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Rashid: Controversy over Facebook comments could force me off Tampa airport board

 
Sam Rashid made controversial remarks on Facebook about a public relations consultant.
Sam Rashid made controversial remarks on Facebook about a public relations consultant.
Published Sept. 5, 2015

TAMPA — Influential Hillsborough Republican political activist Sam Rashid indicated Friday that controversy over comments he made about public relations consultant Beth Leytham could force him from his seat on the board of the Hillsborough Aviation Authority.

This week, Rashid, an outspoken user of social media with strong opinions, took to Facebook to criticize Leytham's role working on plans for a Hillsborough transportation referendum. He called her a "tax-payer subsidized slut" and an "unregistered Lobbyist" with "an intimately close relationship with three of our local elected officials" — two on the County Commission and one in the city — characterizations that Leytham said were untrue, sexist and demeaning.

On Friday, Rashid, who serves as treasurer of the aviation authority's board, posted again to Facebook:

"So if the choice, and rightfully so, is given to me as to whether I need to temper my personal opinions on people and processes in our local government versus being a member of a public board or in this case, the Aviation Authority, as much of an esteemed position as it is, I will likely resign from the Board. In hindsight, I am too much of a flame thrower to try and temper my opinions and probably the Governor might well be better served with another appointment. I am obviously going to give it some thought over the next day or two, but I'm probably going to make that decision sooner rather than later."

On Thursday, Rashid had emailed the Tampa Bay Times to say the bigger issue is whether Leytham functions as a lobbyist while calling herself a consultant.

"As for sexist remarks," he added, "if you read the post as it was written, including the post comments in the discussion area, it's quite clear that there is no gender associated with my reference to a really poor attempt to deceive the taxpayers of this county with disinformation in order to promote a failed plan that is going to cost the residents of this county approximately $600 million per year in perpetuity."

Earlier this year, Rashid resigned from a commission that nominates federal judges after going on Facebook to say some local judges are "dumbasses" — a description later changed to "dumb mothers," according to published reports.