January 8, 2026 • 12 mins
Florida House District 87 Special Primary Candidate Jon Maples has earned the endorsement of Pres. Trump in his bid for the seat left vacant when former State Rep. Mike Caruso became Palm Beach County's Clerk of Courts and Comptroller.
Maples shares his reaction to the news of the endorsement and his plans to take part in the DeSantis-called Special Session on redistricting.
Maples shares his reaction to the news of the endorsement and his plans to take part in the DeSantis-called Special Session on redistricting.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Joel Malcolm for WJ and O dot com in
(00:02):
the Florida News Network. So, President Trump endorsing a candidate
in the vacant State House seat District eighty seven, great honor,
He wrote on Truth Social to endorse america first patriot,
John Maples. He calls him a very successful businessman and
civic leader who will be a terrific legislator. And this
(00:24):
is for a special primary that is underway with early
voting right now, election Day on Tuesday. Early voting will
wrap up Tuesday at three locations and we'll get to
those a little bit later, but right now, I want
you to hear from the man who got that endorsement,
John Maples. Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Joel, Thanks for having me excited to be here today. Now.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
When I when I heard you know, when I saw
your name on you know that was on this ballot,
I said to myself, I remember speaking with John Maples
at one point and I said I couldn't remember what
race it was, and you informed me that it was
much longer than I thought ago that it was. I
(01:06):
thought it was I had two three years ago, and
I guess it was twenty twenty. And what was that
race County Commission running for the County Commission. All right,
so let me let me get your thoughts first. I
want to you know your reaction when you found out.
I do. I do remember when I did speak with you.
I don't remember everything. The interview is still up by
(01:29):
the way on iHeartRadio. But I do remember you'd be
in a very big America first candidate even when you
were running for county Commission. And I do remember. You know,
you had an affinity of love for President Trump. So
the president giving you his endorsement. What was your reaction
when you found that out.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
I was actually speaking to some voters and I'm out working,
trying to get the final lap home stretch running through
the tape, and I remember my pall blowing up as
I'm speaking, and I was like, man, what is going on?
And so I gets this sad Okay, have you seen this? Oh,
I'm right now speaking to some voters trying to make
sure they go vote and get their support. And then
(02:12):
it was a surreal moment, like a hand was shaking
and reading this and this even real and you know,
to have been enduring, I've earned the President's endorsement. Mike
Kennedy for State House. It's just I mean incredible. I mean,
like you said, I've always been a come supporter, but
you know, being a delegate and at the Convention of
(02:34):
the RS we can mentioned in twenty twenty four a
Florida delegate being able to catch a voter support for
the president and getting another opportunity to leave this country.
It was just incredible and humbling. I mean, I mean,
honestly alling God could do something like that for a
guy from Panama City, Florida, in the Bay County area
and just really a nobody and just working hard and
(02:55):
doing all the right things and getting the opportunity to
earn the president support. It's just been incredible.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Now have you have you met with the President in
the past or how well do you know him?
Speaker 2 (03:06):
You know, really I've been at a couple of Lincoln
Day dinners at Marlago and got a chance to actually
play some golf. President's kind of hat for me and
I want to get one golf courses. But beyond that,
I haven't really had a chance to down with the
President and learn from him and here's some of his thoughts.
So I'm excited for that opportunity that that phytically win
(03:29):
the thing, hopefully get a chance to bring it itself
and get his hit to mark from the president some
of the things that you can finish over the years.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Now, John, what what would you if you had to
point to the biggest reason or the key reason as
to why you think that the president is putting his support.
You know, you have one one opponent in the primary,
Gretchen Miller Fang. What is it that you think mainly
(03:57):
he puts his support behind you for.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
You know, and really, if I'm being honest, I think
it's it's all of you. It's all the people and
all the broad based support. It's folks like representatives, Meg Weinberger,
local grassroots phenomena of Titan lend the stocks, and you know,
we just developed over the years of relationships with these
(04:22):
folks and they have in their culcle different people that
they're finecial with just you know, allowing the opportunity to
get on the presidents later are and you know, just
working hard and at every having a great plan and
actually executing on that plan and just working hard and
no assertations. I mean, we just worked and worked and worked,
(04:43):
and I think the president gets that. And we saw that,
and you know, and then then you just you just
bustle really by taking itself at the top. So I
think that was a culmination of a lot of different people,
a lot of different events, coming together and executing and
really just working hard. And so he's having great relationships
(05:06):
with a lot of great people and having their Broadway
support and folks like you. Just I think that's what
really ultimately made the difference.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
So give us a little bit of information on yourself.
