Win stupid games, win stupid prizes. Or do people just say FAFO now?
Either way, I don't pity this guy because he voted for the death penalty for the very thing he now stands accused of doing.
https://www.rawstory.com/mike-caruso-florida-death-penalty/
Florida Republican could face death penalty under child abuse law he championed
Travis Gettys
A Florida Republican from Donald Trump's home district could potentially face the death penalty under a law he had championed as a state legislator.
Mike Caruso, the Palm Beach County clerk of courts and a staunch ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, was arrested Tuesday morning on child sexual abuse charges, and a plugged-in reporter in the state pointed out a morbid irony in the case.
"As a FL legislator, Mike Caruso supported death penalty for pedophiles in 2023," said Axios reporter Marc Caputo. "Now he has been arrested for allegedly molesting his grandson. The state plans to present the case to a grand jury and that could lead to his own execution if he’s charged and convicted under that law."
Florida passed a law in 2023 that allows the death penalty for defendants convicted of sexual battery on a child under 12, and sources with knowledge of the allegations told the Miami Herald that Caputo's alleged victim was younger than 5 years old.
Caruso, who had been running unopposed in Tuesday's Republican primary, was arrested that same morning on suspicion of molestation, kidnapping, luring and enticing a child, lewd and lascivious exhibition and child abuse, according to an arrest affidavit.
The charges are related to three separate incidents, the Herald reported, and the boy's parents reported their suspicions to law enforcement after the little boy acted out sexually at home.
The Florida law calling for the death penalty for pedophiles is intended in part to challenge the 2008 Supreme Court precedent in Kennedy v. Louisiana, which found that execution was too harsh for a child sexual assault case that did not result in death.
The governor's office declared an intention to challenge that precedent after DeSantis signed the bill into law.
Caruso was previously accused of child sexual abuse, but investigators later determined those allegations to be unfounded after interviewing the child and the child's mother.
He was also the subject of other reports to the Florida Department of Children and Families, according to records, but details about those cases are not public.
Caruso had served two terms in the Florida legislature, easily winning both elections, but he left that term-limited seat in August 2025 when the governor appointed him Palm Beach County’s Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
A Democrat ultimately won the seat he vacated in the Palm Beach district, which includes the president's home at Mar-a-Lago, in a March special election.
Republican Who Backed Death Penalty for Pedophiles Faces Child Sex Charges
Aug 18, 2026 at 07:00 PM EDT; updated, Aug 18, 2026 at 08:55 PM EDT, By Alex Backus
Palm Beach County Clerk of Court Michael Caruso, a former Republican state legislator who previously backed the death penalty for adults convicted of sexually battering children under 12, was arrested Tuesday on five felony child sex abuse charges.
The 67-year-old married father of seven who was appointed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faces five felony counts: kidnapping, child molestation, lewd exhibition, luring or enticing a child and child abuse causing mental injury, an arrest affidavit shows.
Investigators in Florida say Caruso violated a child—who is a relative—and allege the abuse occurred multiple times from fall 2024 to August 2025, including on a family cruise, a fishing outing and during a Thanksgiving gathering. The child has been receiving therapeutic services since April 2026, according to the police affidavit.
“Being in a position of public trust provides no shield from accountability,” state Attorney General James Uthmeier said. "This individual will face the full force of the law.”
DeSantis, who named Caruso to serve as court clerk and comptroller in August 2025, immediately suspended him from office Tuesday upon learning of the allegations.
“It was a very easy decision for me to yank him from that position," DeSantis said during a Tuesday news conference.
When asked whether he or anyone in his administration was aware of the allegations against Caruso before his appointment, he answered "of course not.”
“He had a clean vet, he was well-regarded in the community,” DeSantis said, calling the alleged crimes “horrific.”
Florida is the first state to reintroduce the death penalty for convicted pedophiles, DeSantis said, and if Caruso is convicted, "he is going to be in a world of hurt.”
What Bill Did Caruso Support?
While representing District 87 in the Florida House, Caruso backed what is now known as the 2023 Florida Capital Sexual Battery law. The legislation allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty for adults convicted of sexually battering a child under the age of 12. Caruso is listed as a “Yea” in the April 13, 2023, House vote. DeSantis signed the bill in May 2023 and it took effect six months later.
The Republican is up for reelection in November but is not appearing on Tuesday’s primary ballot, as he is running uncontested. The Florida GOP called on Caruso to immediately drop out of the race.
“While this is surprising news for our entire team, it does not change who we are at the Clerk’s Office or our commitment to the community and customers we serve,” the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller’s Office said in an email to Newsweek.
Following the arrest, Shannon Ramsey-Chessman was sworn in as clerk ad interim. As of Tuesday afternoon, Caruso’s official page on the clerk's office website was unavailable.
