Dying of official at Ron DeSantis’s workplace went undetected for twenty-four min : NPR

Florida’s prime election fraud officer collapsed within the hallway of the governor’s workplace after a heated assembly final 12 months, then lay useless or dying for twenty-four minutes earlier than somebody got here to his assist, based on a brand new report from a neighborhood watchdog group.

Peter Antonacci, who was appointed to steer Florida’s controversial new elections fraud workplace in July 2022, died on the state Capitol constructing weeks later, on Sept. 23, 2022.

Preliminary studies of his dying have been scant on particulars, saying solely that he died of a coronary heart assault “whereas at work within the Capitol constructing.” The 74-year-old had a identified historical past of coronary heart illness and cardiac circumstances, based on his spouse.

On Sunday, a regulation enforcement investigation into the dying was launched by the Florida Bulldog, an unbiased on-line watchdog group that screens state politics and authorities.

The 17-page investigation, retrieved by a public data request, paints a fuller portrait of Antonacci’s dying, together with that he’d simply left a contentious assembly with a few of the state’s prime officers contained in the workplace of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

What’s within the data?

The investigation states that Antonacci had been assembly with 11 folks, however only some are recognized by identify, together with:

• James C. Byrd, Florida’s secretary of state
• Bradley McVay, Byrd’s common counsel
• Scott McInerney, a director of government investigations with the Florida Division of Regulation Enforcement (FLDE) 
• Shane Desguin, FDLE chief of workers
• Mark Glass, FDLE commissioner
• Ryan Newman, FDLE common counsel
• Scott Strauss, Antonacci’s deputy

DeSantis was not named as an attendee.

The assembly was referred to as to debate “an election matter,” based on Desguin, however different particulars on its agenda seem to have been redacted from the data. The data additionally include references to surveillance video (with out audio), however that materials wasn’t included with the general public data launch, the Bulldog reported.

A number of of the attendees provided investigators an identical account on Antonacci’s demeanor.

Glass stated Antonacci had been “agitated.” McInerney stated that the assembly contained a “forwards and backwards dialogue with everybody concerned,” and Antonacci “abruptly obtained up from his seat and walked out.” Desguin stated that Antonacci had moments of being “annoyed” and left after roughly half-hour of dialogue.

Antonacci was seen leaving the convention room at roughly 1:46 p.m. ET. Surveillance video reveals him “staggering as he moved ahead till he collapsed to the ground,” placing his head on a door body on the best way down, based on investigators.

It was one other 24 minutes earlier than anybody was seen coming to his assist.

Glass had stepped out from the convention room and into the hallway to talk together with his common counsel when he caught sight of what seemed to be Antonacci’s slacks and footwear mendacity toes-down round a nook, based on his account within the data.

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

Glass referred to as for Desguin, who left the convention room considering there was presumably an energetic shooter on the premises. Desguin un-holstered his gun; these within the convention room began to maneuver underneath the desk.

However after assessing the scene, Desguin ordered somebody to name 911, tried CPR and retrieved an AED machine and “Ambu Bag,” a synthetic respiration unit.

Capitol police and EMS workers additionally tried the AED machine, however the gadget “by no means indicated {that a} shock was suggested,” investigators stated. Antonacci was transported to a neighborhood hospital, the place he was pronounced useless by medical workers. An post-mortem was not carried out.

Investigators state clearly within the data that no foul play or suspicious circumstances seemed to be concerned.

What has Antonacci’s workplace been investigating?

The Bulldog stated it requested the data in February after receiving a tip that Antonacci had died following an argument with DeSantis, however the data include no point out of the governor.

NPR requested remark from the governor’s workplace however didn’t obtain a response by the point this text was printed.

DeSantis established the Workplace of Election Crimes and Safety with legislative approval in 2022, as former President Donald Trump continued to hawk claims of widespread election fraud.

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

To this point, the workplace’s work seems to have targeted on ex-felons who obtained voter registration playing cards after a state poll initiative handed.

Judges have largely dismissed makes an attempt to prosecute these voters, saying the state cannot punish folks for election fraud after indicating they have been eligible to vote.