Homestead Mayor Steven Bateman's Fundraising Host Committee. By Geniusofdespair

The election in November will be a slug fest for Mayor if Mark Bell runs against Bateman.  I have said that if faced with the two, I would have to go for Bateman.  But I hope that others will run that can win. Anyway, looking at this fundraising committee, I am wondering what all these State Senators are doing listed on it. Odd. Speaking of odd, does anyone else care that State Rep. Kionne McGhee is taking his Homestead Exemption in North West Dade but represents far South Dade County?  Who looks at these things, anyone?

The worst person I see on this list is, of course, Erik Fresen.

There is nothing worse than Homestead politics...maybe Palmetto Bay. Homestead has been at it longer so I would have to give them the WORST title.

The Urban Environment League Awards Presentation June 19th. By Geniusofdespair

To view invite hit on graphic.

What is bothering me today: The Miami Herald's reader comment policy. By Geniusofdespair

The reader comment policy at the Miami Herald was a free for all for many years. There were really some inappropriate comments posted because there was NO moderation (although I got a scarlet letter for writing "shit") of the anonymous comments. Every racist, ethnic slur was fair game, but not "shit" even though I wrote it thusly: s--t. My comment was removed.

Anyway, to get to the point, now in order to comment you have to be a member of Facebook.  The Miami Herald went from getting a few hundred comments on some stories to 6 or 7.  I refuse to comment with Facebook. It is a matter of principle. Why should I have to be a member of anything that isn't part of the Miami Herald to comment?  I shouldn't have to be part of an exclusive online club: Facebook.  The Herald should have just required an email address and that would have eliminated all the looney comments. They didn't have to resort to anything as harsh as a Facebook account. Why should the Herald only reward readers that are happy to waste their time on Facebook?

On second thought, I do have stock in Facebook and I am waiting for it to go back up, so I guess it isn't really all that bad of a policy at the Miami Herald....that is, until I sell my stock.

As Emily Litella would have said: "Never mind."

Not going to hip hop weekend on Miami Beach? Then, protest Monsanto ... by gimleteye

This came across my email yesterday:

Dear Friends and Family,

Do you know that most our tomatoes, papaya, potatoes, cow’s milk, cotton, rice, wheat, corn, and soy are genetically modified?
In an almost surreal exposition of lies, deceit and malicious attacks against our freedom, Monsanto has postured itself as the force controlling of the world’s food supply. Activists worldwide will hit the streets tomorrow, May 25 to March Against Monsanto. http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/

Where/ When: Omni/ Adrianne Arsht Center Metromover Station, 2 pm.

It's going on all over the world, so send the message far and wide!
Send people the link and have them scroll down to their city.

http://occupy-monsanto.com/march-against-monsanto-may-25-2013/

Monsanto threatens our generation’s health, fertility and longevity. Let’s not sit by idly, waiting for someone else to do something.
Become educated about this Food Revolution. Check for the march locations in your area and add yourself to the numbers who march, calling for:

• Labeling Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods.
• Repealing provisions of the Obama sanctioned “Monsanto Protection Act.”
• Calling for scientists to sincerely and honestly research the health implications of GMOs.
• Holding politicians supporting Monsanto accountable via grassroots journalism, direct and social media.
• Informing the world about Monsanto’s secrets.

Shanghai: then and now ... by gimleteye

These photos were shot from approximately the same location in Shanghai nearly forty years apart. i took the earlier photo. The date on the back is July 1976. Remember how Kodak stamped the date on the back of the photo? Never mind. I had just graduated and was on my first trip to Shanghai as a businessman. The view was from the only hotel accepting westerners; the Peace Hotel. I remember thinking, somebody really ought to fix this place up. The hotel had an Art Deco ballroom that was faded and dirty after decades of communist rule. It must have been a swell place in the 1920's. My hosts took me to a movie screening in the ballroom, filled with party functionaries. The movie was a five hour revolutionary opera. I took it, I was the guest of honor. After about two hours I was ready to shoot myself. Every scene built to a revolutionary climax I prayed would be the end, and then it started all over again. I spent the rest of the time switching my watch from one wrist to the other, trying to find something to do.  In between, I stared down the aisle of seats and understood my fellow movie watchers had learned to fall asleep with eyes wide open. They had all gone into some distant space, anywhere but here. I thought the place would never change.

Mark Bell Running for Mayor of Homestead? By Geniusofdespair

The rumors are flying all over Homestead.  It was reported by Homestead is Home blog that County Commissioner Lynda Bell's husband has picked up a packet to run for Mayor of Homestead.  That means we now have two bad candidates: Steve Bateman or Mark Bell.  I never thought I would say this in a million years, but I think Bateman is the better choice if the rumor is true.  Two Bell's in office would be truly awful.