You said you're from Panama City, Florida. Yeah, so you are.
You are a native Floridian, I am. What kind of
work do you do? Tell the listeners some of this stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, so I am a Panama City Bay County guy.
But I actually went to school in Palm Beach, Atlantic
and Palm Beach Palmatery University. I was All American basketball player.
I got my degree. My education is actually in technology,
but my professional skill foret lives and financial planning and
being insurance and investment planning and done that. I welcome
(05:53):
in this area for like seventeen years. And I'm a
business guy. I'm not a not a politician. I am
a business guy. And unfortunately, fortunately for me, I've been
able to take care of my wife for twenty years
and my daughter who's fifteen and had the opportunity to
just grow. And really I've been feelized that's calling me
(06:14):
to do more and to serve. Oftentimes, you know, I
find myself to me and my wife talking about this
happening and that happening, and you know there's some folks
that I want to advocate for and make a difference
back here strongly about As I said, I have a
fishing your daughter. So you know, making sure you know
father's family is a big, big thing that's important to me.
(06:34):
But also you know, humage happening and children is also
a big thing that's important to me. Like it's our
law enforcement are first respondents. We need those guys, We
need them to be protective. We needed to have the
resources they need to have in order to protect us
and do the things that they have signed up to do.
And so this is a little bit about me. I'm
a financial guy, as I said, So we have to
(06:55):
make sure that some attacked perspective we're given. We're given
the people for a little bit of a break from
a tax perspective and helping them so they can continue
to get more expensive. Uh, and you know, really just
working for the people. I you know, my heart is
in the right place and doing this for all the
right reasons. To the Post put a little nasty article
(07:18):
about myself and my daughter. She sits in you know,
she sees his stuff, and so I've been sitting down
with her and have conversations. Honey. You know, this is
part of how this whole process works, and it could
get worse. And so just explaining that to her was
you know, it's unfortunate, but it's part of the view.
But you know, we're excited. I mean, we're working hard
and really appreciate the President recognizing that and his support.
(07:39):
I mean, he's doing such a great job leading this country. Uh,
he's playing chess strategically as a massive chess player. By
the rest of us here still trying to figure out
what he's doing. And you know, we're still playing checker.
He's playing a different game here and doing well the
executing on the plane that he's laid out.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Now, this is a this is as I mentioned, it's
a special primary, and this is the fill the seat
left vacant by well when the governor appointed was appointed. Yeah,
Mike Caruso, the former Republican state rep in this seat
to be Palm Beach County's Clerk of Court Controller. You
would the winner would serve ultimately in March. There will
(08:17):
be the general election that will be after the scheduled
end of the regular legislative session, but the winner will
would serve through the end of this year with the
If you win and you want to run for a
full two year term, you would have to do that
in November. But would you be in office in time
(08:39):
for this special session on redistricting in late April that
the governor's calling for.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yes, because this the leustion happens March twenty fourth, and
the Speaker could immediately call us in and get us
worn in and get us seated, and potentially, yes, you're
part of that discussion in April that's happening on the redistrict.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
What are what are your thoughts briefly on redistricting and
how the new maps should look or you know the
issues if you if you will with how the maps
are right now.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I think the Governor's got a strategy and plan that
he wanted to execute to make sure there's more representation
in DC for for all of us in Florida and
without having you know, all of the information and knowledge,
I think following the governor's lead on that makes sense
and love to see what plan that he had mapped
out to execute that uh, that strategy, but definitely supporting
(09:37):
his agenda and what are you trying to get done there?
