Mayor Gimenez Testifies At Corruption Trial Of Suspended Homestead Mayor
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez testified as a witness for the state Wednesday in the corruption trial of ex-Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman.
Bateman is accused of improperly accepting money to act as a consultant for a company with projects in several cities, including Homestead.
CLICK HERE To Watch Gary Nelson's Report
Gimenez told jurors of a meeting he had with Bateman in February of 2013, where the former Homestead mayor pressed him to move forward with expansion of a sewage pump station in Homestead.
"I assumed he was there as Mayor of Homestead," Gimenez told the jury. "This is not an unusual request by a mayor, wanting to speed up economic development in their area."
What Gimenez did not know at the time was that Bateman was on the payroll of Community Health of South Florida as a $125 per hour consultant. Community Health needed the sewage pump station upgraded in order to expand one of its clinics in downtown Homestead. Bateman signed into the meeting log with Mayor Gimenez, listing his title as Homestead Mayor, making no mention of his ties to the company.
"That is something that should have been said, if he was being paid and he was acting as a lobbyist," Gimenez told reporters in the courthouse hallway. "He should have told us that he was there acting on behalf of a company or companies."
On cross-examination by defense attorney Ben Kuehne, Gimenez and other county staffers who were at the meeting acknowledged that Bateman discussed a variety of projects that he felt needed to move forward in Homestead.
Kuehne noted the improved sewage lift station would benefit all of the downtown area, not just Community Health. The defense attorney told CBS4's Gary Nelson that Bateman made no mention of his relationship with Community Health in a deliberate effort to keep his "mayoral hat and consulting hats" separate.
The state has noted that Bateman used his city hall email account to communicate on Community Health business matters. The defense says that amounts, at most, to an issue for the Commission on Ethics to deal with, not a criminal case.
Bateman faces two felony counts of unlawful compensation, which could carry prison time if he is convicted.
Deputy Mayor Alina Hudak took the stand after Gimenez.
It is unclear if Bateman will testify in his own defense.
His trial is expected to wrap up on Monday.
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