Doral Police Chief Ricardo "Ricky" Gomez is out of a job.
He was fired by Interim City Manager Merrett Stierheim Tuesday morning, city spokeswoman Natalie French said.
She said Stierheim gave Gomez the options of resigning or being fired, and the chief decided to be fired.
Gomez, who was hired as Doral's top cop in 2007, will hold a press conference Wednesday, his lawyer Ibrahim Reyes-Gándara said.
Earlier this year, Gomez was cleared of any wrongdoing following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into the alleged misappropriation of funds and alleged bid tampering violation.
Stierheim, however, cited the FDLE report in his termination letter to Gomez.
"After carefully reviewing the 2011 investigative report prepared by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), initiated at the request of the previous city manager, concerning the Doral Police Department, as well as the report of the City's 2011 administrative investigation of your leadership and departmental management, both of which are a public record, I have firmly decided to relieve you of your duties as Chief of the Doral Police Department, for the good of the service, effective immediately," Stierheim wrote in the letter, obtained by NBC 6 South Florida.
The FDLE investigation began in April 2011 after an anonymous letter was sent to the State Attorney's Office alleging a "good old boy system" in place at the Doral Police Department, according to the memo.
Gomez called it a "witchhunt" at the time.
Stierheim was named interim city manager last week after he was nominated by new Mayor Luigi Boria and unanimously approved by the City Council, The Miami Herald reported. Boria, a former city councilman, was chosen as Doral's mayor in a runoff election last month.
Gomez's resume also includes several years with the Miami-Dade Police Department.
