The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has declined to conduct an independent investigation into a hit-in-run accident involving Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi, who briefly left the scene after he crashed his car into a large oak tree.
The agency’s decision comes a month after Town Councilmembers requested the probe after hearing discontent from residents for the way Miami-Dade police handled the June 15 accident, which occurred at N.W. 140 Street and 82 Avenue.
According to a police report, Pizzi said he swerved to avoid hitting an animal and crashed his 2014 Kia into the tree without calling the police.
A security guard on duty near the vicinity heard the crash and saw someone running from the scene and contacted the local authorities.
When the police arrived, they discovered the driver was missing and the airbag was stained with blood, and called in traffic homicide officers to investigate.
Pizzi returned to the accident scene wearing a baseball cap and he refused medical treatment, the police report said.
But some residents cried foul because the police never gave Pizzi a citation for leaving the scene of an accident, or a breathalyzer test to determine if he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
The Miami Lakes Public Safety Committee, which asked members to request the FDLE investigation, said state law requires individuals involved in an accident to notify the police and failure to do so results in a misdemeanor of the second degree.
The violations can carry up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Some residents indicated Pizzi used his political power to eschew the citation and breathalyzer test.
However, the FDLE, after reviewing the investigation by Miami-Dade police and talking with the State Attorney’s Office, found no evidence of criminal activity that merits a state probe.
“FDLE’s decision in this matter is based upon the fact that from all accounts, Mayor Pizzi’s single car traffic crash was thoroughly investigated by the Miami-Dade Police Department and the information reviewed by the FDLE found no criminal predicate which would warrant any involvement by the state’s top law enforcement agency,” said FDLE director of Executive Investigations Scott McInerny in a letter to Town Manager Alex Rey dated August 3, 2015.
“Should additional information regarding the single car traffic crash be discovered, which you believe warrants additional investigation, it is recommended that you forward this information to the MDPD, which is the primary investigation agency.”
In prepared statement released by the town, Pizzi said he’s glad the matter is over. “I am delighted that a completely independent investigation and review of this matter found no evidence of wrongdoing or reason to second guess the decisions of our outstanding police. I am happy that this matter is closed with no suggestions of any wrongdoing or preferential treatment. Now, we can all move forward with the people’s business.”