CLOSE Andrew Gillum delivers his concession speech after losing a close race to governor-elect Ron DeSantis. Tallahassee Democrat 
 
 Florida goes from red to recount, unofficial results show state ordered recounts required in races for governor, U.S. Senate and Agriculture Commissioner. 
 
 Buy Photo Floirida Democratic gubernational candidate Andrew Gillum made one of his final campaign stops in Crawfordville on Monday, meeting with supporters the day before the Election. (Photo: Andrew Salinero/Democrat,)Buy Photo 
 
 The Florida governor contest that captivated the nation as a referendum on President Donald J. Trump isn't over. 
 
 Thursday afternoon shortly after 2, the unofficial count gave Republican nominee Ron DeSantis a 38,000-vote lead on Democrat Andrew Gillum. That appeared to be within the 0.5 percent margin that requires an automatic machine recount once the count is certified. 
 
 More than 8 million votes were cast in the contest to replace the term-limited Gov. Rick Scott. DeSantis, embracing the mantle of governor-elect, expressed confidence that his lead will hold. 
 
 "The results of the election were clear. I am now focused on the transition effort and will allow the legal efforts regarding the election to proceed, as is necessary, as the process unfolds,” he tweeted. 
 
 From red to recount? 
 
 Two other statewide races, U.S. Senate and Florida Agriculture Commissioner, also appear undecided. As victory margins dwindled into the state-mandated recount zone, the Democratic and Republican parties girded for the upcoming battles over the Nov. 6 election. 
 
 The Republican Party of Florida sent out a fundraising letter so that it will have the resources to “. . . allow us to fight back” in challenges to the Election Day count. 
 
 “We had huge wins because of people like you. It’s our job to make sure no shenanigans happen!” said the RPOF e-mail pitch for donations. 
 
 In Washington, the Democratic National Committee chairman told a breakfast the DNC had mustered “an army of attorneys” in Florida for the recount. 
 
 Precinct level results: How did your neighborhood vote? See the red strongholds and blue bastions in Tallahassee 
 
 The election results are due at the Capitol noon Saturday. Once he knows how many people voted, Secretary of State Ken Detzner can then determine officially which races are over and which fall within the margin to be sent back to county elections supervisors for another tabulation of results. 
 
 Detzner told election supervisors Thursday morning to prepare to work this weekend. 
 
 “The recounts will be nationally watched, we’re under a microscope,” Detzner told election supervisors in a conference call, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 
 
 2000 redux 
 
 All the pieces are in place for Florida to command the attention of worldwide media while it works out a vote count that could influence the direction of the state for decades. The next governor will appoint three Florida Supreme Court justices and either sign or veto the congressional and statehouse redistricting maps after the 2020 census. 
 
 Gillum congratulated DeSantis Tuesday night on a hard-fought victory, but like Al Gore supporters 18 years ago, many of those who voted for him wondered why he conceded so early. Wednesday morning on social media they chatted among themselves about the narrow margin and the many uncounted ballots. 
 
 Thursday Gillum’s spokeswoman said the campaign had acted with the best information available election night about the number of uncounted ballots. 
 
 “Since that time, it has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported,” said Johanna Cervone. “Mayor Gillum started his campaign for the people and we are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted.” 
 
 Late Thursday afternoon Broward County still had not reported early voting or vote-by-mail numbers. Election officials in the Democratic stronghold expect their first unofficial results by 1 p.m. Friday. So far, only a dozen or so counties had reported the results of provisional ballots. 
 
 In posts on Twitter and Facebook Wednesday night and Thursday, Gillum spoke of “seeing every vote counted,” how his grandmother taught him to “keep myself in the fight” and vowed to see the process through. 
 
 “We still have to be willing to show up every single day and demand our seat at the table,” Gillum wrote in a Facebook message and video. “So, again, thank you. Let’s continue this fight for progress together.” 
 
 The size of the victory margin that triggers a recount cannot be determined until the total amount of votes is calculated – Detzner does that Saturday at noon. 
 
