The city of Miami has sued a mayoral candidate for $3,400 in court costs after she was disqualified from the race on the grounds that she didn’t meet the residency requirements.
In case anyone was wondering, Mayra Joli — a one-time Coral Gables commission candidate who campaigned in the Miami mayoral race last month, even though she was disqualified by a judge — would have come in third.
The judge’s decision on the city’s motion to have her disqualified was not made in time to remove Joli’s name from the ballot, so people could still vote for her even though she couldn’t serve. And thousands of them did.
Mayor Francis Suarez swept the polls with 79% of the vote, but Joli — who argued that she has residences in both Miami and the Gables — had a surprisingly decent showing, with more than 8% of the vote. The number 2 position went to entrepreneur Max Martinez, who got 11%.
Even more stunning was the early voting performance, where Joli got more than half as many votes as the mayor.
Joli — who gained national fame as the enthusiastically nodding lady at the Donald Trump town hall in Miami last year — did better than she did in April’s Coral Gables commission race, where she came in fifth with just over 7% and less than 800 votes. In Miami, Joli got 2,487 votes.
Read related: Trump loving ‘nodding lady’ Mayra Joli runs for Coral Gables commission
But none of them count after the city fought zealously to remove her from the ballot. Joli said they were defending the incumbent. But the city attorney is going to say she was defending the rights of citizens to be represented by someone who actually lives in the city. The
The motion filed in the 11th Circuit Court 14 days after the Nov. 2 election seeks reimbursement for costs the city incurred in getting Joli off the ballot. Those are:
- Filing fee: $415.04
- Service of initial process: $154.30
- Service of initial process: $159.30
- Court reporter attendance fee for 9/22/21 hearing: $95.00
- Court reporter attendance fee for 9/24/21 hearing: $95.00
- Transcript cost for 9/24/21 hearing: $65.45
- Court reporter attendance fee and transcript for 10/6/21 hearing: $546.50
- Court reporter attendance fee for 10/15/21 hearing: $395.00
- Transcript cost for 10/15/21 final hearing: $1,368.50
- Service of trial subpoena (MDC Supervisor of Elections): $88.00
The total “taxable costs incurred” come out to $3,382.09.
The plaintiff is City Clerk Todd Hannon, but everyone knows that it is City Attorney Victoria Mendez who is behind this.
“Of course it is,” Joli told Ladra. “Clearly this is a lesson so I learn that whey they give an order, I have to do what they say.”
Read related: Former Coral Gables candidate is running again — for Miami mayor
Mendez said this type of lawsuit is standard.
“The city routinely seeks to recover taxpayer funds expended as costs when it prevails in litigation, especially frivolous litigation,” Mendez told Ladra in a text message late Friday. “The Florida statutes provide for the recovery of costs for the prevailing party.
“This happens all the time. She is not special,” Mendez said. “Whenever we are in a lawsuit that we should not be in, we can seek costs.”
Joli asked Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mark Blumstein to recuse himself from making this decision. She says there’s a conflict of interest because Jose Riesco serves as campaign treasurer for both the judge and the mayor.
But Riesco does the numbers for about half the politicos in the 305. Carlos Trueba does the other half.
In her own messy motion to reconsider the dismissal of the motion to have the judge recused — whew — Joli says the city is doing this as political payback and that she does not believe that the judge can be impartial.
Read related: No runoffs in Miami as incumbents and Christine King score big election wins
“The city has an army of attorneys working against me, for political reasons,” Joli wrote.
“I want what every American citizen wants of our legal system, a fair chance. I fear I will not receive a fair and impartial hearing because of the close business, financial, and/or political common interest relationship between the presiding judge and my former opponent, Francis Suarez. He has now been re-elected mayor thanks to the results of this proceeding and the City of Miami staff’s meticulous work safeguarding his re-election.
“The City of Miami is using the taxpayers’ dollars (my dollars) to advance a political hit piece. The City of Miami is using its resources to teach a black woman a lesson. That lesson is, to obey. That disobedience came into effect when I refused to reconsider my decision to run, as the city attorney requested. That is an abuse of authority and abuse of power. I fear I am not protected, and I have nowhere to turn. I fear I am not going to receive a fair hearing on this request of the city to punish me fiscally. The court denied my motion to disqualify without a hearing. The city filed a Motion to charge me for the luxury of defending myself, and that motion is being entertained even though it is part of an unfair political vendetta. The commissioners who the attorney(s) and the City Clerk profess to represent have no knowledge of this action taken against me. I discovered it is an action done by the city attorney in connection with and under my opponent, the incumbent re-elected mayor’s direct orders. The re-elected mayor shares an important and central campaign element with the presiding judge in this proceeding. I fear I am not treated fairly, and I fear I am not going to be treated fairly.”
