Miami City Manager Emilio González resigned Thursday amid accusations from a city commissioner of fraud related to a backyard deck permit.
González confirmed to NBC 6 that he was resigning from his position which he has held for two years.
"I think this was the perfect time to resign. Since at least Thanksgiving I've been dealing with some family medical issues that is requiring more and more of my time," González said. "I decided that after two years, because it was two years earlier this week, and the city prospering the way it has, the city is booming, this city is the envy of any city in the state of Florida. Our economy is up, our crime is down, our taxes are down, our finances are robust. This is the right time to do it. I have very limited time and I need to spend that time where it needs to be."
González came under fire last month from Commissioner Joe Carollo, who accused the city manager of submitting a fraudulent permit application for a backyard deck renovation, the Miami Herald reported. Carollo tried but failed to pass a motion to fire González at a December meeting.
González denied the allegations on Thursday, calling them "ludicrous on the surface."
"Never happened. Anybody that knows me knows that that's something that I would not do. Talking about abusing office with regards to somebody's deck in the backyard," he said. "I've got my own reputation, I've got my own story, I'm very proud of my career, I'm very proud that I have always handled myself with integrity and I challenge anybody to say otherwise.
"I am nobody's victim, at all. Never have been, never will be. That's just the way I am."