 More: Mayor Andrew Gillum, Ron DeSantis cast votes in historic election for Florida governor 
 
 If it is at least a half point, voting machines are checked for accuracy and the ballots are resubmitted. If those results are 0.25 percent or less, then the Supervisors of Election Offices will do a hand recount of what are called overvotes and undervotes. 
 
 “It’s what people became familiar with in 2000, where the canvassing boards have to eyeball each of the ballots to be sure they were counted correctly,” said Barry Richards, the Tallahassee attorney who represented George W. Bush when Al Gore contested the Florida count. 
 
 Richards, who has represented Gillum this election, said reforms implemented after Bush v. Gore have made the recount process simpler and much more straightforward. 
 
 “The U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida Supreme Court made clear in 2000 that every vote has to be counted,” said Richards. “We don’t always get it right, but as far as the law is concerned, that’s the central element. Every vote probably cast has to be counted.” 
 
 Once the recounts are done, candidates have another 10 days to contest the results in circuit court based on a laundry list of irregularities. 
 
 Reporter James Call can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/11/08/andrew-gillum-supporters-counting-recount/1928565002/ ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 By Ali Vitali 
 
 TALLAHASSEE, Florida — All eyes were on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum on Thursday, as vote margins in Florida's close contests for governor and Senate tightened. 
 
 Gillum's campaign stoked intrigue by releasing a statement about "counting every vote" — but not explicitly asking for a recount. 
 
 On Tuesday night, Gillum conceded in his race against Republican Ron DeSantis and his team was clear Wednesday that it hadn't met the threshold to trigger an automatic recount. 
 
 Gillum has 49.1 percent, or 4,023,124 votes, while DeSantis has 49.6 percent, or 4,066,059 votes, for a margin of just under 43,000, according to NBC News. 
 
 The Gillum statement said that since the concession speech "it has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported. Our campaign, along with our attorney Barry Richard, is monitoring the situation closely and is ready for any outcome, including a state-mandated recount." 
 
 It continued, "Mayor Gillum started his campaign for the people, and we are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted." 
 
 NBC News has called DeSantis the "apparent" winner in the governor race, while votes are still being counted in places like Broward County and margins appear to be tightening slightly. 
 
 Meanwhile, Florida's Senate race featuring Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson against Republican Rick Scott seemed to be heading for a recount, which is automatically triggered when the vote difference is less than 0.5 percent. It is currently .2 percent, fewer than 22,000 votes, according to NBC News. 
 
 The deadline for all 67 Florida counties to submit their first set of unofficial returns is Saturday at noon ET, according to the secretary of state's office. 
 
 In a call with reporters Thursday, Nelson lawyer Marc Elias said that the race currently stands as a "jump ball" as counties around the state canvass their votes, but he believes Nelson will remain senator once the recount dust settles. 
 
 The Scott campaign, for its part, released a statement Thursday attacking Nelson for hiring a D.C. lawyer in an attempt to "steal" the election. Scott declared victory Tuesday night, but NBC News has not yet called the race. 
 
 The Sunshine State is no stranger to lengthy post-election battles. Most famously, the state was the epicenter of the George W. Bush versus Al Gore "hanging chad" debacle in 2000. ||||| Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum gives his concession speech as he is joined on stage by his wife R. Jai Gillum, right, and running mate Chris King and his wife Kristen Tuesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum gives his concession speech as he is joined on stage by his wife R. Jai Gillum, right, and running mate Chris King and his wife Kristen Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. Gillum lost the Florida governor’s race to Republican Ron DeSantis.... (Associated Press) 
 
 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Democrat Andrew Gillum's campaign said Thursday that it's prepared for a possible recount in the Florida governor's race that he conceded to Republican Ron DeSantis on Tuesday night. 
 
 At the same time, the U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson and Republican Gov. Rick Scott remained too close to call, and Nelson's elections lawyer predicted it would be a "jump ball" as it became more likely there would be a recount in that race. 
 
 Gillum's campaign said it's monitoring the situation with an elections lawyer and preparing for a possible state-mandated recount. 
 
