Carolina Amesty to surrender to State Attorney’s Office

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Rep. Carolina Amesty is set to surrender herself to the State Attorney’s Office in Central Florida.

Charges against the Windermere Republican have not yet been announced. Florida Politics has reached out to her attorney and district office for further information.

The news of her impending arrest comes after months of scrutiny, including a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation involving her work for Central Christian University, a private school founded by her father, Juan Amesty.

She also recently resigned her notary public commission after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office announced an investigation into accusations she notarized a form that a man did not remember signing, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The newspaper has investigated a number of issues surrounding Amesty’s work at the school, where she previously worked as a Vice President.

Reporting by the local newspaper has included claims that Amesty notarized a form listing Robert Shaffer as an employee, though he said he did not work there. Amesty’s campaign said Shaffer taught at a K-12 school under the university’s business umbrella, something other employees confirmed in affidavits. Those employees also said he had memory issues.

Amesty first won election to the House in 2022 in House District 45, defeating Democrat Allie Braswell with 53% of the vote. As she runs for re-election this year, she faces former Disney executive Leonard Spencer.

Amesty is a Republican running in a district won by Democrat Joe Biden with 52% in the 2020 Presidential Election but by Republican DeSantis with 54% in the 2022 Governor’s race. That makes the General Election one of the most competitive legislative races in the state of Florida this cycle.

The incumbent has raised more than $96,000 for her re-election campaign in HD 45, while her Friends of Carolina Amesty political committee has another nearly $27,000 available.

Amnesty has not returned requests for comment. On Wednesday evening, she posted a verse from Psalms: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”

She also retweeted a Donald Trump post: “PERSECUTION OF A POLITICAL OPPONENT!”