Questions about circumstances of the award have revolved primarily around a slide used in a PowerPoint presentation that had initially been used as part of Elevate QOF\u2019s request.<\/p>\n
The screenshot of a Federal Emergency Management Agency site did not appear on the PowerPoint slide as it did online. There has been dispute over whether it had been an inadvertent formatting error or an intentional effort to mislead officials.<\/p>\n
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Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo signs her oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony at City Hall on Jan. 14, 2025.<\/p>\n
The allegations made in the petition run closely to some of those made in a lawsuit against the city filed by hotelier Ajit David.<\/p>\n
The petition asserts that Guajardo was made aware several times of concerns that the screenshot may have been altered before putting an item on a City Council agenda to award tax incentives to the project, and subsequently voting in favor of the tax incentives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is \u2018misconduct\u2019 and \u2018malfeasance\u2019 on the part of Paulette Guajardo and grounds for removal,\u201d the document states.<\/p>\n
Guajardo, in a March 19 message to the Caller-Times, wrote that she \u201cwould urge the Council to dismiss the complaint,\u201d adding that \u201cit has no legal or factual merit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe matter has been examined and rejected by multiple law enforcement agencies, and it represents an irresponsible use of public funds,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
The tax incentive<\/p>\n
The slide in question included a screenshot of FEMA’s website, capturing an image of a news release announcing that flood map changes would take effect in October 2022.<\/p>\n
The date it was released \u2014 April 13, 2022 \u2014 does not appear on the slide.<\/p>\n
Developer Philip Ramirez in December 2023 told the Type B board the flood map changes had been unforeseen.<\/p>\n
The funding request was for two purposes, he had said \u2014 one for floodplain mitigation and the other to help with the costs of building certain amenities.<\/p>\n
Hotel controversy: Here’s what led up to the now-closed Homewood Suites investigation<\/a><\/p>\n Like the presentation to the Type B board, a presentation to the council in February 2024 showed the FEMA website slide, and the ordinance approved in the first reading referenced, in part, \u201ccosts associated with FEMA AE Flood Zone requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n The council, prior to its second vote, was notified three times of allegations related to the slide, according to a Corpus Christi Police Department investigation report.<\/p>\n Approved verbiage of the ordinance changed from the first reading to the second reading. The second version stated that the incentive was for \u201cstreet level retail, public space, and outdoor dining area activation including gray box and finish out including necessary floodwall and dry flood proofing to allow for consistent street level access.”<\/p>\n Construction continues on a Homewood Suites hotel in downtown Corpus Christi on Feb. 6.<\/p>\n The investigations<\/p>\n Five months after the council approved the tax incentives, David filed suit against the city.<\/p>\n In it, he asserted that the council had incorrectly approved the $2 million award based on an \u201congoing false narrative,\u201d in part related to allegations that the image included in PowerPoint presentations had been altered.<\/p>\n In documents responding to David\u2019s suit, city representatives denied allegations.<\/p>\n Similarly, court records show Elevate QOF LLC also denying \u201cany allegation and\/or insinuation of wrongdoing.\u201d<\/p>\n In August 2025, the city auditor\u2019s office recommended an independent external investigation into the situation be launched. By September, local law enforcement agencies became involved, largely focusing the investigation on Ramirez.<\/p>\n The CCPD investigation, in part, involved a review of depositions taken in David\u2019s lawsuit. Those who have given depositions include several city staff and council members, including Guajardo.<\/p>\n The Corpus Christi Police Department ultimately did not bring charges after detectives were unable to establish probable cause or find any violation of state or federal criminal law, according to a presentation by the department made before the council on Feb. 17.<\/p>\n An administrative investigation report later produced by independent outside attorneys<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 intended, in part, to address questions about process and ethics \u2014 also asserted no criminal wrongdoing in a review of the situation.<\/p>\n The attorney, Daniel Ray, told the City Council that while it appeared the image on the slide had \u201cbeen intentionally altered to cover the dates,” there was \u201cno prosecutable criminal fraud or forgery that’s been established.\u201d<\/p>\n The petition<\/p>\n There will be three options the City Council can take on March 24 related to the petition to remove the mayor, according to officials.<\/p>\n Those would be to refer the matter to the ethics commission for a recommendation, to schedule a hearing or to take no action at all, according to an Aug. 29 memo, penned by City Secretary Rebecca Huerta.<\/p>\n A hearing, she wrote, would \u201cbe conducted in a manner similar to a court trial.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the notice period, the petitioners are required to draft written articles of impeachment, and the challenged member may summon witnesses to testify,\u201d Huerta wrote.<\/p>\n Ultimately, a \u201cfinal decision to remove a member shall be by the majority vote of all council members holding office, with the exception of the challenged member,\u201d she wrote, quoting the city\u2019s charter.<\/p>\n City Councilman Gil Hernandez, one of three council members who requested that discussion on the petition be put on the agenda, said he didn\u2019t intend \u201cto go in with a preconceived notion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI’m trying to keep an open mind on this \u2026 because ultimately a case has to be proven,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now there’s just a lot of conjecture.\u201d<\/p>\n Articles of impeachment<\/p>\n In the City Council\u2019s March 17 meeting, Caballero announced that she had filed what are described as \u201carticles of impeachment.\u201d<\/p>\n Articles of impeachment generally outline specifics of what is being alleged.<\/p>\n In a March 19 message to the Caller-Times, Caballero wrote that she had filed the petition and articles of impeachment because \u201cthe mayor lied, under oath, during a deposition of a lawsuit filed against the city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe has a code of ethics she must follow and she is not,\u201d Caballero wrote. \u201cWe, as a community, want ethical and moral representatives. We are fighting for accountability and ethical behavior from our elected officials.\u201d<\/p>\n Guajardo responded to the accusations in a March 20 message to the Caller-Times.<\/p>\n \u201cI categorically deny these allegations,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThey are unfounded and not relevant to the matter at hand. I have conducted myself with integrity and transparency throughout this process, and these assertions do not reflect the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n Guajardo the previous day had suggested that Caballero\u2019s \u201cactions appear to stem from opposition to seawater desalination, rather than any substantiated claims.\u201d<\/p>\n Caballero, in a March 20 message, responded to the assertion, stating that it was a \u201cdistraction being used to deter from the real issue of an elected official’s unethical behavior & oath violation.\u201d<\/p>\n Kirsten Crow covers city government and water news. Have a story idea? Contact her at kirsten.crow@caller.com.<\/p>\n Consider supporting local journalism with a\u00a0subscription to the Caller-Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Construction](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/9a11d62761192659d856bbc02625898b.jpeg\"\/)
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