DeSantis Pal Arrested For Indecent Exposure – For 4th Time
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Fred Piccolo is a former COVID spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis and now the former marketing director for Florida’s New College. You may recall that New College is a formerly progressive liberal arts school that DeSantis vowed to transform into a bastion of conservatism. As Susie Madrak reported via the Miami Herald, DeSantis has “overhauled its leadership” by “installing political allies on the board of trustees and appointing former Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran as president.”
Piccolo is quite an example of conservative values.
ABC’s Mysuncoast.com has the details on Piccolo’s fourth arrest:
According to a probable cause affidavit concerning his latest set of charges, on March 28, a woman was on a walk in the Lakewood Ranch Country Club community when she was approached by a man driving a vehicle. The woman said the man asked her for directions to Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota.
The affidavit says the man, described as in his 40s with a “shaggy” beard, drove off, turned around and nearly blocked her path with his car, asking her to repeat the directions.
It was at that point she realized the driver was naked, holding his penis in his hand.
The woman ran away and called 911, the affidavit said.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Piccolo has worked for the presumably anti-woke Corcoran “off and on for over a decade, at least since Corcoran’s time as state House Speaker and, later, at the state Department of Education.”
Can you say right-wing DEI? Piccolo was only just fired Wednesday, according to Tampa Bay Times. But this was far from the first time Piccolo’s criminally predatory behavior was made public.
Florida’s WFLA News Channel 8 has the deets on Piccolo’s three prior arrests:
BRITTANY MULLER [REPORTER]: According to these arrest affidavits, Piccolo went to University Town Center Mall in Sarasota on three separate dates in August and September. Investigators say he entered Dillard’s and Banana Republic, asked for assistance from store employees while in the fitting room. Witnesses say Piccolo was totally naked and exposing his genitals during all three incidents in August.
A store employee told deputies Piccolo performed an act on himself inside Banana Republic’s fitting room while the door was open.
But there were clues as far back as at least 2022. More from Tampa Bay Times:
In 2022, Piccolo was accused of sending “unwanted, unsolicited, inappropriate, and grossly offensive” text messages to Florida Rep. Jackie Toledo while working as her campaign manager. Piccolo denied the accusation at the time and a lawsuit filed in the case was eventually dropped.
Not surprisingly, like so many right-wingers, Piccolo’s family is blaming someone or something else. In this case, his father is blaming medication. According to Muller, father Rick Piccolo “says his son was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease about 10 years ago and that one of the side effects of the medication he’s taking is impulsive and compulsive behaviors.” Never mind that Piccolo seems to have planned his indecent exposures.
I wonder if he ever had a threesome with DeSantis pals Christian and Bridget Ziegler, also from Sarasota? Or maybe partied with Matt Gaetz? They all seem to have something in common.