What's With That One Cent Sales Tax to Jackson. By Geniusofdespair

(Hit on images to enlarge them)
South Florida Business Journal writers, Brian Bandell and Oscar Pedro Musibay, have been writing about Jackson Memorial Foundation. Why haven’t I been sending you to these articles? Because they are not online. This is one publication that doesn’t let you read online. It is a shame, this is shaping up to be a good story.

First is, how the hell did Michael Swerdlow get to be director? I have written a lot about him before. Put his name in the search at top (left hand corner of this page) to get some info on him. In any event, even though the Journal says he is a director and others, he (and the others they mentioned) are not on Corporate papers, which say that James Champion, Alan Diamond, Abel Holtz, Rolando Rodriguez and Eugene Conese are the officers.

If you hit “read more” you will see what the articles were about. Remember Jackson's The Public Health Trust -- Dorrin Rolle is a diirector -- has almost a two billion dollar budget mostly from our tax dollars — a one cent sales tax. So this “Arm” of the Jackson Kingdom should be of interest to you, especially since “Miami-Dade County Inspector General Chris Mazzella has said the trust should have followed county rules, which require the management agreement to have been publicly bid.” Look at these graphics I dug up, above, from their 2005 990 Tax Return. The Business Journal calls the Foundation the money making arm of the Hospital (it looks like they know how to spend our money on losers — they hosted 4 events in 2005 and lost over a million and half on them). On the 2005 990 they had $9,859,536 of which $9,222,308 was from direct public support. The remainder of $637,228 is from Government Contributions. I really don’t see them making any money. I do see them spending plenty of it. I found it interesting that a woman with the name “Arriola” is on the Foundation tax return for 2005. I don't pretend to know what is going on here.


Friday, June 20, 2008
Doubts cloud Jackson's realty idea
Brian Bandell and Oscar Pedro Musibay
The fundraising arm of Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami are considering a joint venture to develop a mixed-use project anchored by a hotel on county land.

In a separate proposal, the hospital would pay the Jackson Memorial Foundation to manage and attempt to upgrade its retail space.

Foundation director Michael Swerdlow, a prominent South Florida developer, is leading the effort and providing counsel on the real estate mechanics. However, a board member for the Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County, which oversees the hospital, said he is outraged by the retail plan, and some real estate experts say aspects of the retail proposal are unusual.

Under the plan, the Public Health Trust would grant a $1-a-year lease of the vacant hotel site to the foundation so it can attract a developer for the mixed-use project. The project may involve a joint venture with UM, which would share the proceeds with the hospital and the foundation.

and:

Friday, June 27, 2008
Hospital foundation's no-bid negotiation to trigger scrutiny
Brian Bandell and Oscar Pedro Musibay
Jackson Memorial Foundation's no-bid negotiation to build a hotel and manage Jackson Memorial Hospital's retail may require it to pay taxes on real estate-related revenue and trigger federal government scrutiny.

The foundation, the hospital's fundraising organization, has proposed the development of a hotel on hospital property and manage its existing retail.

The details of the agreements are still being worked out, but the Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County, which oversees Jackson, has voted to negotiate exclusively with the foundation to achieve both tasks. The foundation would be paid to manage both projects, with the profit going back to the hospital, according to interviews, and foundation and trust documents.

Nonprofit expert Dean A. Zerbe, former senior tax counsel for the U.S. Senate finance committee, said federal officials would be interested in the foundation's new direction.