Drama has returned to Miami City Hall.
At Thursday’s meeting, Commissioner Ralph Rosado asked the Miami City Manager to remove Police Chief Manuel Morales from his post, appoint an interim chief and begin the search for a permanent one immediately.
“I don’t know what kind of trust I can have in you at all, for you to continue in this role,” Rosado told the chief.
Rosado insists Morales, who is set to retire as chief in October, is already running to be a City Commissioner in Rosado’s District Four come November of 2027.
“I have been approached by members of the community that would love to see me continue my public service after I am done in uniform,” Morales told commissioners.
The future of the Miami Police Chief’s position was a topic of discussion at Thursday’s meeting.
“That is so far off in the future, in this business of public safety, I work one day at a time, sir. I have absolutely no plans right now to pursue that anytime soon,” he said.
“So my understanding is different,” Rosado said.
“I have heard from at least a dozen individuals who have said, unrelated individuals, who have said that you have said that you are going to be running for the district 4 seat, which puts me in a really uncomfortable position because we are paying you essentially a half million dollars a year to be campaigning on the job,” he said.
Commissioner Mike Gabela chimed in.
“I need to know again, that I have a full-time chief on the job, not thinking of politics, that he is the chief,” he said.
Morales took the opportunity to tell the commissioner how crime in Miami is down across the board, and how public safety has made tremendous strides under his tenure
Rosado’s motion to remove the chief didn’t get a second, so it failed. The chief said he’s on the path to retirement, but will stay as long as necessary to ensure a smooth transition.
The city is starting the process of looking for a new chief.