2016's Most "OMG"-Worthy Moments in Florida Politics

The jaw-dropping world of politics didn’t stop turning in Florida during 2016 -- in fact, its spin this year was slightly quicker (and a little bit crazier) than it had been in, well, pretty much any other year prior. 

From a part-time Florida Man turning into President-elect, to bribery charges, the Sunshine State continued to wow and astonish onlookers as each month passed.

Here were some of the most “OMG”-worthy moments in Florida politics this year:

Bye Bye, Bush
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made waves when he announced he’d run for president in 2016, but his White House ambitions soon puttered out in the midst of a crowded Republican primary field earlier this year. 

Bush, who many once said would be Clinton’s strongest competition, called it quits before even getting to the Florida primary. While this moment wasn’t entirely surprising -- and definitely wasn’t the most shocking -- it still set the scene for OMG-worthy moments to come on the national political stage. 

Trump Knocks Out Fellow Floridians in GOP Primary
Trump bested all other candidates for Florida during the Republican primary in March. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, once thought to be the strongest contender to become the GOP candidate, had already dropped out of the primary, but U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio remained in the race.

Trump won Florida handily, effectively sealing his fate as the Republican presidential nominee.

The results were particularly surprising due to Rubio’s strong presence in Florida, where he has represented the people in the state legislature since the early 2000s and in the Senate since 2010.

Rubio dropped out of the primary shortly after his loss in Florida, and ran once again for U.S. Senate, setting the stage for a domino effect in other races statewide.

SD 40 Primary: More Money, More Problems

A Sunshine State News story sparked controversy in the primary of a South Florida Senate seat this summer. 

The drama ensued when political newcomer Andrew Korge allegedly offered former state Sen. Dwight Bullard $25,000 to switch races to move into a different district so he could take the Democratic primary for his own.

Korge was later cleared of the alleged bribery charges, but the damage was done -- Bullard easily bested him in the primary and he lost behind primary opponent Ana Rivas Logan, who dropped out of the race shortly after SSN’s story was released.

Bullard was later defeated by Republican Frank Artiles for the seat. 

Corrine Brown's Shady Summer

Former Rep. Corrine Brown didn’t have a summer in paradise this year. After filing a lawsuit over Florida’s new congressional redistricting lines, things took a turn for the worse for Brown. 

Brown’s troubles began at a barbecue joint where she was served a subpoena by federal prosecutors. 

Later, Brown was indicted on charges that she and one of her aides used a sham charity to pay for personal items and ritzy events. Brown was whacked with a myriad of charges, including conspiracy, mail and wire fraud and concealing income on financial disclosures. The indictment alleged the charity solicited over $800,000 in donations so Brown could use those charitable donations for her personal use. 

Brown later lost her congressional campaign to Democrat Al Lawson. 

Bzz, Bzz: Zika Virus Hits Florida
Pesky mosquitos infected with the Zika virus buzzed their way into Florida during the summer, adding an element of fear to the usually relaxed summer holiday and to Florida’s booming tourism industry.

Mosquitos began transmitting the Zika virus locally in July, but Congress couldn’t agree on a funding solution to help combat the virus’ spread until October. Prompted by federal inaction, Gov. Rick Scott dumped $36 million of Florida’s own money into fighting off the virus, concentrating the efforts in Miami-Dade County where local transmissions occurred in parts of Wynwood and Miami Beach.

The Centers for Disease Control issued travel advisories throughout Miami-Dade County and parts of South Florida, especially for pregnant women whose unborn fetuses could suffer birth defects as a result of Zika.

After several months of spraying, Miami was finally declared Zika-free in December.

Trump Wins, Dems Flabbergasted

Pollsters, political experts and mainstream media were all caught off guard when Donald Trump soared past Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton to win the presidency in 2016. 

Clinton had led polls for weeks leading up to the election. Virtually all media organizations and political experts said she had the presidency in the bag. Even Trump seemed iffy on whether he would actually win the election or not -- fears, he told an Orlando crowd, that continued all the way to Election Night. 

When all was said and done, Trump nailed down Florida, easily winning the state and turning nearly every county red on Nov. 8. With the state's 29 electoral votes in his pocket, Trump carried his momentum throughout the country nabbing 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227 and sealing his fate as the United States' 45th president. 

Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.