Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican, faces accusations from a male staffer of sexual harassment.
Gruters, also the chair of the Republican Party of Florida, is meeting with party officials, including counsel Ben Gibson, about a sexual harassment investigation, sources tell Florida Politics. He is also meeting with his Senate staff, sources confirm.
Party leaders made clear they take the accusations seriously.
“The Republican Party of Florida has a zero tolerance policy toward harassment of any kind,” said RPOF Executive Director Helen Aguirre Ferre. “Any complaint RPOF receives regarding harassment towards its employees or members is taken very seriously and thoroughly reviewed in accordance with RPOF internal HR policies and all applicable laws and regulations.”
One source tells Florida Politics the complaint cannot be corroborated, while another said an investigation is still ongoing.
Officials from the Florida Senate said there has been no investigation within the legislative body.
“There are no staff or member complaints in the Senate,” reads a statement from Katie Betta, deputy chief of staff for Senate President Wilton Simpson.
Of note, one source said a key witness in the Republican Party of Florida investigation did not want to cooperate with an independent firm brought in to look at accusations.
Christian Ziegler, vice chair of the Republican Party of Florida and a close ally of Gruters, offered a reserved comment.
“The Republican Party of Florida takes all allegations of harassment of any kind seriously and do full investigations, whatever the allegations,” Ziegler said.
Gruters, formerly co-chair of President Donald Trump’s campaign in Florida, rose to state chair in 2018 and was reelected in January.
When the Sarasota Republican first came in to lead the party, he had the support of Gov. Ron DeSantis, but the relationship between the two has been marked by friction for years. At one point, DeSantis wanted Gruters’ salary cut, which did not happen. Gruters’ initial choice for executive director for the party, Jennifer Locetta, ultimately left amid staff friction with the Governor’s team, and was replaces by Peter O’Rourke, DeSantis’ choice to lead.
O’Rourke left in early 2020, months after some Gruters supporters called for his ouster. But he was replaced by Ferre, DeSantis’ former communications director.
Ultimately, DeSantis still endorsed Gruters’ reelection as state chair, for which he ran unopposed.
DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw said the Governor considers the accusations a matter for RPOF.
“This is something for the Republican Party of Florida,” Pushaw said. “As you know, I work in the state office so we in the state office are not involved in the political side, and this is obviously something that concerns the political side.”
Pushaw said she was not in a position to know whether DeSantis knew of the issue.
He was also elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving one term in the Florida House, and was reelected in November. He’s the longtime chair of the Republican Party of Sarasota, and is known to have ambitions of someday running for Congress.
He’s married to Sydney Gruters, a staffer for U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, and the couple have three children.
This article first appeared at Florida Politics.
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This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2021.
