Florida’s secretary of state resigned after photos of him wearing blackface at a party more than 13 years ago surfaced.
In an email to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday, Michael Ertel said that he would step down from his post “effective immediately.”
"I am submitting my resignation as Florida Secretary of State effective immediately," he said in email obtained by CNN. "It has been an honor to serve you and the voters of Florida." DeSantis accepted Ertel’s resignation.
The Tallahassee Democrat published photos of Ertel in blackface taken a 2005 Halloween party at which he was reportedly dressed up as a victim of Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans that same year.
Ertel, 49, admitted to the Tallahassee Democrat he was the man in the photos, adding, “There's nothing I can say."
The former Seminole County supervisor of elections was appointed by DeSantis and spent less than a month in office.
