1994Final results
1994 election for Florida's 5th District
U.S. House · Florida
Karen Thurman (D) won with 57.2% of the vote, defeating Don "big Daddy" Garlits (R) by 14.4 points.
Karen ThurmanDemocrat · winner
57.2%125,792
Don "big Daddy" GarlitsRepublican
42.8%94,097
219,889 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1994
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Karen ThurmanDon "big Daddy" Garlits
$565.8K
Raised by the campaign
$312.9K
$564.3K
Spent by the campaign
$309K
$8.1K
Cash on hand
$3.9K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1994.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1994