By Le Floridien Staff
NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — A Miami-Dade County judge has ruled that three North Miami officials did not violate Florida’s Sunshine Law, but found that they violated the North Miami City Charter by improperly interfering with the authority of the city manager.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko Sanchez announced her decision orally on Wednesday, August 26, in the civil case Eileen Bicaba v. Kassandra Timothe, Mary Estimé-Irvin and Pierre Frantz Charles, Case No. 2024-010788-CA-01.
The ruling represents an important distinction in a case that raised questions both about Florida’s open-government requirements and the limits the North Miami City Charter places on elected officials when dealing with city employees and the city manager.
Judge Finds No Sunshine Law Violation
One of the central allegations in the lawsuit was that the defendants had violated Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law, which generally requires meetings between members of the same public board or commission concerning matters that may foreseeably come before that body for action to be conducted openly and with proper public notice.
Judge Butchko Sanchez, however, found no violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law, according to information confirmed by the Miami-Dade Courts Public Information Office following the ruling.
That portion of the decision clears the defendants of one of the most significant allegations raised in the lawsuit.
However, the judge reached a different conclusion regarding the North Miami City Charter.
Court Finds Violation of Section 19 of City Charter
Judge Butchko Sanchez found that the defendants violated Section 19 of the North Miami City Charter, which establishes boundaries between the city’s elected officials and its professional administration.
Photo credit: Eileen Bicaba/Facebook
The finding centers on interference involving then-City Manager Rasha Cameau, including a threat that Cameau would be terminated.
The charter is designed to preserve the city manager’s authority over municipal administration and to prevent elected officials from improperly directing or interfering with city employees who fall under the manager’s supervision.
The judge’s finding therefore makes an important legal distinction: while the conduct did not rise to the level of a violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law, the court concluded that it crossed the line established by North Miami’s own governing charter.
Written Order Has Not Yet Been Issued
As of Thursday, August 27, the court’s written final ruling had not yet been issued.
The August 26 decision was delivered orally by Judge Butchko Sanchez. According to the Miami-Dade Courts Public Information Office, a written ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
Until that order is filed, additional details concerning the judge’s legal reasoning, the precise scope of the charter violation and any remedies or consequences resulting from the decision remain to be seen.
For that reason, the oral ruling should not be interpreted beyond what the court has confirmed: there was no Sunshine Law violation, but there was a violation of the North Miami City Charter.
Case Followed Allegations of Improper Political Interference
The civil lawsuit, filed by Eileen Bicaba, named Kassandra Timothe, Mary Estimé-Irvin and Pierre Frantz Charles as defendants and alleged conduct related to the operation of North Miami government and interactions involving the city manager.
The case attracted attention because it raised a broader question about the separation of authority in North Miami’s council-manager form of government.
Under that system, elected officials establish policy, while the city manager is responsible for overseeing the city’s day-to-day administration. Charter provisions restricting council members from interfering with administrative personnel are intended to maintain that separation.
The court’s finding reinforces the principle that elected officials must operate within the limits established by the city’s charter even when their conduct does not violate Florida’s broader open-government laws.
Written Decision Will Provide the Full Legal Picture
The forthcoming written order will be particularly important because it should provide a more complete explanation of how Judge Butchko Sanchez interpreted Section 19 and what specific conduct led her to conclude that the charter had been violated.
It may also clarify what legal remedies, if any, will follow from the finding.
Le Floridien will continue to follow Case No. 2024-010788-CA-01 and will update this story when Judge Beatrice Butchko Sanchez’s written ruling is filed.
