Politics Community Leaders Slam Florida County Commissioner for Staying Mum on KKK Photo Scandal: 'Slap in the Face' Gadsden County Commissioner Jeffery Moore resigned Friday after a photo began circulating that appeared to show him in Klan attire. He has not yet made a public statement about the matter By Virginia Chamlee Virginia Chamlee Virginia Chamlee is a Politics Writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE for three years. Her work has previously appeared in The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, Eater, and other outlets. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 29, 2022 04:56PM EDT Jeffrey Moore. Photo: Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners/Facebook Officials and community leaders in Gadsden County, Fla., are calling a recent controversy surrounding commissioner Jeffery Moore a "slap in the face," noting that he has yet to publicly respond after a photo surfaced allegedly showing him in a KKK outfit at what appears to be a costume party. Moore was appointed to the commission in Gadsden — the only Florida county with a more-than-50% Black population — by Gov. Ron DeSantis over the summer and sworn in to the post in August. He was the only white member and the only Republican on the five-member board. The Tallahassee Democrat reports that, after a photo allegedly showing Moore in a white hood and robe began to make the rounds last week, he abruptly resigned from his post and ended his campaign for the state's District 2 race. Texas Mayor Resigns After Telling 'Lazy' Residents 'No One Owes You' Anything amid Calls for Help: 'Quit Crying' Moore has yet to make a public statement about the photo — a fact that's further angering state and local officials. "What happened here is a slap in the face to Gadsden County," Congressman Al Lawson said in a press conference Wednesday, WCTV reports. Tallahassee NAACP President Mutaqee Akbar echoed the sentiment, imploring Moore to "Just at least acknowledge it. You owe that to the citizens of Gadsden County." Moore has allegedly acknowledged the photo in private, according to Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young, who told Politico he approached the former commissioner about the photo. Moore, Young said, "never denied at all" that he was pictured, and "refuted nothing," saying only that it was a costume taken in his younger years. Ore. Lawmaker Told to 'Resign' After Video Shows Him Letting Rioters Inside State Capitol in December Moore's resignation letter offered little in the way of any explanation, citing "personal reasons" for his departure. "Please accept this notification of my resignation, effective this date of Sept. 23, 2022, from the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners," Moore wrote in a letter to DeSantis, which was obtained by PEOPLE. "Thank you for the opportunity to have served in the position, however for personal reasons I am no longer able to continue." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. A separate letter, sent to the Gadsden County Supervisor of Elections, was nearly identical. DeSantis is currently overseeing Florida's response to a devastating Category 4 hurricane, and has not responded to the controversy.