It took a lawsuit against him for abusing his power, but Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo was finally stripped of his post as chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust, which he has been leading for almost eight years. This comes a month after a whistleblower lawsuit from two former employees who say that Carollo used the Trust as his own personal slush fund.
Commissioners voted 3-2 Thursday — only Chairwoman Christine King sided with Crazy Joe — to remove Carollo as chair. They also replaced him with Commissioner Miguel Gabela, who led the effort to oust him.
“I know you’ve done some good things in the park,” Gabela had told Carollo. “But things have gotten out of hand.”
Carollo and the city were sued last month by former Trust Executive Director Jose Suarez and former Finance Director Jose Canto, who say they were forced to resign after they reported shoddy accounting practices that allowed Carollo to giveaway contracts to his friends and get kickbacks from them. They also said that Carollo used the funds raised by the agency, which oversees both Bayfront and Maurice Ferre parks, to fund his own office events and promote his political profile.
Read related: Miami Joe Carollo Bayfront scandal snares Coral Gables pal Javier Baños
While King said that the commission had already scheduled new board chair appointments for the March meeting, and she didn’t mind waiting, Gabela said the recent news gave the removal a sense of urgency. Commissioner Manolo Reyes agreed.
“It’s about time we stop it, so we don’t get any more black eyes,” Reyes said.

Despite having promised last year to step down in January, Carollo defended his stewardship and called a visibly uncomfortable Chief Financial Officer and Assistant City Manager Larry Spring to the podium help him justify himself, pointing to annual audits and emails that show Commissioner Damian Pardo had also asked questions about the Trust’s funding. Wow. The commissioner in the district of the two parks that the Trust oversees — Bayfront Park and Maurice Ferre Park — dared to asked questions about operations and expenditures? You gotta be kidding.
They should all have been asking questions.
Of course, Carollo used his mic to attack everyone else.
“One of the worst things in life is to be so successful at something, they kill you for it,” he said, WHAT, saying the ouster was motivated by “envy.” No, it was motivated by good common sense.
He reserved his most pointed remarks for Gabela, again, hinting that the District 1 commissioner had made a mistake going after”a guy who was really your biggest supporter here for Allapattah.”
King asked for the commissioner to keep his comments short and non-confrontational. “You want to have a kangaroo court,” he shouted at her and demanded to have his say “if I’m going to be thrown in the dirt by so-called colleagues.”
Read related: Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo wants old lackey to lead Bayfront Park Trust
Carollo said he had every intention of stepping down in January and it’s why he rushed to finish the Bayfront fountain project.”It wa you who was here and Mr. Pardo by Zoom who voted to bring all the boards to the March 13 meeting,” he told Gabela
At that point, King was so frustrated that she called for a pee-pee break. “You know what? I have to go to the bathroom,” she said. “This meeting is in recess.”
But when she came back, it did not get better.
Carollo continued with the emails he said showed that Pardo’s office wanted a formal investigation into the inventory, and specifically the controlled substances, in a veterinarian trailer that the Trust had overpaid for by tens of thousands of dollars. “This is all behind the city manager’s back, going direct to police.
“Mr. Pardo abused his power. Mr. Pardo abused his office… by going directly to the police chief and falsely claim he had anonymous complaints and people coming up to him at meetings.

