Michael Caruso spent years building a reputation as one of Tallahassee's toughest voices against child predators. Now the 67-year-old sits in a jail cell accused of being one.
Caruso, the sitting Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, was arrested on the morning of Tuesday, August 18, on five felony counts connected to the alleged abuse of a young relative. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest personally, framing it as proof that no title shields anyone from scrutiny. Governor Ron DeSantis, who had personally elevated Caruso to the post a year earlier, suspended him from office within hours.
The Charges, and What the Affidavit Describes
The five counts against Caruso are kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury, according to the arrest warrant filed in Orange County Circuit Court. Prosecutors describe a pattern stretching back roughly two years rather than a single incident: alleged encounters during solo fishing trips beginning around November 2024, an alleged episode during a Thanksgiving 2024 gathering, and an alleged incident aboard a family cruise Caruso had booked for relatives in August 2025 through Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas. The child, described in charging documents as under 12, is Caruso's relative; NBC News and other outlets covering the case have identified him specifically as Caruso's grandson, though the affidavit itself reportedly does not use that word.
Investigators say the case surfaced after the boy's father witnessed troubling behavior involving a younger sibling in October 2025 and began asking questions. According to court records, Caruso denied the allegations when confronted and reportedly asked whether his ex-wife might have influenced the boy — a detail that opened up a second, older thread in the case.
A judge denied Caruso bond at his first appearance, and he was transferred to Orange County, where the alleged abuse is believed to have continued and where the case will proceed, according to CBS Miami. His attorney told the outlet Caruso "is innocent of these allegations and intends to vigorously defend himself," a position his legal team has repeated publicly since.
A Pattern That Predates This Case
This isn't the first time abuse allegations have surrounded Caruso. Court filings from his 2012 divorce from his first wife, Beverly — the mother of his seven children — show she accused him of sexually assaulting a child during their marriage, an allegation their daughter also raised separately, according to Florida Politics. Caruso denied wrongdoing at the time and has continued to deny it.
Those filings were public record well before DeSantis appointed Caruso to the clerk's office in 2025. Asked directly by reporters whether his administration knew about them during the vetting process, DeSantis said "of course not," adding that Caruso had been well-regarded in the community and that nothing had surfaced in his background review.
The Death Penalty Law He Helped Pass
The case carries an unmistakable irony. While representing what became Florida's House District 87, Caruso was one of 95 lawmakers who voted "yea" on House Bill 1297 in April 2023 — legislation permitting capital punishment for adults convicted of sexually battering a child under 12. The bill cleared the House 95–14 and the Senate 34–5 before DeSantis signed it into law the following month. It took effect that October — several months before the earliest conduct Caruso is now accused of.
The law was written to invite a direct legal fight: Florida lawmakers designed it to challenge Kennedy v. Louisiana, the 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred executing people for child rape when the victim survives. Florida law requires capital cases to go through a secret grand jury indictment rather than a standard arrest, so Caruso has not been charged with a death-eligible offense. But prosecutors have signaled that could change — in a court motion, they indicated at least one allegation in his arrest warrant could eventually clear the threshold for a capital indictment, the Spokesman-Review reported. Legal analysts note any such push would likely trigger its own constitutional fight, since the law has already faced pushback in at least one other prosecution, according to CBS12.
DeSantis Cuts Him Loose
DeSantis moved within hours of the arrest, signing an executive order that stripped Caruso of his duties, pay, and access to office records. Speaking to reporters, the governor called the allegations "truly horrific" and said Caruso is "in a world of hurt if these allegations are proven" in court. DeSantis also noted that abuse of young children is disproportionately committed by relatives, calling it simply the reality of these cases.
Shannon Ramsey-Chessman, Caruso's former chief of staff, was sworn in as interim clerk to keep the office running, according to Florida Phoenix.
Caruso's arrest landed on the same day as Florida's primary — and he was running for a full term unopposed. Because no Republican challenged him, his name never appeared on Tuesday's ballot at all, and under Florida election law, that means the party cannot simply substitute another candidate unless Caruso's nomination is formally vacated, according to CBS12. His arrest and suspension don't automatically pull him from the November race against Democrat Yvette Drucker; he would have to withdraw his own candidacy, which he had not done as of several days after his arrest, according to WFLX. Republicans face an August 27 deadline tied to election certification that could determine whether a new nominee's name replaces his in time for November ballots.
What Happens Next
Caruso currently faces the five non-capital felony counts, each carrying the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has said its investigation is ongoing and that additional charges may follow, a signal echoed in Attorney General Uthmeier's own statement that "being in a position of public trust provides no shield from accountability." Whether prosecutors ultimately present the case to a grand jury for a capital charge — potentially exposing Caruso to the same punishment he voted to create — remains an open question that will likely take months to resolve.
