Florida election 2022 live updates: Polls close in Sarasota, Manatee counties

FLORIDA ELECTION RESULTS 2022: See results from local and statewide races

Voter guide: Everything you need to know about Nov. 8 election in Sarasota-Manatee

Gubernatorial debate recap: Crist, DeSantis spar in Fort Pierce over COVID, abortion, trans rights

7:00 p.m. | Polls close in Sarasota-Manatee, see live election results

Polls have closed in Sarasota and Manatee counties at 7 p.m., with live results expected to come over the next few hours. See live Sarasota-Manatee election results here.

Find all of our latest election results coverage here.

According to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections, turnout there was close to 61%, with more than 60,000 voters casting ballots on election day.

Sarasota County had over 61% turnout, with more than 68,000 voters casting ballots on election day.

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5:15 p.m. | First-time voters turn out in North Sarasota

A steady stream of voters cast ballots at precinct 115 at the Robert Taylor Complex in north Sarasota this afternoon.

Liz Armstrong, 19, and Ruby Hatlevig, 19 are first-time voters and Ringling College students who just cast their ballots at precinct 115.

“I’m from Massachusetts but decided to vote here in Florida. I feel like the vote matters more here,” said Hatlevig.

Ringling College bused over a steady stream of students to the polls today.

Another set of first-time voters – Meghan Ward and Karthik Swamimathan, both 19 – expressed they were both excited and nervous about voting for the first time.

Velinda Coats, 63 and a resident of Sarasota’s historically Black neighborhood of Newtown, said she “voted across the line Democrat.”

She said added “We are up against losing our voting rights and our democracy… people of color have to get out to vote. Our democracy is so important.”

– Samantha Gholar

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5:00 p.m. | Manatee County voters speak out

Scott Campbell, 55, said he came out to Bayside Community Church in Manatee County to help Republicans get back into power.

"I'm looking to keep Florida as great as it has been these last four years under Gov. DeSantis and I'm looking to keep Marco Rubio in his fight to close the borders and improve the economy."

Campbell voiced some concern over Gov. DeSantis potentially running for president, but thinks he'd make a phenomenal president.

"I'm torn. I'd like to see him as president. I'd hate to see him go as governor."

Michael Clyatt, a 71-year-old disabled veteran, had a differing view & said that "Republicans are trying to destroy us."

Clyatt hopes to see policies and legislation passed that will help protect and aid veterans, like himself, who gave their lives to protect people's freedoms.

"The economy, I know that's not the Democrats' fault. In fact, if you're going to blame anyone in this country, let's face it, it's a world problem, not just this country. But if you want to blame someone, blame the previous administration cause it takes that long to affect it."

Connee Therieau, 30, said she stopped by to make sure her voice is heard.

"I feel voting is really important, you know, you want to get your message across and the best way is to vote."

Therieau said she voted for Val Demings and really connected with her core values.

On the topic of the school board race, Therieau - who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community - hopes who she voted for will push for equal rights.

She added there needs to be more support for the arts and other low funded school programs.

– Gabriela Szymanowska

4:30 p.m. | Differing perspectives at Twin Lakes Park

Christian Maute said he voted for Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans on the ballot, stressing his support of a party he feels fights for him.

He felt "the left's" attacks on Republican candidates particularly on the issue of abortion were misguided or inaccurate.

While much of Maute's rhetoric focused on national issues, he did say that local growth issues also influence his votes.

He pointed to the Sky Ranch development east of Internet 75, as well as the potential for thousands of more homes at Hi-Hat Ranch.

"Urban sprawl is sprawling," he said.

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James Bixby, 34, said he's been voting since his early 20s because he feels his generation needs to have its voice heard at the polls.

He said he voted for Charlie Christ and other Democrats largely because of social issues revolving around gender identity and reproductive health.

In particular, he did not support DeSantis despite agreeing with the Republican on how he handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I would really love to see him not have power any more," he said of the current governor.

– Derek Gilliam

3:30 p.m. | Busy crowds at elections office

Strong wind swayed the lawn sign in front of the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office that read “Drop Off Vote-By-Mail Ballots Inside.”

The small parking lot in front of the drop-off location was constantly full with a steady flow of cars pulling in and out on Tuesday afternoon.

Carmen James Petrilla, 94, wore a white T-shirt with the American flag as he dropped off his mail-in ballot.

