Civil Service Board - Regular Meeting

Welcome to the Civil Service Board Meeting. Today is April 14, 2026. We will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance, as always. We'll begin with the adoption of the agenda. Motion. Motion by Board Member Jimenez.

Second.

Second by Board Member Lanier. All in favor? Aye. Approving of the minutes.

Motion. Second.

Motion by Board Member Lanier, second by Board Member Jimenez. All in favor? Aye. Personnel Matters, B1. Copy of a memorandum from Chief Manuel Morales, Director, Department of Police, requesting an extension a probationary period of Jahil Guzman, police sergeant for the three additional months beyond April 1st, 2026.

Hi, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.

Good morning.

Kiana Sanders Bell, Police Department.

Hi.

Welcome. Thank you. So, is the employee here?

Sergeant Guzman cannot be here today. She has previous family appointments, so she was not able to make it this morning. She was notified, and she did let us know that she would not be able to make it.

Okay. Does she have any objection, or she's in agreement with the extension?

She's in agreement. She did not have any objection. Okay.

All right. Motion. Motion by Board Member Lanier.

Second. Second.

Was it motion by you?

Yeah, second by him.

Oh, motion by Board Member Jimenez, second by Board Member Lanier. All in favor? Aye. Aye. B-2, copy of a memorandum from Chief Manuel A. Morales, Director, Department of Police, requesting an extension of probationary period of Jimmy L. Rodriguez, Police Sergeant, for 12 additional months beyond April 1st, 2026. Yes.

So Sergeant Rodriguez is currently deployed on active duty military leave for a period of one year. So this is why we're requesting a one year extension with probation.

Wonderful. Want to entertain a motion? Motion. Motion by Board Member Lanier.

Second.

Second by Board Member Jimenez. All in favor? Aye. B3, copy of a memorandum from Chief Manuel A. Morales, Director, Department of Police, requesting an extension of probationary period of Makia Moore, 9-11 operator for three additional months beyond April 7th, 2026. Good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning.

State your name and... Makia Moore.

Makia Moore, and your position?

9-11 operator.

9-11 operator. Do you understand... the extension being requested?

Yes.

Are you okay with it? Yes. Any questions?

No.

City? Good? Yes. Motion. Motion by Board Member Jimenez.

Second. Second by Board Member Lanier.

All in favor? Aye. Good luck out there. Thank you. B4. Copy of a memorandum from Chief Manuel A. Morales, Director, Department of Police, requesting an extension of probationary period of Guerlain Lange, 911 operator, for three additional months beyond April 7, 2026.

Good morning.

Good morning. Please state your name and position.

Guerlain Lange, 911 operator.

Wonderful. Do you understand the request? Yes. Are you in agreement?

Yes.

Any questions?

No.

City? No.

Motion.

Motion by Board Member Jimenez. Second. Second by Board Member Lanier. All in favor? Aye.

Thank you.

B5, copy of memorandum from Chief Manuel A. Morales, Director, Department of Police, requesting an extension of probationary period of Dewana Walden, 911 operator for six additional months beyond April 7th, 2026. Good morning.

Good morning. Good morning. State your name. Dawana Wanda, 911 operator. Good morning. Dawana Walden, 911 operator.

Wonderful. Do you understand the request before you?

Yes.

Are you in agreement?

Yes.

Okay. City? No. Is there a particular reason why this one's six months?

For previous attendance issues that, from what I understand, have been corrected, but also additional training to make sure she completes the training required.

Motion. Second. Motion by Board Member Lanier, second by Board Member Jimenez. All in favor? Aye.

B6.

Copy of a memorandum from Chief Manuel A. Morales, Director, Department of Police, requesting an extension of probationary period of Janita Milholm, police officer, for three additional months beyond April 24, 2026.

Janita Milholm, good morning.

Good morning. Good morning. State your position.

Police officer.

Wonderful. Do you understand the request before? Yes. Are you in agreement?

Yes.

Do you have any questions?

No, sir.

