Tampa council member addresses anti-Semitic slur

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa city council member has come under fire for an anti-Semitic remark made while discussing construction costs, and why he thought the city of Tampa was being charged too much.

In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Councilman Orlando Gudes was discussing a city estimate of $400 per square foot to build a new East Tampa community center, when he made the remark. The Times notes Gudes immediately retracted the words, saying he shouldn’t have said them, and that he wasn’t referring to the Jewish people when he said the phrase," We're getting Jewed."

On Thursday, Gudes made the following statement during a council meeting:

“As an African-American man, who has faced great amounts of discrimination in my personal life, I’m acutely aware of the dangers of discrimination. Those who know me best know I don’t hold prejudice against anyone. I apologize for this distraction. My plan for the city of Tampa is to build a more unified city.”

FOX 13 spoke with members of the Jewish community Wednesday, one who said he was shocked because Gudes just attended a dinner put on by the United Jewish Federation, the day before Auschwitz Remembrance Day.

Hundreds of Holocaust survivors gathered at Auschwitz-Birkenau Monday to honor the million-plus lives killed during World War II. 

Gudes comments also come after a year in which 1,900 anti-Semitic incidents were reported nationwide. A protest was held in Sarasota earlier this month. The anti-defamation league said there were 76 in Florida, including seven in Tampa Bay.