Fred Piccolo, a former spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis and most recently the marketing director at New College of Florida, was dismissed after being arrested for the fourth time in less than a year for indecent exposure.
Piccolo resigned as DeSantis’ spokesperson in 2020 after receiving backlash for downplaying COVID-19 fatalities in a tweet. Two years later, he was accused of sending improper text messages while serving as the campaign manager for Florida Rep. Jackie Toledo—allegations he rejected and were eventually withdrawn.
Piccolo was recently arrested many times in August 2024 for reportedly exposing himself to employees of Banana Republic and Dillard’s in Sarasota’s University Town Center Mall, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Manatee County sheriff’s officers arrested Piccolo again on Tuesday on allegations of “exposure of sexual organs.” A New College representative verified that he was fired from his position as director of marketing and media the next day, and his profile was deleted from the school’s website.
According to arrest records from previous incidents, Piccolo allegedly participated in explicit behavior in public, including several visits to the same store to commit the violations. He is still in custody as of Wednesday morning and has not reacted publicly to the latest charges.
Piccolo now faces four pending prosecutions for indecent exposure, a third-degree crime in Florida.
