Million already voted in Florida as state Election Day gets underway

Across Florida, 869,453 people voted early and another 1.16 million mailed in absentee ballots, according to numbers posted Monday by the Florida Division of Elections. Of those voting early, 56.4 percent were Republicans and 42.5 percent were Democrats. In absentee ballots, the balance was nearly the same. More from the Palm Beach Post and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

See also:
» What you need to know on Florida primary day
» Millennial votea major factor in Florida primary
» Florida presidential primary could be key in nominations
» Marco Rubio reflects on candidacy ahead of Florida primary
» Opinion: It's time for open primaries in Florida
» Surge of early voting means long lines not expected at polls
Quick poll: Are you voting today, or have you voted already?

Despite rise in Florida cases, officials say Zika threat remains minor

Florida has reported more cases of Zika virus than any other U.S. state, but physicians say pregnant women probably don’t need to worry about contracting the illness that has been linked to a serious birth defect. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

Sea rise could force millions in Florida to adapt or flee, study finds

The number of people threatened by rising seas fueled by climate change in the U.S. could be three times greater than previously estimated, with nearly half living in Florida, according to a study published Monday. [Source: Miami Herald]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida Supreme Court contenders

After five years in office, Gov. Rick Scott will soon get his first appointment to the Florida Supreme Court. See the list of those being considered for an appointment with profiles of the contenders. Access full story.

Americans' home wealth recovers $7 trillion as prices firm

The 2006-2009 housing slump reduced wealth by $7 trillion. Since then, the value of homeowners' equity in real estate has more than doubled from a low in the first quarter of 2009. [Source: Bloomberg]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Port Everglades clocks record 54,700 cruise passengers in single day [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Preliminary estimates show more than 54,700 passengers sailed in and out of the Broward County seaport, surpassing the previous single-day record of 53,485 on Dec. 20.

› South Florida inventor sues 3M over Post-it Notes [AP]
Alan Amron holds 40 U.S. patents, but he's most interested in an invention for which he gets no credit: the Post-it Note, that ubiquitous sticky-back product made into a worldwide success by the 3M Company.

› Orlando nearly wins in Smart City Challenge [Orlando Sentinel]
Seeking a grant of $50 million for smart transportation, Orlando was one of nearly 80 cities from Anchorage to Miami that applied for the prize, made the top 10 but missed out on the lucrative cut for the final seven.

› Boca Raton lawyer helps golf resorts through tough times [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Michelle Tanzer, partner and chair of the residential, resort and club legal practice for the GrayRobinson law firm, troubleshoots for golf and other private clubs on legal issues such as membership, employees, landscaping and zoning.

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› In Florida, Donald Trump finds some support among Hispanic Republicans [Miami Herald]
Cuban Americans in South Florida have the rare opportunity to vote for two of their own for the presidency of the United States. Yet some are making a different choice: They’re backing Donald Trump.

› TradeRev, Carvana, and new tech pushes change in Orlando's auto sales market [Orlando Sentinel]
New websites, technology and mobile-phone apps are shaking up Orlando's market for auto sales, especially its large auctions for rental-car resales. The Orlando area, and much of Florida, has long had a lot of rental-car activity, because of the metro region's 62 million visitors annually.

› Thousands of refugees continue to resettle in Florida [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Last year, across a 10-county region spanning from Sarasota to Collier counties, Lutheran Services of Florida helped about 3,000 refugees — 97 percent of them from Cuba — learn English, get jobs and establish new lives as Americans.

› As small businesses grow, their owners become more Republican [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
As businesses grow, the more likely it is they’ll think a Republican has the best policies for small businesses. That’s one takeaway from a survey of 2,469 owners of small and medium-sized businesses.