“Mr. Gabela went to the radio, the Miami Herald, to put my face in the dirt, to try to humiliate me,” Carollo said, tone deaf to the fact that he doesn’t need anybody to humiliate him since he does such a good job himself.
Carollo said that his enemies, the Little Havana businessmen who won a federal First Amendment lawsuit against him and former State Rep. Manuel “Manny” Prieguez, who the commissioner pointed to in the audience — who was laughing out loud — were behind the effort to oust him. He said Prieguez represents a company that wants to put events on at Bayfront Park.
“His handlers got a hold of him right away and told him what to do,” Carollo said about Gabela.
Gabela shot back: “The only person that handles me is my wife.”
Read related: Joe Carollo wants to abolish Miami’s Bayfront Park Management Trust
He called the question three or four times before they actually voted because Carollo went on and on about the war against him.
Gabela has been trying to remove Carollo from the Trust since at least last June. Guess he needed the controversy of a whistleblower lawsuit alleging mismanagement of funds to get it done.
“You’re problem is you’re like Maduro,” Gabela said, comparing Carollo to the Venezuelan dictator. “You don’t want to leave.”
In the end, Carollo said he did not have time for the Bayfront Trust and wanted to give it up — just not to Gabela, who he said wanted the chairmanship “for all the wrong reasons.”
In related news, there was no appetite, as Commissioner Carollo noted, to abolish the Bayfront Trust and, before the chairmanship vote, he voted along with the rest of the commission to unanimously reject the his own measure.
He should have given the chairmanship up then.
The post Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo loses Bayfront Park Trust to Miguel Gabela appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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After several months of holding the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency hostage, Miami Commissioner Miguel Gabela — who has pushed for its expansion into Allapattah, the heart of his District 1 — looks like he is ready to compromise with a CRA all his own.
Miami Commissioners last month directed City Manager Art Noriega to expedite the establishment of an Allapattah Community Redevelopment Agency and secure funding so that they can begin “priority projects” by the end of February. The proposed boundaries are Northwest 39th Street to the north, Northwest 19th Avenue to the west, Northwest Seventh Avenue to the east and the Miami River to the south.
Read related: Fight over Omni CRA causes new rifts, alliances on Miami City Commission
Commissioner Damian Pardo, who has been fighting to keep the current Omni CRA boundaries, get an extension on its life and create a separate Allapattah CRA, must be smiling ear to ear. He’s also putting his money where his mouth is. Pardo wants the city manager to find a way to “claw back” $2 million in tax increment funding a year, for the next five years, from the Omni CRA to be directed for capital improvements, infrastructure repairs/enhancements and affordable housing projects in Allapattah. It’s on Thursday’s agenda.
That’s guaranteed seed money of $10 million that can be leveraged to get more.

Will Gabela go for it? He has previously said help like that is too little, too slow and that he wants to leverage the future TIF monies an expanded Omni CRA could generate for Allapattah. Will $10 million cut it?

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Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo is defending himself against another civil lawsuit, this time from two former employees of the Bayfront Park Management Trust who say they were forced to resign after they uncovered, and reported, inadequate accounting methods and questionable expenses. In their whistleblower complaint, filed last month, former executive director Jose Suarez, a longtime Carollo ally, and ex finance director Jose Canto allege that Carollo used the Trust to benefit friends and get kickbacks on overpriced and unnecessary deals.
Well, he’s not really defending himself. Carollo will once again be defended by former City Attorney Victoria Mendez, who is now in private practice, and former Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who has defended Carollo before. Both work at Shutts & Bowen. Mendez joined last fall after she was unceremoniously fired from her post (read: allowed her to resign).
Ladra bets this is not what the commission had in mind when they let Tricky Vicky go.
Read related: Fired Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez gets new gig at big firm, award
Commissioner Miguel Gabela, one of the architects of Mendez’s exit, is again bringing up a proposal to suspend any upfront payments of legal fees for elected officials “in certain cases,” providing for a review of future cases that require outside council due to conflicts of interest. It’s been continued twice and deferred once since he first put it on the agenda in November.
It’s on the agenda again for Thursday’s meeting.
But it’s something Gabela also brought up quickly in March of last year, only four months after winning his election, beating former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla after the latter was arrested on public corruption charges and suspended from office (the case has since been dropped by the Broward State Attorney’s Office). Back then, Gabela wanted to stop payments to lawyer Benedict Kuehne, asserting a conflict of interest because he is retained to represent the city and commissioners and also suing Gabela and the city on behalf of Diaz de la Portilla, who wanted to disqualify Gabela on residency.
Read related: Miami Commissioner Miguel Gabela wants to slow the city’s legal spending
According to a complaint filed in federal court last year by QBE Specialty Insurance Company, a firm that provides legal insurance coverage for municipalities, Carollo’s legal defense costs — mostly spurring from the First Amendment violation lawsuit he lost against two Little Havana businessmen — had already exceeded $10 million.
 
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At first blush, the item on the Miami City Commission agenda for Thursday’s meeting about expanding the pool of tow companies for the Miami Parking Authority — which currently only uses one company with political connections — sounds like a good idea. It just seems like too sweet a deal to let one company with ties to Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla have all 33,000 tows for overtime or illegal parking in a year.
But it smells like a bad pay-for-play arrangement. Because the other company that wants a piece of the pie is also politically connected.
Commissioner Miguel Gabela has sponsored an ordinance to urge the Miami Parking Authority, also known as the city’s Department of Off-Street Parking, to issue a new request for proposal for towing services “to be awarded to no fewer than two towing companies with the towing assignments being apportioned equally among the awarded vendors.”
Since 2018, Roadway Inc has been handling all the towing services for the MPA. Roadway is owned by Gustavo Lovato, the husband of Adriana Moyano, a former Doral council candidate and leader of the What’s App crew that reportedly stole and destroyed or tossed the opposing candidate’s absentee ballots for Diaz de la Portilla in his failed bid to replace Bruno Barreiro on the county commission. It was detailed in a New Times story by Jerry Iannelli.
Read related: Alex Diaz DLP tops $200K mark in Miami campaign despite AB fraud
Anyway, that contract expired in January of last year.
A new RFP was issued in September and only two companies qualified — Roadway and Alpine Towing. But sources inside and outside the city told Ladra that the RFP was written specifically for Roadway, with a required number of lots and equipment and capacity that the MPA thought only Roadway would meet. Alpine reportedly surprised them. There were also, allegedly, violations of the cone of silence that must be kept during the bidding and procurement process.

