A lawsuit filed in federal court more than two years ago by former Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo against the city of Miami; Commissioners Joe Carollo, Manolo Reyes and Alex Díaz de la Portilla; and City Manager Art Noriega can officially move forward.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams denied a motion to dismiss the complaint that was filed in January 2022 by Acevedo, who was fired by city commissioners in 2021. Williams further ruled that Carollo, Reyes, Díaz de la Portilla and Noriega are not entitled to qualified or legislative immunity, doctrines that generally protect public officials from being sued for actions that occurred within the scope of their legislative duties.

Williams has not issued a written order on the matter yet but said she anticipates doing so in the coming days.

In his civil complaint, Acevedo accused the parties of violating his First Amendment rights and illegally retaliating against him for “speaking out against corruption and abuse of power by the City of Miami Commission.” He has alleged that his firing was retribution for trying to maintain his independence as police chief.

READ MORE: Fired police chief sues Miami, claims commissioners tried to ‘weaponize’ cops against enemies

Acevedo alleged that he had attempted to promote officers who were committed to reform and that he had also tried to investigate officer misconduct “and to push back on attempts by certain City of Miami Commissioners to use the men, women, and resources of...

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