Ex-Miami Beach City Manager Jorge Gonzalez Set to Take His Talents to Bal Harbour

Apparently if you fail in Miami Beach, you just make your way a little up the island to one of those fancy little towns. Former Miami Beach police chief Donald DeLucca ended up in Golden Beaches, and now former Miami Beach city manager Jorge Gonzalez is set to serve that...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

September 16, 2013

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Apparently if you fail in Miami Beach, you just make your way a little up the island to one of those fancy little towns. Former Miami Beach police chief Donald DeLucca ended up in Golden Beaches, and now former Miami Beach city manager Jorge Gonzalez is set to serve that same role in Bal Harbour.

Political Cortadito reported over the weekend that Gonzalez and the city are just working out the terms of his employment. The city council approved his hiring in a 4-1 vote.

"I'm 47 years old. I can't retire," Gonzalez told the blog. "And this is what I do. Local government is what I do."

Fair enough. Though, it's a bit of a step back. Bal Harbour is a town of just over 3,300 compared to Miami Beach's near 90,000. His salary will also be a bit less than the $231,000 he was making in the Beach.

Though, when Gonzalez resigned under pressure in 2012 he got a cushy and controversial $440,000 severance package. So the man's bank account should be doing just fine.

His reputation -- perhaps not so much.

New Times described his 12 year reign in Miami Beach as "a sordid free fall as scandals [that] bedeviled nearly every department."

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