Homestead mayor arrested for secret consulting

The mayor of Homestead was arrested Wednesday on charges of unlawful compensation, marking the third arrest of a city mayor in Miami-Dade County since July.

Authorities arrested Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman in connection with a secret $125-an-hour consulting gig for a nonprofit organization. The Miami-Dade state attorney’s office is probing Bateman’s deal with Community Health of South Florida Inc., which secretly paid the mayor $125 an hour while seeking the city’s help in expanding its chain of health clinics, the Miami Herald reported.

Bateman never disclosed his employment to colleagues on Homestead’s city council, which has sway over the non-profit’s plans.

Earlier this month, the FBI arrested Sweetwater Mayor Manny Maroño and Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi on allegations they took kickbacks in exchange for supporting a federal grant. Gov. Rick Scott has suspended them as they await trial. [Miami Herald] — Emily Schmall