Florida lawmaker charged with forgery

TALLAHASSEE — A day after being indicted by a grand jury on forgery and other charges, state Rep. Carolina Amesty, R-Windermere, turned herself in at the Orange County Jail on Thursday.

The 29-year-old lawmaker, who is up for re-election in November, was charged with forgery, uttering a forgery, false acknowledgment or certification by a notary public and certification of his own signature, according to the state attorney’s office in the 9th Judicial Circuit. All four charges are third-degree felonies and the penalties can reach up to five years in prison for each offense.

Amnesty and House Republican leaders did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“A concerned citizen informed us of a possible crime and, in compliance with our obligation to investigate fairly and without bias, we requested an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and thoroughly reviewed the facts and evidence of the case,” State Attorney Andrew Bain, appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, said in the statement.

“That information was presented to the grand jury, which found sufficient evidence to return an indictment,” Bain continued. “I am committed to upholding fairness and justice in all cases by applying the law equally to all, and my record reflects this dedication.”

The Orlando Sentinel, which has published investigative stories about Amesty, reported that the freshman lawmaker is accused of forging a signature on a document she notarized as an administrator at Central Christian University family school in Orange County.

According to the Sentinel, Amesty notarized a form in September 2021 stating that a veteran educator was employed by his family’s college. The form was part of the documents Central Christian submitted to the Florida Department of Education to obtain state licensure. The educator, Robert Shaffer, denied working for Central Christian, the Sentinel reported. Amesty responded to the Sentinel by filing an affidavit certifying that Shaffer had signed the form he notarized.

The Sentinel also reported that Amesty submitted false information about his own credentials as part of the school’s licensing efforts.

The Florida Democratic Party called on Amesty to resign or be expelled by the House.

“The charges facing Carolina Amesty are serious and call into question every decision she has made on behalf of her constituents,” Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said in a statement. “If she was willing to falsify official documents for personal gain, there is no way to know what else she has accomplished during her tenure.”

Amesty won the House District 45 seat with 53.3% of the vote in 2022. This year, he faces an election challenge from former Disney executive Leonard Spencer.

By Jim Turner, Florida News Service