Palm Beach County Clerk Mike Caruso arrested on multiple child abuse felony charges
Former state Rep. Mike Carcio, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis as Palm Beach County Clerk, was arrested on five felony counts related to alleged sexual abuse of a child, prompting the governor to suspend him pending investigation.
Palm Beach County Clerk Mike Caruso was taken into custody on Tuesday after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the former state representative faces five felony charges, including kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse resulting in mental injury. The alleged victim is a relative under the age of 12 who reportedly had unsupervised access to Caruso in multiple locations, including a family vacation in August 2025.
"The investigation is ongoing, and we will provide more information to the public at the appropriate time," Uthmeier wrote on X.
According to the arrest affidavit, the boy’s father observed a sexualized act involving the child and reported it to law enforcement. Subsequent interviews with the child described additional alleged conduct, such as unwanted touching and exposure. Caruso denied the accusations when confronted on Dec. 6, 2025, and again during a recorded conversation with the boy’s father on Feb. 10, 2026, stating that the allegations were impossible because he is attracted to women.
Special Agent Reuben Roach of the Aventura Police Department noted that the victim is receiving psychological care and exhibits symptoms consistent with trauma. The affidavit concluded that probable cause exists to believe Caruso committed the listed offenses beginning in the fall of 2024 and continuing aboard the cruise ship Icon of the Seas.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who appointed Caruso as clerk on Aug. 18, 2025, suspended him shortly after the arrest. Caruso, a 67-year-old accountant and father of seven, was running for re-election as the sole Republican candidate against Democrat Yvette Drucker in the Nov. 3 general election. His wife, Tracy Caruso, who co-owns an office-space business and edits a conservative outlet, said the matter could result in a lengthy prison term.
Caruso’s legislative record includes votes supporting the death penalty for child traffickers and for child rapists, measures that became law in 2025 and 2023 respectively. The case remains under investigation as authorities continue to gather evidence.