Miami Beach mayor leaves his federal job. Did misconduct claims play a role?

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner has left his position as an attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

The sources said Meiner resigned from his role as an enforcement attorney in the SEC’s Miami office, where he had worked since 2007. Messages sent to Meiner’s SEC email address this week bounced back with an error message saying the address “couldn’t be found or is unable to receive mail.”

It was not immediately clear what prompted the departure or whether it was related to sexual harassment claims by former colleagues. A city of Miami Beach spokesperson directed questions to the mayor’s office. Meiner and his chief of staff at the city, Veronica Coley, did not respond to messages Wednesday seeking comment.

An SEC spokesperson declined to comment, saying the agency does not comment on personnel matters.

On Friday afternoon, three hours after this story was first published, Meiner posted on social media that he is joining a private company, The Farkas Group Inc., as a “senior management executive.”

Meiner’s statement did not address his reason for leaving the SEC.

“My new employment is the culmination of my professional work experience as an attorney for eleven years in the private sector and the last seventeen years with the federal government at the SEC,” he wrote. “I am excited for this new endeavor where I can contribute my expertise.”

The mayor of Miami Beach serves in a part-time capacity. Meiner, a former city commissioner who was elected mayor in November, was working full-time at the SEC, a role that limited his ability to conduct mayoral duties during regular working hours because of strict federal government rules.

Meiner’s conduct at the SEC was under scrutiny prior to his departure. Days before his election as mayor, the Miami Herald reported that three former female colleagues of Meiner at the agency claimed that Meiner had made unwanted advances toward them in the past.

In February, the Herald reported that the SEC’s Office of Human Resources in Washington, D.C., had begun contacting current and former SEC employees seeking to speak to them about their experiences with Meiner or knowledge of any allegations against him.

Meiner told reporters in February that “there is no investigation.” He declined to elaborate on the claim.

The human resources probe had not yet concluded as of mid-June, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

Among the three women who alleged misconduct by Meiner was a former intern who said Meiner had once tried to kiss her in 2012. Another was a fellow attorney who reported to her superiors in 2016 that Meiner told her while in her office that he wanted to get a second apartment to carry on an affair with her.

The latter incident triggered an inquiry by the SEC’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity that seemingly did not result in discipline, according to records reviewed by the Herald.

A second former intern told the Herald that during and after her internship, Meiner frequently asked her out for drinks and dinner and told her in text messages that she was “beautiful and smart.” She said that she sent Meiner “several very direct texts reminding him he had a wife and kids and reminding him I was in a very serious relationship” and that her then-boyfriend became so frustrated with Meiner’s advances that he texted Meiner himself to tell him to stop.

Meiner said in November that the women’s allegations were “absolutely untrue and offensive” and that he had “never been the object of a formal complaint.”

He added that he believed the claims about his conduct were “likely motivated by anti-Israel and antisemitic views,” saying a colleague had once “confronted” him about Israel and made “inflammatory statements” referring to Israelis as “colonizers” and expressing support for Hamas.

After the confrontation, “this individual and a few others continued to be antagonistic, spreading untrue [and] sometimes insulting or unflattering rumors about me in the office,” Meiner said. He said he reported this to upper management.

The Herald has been pushing for the release of records related to any complaints about Meiner’s conduct during his time at the SEC. The agency initially wouldn’t reveal whether any such records existed but later agreed to search for the records after the Herald filed an appeal. The records have not yet been released.

Meiner’s role at the SEC involved conducting investigations into securities fraud. As a Miami Beach elected official, Meiner has recused himself from voting on items that could be subject to SEC oversight, including the city’s issuing of bonds.

Meiner said Friday that he was “thrilled” to share the news that he would be joining The Farkas Group. The company is the “family office” of businessman Michael D. Farkas and “manages a diverse investment portfolio, applying Michael’s hands-on experience and strategic approach to foster growth and innovation in his investments,” according to its website.

Farkas is the founder and former CEO of Blink Charging, an electric vehicle charging company. He left the company last June. In October, the firm announced a deal to become the “official EV charging provider” for the city of Miami Beach.

This story has been updated to include Meiner’s announcement about joining The Farkas Group.