A prominent Florida court official has been arrested on a series of serious charges involving the alleged sexual abuse of a younger male relative.
Palm Beach County Clerk of Court and Comptroller Mike Caruso, 67, was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 18, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced.
Caruso is facing charges including kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury, according to an executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis suspending him from office.
Uthmeier said the investigation remains ongoing.
The charges stem from allegations made by a young male relative during a recorded interview with Orange County law enforcement, according to court documents cited by WPTV, the Sun Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post.
Investigators allege the abuse began around November 2024, when Caruso took the child fishing alone at a pond.
Another alleged incident took place during a seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise aboard Icon of the Seas in August 2025.
Caruso had reportedly paid for at least 10 family members to take the cruise.
Court documents allege that while the ship was in international waters, Caruso separated the boy from other adults by telling them he was taking the child to get ice cream.
Months later, in October 2025, the boy’s father reportedly became concerned after observing behavior involving the child and his younger brother.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement told WPTV that the child subsequently disclosed multiple alleged incidents to family members.
When relatives confronted Caruso in December 2025, investigators say he made several partial admissions while denying the most serious accusations.
Court documents also accuse Caruso of trying to convince relatives not to contact authorities.
“If you tell anyone I will get arrested. I will just go away. You tell anyone I’m going to jail,” he allegedly told family members, according to WPTV.
Caruso also allegedly offered to stay away from Orange County and suggested that the matter did not need to be reported.
Investigators later spoke with Caruso in a recorded conversation in February 2026.
During that exchange, Caruso allegedly told officers that he was attracted to women and argued that it was therefore “impossible” for him to be a sex offender, according to WPTV’s account of the court documents.
News of the arrest stunned employees at the Palm Beach County Clerk’s Office.
“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 office said in a statement Tuesday.
Caruso, a Republican and former Florida state lawmaker, was appointed Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller by DeSantis in August 2025.
Following his arrest, DeSantis suspended Caruso from the position.
Caruso had also been seeking election to the office in November. He did not appear on Tuesday’s Republican primary ballot because he had no GOP challenger.
According to The Palm Beach Post, Uthmeier said Caruso would be held without bail at the Orange County Jail until his first court appearance.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was continuing to investigate the case.
