Thanks to North Miami’s soon-to-be-gone Interim City Manager Arthur “Duke” Sorey, almost all city employees have been forced to take two furlough days a month, which amounts to an approximate 10% cut in pay.  As a result, beginning today, the City of North Miami will be closed every other Friday.

The only employees not affected by Duke’s forced (and self-inflicted) budget cuts are unionized police personnel (officers, sergeants and police communication dispatchers), water department employees, and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), all of whom are undeniablly essential employees.

However, can anyone explain why …

Duke Sorey’s BFF, Derrick Corker was exempted from the forced employee furlough?

We’re here to remind you that Corker was suspended with pay instead of being fired for unlawfully enriching himself by selling his own company’s products to the city’s football program, North Miami Youth Football/Cheerleading, Inc., from his personal business, ELJEFE7NINE LLC, a Florida Limited Liability Company.

According to Article VI. Sec. 2-316(c) of the North Miami Code of Ordinances, no public employee “shall enter into any contract or transact any business in which that person or a member of the immediate family has a controlling financial interest, direct or indirect with the city or any person or agency acting for the city, and any such contract, agreement or business engagement entered in violation of this subsection shall render the transaction voidable. Willful violation of this subsection shall constitute malfeasance in office and shall effect forfeiture of office or position.”

Furthermore, Subsection (g) of that same Ordinance specifically requires such employee to “file a sworn statement disclosing such employment and interest with the city clerk of the city.”

In fact, on March 3, 2020, North Miami resident Laura Hill made a public records request for a copy of Derrick Corker’s “sworn statement disclosing such employment.”

Ms. Hill was advised that there was no such document on file.

Is anyone surprised?

As we already reported, then-City Manager Larry Spring and his replacement, temporary seat warmer, Duke Sorey, did not take action against Corker for five months even after a police investigation determined that he violated administrative policy.

Duke reluctantly placed his fellow strip club-attendee/close personal friend on administrative leave after Ms. Tenikka Jones, the wife of the football program’s President, spoke at a February council meeting to express her “very serious concerns” about Derrick Corker.

WATCH!

Police Chief Larry Juriga was also scrutinized for not referring this matter to the State Attorney’s Office even though there is more than enough evidence that Corker violated state law, and possibly even committed a felony.

The Miami Herald also reported in an article published on March 4, 2020, Parks chief sold jerseys from his company to city football team.  Now he’s on leave, that Corker was placed on paid administrative leave “pending the outcome of an investigation by the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust.”

Nearly three months later, that investigation is still pending.

In the meantime, while the majority of North Miami’s hardest working employees are forced to give up two days worth of pay a month, whose families will be directly and negatively impacted by the loss of those desperately needed wages, Duke’s buddy, Derrick Corker is sitting at home collecting a full paycheck for doing absolutely nothing.

All of which only proves that in North Miami, it really does pay to be a Member in Good Standing of Duke Sorey’s Friends & Family Plan.

We seriously can’t wait until the new City Manager Theresa Therilus takes over and fixes North Miami’s mess.

North Miami employees deserve a whole lot better!

Stephanie