Hallandale Beach Commissioner just exposed five #MeToo stories by women working at her city
A Hallandale Beach City Commissioner just revealed that five women working for her city have been sexually harassed on the job, which she says makes a total of seven women with valid #MeToo complaints, including herself.
Commissioner Annabelle Lima-Taub was doing her job at City Hall last week during a budget hearing, when acting Mayor Keith London verbally assaulted her on the dais with a string of profane insults. Local news media ate up the clickbait phrases, but they have already moved on leaving seven women with valid sexual harassment claims to fight a Mayor that retaliates against anyone who steps forward with a complaint.
The real story is that Mayor London has sexually harrassed Commissioner Lima-Taub multiple times stunning revelation that five women employed by the city of Hallandale Beach have told her about #MeToo claims of sexual harassment but are afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation.
Hallandale Beach’s former CRA director Lina Duran is also fighting a smear campaign for coming forward with a complaint about gender discrimination and unwanted sexual harassment after resigning last year.
“We have other Lina Durans in our city,” says Commissioner Lima-Taub.
“I know of other women, but I’ve given my word that I won’t out them until they’re ready to talk about it,” the Commissioner explained.
“I’ll feel comfortable calling it five women.”
Here is the complete podcast. Remarks in this story start at minute 36:
Lima-Taub revealed the details of the Mayor’s improper physical contact with her on this week’s Only in Miami Show on Miami’s 880 The Biz radio.
“On several occasions… he put his hand on my posterior without my permission.” “It happened several times, and he’s gone around and done that in the city.”
“After a few times, I said, ‘Ok, It’s not funny anymore,” says Commissioner Lima-Taub, “Because every time I said stop, he thought I wanted it more.”
“He does that to Michelle Lazaro, she enjoys it. That doesn’t mean I enjoy it, and my husband finally stepped in,” Lima-Taub told me, her voice gathering strength while discussing the sensitive topic.
“I think as women we might be shy, and I said to [London], ‘Enough’s enough, enough’s enough’”
Acting Mayor London only got the job after the last Mayor of Hallandale Beach got arrested by the FBI for accepting Russian campaign contributions.
He’s got an unsavory history that includes a string of verbal abuses, but seems to get away with it for no apparent reason.
Commissioner Lima-Taub praised Florida State Senator Lauren Book as the only other lawmaker who came to her defense last week.
But she was disappointed that the Miami Herald’s coverage of last week’s incident focused on London’s inflammatory remarks and not the culture of coddling sex predators at Hallandale Beach City Hall, while leaving out the consequences that women working there face for speaking truth to power, and asserting their rights to be free of unwanted sexual touching and advances.
“[Mayor] Keith London has continuously retaliated against people,” says Commissioner Lima-Taub.
“Look what he did to me and look what he did to a 30-year veteran [of the city’s fire department]. This is what London does, he gets away with it.”
After the radio program, she couldn’t say when the other five women would step forward, but lamented the City Attorney’s handling of the claims, and exclaimed that she wished Hallandale Beach’s public officials would keep their hands to themselves, so they could work on the pressing issues regarding public safety, which are plaguing the beachside city right now.
Listen to the complete podcast here:
