4 May 15-21, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ BROWARD FAMILY TIES MIRAMAR FIRE CHIEF FIRED AFTER SON ACED SKETCHY ENTRANCE EXAM. BY THEO KARANTSALIS M iramar fire chief Ramon “Ray” Perez has been fired amid al- legations of nepotism and in- terference in the city’s firefighter recruitment pro- cess, Miramar officials said. Perez joined the Miramar Fire Department in 2014, and the following year, the nonprofit Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Associa- tion recognized him as Florida’s Fire Marshal of the Year for his leadership and innovation. The city officially canned him on March 21, according to a termination letter New Times obtained through a public records request. The letter, signed by Assistant City Man- ager Adam L. Burden, cites a violation of City Ordinance Code 16-324, which prohibits city employees from taking part in hiring deci- sions involving their relatives. “You specified in an email to staff dated November 1, 2022, the terms of your recusal from any processes related to the hiring of your son; you did not respect those terms,” the letter states. Despite Perez’s written assurances that he would “have no participation or influence in this selection process,” an internal investiga- tion(attached as an addendum at the bottom of this story) found that the chief took actions that benefited his son’s advancement in the department. At the heart of the controversy was an Oc- tober 2022 firefighter entrance exam, which only three of 59 candidates passed with a score of 70 or higher. Anthony Perez, the fire chief’s son, notched the highest score, a 94. According to the report, Justin Fleming, a close friend of Lucas Gonzalez, the son of a fellow firefighter, had the second-highest score, a 90. The other 56 test takers failed to achieve the minimum score of 70. A week before the exam, Perez reportedly instructed Gonzalez — a personal friend — to work exclusively with another employee named Torres to put together the written test, according to the investigation. “[Perez] requested Torres create an en- trance exam of 100 questions...,” the report states. “However, Torres made clear to [Perez] he possessed no previous firefighter exam writing experience for Miramar or any other Fire Rescue organization.” Investigators noted that Perez “knew or should have known” this arrangement cre- ated the appearance of a conflict of interest, as Gonzalez would have access to the exam. According to the report, the day after the exam, Anthony Perez arrived to take the Physical Ability Test (PAT) without the re- quired uniform cargo pants. Facing possible disqualification, he called his father. Perez then personally delivered the pants to the test site, allowing his son to complete the test. Under pressure to fill 16 positions tied to a federal SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant, the depart- ment lowered the passing score from 70 to 50 after consultation with Perez, allowing more candidates to advance to the next phase of the recruitment process, the report said. (The SAFER program provides direct funding to fire departments and volunteer firefighter groups to help them recruit and retain trained frontline firefighters.) During a firefighter-selection meeting held on November 3, 2022, a committee agreed to rank candidates based on seniority, with three individuals who had previously taken the civil-service exam placed at the top of the list, the report said. However, multiple witnesses claimed that Perez entered the meeting, over- ruled the committee’s decision, and person- ally reordered the list, placing Fleming at number one and his son at number two — thus guaranteeing that both would be hired. The investigation also found that Perez had seen to it that the department did not code his son as a SAFER hire out of concern that those positions might be terminated af- ter the grant’s federally funded three-year term expired. In a recorded interview transcript from October 16, 2024, which New Times obtained through a records request, Dineen Garcia, one of the independent investigators hired to look into the complaint against Perez, ques- tioned deputy fire chief Carol Anglade. Garcia: At any point did the chief come in and move people’s names around? Anglade: Oh, yes. Garcia: OK, you saw that? Where did he move his son’s name? Anglade: To the top. Perez denied entering the meeting or al- tering the rankings, but investigators found that his denial lacked credibility. With the ex- ception of deputy chief Bruce Britton, all at- tendees recalled Perez’s interference in the process, according to the report. His termination letter reminded Perez, an at-will employee, that he could be fired with or without cause. The ousted chief was di- rected to return all city property. His bio no longer appears on the city’s website, and he has been barred from entering city facilities without a police escort. Effective March 21, the day Perez was shown the door, Jermaine McFarlane, who has been with the department for 26 years and most recently served as deputy fire chief, quietly took over as Miramar’s