MIAMI (970 WFLA) -- Florida's top Democrat makes a big misstep, but he's keeping his job anyway.
Florida Democratic Party chair Stephen Bittel called African-American lawmakers "childish" after he made a last minute change in the program at a Democratic fundraiser in Broward County, depriving them of their moment on stage.
According to several reports, Bittel made that remark to a white Democrat senator, who passed it along to the Senate's Black Caucus leader, Oscar Braynon II of Miami. After hearing about complaints, he accused black lawmakers of "playing the race card." But white and Hispanic lawmakers were also upset about the change.
Bittel reportedly made the move at Saturday night's event so that former Vice President Joe Biden, the keynote speaker, could speak earlier and return home more quickly.
Bittel offered his resignation after the remarks became public, but no one accepted it.
A statement says Florida Democrats are "moving forward" after a "productive conversation" between Bittel and African-American legislative leaders.