Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ long-anticipated entry into the Governor’s race sets up a heavyweight matchup with former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, giving the party a contest between two credible candidates with differing backgrounds.

Demings brings deep roots in Central Florida, executive experience and longtime ties to the Democratic Party. Jolly, a former Republican who became an independent and then a Democrat, offers a centrist message aimed at winning back suburban moderates who once made Florida competitive.

But even with a potentially lively Primary ahead, the bigger question looms: Does it matter in a state that has grown increasingly red?

Florida hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 2018, and recent Republican dominance in voter registration and fundraising leaves the eventual nominee facing a steep climb.

Democrats did get some reason for optimism with Tuesday’s election results (more on that later), and we here support contested Primaries to allow the strongest candidate to emerge. But some may wonder whether expending resources in a Primary will leave the eventual nominee with an even bigger hurdle to overcome next November.

But Democratic voters anxious to claw back relevance in Florida now have two serious candidates to pick from. The race for Governor on the Democratic side is officially on.

But now, it’s onto our weekly game of winners and losers.

Winners

Honorable mention: Sarasota Audubon Society. Sarasota Audubon Society soared to victory this week, delivering a rare defeat to one of the biggest names in homebuilding and protecting one of Florida’s most treasured bird habitats in the process.

After a lengthy fight, Sarasota County Commissioners voted unanimously — again — to reject D.R. Horton’s plan to rezone 50 acres of land next to the Celery Fields, a renowned bird sanctuary and stormwater site that draws visitors from around the world. It was the third time the county has turned down the project, marking a clean sweep for the local Audubon chapter that led the charge against the development.

The Celery Fields have become one of Sarasota’s defining environmental landmarks, home to 400 acres of wetlands that manage floodwaters and provide a haven for more than 240 bird species. The site also serves as a major draw, with roughly 130,000 visitors a year.

“This property floods,” Sarasota Audubon President Sara Reisinger told the Florida Phoenix, recalling that parts of the land sat under 3 feet of water after Hurricane Debby. Their attorney, Susan Schoettle, put it bluntly: “It was the wrong development on the wrong piece of land in the wrong place.”

That simple argument resonated with county officials, who voted 5-0 to deny the rezoning request even after D.R. Horton scaled back its proposal from 170 homes to 85. Commissioners pointed out what seemed obvious to everyone but the developer: “This is a flood plain.”

Sarasota Audubon may not be finished; members say they’ll keep pushing the county to buy the land outright and fold it into the Celery Fields preserve. But for now, they’ve got plenty to celebrate.

Almost (but not quite) the biggest winner: USF. The University of South Florida hit a new milestone in research investment, securing a record $750 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2025. That’s a rise of $11.6 million over the previous year and a 37% leap since 2022.

The funding comes from a broad mix of sources: federal grants, state and local awards, and the highest level of private and industry partnerships ever recorded (about $284 million, a 17% annual increase). The dollars are flowing into high-priority areas like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, environmental resilience and health care — all sectors that matter to Florida’s economy and innovation profile.

For the Tampa-based institution, this figure helps increase its clout in the research space. Officials say the momentum moves the institution closer to its goal of hitting $1 billion in annual research funding by 2030.

To reach that $1 billion mark, the university will need to keep attracting competitive federal grants, deepen ties with private donors and continue success on the research front. But for now, USF gets to tout its ability to hit another significant mark.

The biggest winner: Nikki Fried and Florida Democrats. The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) and Chair Fried are enjoying a rare week with plenty to celebrate.

The FDP has become increasingly impotent over the last few years, save for a few off-cycle wins in the middle of the previous cycle. Republicans, meanwhile, have dominated in 2022 and 2024.

But this week, Fried and her team notched a series of real wins in local races across the state, flipping key seats and giving the party some signs of life.

Among the highlights: In Clermont, Bryan Bain flipped a City Council seat to give Democrats a majority, while Tom Keen ousted a 12-year incumbent to oust the body’s only Republican and take control of Orlando’s District 1 Commission seat.

