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There is no active investigation into Florida elections, FDLE says

Department of State has not reported any allegations of fraud

ORLANDO, Fla. – Republican U.S. Senate candidate and Gov. Rick Scott has alleged -- without citing evidence -- that elections officials in South Florida are trying to "steal" the election for Democrats.

Scott said he has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the Florida midterm elections.

"I am asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate this election immediately," Scott tweeted. "No rag tag group of liberal activists or lawyers from D.C. will be allowed to steal this election from the voters in the state of Florida."

However, at this point, there is no investigation by the FDLE because the department has not received any allegations of fraud from the Florida Department of State, which oversees the Division of Elections office, FDLE spokeswoman Angela Starke said.

"This morning our agency did communicate with DOS and they indicated at this time, they had no allegations of fraud," Starke said in an email Friday to News 6.

Scott held a 0.21 percentage lead over incumbent Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson on Thursday afternoon.

Scott announced Thursday he is suing the Palm Beach and Broward county supervisors of elections, saying "there may be rampant fraud" in the counties that heavily favor Democrats. 

Meanwhile, Nelson's reelection campaign has filed a lawsuit against Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner over vote-by-mail ballots.

In the governor's race, Democrat Andrew Gillum's campaign said Thursday it's readying for a possible recount. The race has tightened since Gillum conceded to Republican Ron DeSantis on Tuesday night. As of Thursday afternoon, DeSantis led Gillum by a percentage point of 0.47.

The tight races underscored Florida's status as a perennial swing state where elections are often decided by the thinnest of margins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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