Sexual harassment is illegal and should not be tolerated by employers or employees. Harassment on the basis of sex is a violation of state and federal law. Sexual harassment is defined as any form of unwelcome physical conduct of a sexual nature.

Examples of conduct which may be prohibited by law include but are not limited to:

Prevention is the best tool for the elimination of sexual harassment. An employer should take all steps necessary to prevent sexual harassment from occurring, such as affirmatively raising the subject, expressing strong disapproval, developing appropriate sanctions, informing employees of their right to raise the issue of harassment, and developing methods to sensitize all concerned.

There are a number of options available for seeking relief from sexual harassment. An employee may wish to resolve the complaint informally through use of the employer's established procedures. However, if no complaint procedures have been established in the workplace and the employee feels unable to report the harassment to supervisory personnel, the employee may seek relief in an external forum such as the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at 1-800-669-3362 or through the Florida Commission on Human Relations at 1-904-488-7082 or through the judicial system.