Judge Finds North Miami Council Members Violated City Charter in Manager Removal Case

A circuit court judge determined that three members of the North Miami City Council violated provisions of the municipal charter while orchestrating efforts to terminate former City Manager Rasha Cameau, though the court rejected allegations that they breached Florida’s Sunshine Law. The decision came following a three-day trial that examined conduct by council members Kassandra Timothe, Mary Estime-Irvin, and Pierre Frantz-Charles.

Resident Eileen Bicaba initiated the lawsuit in June 2024, contending the officials privately coordinated government business outside of publicly noticed meetings to engineer Cameau’s removal from her position. Bicaba’s complaint alleged the council members also impeded Cameau’s authority to manage city staff, particularly when she sought to discipline the public works department head.

During testimony, Timothe stated she could not recall discussing a termination motion with an attorney before presenting it to the council and denied having secured the necessary votes beforehand. The judge ultimately determined insufficient evidence existed to establish a violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law, which generally mandates public discussion of certain government matters and prohibits private coordination of official business.

However, the court found the council members violated Section 19 of the North Miami city charter by conveying a threat of termination to Cameau, according to attorney David Reiner. A city charter violation constitutes a misdemeanor, though whether Bicaba will pursue additional legal action remains uncertain.