MIAMI (WSVN) - Tensions were high inside the City of Miami Commission meeting, one day after a federal court order directed the U.S. Marshals to seize all of Joe Carollo’s possessions,
Hours of fiery public comments lasted into the night, as the commission decided the city attorney’s future.
Tensions appeared to reach a boiling point when Carollo and fellow City Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela got into an argument.
“You’re wrong. You’re a liar,” said Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela.
“You’re a small little man.” Carollo said.
Gabela got up from his seat and walked toward Carollo, who stood up from his seat and faced Gabela. However, a person restrained Gabela and walked away with him.
The City Commission ended up extending the city attorney’s contract for five months, as they create a selection committee to search for her replacement.
City Attorney Victoria Mendez is in hot water. She and her husband are being sued for alleged real estate fraud.
“The reason I have lasted over 10 and a half years is because of my integrity,” said Mendez.
Following the fiery moment, Carollo spoke to 7News to discuss what had happened.
“Mr. Gabela, since he’s come to this commission, he wants to act like a thug. He wants to act like a Tony Soprano. This is not the first meeting that he’s acted this way,” said Carollo.
Gabela said his intention wasn’t to do anything but to simply stand up to a person he calls a bully.
“He’s been bullying me and talking lies about my family forever. When Chief Acevedo was fired, who played the ‘Godfather’ music? It was him that played the ‘Godfather’ theme,” said Gabela. “Then he starts to call me a gangster, and I just wanted to ask him, ‘What gangster are you talking about? You’re the gangster.’ But never with the intention of doing anything improper.”
The heated moments happening hours after Carollo briefly interrupted public comment during Thursday’s commission meeting.
“I’m fed up with the lies, the defamation, the slander, the corruptness. Yes, that is coming from different angles here,” he said. “Those powers to be want to block the sun with their finger and claim that the corrupt are the ones with the white hats.”
Back in June of 2023, a federal jury found the commissioner liable for harassing the owners of Ball & Chain, a music and entertainment venue in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. Carollo was ordered to pay $63.5 million in damages.
William Fuller and Martin Pinilla, the owners of Ball & Chain, filed the civil lawsuit against Carollo in October of 2018, claiming the commissioner repeatedly used his position to bully the business because they did not support him politically, The owners claimed Carollo got police officers and Code Enforcement to try to shut them down.
“I’m ready to take on anybody, any way they want to. I’m not going to be shut up,” Carollo said. “They could put me on the streets if they want to and bring my tent, but they’re not going to shut me up.”
Five years later, U.S. Marshals were ordered to get everything he had so that he could pay off the more than $60 million judgment.
On Wednesday, Carollo’s attorney issued a statement that said in part, “Commissioner Carollo strongly believes that the judgment will be overturned and that all execution efforts should await this determination.”
Jeff Gutches, the attorney representing Fuller and Pinilla, spoke to 7News about the federal court order.
“We’re gonna get money from the insurance companies separate from this, but for Joe Carollo’s own assets, we believe his house is worth $3 million,” he said. “We believe, from his own financial disclosures with the city, that he has another million and a half in assets that we’re going to seek to seize. We believe he has additional properties in Miami that we will seek to seize those as well, and then we’ll continue to garnish his wages.”
7News was told that those seizures could start in the coming days.
Carollo is not the only Miami official dealing with allegations of wrongdoing.
City Manager Arthur Noriega is also under fire over city contracts awarded to his wife’s family’s furniture company.
“I’m going to address it, and I’m going to address it head on,” said Noriega
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez continues to be the subject of a state ethics investigation related to expensive gifts.
As for Carollo, he claims the courts have delayed his ability to fight the civil judgment against him.
“I’ve been held hostage in not being able to appeal, that they know we are going to win hands down,” he said.
In terms of his assets, he said, his house is protected by Florida law, but he is willing to hand over furniture and clothing.
“They better understand this. Once this gets overturned, any piece of furniture that they took away from me — how many shirts, pants, underwear do they want to take? — they are going to have to pay for it,” Carollo said.
He insists he has done nothing wrong and that he will have to get everything back that was taken from him.
Prior to the fiery moment between Carollo and Gabela, the commissioners voted to move forward with adding an inspector general. However, the voters will have the final say on whether to create this post when they head to the polls in February.
Commissioners said the inspector general would be in charge of analyzing city contracts and city purchases, adding that the point of this position is to be more transparent.
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