In our last blog, we told you about the taxpayer-funded vacation to New Orleans in July of last year that ex-City Manager Arthur “Duke” Sorey took, along with his secretary, and three elected officials.  He also illegally extended the invite to ex-City “Attorney” Hans Ottinot, who had zero business going on this trip..

Actually, there was no legitimate reason for any of Duke’s personal entourage to go.

And yet, it didn’t stop them from billing North Miami Beach taxpayers over $7,000.00 for their junket.

We finally received a response to our Public Records Request for all the receipts and invoices regarding this completely unnecessary excursion to the Big Easy, and we added up the cost.

As we already mentioned, on June 28, 2022 Duke sent out his Memo inviting the Mayor and Commission to join him on a taxpayer-funded vacation to the Crescent City.  And so they went.

In addition to the dead weight of secretary Executive Assistant Ashley Francois and Commissioners Michael Joseph, McKenzie Fleurimond, and Paule Villard, Duke’s personal entourage also included his North Miami Friends & Family hires, “Special Advisor for Public Safety”/PD Spy Timothy Belcher and IT Dude Ricardo Castillo, Paule’s personal International Bodyguard, Deputy Chief Ervens Ford, and the only two members of the North Miami Beach Police Department who were justified in going, Police Communications Officers Nichole Camacho and Crystal White.

Keep in mind that Duke Sorey, Ashley Francois, Ervens Ford and Timothy Belcher all extended their New Orleans holiday to four days and three nights.  Each of these four vacationers received a per diem check for meals in the amount of $259.00.

The rest of the globetrotters “only” stayed for three days and two nights, and they each received per diem checks for $185.00.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Duke Sorey:  $1,850.91
• Ashley Francois:  $1,548.08
• Ervens Ford:  $1,930.52
• Timothy Belcher:  $1,314.52
• Ricardo Castillo:  $927.88
• Michael Joseph:  $1,176.24
• McKenzie Fleurimond:  $942.65
• Paule Villard:  $986.80
• Hans Ottinot:  $595.62
• Nichole Camacho:  $862.46
• Crystal White:  $595.62

Total:  $12,676.08

It should be noted that Police Communications Officers Camacho and White shared a hotel room, which is why the combined cost of their trip, $1,458.08, was less than the cost of sending even one of the top three divas who should never have gone in the first place.

The sketchiest expense of all was the $427.39 charged at Hilton Dragos by Duke on his taxpayer-funded Purchasing Card (P-Card).  According to his P-Card Spending list for this trip, this charge was for “Dinner with the Commissioners in New Orleans Apex Visit 7/8/22 Included Tip 22%.”

So what exactly did your hard-earned tax dollars buy for Duke and his entourage on their excursion?

According to the restaurant check, he ordered lots and lots of food that you probably couldn’t afford on your paycheck, such as:

2 dozen Charbroiled Oysters at $26.95 per dozen.

2 BBQ Shrimp Appetizers at $21.95 each.

3 Caesar Side Salad at $5.95 each.

1 bowl of Mama Ruth’s Seafood Gumbo at $14.95.

1 Mac Daddy Trio at $42.95.

3 Cajun Baked Catch at $25.95 each.

1 Lobster Marco at $46.95.

1 Grilled Shrimp Pasta at $24.95.

22% Tip at $71.13.

Because money is no object when it’s not yours, right Duke?

Even though Duke claimed that this $427.39 expenditure was for “Dinner with the Commissioners,” we count six entrées — seven if you count the $14.95 Mama Ruth’s Seafood Gumbo as a meal — which means that Duke’s taxpayer-funded food orgy included more than just himself and three Commissioners.  We won’t even begin to guess which two or three of his fellow travelers he invited to dine on your dime.

We’d like to believe, however, that even if all eleven of them dined together that evening, there were a few honest and ethical public servants in the group who opted to pay for their own dinner since they were already reimbursed for meals with their per diem checks.

But, maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

We do know, however, that Duke should be required to reimburse taxpayers for this “Dinner with the Commissioners” because billing taxpayers twice for these meals is a violation of:

1. Paragraph 3 Misuse of Public Position, of the Florida Code of Ethics, and specifically 112.313(6), Fla. Stat., which states, “Public officers and employees, and local government attorneys are prohibited from corruptly using or attempting to use their official positions or the resources thereof to obtain a special privilege or benefit for themselves or others,” and
2. Florida Statute 112.061, specifically section (10), which states that any public employee who submits a fraudulent claim [for per diem reimbursement] “is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. Whoever shall receive an allowance or reimbursement by means of a false claim shall be civilly liable in the amount of the overpayment for the reimbursement of the public fund from which the claim was paid.”

