Miami-Dade elections supervisor hires former city of Miami ‘no-show’ employee
Miami-Dade County’s new elections supervisor, Alina Garcia, has hired a former city of Miami employee who in 2021 was at the center of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation probing whether she was a “no-show” employee.
The employee, Jenny Nillo, was fired amid the investigation, and the Miami-Dade Ethics Commission later found “probable cause” that Nillo’s boss and friend, then-Miami City Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, abused his public office by allowing her to use a city vehicle to run personal errands for him. The state did not bring any charges.
In March, Nillo was hired as a senior executive secretary in the Elections Department, making about $45,000 a year, according to documents obtained by the Miami Herald through a public records request. An offer letter states that Nillo’s start date was March 3.
In a statement on Thursday, Garcia said that “since joining our office, [Nillo] has performed her responsibilities with excellence, integrity, and unwavering commitment.”
Nillo did not respond to a phone call and a text message Thursday.
Prior to her hiring in the city of Miami, Nillo served a federal prison sentence for mortgage fraud. Prosecutors said Nillo took a “leading role” in a fraud scheme where she and 16 others conspired to fraudulently obtain mortgage loans for unqualified buyers. She was released from prison in 2019.
After her release, she was hired in 2020 by the city of Miami’s Omni Community Redevelopment Agency at the behest of Díaz de la Portilla, a longtime friend who was chairman of the agency. Nillo was fired from the agency in 2021 as the state officials were investigating.
In her statement Thursday, Garcia called Nillo “a dedicated professional and valued member of our team who has paid her dues to society and has demonstrated through her actions and work ethic that she is an outstanding individual fully committed to public service.”
“Ms. Nillo is also a widow who, since the passing of her husband in 2017, has been the sole provider for her family — supporting both her 80-year-old mother and her 19-year-old son,” Garcia continued. “Her strength, resilience, and professionalism reflect the values we uphold in our office.”
Nillo’s hiring landed weeks after Garcia, a former state representative, was sworn in earlier this year. In November, Garcia was elected as Miami-Dade’s first voter-selected elections supervisor in decades, in a position previously appointed by the county mayor.
Nillo has long been affiliated with the Díaz de la Portilla family, having worked for several years as an aide to Alex Díaz de la Portilla’s brother, Miguel, when he was a Miami-Dade County commissioner in the ‘90s.
Her other government experience includes working for Miami-Dade County as an outreach specialist from 2000 to 2010, an administrative secretary in the Transit department for about a year starting in 1993 and an executive assistant in the county manager’s office for a short stint before that, according to her resume.
When the Omni CRA hired Nillo at Alex Díaz de la Portilla’s behest in 2020, she started with a $45,000 salary and later received two raises, the Herald previously reported.
But Nillo’s time with the agency lasted less than a year. In 2021, investigators traced her movements, finding that she spent work hours running errands for Díaz de la Portilla and drinking alcohol in her city-issued car. FDLE investigators found that Nillo rarely showed up for work at the city agency.
After she was fired, Díaz de la Portilla then hired Nillo to work in his district office. At the time, Díaz de la Portilla defended his hiring of her, telling the Herald that: “She served her time. She paid her dues. She wanted a second chance, so I gave it to her.”
According to her resume, Nillo held that district office position until December 2023. Nillo then worked in the city of Miami’s code compliance department until March 2024, according to her resume. City spokesperson Kenia Fallat said Nillo left the position “due to her temporary appointment ending.” Nillo did not list any work experience between then and her hiring this year by the Elections Department.
Nillo omitted her employment with the Omni CRA from the resume she submitted to the Elections Department. She did not list Díaz de la Portilla among the four references she included in her job application.
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 11:14 AM.
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