TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The Tallahassee Democrat)- Michael Ertel, the newly appointed Secretary of State of Gov. Ron DeSantis, has resigned after photos emerged of him posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface at a private Halloween party 14 years ago.
The photos obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat were shown to the Governor’s Office on Thursday morning. Hours later it issued a statement.
“The governor accepted Secretary Ertel’s resignation,” the Governor’s Office said.
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.
After the Tallahassee Democrat texted the photos to him last week, Ertel, 49, identified himself as the white man in blackface and red lipstick, wearing earrings and a New Orleans Saints bandanna, and falsies under a purple T-shirt that had “Katrina Victim” written on it.
Over the phone and in person, Ertel would not comment on the record about the circumstances surrounding the photo.
“There’s nothing I can say,” Ertel said.
The Tallahassee Democrat shared the photos Thursday with the Governor’s Office, which had not previously seen them.
DeSantis named Ertel on Dec. 28 to replace Ken Detzner, who served as former Gov. Rick Scott’s Secretary of State since 2012.