The person behind the name
Jim Schwartzel’s public life runs through a Fort Myers broadcasting company rather than any office: president of Sun Broadcasting, founder of the conservative talk station 92.5 FOX News, a 2023 First Amendment award for opposing a defamation bill his own party’s governor wanted, and in 2026 a first run for anything, as the Republican nominee for the 19th District seat Byron Donalds gave up to run for governor. [10][1][13][4][6]
His campaign biography calls him “a proud native of Southwest Florida” and says he “married his high school sweetheart, Carly,” with whom he is raising two children; The News-Press, which gave his age as 50 in August 2026, described him as a Naples native. The First Amendment Foundation records his full name as James W. Schwartzel. He lives in Fort Myers, in Lee County, and reporting on his entry noted that he was the first Republican from Lee County to file for a seat whose last two representatives lived in Naples. No birth year appears in the official or campaign material reviewed, and none is asserted. [2][38][10][12]
Education and professional preparation
The campaign biography says he is a graduate of Bishop Verot High School, which The Floridian identifies as a Catholic high school in Fort Myers, and it describes Stetson University as “his alma mater” in noting that one of his children attends it. The News-Press reported that he earned a degree in business and finance from Stetson; in its questionnaire he said, “I’ve got a finance degree,” and the paper added that while in college he interned in Washington for Connie Mack and Porter Goss, whom it called former Southwest Florida lawmakers. No degree year is stated in the material reviewed, and degree records were not part of this review. [2][13][38]
His profession is broadcasting. The First Amendment Foundation identified him in 2023 as president of Sun Broadcasting; Florida Politics described him in February 2025 as “owner of 92.5 WFSX and President of Sun Broadcasting” and has since called the company one he owns; The News-Press wrote in August 2026 that he had been its president for more than a decade. Federal Communications Commission documents identify Sun Broadcasting, Inc. as licensee of two stations it bought from Beasley Media Group in 2025 and list WFSX-FM, WFFY, WHEL and WARO as the other stations whose alerting equipment the company asked to move, and The E.W. Scripps Company announced on September 3, 2025 that it had agreed to sell WFTX, its Fox-affiliated station in Fort Myers, to Sun Broadcasting for $40 million, a sale it closed on March 2, 2026. The campaign says he “owns and operates 92.5 FOX News” and “also owns Gulfshore Life Media,” publisher of Gulfshore Life, Gulfshore Business and The Naples Press; The Floridian repeats both statements, and the magazine company’s contact page gives the same Corporate Lakes Drive address as Sun Broadcasting. No corporate filing or Commission ownership report was reviewed, so the ownership structure rests on reporting and the campaign’s account. [10][14][43][38][42][41][39][40][2][13][45]
He had not run for office before 2026. On February 26, 2025, as Donalds entered the governor’s race, Florida Politics reported that Schwartzel had spoken to political leaders about a run; he filed his statement of candidacy on April 9, 2025 and opened Jim Schwartzel for Congress that week, the third Republican to enter. In an interview with WINK News reported at his announcement he named infrastructure as one of his top priorities and said that federal funding allocated by the decennial census leaves a fast-growing region behind. [14][8][12][13]
On August 18, 2026 he won the ten-candidate Republican primary with 26,153 votes, 29.1 percent, leading in both Collier and Lee counties, ahead of Catalina Lauf, whom President Trump had endorsed five days earlier, and former Illinois state senator Jim Oberweis. On November 3, 2026 he faces Victor Arias, who won the Democratic primary with 15,410 votes, 45.5 percent; a no-party candidate, Seth Haskin, and a write-in also qualified. [4][23][29][5][17]
A note on the campaign’s superlatives. The biography calls 92.5 FOX News “one of Florida’s top-rated conservative talk radio stations” and calls him “one of the most influential conservative voices in Southwest Florida.” No ratings book or audience measurement was part of this review; the descriptions are recorded as the campaign’s. [2]
Life & public service
From a Fort Myers radio group to a ten-way primary, the documented milestones show what the record contains and what it does not.
Trump Country 93.7
Sun Broadcasting’s rock station 93X became Trump Country 93.7 in September 2020, mixing country singles with a Trump impersonator’s segues; Florida Politics reported that most of the election-law and broadcast experts it consulted thought the station likely had not run afoul of campaign or equal-time rules, and that the station’s general manager did not return its calls. [33]
A stand against the defamation bill
HB 991 and SB 1220, a priority of Governor DeSantis that would have eliminated the “actual malice” requirement in defamation suits, were shelved on April 20, 2023; on June 6 the First Amendment Foundation gave Schwartzel its Pete Weitzel Friend of the First Amendment Award as “the first conservative news station owner” to oppose the bill. [34][10]
From a name in the mix to a candidacy
On February 26, 2025, with Donalds entering the governor’s race, Florida Politics listed Schwartzel among those who had spoken to political leaders about running for the seat. He filed his statement of candidacy on April 9; the outlet reported the new committee on April 11 as the third Republican entry and the first from Lee County, and he told WINK News that week that infrastructure was one of his top priorities. [14][8][12][13]
$1,000,000 of his own
His first report showed $1,200,000, including a $1,000,000 candidate loan and almost $213,000 in outside contributions, raised in what his campaign counted as ten weeks: “I’m not parachuting in to buy a seat,” he said. By the end of 2025 he had raised nearly $451,000 from donors on top of the loan, spent just under $175,000 and started 2026 with almost $1.28 million on hand, less than half of Oberweis’s $2.94 million. [15][16]
Sun Broadcasting buys the Fox affiliate
Applications to assign two Beasley Media Group FM stations to Sun Broadcasting, Inc. were accepted for filing by the Federal Communications Commission on August 18, 2025; on September 3 The E.W. Scripps Company announced the sale of WFTX, the Fort Myers Fox affiliate, to the company for $40 million, and it closed the sale on March 2, 2026, in the middle of the primary campaign. [41][39][40]
The field courts Naples Republicans
In February the Republican field, Schwartzel included, worked the room at a Naples Reagan Club fundraising dinner; in the first part of its report The Floridian’s published answers on water quality came from other candidates. [37]
A station’s correction
On April 21, 2026 Florida Politics reported that a Facebook post by his station 92.5 Fox News had called rival Ola Hawatmeh “a Christian immigrant from Jordan”; she was born in Yonkers, New York. The station corrected the post when the outlet asked, and Schwartzel said, “I apologize for any confusion it caused.” [43]
The most crowded field in Florida
At qualifying in June the district drew the state’s largest congressional field, including two former congressmen from other states, Madison Cawthorn and Chris Collins; ten Republicans appeared on the August ballot. On July 14 he spoke at the Naples Reagan Club’s candidate forum at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, photographed by The News-Press alongside six of them. [17][4][38]
Accomplishments, in the record
A nonprofit foundation’s award, Federal Communications Commission documents, a seller’s corporate releases, the Division of Elections’ canvasses, the Federal Election Commission’s filings and original reporting establish the following. Schwartzel has never held public office, so there are no votes or bills; the record is professional and electoral, and it is described at the level those documents support.
