We Can Do Better: Fla. Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll Resigns Amid Gambling Scandal

She was the first African American woman elected to statewide office in Florida

Welp! Although it’s Women’s History Month, Florida’s lieutenant governor certainly doesn’t want to be remembered for yet another scandal unfolding in the state. Jennifer Carroll, the first African American woman elected to statewide office in the Sunshine State, on Wednesday, resigned over a scandal involving a bogus veterans charity that authorities say was a front for a $300 million gambling operation. Carroll, a Republican, was not named among the nearly 60 people charged in the scandal, but announced her resignation a day after she was questioned by investigators. Authorities declined to say how Carroll was tied to the scandal. The public relations firm Carroll co-owned did some work for Allied Veterans of the World, the fraudulent charity, and she also appeared in a TV ad in 2011 promoting the organization’s work on behalf of veterans and their families. In a statement, Carroll said she did not want to be a distraction for Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s administration. (Associated Press)

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