Miami Commissioner Responds to Claims She Offered Lucrative Job in Exchange for Endorsement

James Torres, who unsuccessfully ran for the City of Miami District 2 commission seat, took to the airwaves Friday morning to claim incumbent Sabina Covo offered him a job with the City of Miami in exchange for his endorsement in her upcoming runoff election on November 21.

During an appearance on the BecauseMiami podcast, Torres told host Billy Corben that following the November 7 election, Covo asked him for his support in her pending runoff against Damian Pardo, who was also in Corben's studio when the allegations were lodged.

"I met with Sabina and it was very dark and grayish in a way," Torres alleged. "It was, 'Hey, I need your support? What is it going to take? Can I offer you a position at the Omni CRA as a contractor making over $120,000?'"

Torres said he was taken aback by the offer and thought it was a quid pro quo involving the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency. He said he declined and supported Pardo, in keeping with his and Pardo's pact to back one another should one of them make it to a runoff. According to Torres, the meeting took place at the Ritz-Carlton in Coconut Grove shortly after the election.

In a statement to New Times, Covo says Torres' claims are "categorically and unequivocally false."

"At no point whatsoever did a conversation occur about any employment," the statement says. "In fact, the Omni CRA last month hired its new executive director, just to show far-fetched the claims are by Mr. Torres. After coming in well ahead of Mr. Torres by 30 points and him coming in fourth place, he is busy spreading lies once again as he did since the first campaign in February."

Covo, a public relations consultant and former TV news anchor, secured her seat on the commission in a February special election following the resignation of Ken Russell. Torres ran against Covo in the February race and fell short in that contest as well.

Covo says she remains "focused on leading a campaign with honesty and integrity and doing the important work on behalf of the community where I have lived for over two decades and where I am raising my three kids."

Set up in 1987, the Omni CRA is an agency tasked with revitalizing neighborhoods and supporting redevelopment projects in its district, which overlaps with downtown Miami and stretches north to NE 20th Street.

Torres, director of business management for Hotwire Communications and president of the Miami Downtown Neighbors Alliance, said on the podcast that he decided to support Pardo because he felt their values aligned. Pardo is a financial adviser and community activist who founded the LGBTQ-rights nonprofit SAVE (Safeguarding American Values for Everyone), according to his campaign profile.

"Damian was the first one that came to me not asking for support, asking how can he help. That was an idea to me that said he really wants to make a difference for the community," Torres said.

Early voting in the runoff between Covo and Pardo kicked off this morning, shortly before the podcast aired.