new fire chief. Editor’s note: Following publication of the on- line version of this story, Ray Perez emailed New Times a response, which appears below in its entirety: The investigative report referenced in your article represents a retaliatory probe targeting my leadership, initiated in response to my efforts to reform entrenched miscon- duct, promote accountability, and eliminate politically protected favoritism within the department. Key issues ignored or misrepresented: • Procedural Violations: I was never no- tified of the findings before my termi- nation on March 21, 2025. The report was delivered to me three days after my removal, depriving me of due pro- cess or any opportunity to respond prior to its public weaponization. • Biased Third-Party Investigation: The City retained Inclusent, LLC, a DEI consulting firm with no fire service in- vestigative experience. This firm re- lied almost entirely on selected testimony from disgruntled individu- als with known motives to discredit me, while disregarding exculpatory witnesses and documented evidence. • False Claims Regarding Hiring Process: Contrary to the report’s claim that I selected the hiring committee in- volved in my son’s process, the selec- tion was made by Assistant City Manager Adam Burden. I formally ob- jected to the committee’s composi- tion, citing its alignment with problematic prior administrations. • Racial and Political Motivation: I was directly informed by senior City offi- cials that the goal was to appoint a Black fire chief, and that my removal was essential to achieving that objec- tive. My objections to discriminatory practices were met with hostility and viewed as barriers to their agenda. • Suppression of Complaints and Retalia- tion: Complaints submitted by Hispanic personnel — including serious allega- tions of misconduct — were routinely ignored. Meanwhile, unsubstantiated and delayed complaints filed against me were fast-tracked and exaggerated to justify my termination and tarnish my reputation. This investigation was not a pursuit of justice but [a] calculated and discriminatory effort to silence my leadership and undermine reform. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | Miramar fire chief Ray Perez was fired after an internal investigation found he broke nepotism rules to help his son during firefighter recruitment. Photo by Miramar Fire Rescue ▼ MYSTERIES NO DIVING WHY DOES THAT WEIRD BRICKELL CVS HAVE A POOL? BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN I t is a Sunday, and a Brickell resident is running their daily errands. They go to Publix to buy groceries for the week before heading to their local CVS pharmacy to pick up their SSRI refill. But as they walk into the CVS at 1201 Brickell Ave. between Southwest 12th Street and South- east 12th Terrace, they make a strange discovery. As if an amenity for those awaiting their amoxi- cillin or vaccination appointment, a small pool sits on the corner, just a few feet from the phar- macy entrance. Utterly confused, they notice the local Face- book group has been discussing the mysterious pool for the past few years. New Times needed to step in. The investiga- tion was long overdue. On a sunny Wednesday morning, New Times traveled to the CVS and its mysterious pool. Un- fortunately, we did not bring our bathing suits or towels. This was a business trip. We walked into the CVS with a notepad, pen, and our trademark curiosity to learn more. A CVS employee, appearing to be in his 20s, explained that we weren’t the only ones with questions — many a customer had sauntered through the building’s double doors to inquire about the adjacent rectangular body of water. Through conversations with his colleagues, he says he learned that the pool is for “some Airb- nbs nearby.” Though he wasn’t exactly sure which building it’s intended for, he believes the project is under construction and the pool is still being cleaned. He hasn’t noticed any pedestrians going for a dip so far, but says he thinks the pool will be “great for business” once it’s open, as, naturally, its patrons will require drinks and chips from the CVS next door. New Times, however, was not satisfied. A phone call and emails to Commissioner Damian Pardo’s office have so far gone unanswered. While awaiting word from the commissioner’s office, we Googled. Sure enough, a four-year-old Miami Herald article provided some clues. According to then-Herald reporter Rebecca San Juan, in May 2021, World Trade Center architect Minoru Yamasaki would turn the Colonnade Plaza office building near the CVS into a boutique hotel. The pool makes its dazzling appearance in the story’s fourth paragraph. “The hotel will house a total of 95 rooms and an outdoor pool on the ground floor of the build- ing, according to plans submitted to the city and conversations with construction workers on site,” the article reads. The architects must not have noticed that Mi- ami prefers its pools on rooftops. It’s still unclear exactly when the pool will be bustling with waxed and vaxed guests, but it will always be a Brickell landmark. [email protected]
