Big night for state Democrats ends in acrimony over remarks
The Florida Democratic Party’s annual fundraiser ended in acrimony Saturday night after Stephen Bittel, the party chairman, dismissed anger from lawmakers who didn’t get introduced on stage as a “childish” complaint from African-American legislators.
Bittel also said that state Sen. Oscar Braynon of Miami Gardens, the Senate Democratic leaderwhohad expressed lawmakers’ unhappiness to the chairman, was acting like “a 3-year-old.” Bittel has since apologized.
Most Democratic legislators were upset that Bittel, looking to get to former Vice President Joe Biden’s keynote speech, scrapped the part where Braynon and Rep. Janet Cruz of Tampa, the House Democratic leader, would present the members of their respective caucuses.
Braynon warned Bittel that lawmakers would not like being passed over. Already, the party had decided not to introduce each legislator by name. Instead, Braynon and Cruz were supposed to get four minutes each with their colleagues on stage before U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson introduced Biden.
Bittel, whose relationship with Braynon has been contentious, ignored Braynon’swarning.
After the dinner, Sen. Lauren Book of Plantation, who is white, asked Bittel about the snub — prompting Bittel’s outburst blaming African-American legislators for complaining, even though Cruz, who is Hispanic, and others were also angry.
“He said, ‘They’re like children, these black lawmakers. They just don’t get it,’ ” Braynon said, relaying what Book told him. “‘I raised more money in this amount of time than they ever could.’ ”
Book declined
“I was trying to protect you, tell him memberswere going to be upset. And he has the audacity of calling me a black child,” Braynon told theHerald on Sunday.
Legislators set up a private meeting with Bittel and new party president Sally Boynton Brown in the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood. There, a small group of African-American lawmakers let Bittel know they were mad at how he had referred to Braynon — and to them.
“I’m sorry,” Bittel said, according to three attendees. to comment.