NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust ruled Thursday that former North Miami Beach Councilman Frantz Pierre intentionally exploited his public position after facing citations for property violations.
According to the investigation of the complaint, Pierre had been issued two code violations in 2015 that upset him so much, he threatened to fire city employees if they didn't stay away from his house.
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A code enforcement officer went to Pierre's home two months after issuing the violations to post a notice that a hearing had been scheduled on the cases, when Pierre allegedly told the officer, "If you want to keep your job, don’t even look at this house!"
Pierre allegedly said he would also fire the city manager and code compliance director, and tore down the posted notice and threw it in the direction of the code enforcement officer's car.
Ethics commissioners voted to find Pierre was guilty of exploitation. They fined him $1,000, charged $500 in investigative costs and will also issue a formal letter of reprimand.
Joseph Centorino, the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust's executive director, released a statement after the ruling.
"This is not a trivial matter," Centorino said. "Anytime an elected official uses his office to attack public servants in an attempt to avoid being held accountable for any legal violation, the public trust is seriously undermined."
Earlier this year, Pierre was removed from office after he failed to show up in person to the council's meetings for almost a year. He had been in office since 2007.
Former North Miami Beach Mayor George Vallejo pleaded guilty to two counts of violating campaign finance laws during the 2015 North Miami Beach municipal elections and resigned from office.
