Mailers bearing Carolina Amesty mug shot land in HD 45 mailboxes

The state held back some info on Carolina Amesty until after the election. Image via Orange County Jail.

If anyone in House District 45 hasn’t heard about Rep. Carolina Amesty’s indictment, postcards hitting mailboxes could soon break the news.

Cards bearing the Windermere Republican’s mug shot appear with the words “INDICTED on FORGERY CHARGES on August 29th, 2024,” lest anyone think this is a story from the incumbent lawmaker’s distant past. Below her picture, the cards read “Orange County students give her an F FOR FORGERY.”

The miniature mailers were funded by Florida Student Power, which sent out 3,000 cards to voters in Amesty’s district, one of the top battlegrounds in the General Election this year.

The cards reference Amesty’s arrest on two counts of forgery, one count of illegally notarizing her own signature on documents, and one of falsely certifying a signature as a notary. The charges — each punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines — stem from allegations regarding her work at Central Christian Academy, where former employee Robert Shaffer claims Amesty as an administrator signed his names on forms and then notarized them.

“In politics, representation matters. Elected officials should reflect the needs, values, and aspirations of all their constituents, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status,” said Laura Munoz, Civic Engagement Director of Florida Student Power Network.

“Carolina Amesty is unqualified and unserious in how she behaves as an elected official. She has consistently demonstrated that she is out of touch with the diverse communities she represents, consistently voting against their interests in destructive ways.”

Amesty in November faces Democrat Leonard Spencer, a Gotha Democrat who previously worked for The Walt Disney Co., most recently heading up its diversity and sustainability division. Meanwhile, a trial is currently scheduled for Amesty on Oct. 28.

A disclaimer shows the mailers were funded through the New Florida Vision PAC, a political committee dedicated to “building political power for marginalized communities.”

The committee recently saw a surge in contributions, including $50,000 checks from the Washington-based Green Advocacy Project, the Massachusetts-based Movement Voter PAC and the Minnesota-based Midwest Values PAC, as well as a $25,000 donation from Stryker Johnston Foundation Executive Director Megan Johnston.