MIAMI – It is an agenda item sponsored by Ralph Rosado that led to a bit of drama on the dais of the Miami city commission on Thursday.
Drama that came after a parade of people during public comment who said they didn’t want to see Bayfront Park Management Trust, a city agency that manages Bayfront Park and Maurice Ferre Park in Downtown Miami, abolished.
The item comes months after Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo was replaced as the trust’s chairman by Miguel Gabela.
It was a move that came after former trust employees in a federal lawsuit accused Carollo of tapping the trust’s coffers like a personal piggy bank to benefit close friends and political supporters. The lawsuit claimed he retaliated against them when they tried to blow the whistle on a range of fiscal and procedural improprieties, allegations the commissioner has fiercely denied.
Ultimately, commissioners voted 3-1 to pass the motion, with Carollo the only no vote. Chairwoman Christine King was not present for the vote due to a planned absence.