State Rep. Fabian Basabe, found liable for sexual harassment, battery and defamation in a civil case brought by former staffers, had previously pledged to resign. But there is no indication that he plans to do so.
Author Archives: Kate Payne
Kate Payne is The Florida Trib's state government reporter.
She’s spent her career in nonprofit newsrooms in Florida and Iowa and her reporting has run the gamut, from interviewing presidential candidates on the campaign trail to middle schoolers in the lunch line.
Kate has won awards for her political reporting, sound editing and feature writing and was named 2024 journalist of the year by the Florida chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Kate’s previous newsrooms include the Associated Press and WLRN Public Media in Miami. Her stories and photographs have been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, NPR and PBS, and her reporting on the death penalty has been cited in a filing at the U.S. Supreme Court.
You can reach Kate at kate.payne@floridatrib.org
Posted inState Government
Florida lawmaker liable for sexual harassment; jury awards $450K in damages
A Leon County jury has found Republican state Rep. Fabian Basabe of Miami Beach liable for sexual harassment, battery and defamation in a rare and dramatic civil case that aired serious allegations against a sitting lawmaker up for re-election.
Posted inElections
What Florida’s tax rollback looks like through the eyes of one small town
When Floridians go to the polls in November to decide whether to cut themselves a break on property taxes, they may well be deciding to cut the lifeline of one of the state’s endangered species: its small towns.
Posted inState Government
Tallahassee on trial: Lawmaker faces sexual harassment claims in civil case
A civil trial unfolding in a courtroom across from the Florida Capitol complex offers a mix of serious allegations against a sitting lawmaker and reality TV buffoonery.
Posted inFlorida
Lawsuit challenges ‘unconstitutional’ ballot measure to slash Florida property taxes
The complaint was filed by a Fort Lauderdale-based firm on behalf of two former mayors and a days-old advocacy group dubbed “Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language
Posted inState Government
‘Total victory’: Florida’s top court allows use of DeSantis’ new congressional maps
A ruling Wednesday by the Florida Supreme Court ensures that DeSantis’ Republican-friendly congressional map will remain in effect in the 2026 midterms
Posted inState Government
Federal reimbursement for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ starts flowing
The amount is a fraction of what Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has spent to build the sprawling tent-and-trailer compound at a remote airstrip in the Florida Everglades
Posted inFlorida
From ‘low-cost’ to $1 million a day: questions remain about ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding
As legislators in Tallahassee are locked in back-and-forth negotiations over the state budget, GOP leaders have downplayed questions about who will ultimately pay for the multi-million-dollar facility
Posted inFlorida
The rise and fall of an AI-driven ‘local news outlet’ in South Florida
The search to find out who was behind the South Florida Standard shows how easy it is for the real people behind digital doppelgangers to remain in the shadows
Posted inElections
Florida lawmakers cede redistricting authority to executive power
Florida lawmakers voted largely along party lines to rubber-stamp a new Congressional district map.