Palm Beach GOP doesn’t rule out supporting candidate accused of child sex abuse

Suspended Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso said he still “intend[s] to win” the November election and has not abandoned his campaign — nor has the local Republican Party abandoned him — even after his August arrest on allegations he molested a small child.

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In a statement to the Miami Herald issued via his spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, Caruso said he is still running for the clerk and comptroller post, despite indications to the contrary. Caruso’s campaign website is down, and his campaign finance reports show he refunded two recent contributors and a campaign data vendor.

“I maintain my innocence and remain a candidate for Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. My name is on the November ballot, and I intend to win this election,” he said in the statement. “If the voters elect me, my intention is to take office and continue serving Palm Beach County. The status of a campaign website or the refund of a small number of contributions should not be interpreted as a change in my candidacy. … [U]ltimately the voters of Palm Beach County will decide who they want as their next Clerk and Comptroller.”

READ MORE: DeSantis suspends Palm Beach clerk accused of sexually molesting young child

Campaign reports show a few spare signs that his campaign continues. After his Aug. 18 arrest on allegations he’d molested a young relative, and his subsequent release from jail after posting $160,000 bail, Caruso was still paying his oldest son, Mikey Caruso, for campaign “outreach.”

He spent campaign money on gas. He held two campaign meetings in mid-September: at the Pelican Cafe and at the Carving Station Buffet, both in Lake Park, where he and his wife, Tracy Caruso, 55, reside. His last contribution was received Aug. 13.

The local Republican Party has not distanced itself from Caruso, instead pointing to laws and rules that require the party to support him.

Reached by email Friday, Palm Beach County Republican Party Chairman Carl Cascio said he issued a public letter on the local party’s website a replacement candidate had been selected after Caruso’s arrest. Cascio says in the letter that he was directed by the state party to select a replacement, and that he kept in close touch with the governor’s office. The county elections supervisor even delayed printing ballots in order to give Republicans time to find a replacement, the letter says.

Ultimately, Caruso declined to withdraw.

Cascio’s letter says the state Republican Party “publicly stated it would not support Mr. Caruso’s reelection if he remained in the race.” But the local party did not make a similar statement. The letter notes that Caruso is “currently Palm Beach County’s only Republican constitutional officer” and is fighting “to clear his name.”

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Asked by email whether the local party supports his candidacy, Cascio said the party committee “has the power and duty” under state law and local party documents “to conduct campaigns for party nominees.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Caruso, 68, a Republican former state legislator who was approaching term limits, exactly one year before his arrest. A staunch DeSantis ally in the past, the governor immediately suspended him after his arrest by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Caruso pleaded not guilty to charges of lewd or lascivious molestation, kidnapping, lewd or lascivious exhibition, child abuse and luring or enticing a child. The case centers on allegations made by a male relative who was under the age of 5 at the time.

At an Aug. 28 hearing to determine whether he’d remain in jail, state prosecutors revealed allegations that an additional person, a female, alleges she was molested by Caruso when she was 4 years old.

Caruso was released from the Orange County jail at the end of August, after Orange County Circuit Judge A. James Craner said the state’s case had weaknesses and might not be proven. The state objected.

Two of three alleged incidents occurred in Orange County.

Palm Beach County voter registration and previous election results favor Democrats. The Democratic candidate in the race is Yvette Drucker, a Boca Raton city council member.

An interim clerk, Shannon Ramsey-Chessman, is currently serving as clerk. If Caruso were to win in November, DeSantis could resuspend him.

Miami Herald staff writers Shirsho Dasgupta and Claire Heddles contributed to this report.

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