Ex-Miami-Dade School Board member pleads guilty in $100K theft of district funds
NBC6 |By Christian Colón | April 14, 2026
Lubby Navarro, 51, pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree grand theft and was sentenced to 14 months in prison followed by three years of probation under the deal.
A former Miami-Dade School Board member has pleaded guilty to going on a $100,000 shopping spree with district funds as part of a plea deal that will send her to prison.
Lubby Navarro, 51, pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree grand theft and was sentenced to 14 months in prison followed by three years of probation under the deal.
She’ll also have to pay back $101,000 in restitution and is banned from working in a governmental position until her probation is over.
“I want to begin by apologizing to the children of Miami-Dade public schools,” Navarro said at Tuesday’s hearing.
Navarro, who previously represented District 7 and had been the board’s vice chair, had been arrested back in January 2024.
Prosecutors say Navarro made more than $100,000 in unauthorized personal purchases with credit cards issued by the school district before she resigned from the board.
The purchases more than $92,000 spent at retail stores like Walmart, Apple, Amazon, Gucci Brandsmart and elsewhere on items including appliances, electronics, clothing, health and beauty products, household goods, home furnishings, food, and gift cards, prosecutors said.
Lubby Navarro was allegedly caught on Walmart cameras making personal purchases with credit cards issued to her as a Miami-Dade School Board member, officials said.
Navarro also spent more than $9,000 on unauthorized purchases related to travel, including airfare, hotels, car rentals, and meals, prosecutors said.
The travel expenses included taking her mother to the Dominican Republic, taking her then-boyfriend to Las Vegas, and paying for his family to go to Disney World, authorities said.
Navarro also purchased items for the Fort Lauderdale market owned by the boyfriend, which included a commercial grade refrigerator, chest freezer, wine chiller, and expresso machine, prosecutors said.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle released a statement about the case on Tuesday.
“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. Rather than seeking to avoid the consequences of her actions, Lubby Navarro has admitted her guilt and has accepted her sentence which includes imprisonment,” the statement read. “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.”
