Janelle Irwin Taylor
Safety Harbor Mayor Joe Ayoub will get another term, voters decided Tuesday.
Ayoub secured a resounding victory against activist challenger Tanja Vidovic in a 67% to 33% vote.
Ayoub served as Mayor from January 2013 until April 2014 and then again from March 2017 until the present.
Ayoub is also the CFO of Data Blue and is a certified public accountant.
Before being elected as Mayor, Ayoub served as a City Commissioner from 2007 until 2013.
Despite Ayoub’s resounding victory, the race was heated. Vidovic ran a campaign largely highlighting what she saw as failures within his administration including refunding nearly $160,000 to developers of a Main Street property, a project which Ayoub heralds as a city victory.
She also accused him of being in bed with big developers.
Vidovic is the Tampa firefighter who was at the center of controversy in the department over claims she had been sexually harassed and discriminated against. Vidovic filed a lawsuit against the city in late 2016 and was fired the next day.
Her two-year legal battle with the city that led to a $245,000 payout after she won a jury trial and the reinstatement of her position uncovered a culture of gender bias and discrimination within the fire department that Vidovic continues to rally against.
Vidovic’s platform included women’s equality, strong local unions, sustainability and environmental protection, safe streets, anti-bullying efforts, the arts, clean air and water, and governmental transparency at all levels.
But at the end of the day, Ayoub’s vision for the city won. It didn’t hurt that he landed a high-profile endorsement from former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn whose harsh criticism of Vidovic were used to smear her campaign. He accused Vidovic of lying and causing a toxic work environment. Her firing from the Tampa Fire Department was used against her in a flier, with no mention that she sued and got a hefty settlement and her job back.
Voters in Safety Harbor also reelected Carlos Diaz with 57% of the vote.
David Roth came in second with 35% followed by John Patrick Estok with just 9%.
6 comments
Safety Harbor Proud
March 17, 2020 at 8:58 pm
Lol – you seem a little bitter toward Safety Harbor voters.
Tanja Vidovic creates nothing but conflict and controversy for over six months and wasted hours and hours of city commission time by campaigning during city meetings. Agenda items were frequently dropped and everyone was sick of her childish games.
She couldn’t even manage to get 1/3rd of the vote. No love is lost between Tanja and the vast majority of Safety Harbor voters.
Relieved in Safety Harbor
March 17, 2020 at 9:32 pm
Reporting like this is why the general public laughs at the notion of “professional journalism”. This piece sounds more like a campaign speech for the loser.
J Kelly
March 17, 2020 at 9:47 pm
Safety Harbor is saved! Thank goodness that train wreck lost!
Tanja shall not cast stones
March 17, 2020 at 10:02 pm
So the woman that she’s her employer, and loses her claims of gender discrimination and sexual harassment, wants to accuse the Mayor of “being in BED with developers?”
Safety Harbor voter
March 17, 2020 at 11:24 pm
Not exactly a balanced article here. “Despite Ayoub’s resounding victory, the race was heated” Hell yeah it was heated. Started by Tanja’s lies and distortions and those of the Facebook page that has been an outspoken advocate for Tanja’s candidacy, Saving Safety Harbor. This page has continually published lies about Joe Ayoub and harassed or blocked anyone who tried to set the record straight. The $160,000 “refund” was a good investment by the City. The project will pay at least $50K – $100K per year into the CRA fund for the life of the project. And no mention that Tanja was fired from her part time job working for the City of Safety Harbor for harassing a fellow employee and other disruptive incidents. City voters voted 2 to 1 keep our mayor. They did not fall for the lies and distortions pushed out by Tanja and her supporters.
Joyce Cedar
March 18, 2020 at 12:47 am
Tanja Vidovic is toxic. PERIOD! And I’m sick and tired of her saying she is opposed because she is a strong woman. BS! She is opposed because she is a true narcissist.
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