The Empty Apartment
Jon Maples told voters he lived in District 87 and was registered to vote there. Palm Beach County election records placed him at Unit 11 of an apartment complex on Inlet Way in Palm Beach Shores. When CBS12 News visited, they found a lockbox on the door and no signs of occupancy. Neighbor Andrew Hurda told the station flatly: 'Nobody has moved in, nobody lives there. I've never seen anyone in that unit.'
A realtor confirmed Maples had rented the apartment, but it had been relisted online. Public records showed his longtime residence was in Lake Clarke Shores — outside District 87 entirely. Under pressure, Maples announced mid-campaign that he and his wife had closed on a home in Jupiter, promising to move to the Abacoa community 'prior to Election Day.' Voters had already started casting ballots.
The Candidate Who Actually Lived There
Emily Gregory is a mother of three, a military spouse, and a small business owner who spent her career in public health and mental health services. She launched her campaign nine months before the vote, identifying the district as flippable through what she called 'some crazy calculus.' The 314 Action PAC, which elects scientists to public office, endorsed her. Their president called the win evidence that 'a STEM wave is coming.'
Gregory ran on healthcare costs, school funding, and the argument that 'extremism does not belong in our communities' — a suburban pitch aimed squarely at the kind of Palm Beach voter who backed Republicans in 2024 but has grown uncomfortable since. District 87 covers roughly 180,000 residents across some of the wealthiest zip codes in Florida.
Trump Endorsed by Mail
Trump backed Maples on Truth Social, calling on 'great patriots' to vote. Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, now running for governor, filmed a campaign ad alongside Maples. The full institutional weight of the Florida GOP was behind the race.
Trump himself voted — by mail. The Guardian reported this happened the same week the president attacked the practice as 'mail-in cheating' during an event in Tennessee. He has spent years calling mail-in voting a scam. Early in-person voting was available in Palm Beach through the Sunday before the election. He chose not to use it.
The Pattern
This is not an isolated result. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee says the party has flipped 29 state-level districts since Trump's second inauguration. Special elections carry low turnout and high motivation — conditions that favor the party whose voters are angrier. Right now, that appears to be Democrats.
DLCC president Heather Williams framed it as a midterm warning: 'A Trump +11 district in his own backyard shouldn't be in play for Democrats, but tonight proves Republicans are vulnerable everywhere.' DNC chair Ken Martin was less subtle: 'If Democrats can win in Trump's backyard, we sure as hell can win anywhere across the country.'