Hialeah mayor’s stepson resigns to avoid perceived conflict — after months of overlap

Hialeah Councilman Oscar De La Rosa has resigned, fulfilling a pledge he first made last March to vacate his seat to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest if his stepfather, Esteban “Steve” Bovo, was elected mayor.

After Bovo was elected in November, De La Rosa again said he would resign. He waited nearly three months before doing so Tuesday, when he held a press conference about the decision outside City Hall.

Bovo said he was “proud” of De La Rosa in a tweet Tuesday afternoon.

Bovo told the Herald Tuesday evening that “there really wasn’t any conflict” because De La Rosa serves in the legislative branch of city government while Bovo is its top executive. The decision, Bovo said, was to “avoid the misguided perception of a conflict.”

De La Rosa told the Miami Herald he waited until now to step away because he wanted to see through multiple initiatives he had already been working on, including an administrative item to promote workforce housing in new developments and a City Council item creating a 24/7 entertainment district.

He said he worked with his stepfather on the workforce housing matter.

De La Rosa, a 29-year-old attorney who was elected to a four-year term in 2019, said he now plans to focus on his private practice before deciding what’s next for him politically.

The City Council has 30 days to fill his seat or else the city must hold a special election, per the city charter. Bovo, who is the city’s top administrator and doesn’t sit on the council, said he would leave it to the council to decide.

This story was originally published January 25, 2022 at 5:06 PM.