DeSantis names ex-Palm Beach County State Attorney to head new election crimes office

TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis named a veteran government “Mr. Fix It” as director of the controversial new Office of Election Crimes and Security, an influential post heading into another election season.

Pete Antonacci, 73, who is serving as chief judge for the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, earlier held a series of high-profile jobs under DeSantis’ predecessor, Gov. Rick Scott. They included general counsel to the governor, Broward County supervisor of elections, Palm Beach County state attorney, South Florida Water Management District executive director and Enterprise Florida executive director.

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Over his long career in state government, Antonacci also was top assistant to former Attorney General Bob Butterworth, a Democrat.

“Peter Antonacci has dedicated his career to serving the state of Florida,” DeSantis said in a statement about the appointment. “I am confident he will lead the Office of Election Crimes and Security with integrity and ensure that Florida’s elections are the most secure in the nation.”

Deputy Chief Judge Brad Newman will take over the top spot at DOAH with Antonacci’s departure, the governor said.

DeSantis unveiled his plan for the election crimes office last November in West Palm Beach, calling for a powerful, 52-person, almost $6 million unit ready to investigate possible voter fraud and other wrongdoing.

But the proposal was reined in some by DeSantis’ fellow Republicans in the Legislature, who agreed to spend $3.7 million to add 15 Florida Department of State officials to accept hotline tips about potential ballot wrongdoing.

These would be passed onto 10 Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigators for further examination. Antonacci will work out of the Department of State, which oversees elections in Florida.

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Since DeSantis first promoted the idea, Democrats and most election supervisors have cast doubt about the need for such a unit, citing the small number of actual voter fraud cases that are confirmed by elections officials and law enforcement investigators.

Democrats also have said they worry the new security force could become a weapon used against get-out-the-vote groups or voting activities in communities seen as likely opposing DeSantis, who is up for re-election in November and seen as a likely White House contender in 2024.

When DeSantis signed the legislation creating the unit into law in April, Gainesville Democratic Rep. Yvonne Hinson called it “another malicious attempt by the Republican majority to suppress Florida voters.”

“Even the governor has said that Florida’s 2020 election was secure –  yet this new election crime task force has been developed to solve a problem that does not exist,” she said.

While DeSantis has praised Florida’s election performance during the 2020 presidential contest, he has never distanced himself from discredited claims that election fraud cost former President Trump the White House.

Trump carried Florida in both 2016 and 2020.

DeSantis hasn’t said much about the ongoing Jan. 6 congressional hearings, which have revealed that claims of voter fraud were tied more closely to conspiracy theories than reality. But the governor has lashed out at Democrats and the media, last month saying, “Why are they constantly beating this dead horse?”

Florida Supervisors of Elections President Mark Earley, the Leon County elections supervisor, cited having worked with Antonacci during the new director’s time as Broward elections chief.

“I trust he will serve the people of Florida with an even hand to ensure the continued fairness and sanctity of our elections process,” Earley said. “Peter understands the complexities of election law, and the need for a reserved and judicious application of the power this new office wields."

Antonacci made news during his time as Palm Beach County State Attorney

Antonacci served as Palm Beach County state attorney for about nine months in 2012 before being named Scott’s general counsel in January 2013.

Antonacci was hired as state attorney on an interim basis, filling the spot left by Michael McAuliffe, who left for a private-sector job, and keeping the seat warm for Dave Aronberg, was elected to the position in 2012. Aronberg still holds the position. 

As Palm Beach County's top prosecutor for nine months, Antonacci made news.

While local top prosecutors in the past have used a committee to make decisions on whether to seek the death penalty in murder cases, Antonacci disbanded the group and made the decisions on his own, often aggressively seeking death in cases that previously would not have fit the standard.

He also pursued a complaint against Palm Beach County Judge Barry Cohen, asking that Cohen recuse himself from a first-degree murder case based on allegations that he took advantage of his position on the bench to promote his personal liberal viewpoints.

Antonacci failed to get Cohen removed from the case but an anonymous complaint was filed against Cohen with Florida’s Judicial Qualifications Commission. While acknowledging that Cohen’s personal views did not appear to influence his rulings, the commission and ultimately the state Supreme Court found that he violated judicial canons by using his post as a bully pulpit to rail against various issues, including racial profiling and the prosecution of the mentally ill, and for writing a letter to The Palm Beach Post about an upcoming political race. Though the name of the person who filed the complaint has been kept confidential, many suspect it was Antonacci. He declined to comment publicly on the matter.

Antonacci also served nearly two years as executive director of the South Florida Water Management District after being appointed in 2015 by Scott.

The district is the largest of the state's five water management agencies, covering 16 counties from Orlando to the Keys. During his tenure, the district launched its python hunting program where hunters are paid an hourly salary and bonuses based on snake length.

He also OK'd the district's first gopher tortoise recipient site, which takes in the threatened species when it must be removed from properties under construction.

In 2016, he picked a fight with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for what he said was a failure to contain the invasive fern Lygodium in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Antonacci threatened to evict the federal government from the land, which leases it from the district. A compromise was eventually inked that continued the lease for 20 years.

In 2017, Antonacci was tapped to head Enterprise Florida, the state's business recruitment arm. He was replaced at the water management district by Ernie Marks, who resigned in 2019.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. Palm Beach Post reporter Kim Miller and Palm Beach Post staff reports contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis names Palm Beach County attorney to Florida new election job