DeSantis suspends Palm Beach clerk Caruso after child sexual abuse arrest

Caruso championed 2023 death penalty law for child sexual battery

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Michael Caruso as Palm Beach County clerk of court and comptroller on Tuesday after Caruso’s arrest on five felony child sexual abuse charges, the governor’s office said.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest earlier Tuesday in a social media post, stating that the arrest was carried out with “substantial assistance” from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and local law enforcement. DeSantis told reporters in Sarasota later that he moved quickly to suspend Caruso from office. “It was a very easy decision for me to yank him from that position,” DeSantis said. The governor’s office later posted a three-page order of suspension to its website, accompanied by an arrest affidavit detailing the allegations.

Caruso, 67, a married father of seven children, was scheduled for a first court appearance Wednesday in West Palm Beach on charges of kidnapping, child molestation, lewd exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury. According to court documents, the alleged victim is a male relative of Caruso under the age of 12, and the alleged abuse occurred multiple times during 2024 and 2025 during holidays and family trips, including a Caribbean cruise.

Caruso, a close ally of DeSantis, served as a Republican state representative for Florida’s 87th house district from 2018 until last year — a seat that includes Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and that was captured by Democrat Emily Gregory in an upset March election. Caruso was a vocal supporter of a 2023 law signed by DeSantis that allowed the death penalty for anyone convicted of the sexual battery of a child under 12. DeSantis had previously called Caruso “a legend” for his support of legislation The Guardian described as hardline and, according to the Miami Herald, called him “my representative” after Caruso was the sole backer of immigration legislation that the Herald described as controversial. DeSantis appointed Caruso as Palm Beach clerk of court in August 2025, shortly before Caruso was termed out of the Florida House.

The suspension came after Miami Herald reporting that Caruso’s personal life was “marked with ugly flare-ups and at least one previous allegation of sexually assaulting a child,” documented in Palm Beach court records the newspaper said it had reviewed. When asked whether he or anyone in his administration was aware of any allegations against Caruso, DeSantis replied “of course not.” In a 2013 divorce filing, Caruso claimed his ex-wife had orchestrated “a false sex abuse case” against him that was the subject of a 2012 investigation by local and state authorities.

Caruso’s wife, Tracy Stein Caruso, received several appointments from DeSantis, including seats on the board of Palm Beach County’s healthcare district and as chair of its housing and finance authority. She is shortly to take up a third DeSantis appointment, on the Palm Beach State College trustees board, subject to Florida Senate approval, the Herald reported.

At his press conference, DeSantis described Caruso as “well regarded in the community,” noting that Caruso had coached little league baseball for decades and volunteered with the Boy Scouts. The governor added that Caruso “is going to be in a world of hurt” if convicted.

The Guardian was unable to locate an attorney representing Caruso. The investigation is ongoing, according to Uthmeier’s post, and “we will provide more information to the public at the appropriate time,” the attorney general said.