The Florida Realtors PAC announced its first round of endorsements for the 2026 cycle this week, backing candidates in 48 legislative races — seven in the Senate, 41 in the House — as vote-by-mail ballots go out to voters ahead of the Aug. 18 Primary.

Supervisors of Elections had until Thursday to send mail ballots to domestic voters who requested them. More than 1.1 million voters have requested one, and 477 overseas ballots have already been returned.

“Florida Realtors PAC endorsements reflect our commitment to electing leaders who understand the importance of protecting private property rights and expanding opportunities for current and future property owners,” said Scott Steger,Cchair of Florida Realtors PAC Trustees.

“We are confident these candidates will be valuable partners as we work to strengthen Florida’s real estate industry, promote vibrant communities and create pathways to homeownership.”

Florida Realtors is the state’s largest trade association, representing 230,000 real estate professionals. The group said the endorsements weighed several factors, including candidates’ records on issues affecting the profession. The slate includes incumbents, local elected officials and candidates from both parties. Nine are Realtors or Realtor Affiliates.

SD 16 may be the most consequential pick on the list. Fentrice Driskell, the House Democratic Leader, is running against her own colleague, Rep. Michele Rayner, for the seat term-limited Sen. Darryl Rouson is vacating. No Republican filed, so the Aug. 18 open Primary decides it. Driskell has the money, north of $315,000 across her campaign and two committees to Rayner’s $58,000, but a poll in the spring had the two effectively tied with most voters undecided.

SD 30 brings Lauren Book back. The former Senate Democratic Leader redirected a planned 2028 bid into this cycle when Sen. Tina Polsky‘s seat opened, and Dan Daley‘s decision to pass cleared the Primary field. She raised $59,000 in her first 10 days.

In SD 34, Ashley Gantt won HD 109 by fewer than 500 votes in 2022, then won it by 24 points two years later. She’s running for Sen. Shevrin Jones‘ seat with the entire Senate Democratic Caucus behind her.

In SD 8, Jake Johansson, a retired Navy captain and former Port Orange City Manager, running for Tommy Wright‘s open Volusia seat. He leads the field in fundraising and has the Florida Chamber and both area sheriffs behind him. Donald Trump carried the district with more than 60%.

Rep. David Silvers is leading the money race in SD 26 to succeed term-limited Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman. Rep. Lauren Melo, a Realtor, has Kathleen Passidomo’s endorsement in SD 28. The PAC first backed Melo last September.

On the House side, HD 43 is among the more contested. Orange County Democratic Party Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago faces former Rep. Daisy Morales in the Primary for Johanna López‘s open seat, with a dozen unions, Jerry Demings and Buddy Dyer backing him. In HD 108, Daphne Campbell is running for Dotie Joseph‘s termed-out seat against Dinah Escarment, whose outside fundraising has outpaced Campbell’s largely self-funded haul. In HD 13, Audrey Gibson, the former Senate Democratic Leader, is now the lone candidate for Angie Nixon‘s seat after Reggie Gaffney Sr. stepped aside. The PAC endorsed Bill Poteet in HD 82 in December.

The full slate:

Senate:

— SD 8: Jake Johansson — SD 16: House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell — SD 21: Chris Nocco — SD 26: Rep. David Silvers — SD 28: Rep. Lauren Melo — SD 30: Lauren Book — SD 34: Rep. Ashley Gantt

House:

— HD 2: Jon Fay — HD 6: Tricia Berry — HD 10: Chase Brannan — HD 12: Terrance Freeman — HD 13: Audrey Gibson — HD 18: Rep. Kim Kendall — HD 21: Malik Moore — HD 23: Rep. J.J. Grow — HD 24: Rep. Ryan Chamberlin — HD 31: Robyn Hattaway — HD 32: Rep. Brian Hodgers — HD 34: Rep. Robert Brackett — HD 36: Rep. Rachel Plakon — HD 38: Emily Duda Buckley — HD 39: Rep. Doug Bankson — HD 43: Samuel Vilchez Santiago — HD 45: Rep. Leonard Spencer — HD 46: Rep. Jose Alvarez — HD 48: Rep. Jon Albert — HD 53: Brian Hawkins — HD 54: Rep. Randy Maggard — HD 55: Walter Price — HD 60: Melissa Rutland — HD 62: Kyandra Darling — HD 63: Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks — HD 64: Luis Salazar — HD 67: Luis Viera — HD 68: Ryan Gill — HD 71: Melton Little — HD 72: Rep. Bill Conerly — HD 74: Nick Pachota — HD 76: Rep. Vanessa Oliver — HD 78: Susan Frantz — HD 82: Bill Poteet — HD 100: Eric Stelnicki — HD 102: Michael Friend — HD 108: Daphne Campbell — HD 109: John Taylor — HD 113: Frank Lago — HD 116: Ashley Perez-Biliskov — HD 118: Rep. Mike Redondo

Plenty of groups will spend August rolling out endorsements for a November election. The Realtors sent theirs to voters who, in some cases, had already licked the envelope.

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Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.