PALM BEACH COUNTY CLERK CARUSO ARRESTED ON CHILD SEX ABUSE CHARGES

• Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Palm Beach County Clerk Michael Caruso following his arrest on child sex abuse charges.
• Caruso faces five felony counts, including kidnapping and child molestation, related to the alleged abuse of a young relative.
• The Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigation began after the boy's father reported the abuse in October.

Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Palm Beach County Clerk of Court Michael Caruso on Tuesday morning after his arrest on child sex abuse charges.

Caruso, 67, faces five felony counts: kidnapping, child molestation, lewd exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the investigation remains open, and more charges may follow.

Investigators say Caruso abused a young relative on multiple occasions between the fall of 2024 and August 2025, including during a fishing trip, at a Thanksgiving gathering and aboard a family cruise. A call to Caruso's cell phone Tuesday went immediately to voicemail, followed by an alert that his inbox is full and cannot receive messages.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the boy's father discovered the abuse in October after seeing the boy behaving in a sexualized manner with his younger brother. The boy told his father that Caruso had touched him and exposed himself on prior occasions.

The boy recalled the cruise, during which Caruso separated him from his parents for about an hour under the guise of getting ice cream. The boy's uncle later noticed Caruso had changed clothes when he returned.

According to his arrest report, Caruso suggested his ex-wife had made up the allegations to "poison the child against him."

DeSantis appointed Caruso, a Republican and former state legislator, to serve as the clerk and comptroller in August 2025. He replaced Joe Abruzzo, who serves now as Palm Beach County's administrator.

Caruso was booked into a jail in Orange County, where the child lives, pending his first appearance before a judge. He had filed to run for election to a full four-year term, though it was not immediately clear whether he would remain on the ballot in the November general election.

Palm Beach County Chief Judge Glenn Kelley appointed Shannon Ramsey-Chessman to serve as interim clerk after the governor announced Caruso's suspension. She has worked in the public sector for 29 years and has served in the clerk's office since 2021, rising to the level of chief deputy clerk.

Clerk of Courts employees learned of Caruso's arrest Tuesday morning, spokesperson Kathy Burstein said.

"This morning, our office was notified that Clerk Mike Caruso was arrested on serious criminal charges," Burstein said. "We are awaiting additional information from the Governor's office on next steps."

She said the news would not affect its operations or service to the public.

"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," Burstein said.

Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. Reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.

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