Chris Dawson, Attorney, GrayRobinson
Tsunamis aren’t considered a major threat in Florida, but on November 8, Florida Democrats found themselves engulfed in a massive red wave. For the first time in modern history, Florida does not have a Democrat elected to statewide office. The Florida Cabinet was handily secured by Republicans at the top of the ticket, led by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ nearly 20-point rout of Democratic challenger Charlie Crist. DeSantis was successful in flipping blue or blue leaning counties such as Hillsborough, Osceola, Palm Beach and, for the first time in two decades, Miami-Dade. The massive red wave flowed far down ballot, delivering supermajorities to legislative Republicans in the Florida House and Senate. Major upsets were seen in the Florida Senate where
Republicans picked up four seats including lopsided victories over incumbent Democrats. In the Florida House, a similar story unfolded with major wins for Republicans, even in some of Florida’s bluest metros like Orlando and West Palm Beach. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this month I want to paint the story of the red tsunami with the graphics below and on the following pages. With so much red, it is hard to see Florida as a “purple state” these days.
Chris Dawson is an Attorney and professional Lobbyist for GrayRobinson’s Orlando office and is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Alabama. He primarily focuses on lobbying and government relations for public and private sector clients at the executive and legislative levels of state government. He is credentialed as a Designated Professional Lobbyist by the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists. Chris also holds two degrees in Civil Engineering and has experience in construction litigation and design professional malpractice defense.
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