Florida’s 21st District House Race: Who Will Win

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.

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.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) won her party's primary in Florida's newly drawn 20th Congressional District, a plurality-Black seat centered on Broward County, after her old 25th District seat was eliminated in Republican-led mid-decade redistricting ordered by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Rather than run in a new, whiter district that favored Trump, she chose to compete in the 20th, drawing criticism from local Black leaders, the Broward Black Democratic Caucus, and Congressional Black Caucus members who saw her candidacy as a threat to Black political representation already weakened by the Supreme Court's rollback of the Voting Rights Act; Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to endorse her.

Wasserman Schultz defeated a divided field of four Black challengers — former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, rapper Luther "Luke" Campbell, Elijah Manley, and Dale Holness — leaning on seniority, fundraising, and an Appropriations Committee seat while her rivals split the opposing vote. Her win makes her the only white House member representing a plurality or majority-Black district heading into 2027, following the elimination of Rep. Steve Cohen's Memphis district by Tennessee Republicans. The broader Florida redistricting effort cut four Democratic-leaning seats ahead of the midterms.

The Palm Beach County Republican Party published a voter guide endorsing Mike Caruso for Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, despite his suspension from the role earlier this year. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had appointed Caruso in 2025, suspended him in August after he was charged with kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under age 12, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse.

Caruso has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has since posted bond. Party officials had previously said they would not back his election bid following the arrest, but the guide listing him as the party's pick circulated on the county GOP's Instagram account for at least 19 hours before disappearing after a reporter sought comment. Officials did not respond to requests for explanation. A spokesperson for Caruso says he remains in the race and intends to win, though his campaign website is currently offline.

A government-funded ad campaign praising President Trump began airing on Fox News this week, labeled on-screen as "Paid for by the U.S. government." The ads feature Trump's image, a soundtrack of the song "Love Me," UFC's Dana White calling him "the toughest, most resilient person," and promises to defeat "communism, socialism and Marxism." The White House describes the spots as a nonpolitical "public service announcement." Singer JMSN says he never authorized use of his song for political purposes.

The campaign has drawn bipartisan criticism. Republican Senator Thom Tillis said the use of taxpayer money "feels like Viktor Orbán," and Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) said he doesn't like seeing public money fund what looks like campaign advertising. Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin called the ads "blatantly unethical," citing potential violations of the Hatch Act, which bars using government resources for political purposes.

The ads follow other instances of Trump's name and image appearing on government property, currency, and buildings, prompting comparisons to state-run propaganda in authoritarian countries. No congressional investigation or Justice Department action has been announced.

St. Lucie County, Florida, discovered 14 unpermitted Flock Safety license-plate reader cameras while removing its officially sanctioned network of 52 devices. The sheriff's office claimed three cameras but could not explain the missing permits, while two other agencies denied ownership, leaving 11 unclaimed and of uncertain status. The county posted removal notices with a mid-October deadline and plans to cover unclaimed cameras with plastic bags in the meantime. Flock says permitting requirements vary by jurisdiction and it is working with the county to resolve discrepancies.

The episode adds to mounting scrutiny of Flock nationwide. Hamilton County, Ohio's sheriff's office has now fully terminated its Flock partnership after a September suspension, citing unresolved resident concerns over data access and sharing, despite internal audits finding no local misuse. Hamilton joins Fort Thomas and Newport, Kentucky, among Tri-State communities dropping Flock, amid resident protests in Hamilton and Milford. Florida has also seen fallout, with Gov. Ron DeSantis ordering license-plate readers removed from state highway rights-of-way after misuse cases, including a Fort Pierce officer arrested for stalking an ex-girlfriend using the system.

Miami Herald readers are pushing back on proposed Florida property tax cuts, warning of steep funding losses for public health systems. Jackson Health System in Miami-Dade County stands to lose roughly $64 million in annual tax funding, jeopardizing services such as emergency care, behavioral health, organ transplants, and labor and delivery, much of it provided regardless of a patient's insurance status or ability to pay. Broward Health could lose more than $100 million over three years, while Palm Beach County's Health Care District could lose about $66.5 million.

Letter writers argue that lawmakers and voters should demand a concrete replacement funding plan before enacting cuts that could force hospitals to scale back programs and staffing, disproportionately affecting residents with the fewest healthcare alternatives. The debate reflects a broader tension in Florida politics between delivering property tax relief to homeowners and preserving funding for public services, with public hospital systems across South Florida identified as among the most exposed to near-term budget shortfalls if cuts move forward without offsetting revenue measures.