Mike Caruso
Official legislative portrait of State Representative Mike Caruso
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 87th district
Assumed office
November 8, 2022
(redistricted)
Preceded byDavid Silvers
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 89th district
In office
November 6, 2018 – November 8, 2022
Preceded byBill Hager
Succeeded byDavid Silvers
Personal details
Born (1958-09-14) September 14, 1958 (age 65)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Delray Beach, Florida, U.S.
Alma materGeorge Washington University
OccupationCertified public accountant
Websiteelectmikecaruso.com

Mike Caruso (born September 14, 1958) is a Republican member of the Florida Legislature representing the state's 87th House district, which includes part of Palm Beach County.

History

A native of Washington, D.C., Caruso moved to Florida in 1986.[1]

Florida House of Representatives

Caruso defeated Matt Spritz in the August 28, 2018 Republican primary, winning 56.2% of the vote.[2]

In the November 6, 2018 general election, Caruso was narrowly elected with 50.02% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jim Bonfiglio. Caruso's margin of victory — just 32 votes — triggered both a machine and manual recount under Florida law.[3]

Endorsement controversy

In the 2022 Election, Caruso endorsed Katherine Waldron in the Democratic primary for an open Florida House seat. This move drew criticism from local Republicans. In response to the endorsement, the Palm Beach County Republican Executive Committee voted to censure him.[4] In his defense, Caruso argued that his endorsement only applied to the primary election and that he felt compelled to do so because of the work they did together to help bring hurricane relief to the Bahamas.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Florida House of Representatives - Michael A. "Mike" Caruso - 2018 - 2020 ( Speaker Oliva )". myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Florida Election Watch - State Representative". Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  4. ^ Geggis, Anne (February 15, 2022). "Palm Beach Republicans censure Mike Caruso over endorsement flap". Florida Politics. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  5. ^ Schultz, Randy (March 24, 2022). "Caruso Runs in New District, Menin and Clique Split & More". Boca Magazine. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
Florida House of Representatives Preceded byBill Hager Member of the Florida House of Representativesfrom the 89th district 2018–2022 Succeeded byDavid Silvers Preceded byDavid Silvers Member of the Florida House of Representativesfrom the 87th district 2022–present Incumbent


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