A city of Miami commissioner has asked for the resignation of City Manager Art Noriega, citing concerns over furniture the city has purchased from a company owned by Noriega's in-laws.
WLRN reported in January that the company, Pradere Manufacturing, received more than $400,000 in contracts since Noriega became city manager in 2020. Noriega’s wife, Michelle Pradere-Noriega, was listed as a salesperson for furniture contracts directly involving in refurbishing her husband’s city hall office.
Pradere Manufacturing also secured contracts with the Miami Parking Authority (MPA), while Noriega was the entity's chief executive officer. The company performed a full remodeling of the MPA's corporate offices in downtown Miami for $569,865 in 2009, agency records show.
The report sounded alarms for ethics experts, saying the contracts raise serious ethical questions. Now, Miami City Commissioner Miguel Gabela said he's tired of waiting for an explanation from Noriega about the business, and wants him out.
"I called for his resignation this morning. I think he needed to address this two months ago," Gabela told WLRN on Friday.
READ MORE: 'He needs to resign': Former Miami city managers sound alarms over Art Noriega allegations
The harsh words from the city commissioner follows a heated exchange at the city commission meeting on Thursday night. A discussion item was on the commission's agenda specifically for Noriega to present a full report accounting for the relationship between the city and his wife’s family company.
The commission meeting started at 9 a.m., but Noriega's presentation was postponed by the commission until 9:00pm, a full twelve hours later. It was the last item brought forward, when most members of the public had already left the commission chambers.
Commissioner Damian Pardo suggested that he wanted to defer the discussion and report until a city commission meeting in April, citing the mostly empty commission chambers. Commissioner Gabela backed the idea that the discussion should be postponed, to be heard when more members of the public are present.
Noriega responded that he did not want to hold anything off any longer, and that he would simply release a report on his own to commissioners and the media.
Gabela interpreted the announcement as if Noriega is avoiding a public discussion, citing it as a last straw for why he believes Noriega should step down.
"He doesn’t understand that he works for the people, the people don’t work for him. He owes the people an explanation," Gabela told WLRN.
Gabela first made his call for Noriega's resignation Friday morning on the Spanish-language radio show "Contacto Directo" on Actualidad Radio.
Earlier this year, five former city managers, including Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, also took to Contacto Directo to call for an investigation into Pradere Manufacturing's contracts in January. One former city manager, Joe Arriola, called for Noriega’s resignation.
"He doesn’t understand that he works for the people, the people don’t work for him. He owes the people an explanation."Commissioner Miguel Gabela
Shortly after he came into office as city manager in 2020, Noriega disclosed to commissioners at the time that his wife’s family company did business with the city, and that he would recuse himself from “any and all involvement, decision making and/or approvals between the city and the company.”
“I had zero involvement in any of the acquisition or purchase of furniture at all. And I made that very clear to my staff when I wrote that memo,” Noriega previously told WLRN.
Noriega told WLRN that when he first became city manager, he and his wife discussed ending business relations with the city. They ultimately decided not to do so. Pradere Manufacturing has done business with the City of Miami at least since 2008, according to the memo.
Further, Noriega told WLRN that he made a “decision of choice” not to seek a county or state commission on ethics opinion on any potential ethical issues stemming the perceived conflict of interest.
“We didn't do it. Quite frankly, I didn't think it was warranted at the time,” he said. “I felt the disclosure was certainly creating transparency around the relationship.”
Several invoices from the city came from the company Pradere Designer Workspaces, although all the payments were sent to the company Pradere Manufacturing, WLRN’s reporting found.
Noriega was listed as a manager of Pradere Designer Workspaces in state corporation records when the company was first launched under a separate name, in 2014. Noriega was removed as a company manager shortly after, records show.
Further explanation yet to be released
WLRN has repeatedly asked Noriega’s office for further explanation or a report on the furniture purchases for over two months. The office has not yet released further information or a report; the city manager does not need permission from the commission to release the information.
“I’ll distribute the report, I’ll put a narrative to it as part of the distribution, and I’m happy to meet with each of you individually,” Noriega told the panel of five commissioners Thursday evening. “And you can pepper me all you want with whatever questions you want.”
Noriega said that only two activists — filmmaker Billy Corben and political pollster Fernand Amandi — seem interested in the topic, downplaying the urgency of a public discussion. Both gave public comment on Thursday calling for more scrutiny into the dealings.
"There’s no public outcry, there’s no public sentiment," said Noriega.
Commissioner Manolo Reyes said it is not true that only two individuals care about the topic, and urged that at some point Noriega needs to discuss it publicly.
"It’s not only them two that come here. If you listen to Hispanic radio, they has been blown out of proportion and I think that for the benefit of the city and for your own benefit, we have to clear the air," said Reyes.
Commissioner Gabela said it would not be adequate to have a private conversation about the vendor contracts, and that any discussion on the topic should happen in public.
“I think it would be imperative upon you to give it in front of the people. It’s not the same that you come to me,” said Gabela at the meeting.
Commissioner Christine King responded in defense of Noriega’s stated decision to release a report before a public discussion.
“That doesn’t mean that we can’t ask him questions at our next commission meeting after you have gotten your report. But at least then he has gotten this off of his chest,” said King. "He wants to give us the report, let him give us the report."
As of Friday evening, Noriega’s office had not yet released the report.
