Jay Fant says he’ll create new position to handle harassment

Rick Scot wont say if he supports Jay Fant for OFR.

State Rep. Jay Fant, a Jacksonville Republican running for state Attorney General in 2018, says he will create a “Confidential Investigator and Ethics Officer” to deal with sexual harassment complaints if elected.

Fant tweeted the plan on Wednesday.

The new position would meet “confidentially” with those who claim harassment by a “public official.”

Any information developed would be referred to law enforcement or the Florida Commission on Ethics, he said.

Fant also tweeted a link to a POLITICO Florida story on House Speaker Richard Corcoran‘s call for “Congress to stop doling out payments for sexual harassment settlements.”

“I ask you to please bring a swift end to this perverse hush fund — it is not only the right thing to do, but it is also a needed step toward regaining the trust of the taxpayer,” Corcoran wrote in a letter to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan.

For now, Fant will face fellow state Reps. Frank White of Pensacola and Ross Spano of Dover, and former Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Ashley Moody in the Republican primary.

Tampa lawyer Ryan Torrens is the lone Democrat in the race.