Jacob Ogles
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Special Election dates to replace former Sen. Blaise Ingoglia and late Rep. Joe Casello.
The elections in Senate District 11 and House District 90 have Primary votes scheduled for Sept. 30. Meanwhile, the Special General Election will be held Dec. 9. That will allow winners of the races there to take office before the start of the 2026 Legislative Session.
In both cases, a qualifying period will be held from 8 a.m. on Aug. 4 to noon on Aug. 5, so candidates will need to move quickly if they plan to run.
SD 11 opened after DeSantis appointed Ingoglia as Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, requiring the Spring Hill Republican to resign his Senate seat. The district spans all of Citrus, Hernando and Sumter counties, along with a portion of northern Pasco County.
The district leans heavily Republican. Ingoglia in November won 69% of the vote there over Democrat Marilyn Holleran. Similarly, more than 69% of voters in the district supported Republican Donald Trump for President over Democrat Kamala Harris, according to MCI Maps.
That means a Sept. 30 Republican Primary will likely determine who succeeds Ingoglia in the Senate.
While Ingoglia was in the early part of a four-year term, the Special Election winner will serve only until next November, when another election in the 2026 Midterms will determine who fills out the remaining two years of Ingoglia’s term.
Meanwhile, the HD 90 race will determine who will replace Casello, a Boynton Beach Democrat who died unexpectedly last week.
Casello represented a Democratic-leaning district and won re-election in November with 56% of the vote, while 55% of voters there supported Harris over Trump.
That means the Democratic Primary in the Palm Beach County district, which covers Boynton Beach and Delray Beach, could draw more attention. But Palm Beach County, Trump’s home county, has drifted further right in recent years.
The Division of Elections recommends any candidates qualifying for the seats submit all paperwork and fees in person.
