U.S. and Florida flags at the state Capitol and at government buildings and other facilities in Palm Beach County will be flown at half staff on Wednesday in honor of the late state Rep. Joe Casello.
Casello died July 18 at age 73. He had earlier experienced a heart attack.
“Representative Casello spent his career committed to public service, and he will be remembered for his dedication to improving his community,” Gov Ron DeSantis wrote Monday in a memorandum ordering the flags be lowered from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday.
Casello, a Democrat, represented District 90, mainly Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, in the state House of Representatives from 2018 until he died.
From 2013-2018 Casello was a Boynton Beach city commissioner. An Air Force veteran, Casello was a firefighter for three decades in his hometown of Worcester, Mass.
The House of Representatives Democratic office previously announced a celebration of life for Casello is planned for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Copperpoint Brewing Company, 151 Commerce Road, Boynton Beach.
A special primary election to pick a Republican nominee to fill the remainder of Casello’s term is Sept. 30. Only one Democrat is running, so there is no primary. The special general election is Dec. 9.
Political writer Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.
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