Former State Rep. Daisy Baez Accepts Plea Deal Over Residency

CORAL GABLES, FL — Former State Representative Daisy Baez has entered into a plea agreement with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office over a charge that she falsified her address to run for office in House District 114 when she actually lived in a neighboring district. Baez resigned her state post on Nov. 1 and will be barred from seeking public office for the next year. She will serve one year probation.

"An investigation undertaken by the Public Corruption Task Force of the State Attorney’s Office has led to
the charging, resignation and criminal court plea by former State Representative Daisy Baez," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced on Wednesday.

Baez was elected in 2016 to the Florida Legislature to represent House District 114, which includes a portion of Coral Gables, just not the portion she lived in, according to prosecutors. She was charged with perjury when not in an official proceeding, a first degree misdemeanor. As a further condition of her plea agreement, Baez is not eligible for an early termination to her probation.

Baez actually lives in District 112, according to the State Attorney's Office. That district is served by Representative Nicholas X. Duran.

“Deliberately swearing to false information essential to your role as a state legislator, as alleged in this
case, eats at the credibility of our voting and political systems,” said Fernandez Rundle. “I believe that there can never be a good reason for such action.”

Baez' campaign website was not accepting new contributions as of Wednesday. It carried a message from Baez thanking the people of her district, but not an apology.

"It's been an honor to serve our Miami-Dade community as a state representative and to have served our country in the U.S. Army," Baez said in the message. "I'll always fight for increased funding for our public schools, to create good-paying jobs for every Floridian, to provide access to affordable healthcare and to help solve traffic congestion by rebuilding our infrastructure."

According to the State Attorney's Office, Baez changed her voter registration address from 11 Malaga Avenue to a condominium at 2401 Anderson Road in Coral Gables. The condominium was owned by a friend, Maritza Jacobson, and Dr. Robert Jacobson.

The Jacobsons provided prosecutors and investigators with sworn statements and a lease or rental agreement
indicating that Baez was renting a portion of the three-bedroom, two-bath condominium unit
at 2401 Anderson Road.

"In her sworn, transcribed statement, Mrs. Jacobson explained that she is a realtor and had been a friend of Representative Baez for several years," according to prosecutors. "In 2016, Representative Baez had asked Mrs. Jacobson if she could list Mrs. Jacobson’s 'Anderson Road' address as her residence because she was running for the Florida House of Representatives."

Prosecutors said that Maritza Jacobson acknowledged preparing a lease agreement dated Oct. 1, 2016, for one bedroom with a private bath in the condominium for $700 per month.

"However, Mrs. Jacobson stated that Representative Baez never moved in nor did she ever stay at their residence for a single night," according to the State Attorney's Office. "Additionally, Representative Baez never paid any rent as outlined in the lease agreement nor did she live in any other apartment at the 'Anderson Road' condominium complex. As far as Mrs. Jacobson knew, Representative Baez continued to live at her '11 Malaga Avenue,' Coral Gables residence."

Maritza Jacobson told prosecutors that she believed Baez intended to move into House District 114, but had
not found a residence. She apparently had gotten busy with work as a state representative.

"In Dr. Jacobson’s sworn statement, he confirmed that Representative Baez had never spent a single night at
their residence, nor had she ever moved into their residence," prosecutors said.

Photo courtesy Florida House Of Representatives