Multiple news sources have reported that Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is in the hot seat, as community leaders are outraged behind a photo of former Gadsden County commissioner, Jeffrey Moore, posing in a Ku Klux Klan robe. Moore, appointed by Governor DeSantis in July, recently resigned from his post in Florida’s only predominantly Black county once the photo circulated nationally. Many within Black society have accused Governor DeSantis of having White nationalist ties, and this latest incident has done nothing to deter those sentiments.
In 2019, another DeSantis-appointed official, Michael Ertel, resigned after photos emerged of him posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface. At the time, Ertel was the Secretary of State.
Florida Republican Michael Ertel resigns over blackface drag costume
Many of Governor Desantis’s critics have argued that he has a history of promoting anti-Black legislation in Florida, so many were not surprised by this latest incident. Some have pointed to:
In 2021, DeSantis signed a bill, which he referred to as “the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country.” as a response to nationwide protests against police brutality and anti-Black systemic racism throughout the nation, following the murder of George Floyd, by a race soldier. The anti-Black bill ended vehicle driver liability for hitting pedestrians while criminalizing protestors.
The governor’s critics also highlight that a Florida judge had to reject a congressional map backed by Gov. Ron Desantis (R-Fla.), arguing the map violated the state constitution by disbanding a district with a large Black population— in a state-level redistricting battle.
Then there is the controversial fight surrounding CRT and its validity in Schools. Gov. Desantis has been outspoken while passing a Florida bill banning lessons & curriculums deemed to make, “White students feel discomfort,” regarding racism throughout US history. Critics of Desantis and his views regarding CRT have been expressed by many within Black American society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMZiK13YVto
The “Tallahassee Democrat” states. “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.”
1up Atlanta Examiner 