City? Yes.

Motion.

Motion by Board Member Lanier.

Second.

Second by Board Member Jimenez. All in favor? Aye. Aye. B7, copy of a memorandum from Chief Manuel Morales, Director, Department of Police, requesting an extension of probationary period of Belinda Milan, Police Officer, for three additional months beyond April 17, 2026.

Good morning, Belinda Milan, Police Officer.

Do you understand the request?

Yes, sir.

Are you in agreement? Yes, sir. Do you have any questions? No, sir. Motion. Motion.

Second.

Motion by Board Member Lanier, second by Board Member Jimenez. All in favor? Aye. Have a great day. B8, Copy of Memorandum from Angela Roberts, Director, Department of Human Resources. requesting an extension of probationary period of Ernest Merritt Jr., human resources technician one for six additional months beyond July 2nd, 2026. Morning.

Good morning. Good morning.

Ernest Merritt, position HR tech one. Do you understand the request?

Yes, sir.

Are you in agreement?

Can you repeat that?

I said, do you understand the request before you today?

Yes, sir.

Are you in agreement?

Yes, sir.

Do you have any questions?

No, sir.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Will you state your name and position?

Torella Johnson, HR Records Supervisor.

Wonderful. Does the city have anything to add? No.

I have a question, Torella. Just for the board, why are you asking for the extension?

To allow time for improvement and... Thoroughness and work quality. Okay. Observance of work hours as well.

Okay. Was it also a leave? Was it also a leave?

Just without pay, not specifically. Okay.

Okay.

All right, motion.

Motion by Board Member Jimenez. Second. Second by Board Member Lanier. All in favor? Aye. Good luck out there. Thank you. Thank you. B9, copy of memorandum from Eduardo Santamaria, Director, Department of Building, requesting an extension of probationary period of Gabriel Palacio, Senior Building Inspector, for six additional months beyond May 4th, 2026. Good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning. State your name and- Gabriel Palacio. In your position?

Building inspector.

Wonderful. Do you understand the request before you today?

I'm very. Do you understand the request? Yes, sir, I sure do.

Okay, are you in agreement?

Yes, I am.

Do you have any questions?

No, sir.

All right, wonderful. Good morning. Good morning. Please state your name and title.

My name is Carlos Sierra. I'm a chief of buildings. Wonderful. And I request for extension.

Okay. Is there, I guess, a particular reason why we're requesting six months for the- Yeah, he's trying to pass exam for the plan examiner. Okay.

Does he have any additional time to get it?

Excellent.

Motion.

Motion by Board Member Lanier.

Second.

Second by Board Member Jimenez. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Good luck.

Thank you. Have a good day. That's it.

B10. Copy of a request from Isabella Sanchez-Agramonte, former Human Resources Technician 1, Department of Human Resources, requesting that her name be placed on the re-employment list for the classification of Human Resources Technician 1 pursuant to Civil Service Rule 12, Section 12.4, resignations. Do we have Isabella here? Is there anybody from the city?

Board members, we do have a memorandum signed by the director of the department endorsing the request.

And the employee is requesting it.

There's really no, okay.

We'll entertain a motion.

Motion.

Motion by Board Member Jimenez. Second. Second by Board Member Lanier. All in favor? Aye. C, military leaves of absence. C1, Angelo Venegra, Lieutenant, request military leave without pay from February 16, 2026 through May 16, 2026. Copy of order submitted.

Motion.

Motion by Board Member Jimenez. Second. Second by Board Member Lanier. All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Thank you to the men and women that serve.

Chair, I say my apologies.

Is there any way we can pass the disciplinary matters to address one of the hearings where the city attorney submitted a letter for abeyance? I'm sorry, I'm not understanding the request. We have a hearing on today's hearings list. Is there any way we can just bypass the disciplinary matters for a minute to go to today's hearings? Maybe continue.

You're going to see how fast I'm going to run through the next couple items.

All right, let's continue.

