Some voters in Miami Lakes got a long, rambling text message about the village mayoral election — but not from one of the candidates. It was from former Mayor Michael “Muscles” Pizzi , who recently got a $1.7 million settlement from the city for his defense costs in a federal bribery trial. Vice Mayor Antonio “Tony” […]
In what could seem like a hasty and behind-closed-doors decision, the Miami Lakes Council agreed to pay former Mayor Michael Pizzi — who was arrested in 2013 on federal bribery charges but acquitted a year later — for $1.7 million for the legal fees he incurred in his defense. Wasn’t this supposed to come back […]
The runoff in the special election to fill a vacancy on the Miami Lakes Town Council was won by attorney Bryan Morera, but one could say that three council members also won Tuesday. Morera, who took 57 percent against Esther Colon‘s 43 percent, had been endorsed and/or supported by council members Marilyn Ruano, Luis Collazo and Josh […]
Lawyer claims ethical violations in special election Nobody won the Miami Lakes Special Election earlier this month for the council seat vacated by former Vice Mayor Carlos Alvarez, who resigned in November, so there will be a runoff Tuesday between attorney Bryan Morera, who got 29%, and former Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Town Manager and failed 2016 candidate […]
The two top building officials from the town of Miami Lakes resigned abruptly last month and some City Hall employees and town insiders say they were pushed out by political pressure and/or interference. Building official Mike Mesa and Permits Director Lourdes Rodriguez both resigned from their positions in the wake of an ad hoc committee […]
The Florida Third District Court of Appeal said Wednesday that former Miami Lakes Mayor Michael “Muscles” Pizzi could continue his lawsuit against the town for payment of his $3.25 million in legal fees from his 2013 public corruption trial. Pizzi had a dream team of attorneys to fight the federal bribery charges after an FBI […]
Another elected office is suddenly going to be prematurely vacant soon: Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Tony Lama is expected to resign in July to move to Seattle for a plum job at Amazon dot com. But the replacement will be an appointee until the next election in Miami Lakes, which is not until 2018. Lama, first elected in […]
Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi can’t step left or right at City Hall without running into a challenger. Last month, Town Councilman Ceasar Mestre filed to run for the mayor’s seat now held by his one-time friend and ally. On Monday, Manny Cid became the second council member to file paperwork to run in what […]
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has passed on a request from the Miami Lakes council to open an independent investigation into the May car accident involving Mayor Michael Pizzi and a tree. FDLE Director Scott McInerny told Miami Lakes Town Manager Alex Rey in a letter dated Aug. 3 that they reviewed the investigation by […]
The second employee to resign from the Town of Miami Lakes in recent weeks because they’d rather be unemployed than work for Mayor Michael Pizzi is his handpicked assistant, the daughter of a longtime Pizzi supporter. Lissette Molina resigned from her position as Pizzi’s assistant just before 10 a.m. Friday. “Due to the unfortunate work […]