Florida isn't a swing state anymore. Honestly, that's the only way to look at the florida election results 2024 by county without kidding yourself. For years, we all sat on the edge of our seats waiting for those late-night I-4 corridor returns, but 2024 was a total blowout. Donald Trump didn't just win; he cleared Kamala Harris by 13.1 percentage points. That's the kind of margin that turns a "purple" state bright, shimmering red.
The Miami-Dade Earthquake
If you want to understand what happened, you've gotta look at Miami-Dade. For decades, this was the impenetrable fortress of the Florida Democratic Party. Not anymore. Trump flipped it. He didn't just squeak by either; he won it by about 11 points.
Think about that for a second. In 2016, Hillary Clinton carried Miami-Dade by 29 points. By 2020, Biden’s lead there shrank to about 7. In 2024? Trump took 55.4% of the vote compared to Harris’s 43.9%. This shift was largely fueled by a massive movement among Hispanic voters, particularly Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who have basically decided the GOP is their new home.
Why the "Blue Wall" Crumbled
It wasn't just Miami. Look at the florida election results 2024 by county in other urban hubs. Hillsborough County (Tampa) went red. Pinellas County went red. Even Duval County, which includes Jacksonville and had been leaning blue lately, flipped back to Trump by a narrow 1-point margin.
👉 See also: Who's the Next Pope: Why Most Predictions Are Basically Guesswork
Harris was left with a handful of islands in a red sea.
- Broward County: Still blue, but the margin narrowed to D+17.
- Orange County: Orlando stayed loyal at D+14.
- Leon County: The capital stayed Democrat at D+22.
- Alachua County: Gainesville’s college crowd kept it D+21.
- Palm Beach County: This was a weird one. Harris actually kept it blue (D+1), even though Governor Ron DeSantis had carried it during his 2022 landslide. It’s basically the only place where the "Trump home county" factor didn't lead to a total GOP takeover.
Rick Scott and the Down-Ballot Dominance
It wasn't just the top of the ticket. Senator Rick Scott won his reelection against Debbie Mucarsel-Powell by nearly 13 points. If you remember Scott’s previous races, he used to win by the skin of his teeth—literally 0.12% in 2018. This time, he won decisively.
Scott’s victory mirrored Trump’s in many ways. He won over 55% of the Hispanic vote statewide. He even managed to grab 21% of the Black vote, which is a significant number for a Florida Republican. The GOP now has a voter registration advantage of over one million people in the state. That’s a massive hill for any Democrat to climb.
✨ Don't miss: Recent Obituaries in Charlottesville VA: What Most People Get Wrong
The Paradox of the Ballot Measures
Here’s where it gets kinda complicated. Even though the state voted overwhelmingly for Republican candidates, the people actually liked some "progressive" ideas. Well, sorta.
Amendment 4: The Abortion Fight
Amendment 4, which would have enshrined abortion rights, actually got a majority of the votes. It received 57.2% "Yes." In almost any other state, that’s a win. But Florida has a high bar; you need 60% to pass a constitutional amendment. Because it fell short by less than 3%, it failed.
The county breakdown here is wild. Counties like Brevard and Charlotte—which voted for Trump by huge margins—actually voted "Yes" on Amendment 4. It shows that Florida voters are perfectly happy to vote for a Republican politician while simultaneously supporting reproductive access.
🔗 Read more: Trump New Gun Laws: What Most People Get Wrong
Amendment 3: Legal Weed
The marijuana amendment followed a similar path. It got 55.9% of the vote. Again, a clear majority, but not the 60% supermajority required. It seems Floridians aren't quite ready to go full-California, or perhaps the heavy anti-Amendment campaigning by the Governor's office actually worked in the final weeks.
Practical Insights for the Future
So, what does this tell us? Basically, if you're a political strategist, you've realized that the "Old Florida" of 50/50 splits is dead. The migration of conservative-leaning residents from the Northeast and Midwest during the pandemic changed the DNA of the state.
Next Steps for Observers:
- Watch the Registration Gap: Keep an eye on the monthly voter registration reports from the Florida Division of Elections. If the GOP lead continues to grow past 1.2 million, the state is effectively off the table for Democrats in 2028.
- Hispanic Outreach: Pay attention to how the "Miami Model" of GOP outreach is exported to other states like Arizona or Nevada.
- The 60% Threshold: Expect future ballot initiatives to be much more expensive and aggressive, as organizers now know that 57% is just a "losing majority."
Florida has settled into its new identity. It’s no longer the chaotic state of hanging chads; it’s now the reliable anchor of the Republican coalition.