A former Florida state lawmaker running for re-election as a court clerk was arrested Tuesday on charges of kidnapping and molesting a young boy.
Michael Caruso, 67, a Republican who served in the Florida House until last year, was taken into custody in Palm Beach County and charged with multiple felonies including kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse. Gov. Ron DeSantis immediately suspended Caruso from his current post as Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller, barring him from official duties, pay, or privileges.
The case erupted after a seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise in August 2025, when Caruso disappeared with the boy for roughly an hour, claiming he was getting ice cream. The child’s father noticed his son returned in different clothes and that Caruso’s hair was wet, according to charging documents.
The boy, who is not yet 5, then told his father that Caruso made him shower with him and that the elderly man “peed” in his mouth, which he called “yucky,” the affidavit stated. The father confronted Caruso, who allegedly responded with a chilling warning.
“If you tell anyone I will get arrested. I will just go away. You tell anyone I’m going to jail,” Caruso allegedly told the victim’s father, according to the affidavit. He also claimed he is only attracted to women and attempted to blame his “evil” ex-wife for fabricating the allegations to turn the two against each other.
The investigation revealed the abuse allegedly began in November 2024, when Caruso took the boy to a fishing pond and “touched and tickled” his privates. That same month, he allegedly exposed his genitals to the boy and played a game called “tickle monster” that included groping the minor’s buttocks and crotch, the documents state.
The boy has since been receiving therapeutic services, with specialists telling his family he “exhibits responses consistent with trauma,” according to the affidavit.
Caruso, a father of seven and longtime Little League coach, was appointed by DeSantis as clerk last year after leaving the legislature. He was actively seeking re-election to the position in November.
The Palm Beach County Clerk of Court’s office issued a statement Tuesday acknowledging the arrest. “This morning, our office was notified that Clerk Mike Caruso was arrested on serious criminal charges. We are awaiting additional information from the Governor’s office on next steps,” the office said. “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 charges carry particular weight given Caruso’s history. In the viral moment that preceded this arrest, his first wife Beverly Caruso accused him of sexually assaulting a child during their 2013 divorce proceedings after 31 years of marriage. Michael Caruso denied those allegations at the time and blamed them on his wife’s bitterness over the divorce’s end, according to the Miami Herald. The Florida Department of Children and Families investigated the earlier claims.
Caruso was elected to the Florida House in 2018 and served until 2024, when DeSantis tapped him for the clerk position. His political career now appears finished as he faces prosecution on the new charges.
The case has drawn intense attention given Caruso’s public profile, his access to children through Little League coaching, and the disturbing nature of the allegations spanning from cruise ship bathrooms to fishing ponds.
Caruso was being held in Palm Beach County jail following his arrest.