Florida’s 9th Congressional District: Who Will Win the House Seat

Palm Beach County Republican Party Chair Carl Cascio addressed the controversy surrounding Mike Caruso, who served about a year as Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller after being appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August 2025, before being suspended amid child sex charges. Caruso's continued appearance on a voter guide following his arrest drew scrutiny, which Cascio discussed on WFLA's Battleground Florida podcast alongside broader Republican prospects in Florida's midterms.

The podcast also featured Rep. Darren Soto, who is seeking reelection in Florida's 9th Congressional District against Republican Dan Green, a Trump administration Department of Defense appointee whose campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Soto's district, redrawn mid-decade under DeSantis and the Republican legislature, now has more registered Republicans than Democrats. Also featured was Branden Scrivener, a No Party Affiliated, self-described progressive candidate challenging Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Democrat Kimberly Overman in District 12, as independent candidates seek traction in competitive races ahead of November.

Florida's primaries produced a mixed picture for both parties ahead of November's general election. Rep. Byron Donalds won the Republican gubernatorial nomination with Trump's endorsement and a large financial edge, beating Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former House Speaker Paul Renner and newcomer James Fishback despite Gov. Ron DeSantis's public misgivings; Donalds would become Florida's first Black governor if elected. Former Republican congressman David Jolly, running with Gwen Graham as his lieutenant governor pick, won the Democratic nomination over state Rep. Dotie Joseph and others, pitching himself as a centrist who wants to end the culture wars. The two will meet in November to succeed the term-limited DeSantis, in a state where Democrats haven't won the governorship in over 30 years.

Progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon defeated establishment-backed Alex Vindman for the Senate Democratic nomination despite being outspent; she faces Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who won her primary with Trump's backing, in the special election for Marco Rubio's former seat. Incumbents Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz turned back challengers, including Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, in redrawn districts under Florida's new Republican-favored congressional map. Trump-endorsed Cory Mills lost his House primary amid domestic violence allegations, while far-right figures Dan Bilzerian and Madison Cawthorn were also defeated, alongside Rep. Randy Fine's contentious win.

Election officials in several Florida counties, including Seminole, Broward, and Monroe, are investigating delays in vote-by-mail ballots moving through the U.S. Postal Service. Seminole County has issued more than 500 replacement ballots, with one local delivery taking seven days; a Broward official's son waited 12 days for a ballot sent from Orlando. USPS says it has found no delivery issues in Broward or Monroe. Central Florida counties outside Seminole report no similar problems. With Florida's 7 p.m. Nov. 3 return deadline approaching, officials are urging voters who haven't mailed ballots to instead vote early in person or drop ballots at secure intake stations.

Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, who led identification and autopsy efforts after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, said he deliberately kept gunman Omar Mateen's body in a separate, smaller morgue from the 49 victims. He said there was no legal requirement to do so, calling it a personal decision: "It's just what I felt was right." Stephany, filling in as medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties with a small staff, set a goal of identifying and autopsying all victims by Tuesday, enlisting two state pathologists to help process the bodies.

Technicians used fingerprints, driver's licenses, tattoos, and other identifiers to confirm victims, with a final John Doe matched through a discarded wallet found at the club. Stephany personally conducted Mateen's autopsy along with several victims' autopsies, saying evidence suggested the victims did not suffer prolonged struggles. By Thursday, all victims' remains had been released to funeral homes; Mateen's body had not. Stephany was named permanent chief medical examiner the same week, amid an unusually heavy caseload including other high-profile Orlando-area deaths.

Orange County, Florida voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to elect a new mayor for the first time in eight years, choosing between Tiffany Moore Russell and Chris Messina to succeed Jerry Demings. Both candidates laid out economic plans focused on high-paying jobs. Messina proposed positioning the county as a space-tech hub and launching "Orange County Works," a $10 million skilled-trades education initiative modeled on Osceola County's Prosper program, citing a shortage of over 2,000 trades workers. Moore Russell emphasized strengthening existing industries—tourism, manufacturing, modeling and simulation, and Lake Nona's Medical City—while streamlining permitting and expanding workforce training through CareerSource to attract new businesses.

