State Attorney's Office says it has launched review of voting record of North Miami Beach Mayor DeFillipo
MIAMI -- The Florida State Attorney's Office said Monday it is reviewing the 2022 voting record of North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo who has been accused of representing the city even though he lives outside city limits.
The investigation by CBS Miami was first to uncover that DeFillipo voted three times from a North Miami Beach home he no longer lived at and sold in 2021.
During the investigation by CBS Miami, we obtained photos from a private investigator that showed DeFillipo, his wife and children at a $1.2 million home he purchased in Davie.
Videos and photos showed him there day after day for weeks last November.
The city is challenging his true residency in court to see if he still is eligible to remain as the mayor.
DeFillipo has maintained he lives in North Miami Beach in a one-bedroom condo.
CBS 4 has asked DeFillipo at least a half-dozen times to explain his voting record and asked again on Monday for an interview.
But he continues to refuse to speak to CBS 4 and answer our questions although he did speak to other media outlets.
There's also a counter lawsuit into Vice Mayor Michael Joseph and whether he violated the city charter by not attending recent commission meetings.
On Monday evening, Joseph released the following statement:
"The state attorney's office knows what many of us have been demanding to know: Is Mr. Defillipo covering up the truth about his residency to keep his seat or has he been removed from office for living outside the city? The answer is obvious. I hope the city can finally get back to the people's business without the distraction of these legal controversies."
"As for the frivolous lawsuit filed against me, it is clear that Mr. Defillipo and his allies are doing whatever it takes to distract our residents from his repeated illegal voting and living in another county in violation of our city charter."