Governor suspends North Miami Beach mayor following arrest on voter fraud charges

North Miami Beach mayor Anthony DeFillipo was suspended from his position by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday, nearly a week after he was arrested on voting fraud charges.

“It is in the best interests of the residents of the City of North Miami Beach, and the citizens of the State of Florida, that Anthony F. DeFillipo II be immediately suspended from the public office which he now holds,” the executive order reads.

The order prohibits DeFillipo from performing any official act, duty or function of public office and from receiving any pay or allowance while he is suspended.

Last week, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office announced DeFillipo had been arrested and charged with three counts of voter fraud. He’s the third mayor of North Miami Beach to be arrested in 11 years.

RELATED: North Miami Beach mayor arrested on charges related to ‘voting irregularities’

DeFillipo’s arrest came six months after a complaint was filed with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics & Public Trust alleging DeFillipo lived in the town of Davie in Broward County, in violation of the North Miami Beach city charter, which requires elected officials to reside in the city.

“The mayor expects to be fully exonerated from these politically motivated false charges and is anxious to get his day in court,” DeFillipo’s attorney Michael Pizzi said in a statement sent to the Miami Herald. “The mayor has always fought corruption in his city and has never been charged with abusing his office. The sole allegation that he voted in the wrong district is misguided and it is shameful that the state attorney is using her office to intercede in politics.”

In an emailed statement to the Miami Herald, a North Miami Beach spokesman said the city is aware of the concern DeFillipo’s suspension may pose to residents, businesses and city employees.

“The circumstances surrounding the former Mayor is not a reflection of the City staff or the rest of the City Commission who work tirelessly, day in and day out to make NMB a wonderful place to live, work, and play,” David F. Jeannot, the city’s chief communications officer, wrote. “Our community is resilient, the business of the city will continue, and with your patience, we will get through this chapter of the city together and prevail.”

Under the city’s charter, the vice mayor may become acting mayor in the event of the mayor’s absence or a vacancy. Vice mayor terms are rotated on four-month periods; Commissioner Jay Chernoff is the current vice mayor.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said her office used cell phone data to track DeFillipo’s driving from Davie to North Miami Beach, where he cast ballots to vote in three elections in August, October and November.

“It wasn’t as if, ‘Oops, I forgot once,’ ” she told the Herald last week. “This is three times in rapid succession.” The charges are third-degree felonies, each punishable with up to five years in prison.

DeFillipo has repeatedly denied the allegations surrounding his residency and insisted he lives in North Miami Beach. In a March deposition, DeFillipo admitted to purchasing a Davie home but said it was for his family to live in, citing marital issues. He also admitted to serving on the homeowners association board for the Davie community.

READ: Embattled North Miami Beach mayor acknowledges he took a seat on Davie homeowners board

The arrest and subsequent suspension of DeFillipo is the latest in a tenuous period on the North Miami Beach City Commission in the past six months. Concerns over DeFillipo’s residency led to a stalemate in the city. Three city commissioners refused to attend commission meetings in protest of DeFillipo’s residency concerns, leaving the commission without a quorum to conduct city business.

And last month, the City Commission voted to remove Michael Joseph from his seat after he failed to attend meetings for more than 120 days. Joseph is suing to regain his seat.

DeFillipo’s arrest continued an ignominious trend for the city’s mayors. In 2018, then-Mayor George Vallejo agreed to resign from office and accept house arrest as part of a plea deal for violating state campaign finance laws. Vallejo was charged with two first-degree misdemeanors by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office.

In 2012, former Mayor Myron Rosner was arrested and charged with several felony and misdemeanor counts, including unlawful compensation for official behavior, grand theft and falsely reporting campaign expenditures. Rosner pleaded guilty to a single charge of unlawful compensation and sentenced to serve three years probation.