TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida's wide open election is officially under way.
Candidates running for the Legislature and state offices had until noon on Friday to qualify for the 2018 ballot.
The departure of Gov. Rick Scott and the opening of two Cabinet offices triggered a long line of candidates to run for office. Barring any last-minute entrants, there are 17 candidates running for governor. Seven people are running for agriculture commissioner and five are vying to become the state's next attorney general.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is running for a full term after he was appointed to the job last year.
Twenty state senate seats and all 120 House seats are also up for grabs this year.
But several incumbent legislators are getting new terms because no one ran against them.
