The teacher stalked and attacked by former Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg is speaking out with a column in the Orlando Sentinel. Greenberg is the former wingman of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) who has pleaded guilty and continues to work with prosecutors.
Between 2017 and 2020, Greenberg was relentless in his attacks against teacher Brian Beute, a Republican who tried running against him. The school got an anonymous letter falsely saying that he had an improper relationship with a student, which led to Beute being put on leave pending an investigation by the sheriff. Beute was ultimately cleared of all charges, but in the meantime, a group of sock-puppet accounts appeared online making the same claim against Beute.
The assault began about a week after he filed to run against Greenberg and lasted for 8 months before he was finally able to clear his name.
It has been several months since Americans learned of the trial, and Beute is still furious that Greenberg was allowed to run around Florida for years without any oversight.
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"While many citizens rightfully protested Greenberg's egregious behavior, instead of reprimanding their teammate, my fellow Republicans remained silent, impassive, and indifferent," wrote Beute. "During Greenberg's tenure, two governors, two attorneys general, the chief financial officer and the local State Attorney — all Republicans — stood apathetically mute (with the exception of State Attorney Phil Archer's failure to prosecute and attorney general Pam Bondi's non-binding "Informal Legal Opinion")."
He noted that each of those offices has a role in oversight and supervision of Greenberg and he specifically called out the state agencies who should have investigated. "The Florida Department of Revenue, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Seminole County Commission (with the exception of Brenda Carey) also largely stood silent."
There were many complaints from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, he said and it would have given the leaders ample opportunity to censure and expel Greenberg. Instead, there was nothing.
"The entirety of our government's failure to represent innocent people prompted the need for federal intervention. Ponder that for a moment," Beute continued. He noted that even today, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and the Seminole County group of legislators still refuse to investigate what broke down the process for leaders.
READ MORE: Matt Gaetz's wingman bragged about plot to 'control' sheriff's office: report
Beute makes it clear that he's a Republican but he's coming out against his own party's leadership because even with ample opportunity to act since Greenberg was arrested
"In good conscience, I simply can no longer defend my 'team' at this time," he continued. "What good is a party if it ignores principled people and instead only focuses on its own self-preservation?"