Just saying.

Even after all the taxpayer money Duke spent on a long party weekend in New Orleans, the Police Department’s communications system is still in disarray.

As it turns out, while the taxpayer-funded vacation was completely unnecessary, the replacement and upgrade of the Police Department’s public safety technology is absolutely critical.

By way of background:

• Miami-Dade County handles 911 calls for unincorporated Miami-Dade County and 29 municipalities within.
• There are 6 municipalities within the County that handle their own 911 calls such as the City of Coral Gables, City of Aventura, City of Miami, City of Hialeah, City of Miami Beach, and Village of Pinecrest.
• Several other additional municipalities, such as the City of North Miami Beach, which is a recognized secondary PSAP (public safety answering point), handle certain calls, which are transferred from the County. Additionally, the City of North Miami Beach also handles incoming calls from the public.
• The City of North Miami Beach also serves as back up support to the County’s 911 system.
• The City of North Miami Beach also has an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that handles calls during emergencies and activations.

Duke Sorey was first alerted to problems with the City’s communications system by a May 19, 2021 Memo from now-retired Major Jason Ochoa entitled, “CISCO Phone System Implementation Failures.”

In this Memo, Major Ochoa wrote that there is an “inherent defect” in the current software, which is “poorly installed,” and “may cause injury or damage to one of our victims or callers dialing into the NMBPD communication division.”

He added, “Some minor points have been resolved, but the central issue of lost calls has yet to be determined. This would pose a liability to North Miami Beach’s City, mainly if the lost call were a priority call.“

Major Ochoa then described specific design defects with the current system and its “obsolete infrastructure,” and went on to list a multitude of issues and problems the Police Department has encountered due to this deficiency, including, but not limited to:

• Numerous complaints have been made since the department began using CISCO communications, including losing calls when phone lines ring. 
• UDT and Mr. Sosa could have liability in the chain of production or circulation for personal injury, property damage, or economic loss arising from this communication system.
• Harm could be expected due to a lost call due to the communications system’s negligent implementation.  

He concluded his Memo by stating that if “NMBPD would have been involved in the [Request For Proposal] process from the start … it would have resolved the issues of implementing a phone system structure not designed for emergency operation centers. NMBPD communications personnel feels this issue requires immediate attention and a remedy regardless of who the responsible party is.”

When Major Ochoa received no response from Duke regarding this urgent matter, he followed up with a second Memo on Jun 30, 2021 entited, “Proposed Phone for NMBPD Communications Solutions.”

In this second Memo, Major Ochoa insisted that the current “phone system was not designed for primary or secondary public safety answering points (PSAP). The NMBPD Communications Section is classified as a secondary PSAP center, which means 911 calls are transferred to NMBPD Communications Sections by the Miami-Dade Police Department. After researching several emergency contact centers, we believe that the Carbyne Apex Call management platform will fit our agency’s needs. Carbyne’s APEX emergency operations systems provide the tools to meet our residents’ expectations.”

Major Ochoa ended by stating, “The estimated cost for the project at the moment is $100,000. On Monday, June 28, 2021, and Tuesday, June 29, 2021, Carbyne’s design team conducted a site survey of our communication unit. As a result, this proposal may potentially come at a lower cost. The police department will take the lead on this project within the estimated time frame of thirty days of completion.”

Again, no response from Duke.

In fact, it wasn’t until a year later after Duke was invited to New Orleans for an onsite demonstration of the CARBYNE© APEX all-in-one emergency call management solution, that he showed any interest whatsoever in the plea for “immediate attention” by Major Jason Ochoa, who subsequently retired.

We assume in utter disgust.

As recently as the April 18, 2023 Commission meeting, a resident spoke during public comment to complain that when she called 911 and the County transferred the call to the North Miami Beach Police Department, the call was dropped.  Fortunately, no one died because of Duke’s reckless disregard for public safety.

Meanwhile, on September 1, 2022, Miami-Dade County Commissioners approved a Resolution to purchase the Carbyne c-Live Universe system by awarding the “sole source contract is awarded to Carbyne, Inc. for the provision of the Video-to-911 platform, which enables dispatchers and first responders to more timely and accurately respond to emergency calls and has proven to save lives.”

Now that Duke Sorey is thankfully no longer in a position to destroy the City of North Miami Beach more than he already had, the new City Manager should waste no time fixing the problem that Duke ignored for two years, and replacing the Police Department’s emergency response and communications system with the best technology available.

The safety of North Miami Beach residents should take precedence over everything else!

Stephanie