The 'George Santos of Florida': Republican Fabian Basabe facing pressure to resign

A Republican Florida lawmaker who claimed to be gay when he ran to represent a district with one of the state's highest concentrations of LGBTQ+ constituents is facing calls to resign after siding with Gov. Ron DeSantis in key votes on social issues, The Advocate reports.

Rep. Fabian Basabe last month skipped a vote on the state's six-week abortion ban and voted in favor of expanding the Parental Rights in Education Act to ban the use of preferred pronouns in public schools and restricting curriculum through eighth grade from including sexual orientation and gender identity.

Basabe is under investigation over allegations that he slapped an aide last month, CBS News reports.

According to CBS, Nicolas Frevola alleged that Basabe "had been drinking and was mistaken about something that led him to slap me in the face in front of other people in the room. He then told me to stand in the corner. I was so embarrassed that I did as he asked."

Basabe told the outlet he doesn't recall what his former aide described.

Basabe’s appearance at last month's Miami Pride celebration went off the rails as activists shouted him down when he tried to speak, yelling "shame" and calling him "the George Santos of Florida."

"I can't stand here and be accosted if you are not willing to listen," he said at the time.

Basabe in November 2022 was elected to represent District 106.

In a failed 2021 campaign to serve on the Miami Beach city commission, he ran as a moderate Republican who pledged to support gay rights.

He has been married since 2005 to a clothing industry heiress, Miami New Times reports.

Before running for public office Basabe appeared in the reality TV series "Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive."

Basabe has been married to his self-described best friend and college sweetheart, a clothing industry heiress, since 2005. He made his image as a conservative family man a key element of his statehouse campaign.