Florida Republican Scandals | Updated List of GOP Scandals in FL

Scandal Categories

Florida Republican U.S. Congress Member & Candidate Scandals

  • Marco RubioMarco RubioU.S. Senator [R-FL]Twitter iconInstagram iconFacebook iconTruthSocial icon6.3m
    3/05/22
    Broke security protocols by sharing live images of a briefing U.S. Representatives & Senators had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite being asked not to share any posts or images until the meeting had concluded
    According to reporting by NBC News & other media outlets
  • Matt GaetzMatt GaetzTrump Attorney General NomineeInstagram iconFacebook iconTruthSocial icon1.8m
    Instagram iconFacebook iconTruthSocial icon1.8mLauded by Trump
    11/18/24
    Attended up to 10 alcohol and drug-fueled "sex parties" while he was a sitting congressman
    According to an attorney representing two women who testified that they attended the parties with Gaetz
    11/18/24
    Paid at least two women for sex and left a paper trail by using a mobile cash app to give them the money
    According to sworn testimony by the two women to the House Ethics Committee
    11/16/24
    Allegedly had sex with an underage 17-year-old girl at a party hosted by convicted sex offender Joel Greenberg while he was a sitting Congressman
    According to sworn testimony by the alleged victim and an unnamed eyewitness who testified she saw Gaetz having sex with her
    2/14/24
    Asked a young woman who was getting paid by his best friend Joel Greenberg to have sex with other men to join him for a weekend trip to the Florida Keys where he said there would be "2 guys, 4 girls" and insinuated sex would be involved
    According to an exclusive report by ABC News
    2/14/24
    Had sex with a 21-year-old who was under the influence of "all kinds of controlled substances" at a drug-fueled party she was paid to attend
    According to an exclusive report by The Daily Beast
    5/14/21
    Snorted cocaine with a paid escort he also presumably had sex with inside an Orlando hotel room he paid for with campaign funds
    According to two eyewitnesses who spoke exclusively with The Daily Beast
    2/18/14
    Had a difficult time handing his license and registration to police officers after getting pulled over for speeding, couldn't stand upright without swaying and refused field sobriety and breathalyzer tests upon which he was arrested
    According to charging documents filed by local police
  • Will BraddockWill BraddockFmr. U.S. Rep Candidate
       
    9/29/24
    Threatened to kill his primary opponent and eventual winner Anna Luna by calling up his "Russian-Ukrainian hit squad" to take her out
    According to charging documents filed by federal officials
  • Mark FoleyMark FoleyFmr. U.S. Representative34 Years in GOP
    11/02/06
    Offered a 17-year-old boy working as a Congressional page oral sex in exchange for free lodgings at his home at the same time he was chair of a special Congressional committee dedicated to protecting exploited children
    10/15/06
    Asked a 16-year-old male Congressional page to send him photographs of himself and inquired what he could buy him for his birthday over a series of five emails that the page said "really freaked" him out and made him feel "sick"
    10/15/06
    Had sexual relations with two former male pages and sent dozens of inappropriate and sexually suggestive emails and instant messages to underage male pages over a yearslong period while also having voted in favor of numerous pieces of anti-gay legislation throughout his time in Congress
    According to voluminous reports filed by mainstream media outlets
    10/04/06
    Routinely got drunk and sent sexualized emails and chat messages to underage male Congressional pages over a multiyear period
    According to reporting by NBC News & other media outlets
  • David RiveraDavid RiveraFmr. U.S. Representative
       
    8/20/22
    Failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of taxable income to the government and siphoned even more to himself through a PAC that he earned from working as an unregistered foreign agent and lobbyist for the Venezuelan government
    According to charging documents filed by federal officials
    4/18/12
    Secretly siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars in unreported campaign donations to his personal accounts and used the money on a myriad of personal expenses including his personal credit card and only escaped charges because he exploited a little-known loophole in Florida's campaign finance laws
    According to the Florida State Attorney's office
  • Ross SpanoFmr. U.S. Representative
       
    10/01/20
    Attempted to take his loaded concealed handgun onto an airplane at Tampa International Airport, but was stopped by airport security and forced to secure it before being allowed to board his flight
    According to an airport spokesperson and reported by mainstream outlets