 "On Tuesday night, the Gillum for Governor campaign operated with the best information available about the number of outstanding ballots left to count. Since that time, it has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported," the campaign said. "We are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted." 
 
 A spokesman for DeSantis wouldn't comment on the situation. DeSantis continues to move forward as the presumptive governor. He appointed a transition team Wednesday. 
 
 Florida law requires a recount in races in which the winning margin is 0.5 percentage points or fewer, unless the trailing candidate says in writing that he or she doesn't want a recount. Canvassing boards conduct the recount by running ballots through vote tabulation machines. 
 
 In elections with a winning margin of 0.25 percentage points or fewer, the state requires a hand recount of ballots where machines didn't detect a vote. 
 
 As of Wednesday morning, DeSantis led Gillum by 43,039 votes out of nearly 8.2 million cast, or a difference of 0.526 percentage points. 
 
 In the Senate race, Scott clung to a 21,986-vote lead, or a difference of 0.27 percentage points. 
 
 Elections officials in Broward County, where Democrats have a large advantage, were still counting votes Thursday. Marc Elias, a lawyer hired by Nelson, said he expects the margin to continue to narrow. 
 
 "The results of the 2018 Senate election are unknown and I think that you and the elections officials should treat it as such," Elias told reporters on a conference call. "We believe that at the end of this process that Senator Nelson is going to be declared the winner and is going to return to the United States Senate." 
 
 He said provisional and mail-in ballots initially rejected because officials didn't believe signatures matched those on file, historically tend to break for Democrats. 
 
 Scott's campaign has said Nelson should concede the race rather than push for a recount. ||||| Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum gives his concession speech as he is joined on stage by his wife R. Jai Gillum, right, and running mate Chris King and his wife Kristen Tuesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum gives his concession speech as he is joined on stage by his wife R. Jai Gillum, right, and running mate Chris King and his wife Kristen Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. Gillum lost the Florida governor’s race to Republican Ron DeSantis.... (Associated Press) 
 
 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the Florida election (all times local): 
 
 4:45 p.m. 
 
 The Associated Press is closely monitoring the race for governor in Florida, where election officials continue to count absentee ballots. 
 
 AP on Tuesday called the election for Republican Ron DeSantis over Democrat Andrew Gillum. DeSantis holds a lead of 38,613 votes out of more than 8.2 million ballots counted — a margin of 0.47 percentage points. 
 
 Under Florida law, a recount is mandatory if the margin of the winning candidate is less than 0.5 percentage points when the first unofficial count is verified Saturday by Florida's secretary of state. 
 
 Should that count show DeSantis with a margin of less than 0.5 percentage points, triggering a recount, AP will retract its call for DeSantis. It is AP policy not to call a race that is facing a recount. 
 
 If the race proceeds to a recount, no new call will be made until the recount is complete and the results of the election are certified by Florida officials. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:15 p.m. 
 
 Democrat Andrew Gillum's campaign now says it's prepared for a possible recount in the Florida governor race that he conceded to Republican Ron DeSantis on Tuesday night. 
 
 In a statement Thursday, Gillum's campaign says it underestimated the ballots that still needed to be counted when he conceded. 
 
 The campaign says it's monitoring the situation and preparing for a possible state-mandated recount. 
 
 Florida law requires a recount in races in which the winning margin is 0.5 percent or less, unless the trailing candidate says in writing that he or she doesn't want a recount. Canvassing boards conduct the recount by running ballots through vote tabulation machines. 
 
 As of Wednesday morning, DeSantis led Gillum by 43,039 votes out of nearly 8.2 million cast, or a difference of 0.526 of a percentage point. ||||| Tweet with a location 
 
 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| The race for Florida governor appears headed for a recount, as Democrat Andrew Gillum continues to gain on Republican Ron DeSantis during the tallying of the final uncounted ballots cast in the midterm elections. 
 
 Gillum, the outgoing mayor of Tallahassee, conceded the race Tuesday night before 11 p.m. after results appeared to show him too far behind his opponent to make up the difference. DeSantis, a former congressman, gave his victory speech shortly after. 
 
 But thousands of votes remained untallied. And over the next 36 hours, the margins gradually shrank. 
 
