Lubby Navarro shopping spree on public dime ends with prison sentence

Remember the shopping spree that had taxpayers footing the bill for Gucci and espresso machines? Well, the credit card just came due.

Former Miami-Dade School Board Vice Chair Lubby Navarro has officially pleaded guilty — and will now trade retail therapy for prison time.

Fourteen months behind bars. Three years of probation. More than $101,000 in restitution. And a ban from government work while on probation.

Not exactly the kind of “back-to-school” plan taxpayers had in mind.

Navarro, who was first appointed to the school board by former Gov. Rick Scott in 2015 and once represented District 7 on the Miami-Dade County Public Schools board — even served as vice chair — admitted Tuesday to third-degree grand theft in a case that reads like a shopping list gone rogue.

Prosecutors say she racked up more than $100,000 in unauthorized purchases using district-issued credit cards.

Not classroom supplies. Not student programs. Not backpacks for inner city students.

Personal purchases. Lots of them. According to investigators, more than $92,000 went to retail therapy stops that sound suspiciously like someone checking off a holiday wish list: Walmart, Apple, Amazon, BrandsMart USA. And Gucci. Yes, Gucci.

She won’t be wearing that to the yard.

Electronics. Appliances. Clothing. Gift cards. Home furnishings. Beauty products. Basically, if it could fit in a shopping cart — real or virtual — prosecutors say Navarro bought it. On our dime.

And the spending didn’t stop at the checkout counter.

Prosecutors say Navarro also burned through more than $9,000 on unauthorized travel — including trips that look more like family getaways, not official school business. She took her mother to the Dominican Republic, her then-boyfriend to Las Vegas and the boyfriend and his family to Walt Disney World.

And if that wasn’t enough, authorities say she even used district funds to outfit her boyfriend’s Fort Lauderdale market — buying commercial-grade equipment like refrigerators, freezers, wine chillers, and an espresso machine.

Because nothing says public education like taxpayer-funded cafecitos.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Navarro offered an apology. “I want to begin by apologizing to the children of Miami-Dade public schools,” she said.

That’s a start. But apologies don’t balance budgets. And they don’t erase receipts.

Her attorney, Benjamin Kuehne, said that Navarro was remorseful.

“We ask the community to fully accept that she has accepted her wrongdoing ,” Kuehne told NBC 6 Miami. “She has started the path to rehabilitation. She never intended to hurt the children of this community, who she loves. She never intended to cause disruption to the school board and this is a step to correcting those issues.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle didn’t mince words. Public office, she said, is about trust — not personal enrichment. And this case, she made clear, is a reminder that abusing taxpayer dollars comes with consequences.

Prison-sized consequences.

“Public officials are in positions of authority and trust to ensure the safety and the quality of life for those who live in our community, not to utilize public monies for their personal benefit,” Fernandez Rundle said in a statement.

“Rather than seeking to avoid the consequences of her actions, Lubby Navarro has admitted her guilt and has accepted her sentence which includes imprisonment,” Fernandez Rundle said, thanking Miami-Dade Inspector General Felix Jimenez and his investigative staff for helping to uncover the theft “and laying the foundation” for prosecutors.

“Our community owes this strong stand against corruption a debt of gratitude, because it sends a clear message that those who steal from the public will face justice,” Fernandez Rundle said. “Let there be no doubt that I and my public corruption team of prosecutors and investigators will continue ensuring that our government operates for the people of Miami-Dade County, not for the financial benefit of those holding office or position.”

Kathy, niña, you got a lot more work to do.

Navarro was first arrested in January 2024, forcing her resignation and setting off a political scandal that rocked the school district. Back then, the revelations came in waves — surveillance footage, receipts, travel records.

Each new detail made the story harder to explain away. Harder to spin. Harder to defend.

More than $100,000 meant for schools was spent on shopping, travel, and creature comforts. And somewhere in Miami-Dade, a classroom still needs supplies.

Now, the legal chapter is closing with a guilty plea and prison sentence and the former vice chair of one of the largest school districts in the country will have an inmate number, a restitution bill and her political career effectively boxed up like one of those Amazon deliveries.

But, hey, if Miami-Dade County Commissioner Vicki Lopez can still have a political career after being indicted on 10 counts, including bribery and “honest services fraud,” when she was a Lee County commissioner in 1995 — and for which she served 15 months in federal prison until President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence — then who knows?

Maybe Navarro can be mayor one day when she finishes her probation.

This kind of independent, government watchdog reporting is crucial to transparency and democracy. And more so every day. Help shine a light on the darker corners of our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

Lubby Navarro shopping spree on public dime ends with prison sentence added by Ladra on April 14, 2026
View all posts by Ladra →