Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Peter Antonacci to guide a brand new elections fraud workplace in July 2022, only some months earlier than Antonacci died within the Capitol construction.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Peter Antonacci to guide a brand new elections fraud workplace in July 2022, only some months earlier than Antonacci died within the Capitol construction.

Jim Vondruska/Getty Pictures

Florida’s most sensible election fraud officer collapsed within the hallway of the governor’s workplace after a heated assembly closing 12 months, then lay useless or demise for twenty-four mins earlier than anyone got here to his support, in keeping with a brand new file from a neighborhood watchdog crew.

Peter Antonacci, who was once appointed to guide Florida’s arguable new elections fraud workplace in July 2022, died on the state Capitol construction weeks later, on Sept. 23, 2022.

Preliminary stories of his loss of life had been scant on main points, announcing simplest that he died of a middle assault “whilst at paintings within the Capitol construction.” The 74-year-old had a recognized historical past of middle illness and cardiac stipulations, in keeping with his spouse.

On Sunday, a legislation enforcement investigation into the loss of life was once launched by way of the Florida Bulldog, an impartial on-line watchdog crew that displays state politics and executive.

The 17-page investigation, retrieved via a public data request, paints a fuller portrait of Antonacci’s loss of life, together with that he’d simply left a contentious assembly with one of the vital state’s most sensible officers within the workplace of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

What is within the data?

The investigation states that Antonacci were assembly with 11 folks, however only some are known by way of identify, together with:

• James C. Byrd, Florida’s secretary of state
• Bradley McVay, Byrd’s normal suggest
• Scott McInerney, a director of govt investigations with the Florida Division of Regulation Enforcement (FLDE) 
• Shane Desguin, FDLE leader of workforce
• Mark Glass, FDLE commissioner
• Ryan Newman, FDLE normal suggest
• Scott Strauss, Antonacci’s deputy

DeSantis was once no longer named as an attendee.

The assembly was once referred to as to speak about “an election subject,” in keeping with Desguin, however different main points on its time table seem to have been redacted from the data. The data additionally comprise references to surveillance video (with out audio), however that subject material wasn’t incorporated with the general public data free up, the Bulldog reported.

A number of of the attendees presented investigators a equivalent account on Antonacci’s demeanor.

Glass mentioned Antonacci were “agitated.” McInerney mentioned that the assembly contained a “from side to side dialogue with everybody concerned,” and Antonacci “rapidly were given up from his seat and walked out.” Desguin mentioned that Antonacci had moments of being “annoyed” and left after kind of half-hour of debate.

Antonacci was once noticed leaving the convention room at kind of 1:46 p.m. ET. Surveillance video presentations him “staggering as he moved ahead till he collapsed to the ground,” putting his head on a door body at the manner down, in keeping with investigators.

It was once some other 24 mins earlier than any person was once noticed coming to his support.

Glass had stepped out from the convention room and into the hallway to talk together with his normal suggest when he stuck sight of what gave the look to be Antonacci’s slacks and sneakers mendacity toes-down round a nook, in keeping with his account within the data.

Glass discovered that Antonacci didn’t have a pulse and gave the impression blue within the face, however he started doing chest compressions.

Glass referred to as for Desguin, who left the convention room considering there was once in all probability an energetic shooter at the premises. Desguin un-holstered his gun; the ones within the convention room began to transport below the desk.

However after assessing the scene, Desguin ordered anyone to name 911, attempted CPR and retrieved an AED gadget and “Ambu Bag,” a synthetic respiring unit.

Capitol police and EMS workforce additionally attempted the AED gadget, however the tool “by no means indicated {that a} surprise was once instructed,” investigators mentioned. Antonacci was once transported to a neighborhood health center, the place he was once pronounced useless by way of clinical workforce. An post-mortem was once no longer carried out.

Investigators state obviously within the data that no foul play or suspicious instances gave the look to be concerned.

What has Antonacci’s workplace been investigating?

The Bulldog mentioned it asked the data in February after receiving a tip that Antonacci had died following a controversy with DeSantis, however the data comprise no point out of the governor.

NPR asked remark from the governor’s workplace however didn’t obtain a reaction by the point this newsletter was once revealed.

DeSantis established the Administrative center of Election Crimes and Safety with legislative approval in 2022, as former President Donald Trump persevered to hawk claims of fashionable election fraud.

The governor hand-picked Antonacci, a former election manager for Broward County, to move the hassle to root out election fraud, even supposing such fraud is exceedingly uncommon within the state. DeSantis himself praised Florida’s election integrity in 2020.

To this point, the workplace’s paintings seems to have enthusiastic about ex-felons who gained voter registration playing cards after a state poll initiative handed.

Judges have in large part disregarded makes an attempt to prosecute those electorate, announcing the state can not punish folks for election fraud after indicating they had been eligible to vote.