Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed a former county elections supervisor to head up the state's new elections investigation office, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel is reporting.
Peter Antonacci was named to lead the Office of Election Crimes and Security on Wednesday.
DeSantis' spokesperson said the new office "is charged with investigating all election crimes in Florida and overseeing the implementation of measures that will ensure Florida's elections remain secure."
The goal is to "ensure that Florida's elections are the most secure in the nation," DeSantis said in a statement.
Antonacci, 73, had previously been appointed Palm Beach County state attorney and Broward County supervisor of elections, according to the Sentinel.
He had been sent to Broward County in Nov. 2018 by then-Gov. Rick Scott to straighten out the elections office after repeated problems.
He replaced Brenda Snipes, who came under strong criticism for her vote counting process during the 2018 midterm elections.
She had submitted her resignation after a messy recount in Florida.
State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a candidate for the Democrats' nomination for governor, blasted DeSantis for appointing Antonacci to the new post, the Sentinel said.
"Peter Antonacci is a Federalist Society darling," she said. "His appointment by DeSantis is purely political. We already have fraud laws on the books that should be enforced. What we need is real nonpartisan election reform."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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