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Florida Judge Extends 2018 Midterm Recount Deadline

By George Khoury, Esq. on November 13, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

This Thursday's deadline for the Florida 2018 midterm election recount had been looming as a Florida House hopeful asked the court to extend the deadline.

Jim Bonfiglio, who is the mayor of Ocean Ridge, at the last count, was trailing his opponent, Mike Caruso, by only 37 votes. Bonfiglio's emergency request to extend the deadline for the recount was granted, and the deadline for the state to complete its recount has been pushed out five additional days to November 20.

Unable to Recount in Time

The lawsuit that Bonfiglio filed basically called Palm Beach County out for not being able to meet the state imposed deadline, and therefore violating his constitutional right to due process and equal protection. Curiously though, the lawsuit seemed to help the overburdened county Supervisor of Elections.

Due to the fact that Bonfiglio's race appeared low on the Palm Beach County ballot, and that recounts in the state are conducted in the order that the races appear on the ballot, and the county's lack of resources to conduct the recount, it was claimed that Bonfiglio's race was the least likely to get a recount. Notably, the county Supervisor of Elections had repeatedly requested additional funds and support prior to the mid-terms and had been denied.

With the state House race so close, and the problems plaguing Florida elections in recent years, a few extra days to ensure a full and accurate recount doesn't seem out of line.

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