What is a day without the latest waste of our county tax dollars.
Today it is an empty buidling: Dade spends thousands a month on empty building: Nobody is using a huge high-tech building that Miami-Dade County bought nearly two years ago -- and no one will move in for at least another year. Here are the taxes on the bulding: $295,944.72. I would assume they don't pay them, they have a $17 million dollar exemption. The Herald says that "The utilities and security have cost nearly $500,000 and churn at $22,000 a month."
Here is the part that got me:
"The seller was a company called Lightspeed, partially controlled by real estate developer MICHAEL SWERDLOW."
He always makes the best deals...for himself. See our North Miami file or just type "Swerdlow" in our search at top of page left.
14 comments:
I've always wondered about George Burgess' credentials -is he really a graduate in public administration? Another example of his carelessness administering our tax dollars is a real estate transaction, in which he represented the county, was reported in the Business Monday of 3/17/08:
Business Monday reported the purchase of a building by Dade County (page 29). The County paid $5,182,100 for a building assessed in 2007 for $2,745,960, almost twice the assessed value. Now that people are selling real estate for even less than the assessed value, this transaction raised my suspicions.
I am double posting my comment (it is on the next post as well -- because I am so afraid of Rubio)
Here is what is scaring me. Although I think that Alvarez is not part of this fat cat group of power brokers...he is remaining too mum on all the boondoggles...his unflinching support of Burgess is odd, he has to start appearing stronger -- speaking out on the waste that is keeping money tied up and wasted -- If he doesn't start speaking loud and angry that putz Rubio is going to trounce him big.
Mayor Alvarez, go through our boondoggle file and think about it long and hard. Stop making excuses for Burgess and defending him, hold his feet to the fire or your will be there - You will be toast. A deal with Swerdlow -- come on, boy is that a red flag. You are going to take the heat on that one unless you speak up.
G.O.D.
Not only his staunch support of Burgess is hurting Alvarez, but the sudden "endorsement" of the police and firefighter unions, not long ago opponents of the strong mayor, raises the public's perception that he has allied himself with vile Natacha. We all know, she runs the unions, in particular the PBA.
Reporting on the poll that revealed a tie between Alvarez and Rubio, Channel 23 attempted to interview Mayor Alvarez. Through his spokesperson, Ms. Mallet, he declined stating that he didn't govern based on polls. Mayor Alvarez has to give more access to the press. While he isolates himself, Marco Rubio doesn't miss an opportunity to speak with the press and smile to the camera. Guess who'll be the candidate that eventually could win the votes?
Mallet is well known as the mouthpiece. A little too well known.
I am struggling to pay my property taxes and things like this drive me nuts. I really thought that Alvarez would reign in the bloated bureaucracy at county hall with his strong mayor powers. However, other than get rid of a bad transit director, it does not appear that Alvarez has made a single change in the county administration.
And rather than being put on a short leash, it actually seems Burgess has more freedom under the strong mayor system to make dumb decisions like purchasing this overpriced warehouse.
I am a lifelong Democrat, but I would seriously consider voting for Rubio if Alvarez continues to govern as if nothing is broken. Apart from some major personnel changes, Alvarez also could show me he is serious about governing by putting some of his sacred cows on the table. His blind support of the police and fire bureaucracy is astonishing when one looks at the outrageous salaries in those departments. I can't believe there is no fat to be cut there. Hopefully, Alvarez is listening.
Readers: Beware of this Rubio nonsense. I would rather vote for Souto than Rubio, or I would rather vote for Spence Jones, that is how bad Rubio is. Don't even think about voting for him...
Burgess did not purchase this building under the Alvarez strong mayor administration, it was bought prior to that and was approved by the commission. GB just recommended it to the commission.
Lets get the facts straight here. What Alvarez should do is put the building in use or get rid of it.
Just recommended it? GB just recommended it? As if his recommendation means nothing! Burgess and his 30 thousand employees are there to research issues and propose solutions. He is paid to provide expert guidance to the commission in the form of recommendations. Burgess shouldn't be hiding behind commission approval. The commissioners will generally yield to the "expertise" of the professional staff unless they hear differently from 3rd parties.
I think Alvarez actually has three options:
1. put the building in use
2. get rid of the building
3. get rid of GB and his wasteful and incompetent management team.
I like option 3.
Amen to option 3!
I wonder who the Assistant County Manager in charge of researching that issue and recommending it to the BCC was?
Hmmmmm....
Then all of the sudden, someone calls the Herald and implies that it was a bad deal?
Hmmmm....
Me thinks something smells fishy in Denmark about this issue.
m
Yes we all know what you are getting at "M"...Gimenez's Chief of Staff.
Carlton that is...
I doubt Carlton or someone from the Burgess gang dropped a dime here. Carlton looks bad for pushing for this idiotic purchase two years ago. But George Burgess and Wendi Norris look even worse for their failed planning and costly delay in using the building. Because everyone looks very foolish, I am not sure what the conspiracy behind the story would be.
I think Pinzur (who seems like a decent reporter) just got around to writing a story that should have been written two years ago and he just used the costly move-in delay as the new angle to write it.
Guys, you miss the point, Alvarez and his staff didn't even know where the light switches were a few years ago. The folks that knew where the keys were to the potties were let go; okay, Alvarez kept a couple of the ones who knew where the coffee pot was. However, without GB and his staff, the county would not be chugging along as well as it is chugging along now. Scary thought, isn't it? The fact remains, GB and the staff run the county and whatever happens to GB, he is gonna be getting a nice exit package, so I think he is very smart. And by the way, Alvarez is strong mayor, shouldn't he be running the joint by now? It has been almost 4 years. If you want help you call the managers office, you get the royal passoff if you call the mayors office.
jj
Post a Comment