‘Don’t Say Gay’ Author Resigns From Florida House After Indictment
Florida Rep. Joe Harding, the author of the state’s controversial “don’t say gay” law, resigned his seat in the Florida legislature Thursday.The move came shortly after he was indicted by federal prosecutors on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements. “It has been a great honor to serve the people of this state and more specifically the people of Levy and Marion Counties.
However, due to legal issues that require my complete focus, it is my opinion that now is the time to allow someone else to serve my district,” Harding wrote in a resignation letter.“Today, effective immediately, I am resigning from my position as the State Representative of House District 24.”Prosecutors say Harding committed two acts of wire fraud in an effort to defraud the Small Business Administration when he obtained small business loans related to the coronavirus pandemic under false pretenses.
Federal officials say he wrongly obtained or attempted to receive more than $150,000.The federal government says Harding lied in SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications and made false representations in documents using the names of dormant businesses.
An indictment asserts Harding went so far as to create fake bank statements for one dormant business to use as a supporting document in an EIDL application.The Ocala-area legislator garnered national notoriety after he sponsored the so-called Parental Rights in Education bill, eventually passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov.
