Carolina Amesty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carolina Amesty | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 45th district | |
| In office November 8, 2022 – November 5, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Geraldine Thompson (redistricting) |
| Succeeded by | Leonard Spencer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carolina Dinorah Amesty November 4, 1994[1][2] |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Jay Rosario (m. 2025) |
| Education | Seminole State College of Florida (AA) University of Central Florida (BA) University of Miami (MBA) |
Carolina Dinorah Amesty (born November 4, 1994) is an American politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for Florida's 45th District from November 2022 to November 2024.[3][4] Amesty focused her policies on taxes, health care, education, veterans' affairs, and the tourism industry.[4][5]
Amesty took office on November 8, 2022, after winning the Republican primaries with 45% of the votes in a race among five candidates, where her main opponent was Allie Braswell. However, in the November 2024 general election, she faced a closely contested race against Leonard Spencer, who prevailed with 50.8% of the votes compared to Amesty's 49.2%.[6][7][8]
Amesty was born in Venezuela on November 4, 1994.[9][2] She graduated high school from West Oaks Academy.[10] 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.[11]
In 2014, she received a scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of State and American Council of Teachers of Russian to travel to Eurasia and learn the Russian language.[12]
Career
In 2014 and 2015, Amesty worked as the director of academic affairs at Central Christian University, which is owned and operated by her father, Pastor Juan Carlos Amesty.[13] Amesty returned to Central Christian University in 2017, working as senior advisor to the president and executive vice president.[8]
Florida House of Representatives
Amesty served as a representative in the Florida House of Representatives for District 45 from November 2022 to November 2024.[10] Her candidacy was endorsed by Donald Trump Jr.[14]
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".[15] She sponsored several bills, including HB 461, which exempts women who have recently given birth from certain jury service under specific conditions. She also introduced a bill to provide property tax exemptions for veterans, which was incorporated into Florida's tax package and later signed by the governor.[16] She also supported legislation to ban the use of TikTok on government devices, explaining that the measure aims to mitigate foreign risks. Additionally, she backed a law raising the minimum age requirement for employment in the strip club industry as part of efforts to protect young women from human trafficking. Amesty stated that this initiative was intended to give young women opportunities to pursue safe careers, access education, and lead family lives free from the threat of exploitation.[17]
In early 2022, she expressed her support for President Trump's potential presidential comeback in 2024.[18] Amesty ran for re-election in 2024. During the election, she was challenged by former Disney executive Leonard Spencer, who defeated her by securing 50.85% of the vote.[19] She was the only Republican legislator in the Florida House to lose their re-election in 2024.[20]