Florida Mayor Accused of Requesting Sex in Exchange for Speed Bumps
A mayor in Florida is facing sexual harassment allegations after being accused of requesting sex from a local resident in exchange for approving speed bumps in her neighborhood. Lantana Mayor David Stewart has denied the complaint filed on January 2 with the Florida Commission on Ethics, disputing that he had ever offered political favors.
Catherine Padilla said she had developed a friendship with Stewart in 2015 but that it took an unwelcome turn after lunch one day.
"He pulled into this motel and got out of his van and I just kept motioning no I'm not interested," she recalled to local NBC station WPTV.
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According to Padilla, the mayor made unwanted sexual advances once more a week later. She said the mayor called her to say that it wasn’t too late to accept his offer, this time offering a political incentive.
"Said it's not too late, you can still have sex with me, and I will guarantee that you get your speed humps that you want," she said.
While the incident happened in 2015, Padilla said that she did not feel strong enough, following the death of her husband the same year, to register a complaint until last month.
“I’m finally strong enough. My feet are on the ground now,” she told The Palm Beach Post.
Still, reporting the incident wasn't the end of the matter for Padilla.
In a statement that Stewart gave to Lantana Police, he admitted that he visited Padilla’s home on January 11. This was after the state commission had notified him about the filed complaint, as part of protocol.
The mayor said that he only went to her house to discuss the complaint, knocked on her front door before leaving. Police described the visit as “suspicious incident.”
Stewart has been mayor of Lantana, Florida, since 2000 and has said that he has never asked or accepted anything in exchange for a vote, denying all allegations and slamming them as “completely false.”
“I won’t dignify them by commenting,” the mayor told The Palm Beach Post. “I continue to focus on doing my best for the residents of our town and community.”
The state ethics complaints are not public record until the investigation is complete, and a spokesperson could not say how long it would take to reach a conclusion.