(Tallahassee, FL) -- A Miami state lawmaker is apologizing for apparently swearing and using racial epithets in conversations with colleagues.
The "Miami Herald" reports Republican State Senator Frank Artiles is accused of calling Democratic Jacksonville State Senator Audrey Gibson names during a private lawmakers' dinner in Tallahassee. Artiles, who is a white Cuban-American, is also accused of using the n-word in the company of Gibson and Fort Lauderdale State Senator Perry Thurston, when referring to six fellow Republican lawmakers. There are no black Republicans in the Florida Legislature.
Artiles acknowledged the comments last night in a statement that read, in part, "I have apologized to my Senate colleagues and regret the incident profusely."