President of Sun Broadcasting
The First Amendment Foundation names him president of Sun Broadcasting, and Florida Politics has used the same title since his candidacy began, adding in February 2025 that he owns 92.5 WFSX and in April 2026 that the company is one he owns; The News-Press wrote in August 2026 that he had held the presidency for more than a decade and oversees 92.5 Fox News, 93.7 Trump Country, Gulfshore Life and Gulfshore Business. By Florida Politics’ April 2025 account, the company “runs several Southwest Florida radio and television networks, most notably conservative talk radio network 92.5 FOX News,” owns the Trump Country 93.7 country station and owns the local Univision affiliate. The company’s own page, at a Corporate Lakes Drive address in Fort Myers, carries uncaptioned logos linking to the sites of 94.5 The Arrow, Fly 98.5, B103.9, 96 K-Rock, Trump Country, 92.5, Fan Florida, the CW, FOX Florida, Univision and UniMás; it does not name its officers. [10][14][43][38][12][11]
The campaign’s account is broader: “Jim owns and operates 92.5 FOX News,” and “That’s why I started 92.5 FOX News Radio – to give conservatives in Southwest Florida a voice,” his letter to voters says; the biography adds that he “also owns Gulfshore Life Media,” whose titles it lists as Gulfshore Life, Gulfshore Business and The Naples Press. The Floridian described him at his announcement as “founder of a conservative talk radio station and media publisher” and repeated the Gulfshore Life Media statement; the magazine company’s contact page lists the same Corporate Lakes Drive address as Sun Broadcasting and names a publisher and an editor in chief, not an owner. The ownership structure and the size of the businesses were not established by any document reviewed here; Florida corporate filings and the Commission’s ownership reports were not part of this review. [1][2][13][45]
A format change that carried a candidate’s name
In September 2020 Sun Broadcasting turned its Fort Myers rock station into “Trump Country 93.7,” a country format with segues voiced by a Trump impersonator. Florida Politics asked election-law and broadcast specialists whether public airwaves could be used to promote a candidate that way; most, it reported, thought the exemptions that protect pundits and editorials meant station management likely had not run afoul of campaign-finance or equal-time rules, while one former station owner questioned using a candidate’s name without permission. The story said the station’s general manager did not return its calls. No complaint or regulatory finding appears in the sources reviewed. [33]
The first conservative station owner against HB 991
The 2023 defamation bills, HB 991 and SB 1220, would have eliminated the requirement to prove “actual malice” and were a priority of Governor DeSantis; sponsors shelved them on April 20, 2023 after negotiations between the chambers ceased. The First Amendment Foundation, which describes itself as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization defending the First Amendment, gave Schwartzel its 2023 Pete Weitzel Friend of the First Amendment Award on June 6 in Orlando. Its executive director, Bobby Block: “By being the first conservative news station owner to oppose legislation that would have made it easier for the rich and powerful to sue their critics in Florida, Jim stood up to defend the rights of the press and free speech of all Floridians.” The foundation’s release says his stand “paved the way for other broadcasters, politicians and opponents to criticize the move.” That is the foundation’s assessment of his influence; the bills’ death is documented in reporting, and this review did not measure his share of it. [34][10][12]
The licenses on file and a $40 million television purchase
Government and corporate documents fill in what the company holds. Applications accepted for filing by the Federal Communications Commission on August 18, 2025 assigned WRXK-FM, 96.1 in Bonita Springs, and WXKB, 103.9 in Cape Coral, with two translators, from Beasley Media Group Licenses, LLC to Sun Broadcasting, Inc.; a Commission order of February 20, 2026, granting the company a limited waiver to move alerting equipment, describes the two stations as recently acquired from Beasley and lists WFSX-FM, WFFY, WHEL and WARO among the company’s other stations. On September 3, 2025 The E.W. Scripps Company announced an agreement to sell WFTX, its Fox-affiliated station in Fort Myers, to Sun Broadcasting for $40 million, describing the buyer as “a private broadcaster operating radio and television properties exclusively in the Fort Myers-Naples market”; Scripps closed the sale on March 2, 2026. Neither the Commission’s documents nor the Scripps releases name Schwartzel; The News-Press and a broadcasting trade publication tied the purchase to him. [41][42][39][40][38][44]
What the filings show
The Federal Election Commission’s summary for Jim Schwartzel for Congress, covering April 1, 2025 through July 29, 2026, records total receipts of $2,065,485.29: $1,000,757.52 from individuals ($995,051.52 itemized and $5,706.00 unitemized), $9,500.00 from other committees, $5,227.77 in other receipts and $1,050,000.00 in loans from the candidate. Disbursements were $1,883,585.84, of which $1,880,085.84 were operating expenditures and $3,500.00 were refunds to individuals; no loan had been repaid. Cash on hand was $181,899.45 and the committee owed $1,050,000.00. The candidate also sponsors a leadership PAC, 19th Hole PAC. [8]
Set against the field, the Commission’s bulk summaries through the same date show Oberweis with $5,326,139.86 in receipts, of which $4,900,000 was his own loans; Collins with $3,410,000, of which $3,402,000 was his own; Lauf with $1,674,013.10 and no loans; and Cawthorn with $874,630.01, including $800,000 in loans. Florida Politics tracked the same reports quarter by quarter: the $1,000,000 loan and almost $213,000 from donors in what the campaign counted as its first ten weeks; nearly $451,000 from donors and almost $1.28 million on hand at the end of 2025; more than $212,000 raised and close to $1.1 million spent in the second quarter of 2026. Through July 29 he had, in the outlet’s words, “spent almost $1.9 million after loaning his campaign more than $1 million and raising another $1 million in contributions.” The Democratic nominee, Arias, reported $45,356.15 in receipts, $30,000 of it his own loans. [9][15][16][19][26]
First of ten, carrying both counties
The Division of Elections’ official results for the August 18, 2026 Republican primary in the 19th District record 26,153 votes for Schwartzel, 29.1 percent; 19,722 for Catalina Lauf; 14,110 for Jim Oberweis; 7,596 for Madison Cawthorn; 6,617 for Chris Collins; 5,581 for Mike Pedersen; 3,513 for John Strand; 2,534 for Ola Hawatmeh; 2,266 for Greg “Tex” Bukowski; and 1,650 for Linda J. Sawyer, a total of 89,742 votes and a margin of 6,431 over Lauf, both computed from the canvass. He led in both counties: 19,131 votes in Lee to Lauf’s 13,925, and 7,022 in Collier to her 5,797. [4]
M3 Strategies’ exit polling on primary day found him ahead among those who had already voted, 30.8 percent to 26.2, and Lauf ahead among those voting on the day; the official count followed that shape. Florida Politics reported that Lauf won the Election Day vote in both counties but not the early vote, and The Floridian reported the call for Schwartzel the same night. In the Democratic primary Victor Arias received 15,410 votes, 45.5 percent, to Howard Sapp’s 13,918 and Robert M. Neeld’s 4,553. Under the previous map, Donalds had won the district in November 2024 with 275,708 votes, 66.3 percent. [27][28][29][5][7]
Who lined up where
