Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo loses control of Bayfront Park agency embroiled in lawsuit
Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela will replace him as the elected official overseeing the board, which manages downtown's Maurice Ferré Park and Bayfront Park. The agency generates revenue from hosting events like the Ultra Music Festival.
Commissioners Damian Pardo and Manolo Reyes joined Gabela in voting for Carollo's removal. Carollo and Commissioner Christine King voted against it.
The vote ends Carollo's eight-year reign as chairman of the Trust. In recent years, his chairmanship has fanned the flames of conflict between himself and downtown residents who say Carollo has used his power in the agency like a cudgel to clutter precious greenspace with tacky and unnecessary installations. But the commissioner and his supporters argue he's used it as a vehicle to greatly improve the two premier downtown parks.
On the eve of Carollo's removal, he held a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the newly renovated Mildred and Claude Pepper Fountain, which is equipped with lights and music.
But Carollo's final public appearance as chairman of the Trust on Wednesday night was tainted when a process server delivered court papers from the latest lawsuit to Carollo.
Shortly after that hiccup, the ceremony began. Carollo was flanked by his wife, Commissioner King, Mayor Francis Suarez and Trust board members. He touted the fountain's 'state of the art equipment' and said the water can shoot over 100 feet in the air and that videos can be displayed in it.
'With the amount of speakers that we have, we could have a party where everyone in Bayfront Park can hear it,' Carollo said. 'Don't worry, we would never do that. We're respectful of the neighbors.'
After cutting the ribbon, the fountain played its inaugural song: 'Time to Say Goodbye,' or 'Con te partirò,' made famous by Andrea Bocelli. The full moon hovered in the background over Biscayne Bay.
The whistleblower lawsuit was filed by Jose Suarez, the former executive director of the Bayfront Park Management Trust, and Jose Canto, the agency's former finance director. The employees accused Carollo of retaliation, saying they were forced out of the agency in December.
They alleged that Carollo, as well as Trust board member Javier Baños, who is also Carollo's personal accountant, 'set out to undermine and force the departures of Suarez and Canto after Suarez and Canto began questioning the Trust's lack of proper accounting practices.'
Carollo has denied the allegations, calling them 'outrageous.' Canto said he 'emphatically' denies the lawsuit's claims.
The lawsuit says Suarez and Canto made 'unsettling discoveries' as they set out to right the ship in an agency that they alleged lacked a proper accounting system, didn't have requirements for expenses to be supported by a contract or invoice policy, nor a policy or procedure to ensure vendors were selected through a competitive bidding process.
Specifically, the plaintiffs accused Carollo of paying a TV station owned by 'close personal friends' to broadcast the Trust's annual New Year's Eve event, storing cash parking payments in an easily accessible 'money room' that was prone to theft, and supporting the purchase of a 'suspicious' mobile veterinary truck.
Suarez and Canto said they believe Carollo should be removed as Trust chair. At a press conference the day after the lawsuit was filed, Suarez, who previously worked as Carollo's chief of staff, said the Bayfront Park Management Trust is in 'what I would call a state of turmoil.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
2 days ago
- News24
South Korea's Lee Jae Myung offers North Korea olive branch: ‘North and South are not enemies'
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is working to build trust with North Korea. Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North did not want to improve ties with the South. Liberation Day on 15 August is the only holiday both countries celebrate. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed on Friday to 'respect' North Korea's political system and build 'military trust', a day after Pyongyang said it had no interest in improving relations with Seoul. Lee has pledged to reach out to the nuclear-armed North and pursue dialogue without preconditions since his election in June - a reversal from his hawkish predecessor. Speaking at an event marking the anniversary of liberation from Japanese rule, Lee said the South Korean government 'will take consistent measures to substantially reduce tensions and restore trust' with the North. 'We affirm our respect for the North's current system,' said Lee, adding Seoul had 'no intention of engaging in hostile acts'. 'I hope that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue,' he said. North and South are not enemies. Lee Jae Myung Lee's speech comes a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North has 'no will to improve relations' with the South. She also denied reports that North Korea was removing propaganda loudspeakers. The South's military said in June that the two countries had halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarised zone, adding last week that it had detected North Korean troops dismantling loudspeakers on the frontier. Friday's 15 August anniversary of liberation from Japan is the only public holiday celebrated in both North and South Korea, according to Seoul's National Institute for Unification Education. KCNA via KNS/AFP In Pyongyang, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un also made a speech at a liberation day celebration, urging the nation to overcome 'the challenges facing the DPRK for the great powerful country', using the North's official acronym. However, in an unusual move for a Liberation Day address, he made no mention of South Korea or its 'enemies'. The speech was before a Russian delegation to Pyongyang, including the speaker of the Duma, who read a congratulatory letter sent to Kim by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim's speech was a 'stark contrast' to his sister's recent 'fiery statements', Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul told AFP. 'There were no messages aimed at South Korea or the United States, no references to enemies or hostile states, and no provocative mentions of nuclear forces,' said Yang. 'The intention would be to closely observe the moves of neighbouring countries in the near term, including President Lee Jae Myung's Liberation Day address,' he added.
News24
3 days ago
- News24
The great talkathon: Could SA's National Dialogue risk becoming just more noise?
