Esteemed city of Miami commissioners,

We, the undersigned, are residents, taxpayers, property owners and entrepreneurs in the City of Miami. We love our city and want to see its public spaces thrive.

We wish to express our deepest concern and dissatisfaction regarding the abuse of power, mismanagement, and authoritarian behavior exhibited by Joe Carollo as Chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust. Throughout 2023 and 2024, local media has extensively reported on incidents of mismanagement and poor stewardship of the Trust, a hostile and dictatorial attitude by its Chairman and dishonest dealings with the community. Among other things, with Joe Carollo as its chair, the Trust has:

• Engaged in a pattern of paving over portions of Bayfront Park and Maurice Ferré Parks to build controversial amenities that only Joe Carollo seems to want;
• Pushed forward on leasing valuable open spaces to outdoor advertising companies, so that they can put up LED billboards and kiosks that will have a negative effect on resident quality of life and ruin the beauty of our open spaces;
• Executed major contracts worth millions of dollars to build or refurbish amenities without bids and with little or no oversight (for example, the dogs and cats walkway and the rehab of the Bayfront Park fountain);
• Engaged in a pattern of cutting down trees in violation of the City Code, even after the city specifically told the Trust it could not remove the trees, then lying to neighbors about the reasons for tree removals;
• Leased the park to private events that have released red balloons as pollution onto Biscayne Bay;
• Engaged in a pattern of allowing construction to happen inside the parks without permits, and with deficient safety measures that have led to small children being involved in accidents;
• Pushed through the vision of what Maurice Ferré Park should look like that is in direct opposition to the award-winning master plan for that site, without engaging the community in any way whatsoever to ask what residents think about proposed ideas;
• Hired staff that have a clear conflict of interest in the operations of the park programs, including an executive director closely linked to a failed failed theater venture that was given a no-bid opportunity to use park space, and built a performance facility there without permits.

When asked for information regarding these decisions, or when neighbors have criticized the Trust and used appropriate legal recourses to challenge Joe Carollo’s self-appointed position as emperor of the park, Carollo has responded with childish and offensive tirades, publicly calling those critics “losers” who need to “go get a life” and falsely suggesting that neighbors who care about the park are all "racists."

We understand that there are currently plans to undertake a forensic audit of the Trust to determine if these operational issues has also been paired with financial mismanagement. But we believe even if not financial impropriety is found, Joe Carollo should be removed as chairman of the Trust on grounds of incompetence, his toxic attitude, and operational mismanagement.

We believe that Joe Carollo's leadership has not been in the best interest of the community. Indeed, his entire tenure as Trust Chiar demonstrates a clear trend of decision-making that prioritizes personal interests over the well-being of our shared public spaces.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, urge the City of Miami commissioners to take immediate action and remove Joe Carollo from his position as Chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust. We request a thorough investigation into the decisions made under his leadership and a reassessment of projects that have been implemented without proper consultation and adherence to established plans.

Our city's parks are valuable public assets that should be managed with transparency, community engagement, and respect for the environment. It is time to hold those in positions of power accountable for their actions and ensure that the Bayfront Park Management Trust operates in the best interests of the residents it serves.