Tom Wright is a Florida State Senator representing Volusia and Brevard counties.
Several years ago, before he became a state senator, he volunteered at the shelter. When Hurricane Irma was heading their way, he paid for a bus to evacuate survivors and went on the bus with them. He spoke to one of the survivors, talking about topless women, sex workers, and offering to fly her to Las Vegas. When the director heard of this, she banned him from the facility. As senator, he made several allegations against the shelter including trafficking, drug use, and a conflict of interest. These allegations proved to be false.
Since then he has continued to disparage the shelter in public, resulting in loss of grants. The former ED resigned citing stress. The new ED was in her job less than a month when there was a new altercation with him.
In September, 2023, he insisted on a tour of the facility. The new ED, in the interest of protecting the women arranged a field trip so the tour would be of an empty facility but Wright learned of it and attempted to board the bus, ostensibly to talk to the driver. He was told he could not board to protect shelter survivors’ confidentiality. He became angry, confronted the ED and grabbed her shoulder, yelling into her face. He left before police arrived. The met him elsewhere and cited him for trespass.
- Daytona Beach News-Journal: Sen. Tom Wright was banned from women’s shelter after allegedly flirting with survivor
- The Space Coast Rocket: Brevard Senator Tom Wright Trespassed from Domestic Violence Shelter After “Aggressively Touching” Woman