H And also from a tax perspective property tax effectives
as well, supporting that agenda uh and seeing we get
those things done. So excited to get up there learn
you know, maybe we drink it through a file hoose
here trying to get all of the information and get
up the speed pretty quick. But I'm hopefully that my
(09:57):
background and technology and financial we get up to meet
pretty quickly and that I can be at resource are
the al.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
In the state And then that just wanted to ask
you this. You know you're likely going to miss the
legislative session regular session, and I say likely because who
knows it could it could run over and then maybe
you'd be in in time to you know, join the
heel end of it. But you know, assuming you know,
this becomes a you know, at least a three year
(10:26):
position because if you run again and then you get
a two year are there any things that the former
representative in this seat, Mike Caruso, was working on that
you'd like to complete. Have you do you plan on
maybe talking to him a little bit about that. I
know that he I'm sure he still keeps I know
Mike Caruso, and I'm sure he still keeps an ear
on what's going on in Tallahassee.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah. Absolutely, Actually we saw I saw Mike and Tracy
Crusso at a fund raisers for the YMPA, and I
mentioned to Mike that I wanted to sit down and
watch the dust sattles and pick his brain and think
there's anything that he was particularly working on for Pumage
County that's important that you know, he'd like to see
that finished up and some of the things that he
was working on. And so we're definitely planning on getting
(11:08):
together and trying to see if there's any areas that
there were kind of things left undone that need to
get showed up that he was working on, invested quite
a bit of time and resource, and to see if
we can't get them mostly all right.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Well, John, congratulations on the the endorsement. We wish you
lots of luck. We should also say on the same
day that this week that the President endorsed you on
truth Social he also endorsed County Commissioner Sarah Baxter in
her bid for reelection in District six. So she's one
of three Republicans and Marcy Woodward is the other Republican
(11:46):
who's also up for re election, I believe, but again,
congratulations and good luck you, thank you for joining us, welcome,
thank you, and a reminder. Early voting continues through Sunday
at three pollings sites. That is fau's Jupiter campus, also
the Gardens Branch Library and that's on Campus Drive in
(12:07):
Palm Beach Gardens and the main Supervisor of Elections office
in West Palm Beach. The actual election day Tuesday, So
if you don't get out to early vote, you will
vote on Tuesday at your assigned polling place.
Hey, Joel Malcolm for WJ and O dot com in
(00:02):
the Florida News Network. So, President Trump endorsing a candidate
in the vacant State House seat District eighty seven, great honor,
He wrote on Truth Social to endorse america first patriot,
John Maples. He calls him a very successful businessman and
civic leader who will be a terrific legislator. And this
(00:24):
is for a special primary that is underway with early
voting right now, election Day on Tuesday. Early voting will
wrap up Tuesday at three locations and we'll get to
those a little bit later, but right now, I want
you to hear from the man who got that endorsement,
John Maples. Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Joel, Thanks for having me excited to be here today. Now.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
When I when I heard you know, when I saw
your name on you know that was on this ballot,
I said to myself, I remember speaking with John Maples
at one point and I said I couldn't remember what
race it was, and you informed me that it was
much longer than I thought ago that it was. I
(01:06):
thought it was I had two three years ago, and
I guess it was twenty twenty. And what was that
race County Commission running for the County Commission. All right,
so let me let me get your thoughts first. I
want to you know your reaction when you found out.
I do. I do remember when I did speak with you.
I don't remember everything. The interview is still up by
(01:29):
the way on iHeartRadio. But I do remember you'd be
in a very big America first candidate even when you
were running for county Commission. And I do remember. You know,
you had an affinity of love for President Trump. So
the president giving you his endorsement. What was your reaction
when you found that out.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
I was actually speaking to some voters and I'm out working,
trying to get the final lap home stretch running through
the tape, and I remember my pall blowing up as
I'm speaking, and I was like, man, what is going on?
