Days after lawmakers greenlit Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe’s request for a sweeping audit of Miami Beach’s governance, local officials are preparing to denounce what they describe as “false, misleading, and unsubstantiated public claims” he’s made about the city and its leaders.
In a new resolution filed for the panel’s Dec. 17 meeting, Mayor Steven Meiner and Commissioners Tanya Bhatt, Laura Dominguez and Alex Fernadnez assert that the city operates with “transparency, ethical governance, responsible public communication, and evidence-based oversight.”
But for years, the resolution says, Basabe has repeatedly undermined public trust by publicly accusing the city of corruption, mismanagement, favoritism, improper contracting and unethical behavior — none of which, the item says, has been backed by evidence.
The resolution highlights Basabe’s initial request in October for an audit of Miami Beach, which, among other things, raised concerns of “financial mismanagement, procurement irregularities,” “inflated contracts, diversion of funds, and questionable budget allocations.”
Basabe has yet to provide substantiation for any of those claims, according to the resolution, which also cites Basabe’s amplification of social media claims alleging that Commissioners are controlled by insiders or engaged in...
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