan, Tuesday's District 2 race between two teachers turned into a contest of Republican vs. Democrat. This election's school board races also focused on issues such as parental say, how schools handle lessons on race and student gender identity.
Melbourne City Council updates
8:32 p.m. EST: Vice Mayor Julie Sanders and Council Member Mark LaRusso have opened big leads in their Melbourne City Council races, as has newcomer Rachael Bassett.
With 18 of 23 precincts reporting, LaRusso leads the District 2 race with 68.8% of the vote, while Shawn Allred Middleton has 31.% of the vote.
Bassett leads the District 4 race with 62.1% of the vote, while Alison Dietrich has 37.9% of the vote.
Debbie Thomas, the District 4 incumbent, is wrapping up her second straight term. She cannot run for reelection because of term limits.
Sanders leads Adam Woodworth in the District 6 race. Sanders has taken 67.8% of the vote, while Woodworth has 32.2%.
Koss, Goins fend off challengers
8:30 p.m. EST: Both Lorraine Koss and Alex Goins fended off challengers with double-digit margins after Tuesday's results were finalized.
Alex Goins also maintained his seat in District 1, beating challengers Ed Green and Demetrius Thomas. Goins received 50.7% of the vote with Ed Green getting 38.7% and Thomas receiving 10.6% of the remaining tally.
Trent leads in school board race
8:24 p.m. EST: With 32 of 34 precincts reporting, conservative Gene Trent has edged past more liberal Erin Dunne in the race for Brevard County School Board.
With 45,987 votes cast, Trent had 53.56% of the vote to Dunne's 46.44%.
Though School Board seats are non-partisan, Tuesday's District 2 race turned into a contest of Republican vs. Democrat.
Melbourne City Council race updates
8:20 p.m. EST: Vice Mayor Julie Sanders and Council Member Mark LaRusso have opened big leads in their Melbourne City Council races, as has newcomer Rachael Bassett.
Palm Bay incumbent in the lead
8:17 p.m. EST: Incumbent Palm Bay City Council member Kenny Johnson was leading in the race for Palm Bay City Council Seat 4 Tuesday evening over challenger Nathan White.
Johnson, who has been in his position since 2018, was one of two council members up for re-election this year, with Peter Filiberto running unopposed for Seat 5.
Posey will retain seat in Congress
8:12 p.m. EST: U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, will retain his seat in Congress after defeating his Democratic challenger, Joanne Terry, in Tuesday's general election.
Posey received 64.4% of the vote and Terry received 35.6% as of 8 p.m. Tuesday. This will be Posey's eighth two-year term.
Few political prognosticators gave Terry much of a chance to beat Posey for the 8th Congressional District, which includes all of Brevard and Indian River counties, along with part of eastern Orange County.
In Brevard County for example, Republican registered voters total nearly 200,000 while Democrats have the support of almost 131,000. In Indian River County, Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 27,000 voters.
Strand wins Indialantic Town Council
8 p.m. EST: Loren Strand has beaten Mel Chang in the Indialantic Town Council Seat 4 race, the beachside community's lone, contentious race on Tuesday's general election ballot.
The Town Council race generated unusually heavy attention this election cycle. Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters said he was "outraged" by antisemitic remarks that Chang, a registered Republican, had written in emails and on social media.
However, Brevard Republican Executive Committee Chair Rick Lacey declined to publicly speak against Chang's comments. Rather, Lacey said he plans to set up a post-Election Day BREC committee to investigate the remarks.
Brevard Commission gets new members
8 p.m. EST: The Brevard County Commission will have two new members later this month, as Tom Goodson won the District 2 seat and Rob Feltner won the District 4 seat in Tuesday's election.
Both are Republicans, and their election wins keep the County Commission all-Republican for at least the next two years. There were no Democratic candidates for either seat.
Goodson defeated no-party-affiliation candidate Dontavious Smith, with Goodson leading, with 72.84% of the vote and Smith getting 27.16%, as of 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Feltner's only general election opponent was write-in candidate Joseph Aiello, whose name did not appear on the ballot. Feltner had 92.03% as of 7:45 p.m.
