MIAMI – In an unique interview with Local 10 News on Monday, the present chair of the Miami-Dade School Board spoke concerning the prison charges levied in opposition to her former colleague on the board, Lubby Navarro.
Navarro, 49, was once arrested Thursday on grand robbery and fraud charges, having been accused of creating greater than $100,000 price of private purchases on her college district credit playing cards in 2022, simply prior to she resigned from the board over a brand new state regulation prohibiting lobbyists from retaining elected positions.
Read extra main points — together with the entire arrest warrant — right here.
Mari Tere Rojas, the board’s present chair, addressed Navarro’s arrest in Monday’s interview with Local 10 News.
“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, however, is it disappointing that this situation that we’re confronted with right now is a reality,” Rojas stated. “Yes, it is disappointing.”
She additionally spoke on the board’s fiscal duty with plans to deal with the problem on the subsequent assembly.
“Everything concerns me,” Rojas stated of prosecutors’ findings. “We are required to ensure that fiduciary responsibilities that we have are fulfilled.”
Prosecutors alleged that Navarro’s $100,000 spending spree incorporated meals, family items, home equipment, holidays or even the abnormal acquire of 2 silicone being pregnant bellies, all in an effort to win her now-ex-boyfriend again.
She’s additionally accused of buying more than one pieces for his industry with taxpayer cash prior to they broke up.
“Any at all situation that currently exists that needs to be strengthened, then it is imperative that we do everything in our power so that allegations such as these do not ever occur again,” Rojas stated.
To that finish, Rojas stated she’s introducing a merchandise at Wednesday’s college board assembly prioritizing an audit of the buying card procedure and further auditing of college board member places of work, plus the ones of the superintendent and the district’s basic suggest.
“The perception obviously is not a positive one,” she stated.
Prosecutors stated high-ranking district personnel spotted the spending irregularities after Navarro resigned they usually had been left to reconcile her credit card statements.
The investigation displays that whilst Navarro had a $6,000 per 30 days spending restrict, in 2022, for 10 out of twelve months, she asked credit line will increase.
In August and September, it was once larger from $6,000 as much as $15,000.
The county’s inspector basic could also be taking a look into how this went ignored for a whole yr.
Dan Stermer, a former prosecutor and Weston mayor, who additionally sits on the oversight committee for the Broward County inspector basic, stated it’s transparent one thing went fallacious.
“It appears as if the oversight and the inspection and the audit of those statements may have laxed,” Stermer, who’s now the managing director of consulting company Development Specialists, Inc., stated.
Navarro bonded out of prison and is expecting trial.
She’s additionally on go away from her place as director of presidency affairs for Memorial Healthcare System, which is a part of the South Broward Hospital District.
Copyright 2024 via – All rights reserved.