TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A video that State Representative Fabian Basabe posted in October 2024 is resurfacing on social media after a civil jury found him liable for sexual harassment and battery on Wednesday.
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In the video, Basabe addressed the allegations against him and made a public pledge to resign if they were ever proven true.
“This video message is my verbal contract to you,” he said.
Basabe also told his constituents and family:
“Should any of these allegations ever prove true against me at any point in the future I would resign on the spot and be held accountable,” he added.
A civil jury found Basabe liable for sexually harassing one former staffer and battering another.
The two former staffers were awarded a combined $450,000 in damages.
Basabe, who is not an attorney, represented himself during the trial. Afterward, he told Local 10 News it was a mistake.
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On Friday, Local 10 News again reached out to Basabe multiple times and through multiple channels, asking him to respond to his previous pledge to resign if the allegations were proven true.
The 48-year-old Republican is on the November ballot seeking reelection in District 106, which stretches from Miami Beach north to Golden Beach.
Basabe did respond by text but sent the same statement he provided the day before. It did not address his previous pledge or say whether he plans to step down.
Local 10 News also reached out to the Miami-Dade Republican Party for comment. The party declined to comment.
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