PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (CBS12) — In the heart of Tallahassee, 120 chairs line the floor of the Florida House of Representatives. But one of them – representing more than 114,000 Palm Beach County residents – has sat empty for months.
Florida’s House District 87, which stretches from Lantana to Juno Beach and includes parts of Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, North Palm Beach, and Lake Worth Beach, has gone unrepresented since August. That’s when former Representative Mike Caruso resigned his seat after being appointed Palm Beach County’s Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
Under Florida Statute 100.101, vacancies in the Legislature shall be filled by a special election. But nearly two months later, Governor Ron DeSantis has yet to announce when – or if – he’ll schedule one…