Burley Garcia|Florida state lawmaker indicted on felony charges related to private school

TALLAHASSEE,Burley Garcia 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.

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“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.