D, disciplinary matters. On notification. Board members, take note. D1 through D9. E, general items. E1 through E2. Board members, well, sorry, no, on that one, E1, request from Lynette Amagiri, Assistant City Attorney, to hold in abeyance the unsatisfactory service rating hearing, USR, of Tashara Alim, Police Sergeant, until further notice due to a pending litigation.

Morning. Morning. Good morning, Board. Grace Kamena from the South Florida Police Benevolent Association on behalf of Sergeant Tashara Eileen.

Good morning, Lynette Aguirre on behalf of the city. This is my request that I've put on the agenda for today. Sergeant Eileen currently has an appeal pending before the Miami-Dade Commission on Human Rights where she had filed a charge of discrimination. Her charge of discrimination is essentially the same allegations that she has submitted in her rebuttal to the unsatisfactory evaluation that she received and that's why we have the hearing. I'm just asking for this board to hold this hearing in abeyance until we resolve the Miami-Dade hearing, because we're gonna get a full evidentiary hearing with witnesses, exhibits, everything, and then once that is completed and we have the results of that, then we can come back before the board and have the hearing on the unsatisfactory evaluation.

We've been here a couple of times in the past. I understand that the city has a position based on the fact that they have witnesses that they're going to be calling at that hearing. I believe that those are the witnesses that they should be calling at this hearing because my client would be the only witness that would be calling to be able to explain the evaluation and seeing that there's no one here right now. I mean, I think the city's in a position where they're not going to be able to go forward today. I'd just like to voice that we are ready. whenever it is that we can present our case on this unsatisfactory evaluation.

When is the hearing?

I don't have a date yet. I followed up with Miami-Dade and they have not given me a date yet, but I've been continuing to follow up. If we don't have something within the next three months, then I'll bring it back before the board and at that time I'll ask the board to reconsider again if that's a possibility. But I'm just asking at this time if we can hold it in abeyance because essentially the testimony that you're gonna hear from these witnesses would be the same testimony they're gonna give before Miami-Dade. And so I just want the resolution to be finished with Miami-Dade, have them finalize the evidentiary hearing and then come before you. And this is not a situation where then I'm gonna ask the board to dismiss this because it's already been heard somewhere else. This is a different situation because this is an unsatisfactory evaluation. So this the board has to hear no matter what. I'm just asking for us to move forward with Miami-Dade first and then finalize this.

My only concern was that the city would put forth a motion based on my previous experience with certain cases having to do with the city. If the city's position is that they're gonna let us go forward on this unsatisfactory evaluation while I am ready today, like I said, my evidence is my client and her unsatisfactory evaluation. But as long as we're gonna be able to present our case, my client has missed out on a position and some pay since then. So it's one of this, We're willing to accept whatever the board decides on today's hearing, essentially, if they so feel it should be held in advance.

Okay, let me ask it this way. Are you good with what the city's saying? If it takes, let's say, I mean, we could follow up on it on the next board meeting, see if they can get us an answer of when the county hearing would be. But assuming it's, say, three months, are you okay waiting three months until that hearing's done in the county and stuff?

If we can keep track of it maybe on a monthly basis, I think three months. Again, this has been pending for over a year, I think 18 months now. If we can keep track of it on a month-to-month basis, if the board's willing to do that, and see just so we can keep some pressure on the city and the Miami-Dade to be able to get a hearing date, I'd like to have it here as quickly as possible if the board does feel that we should hold an abeyance today.

What I can do is I can continue to keep the board and opposing counsel informed. you know, month-to-month advice. It's not something we have to put on the agenda month-to-month, but it's something that I can month-to-month send an email or a call and say, this is where we're at with Miami-Dade. I have a hearing date or I don't have a hearing date if the board is okay with that. Keep everyone up-to-date with everything on a month-to-month basis.

