Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wasted no time in responding to the arrest of Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who was taken into custody on corruption charges, including bribery and money laundering. DeSantis promptly issued Executive Order 23-184 on Friday evening, suspending Diaz de la Portilla from his position.
DeSantis' official statement read, "It is in the best interests of the residents of the City of Miami, and the citizens of the State of Florida, that Alejandro Diaz de la Portilla be immediately suspended from the public office which he now holds."
At the heart of these corruption allegations is a $10 million sports complex project situated on public property designated for a public school. According to an arrest affidavit made public on Friday, Diaz de la Portilla is accused of advocating for the construction of this athletic facility in exchange for substantial financial support, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and other expenses.
(MyFlorida.com)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order suspending Alex Diaz de la Portilla from the Miami city commission.
Centner Academy, the organization behind the sports complex project, was the subject of Diaz de la Portilla's proposal, which received unanimous approval. The arrest affidavit alleges that attorney and lobbyist William Riley Jr. conspired with Diaz de la Portilla to channel $245,000 from the Centner Academy's owners into two political committees under Diaz de la Portilla's discreet control.
Notably, the affidavit does not suggest any wrongdoing on the part of David and Lelia Centner, who own Centner Academy. In response to the situation, the Centners released a statement to their school community, saying, "Please know that at this time the prosecutor has asked us not to comment. With that being said, we want to assure all of you that we are not being accused of any wrongful acts nor have we done anything wrong. We wish we could share more freely; we imagine matters will clarify in the coming weeks."
(Miami-Dade Department of Corrections)
Alex Diaz de la Portilla
Riley faces allegations of directing funds from the Centner couple and making payments during negotiations for the sports complex's construction at Biscayne Park. The affidavit also implicates Riley in billing the couple for campaign-related events and covering Diaz de la Portilla's hotel expenses at the East Miami Hotel in Brickell.
Upon his release from jail on Thursday night, Diaz de la Portilla vehemently denied any wrongdoing, claiming, "This is a work of fiction by this prosecutor, this is a Democrat state attorney from Broward County who's targeting a Republican commissioner from Miami, the same thing that's happening to President Trump at the national level with four different false prosecutions is happening to me in Miami at the local level, we're seeing it on the national level and now we're seeing it on a local level. There's nothing true about this complaint."
Diaz de la Portilla, who has been serving as commissioner for District One, representing Flagami, Allapattah, and parts of Little Havana since 2020, has a history of public service, having been elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1994 and later serving in the Florida Senate from 2000 to 2010. Despite the charges, Diaz de la Portilla has expressed his intent to seek re-election, asserting, "The people of that community, the people of my district, they know me as a state senator, a state representative, a commissioner and they trust me, they know I'm honest, I'm direct and I say the truth. There's no truth whatsoever to any of these allegations."
The suspension of Diaz de la Portilla by Governor DeSantis marks a significant development in this ongoing legal matter, and the city commission now faces the task of appointing a replacement within 10 days, per Miami's charter. Failure to do so would necessitate a special election, which is already scheduled for November, including the District 1 seat currently held by Diaz de la Portilla. If convicted, Diaz de la Portilla could face a substantial prison sentence, although he continues to vehemently deny the charges, describing them as politically motivated.