The Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) is lining up behind two Republicans running in a pair of Special Elections set for early next year.

In House District 51, the business lobby is throwing its support behind Hilary Holley, who went unopposed for GOP nomination and will go head-to-head with Democratic nominee Edwin Pérez on March 24. In House District 87, the group is backing Jon Maples, who will be on a Jan. 13 Special Primary ballot, with a March 24 Special General Election scheduled.

AIF President and CEO Brewster Bevis said Holley’s “dedication to fiscal responsibility, small-business growth, smart development, and protecting Florida’s agriculture and quality of life makes her an ideal candidate for the Florida House. Her Florida-first, conservative approach will help ensure Florida remains competitive and prosperous. We are proud to support her campaign.”

Holley is the favorite for HD 51, the northern Polk County district ceded by Rep. Josie Tomkow when she entered the race for the Senate seat previously held by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.

According to the most recent L2 voter data, the northern Polk County seat has an advantage for Republicans, with nearly 34% of the electorate registered to the GOP, compared to just 31% who are Democrats. Tomkow won her most recent re-election last year with 57% of the vote over Democrat Octavio Hernandez. The same cycle saw President Donald Trump carry the district with 56% of the vote.

Bevis said Maples earned AIF’s nod because he “understands the real pressures facing Florida’s families — from affordability challenges to infrastructure strain — and is committed to finding practical solutions. His background in small business, his dedication to community, and his focus on strengthening Florida’s families make him the voice we need for the business community in the Florida House. AIF is proud to endorse his campaign.”

Maples is running to replace former Rep. Mike Caruso, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed in August to serve as Palm Beach County Clerk, setting up the Special Election. Maples entered the race in April, before Caruso left the Legislature, expecting to run in the 2026 cycle.

Maples, who is also being backed by the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee, will face Gretchen Feng in the Primary. The winner of the Jan. 13 contest will be the overwhelming favorite in March — Republicans account for more than 39% of the electorate, compared to less than 29% who are Democrats, according to the most recent L2 voter data.

City Hall aide Monica Matteo-Salinas just won a four-year term on the Miami Beach Commission, outpacing a better-funded but controversy-laden opponent in a runoff for the panel’s Group 1 seat.

With all precincts reporting, a full tally of early votes and a partial count of mail-in ballots, Matteo-Salinas had 71% of the vote to defeat Republican lawyer Monique Pardo Pope.

She’ll succeed fellow Democrat Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who must leave the city’s seven-member governing body after an unsuccessful mayoral run.

Matteo-Salinas said in a statement that she is “deeply grateful” Miami Beach voters trusted her to represent their interests on the City Commission.

I ran for this seat because I love our city — because my children, and every child in our community, deserve to grow up in a Miami Beach we can be proud of, and because our residents deserve a city government that truly works for them. I am inspired every day by the people who make Miami Beach so special: families, seniors, small business owners, first responders, and neighbors from every background who care deeply about our community,” she said.

“I promise to always listen, solve problems, and deliver on the issues that matter most. This victory belongs to everyone who believes in a Miami Beach that protects its neighborhoods, invests in its future, and reflects the values of the community we love. I am ready to get to work.”

Tuesday’s runoff sharpened into a choice between two contrasting résumés, platforms and campaign narratives, along with late-cycle revelations about Pardo Pope, one of which drew national headlines.

Voters again headed to the polls over the weekend for the second time in just over a month as Miami Beach faces turbulence on multiple fronts, from state scrutiny over finances and charges that a local ordinance conflicts with Florida’s homelessness law to the removal of cultural landmarks due to their so-called “woke” significance and accusations of pay-for-play policymaking.

Matteo-Salinas, 46, consolidated establishment support for her campaign, which centered on promises to work on expanding trolley service, increase the city’s affordable housing index and establish a new “water czar” position in the city, paid by resort taxes.

She’s received endorsements from several local political notables, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami Beach Commissioners Alex Fernandez, Laura Dominguez and Tanya Bhatt, and former Miami Beach Dan Gelber.

Groups backing her bid include the Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police, LGBTQ groups SAVE Action PAC and Equality Florida Action PAC, and the public safety-focused neighborhood group SOBESafe.

The Miami-Dade Democratic Party also celebrated Matteo-Salinas’ double-digit victory Tuesday, calling it “a monumental victory with profound implications for every community across Miami-Dade.”

Pardo Pope, 45, centered her messaging on public safety, investing in mental health, backing school choice initiatives, supporting homelessness services, encouraging “smart, thoughtful development” that preserves Miami Beach’s character while addressing flooding and roadway congestion, and alleviating cost-of-living issues for longtime residents and first-time homebuyers through “fair taxation.”

She touted her guardian ad litem work as evidence of her temperament and commitment to service, but that part of her record came under scrutiny in recent weeks. A review of Pardo Pope’s case records with the Miami-Dade Clerk’s Office showed her listed as a guardian ad litem in just three cases — one of which she was discharged from after trying to get the mother in the case jailed.

She was also the subject of negative attention for omitting that her father was the convicted, Nazi-adoring serial killer Manuel Pardo, to whom she wrote several loving social media posts.

Pardo Pope has said she forgave her dad to move forward with her life, asking voters to judge her on her own life and work.

She is also the target of a Florida Bar inquiry for falsely claiming that documentarian Billy Corben, who was the first to reveal her father’s identity, lost a defamation lawsuit.

Her backers included the Miami-Dade Republican Party, Miami-Dade Commissioner René García, Rep. Alex Rizo, former Miami Beach City Attorney Jose Smith, Miami Realtors PAC, Venezuelan American Republican Club and Teach Florida PAC, a Jewish education group.