My concern with that would be, let's say, you're getting back and they're not getting it and we don't have something calendared for the employee since we fill up on things. I would like to, if possible, almost like table it where we schedule it for another day and we'll get an update. If we get an update and you say, well, we have a definitive date, it's going to be here in the county, and that's okay with the employee, and then they agree. But if not, they're not left in limbo where right now, if we bypass it today, they're not on the calendar of our hearing spendings list. So, I mean, and I'll leave it to my colleagues here if they have any input to do. You know, I don't want to input it, but that would be my...

the only thing the other additional thing that I would ask is if there is transcripts of the other hearing that we get them in advance to be able to properly prepare for the hearing and Give me the opportunity to be able to call those witnesses whoever it is that testifies in that hearing Yeah, as soon as I find out the information on the date for the other hearing or what's gonna happen I will give that to you and and we'll stay in touch and figure out what the witnesses and everything as far as a request of obviously getting any information from

transcripts of stuff from that yes any transcripts or anything like that I can provide to you as well because obviously it'll be relevant for this hearing I mean that's kind of the purpose of why we're waiting exactly so okay so with that I mean is there any board members have any questions no I'd like to make a motion to reschedule it for I guess what 90 days three months

We have one hearing on July 21st, which is a termination, and we have nothing else scheduled for that day.

And I can represent to the board that the only witness that I would be calling is my client.

Right now, I would have potentially three witnesses.

Okay. Are you good with tabling it for three months?

I'm sorry.

Are you good with tabling it for three months, like to schedule it? Let's say potentially we have a motion.

For the hearing or for an update?

For the hearing.

Before the hearing. Is there any way that we can move it up if the hearing happens before the three months?

I mean, I would say the only way we could probably do that, we can ask, but the only way would be to kind of schedule it from now on a prior meeting to that, you know, whether it be one in May or June. I think that's the only way we table it into one of those meetings.

I'm saying the July 21st meeting would basically be 90 days. So are you saying you want less time than that?

Just so that we can, but I'll be in contact with Ms. Aguirre, so if there's something that we can do to try and move it up, I can always contact, we can try and email you and see if there's anything that we can do to move it up from July 21st.

How about if we put it on a hearing pending list, something closer, right? Let's say, you know, today's April 14th, we put it a month out. May 12th, and then we kind of get an update. If we have an update by then of saying, okay, look, this is the hearing date. It looks like it's going to be July 13 in the county. We say, why don't we table it now at this point to July 21, and that way it gives you kind of an option.

I prefer that. That works.

Maybe the motion maker would be amendable to that. Amend the motion.

To be scheduled for May 12th?

To May 5th, is that what you're saying? 12th, we'll give it a month. May 12th. That should give you time to get.

Yes.

So we have a motion to, I guess, how will we table this? To reschedule. Reschedule today's hearing, E1, to May 12th, 2026. We have a motion.

Second.

We have a second. Any further discussion? Any questions? So we have a motion and a second to table E1's hearing for today to May 12, 2026, at which time we'll get an update, see how the hearings are going in the county, and see where we go from there.

All right.

All in favor? Aye.

Thank you.

Thank you.

E2, copy of requests for continuance from... OSNET Ryan, attorney on behalf of Shakita Johnson, emergency dispatcher concerning a 24-hour suspension effective April 29, 2025.

I believe she's online.

Request to reschedule.

You have a question?

No, no, no. Ms. Rand, are you there? I'm here.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Please state your name and title.

It's OC rand.

I'm the attorney for the employee Requesting the continuance and the city has no objection There's a request for a continuance from the employee there's no objection from the city This is the first continuance correct

I think it's the second. I think that there was one by the employee before and then one by the board.

Okay, so we have, so this is the second employee continuance and there was one board continuance before that, right? Okay.

I'll make the motion to continuance.

Motion by Board Member Jimenez. Second. Second by Board Member Lanier. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. F1, hearings pendings list as of April 14, 2026. Board members, take note. We have our next scheduled board meeting on May 5th. We have two hearings scheduled, right? There's two. Oh, one now because we just tabled the second one. So we have one hearing scheduled for May 5th. Any questions on the hearing spending list? Any comments?

