Topline
Michael Allen Caruso, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives and one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s staunchest allies in the state legislature, was suspended from his role as Palm Beach County’s clerk of courts Tuesday after he was arrested on charges of kidnapping and molesting a child.
Michael Caruso in 2023.
TNS
Key Facts
Caruso, 67, was booked into the Palm Beach County jail early Tuesday morning on suspicion of molestation, kidnapping, luring and enticing a child, lewd and lascivious exhibition and child abuse, according to the Miami Herald.
Caruso is accused of sexually molesting a child on multiple occasions last year, according to the Herald, which cited anonymous sources in reporting the victim was a boy younger than 5.
When the child started acting out at home, his family reportedly started asking questions of the boy and made a report to law enforcement.
Caruso has faced allegations in the past of child sex abuse which he denied, including from his first wife and mother of his seven children, and has been the subject of multiple reports to the Florida Department of Children and Families, per the Herald.
DeSantis, who appointed Caruso to the position in August, suspended him from public office shortly after his arrest Tuesday.
A defense attorney for Caruso has not been named and he has not responded publicly to the allegations.
Key background
Caruso has been a key Republican figure in South Florida politics and a loyal supporter of DeSantis. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2018 until his resignation in August 2025, during which time he largely voted along party lines for high-profile conservative policies including the Parental Rights in Education bill and restrictive abortion legislation. When DeSantis clashed with House Republican leadership, Caruso stood by him, casting the lone Republican vote against a legislative immigration enforcement package that conflicted with the governor’s agenda. He strongly supported DeSantis during his 2024 presidential primary campaign, even traveling to Iowa in sub-zero weather to help boost support for the governor prior to the state’s caucuses. He was rewarded with the job of Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Palm Beach County, to which DeSantis appointed him last summer.
BIG NUMBER
32. That’s by how many votes Caruso first won his seat in Florida’s 89th House District in 2018. The razor-thin margin of 50.02% to 49.98% triggered a mandatory statewide machine and manual recount of 78,000 votes before he was certified as the winner.
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