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Mike Caruso, the Palm Beach County clerk of courts and a staunch ally of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, was arrested Tuesday morning on charges linked to the child sexual abuse of a family member, state officials announced.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest in a statement on X.
“Early this morning, with substantial assistance from FDLE and local law enforcement, Palm Beach County Clerk of Court Michael Caruso was arrested on charges related to child sexual abuse,” the statement said. “The investigation is ongoing and we will provide more information to the public at the appropriate time.”
Caruso was booked into Palm Beach County jail on an out-of-county warrant just before 9 a.m., jail records show.
Less than an hour afterward, DeSantis announced that Caruso was suspended from public office. Shannon Ramsey-Chessman, the current chief of staff and deputy chief clerk, was sworn in as interim Clerk of Court on Tuesday morning.
The suspension order included an arrest warrant out of Orange County indicating that Caruso is facing five felony charges: Kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse (mental injury). The sexual abuse began in 2024 and continued until at least August 2025, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The victim of the sexual abuse was a boy under the age of 12, according to the affidavit. The boy lives in Orange County in Central Florida, where Caruso will be arraigned.
The boy’s father became aware of the sexual abuse in October 2025, when he saw his son engaging in sexual behavior with his younger brother, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When the boy’s father intervened, the boy told him that, when he was on a cruise with Caruso over the summer, Caruso had showered with him and performed a sex act, according to the affidavit.
During an interview with investigators, the boy also revealed that Caruso had molested him in the days leading up to Thanksgiving 2024.
When the boy’s father confronted Caruso about the allegations, Caruso said he showered with all of his own children but denied showering with the victim, according to the affidavit. Caruso also asked if the victim’s father had spoken with Caruso’s former wife, characterizing her as “evil” and saying she had possibly “fabricated the allegations in an effort to poison the child against him.”
During the conversation, Caruso also acknowledged that one of his daughters had also made allegations against him, according to the affidavit.
When the victim’s father confronted Caruso’s current wife, Tracy, about the allegations, she said that Caruso could be arrested and that it was a “life in jail kinda thing,” the affidavit states.
Tracy Caruso did not return a voicemail seeking comment Tuesday.
In February of this year, the victim’s father spoke with Caruso again in a conversation that was recorded for law enforcement, according to the affidavit. Caruso said in the conversation that the allegations against him were “impossible” because he is attracted to women and sexual deviation is directed towards one sex, not two.
“If you report this to authorities there won’t be any of me left, I can tell you that,” Caruso said, according to the affidavit.
The victim is being represented by the Haba Law Firm, which said that “formal charges are anticipated.”
“This arrest is a decisive line in the sand. When someone targets a child, they don’t just break the law — they shatter a community’s trust,” attorney Lisa Haba said in a statement. “We intend to make sure this survivor’s voice is heard through every step of this process.”
A statement released by Uthmeier’s office late Tuesday morning said the investigation remains ongoing and more charges are expected.
Allegations against Caruso stretch as far back as 2001, records show. That year, Caruso was investigated over allegations that he had physically abused one of his seven children, according to a Delray Beach police report, based on welts observed on the child’s back, neck and face. DCF originally investigated, before Delray Beach police took over. When they interviewed Caruso’s wife at the time, she denied any abuse, according to the report. The child also denied being struck or abused by either parent. DCF concluded that the case was unfounded, and Delray Beach Police determined that it was exceptionally cleared.
Abuse allegations also emerged during Caruso’s divorce from his ex-wife, Beverly. In a counterpetition for divorce filed in 2012, Beverly Caruso wrote that her husband “has severe emotional problems which consist of anger, rage and a history of physical and emotional abuse of one or more of the children.”
One of the children the two share “was forced out of the home by the husband” and has no relationship with Caruso, the counterpetition said.
Caruso had also accused his wife of domestic violence in a petition for a restraining order around the same time, records show, saying she hit him and tackled him to the ground during an altercation.
Attempts to reach Beverly Caruso were unsuccessful on Tuesday.
Caruso, 67, had been appointed by DeSantis in August to serve as Palm Beach County clerk of the circuit court and comptroller after Joseph Abruzzo resigned to take a new position as Palm Beach County administrator. Caruso had served as a state legislator beginning in 2018, where he was one of DeSantis’ staunchest allies.
Caruso, who made $212,385 per year as clerk, had been expected to run for election in November; he was not on Tuesday’s primary ballot because no Republican challenged him for the position.
A governor’s order suspending an official from office doesn’t affect his candidacy. But Caruso can be replaced on the November ballot if he resigns as a candidate.
Election lawyer Juan-Carlos “J.C.” Planas, a former Miami-Dade County state legislator, said the Palm Beach County Republican Executive Committee can name a replacement. The REC is made up of precinct committeemen and committeewomen from throughout the county.
Time is of the essence if Republicans want to get the name of a replacement candidate on the ballot for the November election — assuming Caruso is willing to resign as a candidate. If the REC replaces him before the primary election results are certified, Planas said, the replacement candidate’s name appears on the November ballot.
Certification is nine days after the primary, under state law.
If he’s not replaced by then, a new candidate could run for the job — but Caruso’s name would remain on the ballot. Planas said notices would inform voters that even though Caruso’s name is on the ballot, casting a vote for him would count as a vote for the replacement candidate.
It’s happened before. In late September 2006, then U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, a Palm Beach County Republican, resigned after it emerged he exchanged sexually laced Internet messages underage male House pages. (FBI and state investigations were closed without criminal charges and Foley said there was never any sexual contact.)
The Republican Party replaced Foley with then-state Rep. Joe Negron. But it was late enough in the election cycle that Foley’s name remained on the ballot. Republican Negon ended up losing the November election to Democrat Tim Mahoney by just 4,417 votes out of 223,733 votes cast.
“No title, political affiliation, personal relationship or position of influence places anyone above accountability. Governor DeSantis acted appropriately and decisively in immediately suspending Michael Caruso from office,” former clerk and current county administrator Abruzzo said. “I have complete confidence in Shannon Ramsey-Chessman as she assumes leadership of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Office. Shannon served as my Chief Deputy Clerk and Chief of Staff, and I know firsthand that she is a remarkable person and an exceptionally capable public servant. She possesses the integrity, experience and steady judgment necessary to lead the office through this difficult moment while protecting the public’s records, finances and trust.”
The Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller’s Office said in a statement on social media that Caruso’s arrest comes as “surprising news.”
“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 statement said. “For decades, the Clerk’s office in Palm Beach County has consistently stood for professionalism and outstanding service for our customers. That focus remains for every one of our 650 employees.”
South Florida Sun Sentinel staff writer Anthony Man contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story specified the child’s exact relationship to the suspect. Those details have been removed to protect the privacy of a minor.
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