City of Miami
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
10:00 AM
Commission Chambers
Civil Service Board
Troy Sutton, Chairperson
Rodrigo Jimenez, Chief Examiner
Rafael Cabrera, Board Member
Ulysses Garcia, Board Member
Travis Lindsey, Board Member
Pledge of Allegiance
The meeting was called to order at 10:12 am, with the Pledge of Allegiance. At commencement of the meeting, attendance was as follows:
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Attendee Name
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Title
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Status
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Troy Sutton
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Chairperson
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Present
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Rodrigo Jimenez
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Chief Examiner
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Present
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Rafael Cabrera
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Board Member
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Present
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Ulysses Garcia
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Board Member
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Present
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Travis Lindsey
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Board Member
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Present
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Adoption of Agenda
Chair Sutton asked if there were any revisions to the Agenda. Hearing none, a motion to adopt the Agenda as printed was considered and resulted as follows:
Motion by Board Member Jimenez, seconded by Board Member Lindsey, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Garcia, Lindsey
A. Approving of the Minutes
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A.1
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Civil Service Board - Regular Meeting - April 4, 2023, 10:00 AM
A motion was entered to approve the Minutes as presented, which resulted as follows:
Motion by Board Member Lindsey, seconded by Board Member Jimenez, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
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AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Garcia, Lindsey
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A.2
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Civil Service Board - Special Meeting - April 5, 2023, 10:00 AM
A motion was entered to approve the Minutes as presented, which resulted as follows:
Motion by Board Member Lindsey, seconded by Board Member Jimenez, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
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AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Garcia, Lindsey
B. Personnel Matters
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B.1
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Copy of a memorandum from Chief Joseph F. Zahralban, Director, Fire-Rescue Department, requesting an extension of probationary period of Tywan Johnson, Fire Supplies Clerk, for six (6) additional months beyond April 11, 2023. (DISCUSSION)
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Following appearances by Tywan Johnson, Fire Supplies Clerk, and Lt. Wilbur Jackson, Supervisor, the Board entered a motion to GRANT the extension as requested, which resulted as follows:
Motion by Board Member Jimenez, seconded by Board Member Lindsey, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Garcia, Lindsey
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B.2
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Copy of a memorandum from Asael Marrero, Director, Building Department, requesting an extension of probationary period of Silvana Trigueros, Senior Building Inspector, for six (6) additional months beyond April 25, 2023. (DISCUSSION)
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Appearances were made by Sivana Trigueros, Senior Building Inspector, and Rene Diaz, Senior Chief of Unsafe Structure, Department of Building. Mr. Diaz relayed to the Board that Ms. Trigueros needs an additional license prior to permanency, and should it be received in less than six months, Ms. Trigueros will be made permanent. Following discussion, the Board entered a motion to GRANT the extension as requested, which resulted as follows:
Motion by Board Member Jimenez, seconded by Board Member Lindsey, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Garcia, Lindsey
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B.3
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Copy of a memorandum from Angela Roberts, Director, Human Resources Department, notifying Rita A. Cervantes, Police Officer, of her voluntary return to former classification. Rita A. Cervantes is returning to Public Service Aide. (NOTIFICATION)
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B.4
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Request from Carol M. Garcia, HR Generalist, Department of Human Resources, to be placed on the re-employment list for the classification of HR Generalist, pursuant to Civil Service Rule 12, Sec. 12.4, Resignations. (DISCUSSION)
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Motion by Board Member Jimenez, seconded by Board Member Lindsey, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Garcia, Lindsey