In comparison, the previous RFP got seven companies to make offers.
The parking authority cancelled the RFP in December, which is also when former State Rep. Manuel “Manny” Prieguez — who helped Gabela in his campaign — officially registered to lobby for Alpine (hey, at least he registered, unlike some people). And now they are getting ready to issue a new RFP.

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The controversial and massive changes to Miami’s tree ordinance — which regulates the removal and pruning of trees — are seemingly unnecessary and, worse, directed by the development industry, which taints the legislation. Everyone knows that Commissioner Miguel Gabela, the dope they roped to sponsor this, is going to defer the vote at Thursday’s commission meeting.
Perhaps the existing ordinance could be tweaked a little, but this particular version of the legislation should be withdrawn (read: burned in a bonfire) because it appears, from public meetings and emails first made public by WLRN, that it has been specifically tailored to meet the needs of developers and the building industry.
Dozens of people spoke at the sunshine meeting called by Commissioner Damian Pardo last week, almost unanimously against the measure which is meant to streamline the permitting process for homeowners who want to remove trees from their property. But two people spoke in favor: Truly Burton, executive vice president of the Builders Association of South Florida, and lobbyist Melissa Tapanes Llahues, BASF president and longtime board member, and a frequent representative for many big developers.
Tapanes Llahues got up and almost spoke out of turn. She thinks she’s special. Pardo told her to wait until it was time for her to speak.
Burton said she was there to “clarify misinformation” because “neither the Builders Association of South Florida or anyone else on my board has colluded… on this item.”
Tapanes Llahues said she was there as a Coconut Grove homeowner and that she takes many cases pro-bono. That might be true, but she could also have a vested interest in those cases, like she has here. And she was very defensive about her involvement, which, again, has been documented in emails.
“The Builders Association of South Florida, myself included, learned of this ordinance when it appeared on the agenda,” she said, calling those who think she was lobbying without registering ignorant.
“We all want to protect the tree canopy,” Tapanes Llahues said. “Developers, builders, they plant these trees. Just like they build homes, they build schools, they build hospitals, they build our community.”
It was the second time, at least, that Tapanes made comments on behalf of the developers and in favor of the ordinance. At the commission meeting where this was discussed in December, Tapanes thanked Gabela for working with them on it.
“I’d like to just say that Commissioner Gabela has been working with the industry,” Tapanes said at the meeting. “We’re working with the commissioners’ office to make it reasonable for both developers and property owners.”
Caught with his political pants down, Gabela told WLRN that he had not spoken to Tapanes or any developers about the tree ordinance. “There is no collusion here, let me make it clear. I did not ask them to come. I haven’t had any conversation pertaining to the tree ordinance with Melissa Tapanes.”
Read related: Don’t live in Miami? Commissioner Joe Carollo says your opinion don’t matter
But the emails from Tapanes and the Builders Association to his staff show that there has been some collaboration. And Tapanes was not registered to lobby for the tree ordinance during this email exchange. It was only the day of the Dec. 12 meeting that she registered as a lobbyist after speaking at the meeting. The registration was not stamped by the clerk’s office til Dec. 16.
The industry’s involvement should cause everyone pause. Even more pause should be given to the fact that the ordinance changes don’t seem to be necessary. Gabela and city officials say they are trying to make it easier for homesteaded property owners to remove trees that can block the addition of a pool or circular driveway. Well, that can be done on a case-by-case basis without making blanket changes that allow developers to remove trees with impunity. Any homeowner who is about to sell could, under the proposed changes, clear the lot, making it more valuable to developers who can build with a larger footprint.
Several citizens who spoke said the real problem was with permitting and code enforcement to address the people who call cousin Robertico or Manolito to cut their trees at midnight on Sunday, like Pardo says happens all the time. Some people said code enforcement had to work harder and penalties should be higher.
The 28 pages of changes are confusing and seem to allow for too much tree removal, residents agreed. They almost unanimously took exception to a change that allows a landscape architect, rather than an arborist, inspect and make the determination on a tree’s viability.
“There are so many things that have been deleted… which makes the ordinance a little loose, and I think it has to be tight,” said Debbie Dolson. “You can’t leave places for loopholes.”

