Ron DeSantis’ election fraud chief lay dying on the Capitol floor for 24 minutes before someone rushed to his aid, a new report shows.
Peter Antonacci died of a heart attack on September 23, 2022 – less than three months after the governor of Florida appointed him director of the Office of Election Crime and Security.
Antonacci, 74, had “a long history of heart disease and heart problems that resulted in multiple surgeries,” according to the report on his death obtained by Florida Bulldog.
“At approximately 1:46 p.m., Mr. Antonacci is observed getting up and leaving the conference room [redacted]” said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement report.
Peter Antonacci is seen on August 18, 2022 – having been appointed returning officer a month earlier. He would die of a heart attack on September 23rd
Antonacci died in the Florida state capital in Tallahassee (pictured)
Antonacci was visibly unwell, the report said.
“He leans on the left wall. The hall [redacted] as he falls and appears to hit his head on the door [redacted] (sic).
“There did not appear to be any crime in the room (sic) or hallway.”
Despite the drama of his collapse, no one in the building noticed Antonacci lying on the floor for 24 minutes.
“At approximately 2:10:05 p.m., FDL Comm reported. [Mark] Glass appears to notice Antonacci in the hallway coming to his aid (sic).’
Glass, an FDLE commissioner and former deputy director of the Capitol Police, said he left the meeting to speak with General Counsel Ryan Newman when he noticed Antonacci.
“Commissioner Glass stated that as he looked down the hallway, he noticed what appeared to be dark pants and black shoes lying toe-down on the floor,” the report states.
“Commissioner Glass stated that he was watching from the hip and looked at General Counsel Newman and asked if that was Mr. Antonacci attending the meeting.
“Commissioner Glass reported to General Counsel Newman and he ran over there and immediately turned the subject around and identified him as Mr. Antonacci.”
Antonacci, 74, had a long history of heart problems
Glass and Newman called FDLE Chief of Staff Shane Desguin for help.
The three men tried to revive Antonacci with chest compressions and a defibrillator, but by that point Antonacci’s face was “purple and blue,” Antonacci said.
An unnamed caller told the 911 dispatcher that Antonacci was not awake and needed CPR, the report said.
According to the report, police arrived at 2:11 p.m. and attempted to save him using an automated external defibrillator.
At 2:34 p.m. it continued, “The male subject was transported by Leon County EMS to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH), where he was pronounced dead by medical personnel.”
“Initial investigations revealed that the death was due to illness.”
DeSantis announced his death and praised his years of service.
Ron DeSantis announced Antonacci’s death and praised his decades of work
“He (Antonacci) was a dedicated, tenacious and diligent public servant, lawyer and respected professional – a friend to everyone in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said in the statement.
Antonacci served for decades in state government under Democrats and Republicans.
He was appointed to various positions by the governors. Bob Graham, Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist, Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis and was deputy attorney general under Democratic Attorney General Bob Butterworth from 1991 to 1997.
His positions have included prosecutor, CEO of Enterprise Florida, member of the Ethics Commission and executive director of the South Florida Water Management District.
Sen. Rick Scott, who appointed Antonacci to various positions during his two terms as governor before running for the U.S. Senate, said Antonacci was a dedicated public servant and a devoted family man.
“Pete was a proud Floridian, grew up in Hialeah and dedicated decades of his life to serving Florida families as a prosecutor, master of the law and leader,” Scott said in a statement.
Both DeSantis and Scott attended his funeral, where Antonacci’s daughters Alexis Lambert and Claudia Hadjigeorgiou spoke.