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Miami sued by insurance company for paying Commissioner Joe Carollo's legal fees

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Miami sued by insurance company for paying Commissioner Joe Carollo's legal fees


The city of Miami may be on the hook for millions of dollars in a new lawsuit arising out of Commissioner Joe Carollo’s longstanding legal battle with Little Havana property owners.

QBE Specialty Insurance Company, a firm that provides legal insurance coverage for municipalities, this week sued the city in federal court. The company seeks to recover the millions of dollars it has paid to the city since 2018 to cover the legal costs of defending Carollo in a series of lawsuits.

“This action seeks a declaration that QBE has no duty under the … Policies to defend the City, Carollo or any of the other individuals who are defendants in the Underlying Lawsuits,” QBE wrote in its 66-page complaint. (A copy of the complaint is embedded at the end of this story.)

The decision to have the city pay Carollo’s legal fees was one of the foremost reasons former City Attorney Victoria Méndez was pushed out of her position last month. A staunch defender of Carollo, Méndez said it was the responsibility of the city to pay for his legal representation, despite arguments from critics that his actions fell outside the scope of his duties as a city commissioner.

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READ MORE: U.S. Marshals set to auction Joe Carollo’s home over $63.5 million federal judgment

Little Havana entrepreneurs William Fuller and Martin Pinilla sued Carollo in federal court in 2018. They accused Carollo of repeatedly sending code enforcement, police and the city’s fire department to their properties to satisfy what they called a “vendetta” against them. Fuller and Pinilla had supported Carollo’s political opponent Alfie Leon in 2017. They argued Carollo was angry at them for backing his rival, and when he took office, he took it out on their businesses.

Last June, the two businessmen won their lawsuit against the commissioner after a Broward jury found Carollo liable for violating their First Amendment right to free speech. Carollo was ordered to pay $63.5 million in damages to Fuller and Pinilla, a decision the commissioner has since appealed.

In the intervening years, Fuller and his business partners — including Mad Room LLC, which represents the ownership of the Ball & Chain Bar on Calle Ocho — have brought other lawsuits against Carollo and the city of Miami with the same allegations.

Throughout all of the lawsuits, the City of Miami has paid the bill for Carollo’s legal defense out of their insurance policy with QBE.

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Millions of dollars in defense

According to the insurer’s complaint, the cost of defending the city in all of the lawsuits has exceeded $10 million.

QBE argues it has no responsibility to insure the city for the facts alleged in Carollo’s lawsuits because they are predicated on “willful” and “deliberate” acts by the commissioner to deprive the plaintiffs of their individual rights.

“The fundamental premise underlying each and every one of the Underlying Lawsuits is that Carollo — through his own actions and by conscripting others to do his bidding — engaged in a years-long campaign of retaliation and harassment with the conscious objective of inflicting harm on the underlying plaintiff,” QBE wrote.

The complaint also alleges that the city was not entitled to make insurance claims for these lawsuits under their Law Enforcement Liability (LEL) policies, because none of the defendants named in the Fuller group’s lawsuits are law enforcement officials. Those defendants include Carollo, Méndez, City Manager Art Noriega, City Building Director Asael Marrero and Assistant City Attorney Rachel Dooley.

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Jose A. Iglesias

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El Nuevo Herald

City of Miami Attorney Victoria Méndez speaks during a City of Miami Commission meeting on Jan. 12, 2023.

“None of the individual defendants (natural persons) in the Underlying Lawsuits hold any of the ‘Positions to be Insured’ that are listed on the applications for the LEL Policies,” QBE wrote.

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The complaint also names Fuller, Pinilla and the other plaintiffs in their various lawsuits against the City of Miami as defendants in QBE’s case. The insurance company wants a federal judge to declare that QBE has no responsibility to insure the city for these cases, and give it permission to recover the funds it has already paid out.

City of Miami officials could not immediately respond to a request for comment from WLRN for this story.





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Miami, FL

Miami teacher walks 120 miles in Spain to give students their first school dance

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Miami teacher walks 120 miles in Spain to give students their first school dance


A Miami woman took a leap of faith on Easter Sunday.

As a teacher in Spain, she learned her students have never had a real school dance — so she decided to change that.

In 10 days, she walked more than 120 miles — all for a beloved group of teens who have never had a school dance.

Roxana Rauseo is a Miami native living in Guardo, a small mountain town in northern Spain, where she works as an English teaching assistant at a local public high school.

