The case added to mounting legal troubles for Joe Carollo, whose $63.5M retaliation verdict survived a U.S. Supreme Court challenge this year.
Former Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo has agreed to settle a whistleblower lawsuit accusing him of corruption and retaliation.
Attorneys for Carollo and the Bayfront Park Management Trust filed a notice this week in federal court stating the parties had “resolved this matter” and were finalizing settlement documents.
The agreement ends a lawsuit filed in January 2025 by former Bayfront Park Management Trust Executive Director Jose Suarez and former Finance Director Jose Canto.
The men accused Carollo of misusing public funds, steering money to political allies and retaliating against them after they raised concerns about financial practices at the agency.
The settlement amount was not disclosed.
Legal news outlet Law360 first reported on the settlement Tuesday.
“The parties in this case, and their counsel, and their insurers, all worked together on a sensible resolution,” attorney Jeff Gutchess, who represented Suarez, told the Miami Herald.
Carollo continued to deny wrongdoing Wednesday, calling the complaint “the most frivolous lawsuit with no merit whatsoever.” He told the Herald the settlement was a business decision by the defendants’ insurance company and “not a huge amount.”
The lawsuit drew attention because Suarez had once been considered a Carollo ally. He served as Carollo’s Chief of Staff at City Hall from 2019 to 2022,...
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