Jason Delgado
Florida’s Electoral College cast their 29 votes on Monday for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence during a ceremony inside the Capitol Senate Chamber.
Trump won Florida with more than 371,686 votes. Secretary of State Laurel Lee presided over the Florida Presidential Electors meeting to recognize the results.
“Under the most trying of circumstances, Florida ensured a safe and efficient voting process (for) all Florida voters,” Lee said. “No matter how they chose to cast a ballot or who they voted, [they] should be confident in the integrity of our election system and the security of their vote.”
Florida’s 29 votes will now go to Vice President Mike Pence, the U.S. National Archives, North Florida Chief Judge Mark Walker and the Florida Secretary State.
They will then be totaled in Washington during a Jan. 6 Congressional Joint Session over which Pence will preside.
Notably, Senate President Wilton Simpson, an elector, sat out of the meeting after testing positive for COVID-19 the night before. Sen Jeff Brandes replaced Simpson.
In a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Simpson said he looked forward to casting his vote for Trump.
Two other electors, Jeffrey Feingold and Gay Gaines, were also absent. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez and Sen. Ray Rodrigues replaced the pair.
DeSantis and Cabinet Members CFO Jimmy Patronis and Attorney General Ashley Moody were also in attendance. They did not cast votes.
A full list of electors in attendance is online.
As mandated by law, similar proceedings will take place through Monday in all 50 states.
The proceedings, particularly in swing states, have drawn heightened attention this year amid Trump and Republican claims of voter fraud.
Notably, Moody last week joined an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting a Texas lawsuit challenging four states’ election results. The Supreme Court later shot down the long shot suit to overturn election results in those states.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris secured 306 electoral votes while Trump and Pence had 232 electoral votes.
Lee credited the DeSantis leadership, Department of State staff, local officials and poll workers for ensuring Florida’s cyber and physical election security is “stronger than ever.”
