Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo won’t face jail time for allegedly stalking Little Havana developer Bill Fuller.
On Tuesday, the Broward State Attorney’s public corruption unit closed a criminal investigation into allegations that Carollo stalked Fuller, as well as falsely accusing establishments he owns of committing crimes. Investigators also probed accusations that Carollo threatened former Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo.
“Based upon the evidence, the state cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Carollo’s actions rose to a criminal offense as it pertains to his dealings with Fuller or Acevedo,” Assistant State Attorney Alexandra Weil wrote in a close-out memo. “As such, criminal charges will not be filed against Joe Carollo.”
The Broward State Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation due to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office having a potential conflict of interest. A witness in the Carollo case is related to an employee of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
Carollo’s attorney, Benedict Kuehne, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fuller declined to comment.
Shortly after Carollo took office in 2017, the city of Miami launched a code enforcement crackdown in Little Havana that targeted multiple bars and restaurants in the neighborhood.
Carollo took a keen interest in reporting alleged violations occurring at Ball & Chain and Taquerias el Mexicano, which are owned by Fuller and his business partners Zach and Ben Bush, court documents show. The two businesses lease space in properties owned by Barlington Group, a development firm owned by Fuller and Martin Pinilla. Both developers supported Carollo’s political opponent in 2017.
Fuller and Pinilla have long maintained that Carollo directed city employees, including Miami City Manager Art Noriega and then-City Attorney Victoria Mendez, to issue excessive violation notices and fines against properties the developers own. Indeed, Ball & Chain and Taquerias el Mexicano were temporarily closed to address the violations.
In 2023, a Fort Lauderdale federal jury ruled Carollo violated Fuller’s and Pinilla’s civil rights by orchestrating the code enforcement campaign, awarding the pair $63.5 million in damages. Carollo’s public salary is being garnished to help pay off the verdict, but a federal judge ruled last year that he can keep his Coconut Grove home.
Fuller and Pinilla also have a pending federal lawsuit against Noriega, Mendez and other city employees involved in the crackdown. The city settled a third federal lawsuit filed by Fuller and the Bushes for $12.5 million. But investigators in the Carollo criminal probe interviewed city employees who denied being pressured by Carollo to go after Fuller.
