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Miami didn’t dump Joe Carollo…Joe Carollo dumped Miami.
On Thursday, the 70-year-old commissioner, who had recently lost his bid for mayor, announced that he would resign a week early. In an Instagram post, he gave no explanation for leaving office ahead of schedule, a move that appeared to be a big ‘ol middle finger to the city.
“My wife Marjorie and I now embark on a new chapter in our lives,” Carollo wrote in the post alongside a photo of him and his wife. “Although I am leaving this office, my commitment to helping others does not end here.”
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Carollo, who previously served as mayor in the late 1990s and has been on the city commission since 2017, lost his bid for mayor in the November election. His younger brother, former Miami commissioner Frank Carollo, also lost to political newcomer Rolando Escalona, the general manager of Brickell’s Sexy Fish, in the race for the District 3 seat, which his older brother has held since 2017.
In other words, the city’s Carollo political dynasty is officially over.
Carollo’s resignation appears to (belatedly) answer the prayers of residents who for years have called for the ousting of a commissioner whose terms have been marked by controversy and legal battles.
In 2023, a jury in South Florida federal court handed down a $63 million verdict against Carollo in a lawsuit brought by Little Havana business owners Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla, who accused Carollo of abusing his power as commissioner in a campaign to harass their businesses over a political vendetta.
Fuller, the owner of the Ball and Chain restaurant and club in Little Havana, and fellow businessman Martin Pinilla claimed Carollo weaponized the city’s police and code enforcement departments to shut down several of their businesses in Little Havana because they supported his political opponent.
While some Miami officials will be leaving office millions richer, Carollo will be leaving with…the opposite. Financial disclosures indicate that he’ll be stepping down with a reported net worth of –$62,875,953.50.
Meanwhile, Escalona is slated to be sworn into office next week.
