Ryan Nicol
Gov. Ron DeSantis is selecting a strong ally in the House to serve as Palm Beach County’s next Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
DeSantis has named Republican Rep. Mike Caruso of Delray Beach to take over the role that former Sen. Joe Abruzzo recently vacated. County Commissioners chose Abruzzo to serve as County Administrator after former Administrator Verdenia Baker retired.
Caruso, a certified public accountant, first won election to his South Florida House seat in 2018. Amid the recent split between DeSantis and the Legislature, Caruso has aligned with the Governor, often criticizing House Speaker Daniel Perez, with whom DeSantis has feuded during much of this year.
Caruso was already facing term limits heading into the next election, meaning his House District 87 seat would see a new Representative following the November 2026 election. The move gives Caruso a landing spot before running into term limits.
But DeSantis’ move speeds up the timeline to replace Caruso, as it will trigger a Special Election so the seat can be filled, likely in time for the 2026 Legislative Session.
Already, Caruso’s wife, Tracy Caruso, has filed to run in the 2026 contest. It’s almost certain that she will push to run in the to-be-scheduled Special Election.
But as Florida has increasingly seen Republican squabbles amid lawmakers aligned with either DeSantis or President Donald Trump, so too could this contest.
Financial planner Jon Maples has also filed for the 2026 race and voiced his strong support for the President. Should he secure Trump’s endorsement, that would set up a high-profile showdown in the upcoming Republican Primary and put a roadblock in front of Tracy Caruso succeeding her husband.
And Maples is already easily leading the field in fundraising. Through June 30, he has raised $32,000 via his campaign account and has thrown in another $14,000 in loans. Maples has also collected another $24,900 via his political committee, Friends of Jon Maples. He has more than $70,000 still available.
Caruso, meanwhile, has raised just over $27,000 and only retains just over $19,000 as of June 30.
Republican Gretchen Miller Feng has also filed for the 2026 race, as has Democrat Emily Watson Gregory. It remains to be seen whether they would also swap over to a Special Election and how many other candidates might run. Miller Feng has raised only $3,250, retaining all of it. Gregory has raised just over $15,000 and has just under $14,000 remaining.
HD 87 runs along the coast of Palm Beach County from Lantana to Juno Beach.
