An online forum in Florida went viral this week after a hot mic caught some colorful language by one of the candidates.
Palm Beach County Sheriff candidate Michael Gauger vented his frustration near the end of a virtual event hosted by the organization When We All Vote Palm Beach Voting Squad, stunning participants and making headlines.
Gauger’s Republican primary opponent, Bartow Police Cpt. Lauro Diaz was on the receiving end of the outburst when he was called a “f—ing a–hole.”
After spending the last 16 years as Chief Deputy to incumbent Democratic Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Gauger is on a mission to convince voters that he is the most qualified to be the Republican nominee to face off against him. But challenges for the former Democrat-turned-Republican, who spent decades at the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office before retiring in 2021, were multiplied after seeming to have a meltdown during the Zoom call.
“Look at my history. Look at what I’ve accomplished. Look at what I’ve built,” Gauger said as seen in the video posted on YouTube. “I have the history of holding people accountable, even more so when the person I worked for didn’t.”
(Video Credit: When We All Vote Palm Beach Voting Squad)
“You’ve heard a lot of ‘I, I, I’ on everything that sounds good and went well, and then ‘they, they, they’ on everything that goes wrong,” Diaz said in his closing remarks of the call.
“The fact of the matter is 50 years is way too long to be there, the No. 2 guy for the last 16 years, and now he’s criticizing (Bradshaw) and everything that’s going wrong,” Diaz said of his opponent. “He is part of the problem. He is the problem.”
Gauger appeared to be visibly angry during Diaz’s remarks and when the candidate had finished speaking, declared, “You’re a f–king a–hole.”
Diaz and Democratic candidate Alex Freeman both reacted with a stunned, “Wow” as the moderator, Deputy Chief State Attorney Cheo Reid, tried to wrap things up.
“Gauger can’t stay calm during a conversation. He’s unfit to protect our community! President Trump lives here and is protected by the Sheriff! We can’t allow him to win!” Conservative commentator, attorney and BizPac Review contributor Erin Elmore wrote on X, sharing the clip.
Palm Beach County Voters: Watch this clip of Gauger for Sheriff calling his opponent a f***ing a**hole. Gauger can’t stay calm during a conversation. He’s unfit to protect our community! President Trump lives here and is protected by the Sheriff! We can’t allow him to win! pic.twitter.com/4NLLTikrH5
— Erin Elmore, Esq. (@ErinElmore) July 25, 2024
The attack stunned those watching the debate and quickly went viral, even getting picked up as a lead story by TMZ, and becoming a national embarrassment for Republicans in Palm Beach County, the home of former President Donald Trump. The 76-year-old candidate launched into damage control, contending he didn’t know his mic was unmuted and didn’t realize his video screen was still visible.
“I was working on Zoom off my mobile phone. I had no idea my personal video was live. Plus, it displayed I was muted when I was not speaking,” he posted on the group’s Facebook page.
“After listening to Mr. Diaz’s closing where he distorted my record of service and his personal history, saying things he knows are not true, I became frustrated. I muttered to myself, ‘You’re a f——- asshole.’ Sitting in a room alone, I had no idea I was live,” Gauger continued. “I apologize to the members of ‘When We Vote’, the moderator, and folks listening. It is not language I would use in an open forum or public setting.”
After the hot mic debacle, Diaz said his opponent is “a person who cannot handle criticism in any way, shape or form.”
“And this is not the first time he’s done this; it’s just the first time it’s been caught on film,” he told Florida Politics.
The other candidate, Freeman – who challenged Bradshaw in 2016 and 2020 – said Gauger “lacked poise” after the incident.
“When you’re running for office, people are going to say things that may rub you the wrong way,” the Deputy Chief of the Jupiter Inlet Colony Police Department told the outlet. “To respond in that manner makes me wonder how he dealt with and will deal with the Sheriff’s Office employees.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
- House Dem who can barely speak English introduces bill to abolish ICE - January 15, 2026
- Illegal immigrant charged with killing two North Carolina teens - January 15, 2026
- Parents erupt into massive brawl during Catholic youth basketball game in Staten Island - January 15, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.