TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida's top elections official has abruptly resigned after a newspaper obtained pictures of him in blackface posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim.
Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigned Thursday afternoon just hours after he testified about election lawsuits before a state legislative committee.
The Tallahassee Democrat obtained pictures taken at a Halloween party 14 years ago that show Ertel dressed in blackface. The photos were taken two months after the deadly storm ravaged the Gulf Coast region.
Ertel had been the Seminole County supervisor of elections and was picked by new Gov. Ron DeSantis to take over the department that oversees elections.
During his campaign for governor, DeSantis came under fire from Democrats who said he made racially divisive comments about Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.
The photo was taken in 2005, eight months after Ertel was appointed Seminole County supervisor of elections and two months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. https://t.co/quleb5ZMGX
— Tallahassee Democrat (@TDOnline) January 24, 2019
Florida Gov. @RonDeSantisFL's new election chief Mike Ertel just abruptly resigned after @jeffschweers reported on 2005 pictures of him in blackface.
Here is resignation he sent to DeSantis pic.twitter.com/47its5MbYM
— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) January 24, 2019
Ertel appears to have also deleted his twitter account.
The administration clearly did not see this coming. Ertel this morning gave a presentation in front of a Florida House committee
— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) January 24, 2019
.@GovRonDeSantis tells reporters that it was best for Ertel to quickly resign, saying "I want people who can lead and not have any of these things swirling around." Said he thinks Ertel regrets the incident that occurred shortly after Hurricane Katrina
— Gary Fineout (@fineout) January 24, 2019
