A day after a voter guide sparked a political firestorm, Palm Beach County Republican Party chairman Carl Cascio said he "accepts responsibility' for the flap.
Cascio, though, insisted that he believed state law required him to include suspended Court of Clerks Mike Caruso on the list of Republican candidates seeking office in Palm Beach County jurisdictions.
"I had been discussing this with our executive committee, but I made the decision," Cascio said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post. "After the state chair ruled he could come off the voter guide, I quickly took down the post."
Cascio said he also objected to what he described as media portrayals that the county party supports pedophiles.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.
"This was a difficult situtation we found ourself in. It was unfortunate for everyone."
Governor, state GOP leaders demanded Caruso removal from voter guide
Pushback from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Republican Party ultimately forced Cascio to reconsider the GOP chapter's endorsement of suspended county court clerkCaruso.
Arrested in August for allegedly molesting a child, Caruso steadfastly maintains his innocence and remains on the ballot. In a statement to The Post, Caruso said he will continue to campaign for the office and expects to win in November.
At issue this week was the Republican Party of Palm Beach County's Oct. 5 decision to post on Instagram a list of candidates it was endorsing in the November election. The list included Caruso.
By the end of the day, the post was removed. That followed public pushback from both the governor and the chairman of Florida's Republican Party, Evan Power.
DeSantis said on X.com that it was “disappointing" to see the endorsement. He added: "We serve our party best by putting citizens, state and country first."
Power noted in his own X.com post that the state GOP has called on Caruso for months to step aside, and the party would have removed his name from the ballot if it had it the legal authority to do so.
“Our team asked the Palm Beach GOP to take down its voter guide-they obliged,” Power said, adding: "Mike Caruso has every right to defend himself but he does not have the time or platform to run a campaign."
Others offered a harsher assessment.
"This is disgusting," GOP U.S. Sen. Rick Scott wrote in a social media post. "Mike Caruso should IMMEDIATELY withdraw. The people of Palm Beach deserve better."
One X.com user who identified as a GOP voter took his fellow Republicans to task.
"I'm a Florida Republican. This is a disgusting, amoral action by the @PalmBeachGOP and for the@FloridaGOP to try to simply wash its hands of the matter is just as abhorrent," the posting stated. "What the Hell happened to my party's morals?? Did we sell those too??"
The backdrop of the Palm Beach Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse scandal also surfaced in social media commentary.
"The Florida GOP can't seem to help itself now, it let Epstein off the hook and his partner in Mar A Lago, what did you think would happen?" stated another post. "Now any predator feels safest running for public office. They know they can get away with it if they win."
Why exactly was Mike Caruso on the county GOP voter guide?
County GOP Chair Cascio told The Post on Oct. 6 that he believed the voter guide was required to include Caruso because he remained the party's nominee.
"Once the state chair made it clear that his name did not have to appear on the guide, we immediately took down the Instagram post," Cascio said.
When told by The Post that Caruso's name still appeared in the voter guide on the county GOP's website, Cascio said it would be removed. And by 9:30 a.m., it was.
Cascio said the county GOP recruited a replacement candidate after Caruso's arrest, but no one had the authority to remove Caruso from the ballot. Cascio noted that Caruso chose to remain in the race. The party chairman emphasized that Caruso has not received any support from the Republican Party.
Caruso was arrested on Aug. 18, the day of the statewide primary election in Florida, as voters were casting ballots to nominate candidates for the November general election. Despite the governor's suspension of Caruso, it was too late to place another candidate on the primary ballot.
Caruso is opposed by Democrat Yvette Drucker, a member of Boca Raton City Council since 2021.
Caruso insists on seeking election to clerk of courts post
Meanwhile, Caruso has no intention of stepping aside.
“I maintain my innocence and remain a candidate for Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. My name is on the November ballot, and I intend to win this election,” he said in a statement emailed to The Post by Juda Englemayer, a public relations consultant whose firm specializes in crisis management.
“If the voters elect me, my intention is to take office and continue serving Palm Beach County.”
Caruso has pleaded not guilty to charges of lewd or lascivious molestation, kidnapping, lewd or lascivious exhibition, child abuse and luring or enticing a child.
DeSantis appointed Caruso, 68, a Republican former state legislator, to the clerk’s post in August 2025 to fill a vacancy created when then-clerk Joe Abruzzo was appointed county administrator.
Caruso was a staunch DeSantis ally. Shannon Ramsey-Chessman, a long-time employee in the clerk’s office, is currently serving as clerk.
If Caruso wins in November, DeSantis could suspend him again.
County Commissioner Marci Woodward, a Republican seeking reelection, said she wants to know how the decision to endorse Caruso was made.
“There needs to be an explanation of how this occurred," she said.
Although Caruso pledged to continue his campaign, fundraising and spending have largely dried up in recent months, an unusual development for a candidate known for his fundraising prowess.
His most recent campaign contributions came Aug. 13, just days before his arrest. In September, Caruso spent $36 on gas and $53 on a campaign meeting at the Carving Station Buffet in Lake Park.
Democrat Drucker, meanwhile, through her political action committee, Drucker for Florida, has spent $67,500 in the past two months. On Oct. 2, the Florida Democratic Party donated $45,000 to her campaign.
Mike Diamond is a journalist atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: County GOP chair accepts Caruso flap 'responsbility' | Exclusive
