MIAMI – The Little Havana businesses that took on Commissioner Joe Carollo got a big payout from the city of Miami.
The city has agreed to pay $12 million to settle their claim that the embattled commissioner had a personal vendetta against them.
The commissioners voting for this said this was the best path forward to protect taxpayers’ money.
“For me it was a very bittersweet vote,” Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo said.
Pardo joined three other commissioners in reaching a massive $12.5 million settlement with Bill Fuller.
6 p.m. report:
The owner of Mad Room LLC sued the city three years ago, alleging city government weaponized code inspection to come after his businesses as a form of political retaliation.
The only opposing vote came from Carollo. He was not named in this suit but was found civilly liable in a similar federal suit in June 2023 for violating the business owners’ First Amendment rights by weaponizing his position in city government.
Carollo told Local 10 News in a statement, “This lawsuit is not against me; it is against the City of Miami, where these bar owners accuse numerous employees of having acted improperly against their businesses, which is false. On the contrary, the only evidence that was seen is the violation of our laws and the abuse of our residents by these plaintiffs.”
Pardo, on the other hand, said Carollo should face consequences.
“The issue here is an issue of accountability and that’s where residents are furious,” Pardo said.
The settlement avoids the prospect of a drawn-out legal battle and a potential judgment of nearly $28 million coming from taxpayers.
“On the one side, there might be a lot more risk of costs for the city of Miami, but also the plaintiffs agreed on it too,” Pardo said. “And for us, for a city, it was a good call. Go ahead, turn that page, move forward.”
Fuller was not available for comment Friday afternoon.
Commissioners Miguel Gabela and Christine King, who also voted for the settlement, said it was in the best interests of the city and its taxpayers.