The Department of Juvenile Justice isn't saying much about why former state Rep. Gus Barreiro of Miami Beach was abruptly fired from his post Friday.

"It's legally sensitive right now," said agency secretary Frank Peterman, who served with Barreiro in the House. "An issue took place, and it was a violation of our main policy, a policy I'm trying to strengthen within the agency."

DJJ does provide a copy of Barreiro's letter of termination, which cites a provision in the administrative code dealing with "violation of law or agency rules," including "standards of conduct" under Chapter 112, the ethics code. A DJJ spokesman says Barreiro's dismissal related to misuse of computer equipment.

Barreiro, 49, was a Republican House member from 1998 to 2006. At DJJ, he held the title of operational support administrator and earned about $72,000 a year.

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