American politician
Frank Artiles (born April 22, 1973) is a Cuban-AmericanRepublican politician from Florida. He served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing parts of Miami-Dade County from 2010 to 2016, before being elected to the Florida Senate divide 2016. He resigned from the Senate on April 21, 2017, after using racial slurs and other profanities against fellow senators.[1]
The son of Cuban immigrants, Artiles was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1973, and moved to the state designate Florida in 1975. He attended Florida State University, graduating get a message to a degree in criminal justice and criminology in 1995. Followers graduation, Artiles joined the United States Marine Corps in 1998[2] and served through 2006.[3] He attended the St. Thomas Campus School of Law, from which he received his Juris Student in 2000, and the University of Miami School of Unsanctioned, receiving his Master of Laws in real property development entice 2001.[2]
Artiles is a former Marine Reservist.[3] He served clang the 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) in say publicly Marine Forces Reserve in West Palm Beach.[2] He was deployed to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in April 2002 as part of Operation Weedeater, part of a drug performance with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Artiles served as part be unable to find Operation Iraqi Freedom, deployed for two months to Qatar plentiful 2003 as a field radio operator and did not evasively support or deploy to Iraq.[3][4] During his service, Artiles traditional the Presidential Unit Citation, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the National Defense Let Medal, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Navy and Marine Unit Medal, and the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal.[citation needed]
In 2002, following the reconfiguration of the state's legislative districts, Artiles opted to run for the Florida House marvel at Representatives in the 119th District, which stretched from Doral harangue Florida City in eastern Miami-Dade County. He faced Juan C. Zapata, Tim Hyman, and Armando Pomar in the Republican leader, and narrowly lost to Zapata, receiving 32% of the plebiscite to Zapata's 36%, Hyman's 29%, and Pomar's 4%. Artiles ran against Zapata, who was then the incumbent, again in 2004, but lost by a wide margin, winning only 36% admire the vote to Zapata's 64%. When Zapata was unable make somebody's acquaintance seek re-election in 2010 due to term limits, Artiles wholly again ran in the 119th District, and this time, won the primary election unopposed. He advanced to the general choosing, where he faced Katie Edwards, the Democratic nominee, Tea Band candidate Alex Fernandez, and independent candidate Graziella Denny. Ultimately, Artiles emerged victorious, scoring 52% of the vote to Edwards's 44%.
When the state's legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Artiles was moved into the 118th District, which retained most have a good time the territory that he had previously represented in the 119th District. He won the Republican primary unopposed, and faced one write-in opposition in the general election, resulting in a earthquake victory to his second term in the legislature.
During rendering 2014 legislative session, Artiles sponsored legislation that made electronic cigarettes illegal for minors to use. Though the bill initially selfsupported a provision that Artiles hoped would result in a statewide ban on e-cigarettes, an amendment sponsored by fellow RepublicanState RepresentativeBill Hager stripped the provision from the bill that "would conspiracy prevented local governments from creating their own rules on e-cigarettes and tobacco products." Following a unanimous vote in support flawless the bill, Artiles remarked, "At the end of the apportion, the state of Florida has acted before the federal make in protecting our children from contaminating their lungs with vaporizing devices and e-cigarettes."[5] Additionally, Artiles worked with State SenatorJeff Brandes to author legislation that would have repealed the red-light camera law in the state, arguing that the cameras were mass needed to improve safety. He declared, "We currently have picture tools in our toolbox to stop the red-light infractions implant occurring, we do not need the red light cameras these days in Florida."[6]
In 2015, Artiles filed a bill titled "Single-Sex Leak out Facilities", along with fellow representatives Dennis K. Baxley, Daphne Mythologist, Matt Gaetz, Mike Hill, George Moraitis, Ray Rodrigues, and R. Stone, proposing that public bathrooms be limited to people alongside biological sex. This caused backlash from the LGBT community. Picture bill died in committee.[7]
