Coral Gables mayor asks County Commission to intervene with ethics agency

The mayor of Coral Gables wants Miami-Dade to take action against a county ethics investigator, appearing before county commissioners on Tuesday to urge them to intervene with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust.

Multiple county commissioners sounded open to Mayor Vince Lago’s request. A county lawyer said her staff would look into the matter and get back with commissioners individually on next steps in what could be a delicate matter of elected office holders scrutinizing a county-funded agency charged with, among other things, determining when they’ve violated Miami-Dade rules on ethical conduct.

“When something like this is brought to our attention, I think we have an obligation to further look into it,” Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins said after Lago laid out his complaints about investigator Karl Ross and the agency that employs him. “Who investigates the Commission on Ethics?”

Voters approved a referendum in 1996 establishing the Ethics Commission as an independent agency to both investigate complaints about ethical lapses by government officials and issue advisory opinions on how Miami-Dade should interpret rules on conflicts of interest and other matters. While independent , the agency’s 19-person staff relies on county commissioners to approve the agency’s $3.7 million yearly budget.

In his three-minute presentation, Lago brought up previously reported alleged errors by Ross in a corruption investigation that collapsed last year after prosecutors determined the evidence did not merit the criminal charges filed against Alex Díaz de la Portilla, then a Miami city commissioner.

Lago also referenced allegations by a process server who claimed Ross acted menacingly toward her earlier this year when trying to give him a subpoena related to a defamation lawsuit Lago filed against a local radio station. Lago in 2023 had sued Actualidad Media Group over a report that incorrectly said he was the subject of an investigation by the Ethics Commission over a possible conflict of interest. In reality, the matter was under a preliminary review, which the agency does not consider an investigation. It was later closed out without a finding of wrongdoing by Lago.

Lago also claims the Ethics Commission withheld from a public-records request the February 2023 internal email Ross sent to a superior that started the inquiry — a document Lago said he only knew existed when Actualidad produced it in the course of litigation. That suit was later settled for undisclosed terms.

“It was shocking to learn those documents were somehow in the possession of the defendant,” Lago told commissioners.

Ross was not present for Tuesday’s County Commission meeting, and an Ethics Commission spokesperson said the county agency hadn’t seen evidence of Ross misconduct as alleged by Lago. Ross, who worked as a Miami Herald staff reporter between 2000 and 2004, did not respond to a request for comment.

Now in his third term as mayor, Lago said he’s considering running in 2028 for the District 7 County Commission seat held by term-limited Commissioner Raquel Regalado. She said she’s interested in holding a hearing on Lago’s allegations, with Ethics Commission staffers in attendance to offer a response. Commissioner Oliver Gilbert also said he was interested in acting on Lago’s request. “I think it probably requires us to look at something,” he said.

Lago’s presentation was not on the published agenda for the meeting, and Chair Anthony Rodriguez said the mayor was a friend and would be granted three minutes to address commissioners.

The mayor urged commissioners to use their influence to have the Ethics Commission take unspecified action against Ross.

“The County Commission holds the power of the purse over the Commission on Ethics,” he said. “I urge you to exercise oversight in this matter.”

In a statement, Ethics Commission spokesperson Leonardo Mendoza said the agency looks into complaints of wrongdoing by its staff and that the agency briefed the county’s Inspector General Office about Lago’s complaints after the mayor made them on Tuesday.

“We have seen no evidence concerning the misconduct alleged today against Mr. Ross,” Mendoza said. “Nonetheless, any code or statutory allegations against a member of the Commission on Ethics staff is subject to both internal review, and referral to the Miami-Dade Inspector General’s Office, along with any other appropriate entity.”