TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Republican state representative in central Florida has been indicted on felony forgery charges related to her administration of a private Christian school that she helped run with her family.
Carolina Amesty, 29, turned herself in to authorities at the Orange County Jail on Thursday and was booked on four felony counts. That is after a grand jury found that Amesty forged a man’s signature on a document that she notarized in 2021 while working as an administrator at her family’s Central Christian Academy, according to State Attorney Andrew Bain. The alleged forgery happened before Amesty was elected to the Florida House of Representatives.
Each of the charges are third-degree felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
The indictment of Amesty — who is currently running for reelection in her district west of Orlando — follows investigations by the Orlando Sentinel into Amesty’s background, financial practices and role in the family-run school.
Reached by phone, Amesty declined to answer questions from The Associated Press but pointed to a statement posted to the social media platform X.
“This prosecution, initiated just a few weeks prior to absentee ballots being dropped, is based on misleading reports from a partisan newspaper about a notarization of an employee verification background report,” reads the statement from Amesty’s campaign. “Rep. Amesty calls for a speedy trial, looks forward to her day in court, and is confident of her public vindication.”
First elected to the Florida House in 2022, Amesty touted herself as a successful businesswoman and staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, winning a competitive district that represents parts of Orange and Osceola counties, including Walt Disney World.
Following the indictment, the Florida Democratic Party called on Amesty to resign.
“Carolina Amesty can’t effectively represent the people of House District 45 while defending herself from felony charges,” party Chair Nikki Fried said. “She should resign from office immediately, and if she refuses to take responsibility for her actions, we demand that the Florida House of Representatives expel her from membership.”
A spokesperson for the Florida Speaker of the House did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
About the author
Danny Sauter, set to win District 3, had area-wide appeal
Danny Sauter leads the District 3 Supervisor race with 56 percent of the votes, leading his closest challenger Sharon Lai by 1,821 votes, according to the latest results.Though another 157,000 votes remain to be counted, ranked-choice voting experts said Sauter is unlikely to lose his commanding lead. For Lai to win, the remaining votes “would have to be very, very different to what we’ve seen so far. They have to be much more pro-Sharon,” said Jason McDaniel, San Francisco State University political science professor with a research focus on ranked-choice voting.“I don’t see that happening,” he added. Note: These results are preliminary. Table created by Kelly Waldron. Data released by the San Francisco Department of Elections on Nov. 6 at 1 a.m. Sauter, who at 36 would be one of the youngest members of the Board of Supervisors, was endorsed by […]
Mysterious black balls that washed up on Sydney beach were foul-smelling mini ‘fatbergs’
The mystery of the black balls that washed up on some of Sydney’s most iconic beaches last month has now been solved – and it’s more disgusting than you could ever imagine.Australian beachgoers were turned away from seven beaches last month after lifeguards spotted thousands of black spheres, prompting closures and clean-up efforts.A team of scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has revealed the black balls – initially thought to be made of tar – were actually mini “fatbergs,” made up of human feces, methamphetamine, human hair, fatty acids, and food waste, among hundreds of other vile and befuddling substances.“They smell absolutely disgusting, they smell worse than anything you’ve ever smelt,” lead investigator Associate Professor Jon Beves told CNN affiliate 9News.The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) first warned Sydney residents to avoid swimming or touching […]
Daniel Lurie leads after strange and terrible election night: Analysis
It’s a shame that San Francisco’s fascinating election results can’t be viewed in isolation from the strange and terrible returns that propelled Donald Trump once more to the presidency. But the luxury of ignoring the bigger picture is something San Francisco no longer gets to do. As of a shade before 1 a.m., every last in-person vote was tabulated — 37,345 of them (20,000 provisional votes are pending). In-person voting is a bit like shaving with a straight-edge razor or knitting your own pot-holders: You could do it if you wanted to, but hardly anybody does. At present, 234,453 votes have been counted; a shade under 45 percent. The Department of Elections expects around 157,000 more votes to trickle in (including those 20,000 provisional ballots). That would result in perhaps a 75 percent turnout; San Francisco voters show up at an average […]
Gov. Tim Walz will face new era of divided government in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz faces a new era of divided government when he returns home from the presidential campaign trail, now that Republicans appear to have broken the Democratic trifecta that helped put him on Kamala Harris’ radar.While Democrats will keep their one-seat majority in the Senate, leaders on both sides agree that Republicans gained enough seats in the election to tie control of the House at 67-67.According to a tally by The Associated Press, the chamber stood at 65-65 Wednesday afternoon. It would end in a 67-67 tie if the leaders of the last four undeclared races remain ahead. Two of them are so razor-thin that automatic recounts have been triggered unless lawmakers waive them.The last time the House was tied was in 1979, and the history of that legislative session suggests that power-sharing will be contentious.In […]
Election 2024: See results across San Francisco
See below for full election results from across San Francisco, including precinct-level maps and ranked-choice votings results. A total of 44.9 percent of ballots have been counted as of Nov. […] Election 2024: See results across San Francisco Source: missionlocal.org
Kremlin aide says Germany car industry plight shows green transition risks
