Former Florida state Rep. Ron Harding is facing four months in prison
Republican Joe Harding, a former Florida state representative who tried to ride Ron DeSantis’ homophobic coattails to fame by sponsoring that that’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, today (Friday, Oct. 20) was sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty in March to one count each of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements. The charges stemmed from Harding’s scheme to fraudulently obtain a $150,000 federal COVID-19 relief loan.
Federal prosecutors charged that Harding used false bank statements for two dormant small businesses, claiming that, in the 12 months just before January 1, 2020, one of the two had four employees and revenue totaling more than $420,00 and that the second one had two employees and more than $390,000 in revenue. In a sentencing memo to the judge, prosecutors said his “intentional criminal acts while serving as an elected state representative signify a betrayal of the public’s trust.”
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor also sentenced Harding to two years of supervised release following his four months behind bars. Court records indicate Harding is scheduled to surrender to authorities on Jan. 29.
Harding was first elected to the Florida state House in 2020 and then sponsored the “Parental Rights in Education,” better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. DeSantis signed the legislation that prohibits “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” and “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” into law last year.
Harding resigned from the state House in December 2022, the day after the federal indictment against him was unsealed. Republican Ryan Chamberlin won a five-way GOP primary and then the May special election to replace Harding in the House.
— Tammye Nash