Koss will keep seat in Cocoa City Council
7:55 p.m. EST: After a tight race in which challengers outraised incumbents, Cocoa City Council will see Lorraine Koss remain in her seat to represent District 4 after Tuesday's election.
Koss easily bested her opponent Jennifer Kenny, who had the backing of Mayor Mike Blake, with 62.1% of the vote compared to Kenny's 37.9% Tuesday.
"I'm hoping we can really double-down on smart growth by identifying green spaces while developing where it's appropriate to develop," Koss said of her future goals on the Council.
Brevard schools millage approved by voters
7:50 p.m. EST: Brevard Public Schools will soon have the money it needs to pay for teachers and staff after voters approved an increase to the school millage proposal during Tuesday’s election.
Thus far, the proposal increasing the millage for Brevard Public Schools has a significant lead. With 93 of 171 precincts reporting, almost 116,000 voters, roughly 58% of the electorate voted in favor of additional taxes versus 84,000 who opposed it.
Appearing to have gotten approval from the voters, residents property tax rate will increase by $1 per $1,000 in assessed property values, going from $4.495 per $1,000 to $5.495 per $1,000.
The new rate is expected to generate about $54 million in additional revenues for the district, money that will be used to pay teachers and staff.
Election results are coming in
7 p.m. EST: Election results are beginning to trickle in for Brevard and statewide races. See our results landing page here.
Unofficial voter turnout as of 6:10 p.m.
It's unofficial, still, but here's where Brevard's standing, turnout-wise, as of 6:10 p.m.
Active eligible voters: 460,372
Unofficial voter turnout: 258,121
Percent turnout: 56.07%
That's a bigger turnout than in 2010 (55.88%) but not yet as big as the midterm elections in 2014 (59.47%) or in 2018, when 67.26% of active eligible voters cast ballots.
Are you there (your polling place!) yet?
6 p.m. We mentioned it earlier but we'll share it again: Polls close at 7 p.m. Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be permitted to cast a ballot.
More numbers you maybe didn't know you'd want to know but now you do ...
4:15 p.m. So just how many potential voters are there in the Sunshine State?
The Florida Division of Elections reports that as of Sept. 30, there were 14,461,755 active, registered voters in Florida.
How does that break down?
Republican Party of Florida: 5,259,406
Florida Democratic Party: 4,966,873
Minor parties: 260,936
No party affiliation: 3,974,540
As of today (yes! Election Day!) Brevard had 460,372 active, eligible voters. And size-wise, Brevard is the 10th-largest county in the third-largest state.
How does 2022 stack up against other midterms (so far, anyway)?
3 p.m. Wondering about the turnout percentages for Brevard voters in past midterm elections?
We can tell you those:
2010: 55.88%
2014: 59.47%
2018: 67.26%
Wondering where Brevard stands today?
Well, you'll have to check with FLORIDA TODAY later to get that percentage (we'll be here tonight. And tomorrow. And daily after that, too). It'll be unofficial, likely, for a while.
But as of 2:50 p.m. on Election Day, here's where Brevard stood:
Active eligible voters: 460,372
Unofficial voter turnout: 227,655
Percent turnout: 49.45%
A fairly short wait at some polling places, but a lo-o-o-o-n-g ballot
2:30 p.m. Whatever it was like earlier and might be later for voters, only about a dozen or so people were waiting their turn to enter around 2 p.m. at the Moose Lodge on Merritt Island.
Just a little earlier, at the Brevard Baptist Association polling place off U.S. 1 in Rockledge, there was no line.
Wherever you're voting, give yourself ample time to get through your choices: There's a lot to mull over, especially if you haven't looked at a sample ballot.
This year's ballot is long, with federal, state, county and municipal candidates seeking office, as well as a range of referendums at the state, county and municipal levels.
Voting numbers inching up by the hour
1:45 p.m.: If you're into numbers and percentages and how many people have voted at any given time throughout Election Day, here's an update just for you.
