TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) 鈥� 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.
, 29, turned herself in to authorities at the Orange County Jail on Thursday and was booked on . That is after a grand jury found that Amesty forged a man鈥檚 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 and in fines.
The indictment of Amesty 鈥� who is currently running for reelection in her district west of Orlando 鈥� follows investigations by the 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 posted to the social media platform X.
鈥淭his 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鈥檚 campaign. 鈥淩ep. Amesty calls for a speedy trial, looks forward to her day in court, and is confident of her public vindication.鈥�
First elected to the Florida House in 2022, 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.
鈥淐arolina Amesty can鈥檛 effectively represent the people of House District 45 while defending herself from felony charges,鈥� party Chair Nikki Fried said. 鈥淪he 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.鈥�
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 樱桃视频 Initiative. is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Kate Payne, The Associated Press