C. Military Leaves of Absence
D. Disciplinary Matters
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D.1
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Copy of a letter from Arthur Noriega, V., City Manager, notifying Jeffrey Marcano, Police Officer, of his Termination, effective March 31, 2023 (Reprimand #23-090). (NOTIFICATION)
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D.2
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Copy of a letter from Arthur Noriega, V., City Manager, notifying Jeffrey Marcano, Police Officer, of his Termination, effective March 31, 2023 (Reprimand #23-097). (NOTIFICATION)
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D.3
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Copy of a letter from Chief of Police Manuel A. Morales, Department of Police, notifying Chijioke Anyanwu, Police Officer, of a 10-hour suspension, effective April 9, 2023. (NOTIFICATION)
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D.4
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Copy of a letter from Chief of Police Manuel A. Morales, Department of Police, notifying Dana Byrd, Administrative Aide I, of a 16-hour suspension, effective April 27, 2023. (NOTIFICATION)
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D.5
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Copy of a letter from Chief of Police Manuel A. Morales, Department of Police, notifying Richard Alleyne, Police Officer, of a 10-hour suspension, effective April 13, 2023, and 10-hour forfeiture. (NOTIFICATION)
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D.6
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Copy of a letter from Chief of Police Manuel A. Morales, Department of Police, notifying Leandro Abad, Police Officer, of an 80-hour suspension, effective April 9, 2023. (NOTIFICATION)
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E. General Items
F. Reports
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F.1
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Hearings Pending List as of April 18, 2023. (NOTIFICATION)
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Chair Sutton reminded the Board of its’ next meeting scheduled May 16, 2023
G. Requests for Hearings
H. Today's Hearings
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H.1
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Continuation of the Whistleblower Hearing on behalf of Lourdes Blanco, former Executive Director of the Miami Sports & Exhibition Authority, regarding her Termination, effective October 25, 2018.
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Day 1: April 4, 2023
Chair Sutton called for the Whistleblower Hearing on behalf of Lourdes Blanco, former Executive Director of the Miami Arts & Exhibition Authority, regarding a Termination, effective October 25, 2018.
Attorney Ramon Guillen appeared on behalf of Lourdes Blanco, former Executive Director. Adanna Ferguson, Assistant City Attorney appeared on behalf of the City of Miami.
The following witness was sworn in and provided testimony:
- Lourdes Blanco, former Executive Director of the Miami Arts & Exhibition Authority
Day 2: April 5, 2023
Continuation of the Whistleblower Hearing on behalf of Lourdes Blanco…
The Board continued with direct testimony of the following witness:
- Lourdes Blanco, former Executive Director of the Miami Arts & Exhibition Authority
Due to expediency, Attorney Guillen called the following witness out of turn:
- Tomas Regalado, former Mayor, City of Miami. No questions were posed by Board Members.
Following discussion, the Board continued with direct testimony of Lourdes Blanco.
Day 3: April 18, 2023
Continuation of the Whistleblower Hearing on behalf of Lourdes Blanco…
Additional exhibits were introduced and entered into evidence. The following witness was sworn in:
- Munirah Daniel, Assistant Director, City of Miami Department of Finance.
Prior to hearing witness testimony, Chair Sutton asked the parties if they wanted to take a break to see if an amicable resolution could be reached, given the limited time available today for the hearing. The parties responded in the affirmative.
Upon return from break, ACA Ferguson advised the Board that the parties reached a tentative resolution, and the agreement will be drafted and sent to Attorney Guillen. She advised that once finalized, a copy of the executed agreement will be forwarded to the Civil Service Board Office.
Following discussion, the Board entered a motion to GRANT a joint continuance pending settlement, which resulted as follows:
Motion by Board Member Cabrera, seconded by Board Member Garcia, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Garcia, Lindsey
Prior to adjournment, Member Lindsey advised the Board this is his last Civil Service Board meeting as a Board member, as he will be retiring. Fellow Board Members and Staff expressed their gratitude for having Member Lindsey and wished him the best in the future.
ADJOURNMENT:
Breaks were taken at: 10:40am - 12:33pm.
There being no further business before the Board, a motion was entered to adjourn the meeting at 12:36 pm, which resulted as follows:
Motion by Board Member Jimenez, seconded by Board Member Lindsey, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
AYES: Sutton, Cabrera, Lindsey, Jimenez
SIGNATURE: Troy Sutton, Chairperson
ATTEST: Tishria L. Mindingall, Executive Secretary