Florida Rep. Joe Casello dies following heart attack
The 73-year-old Democrat had represented Florida House District 90, an area of Palm Beach County including Boynton Beach, since 2018.
"We are so sorry to say that Representative Joe Casello has passed away surrounded by his loving family and girlfriend, following a heart attack," the Florida House Democratic Caucus said in a social media post announcing his death. "The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to all who have offered their love and support during this difficult time."
Nikki Fried, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, said he would be "deeply missed."
More politics news: Trump approval rating drops in new poll; more Americans oppose immigration policies
Remembering Rep. Joe Casello
A private ceremony will be held in the family's home state of Massachusetts, the caucus said, and a public memorial service will be announced in the coming weeks.
Casello was a firefighter for 33 years in Worcester, Massachusetts, before moving to Palm Beach County. His first entry into politics was in 2013, when he became a city commissioner in Boynton Beach. Last November, he was reelected to a fourth term in the state House by a double-digit margin. He had filed papers to run for the Palm Beach County Commission in November 2026.
Gov. Ron DeSantis will need to call a special election to fill Casello's seat, according to Florida state law.
Casello was taken off life support the morning of July 18, after he was taken to regional hospital about two weeks ago after complaining of chest pains, the Palm Beach Post reported.
State Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, was a close friend, and told the Palm Beach Post he and his wife visited Casello for about half an hour July 17.
"He was very lucid," Caruso said. "I asked him if there was anything I could do for him. He said: 'See if you could get a fire truck named after me.'"
"My life has always been about public service and meeting the needs of my community," Casello said in a statement released July 17, a day before his passing. "Serving as both a firefighter for 33 years and an elected official for 13 years has been the greatest honor of my life. Representing the people — through times of unity and division, triumph and challenge — has been a privilege I will always cherish."
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida state representative Joe Casello dies after heart attack
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Several US executives to visit China this week: sources
By Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) -A high-level delegation of American executives will travel to China this week to meet senior Chinese officials in a trip organised by the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC), two sources with knowledge of the visit told Reuters on Monday. The visit coincides with the latest round of U.S.‑China trade negotiations in Sweden, where China's Vice Premier He Lifeng is meeting U.S. officials from July 27 to July 30 for a new round of economic and trade talks. The delegation will be led by FedEx Chief Executive Rajesh Subramaniam, the council's board chair, one of the sources briefed on the trip said. The South China Morning Post first reported the visit on Sunday, saying that executives from firms including Boeing would be part of the delegation. Reuters could not confirm other CEO members of the delegation or which Chinese officials they would meet. Boeing declined to comment on the trip and deferred to USCBC. The U.S. government was not involved in the organisation of the visit, one of the sources said. The trip comes as Beijing and Washington work towards a summit between the two countries' leaders later this year, probably around the time of the APEC forum in South Korea October 26 - November 1, sources previously told Reuters. USCBC did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The business lobby previously organised similar visits to China by American CEO delegations in 2023 and 2024. The 2024 trip, also led by Subramaniam, included meetings with He and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where executives discussed issues including market access. China faces an August 12 deadline to reach a durable deal with the White House or risk higher U.S. tariffs. U.S. officials are likely to extend the deadline by another 90 days as both sides work towards a more comprehensive deal, sources previously told Reuters. An extension of that length would prevent further escalation and help create conditions for the potential meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump pauses export controls to bolster China trade deal, FT says
(Reuters) -The U.S. has paused curbs on tech exports to China to avoid disrupting trade talks with Beijing and support President Donald Trump's efforts to secure a meeting with President Xi Jinping this year, the Financial Times said on Monday. The industry and security bureau of the Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, has been told in recent months to avoid tough moves on China, the newspaper said, citing current and former officials. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House and the department did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment outside business hours. Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials are set to resume talks in Stockholm on Monday to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the centre of a trade war between the world's top two economies. Tech giant Nvidia said this month it would resume sales of its H20 graphics processing units (GPU) to China, reversing an export curb the Trump administration imposed in April to keep advanced AI chips out of Chinese hands over national security concerns. The planned resumption was part of U.S. negotiations on rare earths and magnets, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said. The paper said 20 security experts and former officials, including former deputy US national security adviser Matt Pottinger, will write on Monday to Lutnick to voice concern, however. "This move represents a strategic misstep that endangers the United States' economic and military edge in artificial intelligence," they write in the letter, it added. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Bloomberg
10 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
How Li Ka-shing Landed in the Middle of US-China Tiff
When President Donald Trump called for the US to retake control of the Panama Canal during his inauguration speech in January, it set off a chain of events that landed Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing in the middle of a US-China tiff. Li, whose conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. owns two port operations on the Panama Canal, came under political pressure from the Trump administration after the US leader falsely claimed that the strategic waterway was operated by China.
