Three of Key Biscayne’s top former officials said Monday they had no recollection of ever being informed about sexual misconduct complaints a decade ago, despite a published news report that parents had brought accusations to Village police about gymnastics coach Oscar Olea, who taught classes at the Village Green and the Community Center.
“I have no recollection of any incident,” said Genaro ‘Chip’ Iglesias, who served as Village manager from 2007 through most of 2011. Iglesias is now manager of South Miami.
The then-mayor, Frank Caplan, also said “No. Short answer” when asked if the administration had brought the matter to his attention in 2011.
According to reporting in the Miami Herald, the parent of at least one of the girls met with then police Chief Charles Press in 2011, but the meeting could not be independently verified by the Independent. Village officials have failed to respond to numerous public records requests seeking to document the meeting and official handling of the older complaints.
Press did not return a message and phone call Monday.
Olea has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing. The Herald said it identified five females who have come forward directly or through their families, in incidents stretching back from 2011 to the fall of last year.
Jennifer Medina, who worked with Iglesias and continued to serve as Key Biscayne’s chief of staff for years afterward, also said Monday that no reports of misconduct made it to her, Iglesias or John C. Gilbert, who took over as Village manager in late 2011.
“I am shocked, I never heard it,” Medina said Monday. “I am sure it would have come across the desk.” After Iglesias left for a post with Miami-Dade County, Medina continued to serve as chief of staff to Gilbert, later becoming Village Clerk.
Village Police did release a 34-page report of the recent allegations of alleged inappropriate behavior by Olea brought by parents, but a review by the State Attorney and the Miami-Dade Police Special Victims Unit did not find a basis to prosecute, records show.
Police Chief Frank Sousa confirmed last week the Department has met with the women from the 2011 cases, while stopping short of saying the investigation into the older cases had been reopened.
Both Medina and Iglesias could not speak to details of how the Village vetted athletic coaches in the time period or what standards were in place. Todd Hofferberth, who then as now was the head of the Parks and Recreation Department, did not respond to questions.
There are a variety of youth and senior programs with different levels of municipal oversight in Key Biscayne, ranging from activities directly organized by the Village employees to private trainers who just are permitted to work with clients at the Community Center or in Village parks, sometimes paying a fee to the Village.
Records for 2007 show that the American Gymsters program, where the Herald reported Olea once worked, was run under a contract approved by Iglesias. Like many athletic programs that are contracted out in Key Biscayne, the vendor keeps 70% of fees charged by the Community Center. Contracts are often renewed – often for years – but it’s not clear what agreement was in place in 2011, if any.
The 2007 agreement stated that “all officials, coaches, volunteers, and instructors” undergo a “background screening prior to supervising children” and that screening reports be submitted to the Village.
But Medina, the former chief of staff, said there was little high-level discussion of vetting procedures and that the manager’s office mostly heard from parents about Key Biscayne’s #1 passion – soccer.
“It was soccer, soccer, soccer,” Medina said. “That was the big deal, it was always about that selection process.”
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.