Florida Republican Executive Branch Scandals

  • Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisGovernor [R-FL]Twitter iconInstagram iconFacebook iconYouTube iconTruthSocial icon7.3m
    9/14/23
    Secretly accepted a golf trip without reporting it as required by law in which a major Republican businessman flew him on a private jet to play a round and stay overnight at the Augusta National Golf Club (the most exclusive in the country) and soon after his administration gave his business $92 million in COVID relief funds to fund a major highway project
    According to an exclisive report by The Washington Post
    6/13/23
    Illegally transferred $82.5 million from his state political action committee to a super PAC supporting his Presidential bid in violation of a federal campaign finance law that prohibits candidates from spending money that was obtained by people and groups not subject to strict federal requirements
    According to allegations detailed in a complaint filed by The Campaign Legal Center

Florida Republican State Legislator Scandals

  • Frank ArtilesFrank ArtilesFmr. State Senator [R-FL]
       
    3/19/21
    Illegally gave $44,708 to an acquaintance of his who shared the same last name as Democratic state senator to run a fake campaign as an Independent candidate with the sole intent being to confuse voters and siphon votes from the incumbent in an election which was won by Republican Ileana Garcia by just 32 votes
    According to charging documents filed by local officials
  • Jack LatvalaJack LatvalaFmr. State Senator [R-FL]
       
    11/03/17
    Routinely grabbed five female senate staff and lobbyists buttocks, breasts and other parts of their bodies and threatened to retaliate against them by refusing to take meetings with them if they complained about his behavior while also being married
    According to an investigative report by Politico
    11/03/17
    Kissed a lobbyist on the lips in public less than two years after marrying his second wife
    According to an investigative report by Politico noting a private investigator took a picture of them kissing
    11/03/17
    Serially commented on female lobbyists breasts, buttocks and bodies and encroached on their personal space inside elevators and other confined spaces
    According to an investigative report by Politico
  • Dane EagleDane EagleFmr. State Representative
       
    4/23/14
    Ran a stoplight and nearly crashed into a curb after he departed a Taco Bell at 2am, stumbled while getting out of his car and refused to submit to a field sobriety test after the police officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol on him and inside the car
    According to a video of his arrest exclusively obtained by a local newspaper
  • Fabián BasabeFabián BasabeState Representative [R-FL]Instagram iconTwitter icon92k
    9/13/23
    Was sued for sexual harassment for making unwanted sexual advances on a male legislative aide and male legislative intern
    According to a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victims
    7/07/23
    Told his male legislative aide "I want all of that butt" and then slapped it while they were standing in the back of an elementary school classroom full of children during a Career Day event while also being married
    7/07/23
    Groped and tried to kiss his male legislative intern while being driven home from an alcohol-fueled event at a local bar and then unsuccessfully tried to convince him to come up to his hotel room to have sex while also being married
    According to a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim
    7/07/23
    Routinely talked about homosexual sex with two male staffers, pushed for one of them to "explore his sexuality by having sex with men" and showed both a picture of a naked man he had saved on his phone
    According to a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victims
    4/13/23
    Slapped his legislative aide across the face and instructed him to go stand in a corner after he drunkenly interrupted a conversation to ask his aide if he had recently "slept with" the woman he was talking with
    According to a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim
  • Joe HardingJoe HardingState Representative [R-FL]Twitter icon3k
    Twitter icon3k  
    10/20/23
    Illegally obtained over $45,000 in Small Business Covid-Relief Funds out of $150,000 he applied for by claiming that dormant companies he owned with no employees actually had 6 employees and revenue of $800k and then lied to federal agents when they questioned him about it
    According to charging documents filed by federal prosecutors
  • Mike HornerMike HornerFmr. State Representative
       
    9/24/12
    Gave his real name when he visited a brothel presumably to have sex with a prostitute while also being married with a young child and was caught when police raided the establishment and came across his name resulting in him immediately resigning from his seat
    Allegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
  • Keith WestmorelandKeith WestmorelandFmr. State Representative
       
    6/18/02
    Exposed his genitals to three underage girls in a hotel pool and hot tub
    According to charging documents filed by local police
  • Bob AllenFmr. State Representative
       
    11/10/07
    Offered to perform oral sex on a random stranger in a public men's restroom for $20 mere months after he co-sponsored a bill that called for public sex offenses like this to be charged as a felony instead of misdemeanor offense
    According to charging documents filed by state officials

