FRANTZ PIERRE: Despite legal troubles, “He always emphasized education.” PHOTOS COURTESY OF VOTERSOPINION.COM

NORTH MIAMI, BEACH, Fla. – Former North Miami Beach Commissioner Frantz Pierre, who was removed from office following his indictment on public corruption charges, died last week, his wife Marie confirmed to the Miami Herald.

Pierre, 58, apparently suffered a cardiac arrest.

“He was the kind of person everyone loved,” said Marie Pierre who was married to him for 33 years.

“My life has changed a lot because of him. I used to be a tough girl. Since I met him, I’ve become a soft woman.”

According to his bio, Pierre was born in Haiti before he came to North Miami Beach, where he graduated from high school. He grew up with eight siblings.

After he earned his college degree, Pierre became an educator and later entered politics, inspired by his father, Jacques-Joseph Pierre, who was a judge in Haiti.

He was first elected to the North Miami Beach City Commission in 2007, but his colleagues voted to remove him from office in 2018 after he attended only one meeting over the course of nine months.

Pierre said his absence from the dais was due to a medical condition.

Pierre was reinstated after he filed a lawsuit, but was suspended by thenGov. Rick Scott following his indictment on multiple counts of money laundering, grand theft and bribery.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle’s office alleged that Pierre had been involved in accepting money from a strip club owner in exchange for giving the facility an extended liquor license.

In 2020 he pleaded guilty to all counts and served two years of house arrest followed by four years of probation.

Pierre was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution to the city of North Miami Beach and $5,000 to the State Attorney’s Office.

North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme said education was Pierre’s passion, and he also helped Haitian Americans receive fair treatment in Miami-Dade County.

“He always emphasized education and making sure that accurate stuff is being said on Haitian radio,” Desulme said.

“He was very active in his early days in the community,” Desulme said. “I knew him as a friend prior to politics and in the education world.”

Pierre is survived by his wife and their six children, Karry Joseph Pierre, 38; Keren Pierre, 26; Lynn-Iris Pierre, 25; Gregory Pierre, 23; Patricia Pierre, 22; and Jayden Pierre, 16.

A date for a memorial service was not available at press time.