ORLANDO, Fla. — Less than a day after Rep. Anika Omphroy (D-Lauderdale Lakes) sent a letter to the Speaker of the Florida House accusing fellow Democrat Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando) of bullying her, the Central Florida lawmaker is speaking out.
“While I respect Rep. Omphroy, and I respect her opinion and her feelings and assessment of the matter, the allegations that she came out with in her letter are quite frankly false,” said Smith on Tuesday.
Omphroy, in her letter to Speaker Jose Oliva, wrote that at a Democratic event in Orlando on Feb. 9, Smith approached her in a “threatening and aggressive manner,” saying he “pounded his hand” and “lashed out with a barrage of verbal assaults.”
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In response to the letter, Speaker Oliva sent similar letters to both Omphroy and Smith, letting them know the House would look into the matter.
— Rep. Anika Omphroy (@RepOmphroy) February 11, 2019
Meanwhile the account of the events laid out by Omphroy is being disputed by another Central Florida Democrat, Anna Eskamani, who took to Twitter.
I was in the room along w/100+ other ppl & know that @CarlosGSmith would never intentionally cause harm to anyone.
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) February 11, 2019
I also respect @RepOmphroy’s reactions— we should never dismiss anyone’s lived experiences. I trust both to communicate w/one another & find peace on the matter. https://t.co/2elwgwpquy
I already reached out to @RepOmphroy and to the Speaker to have this dialogue + hope she is interested in doing it in a constructive way. 3/3
— Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) February 11, 2019
Smith said he welcomes the opportunity to discuss the matter and work out differences as colleagues, saying, “I look forward to hearing from her and having a serious and constructive conversation on this matter.”
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