Michael Ertel has resigned as Florida's Secretary of State after photos emerged of him posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface at a Halloween party in 2005.

Gov. Ron DeSantis accepted his resignation Thursday.

DeSantis addressed the photos at a news conference on hurricane relief in Marianna.

"It's unfortunate. He's done a lot of good work," he said, adding that he accepted the resignation because "I don't want to get mired in side controversies."

The photo was taken in 2005, eight months after Ertel was appointed Seminole County supervisor of elections and two months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

After the story and photos spread, social media was critical of Ertel.

Here's how social media reacted:

Secretary of State resigns over blackface photos

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