A Virginia key business owner thinks the city of Miami is targeting her by opposing the idea of ​​a homeless camp

Virginia Key, Fla. – Several days have passed since a Virginia key business suddenly closed indefinitely.

Her husband, Esther Alonso, has been trying to find new jobs for her employees.

“Please contact me if there are any open positions,” she said.

Alonso told Local 10 News that the issue comes weeks after Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo spoke out against a homeless settlement project.

She said she has received two more letters from the city since Friday.

Alonso leased the land to the Virginia Key Outdoor Center from the city of Miami. It’s been three days since Miami police arrived there on Friday and said they were investigating violations at the business with code inspectors.

The city closed it indefinitely due to various code violations, including operating without a certificate of occupancy, and the Department of Real Estate Property Management estimates the business owes more than $140,000 in rent.

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Alonso denied the allegations.

Instead, she believes the decision to evict her business is retaliation for Carollo’s plan to build tiny homes for Miami’s homeless in Virginia Key.

“This is how we lose our countries through abuse of power,” Alonso said.

In an interview with Local 10 News on July 29, Carollo cited Alonso’s business several times when asked about public safety concerns about the proposed project, which was unsolicited.

“You and here who probably don’t want it for economic reasons like the character here and the woman in front, you and others who don’t want it don’t know how they got these leases, they do. You have a lease,” Carollo said. “She looks like she has a growing business, but I want to see how far the owner of this goes to the city of Miami.”

He went on to raise the issue of plumbing, saying, “We don’t need plumbing. Everything will be done properly. It’s not against our code as you can see everything here.

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Carollo also brought in an environmental impact study.

“I want to make the same impact you’re talking about, about things here. I see about 12, 13 shipping containers there. All kinds of things,” he said.

Carollo said Friday that Alonso had nothing to do with the closing.

Local 10 News reached out to Carollo and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez on Monday but did not hear back from either.

Alonso has retained a lawyer.