Early voting opens in Harris County, Texas, running through Oct. 30, with several closely watched local races on the ballot. Voters will choose a new county judge for the first time since 2018, with Democrat Letitia Plummer facing Republican Orlando Sanchez to succeed the retiring Lina Hidalgo; a recent University of Houston poll showed Plummer with a narrow lead. Commissioner races are also on the ballot in Precincts 2 and 4, pitting Democratic incumbents against Republican challengers. Redrawn congressional districts add further intrigue, with new matchups in Districts 9 and 18. Houston voters will additionally decide Proposition A on marijuana enforcement and no-knock warrants, while League City weighs license plate camera use and Cy-Fair ISD considers a bond package.

Orange County Circuit Judge Diana Tennis has resigned from the bench amid a judicial discipline case, with her departure taking effect this week. Tennis, who served in Orange and Osceola counties since 2015, was accused last year by Florida's Judicial Qualifications Commission of making roughly 900 political contributions totaling about $29,000 to Democratic candidates and organizations, in violation of the state's Code of Judicial Conduct.

Tennis had initially agreed to a public reprimand, but the Florida Supreme Court rejected that deal in June, later indicating it would impose a suspension and fine in addition to the reprimand. Her term was set to expire in January and she was not seeking reelection. Her attorney, Warren Lindsey, praised her record of service to the Central Florida community, calling her retirement a loss for the region.

Alex Alvarado, a GOP operative implicated in Florida's 2020 "ghost candidate" scheme, is now sending text messages suggesting Democratic attorney general candidate Jose Javier Rodríguez won't "defend reproductive freedom." The texts, funded through a newly registered committee called Lower Our Costs Now, cite a 2015 abortion bill vote Rodríguez missed on the floor but later recorded a "no" vote on afterward. Rodríguez's campaign calls the ads misleading and notes his Planned Parenthood endorsement. Alvarado, an early donor to incumbent Attorney General James Uthmeier, was previously tied to 2020 efforts—some resulting in convictions—to siphon votes from Democrats using decoy independent candidates, including a scheme that helped defeat Rodríguez's state Senate bid.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking Wednesday in Orlando, weighed in on Florida's primary results and a scandal involving one of his own appointees. He dismissed Angie Nixon's chances against Sen. Ashley Moody in November, calling the progressive state lawmaker's Senate bid unlikely to succeed statewide, and touted Florida's growing GOP voter registration advantage. He also backed Ryan Elijah, who defeated embattled Rep. Cory Mills in the GOP primary, saying Mills' nomination would have put the seat at risk in the general election.

DeSantis called the arrest of Michael Caruso, whom he appointed Palm Beach County clerk of courts, a "gut punch." Caruso, 67, a former state representative once praised by DeSantis, faces five felony charges including kidnapping, molestation, luring and enticing a child, lewd and lascivious exhibition, and child abuse. Authorities say the victim, Caruso's grandson under age 12, described abuse on three occasions, including during a Thanksgiving 2024 incident and aboard a cruise ship in August 2025. Caruso denied the allegations when confronted and is being held without bond in Orange County. DeSantis suspended Caruso and installed an interim clerk; Attorney General James Uthmeier said Caruso would "face the full force of the law," and reports indicate a daughter had previously made similar allegations.

Orange County, Florida, Mayor Jerry Demings has proposed an $800 million spending plan funded by the county's 6% tourist development tax, to be considered by commissioners. The largest share, $400 million, would go to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, which had requested $750 million. Eatonville would receive $60 million for a museum of culture and history at the Hungerford property and $20 million for a heritage tourism district. The University of Central Florida would get $46 million to expand its soccer stadium and build a track facility. Other projects include a Winter Garden children's museum, a Camping World Stadium parking garage, and arts and ecotourism grants. The plan is not final.