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In her classroom, Rauseo teaches American culture alongside conversational English.

She told Local 10 News one topic always seemed to light her students up.

“We go through a lot of American culture,” Rauseo said. “So what do schools look like in the US, right? How does the day to day work? How is it different? What’s good? What’s bad? And one of the themes that kept coming up is prom and homecoming.”

So she decided to do something about it — taking on one of the routes in the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage route across Spain, and turning every kilometer into a fundraising opportunity.

On Easter Sunday, Rauseo crossed the finish line at the iconic Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, raising roughly 2,500 euros so far.

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“Although I’m mentally, physically, emotionally exhausted — it really means the world to me and to my students,” she said during her arrival.

And her students? They still don’t know any of this happened.

Rauseo plans to surprise them Tuesday and hopes to throw them a proper end-of-year dance by late June.

You can donate to the cause by clicking here.

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.



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Dulac Reveals One Reason Steelers ‘Like’ Miami QB Carson Beck

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Dulac Reveals One Reason Steelers ‘Like’ Miami QB Carson Beck


It’s easy to fall in love with college quarterbacks with just a handful of strong starts under their belt, but more often than not that leads to incomplete evaluations and regret. That’s why Ty Simpson, who at one point looked like the best quarterback in college football last year, is tough to justify a first-round pick on. If experience is something the Pittsburgh Steelers place a high value on, Miami’s Carson Beck checks a lot of boxes.

“The Steelers have little intention of taking a quarterback with their No. 1 pick because they don’t believe there is a first-round quarterback after [Fernando] Mendoza,” Gerry Dulac wrote via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But one of the reasons they like Miami’s Carson Beck is he has started 43 games, counting his time when he won a national title at Georgia.”

None of those 43 starts came during the Bulldogs’ two National Championship runs, but he still managed to lead the SEC in completions and yards during his first season as a starter in 2023. And he finished with an impressive 37-6 record as a starting quarterback.

Bill Parcells famously laid out a list of rules aimed at maximizing the chances of hitting on a quarterback in the draft. Among some of the statistical goals, 30 or more starts and 23 or more wins were two of his requirements. Beck, who the Steelers had in for a pre-draft visit, easily checks those two off the list.

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Parcells’ rules aren’t bulletproof. Three of the best quarterbacks in the league at the moment wouldn’t have made the cut if it were up to him. Patrick Mahomes had 29 starts, Joe Burrow 28, and Josh Allen 25. But for every one of them, there are two or three Anthony Richardsons, Zach Wilsons, J.J. McCarthys and Trey Lances as a counterpoint.

Experience isn’t the end-all, but it cuts out a lot of the guesswork. And leaving anything up to chance and gambling with a first-round pick is not a winning strategy. Some teams will hit the jackpot, but most will find themselves set back a few years and looking for a quarterback once again.

Beck is one of the only options in this class that meet all of Parcells’ criteria.

– Senior and three-year starter? Yep.

– College graduate? Yes.

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– 30 or more starts and 23 or more wins? Easily.

– 60 percent completion rate and 2:1 TD-INT ratio? Check (69.5%, 88:32).

If you subscribe to the Parcells method, Beck covers all the bases. Keep in mind that Mike McCarthy is one of the oldest head coaches in the league. He was very much around when this rule was popularized. Amazingly, this is his first time with a chance to draft a quarterback for a team in need. Should it really be a surprise if he leans on a framework he came up around?

Beyond the experience and stats, Beck offers some of what the Steelers look for at the position. Omar Khan has repeatedly stated the need to find an “AFC North QB.” At 6046, 233 pounds, with 10-inch hands, he resembles what the Steelers are looking for.

Don’t get me wrong, Beck has plenty of flaws. That’s why he’s unlikely to go in the first few rounds of the draft. But the Steelers could do worse than following their process to land a Day 3 developmental quarterback. That’s one of the main reasons McCarthy was hired as the head coach.

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Instead of putting every egg in the Will Howard basket, why not add another young, high-pedigree quarterback to the mix? Carson Beck may just be that guy come the end of April.



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Nu Stadium party! Inter Miami host epic home opener | MLSSoccer.com

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Nu Stadium party! Inter Miami host epic home opener | MLSSoccer.com


MIAMI – Fans, celebrities and media flocked to Nu Stadium on Saturday to experience opening night at Inter Miami CF’s brand new, soccer-specific venue.