In the primary he had House Majority Leader Steve Scalise — “He’s a businessman and the only true conservative in this race from southwest Florida” — and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, who called him “a proven businessman who has spent years building the conservative movement in Southwest Florida,” and the two Connie Macks who represented the region in Congress. Against him, in effect, were President Trump, who endorsed Lauf on Thursday, August 13, Club for Growth PAC, which endorsed her on August 14, and Protect Freedom PAC, a super PAC tied to Senator Rand Paul that spent more than $5,000,000 for her. After the primary Governor DeSantis hosted nine Republican congressional candidates in Tallahassee in the last week of August and endorsed each, and in endorsements reported on September 2 the President posted: “It is my Great Honor to endorse MAGA Warrior, Jim Schwartzel, who is running to represent the wonderful people of Florida’s 19th Congressional District!” Endorsements establish political support; they are not evaluations of a record. [21][22][23][29][25][30][31]
Family & community
His campaign biography says he “married his high school sweetheart, Carly,” and that together “they’re raising two children—one attending his alma mater, Stetson University, and the other enrolled at Florida SouthWestern State College.” His primary-night statement thanked supporters on behalf of “Carly and I.” No other family detail appears in the campaign’s material, and none is asserted. [2][28]
The biography describes him as “an avid boater” and says he “supports community-based charities and the arts in ways that don’t burden taxpayers.” He told The News-Press, “I organized a Tea Party rally at Centennial Park before it was fashionable.” The one civic recognition in the record reviewed is the First Amendment Foundation’s 2023 award. The sources reviewed here do not supply a verified record of charitable board service, and none is asserted. [3][2][38][10]
The biography opens with the sentence that his life “is rooted in faith, family, and tradition,” and it says he is a graduate of Bishop Verot High School, which The Floridian identifies as a Catholic school. Neither the biography nor the campaign site names a denomination or congregation, and this profile makes no further claim. [2][13]
Mission & priorities
“Just like President Donald Trump, I am a businessman — not a politician — and I’m ready to be your conservative fighter in Congress.” {1}
The following summarizes the agenda on Schwartzel’s campaign website and in his public statements. These are proposed priorities from a candidate who has never held office, not completed accomplishments. [3][1]
01Supporting President Trump’s agenda, and the SAVE America Act
“Jim Schwartzel is proud to support President Donald J. Trump and the America First agenda.” The plank promises to back the President “every step of the way—fighting to bring back energy independence, restore law and order, defend our borders, and keep the radical Left from destroying the values that make America great.” Announcing, he told WINK News he would be “eye-to-eye” with the President and, on tariffs, “He’s a businessman. He’s negotiating.” In The News-Press questionnaire he put the SAVE America Act first among his priorities if it has not passed in the current Congress, and on elections wrote, “I support documentary proof of citizenship to register, photo ID, clean voter rolls and paper-ballot audits.” The President endorsed his opponent in the primary and endorsed him after it. [3][13][38][23][31]
02Term limits
“Jim supports term limits for members of Congress because it’s time to break up the ruling class and return power to the people.” The biography frames the same pledge as a fight “to end the ruling class of career politicians who are more beholden to special interests than the people they were elected to serve.” To The News-Press he added, “I support term limits, and I’d start with an audit of everything Washington spends and fight to bring DOGE back.” No specific limit, bill or amendment is named. [3][2][38]
03Water quality and the Caloosahatchee
“As an avid boater, Jim understands this and will fight to protect the Caloosahatchee River, our beaches, and the natural beauty that makes Southwest Florida special.” The plank promises “common-sense water management policies that prioritize clean water, healthy estuaries, and the needs of our community—not the agendas of environmental extremists or special interest groups.” To The News-Press he named “full federal funding for Everglades restoration and reservoir projects and a FEMA that answers to homeowners instead of paperwork.” No appropriation or bill is specified. [3][38]
04Infrastructure and the census formula
The campaign’s plank: “Jim will push for funding to complete the projects necessary to reduce traffic congestion and enhance safety, making it easier for families, businesses, and emergency services to move throughout the region.” In an interview with WINK News at his announcement he went further, saying, “I believe it's our infrastructure. We need to fix it. We need to be a great place to live because that's why people come here,” and arguing that “federal funds are set up and allocated based upon census, which is done every ten years,” which leaves a fast-growing region “far behind.” To The News-Press he wrote, “I’ll seek committees to help Southwest Florida; Appropriations, Transportation & Infrastructure or Energy & Commerce.” No bill or formula change is specified. [3][13][38]
05Taxes, regulation and spending
“He will fight to keep taxes low, eliminate burdensome regulations, and make it easier for small businesses to thrive.” The plank adds that he “opposes socialist spending policies that drive inflation and destroy opportunity”; his letter to voters says that with the President “we'll cut wasteful spending, grow our economy, finish the wall, and deport illegal immigrants.” No specific tax or spending measure is identified. [3][1]
06The border and immigration
“Jim will fight to finish the wall, enforce immigration laws, and stop the flood of illegal immigrants and deadly drugs pouring into our communities.” The plank says he “believes in legal immigration” and that “anyone entering our country illegally and breaking our laws should be sent back to where they came from.” On birthright citizenship he told The News-Press, “I’d support clarifying that at least one parent must be a citizen before Birthright citizenship is possible.” Scalise’s endorsement cited the SAVE America Act, which Schwartzel said he would fight to pass. [3][38][21]
07Free speech, including on his own airwaves
The campaign promises to “defend free speech from the growing threat of censorship by Big Tech” and says “our rights come from God, not government.” The record behind the plank is the 2023 defamation bill, which he opposed as a station owner and for which the First Amendment Foundation honored him. On the question his own business raises, he told WINK News at his announcement that he would buy his own advertising and would not stop other candidates from running theirs on his stations. [2][3][10][13]
08Family values and schools
“Jim stands firmly against biological men competing in women’s sports and believes parents—not bureaucrats—should have the final say in how their children are raised and educated.” The plank opposes “the Left’s radical DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) mandates” and what it calls the push to force gender ideology into schools, sports and workplaces. [3]
How to assess a proposal. A campaign plan states an intention. Enactment, implementation costs, replacement revenue, and measured results are separate questions. These priorities should be read alongside the legislative and voting history above.
