Proposed termination of Opa-locka city manager tied to alleged embezzlement
MIAMI - A proposed termination of City Manager Darvin Williams, instigated by Vice Mayor Natasha Ervin, coincides with Williams filing a whistleblower complaint accusing the vice mayor of embezzlement and potential employee fraud.
A city official blew the whistle on allegations of corruption in Opa-locka.
CBS News Miami started looking at the complaint the city manager filed to the governor's office on Monday. It came on the same night the city commission attempted to fire him.
A special meeting called Monday proposed terminating Williams and replacing him.
"It's exhausting," exclaimed Williams. "It makes the job ten times harder."
Behind the proposed resolution to terminate Williams was Vice Mayor Natasha Ervin. Unaware hours earlier, Williams submitted a whistleblower complaint to the governor's office.
The whistleblower complaint, filed Monday, alleged embezzlement by the vice mayor and potential employee fraud in the Parks and Recreation Department.
"They are public records," said Williams. "It's not for me to try to sway."
In the complaint, he alleges Ervin's niece received over $20,000 as a vendor for the city for catering services between June of 2023 and July of this year.
CBS News Miami asked Ervin, "Does the commission know that your niece has been paid over $20,000 for the manager?
"You have to ask the city manager. I do nothing without the manager knowing," he responded
We asked Williams if he knew about her niece receiving city contracts. He referred us back to the complaint.
The complaint claimed Erwin's niece's invoices "were submitted for payment by the Vice Mayor in the Vice Mayor's handwriting."
We then asked Opa-locka Mayor John Taylor, "Should people that sit on the dais and serve the commission disclose that their family members are receiving a city contract?"
"The way we do it here, everything comes before the commission in resolution ordinance form. So at that moment, if she speaks it, that's the only way we will find out," Taylor responded.
The complaint also alleged Ervin interfered with an investigation into the Parks and Recreation Department. "Vice Mayor also contacted the HR Director Mary Adams to query her regarding information and details regarding her investigation."
"I had a conversation with, the HR Director and I asked the question, how can we fire people when we don't, they don't know what's going on?"
We followed up and asked Ervin, "They were given termination letters, though. Did you ask to see those just out of curiosity?
"No, I didn't," he responded.
The complaint showed at least one employee in Parks & Recs was fired in July for "falsifying timecards to receive payment for hours not worked."
And this is may just be the beginning of CBS News Miami investigating the complaint filed on Monday.
On July 24th, Williams mentioned during a city commission meeting that there are ongoing criminal investigations by the city and outside law enforcement agencies. The police chief confirmed that to us in writing but would not elaborate on who or what is the target of those investigations.