114,650 voters in Palm Beach County may go without representation in Florida's 2026 legislative session

Anthony Man, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Oct 2, 2025

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and the other 114,648 registered voters in a state House district in Palm Beach County may go unrepresented during the 2026 Florida legislative session.

That possibility was raised this week by former state Rep. Mike Caruso. He resigned from the District 87 seat on Aug. 18 when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him clerk of the circuit court and comptroller of Palm Beach County.

Legislative vacancies are filled through a special election, which is why the nearby House District 90 had a Republican primary Tuesday to choose a candidate to run to fill a different vacancy.

It’s up to DeSantis to set special election dates, and the governor hasn’t done so.

“I’m not sure if there’s going to be a special election,” Caruso said Tuesday, adding that he doesn’t want to see his former district go unrepresented. “It is important that the seat does get filled because we’ve got so many issues in the county. We want District 87 represented in the Florida House.”

Caruso made his comments at a meeting of his former colleagues, the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation, in response to a question from state Sen. Tina Polsky.

Caruso said he had “tried to reach out to the governor’s office to see what he’s planning and have not gotten any feedback on that.”

The governor’s communications office did not respond to a request for comment about whether he’d call a special election in District 87.

DeSantis sometimes acts quickly to call special elections, and sometimes waits months. On July 21, Blaise Ingoglia resigned from the Florida Senate because DeSantis named him as the state’s new chief financial officer. On July 22, DeSantis set the dates for special primary and general elections to fill the vacancy.

Usually he waits longer to call special elections in Democratic districts than in Republican areas.

House District 87, in the central part of the county along the Atlantic coast, includes Mar-a-Lago, the Trumps’ home in Palm Beach. About 40% of its active registered voters are Republican, 28% Democratic, 27% no party affiliation/independent and 4% in minor parties.

It is home to 114,650 active registered voters, more than any other state House district in the county, Supervisor of Elections Office records show.

Practically speaking, Caruso said, even though he’d like to see the seat filled, it might not make sense at this point to spend the money for a special election.

He said he’s spoken with Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link, and the legal requirements for an election timetable mean a special general election probably couldn’t be held until after the 2026 legislative session.

The session is scheduled to run from Jan. 13 through March 13.

The 60-day session sometimes runs longer than scheduled; in 2025 it ran over by 45 days.

And Republicans have a commanding majority over Democrats in the Florida House of Representatives, so the vacancy is unlikely to affect the outcome on major issues. Not having a representative means there wouldn’t be someone in the House advocating for funding projects in the district.

Caruso, a Republican, wasn’t eligible to run for reelection next year because of term limits. He has said he’ll be a candidate for clerk and comptroller. The previous clerk and comptroller, Democrat Joe Abruzzo, resigned to become county administrator.

At one point, Caruso had a different, very personal interest in his successor. His wife, Tracy, had filed paperwork to run to succeed him. In mid-September, she said she was dropping her bid.

“When Mike was first elected, I chose to live in Tallahassee with him — a choice many spouses don’t make,” she said in a written statement. “People often asked why I stayed there. The simple answer is that we are married, and I want to live where my husband lives. Seven years later, that feeling hasn’t changed. Mike has always encouraged me to pursue my own goals and would make anything work, but with Mike’s new role here in Palm Beach County, I know that being home is best for both of us.”

Two other Republicans, Jon Maples and Gretchen Miller Feng, have filed as 2026 candidates for the seat. Democrats Emily Watson Gregory and Laura Ann Levites have also filed paperwork as 2026 candidates.

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