Ultimately, even a hand recount didn't shift the final margin of the race too much. Scott's win means Republicans have picked up two Senate seats even as the GOP lost substantial ground in the House.
Nearly two weeks after Election Day, a statewide recount showed that Republican Gov. Rick Scott continued to hold the lead in the Senate race against incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson.
The state is tasked with hand-counting more than 50,000 ballots. Some counties finished quickly Friday morning, with official results due on Sunday. Lawsuits are still working through the courts.
Barring court orders, the recount must be completed by Sunday. Republican Rick Scott has a narrow lead over Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in the contested Senate race.
DeSantis, a Republican, edged out his Democratic opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, for the governorship. Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Nelson's re-election bid remains too close to call.
Florida has a growing bloc of Puerto Rican voters in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and his main challenger, GOP Gov. Rick Scott, are fighting over recovery efforts.
The GOP governor is expected to challenge Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Scott is a multimillionaire who will spend heavily to win, putting Democrats on defense amid a tough 2018 Senate map.