Florida governor race field is finally set

The candidates for governor and Florida Cabinet are set as the qualifying period ended at noon, June 12.

By 9 p.m., there were 28 qualified candidates for governor on the state's website: Eleven Republicans, six Democrats, one Libertarian, six affiliated with no party, and four candidates who ask supporters to fill their names in the write-in slot.   

Florida Division of Elections employees will issue an official list of qualified candidates within seven days, providing time to process documents and fee payments that arrived in Tallahassee the morning of the deadline.

Candidates can qualify by collecting 139,492 signatures of registered voters, 1% of total voter registration, or pay a fee; $8,484 for members of a political party and $5,656 for no party candidates, 6% and 4% of the governor's salary, respectively.

All of this year's gubernatorial candidates opted to pay the fee. The core group of prominent candidates include Republicans Byron Donalds, a Naples GOP congressman, and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, and Democrat David Jolly. 

Down ballot, Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez secured a spot in the attorney general’s race, as did incumbent Republican James Uthmeier, an appointee of term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia faces a challenge in the Republican primary from Afghanistan and Iraq war veteran Frank William Collige. Both Earl Ford and former state Sen. Annette Taddeo qualified for the Democratic primary.  

The final Cabinet seat is Agriculture Commissioner incumbent Wilton Simpson, a Republican, who also completed qualifying as the filing window closed. 

Florida's most unconventional executive branch

Florida splits the executive authority held by the governor in most states among four independently elected officials, the governor and three cabinet members: the attorney general, chief financial officer and commissioner of agriculture. 

All run their own departments, but key policy decisions are made collectively. 

Those decisions affect how financial institutions and insurance companies are regulated, how public lands are managed and protected, and whether individuals have their civil rights restored. 

They also serve as the heads of boards overseeing agencies tied to safety, revenue and environmental policy. The governor and Cabinet impact the lives of millions of people far beyond the state capital in Tallahassee.

The outcome of these four races will play a major role in shaping state policy over the next four years.

With qualifying complete, the races now move into the next phase of the campaign, the Aug. 18 primary that determines the final slate of candidates for the November general election.

Here are the qualified candidates as of June 12: 

Governor

• Dean Ocean Abrams (Republican)
• Kathy Anderson (write-in) 
• Charles Burkett (no party)
• Evelyn Castillo-Bach (Democrat)
• Jay Collins (Republican)
• Jeffrey “Dr. Jeff” Datto (no party)
• Richard Paul Dembinsky (write-in) 
• Moliere "Moe" Dimanche (no party)
• Byron Donalds (Republican)
• Thomas Eloy Fernandez (Democrat)
• David Jolly (Democrat) (Gwen Graham listed as running mate)
• James Fishback (Republican) 
• Marie Dayna Foster (Democrat)
• Jim Holcomb (Republican)
• Scott Eckhard Jewett (Libertarian)
• Dotie Joseph (Democrat)
• Wajid Mohammad Khan (write-in)
• Arthur Joseph McCaffrey (Republican)
• Desmond Meade (no party)
• Eric Morris (write-in)
• Daniel Nokovich (Republican)
• Stephann Norman (Democrat) 
• Paul Renner (Republican) 
• Rachel Rodriguez (Republican)
• Frank J. Russo (no party)
• James W. Shaw (Republican)
• Canesta Succe (Republican)
• Bobby Williams (Republican)

Attorney General

• Jose Javier Rodriguez (Democrat) 
• James Uthmeier (Republican) (incumbent)

Chief Financial Officer 

• Frank William Collige (Republican)
• Earle Ford (Republican)
• Annette Taddeo (Democrat)
• Blaise Ingoglia (Republican) (incumbent)

Commissioner of Agriculture 

• Kyle Gibson (write in)
• Joey Mendoza Atkins (Democrat)
• Donald A. Prichard (Democrat) 
• Wilton Simpson (Republican) (incumbent)
• Matt Taylor (Republican)

What's next

• The state's primary election date is Aug. 18.
• The top vote getters in each contest, along with no-party candidates, advance to the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
• A full list of qualified candidates and information of their campaigns can be found at the Division of Elections website: dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/Index.asp
• Other information on voting is here: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/

(This story was updated to add new information.)

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow on X: @CallTallahassee.