Petrilla, who has lived in Sarasota since 1969, said he’s hoping this election can bring some civility and more bipartisan cooperation. It’s been hard for him to watch the continued polarization.

“I just can't deal with the fact that somebody has legislation, and everybody votes against it,” Petrilla said. “The other one has legislation, and the other one votes against it. It's kind of depressing.”

Jarvis Henry, 57, left the elections office unable to submit his ballot. He said that he usually receives a ballot in the mail and drops it off, but this year, he didn’t get his ballot. He’s instead was heading to another polling location to vote.

He wishes there were more strong Democratic candidates who will “tell it how it is” and appeal to Hispanic and Black voters.

Henry was born and raised in the area. Although he hasn’t had any issues with voting up to this point, he said that it’s disappointing that Republicans are pushing legislation that makes voting more difficult.

“Republicans, they're just taking away everything – voting rights, women’s rights, just all our rights,” Henry said. “They just want one man – one power.

1:30 p.m. | Siesta Key voters speak out

At Siesta Key Chapel polling place this morning, Siesta Key resident David Steiner said he supports Val Demings for U.S. Senate and Charlie Crist for governor. A litmus test for him is a candidate's stance on the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Steiner, who is 64, said there has been misinformation about Jan. 6 and “propagandization” of the event.

“People died,” he said. “People were inspired by Trump to go there and cause mayhem. You have to be on another planet to deny the reality of that, in my opinion.”

Mary Schuh also voted for Demings. She said she’d like to see some changes in Florida, and she thinks Demings would help the state.

“I would like people to actually have the freedoms and democracies that our Constitution affords us, not made-up freedoms that somebody imposes on us,” she said.

Schuh has seen this play out in the education realm.

“Parents having control over what’s happening in their children’s school sounds good, but we also hire teachers who are trained to know” which books and curriculums to use, she said.

Ghent Lummis, a 63-year-old Siesta Key resident, said real estate development issues on the barrier island were important to him when he voted.

“Siesta Key used to be a place that prided itself on not allowing big high-rises and it being a small and more local-flavored key,” he said. But lately, he continued, there has been “unbridled growth” and government officials have removed certain restrictions on development.

County Commissioners approved two controversial hotel projects on Siesta Key last year, one in the village and the other on Old Stickney Point Road. They also removed the cap on the number of hotel rooms that can be built on an acre of land in Sarasota County.

“It’s absurd,” Lummis said of the removal of the cap. “The caps are there for a reason.”

– Anne Snabes

12:20 p.m. | Voters in Venice talk DeSantis

Shane Watson of Venice said he is not an overly political person. He’s a registered independent who said he doesn’t necessarily feel passionate about any particular candidate. Still, he planned to vote for DeSantis on Tuesday, who he also voted for in 2018. Crime is a big issue for him, as well as inflation — particularly the housing market.

“People I work with can’t afford to live here,” he said.

Watson, who voted for Donald Trump in 2020, said that he’d probably support DeSantis if the governor challenged the former president in two years.

“I would hate to see [DeSantis] leave, but why not give the new guy a shot,” he said.

Marilyn Johnson of Venice said she came out to vote on Tuesday because she feels strongly about inflation, crime, and border security. She intends to vote for DeSantis, although she said she doesn’t agree with everything he believes, specifically on abortion.

“I don’t like people bringing religion into the way they handle politics,” she said. She said she’s written letters to Sen. Marco Rubio before saying he has no right to impose his religious convictions on his constituents.

On abortion, she said it is worrisome that some politicians believe in banning it with no exceptions for rape or incest. Black women are particularly impacted by this, she said.

– Laura Finaldi

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11:20 a.m. | Voters flock to the polls, talk favorite candidates

Brad Powell, a 64-year-old pastor from Michigan, voted Tuesday at Grace Community Church in East Sarasota. He and his wife have never missed a chance to vote, he said.

He voted for “DeSantis and all his friends” to keep Florida a free state, he said. Powell believes the governor offered the best choice to improve the economy and keep the state open.

He doesn’t want to lose DeSantis to a presidential run, but if he does run, he would support him. Powell said he wants the governor to expand his influence nationally.

“We would rather he influence a greater majority of all 50 states than be limited to one if he can get elected,” Powell said.

Powell voted for Victor Rohe for the hospital board because he said he wants to keep politics out of the hospital.