And so I gets this sad Okay, have you seen this? Oh,
I'm right now speaking to some voters trying to make
sure they go vote and get their support. And then
(02:12):
it was a surreal moment, like a hand was shaking
and reading this and this even real and you know,
to have been enduring, I've earned the President's endorsement. Mike
Kennedy for State House. It's just I mean incredible. I mean,
like you said, I've always been a come supporter, but
you know, being a delegate and at the Convention of
(02:34):
the RS we can mentioned in twenty twenty four a
Florida delegate being able to catch a voter support for
the president and getting another opportunity to leave this country.
It was just incredible and humbling. I mean, I mean,
honestly alling God could do something like that for a
guy from Panama City, Florida, in the Bay County area
and just really a nobody and just working hard and
(02:55):
doing all the right things and getting the opportunity to
earn the president support. It's just been incredible.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Now have you have you met with the President in
the past or how well do you know him?
Speaker 2 (03:06):
You know, really I've been at a couple of Lincoln
Day dinners at Marlago and got a chance to actually
play some golf. President's kind of hat for me and
I want to get one golf courses. But beyond that,
I haven't really had a chance to down with the
President and learn from him and here's some of his thoughts.
So I'm excited for that opportunity that that phytically win
(03:29):
the thing, hopefully get a chance to bring it itself
and get his hit to mark from the president some
of the things that you can finish over the years.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Now, John, what what would you if you had to
point to the biggest reason or the key reason as
to why you think that the president is putting his support.
You know, you have one one opponent in the primary,
Gretchen Miller Fang. What is it that you think mainly
(03:57):
he puts his support behind you for.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
You know, and really, if I'm being honest, I think
it's it's all of you. It's all the people and
all the broad based support. It's folks like representatives, Meg Weinberger,
local grassroots phenomena of Titan lend the stocks, and you know,
we just developed over the years of relationships with these
(04:22):
folks and they have in their culcle different people that
they're finecial with just you know, allowing the opportunity to
get on the presidents later are and you know, just
working hard and at every having a great plan and
actually executing on that plan and just working hard and
no assertations. I mean, we just worked and worked and worked,
(04:43):
and I think the president gets that. And we saw that,
and you know, and then then you just you just
bustle really by taking itself at the top. So I
think that was a culmination of a lot of different people,
a lot of different events, coming together and executing and
really just working hard. And so he's having great relationships
(05:06):
with a lot of great people and having their Broadway
support and folks like you. Just I think that's what
really ultimately made the difference.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
So give us a little bit of information on yourself.
You said you're from Panama City, Florida. Yeah, so you are.
You are a native Floridian, I am. What kind of
work do you do? Tell the listeners some of this stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, so I am a Panama City Bay County guy.
But I actually went to school in Palm Beach, Atlantic
and Palm Beach Palmatery University. I was All American basketball player.
I got my degree. My education is actually in technology,
but my professional skill foret lives and financial planning and
being insurance and investment planning and done that. I welcome
(05:53):
in this area for like seventeen years. And I'm a
business guy. I'm not a not a politician. I am
a business guy. And unfortunately, fortunately for me, I've been
able to take care of my wife for twenty years
and my daughter who's fifteen and had the opportunity to
just grow. And really I've been feelized that's calling me
(06:14):
to do more and to serve. Oftentimes, you know, I
find myself to me and my wife talking about this
happening and that happening, and you know there's some folks
that I want to advocate for and make a difference
back here strongly about As I said, I have a
fishing your daughter. So you know, making sure you know
father's family is a big, big thing that's important to me.
(06:34):
But also you know, humage happening and children is also
a big thing that's important to me. Like it's our
law enforcement are first respondents. We need those guys, We
need them to be protective. We needed to have the
resources they need to have in order to protect us
and do the things that they have signed up to do.
And so this is a little bit about me. I'm
a financial guy, as I said, So we have to
(06:55):
make sure that some attacked perspective we're given. We're given
the people for a little bit of a break from
a tax perspective and helping them so they can continue
to get more expensive. Uh, and you know, really just
working for the people. I you know, my heart is
in the right place and doing this for all the
right reasons. To the Post put a little nasty article
(07:18):
about myself and my daughter. She sits in you know,
she sees his stuff, and so I've been sitting down
with her and have conversations. Honey. You know, this is
part of how this whole process works, and it could
get worse. And so just explaining that to her was
you know, it's unfortunate, but it's part of the view.
