On Friday evening, Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order suspending Miami City Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla following his Thursday arrest on charges of corruption, including money laundering and bribery effective immediately.
The announcement went on to list the charges Diaz de la Portilla, 58, a former Republican state legislator with a long political career, is facing. He faces one count of money laundering; three counts of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior; one count of bribery; one count of criminal conspiracy; four counts of official misconduct; one count of campaign contributions in excess of legal limits, and two counts of failure to report a gift.
DeSantis has used his powers as Governor to suspend public office holders for misbehavior including state prosecutors Andrew Warren and Monique Worrell, five Broward School Board Members, two supervisors of elections and a Sheriff. Last year DeSantis suspended Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez amid a corruption case. State law allows the governor to remove elected officials from office if they have been arrested for a felony or misdemeanor related to their duties in office.
