The union representing Palm Beach County firefighters has withdrawn its Republican primary endorsement of County Mayor Sara Baxter in light of a Palm Beach Post story that reported a former Baxter aide, in a whistleblower complaint, accused the mayor of pressuring her into a sexual relationship with a potential donor.
The International Association of Firefighters Local 2928 announced its decision in a statement on Saturday, Aug. 15 in response, it said, to the exclusive story published Friday, Aug. 14 by The Post. To read that full story, go here.
The union applauded Baxter for her past support of issues related to firefighters, including safety, fair pay, and benefits.
“However, due to a recent allegation, Local 2928 has made the decision to withdraw our endorsement,” the union said in a statement. “We recognize that these are allegations, and we firmly believe in the principle of innocent until proven guilty. However, given the seriousness of the circumstances, we believe withdrawing the endorsement is the appropriate course of action until these matters are resolved.”
The moves comes just days before final ballots are cast, and counted, in the Aug. 18 voting to nominate party candidates for District 6 County Commission seat in the November general election.
Baxter was not immediately available to respond to the decision made by the union.
The Post reported on Aug. 14 that the former commission aide had filed a whistleblower complaint with several county agencies.
The document alleges the aide was told by Baxter to start looking for a new job after she refused to engage in a sexual relationship with the potential donor, a male the complaint did not identify by name but that said he was more than 40 years older than the former female aide.
Baxter has denied the explosive allegation, calling it a last-second smear campaign to dissuade voters from supporting her in the contentious primary contest.
Baxter faces a challenge from Elizabeth Accomando, president of the Indian Trail Improvement District, for the District 6 Republican nomination. The district covers western and central Palm Beach County.
Union endorsements can play a pivotal role in district-wide commission elections, and especially so in primary contests where the turnout is often light.
Early voting has already taken place. The outcome of the election will be decided on Tuesday after voters go to the polls.
The aide, whose identity is being withheld by The Post, filed whistleblower complaints with the county administrator, county attorney, inspector general, and the county ethics commission.
Under state law, agencies that receive such complaints are barred from identifying the alleged victim. The law is designed to allow employees to report gross mismanagement, abuse of authority, or misconduct without fear of retaliation.
The complaint alleges that the aide was the victim of “sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, abuse of power, mental and emotional abuse, unsafe working conditions and privacy violations.” In an exclusive interview with The Post, the aide said she realized the optics of filing the complaint just days before the Republican primary on Aug. 18 do not look good.
“I have been weighing this for some time, seeing a therapist for months, and decided that this was something I needed to do now. I don’t want this to happen to someone else,” she said.
The whistleblower complaint said the questionable conduct occurred between February 2024 and May 2025.
The aide also claims that she was required to perform personal services for Baxter, including doing Baxter’s laundry and providing childcare for Baxter’s children. These tasks, she said, were often done on county time.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Firefighters union withdraws Baxter support after whistleblower filing
Reporting by Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
