Artiles resigned his state Senate seat on April 21, 2017. His resignation was prompted by an exchange on April 17 with two of his black colleagues, state senators Audrey Gibson (D) and Perry Thurston (D), where he used a racial slur and referred to Gibson as a "b----." In the days following the exchange, Florida Senate President Joe Negron (R) and Johanna Cervone, a spokeswoman for the Florida Democratic Party, released statements that were critical of Artiles. On April 20, there were protests in Artiles' district over the exchange. Several of the protesters called on Artiles to resign, including former state senator, Dwight Bullard (D). Artiles' resignation letter included the following statement: “ “I apologize to my family and friends and I apologize to all of my fellow Senators and lawmakers. To the people of my district and all of Miami-Dade, I am sorry I have let you down and ask for your forgiveness. My actions and my presence in government is now a distraction to my colleagues, the legislative process, and the citizens of our great State. I am responsible and I am accountable and effective immediately, I am resigning from the Florida State Senate.” ”

. Artiles was arrested on March 18, 2021, and charged with three third-degree felony campaign finance crimes: one count of false swearing in connection with voting or elections, one count of making or receiving campaign contributions over or in excess of limits, and one count of conspiracy to make or receive two or more campaign contributions over or in excess of limits. The charges stem from the Senate District 37 election in 2020 when investigators allege Artiles offered to pay Alex Rodriguez (I) $50,000 (half before and half after the election) to enter the race because Rodriguez shared the same last name as incumbent Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez (D). Alex Rodriguez was also arrested and charged with the three crimes. Following his arrest, Artiles' lawyer said, "[We have] been cooperative since the inception of this investigation as well as during the execution of the search warrant. Due to the nature of the charges and potential litigation, we will not comment on any information related to this matter. We fully intend to defend any charges in Court." On April 8, 2021, Artiles was charged with an additional third-degree felony for allegedly advising and helping Rodriguez "willfully submit a false voter registration application." On April 16, 2021, Artiles pleaded not guilty to all charges and requested a jury trial. Ileana Garcia (R) defeated Jose Rodriguez by 32 votes in the general election, while Alex Rodriguez received 6,000 votes.

Artiles resigned his state Senate seat on April 21, 2017. His resignation was prompted by an exchange on April 17 with two of his black colleagues, state senators Audrey Gibson (D) and Perry Thurston (D), where he used a racial slur and referred to Gibson as a "b----." In the days following the exchange, Florida Senate President Joe Negron (R) and Johanna Cervone, a spokeswoman for the Florida Democratic Party, released statements that were critical of Artiles. On April 20, there were protests in Artiles' district over the exchange. Several of the protesters called on Artiles to resign, including former state senator, Dwight Bullard (D). Artiles' resignation letter included the following statement: “ “I apologize to my family and friends and I apologize to all of my fellow Senators and lawmakers. To the people of my district and all of Miami-Dade, I am sorry I have let you down and ask for your forgiveness. My actions and my presence in government is now a distraction to my colleagues, the legislative process, and the citizens of our great State. I am responsible and I am accountable and effective immediately, I am resigning from the Florida State Senate.” ”