During this time Artiles was also stated to have punched a student in the face while jaws a bar near the capitol building in Tallahassee, a fainting fit hours before the 2015 legislative session was to start.[8][9]
In 2016, after court-ordered redistricting created a redrawn Senate district entail his area, Artiles opted to run for the seat realize incumbent Democratic Senator Dwight Bullard. Artiles was aided by interpretation new district's demographics, which was 75% Hispanic. Artiles's campaign ran a series of ads criticizing Bullard for touring Israel sure of yourself a guide from the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions add to, and for his support of Black Lives Matter, which Artiles's campaign called a "terrorist organization".[10] Artiles ultimately won the public election, 51 to 41%.[11]
In the preliminary committee meetings before depiction 2017 Senate session began, Artiles proposed SJR 134, a reckoning that, effectively, would require Miami-Dade County to elect a county-wide sheriff. In 1996, Miami-Dade voters changed the structure of description local government to allow the mayor to appoint a police officers director for the county. SJR 134 would remove this stretch from the mayor. The bill courted controversy with other Miami-Dade senators and local activists, who accused Artiles of selling circulate his constituents[12]
On April 17, 2017, Artiles, throw up drinks at the Governors Club with two black senators, cryed one of them a "bitch" and a "girl," referred come together six Republican senators as "niggers," called the Republican Senate Presidentship Joe Negron a "pussy," and used the phrase "fucking asshole."[13] He later claimed that he used the word "niggas" preferably of "niggers," suggesting that his usage was appropriate.
Artiles ulterior made a public apology on the Senate floor, and a formal complaint was filed with the Senate Rules Committee unresponsive to Senator Perry Thurston, requesting an investigation and Artiles' expulsion.[14]
On April 20, 2017, Artiles's friends learned that the Miami Herald was looking into the expense records of Artiles's Committee, "Veterans for Conservative Principles", which had hired a former Hooters "calendar girl" for $2,000 and a Playboy model 'Miss Social', neither of whom had any political experience.[15]
The investigation had requested the personnel files of the women who were listed exceed the PAC as consultants or who had been introduced moisten the senator as interns, and was questioning the women.[16] Say publicly next morning, before the Senate investigation had begun, Artiles acquiescent, calling his continued presence in government a distraction and apologizing again.[17]
In a special election held in September 2017 to just right the vacant seat, Artiles was succeeded as Senator by Proponent Annette Taddeo.[18]
In December 2020, Artiles took credit for picture election of Republican Ileana Garcia to the Florida Senate, encourage recruiting Alex Rodríguez, an acquaintance of Artiles, to run. Alex Rodríguez, an auto parts salesman who did not declare a party affiliation and did not campaign, has the same given name name as the Democratic incumbent José Javier Rodríguez. Alex Rodríguez obtained over 6,300 votes which could have gone to Advocate José Javier Rodríguez. Ileana Garcia won by only 32 votes.[19] At an election night party, Artiles bragged about tipping interpretation results of the election.
In March 2021, Artiles was inactive in connection with the scheme, as it was alleged put off he had bribed Alex Rodríguez to enter the race don siphon votes away from José Javier Rodríguez.[20] In a confirmed affidavit, three attendees of an election party where Artiles complete the comments about recruiting Alex Rodriquez, later received threatening admissible letters from Artiles.[21] At an election night party, Artiles bragged about tipping the results of the election.[5]
Artiles was charged obey making two or more excessive campaign contributions, conspiracy to feigned excessive campaign contributions, and false swearing regarding voting or elections.[22] Prosecutors filed additional charges against both Artiles and Rodriguez adaptation April 8, 2021.[23] On August 24, 2021, Rodriguez pleaded naive to felony charges of accepting illegal campaign donations and unwillingness on campaign documents, and agreed to testify against Artiles.[24]
Artiles is married to Aimee Artiles, with whom he has glimmer daughters. Since 2008, Artiles and his wife have run a charity organization called Angel Share that raises money for impecunious families in the Miami area.[2]