The rate was roughly 7 percentage points higher than the 2022 midterm and about 2 points below the 2018 election that first sent Gov. Ron DeSantis to the governor's mansion. More than 8.3 million Floridians cast ballots.

Secretary of State Cord Byrd said the numbers reflect genuine enthusiasm. "The turnout, the percentage of turnout, and the enthusiasm of people wanting to vote just prove that we are doing the right thing," Byrd said. "Over 8 million Floridians decided they were going to come out and choose the people that were going to represent them, whether it's at the local city level, the county level, the state level or in Washington, D.C."

DeSantis credited Amendment 3, the property tax measure he pressed lawmakers to place on the ballot, with boosting participation. "Had Amendment 3 not been on the ballot, you know, I don't know that we would have turned out the voters that we ended up turning out," the governor told reporters last Wednesday. "People wanted to vote yes on that. And then many of them ended up voting Republican later on down the ballot."

The amendment, which raises the non-school homestead property tax exemption from $50,000 to $250,000 over two years, passed with nearly 62% support. Of the 8.3 million voters, 7.94 million weighed in on the measure. Two other amendments on the ballot were rejected and drew about 100,000 fewer votes.

Every one of Florida's 67 counties exceeded 50% turnout. Sumter County, home to The Villages, posted the highest rate at 73.6%. Santa Rosa County in the western Panhandle had the lowest at 51.9%. Jefferson County, east of Tallahassee, was the only other county above 70%, at 70.1%.

Other counties near the bottom included Hendry at 52.4%, Hardee and Okaloosa at 52.6% each, and Okeechobee at 53.7%. Leon County reached 68.6%, Sarasota 67.4%, and Madison 66.8%.

Among the state's more urban counties, Duval had the lowest turnout at 55.1%. Orange County hit 57.8%, Broward 60.4%, Miami-Dade 60.5%, Hillsborough 63.2%, and Palm Beach 64.9%.

About two-thirds of the 8.3 million ballots were cast before Election Day, either by mail or at early voting sites.

Machine recounts have been ordered in two races: a state legislative seat on the Space Coast, where a Democrat appears to have unseated the incumbent, and a South Florida congressional seat that Republicans are holding. The state Elections Canvassing Commission is scheduled to certify the unofficial results on Nov. 17.

The strong turnout comes as Florida's electorate continues to shift, with Republicans holding a growing registration advantage statewide. Still, the county-level figures show wide variation, from The Villages' retirement communities to the rural Panhandle, underscoring how differently the state's diverse regions engage with midterm elections.