Hispanic cops file suit against Miami Gardens for racial discrimination

Miami Gardens - Opa-locka admin July 1, 2026 0 Comments

Hispanic cops file suit against Miami Gardens for racial discrimination

Almost a year after telling Miami Gardens they would file a class-action whistleblower lawsuit, five Hispanic male police officers have made good on their promise and are suing the city for alleged racial discrimination.

In their lawsuit filed Sunday, the five Miami Gardens police officers, Juan Gonzalez, Christian Vega, Francisco Mejido, Rudy Hernandez and Sgt. Pedro Valdes, said they have been targets of ongoing discrimination including random suspensions, removals and harassment after multiple complaints to the city went ignored.

They also allege the police department fosters a system that favors non-Hispanic males, where other officers are shielded from punishments and given better assignments, and as a result they suffer severe mental and emotional stress.

“White Hispanic Male officers are subjected to heightened scrutiny, bad-faith internal investigations, written reprimands for trivial matters and arbitrary suspensions,” the 10-page suit says.

Now, they seek at least $5 to $10 million in damages or a jury trial.

The targeting first began in 2020, when 13-year police veteran Francisco Mejido’s K-9 partner was taken away, and he was removed from the unit after a minor body camera violation — despite his replacement having the same infraction, the lawsuit read.

Four other officers experienced similar discrimination four years later throughout 2024.

The officers’ attorney, Michael Pizzi, said he expects a trial.

“We would always love for them to do the right thing, but if I were a betting man, I would bet we would have to get justice from a jury in federal court,” he said.

The city did not respond for comment on the lawsuit.

The five officers initially told the city they were planning a lawsuit last June after they filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Federal law states the EEOC has up to 180 days to conduct an investigation into claims of discrimination, or it must issue a notice of right to sue, which Pizzi said they obtained this past month.

READ MORE: Hispanic officers allege mistreatment in Miami Gardens, call for chief’s removal

Pizzi said he has had no contact with the police department or city since filing their complaint with the EEOC.

At the same meeting last year, the officers demanded the termination of Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt, who became named the city’s first female Black chief in 2017. She is still the police department’s top cop.

Noel-Pratt told the Miami Herald back when the accusations were first made that it was her job as police chief to make any transfers or demotions. Pizzi said she was abusing her power by mistreating officers.