Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the ethics complaint against Miami Mayor Francis Suarez had been dismissed. There is a separate complaint related to the mayor's attendance at high-priced sporting events like the F1 Grand Prix and the World Cup in Qatar still under review.
An ethics complaint filed against Miami Mayor Francis Suarez was formally dismissed Wednesday.
Activist Thomas Kennedy filed the complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics, claiming the mayor misused public resources by having a security detail from the Miami Police Department accompany him during his presidential campaign.
The complaint claimed that resulted in travel expenses of over $20,000 billed to the city.
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The FCOE cited a "lack of legal sufficiency" and dismissed the complaint. It noted that the commission's review was limited to questions of jurisdiction, and did not address the substance of the complaint.
"The Commission’s action exposes the coordinated coup attempt that radical liberal activists, political mercenaries, and their allies in the local leftist media have perpetrated in the City of Miami," a statement from Suarez's office said in part.
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A separate complaint was filed by Kennedy in September and questioned who paid for the mayor's attendance at high-priced sporting events like the F1 Grand Prix and the World Cup in Qatar and whether the mayor complied with Florida ethics laws requiring the disclosure of the source of gifts.
That complaint remains under review.
Meanwhile, Nikki Fried, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, called for Suarez to step down from his post.
“As a native of Miami, it's heartbreaking to see the city continue to be a hotbed for political corruption,” Fried said in a statement. "I wanted to have hope in Francis Suarez and his ability to rise above the mess of Miami politics for the sake of the city. Unfortunately, he’s turned out like so many other Miami Republicans — only in it for himself, with no regard for the well-being of the people of Miami."
The call came a day after a Miami Herald report saying Suarez pushed for a no-bid city contract, benefiting his private employer’s partner.
