Busted: City doles out code violations to Miami commissioner’s Coconut Grove home

Carollo has crusaded against developer Bill Fuller for code violations at his Little Havana properties

Joe Carollo and a Coconut Grove House
Joe Carollo and a Coconut Grove House

It looks like Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo’s outspoken goal to enforce code violations in Little Havana has come back to haunt him.

Miami government officials went to Carollo’s home in Coconut Grove on Monday and found five violations for work done without permits, according to the Miami Herald.

The Herald obtained an email showing that employees from the city’s code compliance, building and public works departments on Monday noticed violations on Carollo’s homes for work down on a wood lattice, rooftop deck, carports, a trimmed banyan tree and concrete pavers – all of which required permits.

Bill Fuller, a Little Havana developer, was the first to point out Carollo’s code violations in a press conference outside Miami City Hall two weeks ago.

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Fuller and Carollo have been in a public feud since 2017, which Fuller claims started after he supported an opponent of Carollo in an election.

The commissioner has sent code enforcement officers to a majority of properties tied to Fuller, and he has gone on Spanish radio to accuse Fuller of wanting to “de-latinize” Little Havana. He also allegedly pressured a former aide to lie about his interest in code issues on Fuller’s properties.

Carollo has defended his late-night visits to Ball & Chain to find violations.

Last year, Fuller and his business partner Martin Pinilla filed a lawsuit against Corollo in federal court, alleging the commissioner violated their right to free speech, using code enforcement to retaliate against them for supporting his opponent, Alfie Leon, in last year’s election. [Miami Herald]Keith Larsen