Along with prominent lawyers, lobbyists and judges, many of Florida’s top elected officials gathered on Monday to mourn. peter antonacci A high-profile state government official and the go-to of several governors. Antonacci died suddenly at the end of last month.
Both Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Senators Rick Scott Joined the crowd at the Florida State University Alumni Center to honor Antonacci, who was in charge of the state’s electoral crimes and public security department at the time of his death.
“We have lost a great Floridian, a great leader, and a great man.” First District Court of Appeals Chief Lori Law Said.
Those who admired Antonacci for spending time in and out of state government over the decades included his daughters. Alexis Lambert When Claudia Hadgeorgiouand a quartet of longtime friends and business associates such as state administrative judges John NewtonGray Robinson, Chairman of Government Affairs and Lobbying Jason UngerFranklin County Tax Collector Richard Watson and Lowe.
Lambert, chief of staff for the Florida Department of Bond Finance, and Hajijou, an attorney who lives in Virginia, recalled that their father was the designated person to speak at the family’s funeral.
“So today we are doing this not because he expected him to, but because he would,” said Lambert, standing by his sister. Although it was hard, he said he took great comfort in knowing that his father had died “just as he wanted it to be.”
“Many of you may have heard me say that I always joked that I wanted to drop the piano over my head like in a classic cartoon. That’s it,” she said. “We think he got the closest equivalent possible. Without it, it was still as confused as he wanted it to be.”
The pair went on to read a letter written by Antonacci and gave them 10 pieces of advice. These included expecting Antonacci to be an ally, a shameless cheerleader, and an interest in things and people. He also advised his daughters to “keep your expectations of life in general, and people in particular, proportional and reasonable.”
Newton, who met Antonacci while at Florida State University Law School, described his longtime friend as humble and said that Antanacci would undermine his efforts to get recognition for his work. .
Newton, who has known Antonacci for 47 years, said, “He was always worried that the principal would be distracted when it mattered.” It seems that there may be a posthumous reward there.”
Newton noted that there were several instances in which Antonacci was willing to take credit for his achievements and be recognized. He praised the creation of what is called the Everglades Liberation Army, the most successful python eradication program the state of Florida has ever launched. His one exception, he said, was in 2018 when Antanoch was inducted into the Miami His Dade His Community His College Hall of Fame.
Antonacci’s career also included serving as Attorney General at the time bob Butterworth After a tumultuous election in 2018, when the election supervisor resigned after Scott initially tried to suspend her, he worked on duties handed to him by the governor, including overseeing the Broward County elections office. is.
He also led the South Florida Water Management District and was the Chief Judge for the State Division of Administrative Hearings, the state’s legal system. Monday’s memorial service was attended by those who worked with Antonacci at various institutions.
DeSantis recently tapped Antonacci Heads the Office of Election Crime and Security Heading into the 2022 campaign cycle.The office is the State Department’s new outfit Investigate electoral crime and voter frauda mission that drew condemnation from Democrats and DeSantis critics.
Newton and others fondly remembered Antanoch’s clever phrasing, including words like “strategy.”
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