Following a federal court ruling over the weekend against the city of Miami's voting maps, City Commissioner Joe Carollo blasted the judge and plaintiffs in an interview Monday on Spanish-language television news network AmericaTeVe.
"The most ironic thing in all of this, is that this judge, who lives in Coral Gables ... It's incredible that someone from Coral Gables, and outsiders, are gonna make decisions for the residents of Miami," Carollo said.
In the interview, Carollo casted aspersions on the judge because he isn't a Miami city resident, even though federal judges are only required to live in the court district.
U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore on Sunday ordered the city to adopt a new district map for the upcoming November elections.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit — Engage Miami, Grove Rights and Community Equity (GRACE), the South Dade and Miami-Dade NAACP Branches, and five city residents — argued that the city map packed Black and Hispanic voters into certain districts, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Moore sided with them and told the city to adopt the plaintiffs' proposed map, which city leaders refused to do pending an appeal.
READ MORE: Federal judge sides with voting groups in drawing new Miami election map
Nicholas Warren, an attorney for the plaintiffs, struck back at Carollo's comments about outsiders making decisions for Miami residents.
"The plaintiffs in this case live in Miami, work in Miami and care about Miami. And thats why they're fighting for fair commission districts," Warren told WLRN. "As for the legal team, to take one example, my family has been in Miami for over 100 years."
Carollo also went after the plaintiffs in the case. He accused them — without evidence — of working for the Democratic Party to pack left-leaning voters into certain parts of the city, making references to President Joe Biden and former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, both of whom are Democrats.
"They got the Democratic National Party to secretly tell them the precincts where Biden came out best, and the guy who went against DeSantis and finished all drunk and naked in a hotel... to manipulate and see how they can control and manipulate," he said.
More than three years ago, Gillum was found on the floor of a Miami Beach hotel with a person who had a drug overdose. Gillum later publicly acknowledged struggling with depression and alcoholism, and checked himself into rehab. He was not charged with any crime in connection with the incident.
A consultant who drew the city's district map had also accused the plaintiffs of packing liberal voters into advantageous districts during a June commission meeting. The plaintiffs denied that claim, saying they are only seeking fair maps based on compact districts drawn along logical boundaries.
Carollo stands to be adversely affected if the appeals court sides with Moore. Under the plaintiffs' map, Carollo's home in Coconut Grove will be moved out of Carollo's District 3 and into Commissioner Sabina Covo's District 2. If Carollo does not live in his district, he will likely not meet the residency requirement to hold office for the rest of his term until 2025.
The city cited Carollo's issue in their appeal of Moore's order.
"The court drew an incumbent out of the district he represents and candidates out of districts in which they are running," they wrote. "Commissioners who are up for reelection may be drawn out of their districts with no opportunity to qualify in a new district."
The city appealed the order to adopt the plaintiffs' map by Monday evening. The appeals court put a pause on the action, but as of Thursday morning, made no final ruling.
