The Supreme Court of Florida has officially disbarred former judge Miguel “Mike” Mirabal, following a determination that he falsified his campaign finance reports during his pursuit of an elected judgeship in Miami-Dade County.
The disbarment decision came after a referee’s report highlighted Mirabal’s “basic, fundamental dishonesty,” which the court stated is intolerable in the legal profession.
Mirabal, who previously made headlines for allegedly pulling a gun on his neighbor—a case that resulted in “no action” in early 2022—has faced disbarment due to misconduct unrelated to this incident.
The primary issue leading to his disbarment was his inaccurate and misleading campaign finance reports during his 2018 judicial campaign.
As a candidate, Mirabal was required to submit regular campaign finance reports to the Miami-Dade County Elections Department.
However, the court found that his reports were rife with material errors and exaggerated figures, likely aimed at creating a false perception of his campaign’s financial strength.
These discrepancies were notably timed to benefit his political standing, particularly during the candidate qualifying period when he switched races from group 18 to group 43.
For instance, on March 8, 2018, Mirabal reported a campaign total of $71,829.72 just before switching races. Shortly after the qualifying period ended on May 3, 2018, he amended this amount to $39,278.26.
This included the removal of a purported $10,000 loan from himself, which he had initially included in a January 2018 report. The referee concluded that the loan never occurred, and its inclusion was a deliberate attempt to inflate his campaign finances.
The Florida Elections Commission fined Mirabal $2,000 for these discrepancies. Despite his claims that the errors were due to unfamiliarity with the forms, the referee and the court found his explanation untruthful.
Given his extensive experience as a closing agent in numerous real estate transactions, Mirabal was deemed fully capable of accurately completing financial reports.
Additionally, Mirabal failed to disclose his involvement in six different lawsuits on his application to the Judicial Nominating Commission, further compounding his ethical violations.
The court has given him 30 days to wind down his practice and protect the interests of his remaining clients.
Mirabal resigned from his judgeship in April 2021, several months before the alleged October 2021 incident with his neighbor. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.
