Racial slurs and profane, sexist insults have no place in conversation between Senators and will not be tolerated while I am serving as Senate President. Audrey Gibson and Senate President Joe Negron, for offensive comments he made that have caused him to lose a chairmanship and led to calls for his resignation.
Negron announced shortly before Wednesday's session that Artiles will no longer serve as chairman of the Senate's Committee on Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities.
A Republican state senator from Miami is facing pressure to resign after he used the n-word to criticize several of his colleagues during an alcohol fueled rant in front of two black lawmakers. The two senators told the Herald that Artiles later said he'd used the word "niggas", suggesting the slang word wasn't meant to be insulting.
Gibson said she left the conversation, at which point Thurston confronted Artiles.
However the Florida Democratic Party has urged Artiles to resign, with Negron saying he was "appalled" by what the senator had said.
As for using the n-word, Artiles didn't repeat it - but argued the slur was aimed at "no one in particular".
Artiles, who was also accused of punching a college student in the face two years ago (he denied it), was somehow elected to Senate District 40 in November. "There is no excuse for the exchange that occurred and I have apologized to my Senate colleagues and regret the incident profusely", he said in the statement.
Artiles reportedly grew heated over drinks at a members-only club near the state Capitol and called Jacksonville State Sen.
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The senator used the n-word during the conversation as well as called Gibson a "f****** as****e", "a bitch" and a "girl". According to CBS4, Artiles also said he'd used the slur because "I'm from Hialeah".
Wednesday Artiles apologized before the senate and issued apologies directly to Gibson, Thurston and Negron specifically.
"We've got a (Legislative Black) Caucus meeting" later today, Thurston said.
Charly Norton, executive director of the advocacy group FloridaStrong, said the time has come for Artiles' "embarrassing tenure" to end.
Artiles has since apologized to Gibson and publicly for his remarks.
"It was a slang term, and I am not a racist", he told Politico Florida in a text message. But not in Gibson's and Thurston's, they said.
"I understand that President Negron is allowing Senator Artiles to formally apologize on the Senate floor [Wednesday]", Galvano told the Tallahassee Democrat.
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