Joli told Ladra that she had spoken to commissioners Joe Carollo, Manolo Reyes and Ken Russell and that none of them knew the city had sued to recoup the $3,400. She may still show up at next week’s meeting and complain more loudly.
Perhaps commissioners should pony up and, between them, pay for these court costs out of their office slush funds. That money has been wasted on far worse.
Or, better yet, maybe Suarez can make a donation from his political action committee.
Miami sues blocked mayoral candidate Mayra Joli for $3,400 in court costs added by Ladra on
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Shucking and Jiving for a man who will go down in history for one the most infamous acts of any U.S. President. The attempted overthrow of the government! Now. We learn he is suspected of committing espionage against his own country, with boxes of top secret documents in an unguarded storage closet.
The National Archives spent 18 + months attempting to recover that material which the Orange Cheeto could have complied with and avoided the FBI raid.
How many different lies has given daily to explain the 40 boxes of documents he took with him? They are ALL easily proven as lies!
Yes! Hitch a ride with THAT traitor!
” Please investigate Alex DLP and Joe Carollo who we are told DO NOT live in their respective districts. That should be grounds for removal. Why doesn’t the City of Miami Police and the City Attorney investigate these commissioners?”
Agree and if she lied / misled or just made a mistake when she filed , she should pay the cost BUT agree with you because laws / rules in Miami are selectively enforced .
Some politicians / officials here laugh at every rule / law and no one is going after them , certainly not the Miami DA .
” Mayra Joli is a member of the Trump Cult ”
No fan of Trump and putting it real mildly but I would vote for her any day over Suarez and at min she would not get the same pass for BS which Suarez and rest of these flunky career criminals get .
Please investigate Alex DLP and Joe Carollo who we are told DO NOT live in their respective districts. That should be grounds for removal. Why doesn’t the City of Miami Police and the City Attorney investigate these commissioners? HaHa.
How about letting the Florida Bar know one of their members (if she’s actually a member of the Bar) lied under oath when she claimed to live in tje City of Miami to run for office? And what will the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser think about a resident of the City of Coral Gables claiming homestead exemption when she said she lived in the City of Miami? For an attorney, she’s really not that bright. These types of unethical actions cannot be tolerated in a democratic country of laws. They diminish civil society and the Republic. Not surprised that she follows #formerguy who has no respect for laws, promoted an insurrection and attempted a coup d’etat!
The City of Miami did not “sue” Joli to recover costs. By law, it is entitled to recover costs as the prevailing party in the existing suit.
Suing a person bc they ran for office (residency dispute or not) is just wrong. Could set a very bad precedent. The city should just let this grudge go
I do not sympathize with any elected official in the City of Miami (aka The Banana Republic). And I think the City Attorney is a hack and the clerk a lap dog.
THAT Said Ms. Joli is an attorney and should know the law if she is not happy with a law there are ways of changing them (not easy or guaranteed). Her antics do not help in improving the situation, they only add to the 3rd world craziness a lot of us came here to avoid. If she wishes she should appeal the decision, but residency laws exist for a reason and Miami’s is not a particularly draconian. one.
On the other end of running for office which you’re not currently qualified spectrum. Maybe they should pay to check on other commissioner(s) known to no longer live in the districts in which they originally qualified? Even though they are soon to termed out and are running for another office the charter still requires them to reside in their district for the term of their service. Knowingly violating the charter and still gaming the system is bad on any political resumé and will certainly be opposition fodder in any future campaign especially on who portrays themselves as an ethical progressive liberal.
Mayra Joli is a member of the Trump Cult. She should definitely have to pay the taxpayers for wasting their time and the time of the overpaid city staffers tasking with discovering she lived in a different city and hence not eligible to run. Maybe she wanted to be like her hero Trump who forced the taxpayers to spend $150 Million on his golf outings?