New College of Florida fires media director after ‘exposure of sexual organs’ arrest

The New College of Florida director of marketing and media, Fred Piccolo, faces charges of “exposure of sexual organs” after he was arrested by Manatee County sheriff deputies Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the school confirmed that Piccolo was fired Wednesday after the school removed him from its website.

This isn’t the first time Piccolo, 47, has been accused of sexually inappropriate behavior.

In August, Piccolo was accused of exposing himself to a store employee at a Banana Republic inside Sarasota’s University Town Center Mall.

Piccolo was “using one hand in a stroking manner” while looking at the female employee, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

Eleven days later, Piccolo exposed himself to an employee of Dillard’s in the same shopping center. The next day, Piccolo returned to the store and again exposed himself to a female employee, according to arrest records.

Criminal proceedings for the three cases are ongoing.

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.

Piccolo remained in jail as of Wednesday morning, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office website. He could not be reached for comment.

Piccolo previously worked as a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis, resigning in 2020 after a controversial tweet about Covid-19 victims.

Piccolo worked for New College President Richard Corcoran during Corcoran’s time as state House Speaker and at the state Department of Education.

Indecent exposure is a third-degree felony under state statute.

Ian Hodgson is an education reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, working in partnership with Open Campus.