The fuller record
A useful profile includes policy tradeoffs, the limits of a claim, and responses to material criticism.
Roots, transplants and the President’s endorsement
Florida Politics wrote that the field’s out-of-state résumés defined much of the contest. Lauf, Oberweis, Cawthorn and Collins all came to Southwest Florida after political careers elsewhere; Lauf registered to vote in Florida in 2024 after three congressional campaigns in Illinois. Schwartzel’s campaign made that the contrast: “Southwest Florida deserves better than failed career candidates who moved here just to run for Congress,” he told Florida Politics, and it noted that Lauf had not lived in the district long enough to vote in a Florida Republican primary. When the President endorsed Lauf on Thursday, August 13, he expressed disappointment but posted, “Let’s be precise about where that anger belongs. Not with President Trump — I’ve supported him from the beginning, and I’ll support him after Tuesday,” and that the blame lay with “the operation that has worked against us for months.” Lauf answered that “We are the party of merit” and that voters were “looking for the fighter who best represents their values”; her statement to the outlet also alleged, of an unnamed opponent “from here,” that he “coerced his employees to get the vaccine” and that people who worked for him in the news business left over “a liberal bias.” No second outlet reporting that allegation was found, no document bearing on it was found, and no response from Schwartzel or his company appears in any source reviewed; it is recorded here as an opponent’s attributed assertion, not as a finding. He won by 6,431 votes, and in endorsements reported on September 2 the President called him a “MAGA Warrior.” Both endorsements are in the record. [23][14][26][28][29][4][31]
A media owner as candidate
Owning a conservative talk station, a Trump-branded country station and a Naples weekly while running for Congress, and buying the market’s Fox affiliate in the middle of the campaign, raised a question specific to his candidacy. His stated answer, at his announcement, was that he would buy his own ads and not stop other candidates from running theirs on his platforms. The record contains two episodes. In 2020, when the company launched the Trump Country format, Florida Politics found most of the experts it consulted saying the media exemption likely protected the station, and no complaint or regulatory action appears in the sources reviewed. On April 21, 2026 the same outlet reported that a Facebook post by 92.5 Fox News had described his rival Ola Hawatmeh as “a Christian immigrant from Jordan” when she was born in Yonkers, New York. When the outlet raised it, the station amended the post and added a correction; its program director wrote, “This was made in error, and we are issuing a correction on that post,” and Schwartzel’s campaign said: “I’ve been made aware of a social media post from 92.5 Fox News Radio that was made in error. When it was brought to my attention, I made sure it was taken down and that a correction will be issued. I apologize for any confusion it caused.” He added, “I take accuracy seriously, regardless of the issue, campaign, or candidate involved. That standard applies across the board.” Hawatmeh said, “There needs to be an apology made not to me, but to the listeners; they deserve better.” Whether the stations’ programming favored his candidacy in 2025 and 2026 was not measured by this review. [13][39][40][33][43]
The loan and the “buy a seat” line
The candidate who said in July 2025, “I’m not parachuting in to buy a seat — I was born here, raised my family here, and built my businesses here in Southwest Florida,” had by then lent his campaign $1,000,000, and the Commission’s summary through July 29, 2026 shows $1,050,000 in candidate loans against $1,000,757.52 from individual donors. The statement drew its contrast with candidates from elsewhere, “This campaign is powered by people who actually live in this district,” rather than between self-funding and fundraising: Oberweis and Collins lent themselves $4,900,000 and $3,402,000, and through 2025 Schwartzel had raised more from donors than any rival; by the second-quarter report of 2026 Lauf, with no loans, had raised more. His campaign also attacked Collins as a “convicted felon” with “failing grades from Club for Growth”; the same Club endorsed Lauf over him four days before the primary. [15][8][9][16][19][25]
Outside groups on both sides
Southwest Florida First, a Venice-based independent-expenditure committee registered with the Commission in May 2025, ran ads against the out-of-state candidates, including spots asking voters not to let Lauf “Illinois our Florida”; no source reviewed here ties the committee to Schwartzel’s campaign, and coordination is not asserted. On the other side, Protect Freedom PAC, tied to Senator Rand Paul, directed more than $5,000,000 in independent expenditures to Lauf, $5.4 million by a Legis1 analysis the outlet cited. The Commission’s independent-expenditure tables for the race were not retrieved, so the totals here are the outlet’s. [24][23]
Questions & answers
Who is Jim Schwartzel?
Jim Schwartzel’s public life runs through a Fort Myers broadcasting company rather than any office: president of Sun Broadcasting, founder of the conservative talk station 92.5 FOX News, a 2023 First Amendment award for opposing a defamation bill his own party’s governor wanted, and in 2026 a first run for anything, as the Republican nominee for the 19th District seat Byron Donalds gave up to run for governor. [10][1][13][4][6] His campaign biography calls him “a proud native of Southwest Florida” and says he “married his high school sweetheart, Carly,” with whom he is raising two children; The News-Press, which gave his age as 50 in August 2026, described him as a Naples native. The First Amendment Foundation records his full name as James W. Schwartzel. He lives in Fort Myers, in Lee County, and reporting on his entry noted that he was the first Republican from Lee County to file for a seat whose last two representatives lived in Naples. No birth year appears in the official or campaign material reviewed, and none is asserted. [2][38][10][12]
What office is Jim Schwartzel running for in 2026?
Who is Jim Schwartzel running against?
On August 18, 2026 he won the ten-candidate Republican primary with 26,153 votes, 29.1 percent, leading in both Collier and Lee counties, ahead of Catalina Lauf, whom President Trump had endorsed five days earlier, and former Illinois state senator Jim Oberweis. On November 3, 2026 he faces Victor Arias, who won the Democratic primary with 15,410 votes, 45.5 percent; a no-party candidate, Seth Haskin, and a write-in also qualified. [4][23][29][5][17]
What are Jim Schwartzel's stated priorities?
The following summarizes the agenda on Schwartzel’s campaign website and in his public statements. These are proposed priorities from a candidate who has never held office, not completed accomplishments. [3][1] The campaign lists: Supporting President Trump’s agenda, and the SAVE America Act; Term limits; Water quality and the Caloosahatchee; Infrastructure and the census formula; Taxes, regulation and spending; The border and immigration; Free speech, including on his own airwaves; Family values and schools.
What does the public record show?
