RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Riviera Beach’s former building official, Ladi March, was arrested in April of 2018 for impersonating a building official.
Prosecutors said March had identified herself numerous times as a building official to developers when she did not have the proper certification at the time.
Now, a year and a half later and weeks away from trial, prosecutors from the State Attorney’s Office have suddenly decided to drop charges against March.
In court documents, prosecutors said while probable cause existed, March no longer works with the city.
🔽 READ COURT DOCUMENT 🔽
March, who also goes by the name Goldwire, was fired in April of this year after she did not rescind permits for a dock on Singer Island.
Officials with the State Attorney’s Office said the charges were dropped because March completed the terms of her deferred prosecution agreement.
March was hired in December of 2016, despite not having the required building code administrator license.
The job offer mentioned March had a year to acquire the necessary license. Contact 5 uncovered the decision meant the city had to spent around $21,000 on hiring an outside firm to act as building official and sign documents.
March missed the one-year deadline to obtain her full license, but the city extended her probationary period.
In April of this year, she was fired by the city after she did not rescind permits for a fence and dock on two Singer Island properties.
The legal battle between the city and March is not over yet. March has filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the city, claiming her $76,000 salary was far less than what previous building officials had been paid.