Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief spokesman Fred Piccolo resigns

Fred Piccolo is out as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ communications director and will move over to the state Department of Education to serve as executive vice chancellor of the Florida College System.

Piccolo’s resignation comes amid backlash from a 4 a.m. Christmas Eve tweet, in which he downplayed COVID-19 deaths. The tweet drew national headlines and led Piccolo to delete his Twitter account.

His tweet was responding to a photo gallery of COVID-19 victims and healthcare workers. He tweeted: “I’m wondering since 99% [of] Covid patients survive shouldn’t you have 99 photos of survivors for every one fatality? Otherwise you’re just trying to create a narrative that is not reality.”

The tweet has since been deleted.

Piccolo said Thursday that his departure from the governor’s office was unrelated to the tweet and that his move to the state Department of Education had been in the works “for a while.” He said he submitted his resignation letter on Dec. 23, a day before the tweet.

“Just looking for something new. Been in the comms [communications] world for 23 years,” Piccolo said in a text message Thursday morning to the Herald/Times.

Piccolo, who has long been known for his combative social media style with reporters, was tapped as DeSantis’ chief spokesman in July. DeSantis has not yet announced who will replace him.

Piccolo will start his new job at the Department of Education Jan. 6, where he will reunite with Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. Piccolo previously served as Corcoran’s chief spokesman at the state House Speaker’s office.

Corcoran said in a statement Thursday that he was “thrilled” Piccolo was joining the department: “He brings a wealth of knowledge, skill, and years of experience to the department and will provide strategic leadership in developing cross-divisional education strategies for post-secondary and career and adult education to ensure Florida post-secondary students can continue to receive a world-class education.”

This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 11:34 AM.