“We wanted people who took a different approach,” Powell said. “Glad to have people free to follow vaccine pursuits, but want people to be free to not to.”

Joni Daly, 60, also voted at Grace Community Church. A 10-year Sarasota resident, she said the state of the economy drove her to the polls Tuesday.

She sees DeSantis as a strong leader and prefers his style of governing over Trump, who she voted for twice.

If DeSantis were to run against the former president, she said she’d support the Florida governor.

10:15 a.m. | Voters speak out in north Sarasota

Sarasota resident Stephanie Coachman said she always likes to vote the day of the election. She likes to do her research ahead of time, to look at the recommendations of both political parties and to pray over her vote.

She noted that her vote affects her children.

“The vote I make today affects their lives to come until they’re able to vote,” she said.

Coachman said she was excited to vote for Aramis Ayala for Attorney General. She said Ayala appealed to what impacts her household. Coachman’s sons are Black men, so it was important to her that Ayala cares about human rights.

“Human rights matter,” she said. “Civil rights are important, but she (Ayala) has a keen sense of human rights.”

Anna Eger, a 31-year-old who lives in the Bayou Oaks neighborhood, said that both local and state elections are important. On the local level, she voted yes on a referendum that would prohibit the city of Sarasota from holding special elections on city charter amendments.

“I feel like it’s a waste of our taxpayer dollars,” she said, adding that special elections don’t have a high voter turnout.

At the state level, she voted for Charlie Crist for governor. She said she’s “terrified of what DeSantis will do” if he’s re-elected. She, for example, is worried that the state will restrict abortion rights in DeSantis’ second term.

North Sarasota resident Lawrence Watson said he voted for Fredd Atkins for County Commission District 2. His family and Atkins’ family attend the same church, and he has known the candidate for many years.

“He’s a loving, caring person,” said Watson, who is 79. “He tries to do everything he can to help our community.”

Watson would like local governments to spend more money on the north Sarasota community. He thinks downtown gets more attention.

– Anne Snabes

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10:00 a.m. | DeSantis supporters turn out in Sarasota

At Church of the Palms in Sarasota, 25 people were in line to vote at 9:30 a.m. this morning.

Jim Clark, 83, has lived in Sarasota for 12 years and been a Republican his whole life. He said the issue that drove him to the polls was the economy, and DeSantis is the right governor to fix it.

“I’ve never seen a candidate like him,” Clark said “He don’t flip flop.”

Rick Stidham, 65, voted for Republicans down the ballot. He said his husband has been trying to get immigration paperwork for years, and it’s a swing issue for him.

Stidham said DeSantis should run for president in 2024, and said he’s been handling things such as COVID-19. He said he doesn’t want Democrats “New York-ing my Florida.”

“(DeSantis) did it the right way instead of locking everyone up,” he said.

– Steven Walker

9 a.m. I Some voters out bright and early

Rosemary Palermo and about other 20 Manatee County residents chatted about political candidates, their plans for the workday and the reprieve of cool Tuesday morning temperatures while they waited in line for polls to open at 7 a.m. at the Manatee County Central Library.

Palermo, 67, was among many Manatee County residents who woke up bright and early to cast ballots at the library in downtown Bradenton promptly at 7 a.m. after polls opened.

She was thankful for the cool weather that greeted early morning voters, and wanted to cast her ballot first thing Tuesday because she still had to mow the lawn.

"I've been voting since I was 18 years old," Palermo said. "Now that I'm older I realize the value of a vote, and that's why I'm here. I read everything, Googled what I didn't know about, and I was prepared."

Edward Stolarz, 72, has volunteered at Manatee County polling locations since 2007. On Tuesday morning he helped a line of about 20 local residents at the library cast their ballot quickly after polls opened. He said many residents vote early in the morning before they go to work or run errands.

He expects the next big rush to come during lunch time and after work hours.

"Sometimes it can be hectic and a lot of people, especially on presidential years," Stolarz said. "It's still early in the morning, so we'll see how today goes. People line up early because they are going to work, then we have a little lull that always picks up around lunch time, and it gets really busy around 5 o'clock."

7 a.m. | Polls are open. What to know if you're voting in Sarasota, Manatee County

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 is available on county websites:

• Sarasota County

• Manatee County

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Election Day in Florida: Live updates from Sarasota, Manatee voting