Gov. DeSantis has suspended Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez
MIAMI - Governor Ron DeSantis has suspended Joe Martinez from his position on the Miami-Dade Commission.
Martinez, who has served on the County Commission off and on since 2000, was charged last month with unlawful compensation and conspiracy to commit unlawful compensation, according to an arrest warrant.
Investigators say Martinez accepted $15,000 from a supermarket owner who was facing repeated fines for having too many storage units on the property. In exchange for the money, authorities say Martinez pushed legislation that would allow the supermarket and its landlord to legally have their storage containers.
Click here to read the Arrest Warrant Affidavit.
Although that legislation ultimately did not pass, officials said the charges were permissible.
"These violations constitute felonies in the second and third degree, and it is in the best interest of the residents of Miami-Dade County that Martinez be immediately suspended from the public office that he holds," according to a statement from the governor's office.
The felonies are punishable by up to five years in prison each.
After a 17-year police career, Martinez was elected to the commission in 2000. He gave up the seat in 2012 for an unsuccessful run for county mayor, then failed in a 2014 Republican campaign for Congress. He was elected to rejoin the commission in 2016 and reelected in 2020.
DeSantis is expected to appoint a commissioner to fill the District 11 seat in the coming weeks.
The law firm representing Martinez issued a statement that read in part:
Although the Governor's decision is a disappointment, the Commissioner and his supporters were expecting this development and recognize that this is a part of the process when even completely unfounded charges are brought against public officials.
Commissioner Martinez, his legal team, and his many supporters will focus on clearing his name and fighting these baseless allegations arising from his work as a consultant when he was a private citizen and not an elected official.
The Commissioner offers his support to whomever the Governor decides to appoint to the Miami-Dade County District 11 seat.