The Associated Press

Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll's resignation letter. Source: http://twitter.com/mdixon55
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) - Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll announced her resignation
Wednesday, a day after she was questioned by authorities investigating
an Internet cafe company that she once represented.
See Also: What are the Lt. Governor's duties?
READ: Gov. Rick Scott's statement on Carroll's resignation (PDF)
Carroll's resignation letter to Gov. Rick Scott, dated Tuesday,
offered no details about her reason for leaving. But Scott's chief of
staff, Adam Hollingsworth, said she was interviewed by Florida
Department of Law Enforcement officers Tuesday regarding her work with
Allied Veterans of the World.
She resigned to ensure her ties to
the company would not be a distraction for the administration, he said.
Carroll, a Navy veteran, had owned a public relations firm that
represented that company.
More: 57 indicted in Internet cafe gambling scam
While serving as a state lawmaker,
Carroll's ties to the company were also questioned when she proposed a
bill that would benefit Internet cafes.
Carroll's aides said they had no immediate comment Wednesday.
The
owner of Allied Veterans was arrested Tuesday in Oklahoma on charges of
racketeering. He is accused of making $290 million after supplying
illegal gambling software in Florida and claiming the games' proceeds
would benefit a veterans group. Oklahoma authorities say the group
actually received only 1% of the money. Chase Egan Burns, 37, and his
wife, 38-year-old Kristin Burns, both face extradition to Florida to
face the charges.
Chase Burns owns International Internet Technologies in Anadarko, about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
He
and his wife were arrested after an investigation that spanned several
years and involved the Internal Revenue Service and various law
enforcement agencies in Oklahoma and Florida, including the sheriff's
office in Florida's Seminole County, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott
Pruitt's office.
Chase Burns was released from the Caddo County jail Tuesday afternoon on a $500,000 bond. He denied any wrongdoing.
"What we do is legal," he told The Oklahoman on Monday, the night before he turned himself in to local authorities.
His father, Tony Burns, also serves as his attorney. Tony Burns told the newspaper that his son broke no laws.
"What
Chase was doing was he was actually selling the Internet time," Tony
Burns said. "That's was what his business was - providing the software.
And there's nothing illegal about providing software to any business."
Tony Burns did not return a call seeking comment from The Associated Press.
A
telephone number listed for Allied Veterans in St. Augustine has been
disconnected. Multiple emails sent by The Associated Press to an address
listed on the group's website weren't returned Tuesday evening.
The
former lieutenant governor - who is the mother of Miami Dolphins
defensive back Nolan Carroll - has been named in previous scandals.
Last
year, a former aide, Carletha Cole, claimed to have found Carroll in a
compromising position with a travel aide inside's Carroll's office.
Cole
is charged with violating state law for allegedly giving a recording of
a conversation with Carroll's chief of staff to a newspaper reporter.
Cole
says she was ordered by Ramos to find adjoining hotel rooms for Carroll
and Ramos when they traveled. Carroll has said previously the
allegations are an attempt by Cole and her attorney to get the criminal
charges against Cole dropped.
Carroll, a married mother of three,
became the brunt of late-night talk show hosts when she defended herself
against the allegations, telling 10 News that black
women who look like her "don't engage in relationships like that." She
later apologized for the remarks, which implied that black lesbians are not attractive.
According to Florida's law regarding the line of succession, if there is no Lt. Governor in place, then Attorney General Pam Bondi is next in line, followed by CFO Jeff Atwater, and then Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam.
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Lesbian remark: Lt. Governor Carroll apologizes for lesbian remark
Misconduct allegations: Former aide alleges misconduct for Jennifer Carroll
Lawyers admonished: Lawyers admonised over case with former Jennifer Carroll aide Carletha Cole