President Donald Trump, first girl Melania Trump and the opposite 114,648 registered voters in a state Home district in Palm Seaside County might go unrepresented through the 2026 Florida legislative session.
That chance 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 docket and comptroller of Palm Seaside County.
Legislative vacancies are crammed by way of a particular election, which is why the close by Home District 90 had a Republican major Tuesday to decide on a candidate to run to fill a special emptiness.
It’s as much as DeSantis to set particular election dates, and the governor hasn’t performed so.
“I’m undecided if there’s going to be a particular election,” Caruso mentioned Tuesday, including that he doesn’t need to see his former district go unrepresented. “It can be crucial that the seat does get crammed as a result of we’ve obtained so many points within the county. We wish District 87 represented within the Florida Home.”
Caruso made his feedback at a gathering of his former colleagues, the Palm Seaside County Legislative Delegation, in response to a query from state Sen. Tina Polsky.
Caruso mentioned he had “tried to succeed in out to the governor’s workplace to see what he’s planning and haven’t gotten any suggestions on that.”
The governor’s communications workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark about whether or not he’d name a particular election in District 87.
DeSantis generally acts shortly to name particular elections, and generally waits months. On July 21, Blaise Ingoglia resigned from the Florida Senate as a result of DeSantis named him because the state’s new chief monetary officer. On July 22, DeSantis set the dates for particular major and common elections to fill he emptiness.
Often he waits longer to name particular elections in Democratic districts than in Republican areas.
Home District 87, within the central a part of the county alongside the Atlantic coast, contains Mar-a-Lago, the Trumps’ dwelling in Palm Seaside. About 40% of its lively registered voters are Republican, 28% Democratic, 27% no occasion affiliation/impartial and 4% in minor events.
It’s dwelling to 114,650 lively registered voters, greater than another state Home district within the county, Supervisor of Elections Workplace data present.
Virtually talking, Caruso mentioned, regardless that he’d prefer to see the seat crammed, it may not make sense at this level to spend the cash for a particular election.
He mentioned he’s spoken with Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Hyperlink, and the authorized necessities for an election timetable imply a particular common election most likely couldn’t be held till after the 2026 legislative session.
The session is scheduled to run from Jan. 13 by way of March 13.
The 60-day session generally runs longer than scheduled; in 2025 it ran over by 45 days.
And Republicans have a commanding majority over Democrats within the Florida Home of Representatives, so the emptiness is unlikely to have an effect on the result on main points. Not having a consultant means there wouldn’t be somebody within the Home advocating for funding initiatives within the district.
Caruso, a Republican, wasn’t eligible to run for reelection subsequent yr due to time period limits. He has mentioned he’ll be a candidate for clerk and comptroller. The earlier clerk and comptroller, Democrat Joe Abruzzo, resigned to turn out to be county administrator.
At one level, Caruso had a special, very private curiosity in his successor. His spouse, Tracy, had filed paperwork to run to succeed him. In mid-September, she mentioned she was dropping her bid.
“When Mike was first elected, I selected to reside in Tallahassee with him — a selection many spouses don’t make,” she mentioned in a written assertion. “Folks typically requested why I stayed there. The easy reply is that we’re married, and I need to reside the place my husband lives. Seven years later, that feeling hasn’t modified. Mike has at all times inspired me to pursue my very own targets and would make something work, however with Mike’s new function right here in Palm Seaside County, I do know that being house is greatest for each of us.”
Two different Republicans, Jon Maples and Gretchen Miller Feng, have filed as 2026 candidates for the seat. Democrats Emily Watson Gregory and Laura Ann Levites have additionally filed paperwork as 2026 candidates.
Political author Anthony Man may be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and may be discovered @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Fb and Mastodon.