Gadsden County commissioner appointed by Gov. DeSantis resigns after KKK costume photo emerges
Gadsden County Commissioner Jeffrey Moore, appointed to the board by Gov. Ron DeSantis, resigned over a photo purportedly of him in KKK attire.
www.tallahassee.com
Gadsden County commissioner appointed by Gov. DeSantis resigns after KKK costume photo emerges
Gadsden County Commissioner Jeffrey Moore, appointed to the board by Gov. Ron DeSantis, resigned over a photo purportedly of him in KKK attire.
www.tallahassee.com
Gadsden County commissioner appointed by Gov. DeSantis resigns after KKK costume photo emerges
Jeffery Moore, a Havana resident and former Department of Revenue employee, abruptly resigned from the post in Florida’s only predominantly Black county after the photo began circulating.
Gadsden County religious leaders are demanding a local commissioner and Gov. Ron DeSantis "come forward" to address allegations that the commissioner resigned last Friday after a photo surfaced purportedly showing him wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood at what could have been a Halloween party years earlier.
Jeffery Moore, a Havana resident and former Department of Revenue employee, was appointed by DeSantis in late July and abruptly resigned from the post in Florida’s only predominantly Black county after the photo began circulating in the local community.
Moore, the only Republican on the five-member board, also ended his campaign for the District 2 race, which was to be decided in the Nov. 8 general election.
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Tracey Stallworth, a pastor who lives in Moore’s district, said the photo “appears to be him, but we're going to formally ask for the truth. We deserve that."
The local clergy will hold a press conference in front of the Gadsden County Courthouse, 10 E. Jefferson St., at 11 a.m. Wednesday to ask Moore and DeSantis to own up to the photo or deny it.
In a short letter to the Governor's Office, Moore did not explain exactly why he opted to resign.
"Please accept this notification of my resignation, effective this date of Sept. 23, 2022, from the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners," Moore wrote. "Thank you for the opportunity to have served in the position, however for personal reasons I am no longer able to continue."
Moore did not respond to questions about his resignation, the photo or the KKK outfit. In an email to the Tallahassee Democrat, he said he was "in the middle of hurricane preparations" and would be in contact on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, he has not replied.
The Governor's Office did not respond to multiple inquiries about Moore's resignation or the photograph.
Fellow Gadsden commissioner calls photo 'total disrespect'
Gadsden County Commissioner Brenda ****, who served briefly with Moore, said she heard about the photograph days before a "local citizen" sent it to her in a text message."I really got this gut feeling in the bottom of my stomach," said ****, a retired school teacher. "It's just total disrespect."
**** said she received a number of calls from outraged residents, including local students who had seen the photo.
"People are upset," she said. "I don't know the history of that photo, but I do know that people depend on us in politics to do better. I'm concerned about young people seeing this."
Stallworth, the pastor who said local clergy were holding a press conference on Wednesday, said he was "shocked" when he saw the photo over a week ago.
"It's a very sad day in our history and a sad time for this county ... the blackest county in the state," he said. "This is not OK."
The low-resolution photo shows a young man raising his arms and smiling at the camera while in a white robe with a pointed hood, emblazoned with what resembles the KKK logo. Four others, whose faces were scratched out, are holding drinks; one is dancing. What appears to be a Halloween skeleton can be seen hanging on a back wall.
Appointed by DeSantis, Jeffrey Moore served less than two months before abrupt resignation
It is unclear when or where the photo was taken or who posted it online initially. It surfaced in between the primary and the general election and at the same time DeSantis is seeking a second term as governor and making obvious overtures as a presidential contender in 2024.DeSantis appointed Moore in late July to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of County Commissioner Anthony Viegbesie. Moore filed to run for the seat in March and faced no other GOP candidate, which catapulted him to the general election.
He was set to face off against Alonzetta Johnson-Simpkins, who emerged as the Democratic nominee after the August primary. It's unclear whether Johnson-Simpkins would automatically be elected to the seat.
She did not comment on Moore's resignation or the race going forward. When asked directly if she saw the photo, Johnson-Simpkins said she, again, did not wish to comment.
Moore, a Havana resident who earned a bachelor's degree from Florida State University, is a former tax law specialist at the Florida Department of Revenue.
Previously, he served as chairman of the Gadsden Soil and Water Conservation District and was president of the Association of Florida Conservation Districts.
Three years ago, another DeSantis-appointed official resigned from office after a similar incident involving a leaked photo. Michael Ertel, the secretary of state, resigned after photos emerged of him posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface years earlier at a private Halloween party.
Back story:Florida Secretary of State Mike Ertel resigns after Halloween blackface photos emerge
Contributed: USA Today Network Florida government accountability reporter Douglas Soule. Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.
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