Voters in Palm Beach County are heading to the polls Tuesday amid a major shake-up after Republican candidate Mike Caruso was arrested and is being held without bond following serious allegations.
Caruso served seven years in the Florida House, representing parts of Palm Beach County, before Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him as Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller in August of last year.
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His arrest comes on primary election day. Although his name is not on the ballot as he is running uncontested, voters are reacting to the news of his arrest and the serious allegations against him. His removal from the race leaves Republicans without a candidate for the seat.
"Pretty shocking because he is the Clerk of Court. You know, you would expect people like that to hold themselves to a higher level of standard…" one voter said.
Another voter expressed frustration over losing their candidate.
"It sucks when you have your candidate kind of just drop off the map like that. So, I'm hoping the Republican Party is able to like do some kind of referendum. I don't like appointed candidates... I think it always gets sketchy," the voter said.
Still, voters say the controversy shouldn't keep people from participating and coming out to vote. Even amid the controversy, voters say their voices still matter at the polls.
