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Lawsuit against Councilman Orlando Gudes settled by City of Tampa
Evan Axelbank reports
TAMPA, Fla. - The City of Tampa has apologized to an employee for the way she was treated by Councilor Orlando Gudes. The city has also settled with the victim for $200,000 after a report found that the former chair harassed her on multiple occasions and made inappropriate comments about her underaged daughter.
The employee left Gudes' office for a different lower-paying job with the City of Tampa, because of the harassment.
"It helps deal with some of the grief and pain that she has been going through," said Ethan Loeb, the lawyer for the victim.
A city-commissioned report revealed Gudes had used crude sexual terms to her, and commented on her underaged daughter's body. A lawsuit filed against the councilor Tuesday also accused him of commenting on the mayor's sex life, of requiring her to lie about his whereabouts and of mistreating an intern to the point the intern's dad almost confronted Gudes at city hall.
"I don't have any jurisdiction or authority over Councilman Gudes," Mayor Jane Castor said last month. "But if he were a City of Tampa team member, he would have been terminated."
A note on her letterhead dated May 10 said, "On behalf of the city of Tampa, we sincerely apologize for the outrageous acts and misdeeds that City Councilman Orlando Gudes directed to you and your daughter while serving as a legislative aide."
"She feels some sense of relief and further vindication," said Loeb.
The lawsuit filed against Gudes accused him of not living in his district as required by city charter. The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office started looking into the claim that he violated his homestead exemption. The property appraiser's office has since said Gudes' homestead exemption was removed by its office for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Gudes' attorney Ryan Barack released this statement on the homestead exemption inquiry:
"Councilmember Gudes moved into District 5 in March 2018, well in advance of the 2019 election, and his residence has remained in District 5 throughout his term. His address is protected by Florida law. He recently became aware of an issue associated with a piece of property he owns and where he formerly resided. Upon becoming aware of the issue he promptly took steps to address any concerns associated with that property and anticipates the matter being resolved in the near future."
RELATED: Inquiry opened into whether Tampa City Councilor Orlando Gudes lives in his district
Between the investigation into the harassment claims and the settlement, the victim's attorney suspects he has cost city taxpayers $300,000.
"We are very happy Mayor Castor realized after the investigation what was going on, and did not require taxpayers to fund a defense," said Loeb.
The victim's lawyer said some settlement money will be donated to the United Negro College Fund and The Spring of Tampa Bay domestic abuse survivor's fund.
Gudes' attorney released this statement on the city's settlement with his accuser:
"It is important to remember that there has been no sworn testimony from anyone. Further, this purported agreement is designed to protect the Mayor, the City Attorney and their Human Resources department and was entered into prior to any lawsuit being filed."
Whether Gudes can continue to hold his seat, the city said it is an unprecedented situation and is waiting for an opinion from the city attorney's office.