COCONUT GROVE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida mayor has been reportedly been accused of using his position to get paid tens of thousands of dollars for a project.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez holds a mostly ceremonial post, working part-time.
He has received clearance from the city attorney to do outside work as long as it doesn’t conflict with his governmental duties.
But a new report from The Miami Herald is alleging that the line may have been crossed.
Suarez is facing allegations he misused his influence as a city leader in order to help a real estate developer cut through red tape and secure permits for a $70 million project in Coconut Grove that is at risk of being delayed.
The Herald also reported that Suarez, who was hired as a paid consultant, received at least $170,000 from the real estate firm over the past two years.
The Miami Herald said it’s obtained corporate documents from developer Location Ventures that chronicled meetings that were held last summer and fall between Location Ventures CEO Rishi Kapoor, Suarez and City Manager Art Noriega to move along his urban Coconut Grove project.
The meeting was reportedly to discuss a zoning hurdle that would have cost developers more time and money in redesigns without a waiver from the city.
In a statement released Wednesday, the mayor’s office refuted these allegations.
The statement reads in part, “The newspaper’s allegations about the mayor using his influence within the city to help Mr. Kapoor’s company are false. The newspaper falsely claims that there was a meeting between the mayor, the city manager and Mr. Kapoor, despite records being provided to the contrary.”
The mayor’s office also accuses the paper of a political hit job. The statement further reads,”It is regrettable that The Miami Herald has dedicated so many resources to assassinating the mayor’s character while ignoring his work to make Miami one of America’s foremost cities.”
These revelations came after the mayor hinted that he’s considering a run for the White House.
“In order to make the debate stage, there’s a couple of criteria that you have to follow,” Francis said on Face The Nation. “One of them is you have to be at least 1% in the polls, which isn’t a problem. Secondly, you have to have 40,000 unique individual contributions, and that takes a little bit of time, so the clock is ticking. It’s a soul searching process with my family, and every single day, we talk about it, my wife and I, and we are getting much much closer to making a final decision.”
An expert cited by the Herald said that this work could violate Florida’s ethics laws, and that those internal reports may be enough evidence to trigger a criminal investigation.
Suarez was expected to be at the Red Rooster restaurant in Miami for an event Wednesday afternoon, but he did not show up.
Kapoor released a statement, which reads as follows, “The Miami Herald article is presented with bias and inaccuracies. As an advisor, Mr. Suarez has consulted for URBIN by providing feedback on programming and the greater mission of the brand to bring new housing opportunities to urban markets, not just in Miami-Dade County, but beyond. We have appreciated his innovative and progressive mindset and approach to affordability, sustainability, and resiliency. As mentioned in the proceedings, the agreement specifically makes mention that Mayor Suarez may recuse himself or resign from his advisory role should there be any conflicts of interest.”
Here is the full statement from Suarez’s office: “The newspaper’s allegations about the Mayor using his influence within the City to help Mr. Kapoor’s company are false. The newspaper falsely claims that there was a meeting between the Mayor, the City manager and Mr. `Kapoor, despite records being provided to the contrary. Mayor Francis Suarez, like 31 other mayors from Miami Dade’s 34 municipalities, has the legal right to have outside employment. The City Attorney was consulted and issued an opinion indicating that city elected officials are allowed to have outside employment, and the Mayor has abided by all legal requirements in accordance with this policy. It is regrettable that the Miami Herald has dedicated so many resources to assassinating the Mayor’s character while ignoring his work to make Miami one of America’s foremost cities.”
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