MIAMI – Miami-Dade Point out Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle is held a push convention to depth fees from Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez.
Martinez surrendered to jail Tuesday early morning on corruption prices involving $15,000 in payments from a small business operator going through code violations.
Click here to browse the Arrest Warrant Affidavit.
Martinez, who has served on the County Commission off and on considering that 2000, is billed with illegal payment and conspiracy to dedicate illegal payment, in accordance to an arrest warrant. Both of those are third-degree felonies punishable by up to five a long time in jail each individual.
Martinez, 64, surrendered at a county jail Tuesday and has now pledged to combat the costs. He is likely to be suspended from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite the fact that no choice was immediately introduced on that.
Martinez is a previous police lieutenant who has been looking at a run for Miami-Dade sheriff in 2024. That post was established by means of a voter referendum Miami-Dade is at present the only Florida county without the need of an elected sheriff.
Investigators say Martinez approved $15,000 from a supermarket proprietor who was dealing with repeated fines for owning way too many storage units on the home. In trade for the dollars, authorities say Martinez pushed legislation that would allow for the supermarket and its landlord to legally have their storage containers.
Despite the fact that that legislation ultimately did not go, officers say the costs are however permissible. Martinez’s legal professional, Ben Kuehne, reported in a statement that the expenses may well have political motives intended to derail his probable operate for sheriff in 2024.
“For now, Commissioner Martinez helps make obvious that he is harmless of any wrongdoing and intends to aggressively work to distinct his identify,” Kuehne said.
After a 17-yr law enforcement occupation, Martinez was elected to the fee in 2000. He gave up the seat in 2012 for an unsuccessful operate for county mayor, then failed in a 2014 Republican marketing campaign for Congress. He was elected to rejoin the commission in 2016 and reelected in 2020.
Martinez’s lawyer unveiled a statement, saying, in portion:
“Point out Legal professional Katherine Fernandez Rundle directed Miami-Dade County Commissioner Joe Martinez to surrender this 7 days centered on wrong allegations arising from his personal apply perform as a marketing consultant when he was a personal citizen and not an elected formal.
“The investigation has been ongoing for five yrs, so the timing of the allegations that do not contain Commissioner Martinez’s time in public business raise issues of a political effect when he is regarded as the front runner for the newly established sheriff of Miami-Dade County.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava tackled the situation Monday when asked during an unrelated push conference.
“Community trust in governing administration is crucial to our democracy. And, of program, we will not know something much more about the information appropriate now and if after we know we will be in a posture to respond, but appropriate now I have nothing at all even more to say.”
