Carolina Amesty | |
State House: | Florida |
District: | 45th |
Term Start: | November 8, 2022 |
Term End: | November 6, 2024 |
Party: | Republican |
Predecessor: | Geraldine Thompson (redistricting) |
Successor: | Leonard Spencer |
Education: | Seminole State College of Florida (AA) University of Central Florida (BA) |
Birth Date: | 4 November 1994[1] [2] |
Birth Place: | Venezuela |
Birth Name: | Carolina Dinorah Amesty |
Carolina Dinorah Amesty (November 4, 1994) is an American politician and businesswoman who has served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for District 45.[3] Amesty has directed her policies towards taxes, health care, education, veterans affairs, and the tourism industry.[4]
She assumed office on November 8, 2022. Amesty won the Republican primary with 45% of the votes in a five-way race. Her main opponent was Allie Braswell.[5]
Amesty began her preschool studies at La Petite Academy in Orlando, Florida, and attended primary school at Oak Hill Elementary. She graduated high school Valedictorian from West Oaks Academy.[6]
Amesty earned an Associate of Arts from Seminole State College and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Pre Law from the University of Central Florida. Graduate studies in Business Administration from the University of Miami.[7]
She received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State's Office of Educational and Cultural Affairs to travel to Eurasia and learn the Russian language as a matter of national security.
In 2014 and 2015, Amesty worked as the director of academic affairs at Central Christian University, which is owned and operated by her father. Amesty returned to Central Christian University in 2017, working as senior advisor to the president and executive vice president.[8]
Amesty successfully ran for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives in the 2022 election.[6] Her candidacy was endorsed by Donald Trump Jr.[9]
During Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's feud with Disney in 2023, Amesty said that Disney was "indoctrinating" children with "radical gender ideologies" and had "pushed far-left narratives and lies about our great state".[10]
Amesty ran for re-election in 2024, challenged by former Disney executive Leonard Spencer. Spencer defeated Amesty in the election, securing 50.85% of the vote.[11]
Amesty was indicted by the state government of Florida on August 28, 2024, on four charges of forgery, uttering a forgery, false acknowledgment or certification by a notary public and notarizing her own signature, all third-degree felonies each punishable by up to five years in prison.[12] In October 2024, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), along with the State Attorney's office, released a report stating that Amesty "probably" forged a professor's signature on a form for Central Christian University's state licensure.[13]
At the time a candidate for re-election to the House of Representatives, Amesty declared herself innocent of the accusations and described them as part of a defamation campaign aimed at damaging her candidacy. Amesty said the main purpose of this campaign is to prevent her re-election by tarnishing her public image.[14] [15]
In relation to this case, a journalist from Orlando Press raised doubts about the validity of the accusations, highlighting in an article that the prosecution's main witness is a journalist from the Orlando Sentinel, a media outlet that has consistently taken a critical stance toward Amesty.[16] Moreover, it was noted that this witness did not know the candidate in 2021, which calls into question the strength of their testimony.[17]
Additionally, the journalist also criticized the role of a private investigator involved in the case, who also lacked direct knowledge of Amesty during the same period, further casting doubt on the credibility of the evidence presented.[18]
Amesty is a Christian.[19]