Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Jim Naugle

The heat is turning up under the seat of Fort Lauderdale's batshit crazy homophobic mayor, Jim Naugle. Only he doesn't seem to realize it yet ... like his hero, Drunky McStagger, he's deeply in denial.

About 40 people wearing yellow "Flush Naugle" T-shirts rallied outside City Hall on Tuesday, preface to a much larger rally planned there next week. In the skies above, an airplane dragged a banner demanding "Surrender Naugle" and advertising the Web site www.flushnaugle.org.

Naugle, who never was considered gay-friendly, touched off the controversy when he was quoted in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel this month saying he doesn't use the term "gay" because "they're unhappy" and claiming that the city has a problem with men using public restrooms for sex.

You might remember Naugle's remarks in this vein, as well as his reservations about establishing a gay-oriented library in the city. But I digress ...

Naugle's comments were just more in a long line of inflammatory rhetoric that embarrasses Fort Lauderdale, gay activists said Tuesday. They pointed to Naugle's comments last year that housing would be affordable if people worked more jobs rather than sitting on the couch drinking beer.

Other leaders in the community sought to let the public know that Naugle's views aren't shared by everyone.

Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitor and Convention Bureau, said gay and lesbian tourists spent an estimated $1 billion here last year. She said she has responded to about a dozen e-mails about Naugle's comments, telling people that Broward does welcome gays and long ago "rolled out the rainbow carpet" for their tourism business.

Mitch Caesar, chairman of the Broward County Democratic Party, sent Naugle a critical letter asking him to "refrain from such behavior in the future."

"The Democratic Party, to which you technically belong, has a long history of supporting all groups and your actions as mayor of Fort Lauderdale seem inappropriate," he wrote.

Yep, you read it right ... Naugle ostensibly is a Democrat. Look, I'm all for having a big tent, but this is ridiculous.

Then again, let's look on the bright side. Naugle may be a bigot, but he's also a douchebag:

Upstairs in City Hall, Naugle said no apologies are forthcoming. "Apologize for what?" he asked.

Naugle is term-limited and will be out of city office in 2009.

"I'm a plain-speaking individual," he said. "People have elected me because I tell it like it is. I've been elected eight times."

Soon after the mayor convened Tuesday night's meeting, gay activist Michael Albetta stood up and shouted: "Mayor, we ask you, the city of Fort Lauderdale, to resign!"

"Thank you, I'm not resigning," the mayor calmly responded.

Well, I believe I speak for hundreds of thousands of tolerant, normal south Floridians when I cordially invite you, Mayor Naugle, to fuck off and die. The wheels of kicking your ass to the curb are in motion, and I can think of nothing more fitting than to point at you and laugh heartily.

So, before you go, Mr. Mayor, please accept my congratulations, as today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!