Elsewhere, Eileen Higgins led the Miami Mayor’s race and now heads to a December runoff with a chance to become the first Democrat to hold the post in nearly three decades. In Fort Pierce, Chris Dzadovsky led in his City Commission race to replace a Republican incumbent, forcing a runoff that could extend Democrats’ reach even further.

Those fresh gains came alongside a solid night for Democratic incumbents, with re-elections up and down the map — from Miami Beach Commissioners Laura Dominguez and Alex Fernandez to Christine King in Miami’s District 5 and Clifton Dollison in Winter Haven.

For Fried, who took over a dispirited and financially strained party after years of losses, these results represent the kind of incremental progress she’s been promising. The wins don’t mean the political tide has turned. But they at least show Democrats are capable of capitalizing on a favorable political climate.

Losers

Dishonorable mention: Regina Hill. The suspended Orlando City Commissioner failed in her bid to win back her District 5 seat, coming up short as she continues to face felony charges that have kept her sidelined from public office for much of the year.

Hill, who was first elected in 2014, was removed from her post in March after being charged with exploiting an elderly constituent and using the woman’s money for personal expenses — allegations she has denied but that continue to hang over her political future.

Her loss underscores how far her standing has fallen in a district she once dominated. Even as she campaigned to reclaim her job, the ongoing criminal case proved impossible to separate from her name. Voters, facing a choice between sticking with interim Commissioner Shan Rose or rolling the dice on a candidate under indictment, opted to give Rose a full term.

Hill’s defeat effectively ends her long-shot comeback attempt and serves as a cautionary tale for Florida politicians who believe they can campaign their way out of legal trouble. Until her case is resolved, she remains a political liability rather than a viable local leader.

Almost (but not quite) the biggest loser: Mori Hosseini. The State University System Board of Governors (BOG) rebuked Hosseini this week by electing Alan Levine as Chair and Tim Cerio as Vice Chair.

Notably, they were the two BOG members who were among the most outspoken critics of Hosseini’s push to install Santa Ono as the next University of Florida President. Their rise to the Board’s top posts marks a subtle shift in power within Florida’s higher-ed hierarchy and raises questions about whether Hosseini’s clout is what it once was.

As the powerful Chair of the UF Board of Trustees, Hosseini championed Ono, whom the BOG ultimately rejected in a 10-6 vote. That decision exposed fissures between the UF Trustees and the state’s governing body, with Levine and Cerio leading the dissenting voices.

Now, those same voices are running the show.

This week’s vote came as Hosseini and his ally, Gov. Ron DeSantis, reportedly tried to maneuver to keep Chair Brian Lamb in place for a third term. Another DeSantis ally, former House Speaker José Oliva, rebuffed that effort as a bridge too far.

For Hosseini, a man used to steering the conversation in both higher education and state politics, that’s an uncomfortable turn, and another sign of Tallahasse’s shifting political power.

The biggest loser: Florida travelers. The unofficial holiday season is upon us. And while it’s a welcome time to celebrate and travel with the family, most of us have had at least one nightmare holiday travel story.

Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration began imposing new restrictions on flights at 40 major U.S. airports — including some of Florida’s busiest. The cuts, driven by persistent staffing shortages among air traffic controllers and safety concerns about congestion, are forcing airlines to trim service just as the state gears up for peak travel season.

That means turbulence ahead for Miami International, Orlando International, Tampa International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports — all included on the FAA’s list of affected hubs.

The reductions, which could reach up to 10% of daily flights at some locations, are expected to ripple through Florida’s tourism-driven economy. Fewer flights mean fewer visitors, and fewer visitors mean a hit to hotels, restaurants and attractions that depend on a steady influx of out-of-state travelers.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Florida’s Winter season brings an annual crush of tourists escaping northern cold and snow, along with residents who rely on air travel to visit family or connect to major business markets. Even modest cuts in service can send fares soaring and travel plans spiraling — not precisely the welcome mat the state’s tourism boosters are hoping to roll out.

And of course, Floridians love leaving the state as well to experience a true Winter season elsewhere. That just got harder to do.

For now, the skies over Florida aren’t so friendly — and travelers are the ones paying the price.