But you know, we're excited. I mean, we're working hard
and really appreciate the President recognizing that and his support.
(07:39):
I mean, he's doing such a great job leading this country. Uh,
he's playing chess strategically as a massive chess player. By
the rest of us here still trying to figure out
what he's doing. And you know, we're still playing checker.
He's playing a different game here and doing well the
executing on the plane that he's laid out.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Now, this is a this is as I mentioned, it's
a special primary, and this is the fill the seat
left vacant by well when the governor appointed was appointed. Yeah,
Mike Caruso, the former Republican state rep in this seat
to be Palm Beach County's Clerk of Court Controller. You
would the winner would serve ultimately in March. There will
(08:17):
be the general election that will be after the scheduled
end of the regular legislative session, but the winner will
would serve through the end of this year with the
If you win and you want to run for a
full two year term, you would have to do that
in November. But would you be in office in time
(08:39):
for this special session on redistricting in late April that
the governor's calling for.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yes, because this the leustion happens March twenty fourth, and
the Speaker could immediately call us in and get us
worn in and get us seated, and potentially, yes, you're
part of that discussion in April that's happening on the redistrict.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
What are what are your thoughts briefly on redistricting and
how the new maps should look or you know the
issues if you if you will with how the maps
are right now.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I think the Governor's got a strategy and plan that
he wanted to execute to make sure there's more representation
in DC for for all of us in Florida and
without having you know, all of the information and knowledge,
I think following the governor's lead on that makes sense
and love to see what plan that he had mapped
out to execute that uh, that strategy, but definitely supporting
(09:37):
his agenda and what are you trying to get done there?
H And also from a tax perspective property tax effectives
as well, supporting that agenda uh and seeing we get
those things done. So excited to get up there learn
you know, maybe we drink it through a file hoose
here trying to get all of the information and get
up the speed pretty quick. But I'm hopefully that my
(09:57):
background and technology and financial we get up to meet
pretty quickly and that I can be at resource are
the al.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
In the state And then that just wanted to ask
you this. You know you're likely going to miss the
legislative session regular session, and I say likely because who
knows it could it could run over and then maybe
you'd be in in time to you know, join the
heel end of it. But you know, assuming you know,
this becomes a you know, at least a three year
(10:26):
position because if you run again and then you get
a two year are there any things that the former
representative in this seat, Mike Caruso, was working on that
you'd like to complete. Have you do you plan on
maybe talking to him a little bit about that. I
know that he I'm sure he still keeps I know
Mike Caruso, and I'm sure he still keeps an ear
on what's going on in Tallahassee.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah. Absolutely, Actually we saw I saw Mike and Tracy
Crusso at a fund raisers for the YMPA, and I
mentioned to Mike that I wanted to sit down and
watch the dust sattles and pick his brain and think
there's anything that he was particularly working on for Pumage
County that's important that you know, he'd like to see
that finished up and some of the things that he
was working on. And so we're definitely planning on getting
(11:08):
together and trying to see if there's any areas that
there were kind of things left undone that need to
get showed up that he was working on, invested quite
a bit of time and resource, and to see if
we can't get them mostly all right.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Well, John, congratulations on the the endorsement. We wish you
lots of luck. We should also say on the same
day that this week that the President endorsed you on
truth Social he also endorsed County Commissioner Sarah Baxter in
her bid for reelection in District six. So she's one
of three Republicans and Marcy Woodward is the other Republican
(11:46):
who's also up for re election, I believe, but again,
congratulations and good luck you, thank you for joining us, welcome,
thank you, and a reminder. Early voting continues through Sunday
at three pollings sites. That is fau's Jupiter campus, also
the Gardens Branch Library and that's on Campus Drive in
(12:07):
Palm Beach Gardens and the main Supervisor of Elections office
in West Palm Beach. The actual election day Tuesday, So
if you don't get out to early vote, you will
vote on Tuesday at your assigned polling place.
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