Miami Seashore dispute intensifies amongst commissioner, police division and union – NBC 6 South Florida

A dispute is intensifying in Miami Beach between a sitting city commissioner, the Miami Beach Police Department, and the local police union.

The dispute stems from an investigation into several officers who were reprimanded for violating the department’s social media policy by sending sexually explicit material to each other.

Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez is questioning how the investigation was handled, while the Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police is questioning the timing of Suarez’s allegations after the commissioner was pulled over by one of the officers who was disciplined and issued several traffic citations.

Suarez posted a video to social media Wednesday calling for answers about the investigation: “Residents and parents deserve a clear explanation.”

In the video, Suarez questions the Miami Beach Police Department’s handling of a 2024 internal affairs investigation into four officers who were found to have sent hundreds of sexually explicit images to one another in a private WhatsApp group chat.

In some cases, the material was sent while officers were on duty. In some instances, the material was labeled “child sexual abuse material” in the internal affairs report.

According to the internal affairs report, “The investigation was initiated after apparent child pornography was discovered by Dropbox on September 29th, 2021.”

The Dropbox account was associated with Miami Beach Police Capt. Steven Feldman, according to the report.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was notified, and months later, an investigation began.

Officers Eric Schultz, Pedro Socarras, and Hector Fernandez were also investigated.

“I think most residents don’t know about this and I think it’s important to raise these questions,” Suarez said in the video.

Suarez’s video comes about two months after he was pulled over by Officer Socarras while driving a golf cart with his family.

The commissioner received four traffic citations, including for distracted driving and not wearing a seat belt.

Suarez claims the traffic stop was retaliation: “To me it’s clear that my traffic stop was a retaliation by the police union because I was investigating specific officers in the union for exchanging hundreds of sexually explicit material for years.”

The internal affairs report found that Feldman did not send any child sexual abuse material.

Ultimately, neither the FBI nor the State Attorney’s Office brought criminal charges.

According to the report, the assistant state attorney advised that “the case review did not meet the criteria for child pornography.”

The Miami Beach police chief did discipline the officers. In a statement, a spokesperson said, “This matter was not ignored, dismissed or left without consequence. The allegations were thoroughly investigated, policy violations were sustained, and discipline was imposed in accordance with departmental policy and the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.”

The officers all received written reprimands on their records.

Suarez, however, says the punishment should have been harsher.

“I believe they should have been fired,” the commissioner said.

Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez also spoke out about the matter.

“The FBI, the state attorney’s office, internal affairs, they all reviewed these disturbing allegations. If this matter warrants any further action, it has to be upon the responsibility of our current city manager, especially once those concerns were raised by an elected official.”

He went on to say, “If it was established that any officer knowingly disseminated child sexual abuse material, I believe that the City Manager had an obligation to seek that officer’s termination.”

In a statement, Miami Beach City Manager Eric Carpenter said, “The behavior exhibited by the involved officials was profoundly disappointing, and I want to be abundantly clear that I do not condone the sharing of any inappropriate material. This investigation and subsequent discipline concluded in February 2024. Without new evidence, there is no path for additional investigation or action as that would be a violation of the Police Officer’s Bill of Rights under State Law.”

Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police President Bobby Hernandez also sent NBC6 a statement addressing the controversy, writing in part:

“A written reprimand is not a slap on the wrist. It’s a step away from termination. It’s unfortunate that ONE commissioner is about to destroy all the great strides we have made because he got cited,” Hernandez said. “He gets cited and he did what he does. Character assassination 101.”

NBC6 sought comment from the police officers involved through their union and the Miami Beach Police Department. But we have not heard back from the officers.