Two of her former Group 1 opponents, Daniel Ciraldo and Omar Gimenez, also endorsed her.

Matteo-Salinas raised about $133,000 and spent $82,000 by Dec. 4. Pardo Pope raised about $190,000 — of which 29% was self-given — and spent close to $170,000.

Matteo-Salinas finished first in Miami Beach’s General Election last month with 23.2% of the vote. Pardo Pope advanced with 20.1% after narrowly avoiding a recount.

They outpaced four other candidates, but neither captured a large enough share of the vote — more than 50% — to win outright.

Delray Beach Commissioner Rob Long is bound for state office after winning a Special Election for House District 90.

Long captured 63% of the vote to defeat Republican lobbyist Maria Zack and independent businesswoman Karen Yeh, who took 35% and 1% of the vote, respectively.

He will now finish the term of Democratic state Rep. Joe Casello, who died in July, and again face voters next November if he seeks re-election.

“I am humbled and grateful for the support of the people of District 90, and I’m ready to get to work,” Long said in a statement.

“Joe Casello was a dedicated public servant who always put this community first. I intend to continue his legacy by fighting every day to make life more affordable, support our first responders, strengthen our public schools, keep our neighborhoods safe, and protect our environment. Voters sent a clear message tonight: they want a representative who will stand up for them and deliver results.”

HD 90 is a Democratic-leaning district in Palm Beach County that spans Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Golf, Gulf Stream, Briny Breezes and parts of Highland Beach, Manalapan and Ocean Ridge.

Voters had starkly different options on Tuesday’s Special Election ballot.

Long, a civil engineer, ran on his record in local government and environmental work. He emphasized public safety, infrastructure, redevelopment and water quality as his primary issues, highlighting his past service on the Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation District and role on the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency Board.

He also significantly outraised his opponents. Through Dec. 4, Long and his political committee reported collecting close to $152,000 and having roughly $91,000 on hand, drawing support from labor groups, environmental and LGBTQ organizations, police and firefighter unions, trial lawyers and business interests like Associated Industries of Florida and the Florida Association of Realtors.

Florida Rising, a progressive organization that endorsed Long and phonebanked and door-knocked on his behalf, celebrated his victory with a statement.

“Rob Long has won decisively — and voters made themselves heard loud and clear: they want a champion in Tallahassee who legislates for people, not for corporate interests,” said the group’s Chief Advocacy and Political Officer, Moné Holder. “In a moment when the GOP/MAGA supermajority has repeatedly shown its disregard for working families by governing for billionaires and spreading false narratives, Long’s win signals the beginning of a new and desperately needed chapter in the capital.”

The Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) said the race’s outcome “sets the tone” for a fruitful 2026 for progressives.

“His win sends a clear message from voters that Florida’s working families are paying attention and they’re ready to vote for Democratic state leaders who are fighting to address the issues they care about,” DLCC President Heather Williams said in a statement. “The DLCC will carry this momentum into 2026 as we flip seats in red, blue, and battleground areas.”

Long’s backers included every Democratic legislator from Palm Beach County and several members of Congress. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and her successor in the post, Parkland Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, shared comments welcoming Long to their caucus.

“We’ll never forget our friend Joe Casello, and I know Rob Long will honor his legacy of service with the same passion and dedication,” Driskell said. “We are eager to welcome him to the Caucus and get to work delivering real results for Floridians.”

Hunschofsky said long ran “an excellent race, focused on issues that actually matter to families.”

“His experience in local government means he will be an important voice with common-sense solutions to Tallahassee. Floridians are overwhelmed by the affordability crisis that is making everything more expensive. The people want solutions and they want them now,” she said. “I know Rob is up for the task, but he has some big shoes to fill. Joe Casello was a good man and an excellent leader for his community.”

At one point, Long’s list of supporters also included Republican businessman Bill Reicherter, whom Zack narrowly defeated in the GOP Primary in late September.

Reicherter endorsed Long in early October after telling the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that Zack is a “single-issue conspiracy theorist.” But in a late-breaking press release Zack’s campaign published last week, Reicherter apparently reversed his position, urging voters to back her instead and criticizing Long’s record on public safety and city priorities.

Zack, a longtime lobbyist and founder of The Strollo Group, leaned into a hard-right platform centered on eliminating property taxes, “stopping the harm of illegal immigration” and expanding school choice. She also promises to support law enforcement.

Her campaign materials showcase photos with national Republican figures and endorsements from former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and anti-abortion group Florida Right to Life.

She also brought heavy baggage into Election Day. Zack’s nonprofit, Nations in Action, has promoted debunked claims that satellites over Italy helped hack U.S. voting machines in 2020 — a QAnon-linked theory known as “ItalyGate” — and claimed to have uncovered evidence to “shadow government” conspiracies to “depopulate countries through a COVID attack.”

Zack, who is credited as a “conspiracy theorist” in the 2024 film, “Stopping the Steal,” has said she “can’t tell” who really won that election, but assumes it was Donald Trump.

Her campaign finance reporting has also drawn scrutiny. Initial filings showed tens of thousands of dollars in spending that wasn’t backed by reported contributions or loans, an apparent violation of state law barring campaigns from operating in the red.

Zack later amended her reports to add nearly $32,000 in self-loans and called the discrepancy a bookkeeping mistake.

Zack raised about $82,000 directly, more than 40% of which came from her bank account, with the rest coming from out-of-state donors and high-profile supporters like former Trump spouse Marla Maples.

Yeh, meanwhile, raised $1,900, of which all but $700 went to a qualifying fee. She ran on a promise to support legislation that expands affordable housing and cracks down on property title fraud.