Florida county commissioner resigns after photos appear to show him in KKK garb

A Florida county commissioner resigned last week after photos emerged that appeared to show him dressed in Ku Klux Klan garb.

Gadsden County Commissioner Jeff Moore, who was appointed just weeks ago by DeSantis, turned in his resignation to the governor’s office last week, according to a spokesperson for DeSantis.

“We are in the middle of hurricane prep, I’m not aware of the photo you sent but Jeff did submit his resignation last week,” the spokesperson told Politico. The governor’s office claims not to know the reasons behind Moore’s resignation, just that the letter read, “for the opportunity to have served in the position, however for personal reasons I am no longer able to continue.”

The photos began making the rounds a few weeks ago, and appear to show a younger Moore, dressed in a KKK costume, smiling and raising his arms in celebration. There appears to be a skeleton decoration in the background, indicating the event was a Halloween party.

Moore was appointed to the position of commissioner in the county with Florida’s highest Black population of 55.8 percent.

“What happened here is a slap in the face to Gadsden County,” said US Representative Al Lawson (D-FL).

Gadsden Sheriff Morris Young told reporters in an interview that the photo had been brought to him and when he approached Moore with it, Moore did not deny that it was him in the image. “He never denied at all. Refuted nothing when I showed him the pictures,” Young said. “I thought he needed to resign, and I told him that.”

Moore has yet to comment publicly about the photo or his resignation. He has also dropped his campaign for the seat in November’s midterm elections. He was appointed by DeSantis after former commissioner Anthony Viegbiesie retired.