As of 1 p.m., according to the unofficial turnout numbers from the Brevard Supervisor of Elections:
Active eligible voters: 460,372
Unofficial voter turnout: 214,364
Percent turnout: 46.56%
The line starts here ... hurry up and wait
12:13 p.m. Headed out to vote? Know that there are reports of long lines at some Brevard polling places, with waits of 30 minutes to an hour, including Kiwanis Island on Merritt Island.
There IS such a thing as a free ride (well, today!)(on SCAT!)
11:30 a.m. SCAT is offering free bus rides all day — countywide. Check it out at 321transit.com.
Supporting friends and family
10:30 a.m. The two sign-and-hand wavers were on opposite sides of Stone Street, near Dr. Joe Lee Smith Recreation Center, supporting different candidates in the same three-way race.
Tank Sherman was waving at motorists in support of Ed Green, who's running for Cocoa City Council, District 1, against incumbent Alex Goins and Demetrius Thomas.
Meanwhile, Betty Goins — Alex Goins' mother — stumped for her son across the street.
Sherman had been out for about 90 minutes.
"Ed's a real good friend of mine. I've known him for years; I think he's really going to help the city," he said.
And Goins was equally positive about her son, saying she's there in support of his love of community, of giving back, and his efforts to "make Cocoa "the best city in America."
Just moments later, Alex Goins was spotted at the southwest corner of State Road 520 and Washington Avenue, waving at drivers passing by.
How many people have voted so far?
9:50 a.m.: It's unofficial, remember, but here's a bit of trivia for those who like knowing how many people have voted to date, with stats from the Brevard Supervisor of Elections website. As of 9:50 a.m., of Brevard's 460,372 active, eligible voters, 185,861 people had cast a ballot. That's a 40.37% turnout, with a little more than nine hours left before polls close. We'll come back to this topic as voting progresses, with updated numbers.
After that line, tune in tonight for results
9:15 a.m. Tune in to WEFS-TV at 7 p.m. Tuesday as FLORIDA TODAY Engagement Editor John A. Torres discusses election results with Eastern Florida State College Political Science Professor Chris Muro and Eric Hoppenbrower, executive director at Brevard Business Voice political action committee.
Looks like someone's ready to cast that ballot ...
8:45 a.m. If f the pre-7 a.m. line at the Moose Lodge on Merritt Island is any indication, it's going to be a "I Got Out and Voted" kind of day.
'Breakfast with Friends' in Satellite Beach
8 a.m. FOX News Channel’s FOX & Friends presented its "Breakfast with Friends" segment today at Morning Glory Eatery in Satellite Beach, Florida. FOX & Friends Weekend co-host Will Cain was on location to speak with diner patrons about the election and issues impacting Florida voters.
Voters converge on Walter Butler Community Center
7:30 a.m. The sun was just getting its rising act going as a stream of voters headed into Walter Butler Community Center on north U.S. 1 in Cocoa, and parking was overflowing in the lots by 7:30 a.m.
Voting within the first half-hour of the doors opening was Sonya Hernandez, concerned about issues including "the southern border, integrity in Washington, the school issue with CRT ... you know where I'm going," she said.
"This is what's important to me. I have children. I work hard," she said. "I don't want more taxes put on me, with all the spending that's been going on in DC ... trillions of dollars. We've borrowed to our max. So that's why I'm voting, here, in person."
Voter Jeff Armstrong, on the other hand, is thinking about his job security, and cast his ballot before going to work.
"I work for Reedy Creek Fire, and I'm hoping to get Charlie Crist in there," he said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature dissolved Reedy Creek, a special taxing district that allows The Walt Disney Co. to self-govern its theme-park area, earlier this year.
Polls are open: What to know if you're voting in Brevard County
7 a.m. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will remain open till 7 p.m. See polling locations in Florida.
Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be permitted to cast a ballot.
Voters can vote at their assigned polling location. A full list of polling is available on the county website: Here's where you can find your precinct.
Support local journalism by subscribing to Florida Today.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Election Day 2022 in Florida: Live updates from Brevard County voting
