August 23, 2026
Florida Weekly Roundup is a look back at last week in a Florida politics and government.
There were few surprises from the voters out of the primary in Florida on Tuesday, but one stood out nationally and immediately put a new narrative on the midterms.
Heads were scratched over Florida’s emergency management director’s 24-hour foray into politics which ended with a new emergency management director.
Even more stunning, a one-time Capitol ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis was arrested and removed from office following his arrest on alleged sexual abuse charges.
CUTTING THROUGH THE NOISE
As most expected, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds fended off challenges from 10 other Republicans in Tuesday’s primary to carry his party’s nomination for governor into the general election, while former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, the former Republican, easily defeated five other Democrats.
That wasn’t the case in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, where Alexander Vindman, who gained national prominence as the National Security Council official who served as a key witness in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, spent the campaign looking towards incumbent U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Tampa.
Instead, Democratic voters were more attuned to affordability message from state Rep. Angie Nixon, a Democratic socialist from Jacksonville, who landed a double-digit victory after being outspent by a roughly 10-to-1 margin.
“They are ready for something different, and they all want the same thing,” Nixon said Wednesday during an appearance on News4JAX. “They want someone to cut through the noise, someone who is going to put forth a platform that can actually improve their quality of life.”
Republicans quickly set out to paint every Democrat as a fellow traveler with the progressive Nixon, highlighting her taking to the House floor with a bullhorn this spring to decry the mid-decade redistricting of Congressional lines to help the GOP retain the U.S. House.
State Sen. Joe Gruters, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, put out a statement calling Nixon “an unhinged nut job who shouldn’t be anywhere near a position of power.”
And while Jolly already has a running mate, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, the GOP has already started labeling their opposition ticket ‘Jolly-Nixon.’
INCUMBENTS MOSTLY RULE
At the state legislative and Congressional levels, the primary was a good night for Florida incumbents on the ballot.
There was one notable exception: Republicans in District 7 ousted U.S. Rep. Cory Mills of New Smyrna Beach, who had a string of scandals, and elevated Ryan Elijah, a former TV newscaster.
Trump posted on his Truth Social on Wednesday that he “told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen.”
Discarding Mills is expected to ease concerns that the GOP could lose the seat in November.
In South Florida, Democrats sent U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Jared Moskowitz into the general election. Wasserman-Schultz overcame challenges from four Black opponents, all of whom decried her move to the newly drawn District 20.
Moskowitz defeated Oliver Larkin, a progressive challenger who hoped to build off insurgent campaign victories against establishment favorites in other states.
RUNNING MATE TO HOOSIER
Kevin Guthrie, who had been the director of emergency management since early 2021, was announced as Lt. Gov. Jay Collins’ running mate on Monday, a decision made apparently without DeSantis’ consent.
Before the results were in that the Collins-Guthrie ticket would finish second to Donalds by nearly 23 percentage points, Guthrie was out of a job.
“If people want to choose politics, more power to them,” DeSantis said at an event in Sarasota.
DeSantis said he accepted Guthrie’s resignation, adding that he “probably would have advised him (Guthrie) to maybe handle it a little bit differently.”
In a group text shared with members of the division, Guthrie acknowledged things didn’t go as planned.
“I knew my choice was a gamble and even a long shot. But I never imagined that I would lose my job for being added,” Guthrie wrote. “Regardless, no one can change the past. My only regret is that I didn’t get to see the people.”
Guthrie added that he already had a job lined up in Indiana. “So personally, I will be ok,” Guthrie wrote.
DeSantis said Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue would become the Division of Emergency Management director while retaining his FDOT duties.
LAWMAKER TO INMATE
One year after being appointed by DeSantis as Palm Beach County clerk of the circuit court and comptroller, former state Rep. Mike Caruso was suspended from the job by the governor after being arrested Tuesday on five felony counts tied to alleged sexual abuse of a involving a child under 12 multiple times between November 2024 and August 2025.
Entering a not guilty plea, Caruso said little during a brief hearing Thursday in an Orange County courtroom where he was denied bond.
During an event in Sarasota on Tuesday, DeSantis noted that Florida has passed a law to reintroduce the death penalty for pedophiles.
“I’m proud that I signed that into law, and I’m proud that we have very strong penalties for people that abuse children,” DeSantis said.
“If he is convicted, he’s going to be in for a world of hurt,” DeSantis added.
Prior to the appointment, Caruso, a Republican from Delray Beach, was a vocal supporter of DeSantis during clashes between the governor and House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, on issues such as immigration enforcement.
STORY OF THE WEEK:
Pumping life into the U.S. Senate general election contest, state Rep. Angie Nixon, a Democratic socialist from Jacksonville, upset the heavily financed campaign of Alex Vindman.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Well, I’m definitely going to be doing state policy all the way till we turn the lights out.” — Gov Ron DeSantis, when asked Wednesday if he will campaign with candidates such as Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds or continue to focus on state policy.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT FEATURE
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Weekly Roundup: Florida Voters Look For ‘Something Different’ – NorthEscambia.com
