Republican Byron Donalds won the Florida governor's race on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Democrat David Jolly, according to the Associated Press.

The AP declared Donalds the winner at 9:09 p.m. EST. Donalds will be the state's first Black governor and will succeed fellow Republican Ron DeSantis, who was term-limited.

Florida has not elected a Democrat as governor since 1994. Jolly, a former Republican congressman who registered as a Democrat in April 2025, led a campaign focused on property insurance costs and public schools.

Note: Vote totals and precinct reporting percentages were not yet available at publication. This article will be updated as official results are posted on the Florida Department of State's election results page.

Duval County's role

Duval County, home to Jacksonville, is considered a swing area in statewide races. Trump narrowly carried the county in 2024 and 2016, while Biden carried it narrowly in 2020, the Orlando Sentinel reported, citing the Associated Press.

More than 5.4 million Floridians had already voted early or by mail as of 8 a.m. Nov. 3, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. That is about 40% of the state's 13.7 million registered voters.

The candidates

Donalds has represented Southwest Florida's 19th Congressional District in the U.S. House since 2021, according to candidate records. He previously served in the Florida House from 2016 to 2020. His running mate, Bryan Avila, left his Florida state Senate seat to join the ticket, according to the Independent Florida Alligator's voter guide. President Donald Trump endorsed Donalds.

Jolly served in the U.S. House from 2014 to 2017 as a Republican. He left the Republican Party in September 2018, co-founded the Forward Party in 2022 and registered as a Democrat in April 2025, according to biographical records. His running mate, Gwen Graham, served in the U.S. House from 2015 to 2017 and is the daughter of former Florida Gov. Bob Graham. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Jolly.

Six other independent or third-party tickets also appeared on the ballot, including Libertarian Scott Jewett, according to the AP.

Property insurance divided the race

Both candidates called homeowners insurance a top affordability issue, but they disagreed on how to fix it, according to a Sun Sentinel comparison published Oct. 20.

Donalds said he wanted to preserve the 2022 and 2023 insurance reforms, increase private-market competition, expand home-hardening grants and cut rebuilding costs through permitting reform. He told the Sun Sentinel his goal was to bring costs down another 20% to 25%.

Jolly proposed creating a state-backed catastrophe fund to carry hurricane and wind risk, with private insurers handling other coverage. His campaign claimed the plan could cut premiums 60% to 70%. That estimate has not been established through an independent actuarial analysis, according to a Lower Mortgage policy comparison published Oct. 30.

Both plans would require approval from the Florida Legislature, the Lower Mortgage analysis noted.

Amendment 3 and Jacksonville's budget

Mandarin homeowners also voted on Amendment 3, which would raise the homestead property tax exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. The measure needs 60% approval to pass, according to First Coast News.

Jacksonville's City Council auditor estimates the new exemption would reduce the city's projected revenue by $200 million in 2027 and $300 million in 2028, Jacksonville Today reported. Florida TaxWatch estimates Duval County could lose nearly $1.69 billion in property tax revenue over five years.

DeSantis leaves office Jan. 5, 2027.