Florida Republican Finance Official Scandals

  • Joel GreenbergJoel GreenbergFmr. Tax Collector [R-FL]Friend of Rep. Matt Gaetz
    5/17/21
    Paid an underage girl for sexual encounters seven times and introduced her to other men who also engaged in sexual acts with her
    He pled guilty to sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison
    3/31/21
    Embezzled $400k in taxpayer money by using a government issued credit card on personal purchases including cryptocurrency and professional sports memorabilia
    He pled guilty to a larger package of charges and then cooperated with federal authorities on a larger sex-trafficking investigation
    6/23/20
    Received over $400k in federal COVID relief by falsely claiming two defunct businesses were still operational
    According to charging documents by federal authorities
    6/23/20
    Maliciously smeared his GOP primary opponent as being a racist child molester through defamatory posts from fake social media accounts he created
    According to charging documents filed by federal officials

Florida Republican Mayor Scandals

  • Teresa HeitmannTeresa HeitmannMayor [R-FL]Facebook icon2k
    Facebook icon2k  
    8/29/24
    Rammed through a mailbox and drove her vehicle onto the lawn of couple she drunkenly tailgated home and was arrested by police when they arrived and determined she was heavily intoxicated with a BAC over twice the legal limit
    According to charging documents filed by local police
  • John HammockJohn HammockFmr. Mayor [R-FL]
       
    1/16/22
    Strangled his wife during an argument and was arrested after police determined he “committed an act of felony domestic violence” against her
    According to charging documents filed by local police
  • Kevin HohnKevin HohnFmr. Mayor [R-FL]
       
    2/20/21
    Produced and distributed over 300 felony images and 40 videos of two underage girls he secretly recorded in various stages of undress with a hidden camera and was also found in possession of over 100,000 images and 1,000 videos depicting children participating in sexual conduct when police arrested him
    According to charging documents filed by federal officials

Florida Republican City Official Scandals

  • Peter FilibertoPeter FilibertoFmr. City Council Member
       
    2/14/23
    Attempted to flee from police on his motorcycle but wobbled and fell to the ground before he could get away, refused a field sobriety test, was found to be driving on a suspended license and had 10 grams of cocaine hidden in his shoes
    According to charging documents filed by local police
  • Victor BarbosaFmr. City Council Member
       
    3/04/22
    Didn't scan an item at two separate self-checkout registers at a local Walmart and claimed it was done "inadvertently" when confronted by store security, but presumably from guilt later resigned from his city council position
    According to a report by The Daytona beach News-Journal

Other Florida Republican Scandals

  • William PruittWilliam PruittFmr. Chief of Police [R-FL]
       
    12/09/22
    Raped a 14-year-old girl twice at gunpoint after luring her into his truck, threatened to "blow her brains out" if she ever told anyone, conspired with friends who were former police officers to send a torrent of threatening messages to scare her from reporting it to the authorities and continued to stalk her even after being charged with raping her
    According to charging documents filed by local police
  • George KruseCommissioner [R-FL]
       
    5/05/22
    Lost control of his truck and slammed into a tree and then refused a breathalyzer test after police noticed he had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and reported that he was "obviously impaired"
    According to charging documents filed by local police
  • Julianna StroutCommissioner [R-FL]
       
    10/27/22
    Falsely asserted she was a paralegal to federal authorities so she could enter an immigration detention facility her romantic partner was being held at
    She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and probation
  • Matthew ShirkMatthew ShirkFmr. District Attorney
       
    1/05/17
    Discussed showering and having sex with three subordinates in private messages, sent one a private message that said "I think if we had sex there would be very minimal awkwardness afterwards," drank to excess with them in his office and later fired all three after his wife caught him
    According to an exclusive report by The Florida Times-Union
  • Donald TrumpDonald Trump45th U.S. PresidentTwitter iconFacebook iconInstagram iconTikTok iconYouTube iconTruthSocial icon162.3m
    Twitter iconFacebook iconInstagram iconTikTok iconYouTube iconTruthSocial icon162.3m  
    1/26/21
    Commuted the life sentence of a drug kingpin who was imprisoned for his role in the killing of an undercover police officer and who was later sent to jail after being convicted for strangling his wife
    According to news reports from credible media outlets