Fired police chief sues city of Miami, commissioners
The embattled former police chief of Miami is suing his former employer and city commissioners, saying his public firing three months ago was in retaliation for him speaking out against corruption
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The embattled former police chief of Miami is suing his former employer and city commissioners, saying his public firing three months ago was in retaliation for him speaking out against corruption.
Art Acevedo had a six-month tenure and was suspended and then fired after three raucous meetings, in which he says he was “purposefully humiliated” and fired for reporting abuses of power by elected officials.
The complaint was filed Wednesday in federal court against the city of Miami, its city manager Art Noriega and three city commissioners.
The lawsuit says a memo sent to the mayor and city manager accusing several commissioners of hampering his reform and meddling in the police department should have been protected by the First Amendment, but instead cost him his job. It says his firing was in violation of Florida Whistle-blower’s Act, which protects employees against retaliatory actions for reporting abuses of power.
The complaint says that Acevedo was concerned two commissioners were trying to send police for code enforcement to specific bars and restaurants owned by a man who had supported a political opponent.
He attempted “to push back on attempts by certain City of Miami Commissioners to use the men, women, and resources of the MPD to carry out their personal agendas and use the (Miami Police Department) as their puppet,” the complaint states.
It includes details about the first public meeting to discuss Acevedo's tenure, when commissioners played videos of him impersonating Elvis Presley in a white jumpsuit dancing the “Jailhouse Rock” at a fundraiser previous to his Miami post. They “attempted to humiliate him,” the complaint states.
The city of Miami did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Acevedo was recruited by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. At the time, he was touted as a progressive law enforcer who had headed the police department in Houston and shared ancestry with hundreds of thousands Cubans in Miami as a Havana-born refugee.
But Acevedo began making waves almost immediately after he started in the post last April by taking over internal affairs and making significant changes to his command staff. He demoted four majors and fired two high-level police officials — a married couple — because they weren’t truthful about a crash involving a city-issued SUV.