By Vladimir Soldatkin SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - Russian industry may suffer the fate of car makers in Germany, which have shed tens of thousands of jobs, if it moves too fast to replace fossil fuels, a Kremlin adviser said on Wednesday. "The Russian Federation supports a gradual transition, a gradual transformation, so as to avoid shock scenarios on the energy markets, industrial markets," Kremlin climate envoy Ruslan Edelgeriyev told a conference in Sochi, southern Russia. "Miscalculated ambitions damaged Germany's auto industry," he said, speaking five days before the next U.N. climate change conference begins in Baku, Azerbaijan. Russia is the world's biggest exporter of natural gas and number two exporter of oil. It is one of the world's top carbon dioxide emitters along with China, the United States and India. Russia joined the Paris climate change pact in 2019, which […]
Related
Mysterious black balls that washed up on Sydney beach were foul-smelling mini ‘fatbergs’
The mystery of the black balls that washed up on some of Sydney’s most iconic beaches last month has now been solved – and it’s more disgusting than you could ever imagine.Australian beachgoers were turned away from seven beaches last month after lifeguards spotted thousands of black spheres, prompting closures and clean-up efforts.A team of scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has revealed the black balls – initially thought to be made of tar – were actually mini “fatbergs,” made up of human feces, methamphetamine, human hair, fatty acids, and food waste, among hundreds of other vile and befuddling substances.“They smell absolutely disgusting, they smell worse than anything you’ve ever smelt,” lead investigator Associate Professor Jon Beves told CNN affiliate 9News.The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) first warned Sydney residents to avoid swimming or touching […]
Gov. Tim Walz will face new era of divided government in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz faces a new era of divided government when he returns home from the presidential campaign trail, now that Republicans appear to have broken the Democratic trifecta that helped put him on Kamala Harris’ radar.While Democrats will keep their one-seat majority in the Senate, leaders on both sides agree that Republicans gained enough seats in the election to tie control of the House at 67-67.According to a tally by The Associated Press, the chamber stood at 65-65 Wednesday afternoon. It would end in a 67-67 tie if the leaders of the last four undeclared races remain ahead. Two of them are so razor-thin that automatic recounts have been triggered unless lawmakers waive them.The last time the House was tied was in 1979, and the history of that legislative session suggests that power-sharing will be contentious.In […]
Kremlin aide says Germany car industry plight shows green transition risks
By Vladimir Soldatkin SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - Russian industry may suffer the fate of car makers in Germany, which have shed tens of thousands of jobs, if it moves too fast to replace fossil fuels, a Kremlin adviser said on Wednesday. "The Russian Federation supports a gradual transition, a gradual transformation, so as to avoid shock scenarios on the energy markets, industrial markets," Kremlin climate envoy Ruslan Edelgeriyev told a conference in Sochi, southern Russia. "Miscalculated ambitions damaged Germany's auto industry," he said, speaking five days before the next U.N. climate change conference begins in Baku, Azerbaijan. Russia is the world's biggest exporter of natural gas and number two exporter of oil. It is one of the world's top carbon dioxide emitters along with China, the United States and India. Russia joined the Paris climate change pact in 2019, which […]
China’s J-35A Stealth Fighter Officially Breaks Cover
China has publicly unveiled the Shenyang J-35A, a land-based stealth fighter that has been under development for some time but which had previously only been seen in unofficial and frequently poor-quality imagery. While we now have a good look at the aircraft, many questions remain, especially about the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) plans for it, since the base design was previously understood to be under development primarily for export and latterly also for carrier-based service with the PLA Navy.The first official photo of the J-35A was released today, ahead of its planned debut at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, better known as Airshow China, held at Zhuhai Airport in Guangdong province, in southern China. The show opens on November 12.The front three-quarter view of the jet, seen taxiing, reveals several new details and sheds more light […]
Musk now says it’s ‘pointless’ to build a $25,000 Tesla for human drivers
By Chris Kirkham (Reuters) - When Reuters reported in April that Tesla (TSLA) had scrapped plans for a long-promised, next-generation $25,000 electric vehicle, the automaker’s stock plunged. Chief Executive Elon Musk rushed to respond on X, his social-media network. “Reuters is lying,” he posted, without elaborating. Tesla’s stock recovered some of its losses. Six months later, Musk appears to have backed into an admission that Tesla dropped its plans for a human-driven $25,000 car. He said in an Oct. 23 earnings call that building the affordable EV would be "pointless” unless the car was fully autonomous. His latest remarks came in response to an investor asking: “When can we expect Tesla to give us the $25,000 non-robotaxi regular car model?” Musk responded: “We’re not making a non-robo…,” before he was interrupted by another Tesla executive. Musk later added: “Basically, I […]
Tucker Carlson Bizarrely Blames Abortion For Increase In Hurricanes
If you thought Tucker Carlson couldn’t get any weirder after claiming he was “physically mauled” by a demon that left claw marks on his body, guess again.Now the former Fox News host turned Donald Trumptoadie is blaming abortions for the increase in hurricanes.Carlson made the dubious claim Monday on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast during a discussion about spirituality that stemmed from his recent claim he’d been attacked by a demon.Somehow the conversation morphed into Carlson decreeing that anyone who thinks reproductive rights are a good thing is “evil” and practicing child sacrifice.Carlson then claimed that people who don’t agree with his thinking are “worshiping abortion, the killing of kids, not as something that, like, needs to happen unfortunately, but as something that is good, that’s pro-abortion.”He then proclaimed that abortion likely causes hurricanes.“I’m sure I’ll be attacked for saying […]
