A judge on Friday postponed the auction of Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo's home as part of the enforcement of a more than $63 million court judgment against him.
Carollo attended a hearing Friday where a judge said at least one more hearing was needed before making a decision on whether the house will head to auction.
Carollo has argued that the house, worth several million dollars and his biggest asset, is his homestead property and therefore exempt from being seized and auctioned off.
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A "Notice of Public Auction" posted in the recent edition of the Miami New Times announced that an auction would be held on March 19 in Downtown Miami for Carollo's house.
Carollo was found liable in June in a federal civil lawsuit brought by two businessmen who accused him of trying to destroy their businesses as political retaliation.
The jury found Carollo violated the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights and awarded them more than $63 million.
Bill 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.
In November, a federal court ordered the city of Miami to garnish the commissioner's wages and in January, a judge ordered his property seized.
In February, U.S. Marshals began the process to seize Carollo's assets, and a representative of the U.S. Marshals was seen posting multiple notices on the front of Carollo's home, including a "Notice of U.S. Marshal Levy."
Also in February, a federal judge denied Carollo's attempt to stop the collection of the judgment.
Carollo has denied any wrongdoing, and has vowed to appeal the judgment and fight the asset seizure.
The attorney for Fuller and Pinilla has argued that Carollo abandoned his homestead in 2016.
Another hearing is scheduled for later in March, and then another in April, as the judge works on a decision on the homestead issue.
After Friday's hearing, Carollo was confronted by activist and filmmaker Billy Corben, a frequent Carollo critic, who called the commissioner corrupt.
"You're no one that has a right to ask any questions, you're working for them, you're working for them," Carollo shouted at Corben. "You're here on their behalf."
