In Tallahassee, a sad state of affairs

When Sen. Jeff Clemens announced his sudden resignation Friday from the Florida Senate for having had an affair with a lobbyist, you had to wonder if there was more to the story.

For while cheating on your spouse is a moral failing and shows poor judgment, Clemens is hardly the first politician to have had an affair in Tallahassee. Something about the mix of money and power in that city — combined with spending months away from your family — has led more than one person to behave badly.

What was most surprising about Clemens’ surprise resignation is that he’d already told his wife about the affair. “For the past six months I have been focused on becoming a better person. But it is clear to me that task is impossible to finish while in elected office. The process won’t allow it, and the people of Florida deserve better.”

Without question, Clemens, a Democratic political consultant from Lake Worth, has let down the people who elected him five years ago in a rough-andtumble race he won by just 17 votes. For he had risen to a position of influence, as the Senate’s minority leader. And his Democratic colleagues were counting on him to help elect or re-elect Democrats to the Senate next year.

But if his wife is willing to work to move past his deceit, shouldn’t others?

Yet there was incoming Senate President Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican, telling the Miami Herald, “I think he made the right decision.”

And Republican Rep. Carlos Trujillo, who represents parts of Dade and Broward, calling it “complete sexual harassment.”

And Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, a Republican from Pasco County, questioning whether the affair was consensual. “The facts here raise a very real question of sexual harassment.”

And Florida Senate President Joe Negron almost immediately changing the upper chamber’s rules for reporting sexual harassment — a change that made people scream “foul!”

Until Friday, subordinates who felt harassed could complain to their supervisor, the Senate president or the Legislature’s director of human resources. But Friday, Negron removed the HR office as an outlet. Rather, he said employees should report harassment claims to their supervisor, the Senate’s chief of staff or to him, as Senate president.

What in heaven’s name is going on here?

First, what “facts” does Speaker Corcoran know that would have him level such a charge? We tried to reach his spokesman, but were unsuccessful. If there is more to this story than has been revealed, let it be revealed.

And second, what was Negron thinking? In private life, people working for corporations report harassment complaints to the HR department. That’s because it can be awkward to tell your boss, or your boss’s boss, especially if they’re friends.

The Florida Legislature’s HR department works for both chambers, which don’t always see eye to eye. If a structural problem allowed sensitive information to leak, then Negron and Corcoran should address it. But the answer is not to make people who’ve been victimized go to people up the power ladder who may be friends with their abuser.

According to Politico, Negron backed off late Monday, saying he will “revisit” the policy. He also assured employees they can report abuse to anyone.

There’s more to come in this story, you can just smell it.

And the smell is rotten.

Something about the mix of money and power in that city — combined with spending months away from your family — has led more than one person to behave badly.