Overview
- The vacancy followed Gov. Ron DeSantis elevating the district’s GOP representative to Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller.
- Democrat Emily Gregory faces Republican Jon Maples, a financial planner and former Lake Clarke Shores council member endorsed by President Trump; the previous officeholder won by 19 points and Trump carried the district by 9 points in 2024.
- Gregory filed suit to force the governor to call the special election after reported delays.
- Both campaigns are centering affordability and pocketbook concerns rather than making Trump the focal point.
- Florida Democrats, led by Chair Nikki Fried, are deploying staff and volunteers to back Gregory in a bid they say could help erode the GOP supermajority in the state legislature.