Note: Our endorsements reflect the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s values and concerns for our community. The newsroom does not participate in editorial board decisions.

Two first-time candidates are the best choices in Tuesday’s special primary election for Florida House District 87.

The people of this upscale, coastal Republican-leaning Palm Beach County district have had no representative since August, when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed former Rep. Mike Caruso as county clerk and comptroller. Six months is much too long for Floridians to be voiceless in Tallahassee.

In the Republican primary, the Sun Sentinel recommends Gretchen Miller Feng. For Democrats, we recommend Emily Gregory, a small business owner and mother of three with an impressive background in health care policy.

The two primary winners will meet in a decisive general election March 24. The winner will miss the entire regular session but likely will arrive in Tallahassee in time for a special session on the subject of congressional redistricting, property taxes or both.

Miller Feng, 65, of West Palm Beach, is a regulatory consultant for insurance companies and other causes. Her Republican opponent is Jon Maples, 43, a former council member in Lake Clarke Shores and a financial advisor who has President Trump’s endorsement.

Trump already has too much influence over rank-and-file legislators. A victory by Maples would be more of the same — the last thing Florida needs.

We recommend the independent-minded Miller Feng, who opposes her party’s priority of lowering the purchase age for long guns from 21 to 18 — a dangerous step backward for Florida.

Gregory, 40, of Jupiter, showed leadership by suing DeSantis to force him to call a special election when he refused to act. Her Democratic opponent is Laura Ann Levites, 51, a writer and performer from Lake Worth Beach.

Gregory and Levites share positions on housing affordability and climate mitigation for the district’s coastal communities. But Gregory has expertise in health policy, a more substantive platform, and superior ideas for navigating a GOP-supermajority legislature.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. If you voted by mail, your ballot must be at the county elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday. If you vote in person, bring a photo ID with signature to the polls.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/01/10/vote-smart-in-tuesdays-palm-beach-primary-endorsement/