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Ana CeballosNovember 14, 2017

Sen. Jack Latvala‘s legal team said Monday that Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, who chairs the Senate Rules Committee where a complaint was filed against the Clearwater Republican, should recuse herself from the Senate sexual harassment investigation because she violated the chamber’s privacy rules. “Senator Benacquisto’s public comment regarding the alleged complaint is a material breach of […]

Mitch PerryNovember 13, 2017

Former Clearwater GOP Rep. Ed Hooper had a robust fundraising month in October for his 2018 bid for the Pinellas County-based state Senate District 16 seat. Hooper’s $82,575 haul far outpaced the $2,195 brought in by Democrat Bernie Fensterwald, so far Hooper’s only opponent in the race. Fensterwald, a retired businessman from Virginia, has raised a […]

Ana CeballosNovember 13, 2017

The attorney representing a woman who filed a sexual harassment complaint against Sen. Jack Latvala says she has not discarded the possibility of taking the case to court if a conflict of interest arises in the Senate investigation. “Anything could happen at this point, it is still very early to tell,” Tallahassee-based attorney Tiffany Cruz […]

Ana CeballosNovember 9, 2017

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The Senate has retained the Jackson Lewis law firm for its investigation into sexual harassment and groping allegations against Sen. Jack Latvala, a top Republican in the chamber. Tampa-based attorney Gail Holtzman will be the lead attorney in the investigation, and Senate President Joe Negron said individuals who want to come forward with complaints against […]

Ana CeballosNovember 9, 2017

If you ask Sen. Jack Latvala questions about the sexual harassment allegations against him, he’ll tell you no lies — at least according to a lie-detector test he took Wednesday. Latvala’s attorney, criminal defense attorney, Steve Andrews, told Florida Politics that the Clearwater Republican took and passed a polygraph performed by a former chief examiner for […]

Bob SparksNovember 9, 2017

What a year we’re having in Florida’s capital city. Just not in a good way. In April, we had the sad spectacle of Miami Republican Sen. Frank Artiles resigning from the Senate after uttering racial slurs in the direction of Jacksonville Democrat Audrey Gibson. Less than two weeks ago, incoming Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Clemens […]

Ana CeballosNovember 9, 2017

As Sen. Jack Latvala faces an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him, not much is clear, including specifics about a complaint filed with the Senate Rules Committee. This much is known: Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, the chair of the committee, at first confirmed a complaint had been filed with her committee in a Capitol News Service interview […]

Ana CeballosNovember 9, 2017

A rules complaint was filed Wednesday against Sen. Jack Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who is under investigation by the Senate after six unnamed women accused him of sexually harassing and groping them. Because the complaint is initially confidential, the details about what it pertains are unclear. Republican Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, who chairs the Rules Committee […]

Danny McAuliffeNovember 8, 2017

A freshman House Democrat wants the Legislature to have zero involvement in investigations into Sen. Jack Latvala‘s alleged sexual harassment of six women at the Capitol. Rep. Amy Mercado of Orlando on Wednesday said the only “equitable” investigation for both the accused and the alleged victims excludes any involvement from each chamber. She took part in a […]

Scott PowersNovember 8, 2017

Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam sees a wake-up call in the Democrats’ victories in Tuesday night’s elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere and declared Wednesday that it’s a call for a campaign to convince grassroots voters that the state’s conservative-principaled prosperity is at stake. “We are at a crossroads. Make no mistake. Look what […]

Tag: Jack Latvala
President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speak during a meeting at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Jack Latvala’s attorney wants Lizbeth Benacquisto to recuse herself from probe

Ed Hooper ‘showing the money’ in SD 16 race

Attorneys in Jack Latvala probe start building strategies

Senate hires Tampa attorney for Jack Latvala investigation

Jack Latvala says he passed polygraph over harassment claims

Supreme Court brings new meaning to ‘oral arguments’

Senate privacy rules shield details on Rules Committee complaint

Complaint filed with Senate Rules Committee against Jack Latvala

Amy Mercado: Legislature should recuse from harassment investigations

Adam Putnam sees wake-up call in Virginia elections