Florida Republican lawmaker found liable for sexually harassing male staffers, faces resignation calls

Florida Democratic leaders called for the resignation of a Republican lawmaker whom a civil jury found liable for sexually harassing male staffers.

A jury in Tallahassee said Florida Rep. Fabian Basabe, who once called himself a “gay Republican” but was elected while presenting himself as a conservative family man, should pay $450,000 in damages to two young, straight former staffers — legislative aide Nicolas Frevola and intern Jacob Cutbirth — who accused him of sexual harassment and other misconduct.

Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said the verdict should mark the end of the Republican’s political career.

“Representative Basabe’s behavior is disgusting, and I am disturbed that the Republican leadership in the House engaged in a cover-up to shield Representative Basabe from the consequences of his actions. Representative Basabe has no business holding public office for another day, he must resign immediately,” Fried said.

Related: Former staffer accuses Florida Republican Fabian Basabe of sexually battering man at his Miami home

“Floridians are fed up with the rampant corruption in Tallahassee. Yesterday, a jury was able to deliver justice to those who were harmed by Basabe’s reckless behavior. This fall, voters will make their voices clear when they vote out Representative Basabe and his complicit Republican colleagues at the ballot box.”

Basabe, who represented himself in the civil trial, has long denied the allegations and dismissed them as politically motivated. After the jury ordered him to pay damages, he told Florida Politics that he regretted defending himself and was considering his response to the verdict.

“I chose to defend myself because I am still naïve enough to believe that truth matters, that an ordinary citizen can stand in court, defend himself, and be judged on the facts. I believed representing myself was the right thing to do because I am innocent and because, before this civil trial, these allegations had already been the subject of four investigations and ethics proceedings that concluded without substantiating the misconduct alleged against me,” he said in a statement.

“Looking back, representing myself was a mistake. I underestimated how different civil litigation is from what most people believe. It operates under different standards, different procedures, and different rules. That is the lesson I take from today. This is a difficult time for me and my family, but their confidence in who I am has not changed. Neither has my determination. For now, I have no further comment on this matter.”

Related: Florida State Rep. Fabian Basabe Accused of Sexually Harassing Male Aides

The allegations have dogged Basabe since they were raised in a civil lawsuit filed in 2023. The Florida House of Representatives conducted two internal investigations into the accusations but found insufficient evidence of wrongdoing by the lawmaker.

Cindy Myers, an attorney for Cutbirth and Frevola, said the jury verdict vindicated the men after they came forward with their allegations.

“The jury found Mr. Basabe guilty of defaming Nick, of battering Nick by slapping him across the face on January 3rd at The Southern Group, of slapping him on his rear and whispering in his ear ‘I want all of that butt’ while they were standing in the back of a classroom full of elementary school children, and sexually harassing him on multiple occasions,” Myers said.

“The jury also found Mr. Basabe guilty of groping and trying to kiss Mr. Cutbirth the night that Mr. Cutbirth, after promising Mr. Frevola that he’d get Mr. Basabe safely back to his hotel room, did exactly that, drove him to his hotel. And the jury found Mr. Basabe guilty of telling Mr. Cutbirth to flirt with him more when Mr. Basabe was in the office, to act like ‘eye candy’ in front of members of the Miami Chamber of Commerce visiting Mr. Basabe’s office, of asking him how big his genitals were, of encouraging him to break off his engagement with his wife to have sex with Mr. Basabe and other men for sport, and more inappropriate sexually harassing statements.”