In a shocking revelation, The Florida Bulldog, a nonprofit news organization, reported that Florida Election Crimes and Security Office Director Peter Antonacci, who also served as the former Broward elections supervisor, lay "dead or dying" for a harrowing 24 minutes in a hallway outside Gov. Ron DeSantis' office last year before receiving any assistance. The report further highlighted that no autopsy was performed by the medical examiner's office.

Antonacci, 74, tragically passed away on September 23, 2022, following a contentious meeting of the Office of Election Crimes and Security, a position to which DeSantis had appointed him only two months prior. The meeting's agenda and the nature of the discussion remain undisclosed, as the review of heavily redacted Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) reports did not provide such details. The establishment of this office by DeSantis was intended to ensure "election integrity" in response to former President Donald Trump's baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election.

According to FDLE records examined by The Bulldog, Antonacci left the meeting abruptly before his demise. Initially, his death was announced as having occurred at an undisclosed location within the Capitol building, which houses various offices, including those of the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, CFO, and agriculture commissioner.

The FDLE reports revealed a chilling account of the incident, stating that Antonacci remained unattended on the hallway floor of the governor's office for more than 20 minutes, under real-time video surveillance, before anyone seemingly noticed and came to his aid. Approximately 24 minutes elapsed before a Capitol police officer arrived and connected Antonacci to a defibrillator, which advised that no shock was necessary.

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass, in an interview with his staff, described encountering Antonacci in the hallway about 25 minutes after the director had left the meeting. Glass found Antonacci with a discolored face, showing shades of purple and blue, and a bleeding cut on his forehead, suggesting he had fallen and hit his head against a door or doorknob. Glass checked for a pulse but detected none.

Upon discovery, FDLE Chief of Staff Shane Desguin and Glass immediately performed chest compressions and utilized an artificial manual breathing unit until medical professionals arrived on the scene. Antonacci was then rushed to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where an emergency room doctor ultimately pronounced him dead. FDLE reports also noted that Antonacci's wife, Anne Longman, and his primary doctor, Stacia Groll, confirmed his extensive history of heart disease. The report mentioned the doctor's willingness to sign off on a death certificate.

The absence of an autopsy raised eyebrows, with an unidentified Florida medical examiner cited by The Bulldog describing it as unusual. Comparisons were made to a previous case, where an autopsy was performed following the death of Governor Lawton Chiles due to a heart arrhythmia at the governor's mansion in 1998.

As of now, Governor's office spokesman Jeremy Redfern has not responded to the Orlando Sentinel's request for comment on the matter. The shocking circumstances surrounding Antonacci's death have left many questioning the response time and the lack of a thorough investigation into the incident.