A nonprofit foundation’s award, Federal Communications Commission documents, a seller’s corporate releases, the Division of Elections’ canvasses, the Federal Election Commission’s filings and original reporting establish the following. Schwartzel has never held public office, so there are no votes or bills; the record is professional and electoral, and it is described at the level those documents support. The First Amendment Foundation names him president of Sun Broadcasting, and Florida Politics has used the same title since his candidacy began, adding in February 2025 that he owns 92.5 WFSX and in April 2026 that the company is one he owns; The News-Press wrote in August 2026 that he had held the presidency for more than a decade and oversees 92.5 Fox News, 93.7 Trump Country, Gulfshore Life and Gulfshore Business. By Florida Politics’ April 2025 account, the company “runs several Southwest Florida radio and television networks, most notably conservative talk radio network 92.5 FOX News,” owns the Trump Country 93.7 country station and owns the local Univision affiliate. The company’s own page, at a Corporate Lakes Drive address in Fort Myers, carries uncaptioned logos linking to the sites of 94.5 The Arrow, Fly 98.5, B103.9, 96 K-Rock, Trump Country, 92.5, Fan Florida, the CW, FOX Florida, Univision and UniMás; it does not name its officers. [10][14][43][38][12][11]
How was this profile researched?
Reviewed September 17, 2026 and fact-checked against every cited document on September 18, 2026. Jim Schwartzel has never held public office, so this profile contains no votes, bills or agency actions; it is a documented overview of his business, electoral record and stated priorities. The business was read from a nonprofit’s release, two Federal Communications Commission documents that identify the company’s stations, the seller’s releases on the WFTX purchase, the company’s own pages and reporting, not from corporate filings, Commission ownership reports or financial statements, which were not part of this review; the Gulfshore Life Media holding rests on the campaign’s and two outlets’ statements and a shared address. A birth year, his candidate financial disclosure filed with the Clerk of the House and tax records were not part of this review; his degree is stated as one newspaper reported it. Polls are reported as the pollsters and the outlet stated them. An allegation by his principal rival appeared in one outlet only and drew no response on record; it is recorded with that attribution and nothing more. Ballotpedia and the race-rating sites could not be retrieved, and the Democratic nominee’s campaign site did not load, so the opponent is described from the Division of Elections’ results and reporting. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Sources & methodology
Government records anchor the profile: the Florida Division of Elections’ official results for this year’s primaries and the last general election, the Federal Election Commission’s filings and bulk summaries, and Federal Communications Commission documents on the company’s licenses. A nonprofit foundation’s release establishes the First Amendment award; the seller’s corporate releases establish the television purchase; the company’s own pages and original reporting establish the business at the level a company page and a newsroom can; reporting supplies the polls, endorsements, disputes and responses; campaign materials are used for the candidate’s own priorities and claims.
- 01Jim Schwartzel for Congress (home page)Jim Schwartzel for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The candidate’s letter to voters (a businessman, not a politician); founding of 92.5 FOX News Radio; committee mailing address in Fort Myers; linked social accounts. Self-descriptions.Campaign or advocacy material - 02Meet Jim | Jim Schwartzel for CongressJim Schwartzel for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Campaign biography: Southwest Florida native, Bishop Verot High School, wife Carly, two children, Stetson University as alma mater; ownership of 92.5 FOX News and Gulfshore Life Media. Self-descriptions.Campaign or advocacy material - 03Priorities | Jim Schwartzel for CongressJim Schwartzel for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The eight campaign planks quoted in this profile. Proposals, not record.Campaign or advocacy material - 04August 18, 2026 Primary Election — Republican Primary, United States Representative, District 19, official results by countyFlorida Department of State, Division of Elections · Official results, 2026 primary
Schwartzel 26,153 (29.1%); Lauf 19,722; Oberweis 14,110; Cawthorn 7,596; Collins 6,617; Pedersen 5,581; Strand 3,513; Hawatmeh 2,534; Bukowski 2,266; Sawyer 1,650; Collier and Lee county figures.Government record - 05August 18, 2026 Primary Election — Democratic Primary, United States Representative, District 19, official results by countyFlorida Department of State, Division of Elections · Official results, 2026 primary
Victor Arias 15,410 (45.5%); Howard Sapp 13,918; Robert M. Neeld 4,553.Government record - 06August 18, 2026 Primary Election — Republican Primary, Governor and Cabinet, official resultsFlorida Department of State, Division of Elections · Official results, 2026 primary
Byron Donalds 811,131 (47.8%) in the Republican primary for Governor; Jay Collins 427,014; James Fishback 177,809; Paul Renner 145,063 — the record that the incumbent left the House seat to run statewide.Government record - 07November 5, 2024 General Election — Federal offices, official resultsFlorida Department of State, Division of Elections · Official results, 2024 general election
District 19 under the previous map: Byron Donalds 275,708 (66.3%), Kari L. Lerner 140,038.Government record - 08Jim Schwartzel — candidate overview, H6FL19137Federal Election Commission · Accessed September 17, 2026
Financial summary for April 1, 2025 to July 29, 2026: receipts $2,065,485.29, individual contributions $1,000,757.52, candidate loans $1,050,000, disbursements $1,883,585.84, cash on hand $181,899.45; statement of candidacy filed April 9, 2025; principal committee Jim Schwartzel for Congress; leadership PAC 19th Hole PAC.Government record - 09All candidates financial summaries, 2025–2026 (weball26.zip)Federal Election Commission (bulk data) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Receipts, loans and cash on hand for every 19th District candidate through July 29, 2026, used to compare the field: Oberweis $5,326,139.86 with $4,900,000 in candidate loans; Collins $3,410,000 with $3,402,000; Lauf $1,674,013.10 with none; Arias $45,356.15.Government record - 10FAF names James W. Schwartzel the winner of the 2023 Pete Weitzel Friend of the First Amendment AwardFirst Amendment Foundation (Florida) · 2023
The foundation’s release: Schwartzel, president of Sun Broadcasting, was the first conservative news station owner to oppose HB 991, in its account; award presented June 6 in Orlando. An advocacy organization’s statement.Independent analysis or rating - 11Sun Broadcasting Inc. (company site)Sun Broadcasting, Inc. · Accessed September 17, 2026
The company’s Fort Myers address and eleven uncaptioned logos linking to the sites of 94.5 The Arrow, Fly 98.5, B103.9, 96 K-Rock, Trump Country, 92.5, Fan Florida, the CW, FOX Florida, Univision and UniMás. The page does not name its officers.Professional or biographical source - 12Media mogul Jim Schwartzel files to succeed Byron Donalds in CongressFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · April 11, 2025
