Frank Artiles has been condemned for using offensive language during a heated discussion with a fellow lawmaker.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, has joined a chorus of officials and others calling for the resignation of Florida Sen. Frank Artiles.

Artiles, R-Miami, formally apologized to the state Senate on Wednesday (April 19) for language he used during a heated discussion with two black lawmakers. During the discussion, Artiles referred to six white lawmakers by using the N-word. He also referred to one of the black lawmakers as a “bitch.”

“The racial slurs used by Sen. Artiles are deeply offensive to me and the community I represent,” Crist said today (April 20). “He should restore the dignity of the Florida Senate by immediately removing himself from it.”

According to reports of the event, Artiles was in a discussion at the members-only Governor’s Club in Tallahassee on Monday (April 17) with state Sens. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, and Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale. Artiles was talking about what he considers the failure of Senate President Joe Negron to pass enough Republican legislation. He called Negron a “pussy,” according to accounts of the conversation and, using the N-word, blamed the six white lawmakers who put him there.

Since then, the calls for Artiles’ resignation have been increasing. Crist is the latest to add his voice.

Crist represents the 13th Congressional District, which covers south and mid-Pinellas County.

For information about Charlie Crist, go to crist.house.gov.

Charlie Crist | Frank Artiles | Florida Senate | Politics | Tampa Bay News | TB Reporter

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