EDITORIAL: The great talkathon: Could SA's National Dialogue risk becoming just more noise? South Africans are not afraid to speak out about the challenges facing their country. The airwaves are filled with concerned voices, or citizens choose the route of protest action. They've also had opportunities to attend imbizos or engage with the National Council of Provinces' initiative, Taking Parliament to the People. While South Africans are eager to participate in initiatives aimed at addressing the country's issues, trust in public institutions – a cornerstone of any functioning democracy – is steadily declining. This erosion of trust is exacerbated by the recurring pattern of countless inquiries being launched, their reports left to gather dust, with little to no action taken, despite recommendations being made that politicians face prosecution. A pressing question is whether the much-anticipated National Dialogue will turn out to be another costly tick-box exercise, yielding no tangible results. Many share this fear. In this week's edition of Friday Briefing, we explore both sides of the debate on whether a National Dialogue is the appropriate step forward for the country. Independent analyst Ebrahim Fakir argues against the concept, stating that while a National Dialogue may create a sense of unity and optimism, it fails to address the deeper issues of state capacity, policy incoherence, and lack of political will. National Dialogue co-convenor Tinyiko Maluleke offers another perspective, telling in-depth writer Muhammad Hussain that he believes it is a credible process and that its credibility can only increase. We also have input from Cosatu general secretary, Solly Phetoe, and reflect on the views of Maluleke, Nombiniso Gasa and Bheki Ntshalintshali, who are all members of the Eminent Persons Group. You can read these full submissions below. Dialogue, distraction or deception? Ordinarily, one should never silence or dissuade anyone from talking in a democracy, unless they are propagating violence or promoting hate. But there are instances in which it is wise to ask people to stop talking, especially if talking is a distraction and a waste of time and money, writes Ebrahim Fakir. Read the the rest of the article here. Q&A with Tinyiko Maluleke | 'We are the guarantors of the National Dialogue's credibility' Professor Tinyiko Maluleke, who is the co-chair together with Roelf Meyer of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) for the National Dialogue, responds to concerns about the dialogue's implementation challenges and explains the group's role in ensuring credibility. Read the rest of the article here. SA's triple crisis: Can National Dialogue fix jobs, graft and division? With 72% youth unemployment tearing the country apart and fake news fueling racial hatred, President Cyril Ramaphosa's National Dialogue is South Africa's last chance to force government, business, and citizens into a brutal reckoning with decades of failed promises, writes Solly Phetoe. Read the rest of the article here. GCIS Why the National Dialogue is still credible - EPG As the reputations of many of the EPG are on line, the group has this week defended the process to the hilt - which is its mandate. We ask some of the eminent persons when will risking your reputation be too much, especially with major warning signs of a credibility and legitimacy crisis. Read the rest of the article here. Show Comments ()
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
New Lane County Clerk Tommy Gong ready for his first mail-only election
Lane County's last clerk, Dena Dawson, left to become the statewide elections director in December. Lorren Blythe, the county's director of operations and Dawson's boss, has been serving as interim county clerk. Blythe said in a news release that new clerk Tommy Gong is "an experienced elections administrator and a passionate advocate for building public trust in elections." Gong, who started his new role July 14, has worked in election administration for 22 years. He's been an election administrator in California's Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo and Stanislaus counties. He worked at Contra Costa County while California expanded vote-by-mail, and joins Lane County at a time when Oregon's system of vote-by-mail and automatic voter registration has received scrutiny from national conservatives. Elections in Oregon also have drawn the attention of Judicial Watch, which filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Lavonne Griffin-Valade that claims the state doesn't properly maintain its voter registration lists. Gong said he saw vote-by-mail expand in California from roughly 28% of the vote when he started, to around 75% before the pandemic, to almost 95% in the 2020 election. He said it has fallen only slightly since then to roughly 92% of the vote. Gong said conducting in-person and vote-by-mail elections simultaneously in California became a "major undertaking" and he is looking forward to running an election in Oregon's all vote-by-mail system. "The extensive in-person preparation goes away and you can really concentrate on serving those voters who are voting by mail, and really sink our teeth into all of the processes and procedures and security," he said. "It just seemed to be getting back to this idea that I could do one job in terms of vote-by-mail really well." Gong described himself as excited, and picked a home in Eugene close enough to the elections office that he can walk to work. Improving trust in elections Gong also said in California he worked hard to improve public trust in elections, and aims to do so in Oregon as well. "My job is making it so that people really have a chance to understand" how elections work, Gong said. "I'm always in a mode of continuous improvement so that's something that I always am looking forward to every election. We're always reviewing how things went and how we could do things better." Gong's education includes a Master of Business Administration from San Francisco State University, the California Professional Election Administrator Credential in 2005 and the national Certified Election Registration Administrator (CERA) program in 2021. In his spare time, Gong also practices and teaches martial arts. He even learned from an instructor who was a student of Bruce Lee. Where to access the clerk's office The county clerk's office conducts elections, records property transactions, issues marriage and domestic partnership licenses, and coordinates the body that hears property value appeals. Starting Aug. 21, the clerk's office will operate out of two buildings: For elections, go to 275 W. 10th Ave. in Eugene. For property recording, marriage licenses, domestic partnership declarations, property value appeals and the public research library, go to the county's public service building at 125 E. Eighth Ave., Eugene. Office hours for most services are Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - noon and 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., with the exception of the public research library which is only open Tuesday and Wednesday. Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached by email at atorres@ on X @alanfryetorres or on Reddit at u/AlfrytRG. This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Tommy Gong takes helm of Lane County elections as new clerk Solve the daily Crossword
