Days after lawmakers greenlit Republican Rep. Fabi\u00e1n Basabe\u2019s request for a sweeping audit of Miami Beach\u2019s governance, local officials are preparing to denounce what they describe as \u201cfalse, misleading, and unsubstantiated public claims\u201d he\u2019s made about the city and its leaders.<\/p>\n
In a new resolution<\/a> filed for the panel\u2019s Dec. 17 meeting, Mayor Steven Meiner and Commissioners Tanya Bhatt, Laura Dominguez and Alex Fernadnez assert that the city operates with \u201ctransparency, ethical governance, responsible public communication, and evidence-based oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n But for years, the resolution says, Basabe has repeatedly undermined public trust by publicly accusing the city of corruption, mismanagement, favoritism, improper contracting and unethical behavior \u2014 none of which, the item says, has been backed by evidence.<\/p>\n The resolution highlights Basabe\u2019s\u00a0initial request<\/a> in October for an audit of Miami Beach, which, among other things, raised concerns of \u201cfinancial mismanagement, procurement irregularities,\u201d \u201cinflated contracts, diversion of funds, and questionable budget allocations.\u201d<\/p>\n Basabe has yet to provide substantiation for any of those claims, according to the resolution, which also cites Basabe\u2019s amplification of social media claims alleging that Commissioners are controlled by insiders or engaged in improper dealings<\/a>, calling those assertions \u201ccompletely without evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Similarly, the item says Basabe\u2019s criticism of Miami Beach\u2019s homelessness ordinance<\/a> has been \u201cfactually and legally baseless,\u201d contradicting census data<\/a> from the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust showing homelessness at \u201chistoric lows.\u201d His claims regarding misuse of voter-approved general obligation bond funds are also \u201ccategorically false,\u201d according to the resolution.<\/p>\n The Miami Beach Commission is a seven-member body, meaning that if Meiner, Bhatt, Dominguez and Fernandez all vote for the measure they sponsored, it will pass. Commissioner Joseph Magazine, who was traveling when contacted Thursday, said he\u2019d heard the gist of the resolution but won\u2019t decide whether he\u2019ll be supportive until he reads it.<\/p>\n Commissioner David Suarez, who this year lodged accusations<\/a> against Dominguez similar to those Basabe intimated, responded to a query from Florida Politics about the issue, but declined to say whether he\u2019d support or oppose the resolution. He said he hadn\u2019t looked at the agenda yet.<\/p>\n Commissioner-elect Monica Matteo-Salinas, a former Fernandez staffer who is to be sworn in Dec. 15, did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n Meiner, Magazine and Suarez have no party affiliation. Bhatt, Dominguez, Fernandez and Matteo-Salinas are Democrats.<\/p>\n Senators and Representatives in the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee voted unanimously<\/a> on Monday to direct Florida Auditor General Sherill Norman to examine Miami Beach\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n Norman will now set the scope of the review, and auditors will coordinate with the city in the coming weeks to begin document requests and on-site work. A final report is expected roughly one year after the audit formally begins.<\/p>\n In a lengthy statement, Basabe accused the resolution\u2019s sponsors of \u201ctrying to turn a basic oversight measure into a political fight,\u201d noting that the measure was placed on the Commission\u2019s consent agenda, \u201cwhere it can be passed in a batch without discussion unless a Commissioner pulls it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis alone tells you how uncomfortable they are with transparency. Challenging an independent audit is never in the best interest of residents, and trying to bury a political attack inside a procedural shortcut should concern anyone who cares about honest government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is defensive and calculated to serve as a shield to their calculated ecosystem of donors, lobbyists and contract-holders who rely on secrecy and confusion to operate. Residents deserve clarity, clean bookkeeping and honest government. They also deserve leaders willing to collaborate in good faith.\u201d<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Basabe has sought potentially punitive action against local officials in cities he represents. In August, he successfully pushed for Bay Harbor to fire its Town Attorney<\/a>, Democratic Miami-Dade School Board member\u00a0Joe Geller. The action, effectuated by a 6-1 Town Council vote, prompted one of Geller\u2019s law firm partners to opine that the number of municipalities Basabe has scrutinized \u201cprobably correlates to the number of political enemies he has.\u201d<\/p>\n Fernandez said in a brief phone interview that he welcomes the audit, noting that the city operates at a surplus, has reduced its millage rate in recent years, and enjoys strong bond ratings. Miami Beach also has an independent Inspector General who regularly checks the city\u2019s books for waste and abuse, Fernandez said before accusing Basabe of both.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a public official that is lying to his colleagues about one of his cities, and now we have public resources being dedicated to looking into falsehoods,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything that he has alleged is false and misleading, and now it\u2019s leading to an audit that wastes taxpayers\u2019 money.\u201d<\/p>\n Fernandez added that Basabe may have also engaged in a \u201ccriminal misuse of public office\u201d by including his official Florida House letterhead in communications accusing him and Dominguez of wrongdoing and calling for candidates to challenge them.<\/p>\n In one letter addressed to \u201cthe Residents of Miami Beach,\u201d he asked, \u201cWILL ANYONE RUN AGAINST FERNANDEZ OR DOMINGUEZ? Step up to and help to save our city!\u201d In another that did not include their names, the lawmaker wrote, \u201cIf you vote for any of these incumbents, you\u2019re endorsing deceit and rewarding incompetence.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida Statute 104.31<\/a> provides that a public official may not use their authority or influence \u201cfor the purpose of interfering with an election or nomination of office or coercing or influencing another person\u2019s vote or affecting the result thereof.\u201d<\/p>\n Miami Beach resident Jo Manning cited that statute and others in September ethics complaints<\/a> she filed against Suarez, who used the city\u2019s seal and letterhead in communications aimed at defeating Dominguez in the city\u2019s November election.<\/p>\n