3 August 13-19, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ MIAMI GARDENS BADGE OF DISHONOR JAMES FISHBACK’S EX-COP RUNNING MATE IS UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. BY ALEX DELUCA S ean Lozano, the running mate of Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, is under crimi- nal investigation over his con- duct as a police officer. In late July, New Times reported that six months before Fishback named Lozano his running mate, the Lauderhill Police Depart- ment fired Lozano and deemed him “perma- nently unfit for duty.” Records show Lozano spent three years at the department and racked up eight complaints, including an inci- dent in which he threw an elderly woman ex- periencing a mental health episode to the ground at the Lauderhill Transit Center, called her a bitch, and told her to “shut the fuck up.” The department fired him that December after an evaluation (records redact the type of evaluation and who performed it). In a letter, Lauderhill’s city manager informed Lozano that his employment “cannot be salvaged.” Now, as first reported by WLRN, Lozano is the subject of a criminal probe by the Bro- ward County State Attorney’s Office (SAO) over the bus terminal incident. Paula McMa- hon, a spokesperson for the state attorney’s office, tells New Times the Lauderhill Police Department referred its internal affairs find- ings on the 2025 incident to the state attor- ney’s Public Corruption Unit for review. “That review by prosecutors is ongoing,” McMahon wrote in an email. The SAO reportedly opened the probe after receiving a request last summer from the Lau- derhill Police Department to look at the inci- dent. According to an internal affairs report describing county surveillance video, the woman was sitting in the bus lane and block- ing traffic when Lozano, who was working a detail at the transit hub that evening, “forcibly” shoved her to the ground and handcuffed her. Officers who responded to the scene de- scribed the woman as confused and disori- ented. According to the report, she had soiled herself by the time backup arrived, and police placed her under the Baker Act, which allows people in crisis to be involuntarily held for psychiatric evaluation. Lozano’s body camera was in his car with a dead battery, but another officer’s captured him admitting he’d thrown her to the ground. In his own account of the incident, Lozano wrote that the woman had “lost her balance.” “The incident raised significant concerns regarding Officer Lozano’s conduct and re- porting,” the internal affairs report reads. Records show Lozano was never disciplined for the bus terminal incident. While internal affairs sustained five violations over Lozano’s behavior on that night alone, including a finding that he lied in an official report, investigators didn’t complete the internal affairs report until January 30, and Lauderhill Police Chief Constance Stanley didn’t sign off until February 5. By then, Lozano had been off the payroll for seven weeks. Fishback, a far-right long-shot candi- date running against fellow Republican front- runner Byron Donalds, has been labeled the “Groyper candidate” for courting Gen-Z men and aligning himself with white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes. His selection of Loz- ano as his pro-law enforcement running mate was the latest controversy to follow the cam- paign.Asked last month whether he or his campaign had reviewed Lozano’s internal af- fairs file before naming him his running mate, Fishback sent New Times a document from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that says Lozano left Lauderhill PD under “Administrative Separation (not involving misconduct).” The FDLE form lists a separa- tion date of December 2025 and makes no reference to a termination. Lauderhill Police did not respond to emailed questions about the discrepancy between the two documents. Fishback did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment on the crimi- nal investigation. He previously defended Lozano in a text to New Times: “Sean A. Lozano is a decorated law enforcement officer. The fake news’ attempt to smear him comes as no surprise given its long- standing disrespect for law enforcement. “Gov- ernor DeSantis made Florida the law and order capital of the country by backing the blue, not lying about them like the media does. As Gov- ernor, I will always defend Florida’s law en- forcement and corrections officers.” [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Before joining James Fishback’s gubernatorial ticket, Sean Lozano was fired from the Lauderhill Police Department. Screenshot via James Fishback/YouTube ▼ MIAMI GARDENS SCHOOL’S OUT A ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL WAS FIRED OVER MEDICAL LEAVE, LAWSUIT SAYS. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON A high-ranking and longtime St. Thomas University employee argues administration wrongfully terminated her for daring to ask for time off after a chronic disease diagnosis, according to a lawsuit filed July 28. Formerly director of admissions for the uni- versity, Camila Alcala argues that St. Thomas of- ficials blindsided her with the termination five weeks after she requested medical leave during graduation week in spring 2025, according to the lawsuit. Officials at the private Catholic Mi- ami Gardens school cited concerns with “profes- sional behavior, insubordination, responsiveness to students, collaboration with admissions team and university leadership,” despite Alcala’s spot- less 24-year employment record, according to the lawsuit. Although it’s unclear whether Alcala’s complaint is related, the filing came five days after the administration placed St. Thomas University President David Armstrong on leave pending an investigation into “allegations of conduct in violation of university policy,” according to CBS News. His only mention in the lawsuit relates to Armstrong promoting Alcala to director of admissions. University officials didn’t respond to New Times’ requests for comment via phone or email. Alcala argues that her employment record was stellar, evidenced by her rising through the ranks from her start in September 2001 as a registration clerk in the law school to cashier, data processor, data manager, assistant director of processing, director of admissions processing, associate director of admissions, and finally director of admissions, according to the lawsuit. “Throughout her employment with St. Thomas,” the lawsuit reads, “Alcala was consis- tently regarded as a good employee and re- ceived positive evaluations, including a 100% performance evaluation on Jan. 17, 2025, just five months before her termination.” In May 2025, Alcala fell ill and learned she had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease that accounts for about 139,000 deaths nationally each year and is the third-leading cause of death worldwide, accord- ing to the World Health Organization. Following her doctor’s instructions, Alcala re- quested three days off to rest af- ter the diagnosis, which fell during the school’s criti- cal graduation week. That’s when her supervi- sor began treat- ing her differently, despite failing to mention any per- formance issues, according to the lawsuit. The day after Alcala returned from a follow- up appointment, university officials placed her on a performance improvement plan, citing con- cerns with her work — the first such action in her two decades at the university. The plan called for a performance review after 16 days and required that she have no unscheduled absences for 30 days without advance approval whenever possi- ble, a provision she argues directly targeted her medical condition. Before the scheduled 16-day performance re- view could take place, university officials fired Alcala in June 2025. According to the lawsuit, her supervisors had not documented any addi- tional performance issues during the improve- ment period. During the termination meeting, her supervisor “cited alleged performance deficiencies as the reason for Alcala’s termination, including claims that Alcala had not reviewed all applications, had made errors in transfer evaluations, and had attendance issues on June 3, June 9, and June 12, 2025,” the lawsuit states. Alcala contends the timing supports her claim of retaliation, noting that university offi- cials issued the performance improvement plan 12 days after her medical leave request and ter- minated her five weeks after that request. Alcala’s attorneys didn’t respond to New Times’ emailed request for comment. [email protected] ALCALA ARGUES THAT HER EMPLOYMENT RECORD WAS STELLAR, EVIDENCED BY HER RISING THROUGH THE RANKS.
