The incoming leader of the Senate Democrats

resigns after admitting an affair with a lobbyist during the last legislative session.

TALLAHASSEE — The incoming leader of Florida’s Senate Democrats resigned Friday after admitting he had an affair with a lobbyist during the last legislative session.

The affair, between Sen. Jeff Clemens, a Lake Worth political consultant, and former Martin County lobbyist Devon West, was first reported in Politico Florida.

“I have made mistakes I ashamed of, and for the past six months I have been focused on becoming a better person,” he said in a statement. “But it is clear to me that task is impossible to finish while in elected office . ... Though they have been aware for some time now, I apologize again to my wife, my family and anyone and everyone that I have treated poorly in the past for putting you through this in such a public way.”

Clemens, 47, acknowledged the affair Thursday.

As minority leader, he was charged with leading the election efforts of Senate Democrats in 2018 and won a significant victory in September, when Annette Taddeo defeated Republican state Rep. Jose Felix Diaz in the Miami district formerly held by Republican Frank Artiles.

Artiles resigned in late April after a racially tinged tirade against two black legislators in a Tallahassee bar. He was forced to apologize on the Senate floor but resigned after reports he used his political committee to hire a former Hooters “calendar girl” and a Playboy model with no political experience as consultants.

The rumor about Clemens’ affair had been circulating for months. He told friends he had discussed the matter with his wife and the couple had entered counseling.

According to the Politico report, which relied on unnamed sources, “West came into possession of Clemens’ Apple laptop, and gained access to all his contacts and personal information and then informed his wife of the tryst.”

Efforts to reach West were unsuccessful. She left work for Martin County after the legislative session and is now employed by Broward County in its public affairs office, working on the lobbying team.

State Sen. Jack Latvala, RClearwater, said he is confident the unnamed sources Politico relied on emerged in retaliation for Artiles’ forced resignation and the Democrat’s subsequent victory in the open seat. On Tuesday, Republicans formally elected Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, to be the next Senate president if they retain a majority. Artiles was in the audience.

“I think it’s related to that special election and probably the root cause of that special election,” Latvala said. “There’s been rumors since all this went down on Artiles and, as long as you’ve got smutmongers who take things not for attribution to sell subscriptions, you’re going to have stuff like this.”

Galvano could not be reached for comment.