No.

So our next board meeting is May 5th, 2026. Right now we got then seeing none, we'll move on. We got no requests for hearings. H1. Appeal hearing on behalf of Frankitha M. Roberts, legal assistant concerning her three-day suspension, effective September 17, 2025.

Good morning, Chairperson Cabrera. Good morning, board members.

Good morning. Good morning. Please state your name and title.

Sure. May it please the board, Attorney Chelsea Lewis on behalf of the employee, Frankita Roberts.

Before we begin, the attorney would like to .

I do have a question. I notice that there's only four members on the board today. I want to know if Member Solomon will be coming. And if he is, I would rather us wait for him so that we have a full board for the hearing today.

Understood.

I guess before I respond, I do want to advise, I'm not sure if council has been made aware, Ms. Roberts has filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, which is pending and involves the same facts that we will be, facts and witnesses that we will be discussing at today's hearing. So similar to prior council, we would request if the board is in favor to continue this hearing to allow the EEOC process to continue.

Sadie? I don't have an objection to that right now.

Okay, so any board members, any questions, comments? It seems similar to prior hearing that we heard. The employee is saying there's another hearing taking place outside of this that would maybe give an opportunity for the facts and stuff to be gathered. It seems they're requesting that. The city has no objection. Do we want to take maybe a similar approach? Do you know when that hearing is scheduled?

We don't. It is at the outset, so I would say at least 60 days would probably be helpful for them to be able to go through that process.

I do want to just clarify something. When a charge is filed with the EEOC, there's no actual hearing unless there's an appeal requested afterwards. So the situation with Sergeant Eileen was a little different because she filed her charge They found no probable cause. They made their findings, and then she appealed, and that's why we're going to an evidentiary hearing. Here, both sides still need to submit their position statement, find all the evidence, and then the EEOC will make a determination. That doesn't mean I don't have an objection, but I just want to clarify that. There's not going to be a hearing. We're just going to wait on the EEOC's decision, which sometimes could take a very long time.

And I'll also, I guess, clarify and add, I'm new counsel to the case for Ms. Roberts, so the charge was filed prior to my involvement. My understanding is now that we will also be filing a complaint with the Human Rights Board, the same one that was mentioned in the prior hearing, which would then follow that same process.

Great. You're basically requesting the continuance or the opportunity if this, you know, you're okay, basically the employee's okay with tabling this to see if there's more facts and things that come out in other hearings, and the city's okay right now waiting for it.

That's fine. Should we discuss a possible meeting date?

I think we should. Yeah, that would be the next step. 21st, would that provide enough time? Looks like Becky wants to say something.

May I have an excuse just to grab my calendar?

Is this a joint continuance then?

Just for the record? Well, if Member Solomon wouldn't have been here, I would have requested a continuance.

You would have requested it anyway?

But I mean, but right now we're not even getting to the point where there are board members here. They're requesting a continuance. It's for a separate reason. If both parties are ready to move on, I can contact the board member and see if he's going to be able to attend for the hearing. So that's, at this point, we'll be continuing for another reason. It's not a board continuance. I understand.

Will that date July 21st? That would work for employee and employees council.

If we table this hearing to July 21st, is that something the city's okay with?

That's fine with me.

Okay, so the employee's requesting that we table it to July 21st with the understanding that there might be some other hearings and some other boards or things that might be able to help settle this or make the hearing more effective for us here. The city has no objections, so we'll entertain a motion or any comments from board members.

Motion.

Motion by board member Cabrera. Second. Second by board member Lanier.

Any questions, comments?

Nope. So we have a motion and a second to table today's H1 hearing to July 21st, 2026. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Good luck, we'll see you then. Yeah, of course. That concludes today's agenda, so we'll entertain a motion to adjourn.

Motion.

Motion by Board Member Lanier.

Second.

Second by Board Member Jimenez. All in favor? Aye. Aye. I remind everyone, next Civil Service Board meeting will be May 5th, 2026. Have a good day.

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