Topline
Michael Allen Caruso, a erstwhile personnel of the Florida House of Representatives and 1 of Gov. Ron DeSantis's staunchest friends successful the authorities legislature, was suspended from his domiciled arsenic Palm Beach County’s clerk of courts Tuesday aft he was arrested connected charges of kidnapping and molesting a child.
Michael Caruso successful 2023.
TNS
Key Facts
Caruso, 67, was booked into the Palm Beach County jailhouse early Tuesday greeting connected suspicion of molestation, kidnapping, luring and enticing a child, lewd and lascivious accumulation and kid abuse, according to the Miami Herald.
Caruso is accused of sexually molesting a kid connected aggregate occasions past year, according to the Herald, which cited anonymous sources successful reporting the unfortunate was a boy younger than 5.
When the kid started acting retired astatine home, his family reportedly started asking questions of the boy and made a study to rule enforcement.
Caruso has faced allegations successful the past of kid activity maltreatment which he denied, including from his first woman and mother of his 7 children, and has been the taxable of aggregate reports to the Florida Department of Children and Families, per the Herald.
DeSantis, who appointed Caruso to the position successful August, suspended him from nationalist agency soon aft his apprehension Tuesday.
A defense lawyer for Caruso has not been named and he has not responded publically to the allegations.
Key background
Caruso has been a cardinal Republican fig successful South Florida authorities and a loyal protagonist of DeSantis. He served successful the Florida House of Representatives from 2018 until his resignation successful August 2025, during which clip he mostly voted on statement lines for high-profile blimpish policies including the Parental Rights successful Education measure and restrictive abortion legislation. When DeSantis fought pinch House Republican leadership, Caruso stood by him, casting the lone Republican vote against a legislative migration enforcement package that conflicted pinch the governor’s agenda. He powerfully supported DeSantis during his 2024 statesmanlike superior campaign, moreover traveling to Iowa successful sub-zero upwind to thief boost support for the politician anterior to the state’s caucuses. He was rewarded pinch the occupation of Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Palm Beach County, to which DeSantis appointed him past summer.
BIG NUMBER
32. That’s by how galore votes Caruso first won his spot successful Florida’s 89th House District successful 2018. The razor-thin separator of 50.02% to 49.98% triggered a mandatory statewide instrumentality and manual recount of 78,000 votes earlier he was certified arsenic the winner.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) · 
