Accusations fly as Miami officials discuss the "weaponization" of government
The big picture: Feuding and political posturing among commissioners overshadowed the pleas of restaurant owners seeking reprieve from code enforcement raids that disrupt — or even shut down — their businesses during peak hours.
Driving the news: The thrust of Friday's meeting was a list of accusations against Commissioner Joe Carollo, the veteran Miami politician seen as a candidate for Miami mayor, including claims that he is using code enforcement to go after a political opponent.
"One person has set our city back many years," Commissioner Damian Pardo said at the meeting.
Friction point: Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela accused Carollo of sending code enforcement to his private properties after Gabela spearheaded an audit of the city's Bayfront Park Management Trust.
Gabela says the probe will uncover wrongdoing by Carollo, the former chairman of the Trust.
Carollo — who has denied wrongdoing — told the city manager that there were "direct, in-your-face violations" at Gabela's properties.
Zoom in: During the meeting, Carollo set up a PowerPoint presentation showing publicly accessible satellite images of Gabela's properties with boats and cars parked in the lot.
Carollo also accused Gabela of threatening to fire the city manager if he sent code enforcement to the properties. Gabela denied the claim.
"He thinks he can do whatever he wants in this city," Carollo said.
Reality check: Carollo was hit with a $63.5 million legal judgment in 2023 after a jury found him liable for violating the free speech rights of the owners of the nightclub Ball & Chain.
The jury found that Carollo pushed police and code enforcement to target their properties after they supported one of Carollo's political opponents.
The city also agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle a related lawsuit.
What they're saying: Gabela, who said he has no open code violations against him, alluded to the legal cases against Carollo but was instructed by the city's legal team to refrain from discussing details, citing active litigation.
"This is 2.0 Ball & Chain, what they're doing to me," Gabela previously told Local 10.
Gabela's wife recently addressed the commission to accuse Carollo of sending staff to watch her.
Meanwhile, Carollo told Axios the city needs to reform its building and code enforcement departments to address concerns made by restaurant owners.
"There's a lot of things that need to be reformed. But I don't control that. If I did, I guarantee you they would be done in a much more appropriate way."
What's next: Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to elect a new commissioner in District 4 after the death of Manolo Reyes in April.
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