Fla. commissioner gives middle fingers to mayor in online meeting

A commissioner of a South Florida town displayed two middle fingers during an online meeting after the mayor muted her during a contentious discussion about a proposed anti-discrimination resolution.

Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer made the gesture to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett during the Zoom meeting on Tuesday.

The mayor had been offering his views on the resolution when Salzhauer interrupted him, saying he was misinterpreting an email she had sent on the matter. Burkett can be seen typing on his keyboard as Salzhauer continues to speak but her audio becomes muted.

“First of all, I’m going to finish my comments, and then you’ll get to speak, OK?” Burkett said.

When she realized she had been muted, Salzhauer displayed two middle fingers.

On Wednesday, Salzhauer told the Miami Herald it wasn’t “ideal behavior,” but that “it was the last straw.”

“He was constantly muting me every time I would talk,” Salzhauer said. “So I flipped him the bird. I’m from New York. It’s what we do.”

Burkett had argued that Christians should be included in the resolution but his proposal wasn’t included in the approved version.

“It’s very sad and an embarrassment for our town. Our residents deserve better,” Burkett said.

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