Miami looks at turning investigations of its officials over to county

Amid accusations of political retaliation and government misuse, the City of Miami is considering transferring certain investigations of elected officials to the county to ensure transparency and prevent any appearance of bias.

Miami city commissioners are to vote at a future meeting on a proposal directing the city manager to negotiate an interlocal agreement with Miami-Dade County to investigate any non-criminal complaints of city code violations involving sitting elected officials.

The goal, according to the resolution, is to prevent any perceived conflict by having an independent agency handle such investigations instead of city departments overseeing their own leadership.

The legislation, sponsored by Commissioner Miguel Gabela, follows weeks of rising tensions at City Hall and comes in the wake of a May 30 Sunshine Meeting where Mr. Gabela accused a fellow commissioner of abusing the code enforcement process. At the meeting, Mr. Gabela began by stating that the purpose was to address the perceived “weaponization of government,” specifically, allegations that Commissioner Joe Carollo had used city code enforcement to target Mr. Gabela’s personal properties.

Mr. Gabela detailed three properties he owns, stating they had minimal violations, such as past graffiti or tenants leaving trash outside. He claimed Mr. Carollo was using city resources to investigate him improperly, pointing to broader concerns over misuse of government power.

Mr. Carollo defended his actions, describing the meeting as a politically motivated attempt to discredit him. He presented photos from the property appraiser’s website showing what he claimed were code issues at Mr. Gabela’s properties, including improperly docked boats and hidden vehicles.

The legislation before the commission this week does not name any specific case but explicitly states it “directs the city manager to take any and all necessary steps to enter into an Interlocal Agreement with Miami-Dade County, Florida or other appropriate local governmental entity, in order to authorize such agency to properly investigate, and prosecute if necessary, as provided for by law, any non-criminal complaints of violations of the city code alleged against a sitting city elected official.”

Should the resolution pass, the city manager would have 90 days to return with a proposed agreement for commission approval. Until then, investigations into complaints against sitting elected officials would be paused, unless they involve imminent threats to life safety.

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