The committee filing; Sun Broadcasting’s stations (92.5 FOX News, Trump Country 93.7, the Univision affiliate); first Lee County Republican in the race; the 2023 First Amendment Foundation award.Independent reporting - 13Jim Schwartzel Announces Bid to Replace Byron Donalds in Congressional District 19The Floridian (Michael Costeines) · April 14, 2025
Bishop Verot Catholic High School; his WINK interview on infrastructure and census-based federal funding; his pledge to buy his own ads and not block rivals’ ads on his stations; praise for Donalds and Trump.Independent reporting - 14Who will run for Byron Donalds’ seat in Congress?Florida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · February 26, 2025
The day Donalds entered the governor’s race: Schwartzel, described as owner of 92.5 WFSX and president of Sun Broadcasting, had spoken to political leaders about running.Independent reporting - 15Thanks to $1M loan, Jim Schwartzel posts a $1.2M quarter in race to succeed Byron DonaldsFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · July 21, 2025
The $1,000,000 candidate loan and about $213,000 in outside contributions in his first quarter; his statement that he was not parachuting in to buy a seat; the campaign’s attacks on Collins and Cawthorn.Independent reporting - 16Jim Schwartzel wraps 2025 with $1.28M in the bank to run in CD 19Florida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · February 1, 2026
Year-end 2025 report: about $451,000 in outside contributions, just under $175,000 spent, the loan untouched, almost $1.28 million on hand; the Lee and Collier donor base.Independent reporting - 17Massive field qualifies in race to succeed Byron Donalds in CongressFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · June 12, 2026
The qualified field: the Republicans, Democrats Sapp, Arias and Neeld, no-party candidate Seth Haskin and a write-in; Arias described as managing attorney of Arias Law Firm.Independent reporting - 18‘The race is wide open’: Poll shows Jim Schwartzel, Jim Oberweis leading crowded CD 19 fieldFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · June 23, 2026
Victory Insights, June 2026: Schwartzel about 13 percent, Oberweis just under 12, 54 percent undecided, margin of error 5.2 points; name recognition 48 percent.Independent reporting - 19CD 19 Republicans have banked $10M — most of it their own moneyFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · July 17, 2026
Second-quarter 2026 reports: Schwartzel raised more than $212,000, spent close to $1.1 million in the quarter, had more than $625,000 left; Oberweis, Collins, Lauf and Cawthorn figures.Independent reporting - 20New CD 19 poll shows Jim Schwartzel, Catalina Lauf in neck-and-neck raceFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · August 7, 2026
Victory Insights poll reported August 7, 2026: Schwartzel 19.1 percent, Lauf 18.9, Oberweis almost 12, 25 percent undecided; the pollster’s memo on Lauf’s rise. The outlet’s later stories give the field dates as August 4–6.Independent reporting - 21Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan line up behind Jim Schwartzel in CD 19 Primary dogfightFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · August 10, 2026
The Majority Leader’s and the Judiciary chairman’s endorsements, quoted, and Schwartzel’s responses.Independent reporting - 22Connie Mack III, Connie Mack IV both endorse Jim Schwartzel in CD 19 PrimaryFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · August 11, 2026
The former senator and former congressman’s endorsements; Schwartzel’s statement that they were backing the one who was born here.Independent reporting - 23‘America First Patriot’: Donald Trump throws support to Catalina Lauf in heated CD 19 GOP PrimaryFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · August 14, 2026
The President’s Truth Social endorsement of Lauf less than a week before the primary; Lauf’s Illinois campaigns and 2024 Florida registration; Protect Freedom PAC’s spending; the district’s geography.Independent reporting - 24Super PAC’s new CD 19 ads warn voters: Don’t let Catalina Lauf ‘Illinois our Florida’Florida Politics (Peter Schorsch) · August 10, 2026
Southwest Florida First, a Venice-based independent-expenditure committee registered in May 2025, and its ads against the out-of-state candidates; the outlet notes the story was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by its editors.Independent reporting - 25Club for Growth PAC Endorses Catalina Lauf in FL-19 RaceClub for Growth PAC · August 14, 2026
The Club’s endorsement of Schwartzel’s principal rival four days before the primary, with David McIntosh’s statement. An advocacy organization’s position, not a rating of Schwartzel.Independent analysis or rating - 26Millions were spent in CD 19 GOP Primary, but will a late Donald Trump endorsement decide the race?Florida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · August 17, 2026
Spending through July 29 by each campaign; Schwartzel’s response to the Trump endorsement of Lauf; his “failed career candidates” statement; Lauf’s statement, which included an allegation about an unnamed opponent’s employees.Independent reporting - 27Exit poll shows Catalina Lauf leading CD 19 field, but Jim Schwartzel a favorite of those who already votedFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · August 18, 2026
M3 Strategies exit polling on primary day: Schwartzel 30.8 percent of the early vote to Lauf’s 26.2; Lauf ahead among Election Day voters; margin of error 3.4 points.Independent reporting - 28Jim Schwartzel wins costly and heated GOP Primary over Catalina Lauf for Byron Donalds’ CD 19 seatFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · August 18, 2026
Primary-night account: Lauf won Election Day votes in both counties but not the early vote; Schwartzel’s victory statement; the field’s spending; Lauf’s statement, repeated from the August 17 story, and the other candidates’ statements.Independent reporting - 29Jim Schwartzel Wins 19th Congressional District Republican PrimaryThe Floridian (Grayson Bakich) · August 18, 2026
A second outlet’s call of the race; the Thursday Trump endorsement of Lauf; the June debate exchange between Lauf and Cawthorn.Independent reporting - 30Delegation for 8.28.26: DeSantis flex — Hope Florida — healthy plates — Lake America — repair warsFlorida Politics (staff) · August 28, 2026
Governor DeSantis hosted nine Republican congressional nominees in Tallahassee and endorsed each, Schwartzel among them.Independent reporting - 31Donald Trump backs eight GOP candidates for Congress in Florida open and battleground districtsFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · September 2, 2026
The President’s post-primary endorsement of Schwartzel (“MAGA Warrior”), quoted; the note that Trump had endorsed Lauf in the primary.Independent reporting - 32Trump Announces Florida Republican General Election EndorsementsThe Floridian (Joseph Quesada) · September 2, 2026
The endorsement slate, Speaker Johnson’s backing, and Schwartzel’s response: “I’m humbled and I’m grateful.”Independent reporting - 33Fort Myers rock radio station goes ‘Trump Country.’ Is it legal?Florida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · September 18, 2020
Sun Broadcasting’s 2020 switch of its rock station to Trump Country 93.7; election-law and broadcast experts’ views. The story names the station’s general manager, who did not return its calls, as “Jim Schwartz,” a spelling that differs from the candidate’s name; the profile does not treat the story as identifying him.Independent reporting - 34Defamation law overhaul despised on the left and right dies in dwindling days of SessionFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · April 21, 2023
