The Palm Beach County Republican Party apparently had no problem putting an accused child-sex offender in its official voter guide.
Until people noticed.
Then the party suddenly had some cleaning up to do.
Mike Caruso, the suspended Palm Beach County clerk of the circuit court and comptroller, was listed as the Republican nominee in the party’s voter guide despite facing five felony charges stemming from allegations that he sexually abused a child.
Caruso, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was arrested Aug. 18 on charges including kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse.
He has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.
But that apparently wasn’t enough to keep his name out of the Palm Beach GOP’s voter guide.
The guide was posted Monday. And then the backlash began.
Within hours, some of the biggest names in Florida Republican politics were publicly distancing themselves from the whole thing.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, the man who appointed Caruso to the clerk’s position in 2025, called the endorsement “disappointing.”
“We serve our party best by putting our citizens, state and country first,” DeSantis wrote. “Some things are bigger than party.”
Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power said the state party had withdrawn its support for Caruso when he was arrested and had already asked the local party to find a replacement.
“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.”
There was just one little problem.
The Palm Beach County GOP had nevertheless put Caruso’s name in its official voter guide.
So the party’s explanation changed quickly.
The local GOP eventually deleted the original guide and replaced it with a version that removed Caruso’s name — along with the entire clerk and comptroller category.
Then came the explanation.
“For the record, our guide originally listed every Republican nominee, as Florida Statute requires,” the party said. “As soon as we were permitted to remove the nominee running for a constitutional office, we did.”
Except the guide had listed Caruso as the Republican nominee.
And the party had apparently needed a very public backlash before removing him.
That’s some impressive political damage control.
The controversy is especially awkward because Caruso isn’t just some random candidate who appeared out of nowhere.
He’s a former Republican state representative. DeSantis appointed him clerk and comptroller in 2025.
And Caruso is now suspended from the office following his arrest.
The allegations themselves are disturbing.
According to prosecutors, the case involves a male relative who was under 5 years old at the time of the alleged abuse. At an August hearing, prosecutors also said another person alleged that Caruso molested her when she was 4.
Caruso denies the allegations and remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Investigators have also alleged that Caruso told his son not to report accusations that he had sexually abused the young relative, warning that he would be arrested and “go away” if the allegations became public.
Investigators further said Caruso suggested that his ex-wife had fabricated the allegations to “poison the child against him.”
His campaign spokesperson told the Miami Herald that Caruso is still running.
“I maintain my innocence and remain a candidate for Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller,” Caruso said. “My name is on the November ballot, and I intend to win this election.”
His name can remain on the ballot because Caruso has refused to withdraw.
The local party had already selected Tom Sutterfield as a replacement nominee in August, but that replacement does not simply erase Caruso from the ballot while he remains in the race.
So now Florida Republicans have an increasingly awkward situation on their hands.
The state party says it doesn’t support Caruso.
And Caruso says he’s staying in the race anyway.
The Palm Beach GOP may have removed his name from the guide. But the awkward question isn’t going away: Why was he in the guide in the first place?
