Sen. Jack Latvala has lost his position as Senate Budget Chair in the wake of a series of allegations of sexual harassment from six women in Tallahassee.
On Monday, Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, announced he’d “temporarily” be replacing Latvala as chair of the powerful Committee on Appropriations, which handles all budget matters for the Florida Senate.
On Friday, Politico Florida published an article detailing allegations from six different women — both Democrats and Republicans — all of whom tell the same story: Latvala touched them inappropriately and made comments that made them uncomfortable.
An hour after the story broke, Negron said his chamber would launch a full and immediate investigation into the matter, citing a “zero tolerance” policy for sexual harassment.
“These allegations are atrocious and horrendous. As Senate President, my first priority is the safety of our staff and visitors,” Negron said.
Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, will replace Latvala while the third party investigation is pending. Negron initially tapped Senate General Counsel Dawn Roberts to handle the investigation, but she recused herself over the weekend due to her personal relationship with the Clearwater Republican.
"It became clear to me that my professional relationship with Senator Latvala through the years, most recently as Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections, of which [Latvala] was the chair during President Gaetz's administration, could call into question the objectivity of the investigation," Roberts wrote in a letter to Negron.
Negron acted swiftly on Latvala's committee positions, saying he believed it was best if another senator handled Latvala's budget job for the time being.
“I believe it is in the best interest of the Senate for another Senator to temporarily serve as Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations,” Negron said Monday.
Latvala’s other committee assignments, which include the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources and the Rules Committee are to remain “unchanged.”
Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, will replace Bradley as chair of the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development.
Negron said he consulted with Senate President Pro Tempore Anitere Flores, R-Miami, prior to making the decisions, who will remain chair of her respective committees.
The accusations against Latvala come on the heels of other stories of sexual misconduct from Sen. Jeff Clemens, who resigned last month as a result of an extramarital affair with a Tallahassee lobbyist.
Tales of sexual misconduct are the talk of the town, with hardly anyone not making comments about rumored misconduct among senators, staffers and lobbyists. Last week sex and scandal cast a cloud over an annual Associated Press legislative planning meeting usually reserved for talking about legislative priorities, as Tallahassee continues to scrutinize the behaviors of some of the state’s top lawmakers behind closed doors.
In the meantime, Latvala’s gubernatorial bid is still ongoing, but it is uncertain whether he will pull out of the race in light of the complaints against him. He vowed to fight back against the accusations Friday evening, threatening legal action and calling the Politico Florida story "totally fabricated" and a "smear campaign" designed to hurt him.
"I'm going to clear my name," Latvala told the Times/Herald Friday.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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