Cristina Colon, a biology professor, said the city was creating a “slippery slope” in favor of development. “A landscape architect does not have the training of knowledge of an arborist. “This is tantamount to saying if you need a root canal, you can have it done by your dentist or by the receptionist.”
The ordinance already allows for 25% pruning and there are hardship exemptions already available. Morningside activist Sandy Moise said she had asked the city for how many hardships had been applied for. No answer.
“The public has lost trust,” Moise said at last week’s sunshine meeting. “It feels shady,” she said of the ordinance changes.
Read related: Coconut Grove residents are ignored as Miami carves up D2 in redistricting
Political Cortadito called Assistant Building Director Jose Regalado, brother of the county commissioner, and emailed him and Building Director Ed Santamaria (former assistant city manger in Coral Gables) to ask how the tree fund dollars, paid mostly by developers who are allowed to remove trees, had collected and where those dollars have gone. No answer.
But the changes to the ordinance include a diversion of those dollars to the general fund — 50% the first year and 20% each year after that.
At last week’s sunshine meeting, Regalado said that the “main purpose of this was to simplify the process for residents and businesses” and that the majority of changes were to add exemptions in the Miami-Dade County code. He also said that in the past five years, 8,310 trees had been removed, 12,312 had been planted and another 1,676 had been relocated. These figures did not, however, include trees planted in the right of way or through the tree trust fund.
There are a lot of unknowns and this new ordinance is just not ready.
A group of 19 residents signed a letter to commissioners this week, asking them to completely withdraw the item until more work could be done.
“This agenda item, developed by the Building Department with input from the developer community, represents deeply flawed legislation that will significantly weaken protections for our trees and undermine Miami’s vital tree canopy. The current Tree Ordinance is not the issue. The problems lie in its implementation. Addressing these issues through proper management and operations is the real solution to improving outcomes for both residents and the environment.”
Specifically, they recommended addressing inefficiencies and delays in the permitting process that apply not only to tree removals but other needs, simplifying the process to apply for existing hardship exemptions and eliminating the $1.500 appeal fee for residents.
“Weakening the Tree Ordinance at a time when Miami’s tree canopy averages just 17-18% citywide — far short of the 30% goal set in 2009 — is both irresponsible and contrary to the best interests of residents. Trees are essential for combating extreme heat, reducing flooding, improving air quality, and enhancing property values. The proposed changes prioritize developers at the expense of Miami’s long-term sustainability and livability for its residents.”
The residents feel that deferring the item over and over again is just a political tactic meant to wear the public out, in hopes that they stop resisting and showing up to the meetings.

“Enough is enough,” said Downtown Neighbors Association President James Torres. “Public records reveal that lobbyists and developers are leading the way in crafting this ordinance. The endless deferrals are not about improving the proposal—they’re about wearing down residents who are fighting to protect Miami’s tree canopy.”
Read related: Judge dismisses amended corruption complaint against Miami’s ADLP
If there is a deferral, they request a six-month deferral to study the inefficiencies and challenges and create a working group of stakeholders to include the Miami Climate Resilience Committee  — which has recommended denial of the changes — and the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board as well as certified arborists, non-profits and county officials.
“We remind you that you were elected to represent the residents of the City of Miami. The overwhelming feedback from your constituents is clear: withdraw this agenda item and focus on strengthening, not weakening, protections for our vital tree canopy,” the letter ends. “Residents of Miami deserve to live in a city where tree-lined streets, shaded neighborhoods, and clean air are the standard, not a privilege reserved for a few. Strengthening the implementation of the existing Tree Ordinance, rather than dismantling it, is the path forward for a healthier, more resilient Miami.
“We hope you will act in the best interest of your constituents and the city we all call home.”
That’s a big ask.
The DNA will join other Miami residents who spoke at the sunshine meeting and representatives of environmental groups like the Sierra Club at City Hall Thursday morning for a press conference to challenge the changes in advance of the meeting.
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The city commission meeting Thursday turned into a shouting match between commissioners Miguel “Mike” Gabela and Manolo Reyes basically because of the contentious fight on the self-serving lifetime pensions for electeds that Gabela has championed twice before changing his mind, also twice.

Gabela said he stood by the principle of his idea, which was to make it fair across the board. When the pension was suspended in 2009 at the height of the city’s financial woes, it cut off future commissioners but current commissioners at the time were grandfathered in. “It should be either all or none,” Gabela said, even though those electeds were vested in an existing pension program and had defined benefits that could not be removed without risking legal action.

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