ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The first recount order of business for staffers of the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office Monday morning was the District 4 County Commission race.
The race between Democrat Maribel Gomez Cordero, a family health therapist, and Republican Susan Makowski, who previously worked for the cancer society, went to a recount after Cordero was up by only 100 votes.
Makowski released a statement Monday night regarding her loss to Cordero, after conceding during the manual recount.
"I'm proud of my campaign," Makowski said. "I'm proud of my team. I'm proud of the support we garnered. Although the effort did not produce the desired outcome, I will continue to be an advocate for the community."
Earlier, about 5:30 p.m., Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles' team was poised for the final hand count of an estimated 84,000 votes after the ballot recount total had a difference below the .25 percent recall mandate.
On Tuesday, the recount of Orange County ballots for the statewide races including governor, U.S Senate and agriculture commissioner are expected to begin.
Democratic state lawmakers, led by state Sen. Linda Stewart, were critical of what they called conspiracy theories.
“No matter who wins, every vote should be counted," state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith told reporters.
Staff will report back to work at 9 a.m. Tuesday to start the statewide recount.
Check back for updates.