Is Miami-Dade's corruption watchdog getting quietly pushed out by county commissioners?

MIAMI — The top investigator in Miami-Dade County government, Inspector General Felix Jimenez, wants another four years on the job but says he can’t get a response from the County Commission.

In a memo last week, Jimenez said the commission’s chair, Oliver Gilbert, for months has not responded to Jimenez’s request for a vote on a four-year contract extension for his post overseeing the 42-person staff of the Inspector General’s Office.

The office investigates alleged wrongdoing in county contracting and played a role in the probe of a county commissioner, Joe Martinez, who was arrested on corruption charges in 2022 and is currently on trial.

“This past August, to comport with the custom of my predecessors, I provided notice to the Chair of the impending expiration of my contract and my interest in seeking reappointment,” Jimenez wrote in the memo. “I have received no communication or information.”

Gilbert did not respond to requests for comment from the Miami Herald. As chair of the 13-member elected board, he holds authority over what legislation makes it to the commission agenda for votes. Gilbert’s two-year term as chair ends later this year.

County commissioners appointed Jimenez, a former homicide investigator, to his $262,000-a-year job in 2020 after the retirement of his predecessor, Mary Cagle. Jimenez had worked for the Inspector General since 2009 before taking over the agency.

His original contract expired Saturday. Jimenez remains employed, but without the security of a contract as he oversees investigations and reviews of county contracting that can put him at odds with Gilbert and other members of the commission.

Jimenez declined an interview but said in a statement: “I stand by the independence of this office as it was created by the board. The independence against political interference.”