North Miami Beach Deputy City Manager fired after arrest on child pornography charges

David Scott, Deputy City Manager of North Miami Beach, has been arrested on charges of possessing child pornography, a city spokesperson told Florida Politics.

The city is awaiting further details from the Miami Police Department, which took Scott into custody on Wednesday.

“Although the city has not been asked to provide any assistance or information, we will fully cooperate with and expedite any requests made of North Miami Beach,” a statement from the city said.

In an email update shortly thereafter, the city said Scott had been fired.

“After receiving and reviewing the arrest report from Miami PD, City Manager Mario Diaz has terminated the employment of David Scott.”

Scott, 63, was booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 4:49 p.m. He faces 15 felony counts of sexual performance by a child/possession, county arrest records show.

His arrest report shows a detective with the Miami Police Department’s Special Victims Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) identified Scott as a suspect who had uploaded 31 images and videos of child sexual abuse materials and attempted to buy 6,000 videos and pictures of children online through various social media platforms. ICAC detectives worked with State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and the Police Departments of Aventura, Miami Beach and Miami Gardens to execute a search warrant at Scott’s home.

They seized multiple electronic devices, including his phone, which contained “several files” of child sexual abuse material. The 15 charges Scott faces stem from 15 videos investigators discovered depicting the rape of 14 boys and one girl, the oldest of whom was 10 and the youngest of whom was 2.

“This is highly disappointing, especially given their role of trust and the fact that the victims are children — one of our most vulnerable populations,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said in a statement. “We are proud of our partnership with the State Attorney’s Office Cybercrimes Unit in solving this case.”

Fernandez Rundle said in a statement that she is “shocked and disappointed to learn that a senior government official would be charged with the possession of child pornography.”

“I know that our law enforcement community and my prosecutors are committed to ensuring that no child suffers the denigration, exploitation and abuse at the core of every child pornography arrest,” she said. “Child pornography is always a crime centered on exploiting the innocence of our children.”

Scott was promoted to Deputy City Manager of North Miami Beach in July 2023. He previously worked for a year as Director of Public Works.

Before joining North Miami Beach, he served in executive roles including leading economic development strategies for Boynton Beach, Assistant City Manager for Delray Beach and Assistant County Administrator for Pinellas County.

He also served as Deputy Mayor for Operations and Director of Public Works for his home city of Baltimore and Commissioner of Public Works for the city of Atlanta.

He is active on Facebook, where he frequently posts about style and design. His page says he studied engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, and previously owned an eponymous management consulting firm.

State voting records show he’s a registered Democrat and lived in Tampa and Coconut Creek before moving to Miami-Dade County in 2016.

Scott’s arrest marks the second time in a year and a half that a high-ranking city official from North Miami Beach was arrested on felony charges. On May 31, 2023, the city’s former Mayor, Anthony “Tony” DeFillipo, was taken into custody on third-degree felony charges of illegal voting. Gov. Ron DeSantis removed him from office five days later.