The 45th president of the United States became the 47th president as Donald Trump exceeded the 270 electoral votes needed to win a second term. The results were announced early Wednesday morning after several local and statewide races that have been in the spotlight had been decided.
The race for Orange County Commission District 5, which includes Winter Park, came to an end as general election results went live on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 5. UCF professor Kelly Semrad won the seat with 57.1% of the vote while her opponent, former Winter Park mayor Steve Leary, received 43% of the vote.
Of the four District 5 candidates on the August 20 primary ballot, Semrad received 41% of the vote with Leary receiving 31.7%. Throughout their primary and runoff election campaigns, both candidates focused on environmentalism and responsible development with voters seemingly taking sides based on issues including Semrad’s lack of political experience and Leary’s campaign backing from development interests.
In the race for State House District 42, which includes Winter Park and central Orange County, Anna V. Eskamani (DEM) won her bid for a fourth and final term with 58.3% of the vote while challenger, Gregory Pull (REP), received 41.7% of the vote. After the results were announced, Eskamani took to social media to thank volunteers, donors, and supporters. “This isn’t just an election win,” she wrote. “It’s the beginning of a new chapter for us all.”
In other high-profile races, Sen. Rick Scott (REP) won reelection with 55.7% of the vote over Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (DEM), who received 42.7% of the vote. Monique Worrell (DEM) received 57.2% of the vote to win the State Attorney 9th Circuit race over Andrew Bain (NPA), who received 42.8%. And constitutional amendments 3 and 4, which focused on legalizing recreational marijuana and protecting abortion rights, each failed to reach the 60% majority vote required to pass. Amendment 3 received 55.8% of votes in favor and 44.2% against while Amendment 4 received 57.1% of votes in favor and 42.9% against. The full list of general election results are posted on the Orange County Supervisor of Elections website.
According to Orange County election records, early voter turnout was strong with more than 308,298 votes cast by the evening of November 3. The number compares with 262,944 early voters in 2020 and 255,157 in 2016. Across Central Florida, nearly 2 million residents cast early ballots, either in person or by mail. Locally, a total of 21,753 Winter Park residents voted early with 17,609 utilizing the library location and 4,144 voting at the Valencia College W. Morse Boulevard campus.
Winter Park residents are encouraged to recycle their election signs at the following locations:
- Cady Way Pool at 2529 Cady Way
- Mead Botanical Garden Community Garden at 1310 South Denning Drive
- Fire Station 64 at 1439 Howell Branch Road
Signs will be accepted from noon on Wednesday, Nov. 6, until noon on Sunday, Nov. 17. For more information, log onto cityofwinterpark.org/waste. Questions can also be directed to sustainability@cityofwinterpark.org or call 407-599-3479.