PALM BEACH, FLORIDA — Emily Gregory won the special election for Florida House District 87, defeating Republican Jon Maples with 51% of the vote to Maples' 49% with all precincts reporting. The district includes the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.

Gregory, a business owner, ran for public office for the first time in this special election. The seat became vacant in August when Mike Caruso resigned from the Florida Legislature after being appointed Palm Beach County clerk, according to public records.

President Donald Trump endorsed Maples in the race and urged his supporters to vote in the special election. Trump cast a ballot in the election. Representative Byron Donalds filmed an endorsement video with Maples urging voters to choose him.

Gregory's campaign focused on rising costs and she promised to address the issue if elected. Maples, who served as a council member in Lake Clarke Shores, emphasized his business experience and pledged to cut taxes during his campaign.

The special election marked the 10th Republican-held state legislative seat flipped by Democrats nationwide since Trump took office in 2025. Republicans have not flipped any Democratic state legislative seats during the same period.

In the 2024 election, a Republican won Florida House District 87 by 19 percentage points, according to election results. Trump carried the district by about 11 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.

On the same day as the Palm Beach County special election, Florida held three legislative special elections, with a fourth decided by default after the Republican candidate ran unopposed. In a Tampa-area state Senate special election, Democrat Brian Nathan led Republican Josie Tomkow by less than 0.5 percentage point in a district previously held by the GOP. Republican Hilary Holley retained a state House seat in Central Florida in a special election.

The U.S. midterm elections are scheduled for November and will include elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, one third of the U.S. Senate, and multiple governor and state legislature seats.