Miami-Dade County Commissioner Joe Martinez is required to surrender to state prosecutors for alleged public corruption.
After receiving the order from Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle, attorney Kendall Coffey confirmed it to The Florida Pundit in a statement.
The lawyer, however, stated that the accusation is based on “false accusations arising from his private practice work as a consultant, when he was a private citizen and not an elected official.”
“Commissioner Martinez makes it clear that he is innocent of any crime and intends to work aggressively to clear his name,” according to the statement.
Our Editor in Chief was able to contact Martinez, who stated that he “cannot speak about the case so as not to affect the course of the investigations.”
Martinez, a former police lieutenant who is running for Miami-Dade sheriff in 2024, confirmed that the investigation has been ongoing for “about five years.”
Commissioner Martinez, he said, would make himself available to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office for the alleged crime, the specifics of which are unknown at this time.
The commissioner has served as president of the Commission and has completed two terms in the county legislature.
Martinez was elected to the County Commission for the first time in 2000.He worked as a Miami-Dade police lieutenant before running for commissioner.
If Martinez is charged with public corruption, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may appoint a temporary county board replacement.
