Florida State Rep. Mike Horner (R-Kissimmee) ended a reelection bid Monday amid reports he allegedly used prostitutes.
The married, two-term state legislator resigned from his post in the Florida House after his name surfaced in evidence against accused prostitution ring leader Mark D. Risner, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Risner was arrested in August, accused of running prostitutes out of his central Florida home and charged with several felony counts including racketeering and the management of a brothel. A client list uncovered in the brothel investigation turned up the name "Mike Horner," a law enforcement source told the paper.
UPDATE, 11 p.m.: Bipartisan sources told the Miami Herald that "the prostitution ring included prostitutes catering to gay clients."
Horner has not been charged with any crime. In a brief statement released Monday and published by the Miami New Times, he did not fully address the controversy but effectively ended his career in state politics:
I deeply regret decisions I made that are causing my family unjustifiable pain and embarrassment. While current press accounts from this morning are erroneous, my family still deserves better from me, as do all my friends, supporters and constituents.
So today, I am announcing I will no longer seek reelection to the Florida House.
I've had no greater honor than serving the people of Florida, but I have no greater priority than doing the right thing for my family. I pray to have the chance to earn back their trust and respect during the remainder of my life.
Horner, a father of one young son who also serves as president of the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber of Commerce, was running in District 42 against Democratic challenger Eileen Game in a heavily-Republican district. The state's GOP now has five days to find a Horner's ballot replacement or Page will win uncontested.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story carried an incorrect last name for Horner's opponent. He was running against Eileen Game.
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