(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . View results of Florida House District 35 race [1] [] Date: 2024-01-17 00:05:00+00:00 View results of Florida House District 35 race Share Copy Link Copy STATES. BACK HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, WE HAVE A SPECIAL ELECTION TODAY. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE RACE FOR HOUSE DISTRICT 35. WESH 2’S TONY ATKINS IS LIVE WITH THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OFFICE IN ORLANDO, TONY THIS SEAT REPRESENTS EASTERN PARTS OF ORANGE AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT MAYOR. AND TODAY, VOTERS WILL GET TO DECIDE WHO FILLS THIS SEAT IN THE STATE HOUSE. THIS WAS A SEAT THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY HELD BY REPUBLICAN FRED HAWKINS. BUT HE GAVE UP THE SEAT TO TAKE A JOB AS PRESIDENT OF SOUTH FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE. FELLOW REPUBLICAN ERIC BOOTH IS LOOKING TO TAKE OVER AFTER WINNING THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY BACK IN NOVEMBER. SHE’S SUPPORTED BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, AND SHE’S ALSO ON THE OSCEOLA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. SHE’S CHALLENGED BY DEMOCRAT TOM KEAN, A BUSINESSMAN AND FORMER NAVY FLIGHT OFFICER WHO HOPES TO FLIP THE SEAT. BLUE. NOW, THE POLLS WILL OPEN IN A LITTLE LESS THAN ONE HOUR AT 7:00 THIS MORNING, AND THEY WILL STAY OPEN FOR MOST OF THE DAY. THEY’RE SET TO CLOSE AT 7 P.M. FOR NOW, REPORTING LIVE IN ORANGE COUNTY, TONY ATKINS WESH 2 NEWS. STAY WITH WESH TWO NEWS FOR CONTINUING COVERAGE OF OUR LOCAL ELECTIONS AND THE RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. WE WILL HAVE THE RESULTS OF TODAY’S SPECIAL ELECTION AS SOON AS THEY COME IN ON OUR WESH TWO NEWS MOBILE APP. HAPPENING TOMORROW. THE FLORIDA HOUSE WILL DISCUSS A BILL LAWMAKERS HOPE WILL MAKE CHILD CUSTODY EXCHANGES SAFER. IT WOULD REQUIRE PARENTS WHO SHARE CUSTODY TO USE SAFE EXCHANGE LOCATIONS AT A SHERIFF’S OFFICE. THE KHASI KHALI LAW IS NAMED AFTER A MOM WHO DISAPPEARED TWO YEARS AGO IN THE PANHANDLE. POLICE LATER FOUND HER DEAD IN ALABAMA AFTER MEETING WITH THE FATHER OF HER CHILD. TODAY, PROSECUTORS WILL TRY ONCE AGAIN TO PUT THIS CONVICTED KILLER ON DEATH ROW. JURY SELECTION STARTS IN THE RESENTENCING OF BESSMAN OKAFOR. WESH 2’S BOB HAZEN IS LIVE AT THE ORANGE COUNTY COURTHOUSE. AND BOB, THE LAST TIME THEY TRIED SENTENCING ENDED WITH A MISTRIAL BECAUSE OF A JUROR. YEAH, AND THAT JUROR IS NOW IN THE ORANGE COUNTY JAIL BECAUSE SHE BROKE THE RULES BY TALKING ABOUT THE CASE DURING THE TRIAL. SO NOW PROSECUTORS AND THE DEFENSE WILL BOTH TRY TO FIND A JURY THAT CAN FINISH THE JOB. THIS HAS BEEN A CONFUSING PROCESS. I’M WELL AWARE OF THAT. BESSMAN OKAFOR WAS CONVICTED OF KILLING ALEX ZALDIVAR BEFORE THE VICTIM COULD TESTIFY AGAINST HIM IN A DIFFERENT CASE, AND THE ORIGINAL JURY SENTENCED HIM TO DEATH. THAT TRIAL, HAPPENING BACK IN 2015. BUT THE SENTENCE WAS THROWN OUT BECAUSE OF A STATE SUPREME COURT RULING SAYING THAT JURIES HAD TO BE UNANIMOUS ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY. THE TRIAL TO RESENTENCED OKAFOR STARTED BACK IN OCTOBER. THEY MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO DELIBERATIONS UNTIL ONE JUROR TOLD THE JUDGE THAT SHE HAD TALKED TO A FRIEND WHO KNEW THE VICTIM AND DIDN’T THINK THAT SHE COULD BE UNBIASED ANYMORE. THE JUDGE DECLARED A MISTRIAL AT THAT POINT. THEN TWO WEEKS AGO, SENTENCED THAT JUROR TO 179 DAYS IN JAIL FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT. NOW, TODAY, THEY BEGIN THAT JURY SELECTION ALL OVER AGAIN, STARTING THE WHOLE PROCESS FROM THE BEGINNING. THAT MEANS BRINGING WITNESSES. AND FAMILY MEMBERS BACK TO TESTIFY. STATE LAW HAS NOW CHANGED AS WELL. SO IT TURNS OUT THE JURY WILL NOT NEED TO BE UNANIMOUS. THIS TIME AROUND. ONLY EIGHT OF THE JURORS HAVE TO AGREE IN ORDER FOR OKAFOR TO GET THE DEATH SENTENCE. THAT JURY SELECTION IS STARTING BACK UP THIS MORNING. IT’S EXPECTED TO LAST ABOUT