Ana Ceballos
Before talking about his legislative priorities on Opening Day of Session, Senate President Joe Negron addressed the elephant in the room: sexual harassment.
“I would like to begin today by addressing a very important issue that addressed not only the Florida Senate, but also our counterparts in Congress, the entertainment industry, employers large and small across the country and our culture in general,” Negron said.
After a series of rumors, two month-long Senate investigations and senators acknowledging extramarital affairs, the sex scandal-plagued Senate came back to Tallahassee for the 60-day Legislative Session with two of its members gone. Former Sens. Jeff Clemens and Jack Latvala resigned last year after being accused of sexual misconduct.
Minutes before delivering his speech, Sens. Anitere Flores and Oscar Braynon acknowledged that their “longtime friendship evolved to a level that we deeply regret.” This admission came hours after an anonymous site went live with private eye, grainy footage allegedly showing one senator staying overnight at another senator’s apartment.
“Let me be clear: The Florida Senate has zero tolerance for sexual harassment or misconduct of any type against any employee or visitor,” he added.
Senate Rules Chair Lizbeth Benacquisto continues to review the chamber’s sexual harassment policy after it received backlash last year.
Sen. Lauren Book, a Plantation Democrat, has also filed a proposal that would bring tougher penalties for sexual harassers in state government as well as create a task force to ensure public officials behave properly and do not violate existing laws. A similar bill has also been introduced in the House.
