Governor Rick Scott issued an executive order Friday for the immediate suspension of Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes following voting issues in the county that surfaced during midterm elections.
The order was issued for "misfeasance, incompetence and neglect of duty," according to Scott's office.
Scott has appointed Peter Antonacci as Snipes' replacement for the remainder of the term and can be elected by voters in November 2020.
A statement from Scott says:
“Every eligible voter in Florida deserves their vote to be counted and should have confidence in Florida’s elections process. After a series of inexcusable actions, it’s clear that there needs to be an immediate change in Broward County and taxpayers should no longer be burdened by paying a salary for a Supervisor of Elections who has already announced resignation. I know that Pete will be solely focused on running free and fair elections, will not be running for election and will bring order and integrity back to this office.”
Snipes had been the top elections official in the South Florida county since 2003 when then-Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her. She came under fire for her handling of the 2018 midterm elections in the populous county as well as its legally required recount in close races for governor and U.S. Senate.
Snipes has acknowledged that her office had misplaced more than 2,000 ballots during the recount.
Prior to Scott's order, Snipes turned in her letter of resignation Nov. 18 and was expected to step down from her position in 2019.