HB 991 and SB 1220 shelved on April 20, 2023; the bills would have eliminated the “actual malice” requirement; the measure was a priority of Governor DeSantis. The page’s address carries an earlier headline.Independent reporting - 35Florida Legislature passes redistricting plan creating four additional GOP-leaning House seatsNBC News (Matt Dixon) · April 29, 2026
Passage of the governor’s mid-decade congressional map on April 29, 2026.Independent reporting - 36DeSantis signs Florida redistricting map, drawing quick legal challengeTampa Bay Times (Romy Ellenbogen) · May 4, 2026
The governor’s signature on May 4, 2026; the headline notes a quick legal challenge (the article text behind the paywall was not read).Independent reporting - 37Republican Candidates Looking to Replace Byron Donalds in Congress Talk About Water Issue, Needs of CD-19 Voters (Part 1)The Floridian (Javier Manjarres) · February 19, 2026
The Naples Reagan Club dinner at which the Republican field, Schwartzel included, courted voters; the outlet’s questions on water quality went to other candidates.Independent reporting - 38Meet Congressional District 19 hopeful Jim Schwartzel before electionThe News-Press & Naples Daily News (Mickenzie Hannon), syndicated by Yahoo News · August 7, 2026
The newspaper’s candidate questionnaire: age 50; president of Sun Broadcasting for more than a decade, overseeing 92.5 Fox News, 93.7 Trump Country, Gulfshore Life and Gulfshore Business; the company’s $40 million purchase of Fox 4 (WFTX-TV); Naples native, Bishop Verot, a business and finance degree from Stetson, college internships with Connie Mack and Porter Goss; his answers on priorities, committees, the border, elections and term limits; photographs of the July 14, 2026 Naples Reagan Club forum.Independent reporting - 39Scripps agrees to sell WFTX in Fort Myers-Naples to Sun Broadcasting for $40 millionThe E.W. Scripps Company (corporate release) · September 3, 2025
The seller’s announcement of the $40 million sale of WFTX, its Fox-affiliated station in Fort Myers, to Sun Broadcasting, described as a private broadcaster operating radio and television properties exclusively in the Fort Myers-Naples market. The release does not name Schwartzel.Professional or biographical source - 40Scripps completes sale of WFTX in Fort Myers-Naples to Sun BroadcastingThe E.W. Scripps Company (corporate release) · March 2, 2026
The seller’s statement that it closed the $40 million sale of WFTX to Sun Broadcasting on March 2, 2026.Professional or biographical source - 41Public Notice, Report No. PN-1-250821-01: Applications (assignment of WRXK-FM, WXKB and translators from Beasley Media Group Licenses, LLC to Sun Broadcasting, Inc.)Federal Communications Commission · August 21, 2025
Applications accepted for filing on August 18, 2025 to assign WRXK-FM (96.1, Bonita Springs), WXKB (103.9, Cape Coral) and translators W286AK and W243BM from Beasley Media Group Licenses, LLC to Sun Broadcasting, Inc.; the other Beasley stations in the cluster went to Fort Myers Broadcasting Company.Government record - 42Order, DA 26-178, In the Matter of Amendment of Part 11 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding the Emergency Alert System (Sun Broadcasting, Inc. limited waiver)Federal Communications Commission, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau · February 20, 2026
A limited waiver to move alerting equipment; the order identifies Sun Broadcasting, Inc. as licensee of WRXK-FM and WXKB, recently acquired from Beasley Media Group, and lists WFSX-FM with its translators, WFFY, WHEL and WARO as the company’s other stations. It does not name the company’s officers.Government record - 43Radio station owned by Jim Schwartzel misidentifies CD 19 opponent Ola Hawatmeh as an immigrantFlorida Politics (Jacob Ogles) · April 21, 2026
A 92.5 Fox News Facebook post that called Hawatmeh an immigrant, her New York birth certificate, the station’s correction and its program director’s e-mail, Schwartzel’s apology and statement on accuracy, and Hawatmeh’s response. The outlet describes Sun Broadcasting as a company owned by Schwartzel.Independent reporting - 44Sun Day: FCC Grants Transfer of SWFL’s ‘FOX 4,’ Beasley FMsRadio & Television Business Report (Adam Jacobson) · January 30, 2026
A broadcasting trade publication’s report, naming Schwartzel, of Commission approval of Sun Broadcasting’s purchase of WFTX and of its purchase of Beasley stations; the text beyond the opening paragraphs is behind a paywall and was not read.Independent reporting - 45Contact Us — Gulfshore LifeGulfshore Life Media, LLC · Accessed September 18, 2026
The magazine company’s address, 12641 Corporate Lakes Dr., Fort Myers, the same address Sun Broadcasting’s page gives; it names a publisher and an editor in chief and does not name an owner.Professional or biographical source
No matching sources. Try “Clerk,” “Senate,” or “campaign.”
Scope & method. Reviewed September 17, 2026 and fact-checked against every cited document on September 18, 2026. Jim Schwartzel has never held public office, so this profile contains no votes, bills or agency actions; it is a documented overview of his business, electoral record and stated priorities. The business was read from a nonprofit’s release, two Federal Communications Commission documents that identify the company’s stations, the seller’s releases on the WFTX purchase, the company’s own pages and reporting, not from corporate filings, Commission ownership reports or financial statements, which were not part of this review; the Gulfshore Life Media holding rests on the campaign’s and two outlets’ statements and a shared address. A birth year, his candidate financial disclosure filed with the Clerk of the House and tax records were not part of this review; his degree is stated as one newspaper reported it. Polls are reported as the pollsters and the outlet stated them. An allegation by his principal rival appeared in one outlet only and drew no response on record; it is recorded with that attribution and nothing more. Ballotpedia and the race-rating sites could not be retrieved, and the Democratic nominee’s campaign site did not load, so the opponent is described from the Division of Elections’ results and reporting. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Images. Conservative Ledger masthead supplied by the site creator. The candidate portrait is a head-and-shoulders crop of the photograph published on the campaign’s own website, jimforcongress.com; it is a campaign-owned photograph, reproduced here pending the owner’s decision and credited beneath the image. No portrait of the candidate exists on Wikimedia Commons and no government portrait exists, since he has not held office. Inclusion does not imply campaign authorization or endorsement of this publication.
Where to find the candidate
Every link below was read from the campaign’s own website or the candidate’s official government page. A follower count is printed only where it was measured; otherwise the link is published and the number is left blank rather than guessed at.
The campaign
Voting in Florida: official dates, deadlines and rules
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The dates and rules below were read from the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections; the authority's own page, linked beside each one, is the final word.
