Emily Gregory captured Florida’s House District 87 on Tuesday, flipping a seat that stretches along the Atlantic coast and encloses President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The 40‑year‑old mother of three, a public‑health professional and small‑business owner, defeated financial planner Jon Maples despite Trump’s endorsement of the Republican challenger.

Republicans had previously won the district by double‑digit margins; Trump carried it by 11 points in 2024 and former Rep. Mike Caruso won by 19 before Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him county clerk. Maples, who campaigned from Mar‑a‑Lago, counted on that legacy, yet Gregory’s focus on affordability, housing and health‑care resonated with voters.

In West Tampa, Democrat Navy veteran and union electrician Brian Nathan leads his State Senate contest by 408 votes, roughly half a percentage point, after emphasizing stagnant wages and soaring insurance costs. His surge mirrors a broader wave of working‑class Democrats. Meanwhile, Republican Hilary Holley secured a rural district between Tampa and Orlando by nearly 10 points, holding the GOP’s foothold there.

The new legislators will join a special session in April, called by DeSantis to redraw Florida’s U.S. House map before the 2026 midterms, and must approve a budget by July 1. Both Gregory and Nathan