Nearly six months after stepping into one of Palm Beach County’s most consequential constitutional offices, Mike Caruso is moving to make the job his for a full term.
Caruso has filed paperwork to run for Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. He has held the post since August 2025, when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to fill the vacancy.
“I still have work to do for the people of Palm Beach County,” Caruso said, arguing that the Clerk’s Office during his tenure has made progress in fraud prevention, customer service and fiscal stewardship. Caruso is a certified public accountant and former Republican member of the House.
One of the most visible initiatives has been a public awareness push warning residents about scams tied to traffic tickets, jury duty and property deed fraud.
The Clerk’s Office aired three public service announcements on cable and local TV beginning in December 2025. In the weeks since those ads began running, subscriptions to the Office’s free Property Fraud Alert system have ballooned to more than 25,000 — a dramatic increase compared with the typical monthly average of about 1,000 sign-ups. Caruso and his staff have also traveled throughout the county to assist residents with registering for the service.
On the investment side, the Clerk’s Office purchased an additional $364.5 million in Israel bonds, a move Caruso said was designed to maximize returns for taxpayers.
He has also emphasized full audit compliance, improved IT security and efforts to make the courthouse more navigable for the public.
Those efforts have attracted support from a bipartisan group of local and state officials, including former Chief Financial Officer and Senate President Jeff Atwater.
“We need to keep Mike Caruso as our Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller,” Atwater said. “Mike has the experience, the integrity, and he is a Certified Public Accountant.”
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw echoed that sentiment, calling Caruso “professional and trustworthy” and saying he is “committed to accuracy, accountability and service you can trust as your Clerk of the Court and Comptroller.”
Former Palm Beach County Mayor Steven Abrams said Caruso brings “the knowledge, credentials and experience we need to the critical role of Palm Beach County’s Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller.”
Gary Lesser, managing partner at Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel and a past President of The Florida Bar, also weighed in.
“I’ve been a big fan of Mike Caruso’s leadership for some time,” Lesser said. “He has demonstrated his commitment to Palm Beach County and our community as a member of the House of Representatives, and now as Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller for Palm Beach County. Mike is a great public servant, and the job as Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller is the perfect position for him.”
Caruso won’t have a clear path to re-election. Samuel L. Thompson has also filed to run as a Republican and compete against Caruso for the GOP nomination.
On the Democratic side, Boca Raton Council member Yvette Drucker is running and has already raised substantial cash. She has raised nearly $46,000 through her candidate account, with more than $35,000 remaining. And she holds nearly $109,000 in her political committee, Drucker for Florida.
