City of Miami
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, January 31, 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 10:19 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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Board Member Garcia was not present at the onset of today’s Whistleblower hearing, therefore; he recused himself.
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 Cabrera, seconded by Board Member Lindsey, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Lindsey
F. Reports
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F.1
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Hearings Pending List as of January 31, 2023. (DISCUSSION)
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Ramon Guillen, Attorney, appeared via Zoom on behalf of Lourdes Blanco, former Executive Director of the Miami Sports & Exhibition Authority. Chair Sutton advised Attorney Guillen April 11, 2023, was not available; however, in an effort to accommodate Attorney Guillen’s request, the Board’s staff made available April 3, 2023, and April 5, 2023. Attorney Guillen advised that he can properly respond to the Board on February 6, 2023, as it relates to his availability.
Following discussion, the Chair directed the Executive Secretary to schedule a status update on the agenda of February 7, 2023.
H. Today's Hearings
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H.1
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Whistleblower Hearing in accordance with Florida Statute 112.3187 on behalf of Brandon Lanier, Commander & Wanda Jean Baptiste, Police Officer.
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Continuation from the meeting of January 24, 2023.
Day 2: January 31, 2023
The Board entered into the scheduled Whistleblower Hearing in accordance with Florida Statute 112.3187 on behalf of Brandon Lanier, Commander & Wanda Jean Baptiste, Police Officer.
The hearing continued today, with presentation of the Grievants’ case. The Board heard testimony from the following witnesses:
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Elizabeth Albert, Investigator, Civilian Investigative Panel. Questions were posed by Members Cabrera, Jimenez
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Michelle Verdin, Police Sergeant, City of Miami Police Department.
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Bianca Joseph, Commander, City of Miami Police Department. Questions were posed by Member Lindsey, Cabrera, Jimenez
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Ramon Carr, Police Lieutenant, City of Miami Police Department. Questions were posed by Members Lindsey, Cabrera
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Kevin Ruggiero, Police Lieutenant, City of Miami Police Department.
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Chief Manuel Morales, Director, City of Miami Police Department. Questions were posed by Members Cabrera, Jimenez, Lindsey
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Brandon Lanier, Police Lieutenant, City of Miami Police Department, testified on his own behalf. Questions were posed by Members Lindsey, Cabrera, Jimenez
Due to time constraints, the hearing will be continued to the regular Civil Service Board meeting of March 7, 2023. The Minutes from this hearing will be placed in their entirety upon conclusion of the hearing.
ADJOURNMENT:
Breaks were taken at: 1:58pm - 2:08pm; 4:16pm – 4:47pm; 5:47pm – 5:51pm; 6:28pm – 6:58pm.
Lunch: 11:55am - 1:03pm.
There being no further business before the Board, a motion was entered to adjourn the meeting at 8:55pm, which resulted as follows:
Motion by Board Member Lindsey, seconded by Board Member Cabrera, that this matter be Approved, passed by the following vote:
AYES: Sutton, Jimenez, Cabrera, Lindsey
SIGNATURE: Troy Sutton, Chairperson
ATTEST: Tishria L. Mindingall, Executive Secretary