By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org
Wild civil and criminal litigation filed in South Florida’s state and federal courts has exposed an allegedly pernicious web of political corruption stretching from Southwest Ranches Town Hall to the Davie Police Department and on to State Attorney Harold Pryor himself.
A federal civil lawsuit filed March 19 targets Southwest Ranches but also names as defendants former Town Administrators Andy Berns and Russell Muniz, Code Compliance Director Julio Medina, and, most notably, Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff. The town contracts for municipal legal services with Poliakoff’s firm, Government Law Group, PLLC.
The suit is seeking millions of dollars in damages.
Poliakoff is accused of orchestrating the town’s “campaign of harassment” against the owner and operator of Cielo Farms Nursery, including “unconstitutional, retaliatory and unlawful actions,” the suit says. Cielo Farms, an agrotourism business at 4680 SW 148th Ave. (Volunteer Road), Southwest Ranches, is owned by Atlas Investments LLC, whose principal and managing member is Miguel “Mike” Rodriguez Albisu.
“Poliakoff played the central role in directing and executing the unlawful actions against Cielo Farms, including legal misrepresentations, regulatory manipulation, and obstruction of Plaintiff’s business operations,” says the complaint written by Fort Lauderdale father and son lawyers Ken and Joshua Padowitz. Their 65-page complaint goes on to label Poliakoff as a Democratic political operative and “kingmaker of the Town.”
Poliakoff responded Saturday to an email requesting comment. Asked about the alleged harassment and his role in it, he did not answer directly. Instead, he insisted those “exact same allegations” were previously addressed before a three-judge panel of Broward judges who decided a code violations case in the town’s favor. Florida Bulldog, however, could find no discussion of those harassment allegations in the cases’ underlying documents.
The post Corruption allegations target Southwest Ranches, Davie PD and State Attorney Pryor appeared first on Florida Bulldog.
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This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.
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