Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll apologizes for anti-gay remark

After an online petition drive garnered hundreds of signatures seeking her apology, Lieutenant Gov. Jennifer Carroll on Thursday apologized to the head of an advocacy group saying that her anti-gay comment two weeks ago was "wrong and inexcusable."

Equality Florida, a civil rights group that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Floridians, launched the online petition campaign this week after Carroll told a Tampa television station on July 14 that "usually black women that look like me don't engage in relationships like that."

Carroll was responding to allegations that a former aide caught her in a "compromising position" with a female staffer. Carroll has denied the allegations and is fighting the charges in court.

"It is wrong and inexcusable to make a comment that hurts people, and that was not my intention,'' Carroll wrote in a letter to Equality Florida director Nadine Smith. "As a Christian, my faith guides me to love and respect all people. The false charges that have been lodged against me are no excuse for what I have said that may have been hurtful to members of your organization and to other Floridians.

"Please know that I am committed to treating every person with the utmost courtesy, respect and dignity and I hope you will accept my heartfelt apology,'' she wrote.

Smith said she spoke to Carroll after receiving a fax of the letter and thanked Carroll "for taking responsibility for her words."