Florida’s newly appointed secretary of state resigned after years-old photos of him wearing blackface emerged.
The photos were obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat and shown to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office Thursday, according to the publication.
The governor said in a statement hours later he had accepted Michael Ertel’s resignation.
“I am submitting my resignation as Florida secretary of state effective immediately,” Ertel, 49, wrote in a separate statement. “It has been an honor to serve you and the voters of Florida.”
The photos showed Ertel dressed as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface at a Halloween party in 2005, two months after the hurricane hit New Orleans.
“There’s nothing I can say,” Ertel said when asked about it.
DeSantis, who defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum, an African-American, in the November election, appointed Ertel to his position Dec. 28. He previously served as supervisor of elections for Seminole County.
Ertel has a track record of expanding voting rights and registering people to vote, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The city of Longwood gave him a Martin Luther King Jr. award for his work registering voters.