A WEEK. REPORTING LIVE AT THE ORANGE COUNTY COURTHOUSE. BOB HAZEN WESH TWO NEWS MARION COUNTY. DEPUTIES NEED HELP FINDING A WANTED MAN WHO IS CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS AFTER A DEADLY SHOOTING ON FRIDAY. DEPUTIES SAY MELVIN ARIAS SHOT AND KILLED A WOMAN AT A SHOPPING CENTER ON MARION OAKS BOULEVARD. IF YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS, CALL 911. NOW TO THE MIDDLE EAST. THE ISRAEL-HAMAS FIGHTING EXTENDS BEYOND GAZA’S BORDERS AND IN THE RED SEA. REPORTS SHOW HOUTHI REBELS FIRED AT A MISSILE ON MONDAY, HITTING A SHIP OWNED BY THE US JUST OFF THE COAST OF YEMEN. THIS COMES JUST DAYS AFTER THE US AND UK ATTACKED HOUTHI TARGETS IN YEMEN, AND THOSE ATTACKS BY IRAN BACKED MILITANTS IN THE RED SEA HAVE EFFECTIVELY CLOSED ONE OF THE WORLD’S MAIN TRADE ROUTES TO CONTAINER SHIPS. AND NOW OIL TANKERS ARE STARTING TO AVOID THE AREA. OUR FIRST MORNING TRAFFIC EXPERT, MEAGHAN MACKEY, JOINS US ONCE AGAIN. AND, MEGAN, HOW WILL THIS IMPACT OUR GAS PRICES HERE AT HOME? OIL PRICES ARE ALREADY STARTING TO RISE THIS MORNING. ON FRIDAY, US CRUDE OIL CLIMBED AS MUCH AS 4.5% TO $75.25 A BARREL. AND EVEN THOUGH GAS PRICES REMAIN RELATIVELY LOW FOR NOW, EXPERTS PREDICT THE LOW PRICES MAY NOT BE AROUND FOR LONG. WE USE ABOUT 100 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND THAT WILL CERTAINLY HAVE A A AN EFFECT ON PRICE. RIGHT NOW, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR A GALLON OF GAS IS $3.07. HERE IN FLORIDA, WE’RE SITTING AT A PENNY LESS AT $3.06. THAT’S UP FROM ABOUT $0.20 A MONTH AGO. MAYOR AND MEGAN, HERE AT HOME ORGANIZERS ARE GETTING READY TO OPEN COLD WEATHER SHELTERS IN VOLUSIA COUNTY. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW NEEDS A WARM PLACE TO STAY, HEAD TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER’S THE BRIDGE IN DELAND BETWEEN 6 AND 8:00 TONIGHT ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE COUNTY, HALIFAX URBAN MINISTRIES WILL BE PARTNERING WITH DIFFERENT CHURCHES TO HELP THOSE IN NEED. FLAGLER COUNTY IS ALSO OPENING SHELTERS. NOW YOU CAN FIND A FULL LIST OF LOCATIONS ON OUR HOME PAGE ON. WESH.COM, AND WE’RE GETTING READY FOR THAT COLD, ALONG WITH SOME RAIN IN THE MIX AND A VERY FOGGY TUESDAY MORNING. YEAH, LOW VISIBILITY, DEFINITELY THE BIG STORY HERE. METEOROLOGIST KELLIANNE KLASS JOINING US NOW. SO KELLIANNE IT’S AN IMPACT DAY. AND THERE’S SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPENING WITH WEATHER. YEAH. LET’S START OFF WITH THIS MORNING. MANY OF US ARE DEALING WITH WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG. MOST OF US REPORTING ABOUT A QUARTER MILE VISIBILITY TO A THREE QUARTER MILE VISIBILITY. WE HAVE A LOW FRONT OR A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CARRYING A WARM FRONT, LIFTING NORTH. THAT’S HELPING TO BRING IN SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO PARTS OF OUR NORTHERN LOCATIONS. NO MORE THUNDERSTORMS FOR MARION COUNTY, BUT A FEW MORE LINGERING SHOWERS AND WE HAVE PLENTY OF THUNDERSTORMS NOW WORKING FROM NORTHERN FLAGLER COUNTY INTO PARTS OF SAINT JOHNS COUNTY, BUT STILL GOING TO BE TRACKING HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG I-95 THIS MORNING. EVENTUALLY, OUR COLD FRONT SWINGS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING FROM NOON ALL THE WAY UNTIL 6:00. WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF A STRONG TO SEVERE STORM. THAT’S WHY TODAY IS GOING TO BE AN IMPACT DAY. AND THEN ONCE THAT FRONT CLEARS, WE’RE GETTING COLD. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF A FREEZE WE’LL HAVE WHERE WE COULD SEE THAT COMING UP IN A FEW MINUTES. ALL RIGHT. KELLIANNE LOOK OUT AMAZON. THE NEW PLATFO GET OUR POLITICS NEWSLETTER Stay up to speed on all the latest local and national political news. Your Email Address Submit Privacy Notice [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.wesh.com/article/florida-house-district-35-race-results/46408581 Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/