Court clerk, former lawmaker, charged with five felonies stemming from alleged child sex abuse

Palm Beach County Clerk of Court Michael Caruso was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with five felony counts of child molestation and immediately suspended from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

According to a redacted affidavit released by the governor’s office, he has been charged with kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse involving a family member who was under 12 at the time.

Caruso, 67, was appointed Palm Beach County clerk of court last year by DeSantis, resigning his state House seat for the post.

He didn’t face an opponent in the Republican primary and wasn’t on Tuesday’s ballot. He was running for election to his clerk’s job in November.

DeSantis’ executive order bans Caruso from performing any official act, duty, or function of public office; from receiving any pay or allowance; and from entitlement to the emoluments or privileges of public office during his suspension.

Following his suspension, Shannon Ramsey-Chessman, Caruso’s chief of staff, was sworn in, the Clerk’s Office announced.

The affidavit was redacted in part but former state Democratic state Sen. Lauren Book, a leading child-protection advocate and sexual abuse survivor, issued a statement condemning the DeSantis administration for not better protecting the child’s identity.

“It is unacceptable that in releasing documents detailing horrific allegations of child sexual abuse by recently-removed Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso, the State failed to adequately protect the identity of the child victim,” Book said in a press release. “The redactions left enough deeply personal identifying information to effectively ‘out’ this child — including his relationship to the accused and other incredibly sensitive details.”

Caruso was a DeSantis loyalist while in the state House, and was removed from a leadership post after he voted against an immigration enforcement package championed by former House Speaker Daniel Perez but opposed by the governor.

Appearing at New College of Florida in Sarasota, DeSantis said his office vetted Caruso before appointing him and nothing came up.

However, Beverly Caruso accused Michael Caruso of sexually assaulting one of their children during 2012 divorce proceedings, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

“He had a clean vet, he was well regarded in the community. There was a lot of people that wanted him to be appointed to that position, and there was none of that information that was in any of the vetting materials,” DeSantis said Tuesday afternoon.

Once the case was made and the state announced the arrest, “it was a very easy decision for me to yank him from that position,” DeSantis said.

As a member of the Florida House in 2023, Caruso voted in favor of imposing the death penalty against those convicted of sexual battery against someone younger than 12 years old.

DeSantis referenced the law saying,  “And if he’s convicted, he is going to be in for a world of hurt.”

Details from the affidavit

The affidavit details alleged acts of sexual abuse occurring between November 2024 and August 2025.

According to the affidavit, the abuse came to light in October 2025.

The child has been in therapy since April.