Records shed light on death of Fla. elections security chief in 2022
Official lay dead for 24 minutes outside of Gov. DeSantis’ office
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The director of Florida’s controversial elections security office, who died in 2022 right after a meeting in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, lay unattended for 24 minutes before being found, new records released by state law enforcement show.
Pete Antonacci, 74, was known as a “Mr. Fix-It” for his wide-ranging roles in state government over the years. He had been named by DeSantis to head the recently created and controversial Office of Election Crimes and Security.
At the time of Antonacci’s death, the Office of Elections Crimes and Security had drawn criticism for spearheading the arrests of 20 Floridians, mostly Black, for having voted illegally in the 2020 elections. Although these Floridians had registered to vote, they had been convicted of crimes that still made them ineligible under a 2018 constitutional amendment that restored voting rights to some felons.
Those arrests occurred just before the August 2022 primaries and were seen by critics as an attempt by DeSantis to intimidate some voters, especially people of color, from legitimately casting ballots.
On Sept. 23, 2022, Antonacci abruptly left a contentious meeting in a conference room in the governor’s office with 11 attendees, including Secretary of State Cord Byrd, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) officials and attorneys for Byrd and DeSantis. FDLE Director Scott McInerney, who was in the meeting, said Antonacci seemed “agitated.” There was no record of what was discussed during the meeting or what may have prompted Antonacci to exit.
The FDLE’s account, made public more than a year after Antonacci’s death, was first reported by the Florida Bulldog news site. The law enforcement agency’s reports disclose that cameras in the conference room and in an adjacent hallway captured him staggering, then collapsing on the floor.
He did not appear to move after collapsing, reports said.
Florida official found 24 minutes after he died
Time stamps on the recordings show Antonacci left the meeting at 1:46 p.m. that Friday afternoon and was not discovered until 2:10 p.m. He was found by Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass, who by then had also stepped out of the conference room to speak with the governor’s general counsel, Ryan Newman.
Glass began performing CPR on Antonacci, assisted by FDLE Chief of Staff Shane Desguin.
Capitol Police attempted to use an automated external defibrillator. But the records released by FDLE suggested it would be of no use.
Police continued to administer CPR until Leon County Emergency Management Services arrived and took over.
Antonacci had no pulse and his face was “purple and blue,” Glass said, according to the reports. A scrape on top of his head indicated he may have hit a doorknob. He was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the reports. His wife and primary doctor later told investigators that he had a long history of heart disease and cardiac issues, resulting in several surgeries.
Desguin told FDLE investigators that Antonacci was frustrated during parts of the meeting but observed no “signs of Mr. Antonacci having a medical issue.”