A banner year for Big Sugar billionaires ... by gimleteye

What a blessed year if you love Big Sugar. The Obama White House is pinned down by an IRS scandal involving heightened scrutiny of tea party entities -- funded by large corporate interests, mainly -- while Marco Rubio, US Senator and tea party favorite doles out the biggest subsidy / gift in the Farm Bill. It happened in the US Senate just the other day. Big Sugar billionaires were popping the Dom.

The sugar subsidy extracts profits for billionaires and helps poison people, poison the Everglades, and poison democracy.

Then there is the Tallahassee give-away to Big Sugar. The legislative session Big Sugar got what it wanted on several important fronts: all point in the direction of a status quo that imposes minimal penalty on the industry for its pollution of the Everglades. Moreover, while Florida environmentalists were making gut-wrenching compromises in order to avert the worst of what the sugar lobby set in motion, Big Sugar's lawyers were busily probing every available avenue to weaken protections required by federal law.

On this political pool table, every bank shot by environmentalists is against a curved surface. Every bank shot by Big Sugar is guided by magnets straight into the pocket. That's the power of money.

Foreclosures in Miami Dade County. By Geniusofdespair

2011 it looked like foreclosures were going down, we had 16,672 that year. Maybe it was because the banks were having a tough time doing them because it looks like 2012 and 2013 will be at similar levels, reaching near 26,000.  The good news, the levels are much lower than they were in 2008. That year we had 56,656 foreclosures. But in 2007 we had 26,691 foreclosures, why are we still at that level? I would think by now we should be back to under 10,000 foreclosures a year, which is where we were during most years before the boom and bust.  Looks like Florida is still number one in foreclosures.

Some of Miami-Dade County's Unfunded Infrastructure. By Geniusofdespair

The numbers are from Miami Today:

$1.4 Billion public works and waste management areas (of that $429 million to repair bridges)

8.7 Million of water and sewer needs in addition to $12 billion in repair and replacement infrastructure.

That is $13.4 Billion folks THAT WE NEED TO PAY and they are voting to fund stadiums?

Update on the EAR meeting. By Geniusofdespair

Will Rebeca Sosa be Miami Dade County's Next Mayor?

I wrote about the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) earlier this week.  I was home sick and could not stomach watching a County Commission meeting on TV. I was doing enough up-chucking.

I asked a bunch of people who watched it on TV what they thought.  Most said the hero of the meeting was County Commission Chair Rebeca Sosa.  She showed leadership for not cancelling the meeting due to the funeral of Lincoln Diaz-Balart's son (some Commissioners were absent because of it, like Barreiro). Chair Sosa said that the County Commission's first duty was to the residents of Miami Dade County.

My friends were impressed with the questions Sosa asked and overall had great things to say about Rebeca. Also mentioned favorably was Juan Zapata. Some liked his questions.

The consensus was that the worst one on the County Commission during this meeting was Pepe Diaz.  That doesn't surprise me at all. Forget about that miraculous transformation I was hoping for when he was faced with a brain tumor.  No epiphany for Pepe. He was more concerned with the property owners than with the county as a whole.

The County Commission advanced the Staff recommendations, ignoring the changes recommended by the PAB that I did not like (that added in Lennar's Parkland). Thank you County Commissioners.

Commissioner Dennis Moss,  voted against transmission, afraid that this transmittal will create another "camel's nose under the tent" situation. In other words, that the transmittal will create a lobbyist feeding frenzy while the EAR is in Tallahassee for review. I agree this will probably happen. I would suppose that if anyone had an epiphany after adversity and can see things more clearly, it is Dennis Moss.

Am I surprised by this vote? You bet I am.  What do I attribute it to? I don't know but I am left with two options that I will pose as questions: Is Rebeca Sosa's leadership helping to create a  climate for better voting on global issues, such as growth management, by County Commissioners? Is Sosa helping her colleagues see the bigger picture to sustain the health of the County's natural resources?

One last thing, my condolences go to Lincoln Diaz-Balart's family for their loss.

Miami Dade County Commissioner Javier Souto: another example of voters' failure to hold accountable their elected representatives ... by gimleteye

Eye On Miami attempts to shine light on multi-billion dollar public controversies, like the $1.5 billion settlement agreement opposed by environmentalists, between the county and EPA to comply with the needs of a wastewater system that is failing.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Javier Souto was the lone "no" vote on the 12-1 approval of the agreement because, he said, Miami-Dade residents can't afford it. Environmentalists have many other reasons for opposing the deal, but Souto is a special case.

Souto is a charter member of the unreformable majority of the county commission, and in expressing the thought, "we suffer from an appetite for caviar and a pocketbook for picadillo", he skipped over the fact that land use policies he voted for his entire career as a public official caused the inequities that are piling up on this generation of taxpayers.

The myth that "growth pays its pay" is one of the fundamental drivers of the unreformable majority and the lobbyists who control their election campaigns.

It is a mystery why voters are blind to the nonsense, turned off by government, yet fail to hold officials like Souto accountable when they have a chance, at the ballot box.

