Florida
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Republican defeats Democrat David Jolly following a campaign backed by Black community leaders, including Gainesville Democrat Cynthia Chestnut.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN) — Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds won Florida’s governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Democrat David Jolly and becoming the first Black person elected to lead the state. NBC News projected Donalds as the winner of the historic contest.
With 99% of the expected vote counted, Donalds received 4,113,531 votes, or 50.1%, compared with 3,996,073 votes, or 48.7%, for Jolly, according to NBC News Decision Desk results. Donalds led by 117,458 votes, approximately 1.4 percentage points. The election-night totals remained unofficial.
Donalds will succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, keeping the governor’s office in Republican hands. His campaign paired conservative policy positions with outreach to Black voters and support from community leaders, including some Democrats.
LIVE from Ft. Lauderdale – Byron Donalds Election Night Watch Party https://t.co/kAF1omsegf
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) November 4, 2026
A historic first for Florida and the nation
Donalds becomes the first Black Republican elected governor in the United States, according to The Washington Post’s election coverage.
He is not the first Black Republican to serve as a governor. Republican P.B.S. Pinchback assumed Louisiana’s governorship during Reconstruction in 1872, becoming the nation’s first Black governor without winning an election to that office.
Virginia Democrat L. Douglas Wilder became the first Black person popularly elected governor in 1989 and took office in 1990. Donalds’ victory establishes a new milestone for Florida and the Republican Party.
Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Moore Chestnut, a longtime public servant whose political career has spanned city, county and state government. Source Cynthia Moore Chestnut
Black leaders’ endorsements preceded historic win
Black elected officials, pastors, business owners and civic leaders became a visible part of Donalds’ campaign.
More than two dozen supporters launched the Florida Coalition of Black Leaders for Donalds to back the congressman and his running mate, Bryan Avila. Its members included sheriffs, lawmakers and educators, reflecting an effort to build support through established community networks.
Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut delivered one of the campaign’s most prominent endorsements across party lines.
Chestnut, a Black Democrat and former state representative, supported Donalds despite disagreements with some of his policies. She said her decision reflected her judgment about Black leadership and frustration with Democrats’ selection of Jolly over Black and Hispanic candidates.
“I want to see a Black governor of Florida in my lifetime,” Chestnut said in a statement reported by WCJB.
Her endorsement drew criticism from Democratic state Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis, who cited Donalds’ voting-rights record and challenged the rationale for supporting him. The dispute highlighted differences among Black leaders over representation, party loyalty and public policy.
Donalds’ victory fulfilled the historic outcome Chestnut sought. However, available election-night reporting does not establish how many votes those endorsements generated or whether they determined the result.
Affordability shaped the campaign
The contest also centered on household expenses, particularly housing and homeowners insurance costs in a hurricane-prone state.
Jolly, a former Republican congressman running as a Democrat, sought to attract voters dissatisfied with rising costs. Donalds emphasized affordability, public safety and educational opportunity while defending continued Republican leadership.
The candidates offered different approaches to large data centers. Jolly supported a moratorium on new hyperscale facilities, pointing to environmental and public-health concerns. Donalds favored local decisions about where facilities should be built and said their operations should not raise residents’ utility bills.
Republican advantages faced a competitive challenge
Jolly faced substantial obstacles, including a Republican voter-registration advantage of roughly 1.5 million and Donalds’ stronger fundraising position.
President Donald Trump campaigned with Donalds during the race’s final days. DeSantis also endorsed him, and Donalds portrayed his candidacy as a continuation of the outgoing governor’s approach.
Despite those advantages, polling indicated a competitive contest. A University of North Florida survey conducted Oct. 12-19 showed Donalds ahead 49% to 47%, a difference within the poll’s margin of error.
From state lawmaker to governor-elect
Donalds served in the Florida House before winning election to Congress in 2020. He subsequently became a nationally recognized conservative voice and Trump ally.
He is scheduled to take office Jan. 5, 2027, with affordability among the central challenges awaiting his administration.
Crimes and Courts
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Central Florida News
Attorney General James Uthmeter announces 100 felony counts against Kissimmee man, sues AI platform
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Wednesday, Oct. 28, that a Kissimmee man faces 100 felony counts involving child sexual abuse material and images depicting sexual activity with animals. In a separate action, the state sued an artificial intelligence company accused of enabling users to generate sexualized images of children and other people without their consent.
The criminal case names Jerry Jesus Reyes, 26. The civil lawsuit targets Rengstorff Consulting Ltd., the company operating the A2E artificial intelligence platform.
“There is nothing more evil than the sexual exploitation of children, and anyone who possesses, shares, or creates these images is an active participant in that abuse,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon. Photo by Florida National News
Tip leads to criminal investigation
According to the attorney general’s office, the Reyes investigation began with a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children concerning activity on a Snapchat account.
Detectives with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit used subpoenas and search warrants to link the account to Reyes, authorities said. Investigators reported finding files depicting the sexual abuse of children and sexual activity involving an animal.
The charges include:
- 86 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual performance by a child.
- 13 counts of unlawful possession of materials depicting sexual activity with animals.
- One count of transmitting child pornography by electronic device.
Potential prison penalties
According to the announcement, the child sexual abuse material possession charges were reclassified as first-degree felonies because the case involved 10 or more images. First-degree felonies generally carry a maximum sentence of 30 years per count under Florida law.
The second-degree felony transmission charge carries a five-year mandatory minimum, according to the announcement, and a statutory maximum of 15 years. Third-degree felonies generally carry up to five years per count.
Reyes could face decades in state prison if convicted. His total sentence would depend on the convictions, applicable sentencing provisions and whether the judge orders sentences served concurrently or consecutively.
The attorney general’s office said Reyes was being held at the Osceola County Jail on $100,000 bond, with conditions of release prohibiting internet access and contact with minors.
Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Lauryn Day is prosecuting the case in the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
Separate lawsuit targets AI platform
In the civil case, the state alleges A2E allows users to upload photographs or videos of real people, including children, and generate nude or sexually explicit depictions without their consent.
The complaint also alleges the platform permits users to digitally alter adults to appear underage in sexualized imagery.
Although A2E’s terms prohibit certain abusive content, the state alleges the company failed to enforce those restrictions through adequate monitoring, consent verification and reporting of illegal material.
The complaint cites separate criminal investigations in Tampa and Tallahassee in which people allegedly used A2E to generate child sexual abuse material.
“Predators who traffic in the abuse of children and animals have no place in Florida,” Uthmeier said.
He added that companies profiting from AI tools that facilitate child sexual abuse material or nonconsensual sexual imagery “will be held accountable.”
State seeks injunction and financial penalties
The lawsuit, filed in Sarasota County, alleges violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The state seeks a permanent injunction restricting the company’s provision of the challenged AI tools, restitution, recovery of profits and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per willful violation.
Reyes is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The allegations against Rengstorff Consulting have not been proven in court. Responses from Reyes or his attorney and the company were not included in the materials available for this report.
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