Former New College of Florida spokesperson Frederick Piccolo Jr. could have three misdemeanor charges for exposure of sexual organs in Sarasota County elevated to third-degree felonies, according to state attorney Ed Brodsky.
Brodsky said Friday that enhancing the charges is under consideration by his office. If that were to occur, Piccolo would be facing a total of five felonies, including two in Manatee County. Each count is punishable by up to five years in prison.
In almost every Florida state statute, an upgrade from a misdemeanor to a felony is based on a prior “conviction.” An exposure case is unusual, Brodsky said, as the standard for enhancement is based on a prior “violation.”
In the case of Piccolo, he was charged with a misdemeanor for exposure of sexual organs, first offense, for an incident on Sept. 4 at the UTC mall. That charge remains as such. In the weeks that followed, he was charged with three more misdemeanors, charges that could have been filed as exposure of sexual organs, second or subsequent offense, which are felonies. Those are the charges Brodsky’s office is reviewing and could upgrade.
Piccolo was recently charged with two exposure felonies in Manatee County. Those charges are felonies based on the prior Sarasota County “violations.”
Who is Fred Piccolo, Jr.?
Piccolo Jr., 47, was the former Director of Marketing & Media, Strategic Communications, for New College of Florida until he was fired in April. Between 2016-2020, he was a spokesperson for Richard Corcoran when he was Florida Speaker of the House. Corcoran is currently New College’s president. Piccolo was also a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
His father, Fred “Rick” Piccolo, is the CEO of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, and is on the Board of Trustees of the University of South Florida, having been appointed by DeSantis in 2021.
He said in a statement that his son was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease about a decade ago. Among the listed side effects of the medications he takes are hypersexual activities.
Why was Piccolo arrested in the first place?
Piccolo was initially arrested by the Mantee County Sheriff’s Office in early April for exposing his sexual organs, according to previous reporting.
A probable cause affidavit in the case states that a Lakewood Ranch woman called 911 in late March after a man in his 40s had stopped his SUV to ask her for directions and had exposed himself to her.
Sarasota court records indicate there were three previously open cases filed against the former New College of Florida official for incidents that allegedly happened between August and September 2024 at the UTC Mall. In the probable cause affidavits for those cases, the investigator wrote that police were called multiple times in connection to a man, later identified as Piccolo, exposing himself to store staff.
New victims emerge, patterns shift
In addition to five previous victims, the Herald-Tribune has identified three more. Included are a 66-year-old Sarasota woman who said Piccolo exposed himself to her in a neighborhood near an elementary school, a mother who lived near Piccolo’s former place of employment and a woman at a Walmart in Osprey. The locations represented a shift as the previous victims were at the UTC mall.
Same plate, different cars
Court records indicate that Piccolo has used the same license plate on different vehicles during the incidents too. For example, on September 4, 2024, Piccolo was captured by a mall security camera entering a gray, 4-door Kia after he had exposed himself to a worker. Court records show that on March 28, the same plate was on a different vehicle Piccolo used during an incident in Manatee County.
And in addition to the 66-year-old Sarasota woman telling the Herald-Tribune she could not read the license plate on the vehicle because the characters were taped, Piccolo was given a citation in Sarasota on March 25 for having cloth covering the first two characters on his plate.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Exposure charges against former New College official could be elevated. Here’s what to know
Reporting by Chris Anderson and Gabriela Szymanowska, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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