The Palm Beach County Republican Party excluded Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Mike Caruso from its updated voter guide on social media following backlash after he was endorsed by the county party despite his arrest on felony charges related to child sex abuse in August.
"For the record, our Voter guide originally listed every Republican nominee on the ballot, as we are required to do by Florida Statute," the Palm Beach GOP wrote. "As soon as we were permitted to remove the nominee running for a constitutional office, we did."
Mike Caruso was listed on the county's voter guide earlier on Monday before it was pulled. The initial endorsement received backlash from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wrote on social media, "We serve our party best by putting our citizens, state and country first. Disappointing to see this endorsement. Some things are bigger than party."
Sen. Rick Scott also criticized the endorsement, calling it "disgusting" while demanding Caruso withdraw from the race.
"The people of Palm Beach deserve better," Scott wrote.
In addition, the endorsement drew a rebuke from Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) GOP Chairman Evan Power.
"The @Florida GOP does not support Mike Caruso. We pulled our support the moment he was arrested, and asked the local party to pick a replacement, which they did," Power wrote. "Mike refused to withdraw. Mike Caruso has every right to defend himself-but he does not have the time or platform to run a campaign. He should have stepped aside to allow the party to move forward."
Notably, a letter from Palm Beach County GOP Chair Carl Cascio affirmed the RPOF's distance in August. It also stated the RPOF directed Cascio to look for a replacement if Caruso withdrew from the race.
Chairman Power reiterated the RPOF's stance in a follow-up post. He also praised Gov. DeSantis for suspending Caruso as Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller by executive order following the charges.
The Palm Beach County Young Republicans also denounced the endorsement, writing "We unequivocally do not endorse Mike Caruso. We will be encouraging voters to vote for @yvettedrucker. The REC's endorsement has had an incredibly negative impact on our local races. We have been called horrible names, such as "pedo protectors" while door knocking and phone baking because of the REC's endorsement. We hope they reconsider."
Yvette Drucker, a Democrat, is running against Caruso for Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. The general election is Nov. 3.
According to the arrest warrant and affidavit attached to the executive order, Caruso faces felony charges of kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury, all felony counts. Caruso posted a $160K bond to the charges on Aug. 28.
The victim is said to be a male relative under 5 at the time of the alleged incidents.
Caruso has maintained his innocence and stated he intends to stay in the race. He was appointed Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller by Gov. DeSantis in August 2025.
Chairman Power later thanked the county party for taking Caruso of its voter guide.
The @Florida GOP has been consistent on asking Mike Caruso to step aside," Power wrote. "There has been no official endorsement, our team asked the Palm Beach GOP to take down its voter guide-they obliged. We renew our call for Mike Caruso to withdraw from the race."