 As of 9 a.m., DeSantis' lead was just 42,948 votes out of 8,189,305 ballots cast — equal to 0.52 percent of the vote. Concession speech or no, Florida law requires an automatic machine recount in any race where the margin of victory is within one half of one percentage point. 
 
 By 2 p.m., Gillum gained on DeSantis by another 4,441 votes, and now trails by only 0.47 percent. 
 
 Thousands of ballots still remain uncounted, so it's too soon to say whether a recount will indeed happen in the race for governor. Florida's 67 elections supervisors must send their unofficial numbers to the state by 1 p.m. Saturday, and campaign volunteers were scrambled around the state Thursday as supervisors prepared to examine provisional ballots cast by voters with unresolved issues at their polling places. 
 
 The Gillum campaign sent out an email to supporters Thursday afternoon urging those with provisional ballots to call their supervisor of elections offices before 5 p.m. to make sure their ballot was counted, and campaign spokeswoman Johanna Cervone said the campaign was prepared for a recount effort. 
 
 "It has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported," she said in a statement. "Our campaign, along with our attorney Barry Richard, is monitoring the situation closely and is ready for any outcome, including a state-mandated recount." 
 
 Gillum himself took to Facebook Live to address supporters, though he did not explicitly comment on if he thought the recount might result in his win: "In spite of the fact that we're a little bit down in the numbers, we're hopeful that every single vote will be counted in this race," he said. "That way, all of us can walk away feeling extremely confident about what each and every one of us did to go out here and have our say in this election." 
 
 "I would be dishonest if I didn't say this wasn't hard," he added. "This is extremely hard. But you know what, the fight for progress, the fight for change, the fight for what it is we want, it's hard." 
 
 DeSantis, speaking briefly with reporters in Hialeah Gardens, said despite the potential recount process he was "looking forward to serving" in office. 
 
 "I'm proud to have been elected on Tuesday night. It's a great honor," he said. "We're working really hard on the transition. We'll let the lawyers do what they got to do but we're good." 
 
 The race for Agriculture Commissioner and U.S. Senate also appear headed for recounts, although those races are closer and will likely force the state to conduct recounts by hand, which is required when the margins between two candidates are within a quarter of a percent. In a stunning reversal of election night results, Democrat Nikki Fried appeared to pull ahead of Republican Matt Caldwell for the Agriculture Commissioner seat, prompting some Democrats to project her win. 
 
 Voters have until 5 p.m. to address any outstanding problems with their provisional ballots. 
 
 But all eyes were on Broward County, which according to information published by the Florida Division of Elections has yet to report all its early voting and absentee voting totals. Broward is a Democratic party stronghold. 
 
 Miami Herald reporter Martin Vassolo contributed to this report.
– After more or less conceding the Florida gubernatorial race to his Republican opponent, Democrat Andrew Gillum is now reportedly ready for a recount. On Wednesday, with tens of thousands of votes still uncounted, Gillum tweeted, “I’m looking forward to seeing every vote counted,” per the Tallahassee Democrat. Although, as NBC notes, he has not explicitly requested a recount, Gillum did say Thursday that his campaign is prepared for one. As of late afternoon local time, Republican Ron DeSantis held a lead of 38,613 votes, per the AP, which is a margin of 0.47%. If DeSantis’ lead remains below 0.5 percentage points when the first unofficial count is verified on Saturday, a mandatory recount will be triggered. And state officials appear to be preparing for that possibility (a recount in a Florida Senate race also is anticipated). “The recounts will be nationally watched,” Secretary of State Ken Detzner reportedly told election supervisors during a morning conference call, adding that Florida will be “under a microscope.” Speaking via Facebook Live on Thursday, Gillum said, “This is extremely hard. But, you know what, the fight for progress, the fight for change, the fight for what it is we want, it’s hard." As for DeSantis, he told reporters, per the Tampa Bay Times, that he is “looking forward to serving,” adding, “we’ll let the lawyers do what they got to do, but we’re good. (The fate of Florida's racing dogs is unclear.)