Jesse Scheckner
The Republican Party of Palm Beach County replaced three of its Executive Board members in its recent election, signaling a shift in leadership heralded nearly a year ago by reported division within the organization’s ranks.
Members of the Palm Beach Republican Executive Committee (REC) picked as their new Chair Carl Cascio, a Florida-born real estate and probate lawyer who has lived in the county since 1988.
Cascio, who mounted an unsuccessful bid for the Florida House in 1994, has been an REC Committeeman since 2019 and the party’s General Counsel since June 2023, a press note from the party said.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be elected the next Chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County,” he said in a statement. “With the election of President Trump as our 47th President, Palm Beach County is certainly the political center of the State of Florida and the eyes of the world will be focused on our country over the next four years.”
He replaces Kevin Neal, who forwent seeking a second term after facing a “no confidence” in January amid complaints of mismanagement, an officer’s resignation and a slander lawsuit aimed at him and the party.
In October, Neal drew the ire of far-right political activist Laura Loomer, who accused Neal of being a “Kamala Harris plant” due to a lack of Donald Trump campaign signs outside Palm Beach County polling sites.
An X account under Cascio’s name with a link to his law firm’s website responded to Loomer, defending Neal as “MAGA and America first and not a plant.”
In another post, the account replied to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones following the now-blocked bankruptcy sale of Jones’ Infowars site to news satire outlet The Onion in November.
The account offered comforting words to Jones, who spread easily refutable lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting that led to death threats against dead toddlers’ parents.
“We’ve got your back Alex!” the reply said. “They will never conquer the legion of Info Warriors. God speed on the new platform and I will continue to support you in every way.”
Florida Politics contacted Cascio for comment but received no response by press time.
Palm Beach REC members elected new Vice Chair Jason Kulp, a former U.S. Marine Corps infantryman and police officer now working in real estate.
Kulp succeeds former state Rep. Rick Roth, who reached term limits in the House this year.
The REC also elected Katina Maxwell as Secretary. She replaces Kelly Collins.
Treasurer Jane Pike, a business consultant, was the lone incumbent to keep her post.
She also serves as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Council of Republican Presidents for Palm Beach County and two other organizations, according to her party bio.
Democrats outnumber Republicans in Palm Beach by 39,852 voters, according to the county Supervisor of Elections website. But they’re shedding voters at a far slower clip. Between 2020 and 2024, the county saw a 1.2% decline in registered Republican voters. For Democrats, the drop was 22.7%.
Harris won Palm Beach by less than a percentage point in the General Election, when county voters also sided with Democrats Lois Frankel, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Alexcia Cox, but also overwhelmingly backed Republicans Brian Mast, Gayle Harrell, John Snyder, Mike Caruso and Joe Kaufman, among others.
