COCONUT GROVE, FLA. (WSVN) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla a day after the commissioner and his attorney were arrested on money laundering and bribery charges.

In a news release issued Friday evening, DeSantis’ office confirmed the governor signed issued Executive Order 23-184 suspending the commissioner.

Moments after he walked out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday night, Diaz de la Portilla insisted he did nothing wrong and called his arrest political.

“Not an ounce of truth. Not an an ounce of truth to those allegations,” he said. “This is a work of fiction, and I’ll repeat it again: this is a work of fiction by a Democrat state attorney targeting a Republican city commissioner. Period.”

Charges against him include bribery, money laundering and official misconduct. Some of that alleged misconduct involved a controversial private school in Miami.

According to the Miami Herald, the investigation revealed Centner Academy wanted to build a sports complex at the site of a Miami city park. Diaz de la Portilla, who is the commissioner for District 1, was willing to work to make it happen … after allegedly receiving around $245,000 in payments that were disguised as donations to two political committees in his control.

Centner Academy made national headlines in April of 2021 due to its stance on the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We’re not telling teachers that they can’t get [the vaccine], we’re just simply asking that they hold off a little bit,” said Joshua Hills, a parent and Centner Academy employee.

The administration sent an email to teachers and staff that explained that their policy was “to not employ anyone who has taken the experimental COVID-19 injection.”

According to the Miami Herald, the couple that runs the school weren’t accused of a crime and cooperated with the investigation.

If convicted of the charges against him, Diaz de la Portilla could spend decades in jail.

“There’s no truth whatsoever to any of these allegations. The people in my district know me as a state senator, a state representative and a commissioner, and they trust me,” he said. “They know I’m honest, I’m direct, and I say the truth.”

Seeking a reaction from Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a 7News crew went to an event on Friday morning where he was scheduled to attend, according to a news release. He was not there.

The Miami Commission has 10 days to appoint a replacement for Diaz de la Portilla to serve out the rest of his term before the November election.

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