The Herons were up for the occasion, throwing an epic housewarming party capped by a 2-2 comeback draw against Austin FC. 

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Club legends Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez provided the goals that paced Miami to a dramatic start to life in their new home. 

“Today, it’s clear that for the last 20 to 25 minutes, we took a lot of risks,” head coach Javier Mascherano told reporters post-match.

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“But we’re at home. We’re MLS [Cup] champions, and we have to show it.”

Electric atmosphere

The Herons went all out to make Nu Stadium’s opening match one to remember, christening their state-of-the-art Downtown Miami digs with fireworks and rousing pre-game speeches from co-owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham. 

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Famed Miami resident and four-time Grammy Award winner Marc Anthony then belted out a stirring rendition of the national anthem, setting the stage for 90-plus minutes of non-stop chanting, cheering, and drumming from the sellout crowd of 26,700. 

“It was beautiful. A sold-out crowd of people who made the effort to come and see us. And honestly, they cheered us from beginning to end,” said defender Maxi Falcón. 

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“For them to welcome us like that, with today’s spectacle, it was beautiful for us.”

That electric atmosphere helped the Herons recover quickly from Guilherme Biro’s sixth-minute opener for Austin, with Messi responding four minutes later to score Miami’s first-ever goal at their new home with a precise header.

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A similar scenario played out in the second half, with fans spurring the Herons on as Suárez came off the bench to cancel out Jayden Nelson’s go-ahead strike by rifling home from close range in the 82nd minute. 

Nu Stadium briefly erupted in pandemonium after Suárez appeared to score a last-gasp winner, only for the goal to be called off. 

“On the field, you could definitely feel the atmosphere – especially when you score a goal to tie it up late,” said goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

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“We pushed for the winner as well, and we felt that the crowd was really with us and pushing and kind of suffocating them.”

World-class venue

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While Saturday’s draw wasn’t the result they wanted, Inter Miami can take pride in boasting one of the best sporting venues in the world, according to MLS Commissioner Don Garber. 

“They’ve done the unthinkable. The stadium is spectacular, it’s breathtaking,” Garber said. “Jose and Jorge [Mas] spoke to me this morning and they said, ‘I wish I could be with you when you walk in because it will take your breath away.’ And it did. It’s absolutely spectacular.”

“It feels to me like a building that can rival any sports facility anywhere in the world. Not just soccer stadiums, but any sports building. I’m very proud of them.”

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For Mas, the venue that anchors the broader Miami Freedom Park project could launch the club to transformative heights. 

“Today we’re home,” Mas told the crowd during his pre-game speech. “I think this is a personification of what’s possible. I think it’s an amazing stadium, an amazing environment. 

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“And, listen, our goal is to lift trophies and win championships, and I think this will be a proper home to do that with and for our fans.”

Made in Miami 

Saturday’s match carried extra meaning for Miami beyond the outcome. 

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After six years playing 30 miles to the north in Fort Lauderdale, the Herons are now officially setting roots in Miami proper. 

“[For the] fans to be able to have a permanent home where they know they’ll be here,” said St. Clair. “So I think for us, you just want to be able to reward the fans and give them wins and show them the effort. And be willing to do everything for the badge and for the club.” 

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Beckham, who helped plant the seeds of Inter Miami over a decade ago, was especially proud. 

“To see this stadium come to life after years and years of trying to get this stadium up and running in Miami is something very special,” said the England and LA Galaxy legend. “I came to America and the MLS 20 years ago and I made a lot of promises. And 13 years ago, I made a lot of promises again, announcing that I was coming to Miami. 

“And today is just a dream come true for us.”

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In with the Nu

With Nu Stadium’s first match in the books, Inter Miami are looking to build on the legacy they’ve already created with MLS Cup 2025, 2024 Supporters’ Shield and Leagues Cup 2023 titles. 

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“I think the favorite part is still to come,” said Mas. “Everything to now has been frankly extremely stressful, the last few months. But I think the culmination of lifting an MLS Cup, us together here in December, would be a great shining cap off to an amazing year.” 

Miami’s players, meanwhile, are more focused on the short-term. 

“We’re a little bitter about not taking all three points because we know we’re a strong team,” said Falcón.

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“…. We showed it last year, especially towards the end of the season. We have to get back to that, get our heads together and prepare well for our next game.”





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