TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Mike Ertel, the Seminole County elections supervisor who just became Florida's new secretary of state, has resigned.
- Ertel turned in his resignation Thursday
- Published report includes pictures of Ertel in blackface
- Gov. DeSantis says he's sure Ertel regrets the incident
- Jennifer Kennedy to serve as Interim Secretary of State
- READ IT: Mike Ertel's resignation letter (PDF)
Spectrum News confirms Ertel turned in his resignation letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday.
Ertel was Seminole County Supervisor of Elections from 2005 until January, when he was appointed secretary of state by DeSantis.
Although Ertel's letter does not explain why he resigned, a report by the Tallahassee Democrat includes 2005 photos of Ertel in blackface as a Hurricane Katrina survivor at a Halloween party. The Democrat said the pictures were taken eight months after he was appointed Seminole elections supervisor.
"I think it's unfortunate, I think he's done a lot of good work," DeSantis said during a news conference in Marianna, "At the same time, I've got to have an administration that's going to be focused on what matters to Floridians, and I don't want to get mired into, kind of side controversies. So, I felt it was best to just accept the resignation and move on.
"I think it's unfortunate, I think he regrets that whole thing 14, 15 years ago, but at the same time I want people to be able to lead and not have these things swirling around them, so I thought it was best to just move on," he said.
The resignation was unexpected. Ertel delivered a presentation on election issues to lawmakers Thursday morning.
Jennifer Kennedy, Deputy Secretary of the Department of State, was appointed by DeSantis to be Interim Secretary of State following Ertel's resignation.
DeSantis faced his own criticism regarding comments he made during gubernatorial race about his opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, that were considered racially divisive.