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The mayor of Hialeah, Bryan Calvo, was fined this Sunday during a traffic stop in the Coconut Grove area of Miami while driving a municipal vehicle equipped with blue emergency lights, as reported by El Nuevo Herald.
The motorized officer Yasmani González from the Miami Police Department intercepted Calvo and issued him two civil fines that raise a legal debate regarding whether elected officials can legally operate government vehicles equipped with such devices.
The two fines
The first violation was recorded at 11:33 a.m. on Sunday, for failing to obey an official traffic control device; specifically, an unauthorized left turn.
During the stop, the officer determined that the municipal vehicle had blue emergency lights visible from the front, which resulted in a second citation under the Florida statute regulating that type of device.
González informed the mayor that the offense could lead to his detention; however, Calvo was ultimately not arrested and has the option to contest the fines.
The mayor's defense
In a statement sent through a spokesperson, Calvo explained his version:
"I received two civil traffic fines while driving a city-owned vehicle assigned to me as mayor. One of the fines is related to a traffic maneuver, and the second pertains to equipment installed in a vehicle owned by the Hialeah Police Department and registered in its name; a vehicle that was modified before I took office and before it was assigned to me."
Calvo, who is usually driven by his security team led by the sergeant of arms Rudi Ginestra, was driving the vehicle himself at the time of the stop.
What Florida law says
Municipal lawyers consulted by the Miami Herald were unequivocal: Florida law restricts the use of blue lights to authorized emergency vehicles—police, fire, and corrections—and does not provide any exemption for mayors.
Jose Smith, former municipal lawyer for Miami Beach and North Miami Beach, stated that Calvo "does not meet any of the state exceptions."
"Since he is the mayor of Hialeah, he could probably authorize certain uses within the city, but state law would seem to prohibit it anyway," Smith noted.
The former lawyer was even more straightforward: "A mayor does not have the authority to drive a municipal vehicle equipped with emergency lights. Those lights are reserved for law enforcement."
Smith also warned that González could have arrested Calvo for impersonating a police officer, even if the lights were not activated.
It's not the first time
This is not the mayor's first traffic problem.
In July 2023, while serving as a councilor, Calvo was intercepted for not stopping at a traffic signal while driving a red Tesla. That case carried a penalty of $277 and was dismissed at the request of the very officer who issued the citation.
The youngest mayor in Florida
Calvo, 27 years old, won the mayoralty of Hialeah in November 2025 with over 52% of the votes, making him the youngest mayor in the city and the entire state of Florida.
Graduated in Political Science from Harvard and a lawyer from the University of Florida International, he took office in January 2026 under the slogan "Hialeah First," with promises of transparency and a fight against corruption.
Since then, he ordered an investigation into nearly 290 businesses with alleged links to Cuba and organized the "Free Cuba Rally" in Milander Park in March 2026.
The Miami Police Department neither confirmed nor denied whether one of its officers had stopped the mayor, noting that traffic tickets are processed through the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Court's office.
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