Dates and deadlines
- Voter registration deadlineOctober 5, 2026 is the deadline to register to vote (book closing) for the November 3, 2026 general election. State law closes the registration books on the 29th day before each election. The cutoff depends on how you apply (online, by mail or in person); see the items that follow. Read from: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/election-dates
- Online registration deadlineOctober 5, 2026, 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) to submit an electronic application through RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, according to the Division of Elections' online voter registration FAQ (updated August 2022). The FAQ adds that an application submitted after the deadline is still processed and takes effect for the next election. Read from: files.floridados.gov/media/706383/ovr-faq-eng-v20220801-final.pdf
- Registration deadline by mail (postmark)A paper application sent by mail must be postmarked no later than October 5, 2026, the 29th day before the election, according to the Division of Elections' online voter registration FAQ (updated August 2022). Mail the statewide application (Form DS-DE 39) to your county Supervisor of Elections. Read from: files.floridados.gov/media/706383/ovr-faq-eng-v20220801-final.pdf
- Registration deadline in personA paper application delivered in person must be submitted by close of business in your county of residence on October 5, 2026, according to the Division of Elections' online voter registration FAQ (updated August 2022). In-person options listed by the Division: any County Supervisor of Elections' office, any tax collector's office or other office that issues Florida driver licenses or Florida identification cards (through an electronic intake process), and any designated voter registration agency (per the Division's 2026 Voter Registration and Voting Guide). Read from: files.floridados.gov/media/706383/ovr-faq-eng-v20220801-final.pdf
- Vote-by-mail ballots start being sentSeptember 24, 2026 through October 1, 2026 is the window in which county Supervisors of Elections send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters whose requests are already on file. Ballots for military and overseas (UOCAVA) voters must be sent by September 19, 2026. For a later request, the Supervisor must mail the ballot within 2 business days, and no later than October 24, 2026. Read from: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/election-dates
- Early voting beginsOctober 24, 2026 is the first day of the 8-day mandatory early voting period, offered in every county. A county may add optional early voting days from October 19, 2026 through October 23, 2026; contact your county Supervisor of Elections for the days offered where you live. Read from: files.floridados.gov/media/711204/2026-calendar-20260713.pdf
- Early voting endsOctober 31, 2026 is the last day of the mandatory early voting period. A county may also offer one more optional day, November 1, 2026; contact your county Supervisor of Elections. Early voting hours must be at least 8 hours and no more than 12 hours a day at each site. Read from: files.floridados.gov/media/711204/2026-calendar-20260713.pdf
- Deadline to request that a vote-by-mail ballot be mailedOctober 22, 2026, no later than 5 p.m.: the deadline for your county Supervisor of Elections to receive a request for a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed to you (the 12th day before the election). After that, a ballot can still be picked up in person; from the start of mandatory early voting on October 24, 2026 through Election Day, pickup also requires an affidavit affirming that an emergency keeps the voter from voting at an early voting site or at the assigned polling place. Read from: files.floridados.gov/media/711204/2026-calendar-20260713.pdf
Rules to know
- What to bringWhether you vote during early voting or on Election Day, you must bring a current and valid photo ID with signature. The Division of Elections lists these acceptable photo IDs: Florida driver license; Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; United States passport; debit or credit card; military identification; student identification; retirement center identification; neighborhood association identification; public assistance identification; veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; license to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06, Florida Statutes; and employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the state, a county, or a municipality. If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature. If you do not bring proper ID, you can still vote a provisional ballot; it counts if you are eligible, voted in the proper precinct, and the signature on the provisional ballot matches the signature in your registration record. A voter who votes a provisional ballot may present further evidence of eligibility to the Supervisor of Elections until 5 p.m. (local time) on November 5, 2026, the second day after the election. Read from: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/voting/election-day-voting
- Voting by mailIn Florida a voter has the option to vote by mail, at an early voting site, or at the assigned polling location on Election Day. Request a vote-by-mail ballot from the Supervisor of Elections in the county where you are registered: by signed writing on Form DS-DE 160, the Statewide Vote-by-Mail Ballot Request Form (by mail, online, fax or as a scanned attachment to an email), in person, or by phone. Give your name, date of birth, address, and your Florida driver license number, Florida identification card number or the last four digits of your Social Security number, whichever the Supervisor can verify, plus your signature if the request is written; a signed written request is required if the ballot is to go to an address other than the one on file. A request to have the ballot mailed must reach the Supervisor no later than 5 p.m. on October 22, 2026. A request covers all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election; after that it must be renewed. Return the voted ballot by mail or in person, or deposit it in a secure drop box (secure ballot intake station) at a Supervisor's main or branch office or at a designated early voting site. It must be received, regardless of postmark, by the Supervisor of Elections' office no later than 7:00 p.m. (local time) on November 3, 2026; the Division passes along the U.S. Postal Service's recommendation to mail it at least one week before that deadline. A voted vote-by-mail ballot cannot be dropped off at a polling place on Election Day. To vote in person instead, bring the ballot (marked or unmarked) to the polls, turn it in and vote a regular ballot. Read from: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/voting/vote-by-mail
- Early voting in personEligible and registered voters can vote before Election Day at any designated early voting site within their county of registration during early voting days and hours. For the November 3, 2026 general election, every county must offer early voting from October 24, 2026 through October 31, 2026; a Supervisor of Elections may add days as early as October 19, 2026 and as late as November 1, 2026. Each site must be open at least 8 hours and no more than 12 hours a day. The Division of Elections says its statewide list of early voting sites and secure ballot intake stations for the general election will be available after October 4, 2026; your county Supervisor of Elections' website has the specific dates, times and locations. Bring a current and valid photo ID with signature (see What to bring). Secure ballot intake stations for returning vote-by-mail ballots are placed at early voting sites and other authorized areas, are available only at the hours specified by law, and are continuously monitored by an employee of the Supervisor's office. Read from: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/voting/early-voting-and-secure-ballot-intake-stations
- Track your vote-by-mail ballotBallot tracking in Florida runs through the county Supervisors of Elections. The Division of Elections' Vote-by-Mail Ballot Information and Status Lookup page links to each county's site, where you can request a vote-by-mail ballot and track the status of your request and your ballot. The statewide Voter Information Lookup is for checking your voter registration and party status: enter your first name, last name and birth date as they appear in your registration record. For your polling place, sample ballot and vote-by-mail ballot status, that tool directs you to your Supervisor of Elections' website. Read from: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/vote-by-mail-ballot-information-and-status-lookup
- Fixing a missing or mismatched signatureThe Supervisor of Elections must notify you if your signature is missing from the vote-by-mail ballot certificate or does not match the one on record. To correct it, complete the Vote-by-Mail Ballot Cure Affidavit (Form DS-DE 139) and include a copy of identification; the form and the copy of the ID can be returned by mail, email, fax, or in person. For the November 3, 2026 general election the deadline is 5 p.m. (local time) on November 5, 2026, the 2nd day after the election. The same deadline applies to an affidavit curing a missing or mismatched signature on a provisional ballot. Read from: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/voting/vote-by-mail
Read from: Division of Elections - Florida Department of State · Election Dates - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State · Election Dates and Activities Calendar – 2026 Election Cycle · Florida Voter Registration and Voting Guide (2026 election cycle, updated 07/20/2026) · Guía sobre el registro de votantes y la votación — Ciclo electoral 2026 (actualizado el 20/7/2026) · Register to Vote or Update your Information - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State — Rules and dates as of Sep 17, 2026
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