US District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Federal trial court covering Central Florida, including Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.
Federal trial court for 35 Central Florida counties. On 29 September 2026 it ruled that Florida Rising Together lacked standing to contest Florida's exact-match registration rule, leaving the rule in force for 3 November.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026
Timeline for US District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Dismissed the challenge with leave to amend
US Midterms 2026: Florida Rising loses an exact-match caseBackground
The US District Court for the Middle District of Florida is the federal trial court for Central Florida. It has five divisions, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando and Tampa, covering 35 counties, with appeals heard by the 11th Circuit.
In the 2026 cycle the Court heard a suit from Florida Rising Together against Florida's exact-match rule, which requires the driver licence or Social Security digits on a registration application to match a database. On 29 September a judge in Orlando dismissed the case for lack of standing and gave the group until 15 October to file an amended complaint.
A standing dismissal leaves the merits of exact match untested; the rule applies for the 3 November election unless an amended complaint succeeds.