Michael Caruso spent years in the Florida Legislature pushing for tougher punishment against people who sexually abuse children. In 2023, he voted for a law letting prosecutors seek the death penalty for adults convicted of sexually battering a child under 12.

Now Caruso himself, appointed last year to serve as Palm Beach County's Clerk of Court, has been arrested on five felony charges: kidnapping, child molestation, lewd exhibition, luring a child, and child abuse causing mental injury. Investigators allege the abuse of a young relative happened repeatedly between fall 2024 and August 2025, including during a family cruise, a fishing trip, and a Thanksgiving gathering. The child has been receiving therapy since April.

Governor Ron DeSantis, who appointed Caruso to the position, suspended him the same day the charges became public. "It was a very easy decision for me to yank him from that position," DeSantis said. But a suspension is not permanent, and Caruso still appears on November's ballot for reelection, running unopposed.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said, "Being in a position of public trust provides no shield from accountability." Signers agree, and they're asking Florida officials to go further: permanently remove Caruso from office, keep him off the ballot, and apply the same law he helped pass fully and fairly in his own case.

A child deserves safety and justice, not a system that lets a powerful official quietly return once the headlines fade.

Sign the petition to permanently remove Michael Caruso from office and hold him to the same law he once championed.