Supposedly, the panhandle is much more conservative.
Yes, it is very conservative - which is why in 2000 the networks repeatedly saying for an hour “The polls in Florida are closed” was so damaging to Bush and almost flipped the state...doubtful that was an accident given how much they overemphasized that all of the polls were closed throughout that hour, and even went ahead and called the state for Gore while the polls were in fact still open in the most conservative part of the state - this lowered turnout in that area. Some studies have shown it cost Bush as much as 10,000 net votes in Florida - certainly would have been no need for all of those recounts and court cases but for the media’s behavior. The media were collectively sued by voters who did not vote because of their misinformation and in a settlement, they agreed they would not announce the polls in a state were closed until they were actually all closed.