The former executive director of Miami’s Bayfront Park Management Trust has agreed to settle a lawsuit he filed in early 2025 accusing ex-City Commissioner Joe Carollo of using public funds to benefit his political allies and generating kickbacks for himself and his wife.
On Tuesday, attorneys for Carollo and Bayfront Park Management Trust — the agency that maintains the city’s bayfront parks — filed a notice in federal court telling the judge that they have “resolved this matter, and are in the process of finalizing settlement documents.”
The settlement notice appears to mark the end of a lawsuit that was shocking not only because of its allegations, but also because of the person making the claims.
In January 2025, former Bayfront Park Management Trust Executive Director Jose Suarez, along with the agency’s former finance director, filed the whistleblower complaint against Carollo, who served as chairman of the agency for several years. Suarez was considered to be a Carollo loyalist, having worked as Carollo’s chief of staff in City Hall from 2019 to 2022. Carollo, as Bayfront Park chairman, later brought on Suarez as the agency’s executive director in March 2024.
Suarez abruptly resigned his position as executive director in December 2024. He filed suit the next month, with representation from two attorneys who were well-acquainted with Carollo: Jay Rhodes, who previously worked as Carollo’s senior policy adviser, and Jeff Gutchess, who has for years been involved in...
Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for relying on claims by United States President Donald Trump regarding the reported killing of senior Islamic ...