Palm Beach County, Florida – The Republican Executive Committee (REC) of Palm Beach County is holding an emergency meeting this week to vote on a replacement candidate for Mike Caruso on the November 3 ballot. Caruso is the incumbent Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, but he was indicted last week for child abuse, and Governor DeSantis immediately suspended him from his position. Nevertheless, Caruso has refused to withdraw from his race for re-election.
Even if the REC nominates a replacement, Caruso’s name is highly likely to remain on the November ballot. Florida election rules make it extremely difficult for a substitute’s name to appear in time. The Supervisor of Elections requires the entire process to be completed by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26. A similar situation occurred in 2006 with former Republican Congressman Mark Foley, who remained on the ballot after criminal charges related to a Congressional page and ultimately lost.
Republican voters in Palm Beach County now face a difficult predicament. Many fear Caruso’s presence on the ballot could drag down the entire Republican ticket in the County, and potentially hurt Byron Donalds’ gubernatorial campaign, which needs strong turnout from Palm Beach County’s roughly 300,000 Republican voters.
Caruso still retains strong allies on the REC Board, including State Committeeman Joe LaFauci, State Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz, Secretary Katina Maxwell and Treasurer Jane Pike. LaFauci is described as a close friend of Caruso; Caruso and his wife Tracy campaigned and raised funds vigorously for LaFauci in 2024. Rumors circulate that Tracy may seek to succeed her husband as Clerk of the Court and Comptroller.
REC Chairman Cascio is currently in Europe on vacation and has insisted on running tonight’s meeting via Zoom rather than allowing Vice Chairwoman Lonnie Weinberg—the only REC Board member widely viewed as having no ties to Caruso—to preside. Cascio has publicly stated that Caruso is “innocent until proven guilty.”
Hellbound and Down 