Nikki Fried demands Jeffery Moore resignation, removal after KKK photo

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wants Jeffery Moore off a statewide conservation organization after a photo emerged allegedly showing the former Gadsden County Commissioner in a Ku Klux Klan costume.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moore to the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners in late July. Moore resigned from the Commission and dropped from the race to retain the seat last month after photos appeared to show him in a KKK costume, possibly at a Halloween party years earlier.

While Moore, a Republican, no longer serves the county, he still serves as past president of the Association of Florida Conservation Districts (AFCD). Moore, who resigned as Chairman of the Gadsden County Soil and Water Conservation District and president of AFCD following his appointment to the County Commission, has not stepped down as the association’s past president.

The Association of Florida Conservation Districts is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves to promote the needs of Florida’s more than 50 Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Executive board members, like former President and current Parliamentarian Archie Matthews, describe the role of past president as “largely ceremonial” or equivalent to an adviser.

But that hasn’t stopped Fried, a Democrat whose statewide office works closely with Soil and Water Conservation Districts, from calling for Moore to resign or be removed.

“This is a disgrace, but it is not surprising,” Fried said in a news release.

“Nazis, White supremacists, and antisemites have too often found safe haven in the silence and inaction of the Governor. Failing to remove Mr. Moore from this board sends a message to the people of Florida: that the consequences of the actions of those willing to put on a hood of the KKK are minimal. I demand nothing less than the immediate resignation, or removal, of Mr. Moore from this board. Silence from the Governor on this matter is not an option.”

The Governor does not have direct control over the membership of AFCD. Soil and Water Conservation Districts, which are composed of “volunteer” elected officials, pay dues to become members. Moore has already resigned from his government roles.

However, Fried spokesperson Benjamin Kirby said the Agriculture Commissioner’s call is directed at DeSantis and any appropriate official with the ability to remove Moore.

Moore did not immediately return Florida Politics’ request for comment.

As reported by the Tallahassee Democrat, the AFCD executive board decided not to remove Moore from the organization, in part because he will cycle out in February. Matthews told Florida Politics that members decided against removing Moore during a Zoom meeting of the full board, when they would not have been able to reach quorum for the executive board to remove him.

“After discussion of the ongoing press coverage, the lack of facts surrounding the veracity of the photo and identified individuals, the fact that Mr. Moore automatically rotates off the Board at the AFCD Annual Meeting in February, as well as the fact there was not a quorum present to act at the specially called meeting, no action was proposed to be taken at this time,” read a statement from AFCD legal counsel David Ramba obtained by the Democrat.

Moore already faced scrutiny as a Republican appointee to the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners. He was appointed to fill a seat vacated by retiring Chairman Anthony Viegbesie, a Democrat, in District 2. District 2 is a Democratic-leaning seat that stretches from north Quincy to west Havana.

At the time of his appointment, Moore, a White man, was the only Republican running to succeed Viegbesie. Gadsden County is Florida’s only majority-Black county.

Democrats have repeatedly condemned DeSantis for associating with people who have been accused of antisemitism and racism. They have also accused the Governor as not being forceful enough against antisemitism and racism.

This weekend, Democrats criticized DeSantis for not condemning a spate of antisemitic messages appearing across the state this weekend. A homeowners’ association property was defaced in Weston after other, anti-Jewish sentiments were displayed around Jacksonville Friday and Saturday, most prominently at a full-capacity football game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia at the TIAA Bank Field.

Earlier this year, DeSantis responded to an incident involving neo-Nazis in Orlando by saying the state would hold the “jackasses” accountable. However, he focused the majority of his response on “smears” from Democrats who linked an increase in antisemitic rhetoric and demonstrations to DeSantis, who is up for re-election next week.

“They tried to play games; they tried to politicize. Why would they do that? Why would they want to elevate a half-dozen malcontents and try to make this an issue for political gain?” DeSantis said in January. “Because they want to distract from the failure that we’ve seen with Joe Biden.”