Blackface Photos Of Florida Secretary Of State Prompt Resignation

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis' newly appointed secretary of state, Michael Ertel, resigned Thursday after the Tallahassee Democrat published photos of Ertel in blackface as a Hurricane Katrina victim at a private Halloween party 14 years ago.

Former Tampa Tribune investigative reporter Jeff Schweers, now an investigative reporter with the Tallahassee Democrat, broke the story after obtaining the photos from a private source.

The photos were shown to officials at the governor's office on Thursday. A few hours later, the governor's office issued a statement saying simply, "The governor accepted Secretary Ertel's resignation."

Read the complete story in the Tallahassee Democrat here.

At a news conference on hurricane relief for Hurricane Michael victims Thursday afternoon in Marianna, DeSantis acknowledged the resignation.

"It's unfortunate," he said. "He's done a lot of good work."

He declined to elaborate, saying, "I don't want to get mired in side controversies."

Image via Governor's Office

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