Best news report of the year, Miami New Times: "Thomas Kramer's South Beach Story Ends With $200 Million Court Judgment" by Lera Gavin

You haven't already, read this week's Miami New Times report by Lera Gavin, Pulitzer worthy, documenting the flaming burnout of the man who claimed to have transformed South Beach, Thomas Kramer.

Kramer arrived in Miami with a seeming (his) pot of gold and littered the landscape with coin of the realm. Turns out the people who actually owned the gold wanted it back, obtained several court judgments in their favor. Kramer as a result has been forced to close down his pleasure palace and carnival. The chapter certainly appears to be over.

To have watched, in the 1990's, civic activists struggle to preserve South Beach from political bottom feeders who scraped at Kramer's feet was to learn that the essence of Miami is to steam-roller the public interest. Kramer's excesses struck responsive chords wherever they landed. Everyone on the inside, profits.

Kramer was early, but showed in a way recalling PT Barnum that Miami's unsustainable building boom to come just needed the right mix of combustible ingredients, including Fed Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan who was known for crashing Miami Beach parties in the early 2000's and taking credit for the good times. Today, Kramer's hope for financial rescue is reportedly through the agency of a shady Pakistani plutocrat, Malik Riaz. Talk about a reach: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring Pakistan back on the map of the leading nations in the world," Kramer said, according to New Times. Well.

A friend from away said knowingly the other day, in respect to booming property values in certain parts of the county, "Miami is on fire." To understand what kind of fire, read the excellent New Times report.

Sweetwater Proposed (Insane) Annexation. By Geniusofdespair

Why does Sweetwater want to annex Thousands of acres of wetlands? There is no reason to annex this. There are no City services required for wetlands. There is a little corner owned by Target Stores. Half of Target's property is within the Urban Development Boundary. Most of the land you see here is OUTSIDE the line. Is the proposed Target Store the only thing that is motivating this annexation of thousands of acres of wetlands all the way out to Krome Avenue?

This application for Annexation will be heard May 28th in Sweetwater. We should all care. This is mostly publicly owned land:

Larger landowners in the proposed annexation area.

Support Kaitlyn Hunt ... by gimleteye

More than 100,000 people have signed the petition to the assistant state attorney in Indian River who is prosecuting an 18 year old girl who had a same-sex relationship with a younger woman. Kaitlyn Hunt's father writes, "Kailtyn’s girlfriend’s parents are pressing charges because they are against the same-sex relationship, even though their daughter has stated that this is a consensual relationship. The two girls began dating while Kaitlyn was 17 but her girlfriend’s parents blamed Kailtyn for their daughter’s homosexuality. They waited until after Kaitlyn turned 18 and went to the police to have charges brought against her."

Sign the petition here.

The Evaluation And Appraisal Report: Rebeca Sosa, Xavier Suarez and Juan Zapata LISTEN UP. By Geniusofdespair

The EAR is on Wed., May 22nd at 9:30 a.m. in the County Commission Chambers. Can the 3 of you: Juan Zapata, Xavier Suarez and Rebeca Sosa rally to support the Everglades Coalition position as outlined in the letter below? I know this is just the transmittal hearing on Wednesday (meaning it goes to the state before it comes back to the Commission for adoption) but it is still important for us to send the right message to the State.

The staff is recommending an adjustment (contraction) of the UEAs in order for them to come into compliance with the policies now in the CDMP. While being inside the UEA still requires a UDB amendment, it makes it one step easier since the CDMP gives preference to land inside the UEA for UDB expansion.

The Commission just needs a simple majority to change the land use map. This is a land use map change. It will be a majority vote.

 I DO NOT WANT THE UEA PAB RECOMMENDED ADDITION - NO WAY! They don't know what they are doing on the PAB.  Just ignore them, they were swooned into a trance by the lobbyist Jeffrey Bercow.

You three Commissioners appear to be the swing vote. Swing our way please!  If you add that property in the blue box (see map below) to the UEA, you will be very sorry it makes the UDB change much easier.  If you think traffic is bad now, just wait--there is a development of regional impact called Parkland that just happens to fit in that blue box..  Your vote for the PAB plan would open a door that will cripple our growth management. I can give you a hundred other reasons not to do it...but I am so tired of this same fight. You have a choice, you can kiss Lennar's ass and do it or you can all do the right thing. I have given up on a lot of the Commissioners (Bell, Diaz, Barreiro, Souto, Jordan and Bovo), I have hope for others (Heyman, Moss, Monestime, Edmonson).  But you three: I worry about on this issue. I hope you come through.

Get that blue box off this map!!!! If the Commission approves this map that the PAB put forth, this UEA would go from SW 66th Street, down to SW 152nd Street and make it easier for developments such as Green City and Parkland to request a recommendation for inclusion into the UDB.

To read the letter easier hit on it and will enlarge.