Miramar to pay $350,000 to settle ex-police sergeant’s discrimination lawsuit
The City of Miramar has agreed to pay $350,000 to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by former police sergeant Troy J. Wilson, according to a settlement agreement obtained by the Miramar News.
The agreement resolves a case brought by Wilson, a white police sergeant once charged with the Traffic Division, who alleged he was denied a promotion because of his race, gender and age. He was 46 when the suit was filed and says he was retaliated against after raising concerns about discrimination.
At the crux of the case, according to Wilson’s attorney, William Amlong, was a comment made by an unidentifed Miramar commissioner.
Under the settlement, approved this month by the City Commission in a private, executive session, Miramar will pay Wilson $350,000 as a “full and final settlement” of all claims.
The case had been pending in federal court in Fort Lauderdale for more than two years and was moving toward trial before the settlement was reached. The agreement requires Wilson’s employment with the city, which began in 1999, to end.
The Miramar News reached out to city officials for comment about the settlement on March 23 but didn’t receive an immediate response.
The settlement explicitly states that the city “disputes the allegations and denies liability,” and that both sides agreed to resolve the case to avoid the cost and uncertainty of continued litigation, according to City Attorney Burnadette Norris-Weeks, who handled the settlement for the city.
Wilson’s lawsuit, filed in September 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, included a wide range of allegations under federal and state law.
In his court filings, Wilson alleged that despite his nearly 25 years of experience and qualifications, he was repeatedly passed over for promotion to lieutenant in favor of other sergeants.
He claimed that less-qualified candidates were selected ahead of him and that the decision-making process was influenced by a desire to diversify the department’s leadership.
According to his complaint, Wilson pointed to comments attributed to a city commissioner, who was not identified in court records, about Miramar police building a command staff that “looks like me,” which Wilson argued clearly disadvantaged him.
Wilson maintained that his ranking, performance and tenure should have made him a strong candidate, but that he was bypassed multiple times under circumstances he believed were discriminatory.
In his complaint and later filings, Wilson said that after he complained to the police department about being discriminated against, he began to face retaliation from supervisors and command staff. Among the actions he described:
- Being passed over for promotion to lieutenant after he raised concerns
- Being removed from key assignments and responsibilities he had previously held
- Receiving what he described as unwarranted disciplinary scrutiny and negative treatment
- Being treated differently from other supervisors in scheduling and duties
- Facing what he characterized as a pattern of retaliation that worsened after he filed formal complaints
Wilson also claimed the retaliation extended to the work environment itself, alleging that the actions made it harder for him to perform his job and ultimately forced him to pursue legal action.
He also alleged retaliation and disability discrimination. Wilson said he began suffering PTSD after taking part in the 2019 deadly shootout on Miramar Parkway between police officers from Miramar and other departments and two robbers who had held up a Coral Gables jewelry store and taken a UPS driver as a hostage.
The UPS driver, Frank Ordonez, 27, and a motorist sitting in traffic, Richard Cutshaw, 70, were accidentally killed. the bullets that fatally struck Ordonez were firec by police, investigators late learned. The robbers also died at the scene, where more than 200 bullets were fired.
Four Miami-Dade police officers involved in the shootout were indicted. The charges against all four have been dropped as of March 23 under the Stand Your Ground law, a Broward County judge ruled. It’s unclear what role Wilson played in the shootout.
The Miramar settlement with Wilson does not include any admission of fault by the city. Each side will cover its attorney fees and costs, and Wilson releases the city from all current and potential claims related to his employment.
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 4:33 PM.
