Joe Casello, a Democratic state representative from Boynton Beach, died Friday following a heart attack.
He died surrounded by his family and girlfriend, Florida House Democratic Caucus said on X late Friday night. He was 73.
Casello served as a Boynton Beach city commissioner from 2013 to 2018 before becoming a representative. In November, he won his fourth term in the House. Earlier this year, he had announced plans to run for a seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.
Before politics, Casello served as a firefighter in Worcester, Massachusetts for three decades.
Fellow lawmakers and leaders described Casello on social media as a man of humility and integrity whose commitment to service began when he became a firefighter.
His work in the Florida House “championed working families, first responders, veterans, and seniors,” wrote State Rep. Michele Rayner, a fellow Democrat from Clearwater. “His advocacy led to stronger benefits for firefighters and extended tax credits for surviving spouses of veterans.”
State Rep. Matt Willhite, a Democrat who also serves as a Palm Beach County Fire Rescue captain, recalled Casello’s own career as a firefighter in a post on Facebook.
“I will never forget how you shed a tear the first time we met as you told me about the loss of your 6 firefighter co-workers at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire and today I shed a tear of your passing,” he wrote. “It was an honor to serve along side you in the Florida House of Representatives.”
State Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, a House Democrat who previously served as the mayor of Parkland, said in a post that he was the “best dressed in Tallahassee” and that she would always call him “GQ Joe.”
“He served in the state legislature with humility, grace, and a fierce sense of purpose,” she wrote. “Joe was down to earth, kind, and cared about every person he came in contact with.”
State Rep. Debra Tendrich, also a Democrat from Palm Beach County, said that Casello was her friend and neighbor before they became colleagues in the Florida House of Representatives.
“His life of service didn’t begin in the Legislature, it began the day he put on his fireman’s gear and committed himself to protecting others,” she said. “That spirit of service never left him.”
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