MIAMI – Miami City Manager Art Noriega is seeking to get out from under a cloud of suspicion pertaining to a city of Miami furniture vendor where his wife works, releasing Excel spreadsheets of itemized purchases going back more than a decade.
The purchases include those made to office furniture vendors available to city departments that include the police department, fire department and parks and recreation.
The city manager sent commissioners a bar graph to show that the one his wife works at, Pradere Designer Workspaces, comes in second in total amount spent.
And a copy of a 2020 memo has the subject line “Disclosure of relationship with city vendor and recusal.”
After being appointed as city manager, Noriega told the mayor and commissioners “in an effort at full and open transparency” that his wife, Michelle Pradere-Noriega, is the chief operating officer at a company that “currently conducts business with the city of Miami and has been a vendor for the city since 2008. Please be advised that I shall recuse myself from any and all involvement, decision making and/or approvals between the city and the company.”
Purchasing orders obtained by Local 10 News offering context to line items in an excel spreadsheet shared by Miami’s City Manager. Take for example highlighted 2015 $7,949.20 purchase—purchasing order shows cost for 14 chairs, not one chair. Background: https://t.co/wBTL7fV5CZ pic.twitter.com/YpVV2MTNsE
— Christina Boomer Vazquez, M.S. (@CBoomerVazquez) March 19, 2024
District 1 Commissioner Miguel Gabela believes he should have gone even further and cut that legacy city vendor loose.
The city manager said he already reached out to the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust on the matter.
The head of that commission, however, tells Local 10 News that “(n)o opinion is forthcoming as this agency does not provide opinions regarding past conduct. This was communicated to Mr. Noriega over two months ago.”
District 4 Commissioner Manolo Reyes said he awaits the commission’s opinion on the matter.
The entire situation now raises bigger questions about the city’s procurement process.
“What fiscal guardrails are in place to cap the price of office furniture regardless of which vendor it is purchased from?” Local 10′s Christina Vazquez asked Gabela.
“All good questions,” Gabela answered. “We have to look at that too.”
The city of Miami told Local 10 News Tuesday that “an updated presentation/report will be compiled due to anomalies in the tracking system used to retrieve purchase information, as outlined in the recently released report.”
Local 10 News reached out to Pradere Designer Workspaces for comment but had not heard back by the time of publishing.
A March 18, 2024 email from Noriega to commissioners can be seen below:
Good Morning Honorable Mayor, Madam Chairwoman and Commissioners,
Attached herewith is the presentation I intended to deliver at the previous March 14, 2024 Commission meeting that was unfortunately deferred due to time constraints. Regrettably, despite my request for reconsideration, the discussion item was further postponed to the meeting scheduled for April 11, 2024.
In the spirit of transparency and accountability, I am disseminating this presentation along with supporting documentation promptly to facilitate any necessary inquiries.
With nearly 27 years of dedicated public service, I hold myself to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. I assure you that every action I take is grounded in an abundance of caution, with the utmost commitment to ethical conduct.
Throughout my tenure as a public servant, I have never derived personal benefit beyond my standard salary and benefits. I have maintained strict adherence to my responsibilities, I have refrained from advocating for any particular vendor, consultant, or professional engaged by the City.
It is imperative to note that furniture procurements are governed by the State of Florida contract and procurement protocols, leaving no room for individual influence on manufacturers or pricing.
Furthermore, in alignment with our commitment to ethical governance, we have engaged with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust regarding this matter, which is currently under review. Additionally, following individual briefings with each Commissioner, District 2 Commissioner Pardo suggested implementing additional measures to mitigate similar concerns in the future.
Consequently, I am pleased to introduce a new administrative policy (APM) requiring any potential conflicts of interest by employees or officials to be promptly placed on the next available Commission meeting agenda as a discussion item. Additionally, any apparent conflicts will be submitted to the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust for their opinion, ensuring transparency and adherence to ethical standards.
I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to engage with each of you further to address any lingering concerns. I am committed to sharing this information with the media outlets.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Miami City Manager Art Noriega
Miami City Manager Art Noriega’s presentation to the city can be seen below: