News from the Ruby, Red and Rosy World of Jeb Bush ... by gimleteye

In an exclusive interview with conservative newsfeed, Newsmax, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush shows again-- no surprise--an arid world. Since leaving the Governor's Office in Florida, Jeb has been cosseted by corporate board memberships that don't require much except mastery of talking points aimed straight down the GOP fairway. For Newsmax, Jeb takes a driver to outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist (if Crist runs for office again, "he will be crushed".) He takes a sand wedge to the reputation of his brother, the former president, lifting it above Obama's-- or at least trying to.

One of his favorites is a parental gesture: his advice to President Obama is to "just chill". That's what Jebster suggests President Obama do. The interview also discloses Jeb is a great proponent of re-cycling. His best ideas are old polymers from the toxic, chemical soup of "free market" radicalism that led Florida and the nation into the worst housing bust in history and the economy into a virtual free fall.

“The second thing would be to create a pro-growth agenda for the country. If the country grew at 3.5 percent instead of 1.5 percent over a 10-year period, in the 10th year that variation of 2 percent, say, would create the economy of Germany." OK, the Bush GOP drove the economy into the ground with its last "pro-growth" agenda. Remember, The Ownership Society? Crafted by the Latin Builders Association and the National Association of Homebuilders: mortgages to anyone who could fog a mirror. The Bush GOP facilitated the greatest wealth transfer out of the middle class in US history. Now how are they going to fix the deficit? More homebuilders, more drywall, more roads and infrastructure and water pipes with spigots attached for campaign contributions.

Then the Jebster says, "We should trust people interacting amongst themselves, investing in their own dreams, to far more prosperity than all of this command-and-control environment that exists in Washington." There you have it: the oldest canards in the Karl Rove playbook: command-and-control. As in, if I am a polluter, I dare you to stop me from flushing my pollution into the Everglades or anywhere else.

The real target of the GOP isn't taxes. The tax issue, honestly, is a red herring for the GOP, because of the small numerical base: wage earners above $250,000 can't win a national election. It is all about profits from that base, that can be directed into political campaigns. More pollution, more profit.

That's why the true GOP target of the Republican Congress is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; an agency that struggles for footing under Democrat and Republican administrations. The bottom line: we really, really don't like to clean up after ourselves. Politico gets it right, "GOP lawmakers say they want to upend a host of Environmental Protection Agency rules by whatever means possible, including the Congressional Review Act, a rarely used legislative tool that allows Congress to essentially veto recently completed agency regulations."

The GOP doesn't like command-and-control unless when expressed as federal judicial appointments made by Republican presidents. That's the GOP activist agenda: justices who will upend the notion of vigorous pollution control.

In the Newsmax interview, Jeb tries to be the man about the woman who un-mans the GOP. "She’s managed to figure out how to deal with this almost irrational displeasure of her. She turns it into a huge political strength. That requires just great political instincts... " Hitler required great political instincts, too, to conjure pre-war Germany's witless mob. In the arid world of Jeb Bush, Palin's instincts are admirable.

Art Basel Weekend: The Design Center Dec. 3rd. By Geniusofdespair

Except for "Gallery 101/Exhibit" I found the Design Center a dud last night. At one time this was the place to go at night on Art Basel weekend - I remember street music, glass blowing and many open galleries and stores. Was I there the wrong night? Anyway, there was at least this gallery to enjoy:


Dog by Jason Shawn Alexander


Revolution by Charles Pfahl (it is not 3 dimensional)


Indian Larry by Chambliss Grobbi

First Time...Ever I Saw Your Face: Jim Morin. By Geniusofdespair

Watch the video on Jim Morin on the Miami Herald site. You get to see and hear the man behind the humorous Herald cartoons. You have got to feel sorry for the Miami Herald when you watch this video. During the 1 minute time frame they have an "H" logo that interrupts the video in a jarring fashion a few times (starting at 29 seconds on the counter). Why? Is this a subliminal message gone terribly wrong? It was annoying to me and meaningless -- the logo isn't that recognizable. Back to Jim, also love the Pepe Diaz Cartoon today.


My Title: Roberta Flack: First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. BTW, she lives in Aventura and her signature song is one of my favorites. Best male version is not Elvis' but George Michaels. Then there is the opera version by Jose Carreras.

So Long, Charlie Crist ... by gimleteye

What a strange state, Florida. Charlie Crist in the Palm Beach Post. His exit interview. What does he consider his major accomplishment? "At the top of his list: a once-sweeping Everglades deal, though it was severely scaled back by Republican lawmakers."

Yes, Governor, and I supported your bid to be US Senator because of it. What you did-- and as Eyeonmiami reported -- was historic. Why, then, if the acquisition of US Sugar lands for the public and for the Everglades was at the top of your list of achievements, did you not run on this accomplishment for US Senate? If you ask former US Senator Bob Graham what does he consider his major achievements, he will also cite restoring the Everglades. But in comparison to Charlie Crist, Graham was a scarecrow to Charlie's tin man.

It is well worth taking a step back and thinking about Florida politics; the visible and the invisible. In 2010, the visible politics were all about the economy, but Charlie Crist believes-- and I believe, with him-- that his biggest achievement was on the environment. Too bad he couldn't make that clear and no one in the mainstream press cared to divine what was so obvious to us. So long, Charlie Crist.

Vile Natacha Seijas' Recall Deja Vu. By Geniusofdespair

Word on the street is Vile Natacha will face another recall shortly. Vanessa Brito told me the petition were going in this week and she told Miami New Times as well. Tim Elfink said:

"Well, don't start putting your long-term investments into commissioners' coffers just yet. Miami Voice plans to deliver its first round of signatures -- thousands backing the recall of the "vile" Natacha Seijas, as our friends at Eye on Miami have dubbed the Wicked Witch of West Dade -- to the clerk of courts by the end of the week..."

When Natacha Seijas got recalled last time the PAC Citizens to Protect the People's Choice was formed and as you can see in the graphic above, Stephen Cody was the lawyer hired at $22,600 to help her foil the recall. He represented her in the cursive writing caper (Ruvin threw out petitions because instead of printing their name - people joined letters where it said "print.") The petition gathers went to court and got the thrown out petitions reinstated. Long story short, Natacha was forced into a recall election and won her commission post again.

There is one big problem with this PAC. The total contributions are $2,800, yet the amount spent was $71,026.77. Where did the money come from? It should be on this ledger sheet.

Obviously there is one odd amount, $25,000 went out to a PAC controlled by Fred Frost of the AFL-CIO union. It says a donation. Was it a donation FROM Working Families Count put in the wrong column? Whatever, there is something very wrong with this PAC's accounting and I would like to see where ALL of the $71,026 came from.

Expect more of this kind of creative accounting unless someone report's this PAC. Please report it someone. Also very curious, the filing documents for this PAC are missing so we don't know who the treasurer is and the Corporation formed with this name is defunct. The names on the corporation were Julio Garuz, Daniel Hernandez and Olga Ochoa. The Registering agent: None other than Stephen Cody.

World Cup 2018 to Russia, 2022 to Qatar ... by gimleteye

Well, I can't wait to go to Russian and Qatar for the World Cup. I mean, when you could go to Spain or Portugal instead? Yes it's going to be rockin' in vodka soaked Moscow, and you'll have four years to sober up for Qatar.

That Damn Hat Lady. By Geniuofdespair

Like Miami isn't embarrassed enough already in the United States, now Frederica Wilson has done us in again, having Congress laughing at us. With so many issue of importance she is focused on how to change congressional rules on hat wearing which will help only one person: HER. I have a message for you Frederica: STOP IMMEDIATELY!

Focus on something that will help us and NOT YOU and for God's sake, don't make us look foolish ever again in Washington. I am tired of getting laughed at. Get your staff to research REAL issues not the history of hat wearing. What a sorry state of affairs, I don't know how you can get respect from your fellow Congressmen and women ever again. Nice Going Congresswoman Frederica Wilson!

US Construction, more ... by gimleteye

Very interesting US Construction corporate wiki. US Construction is the pop-up leader in contracts at Miami International Airport. It also employs Pepe Diaz, county commissioner. If you know who the principals are, of any of these related corporate interests, please let us know by using our email addresses for full confidentiality.

Art Basel: The Videos. By Geniusofdespair

The Kinetic Art at Art Basel Miami Beach (my soundtrack):



People Watching At Art Basel Miami Beach:



If you want to look at a good Art Basel week video from 2009 try this link. Good Music and a lot of graffiti mural painting.

Art Basel Miami Beach. By Geniusofdespair

I went, I saw, I took a few photos, last one is a Picasso...the only painting I wanted although the button man (center) was pretty interesting.

Shannon Estenoz appointed Everglades Restoration Initiatives Director ... by gimletye

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the appointment of Shannon Estenoz to be the department’s Director of Everglades Restoration Initiatives, his senior representative in South Florida for Everglades restoration.

Estenoz succeeds Terrence C. “Rock” Salt, who is now the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army (civil works).


“Shannon brings to this position more than a decade of experience, leadership and passion for Everglades restoration,” Secretary Salazar said. “With her vast knowledge of Everglades issues and long involvement in South Florida water management issues, she is the right person to keep the federal and state partnership moving ahead to achieve our restoration goals.”

Estenoz will develop departmental policy for the Everglades and coordinate the work of the three Interior agencies - the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey - that are involved in the restoration effort. She will also work with the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, which was established by Congress in 1996 to facilitate intergovernmental collaboration among the federal, state, tribal and local governments.

Estenoz will report directly to Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland, who chairs the task force.

“I am pleased that Shannon is joining our team,” Strickland said. “Her experience on the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board gives her a unique perspective to understand the challenges facing the state and federal partners as we move forward to restore the Everglades. Shannon’s pragmatic approach to problem solving will be invaluable as we fashion win-win solutions to benefit the environment and economy of South Florida.”

A Florida native and resident of Plantation, Estenoz holds degrees in civil engineering and international affairs and has more than a decade of experience in restoring the Everglades. She has served in appointed positions under Florida Governors Lawton Chiles, Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist, with her most recent service as a member of the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District. In that capacity she chairs the South Florida Water Management District’s Water Resources Advisory Commission and the Broward Water Resources Task Force.

Estenoz previously headed up the Suncoast Regional Office of the National Parks Conservation Association and served as the World Wildlife Fund’s Everglades Program Director.

###

Who are the shareholders of US Construction? by gimleteye

It is a fact of Miami life that even within legitimate business activity there is a shadow economy that ties back to the stronghold of local politics. Miami International Airport, the region's largest employer, is the prime example. County commissioners, stretching back decades, figured out ways to reward campaign contributors through lucrative airport concessions. It was standard practice by some of the biggest political players who have fallen on hard times. Sergio Pino, comes to mind who obtained for many years the minority share of ownership of airport concessions. Pino parlayed that fortune into US Century Homes, that raced to build an empire from suburban sprawl in west Dade farmland and wetlands (tracking the housing boom and then bust), and US Century Bank.

But unlike ordinary people who find themselves drowning and in panic when the banks foreclose on their homes, there is no shortage of breathing room for the big borrowers who cannot pay their mortgages; and who may or may not be shareholders or just 'friends of family' with banks that also have the letters, "U.S." in their name. (The attached graphic, from the June 30, 2010 Bauer Financial Report shows the extent to which insiders at US Century Bank benefit, compared to its peers. There is no disclosure regarding loan terms for these specific insiders, but the relative deviancy speaks volumes.)

Which brings me around to US Construction, the source of income for Pepe Diaz, county commissioner, and a company recently featured in the Miami Herald as jumping to the head of the line of contracts at Miami International Airport. Who are the shareholders of US Construction?

There is a rumor floating around, that former county mayor Alex Penelas is involved in US Construction; either directly or indirectly through one of his longtime proxies. This wouldn't be much of a surprise if it were confirmed. Penelas' rise in Miami-Dade County was directly through Miami International Airport: an entire squadron of lobbyists led by Chris Korge, Rodney Barreto, and later-- his chief of staff, Brian May-- generated wealth through the airport.

Penelas was the bright star of Democratic politics, much like Marco Rubio is today for the Republicans, until he crashed and burned in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election when, during the recount of Miami-Dade ballots, Penelas and his cohort, Herman Echevarria, were reportedly "in Spain on business". Ah, Spain and its shadowy bankers in Miami. Now that is another hidden story that might be revealed in the fullness of time.

Pepe 'Le Pew' Diaz's Award is Barf Meter Worthy. By Geniusofdespair

Miami Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz was honored by the Minority Chamber of Commerce as “Miami-Dade Commissioner of the Decade” at the organization’s Awards Banquet on Thursday, November 18.

Commissioner of the Decade? You can't see me but I am shaking my head in disbelief but what more could I expect from a Chamber of Commerce.

He is pictured with his date, or is he clutching his Chamber Award? Does it matter which it is?

Jackie Bueno Sousa wrote about Pepe Diaz today in the Miami Herald. Read it, not because Eye On Miami is mentioned in the column, she is actually on target.

Wikileaks, really? by gimleteye

It has been interesting watching TV reports the Wikileaks story. The media can't seem to find its footing. Is the release of hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables, treason? Isn't the open window on our government operations, good news? I hadn't known that Putin and Berlusconi were best friends, lavishing gifts (and likely, women) on each other. Is anyone surprised by the revelations? A Washington Post report last summer disclosed that 850,000 citizens of the US have top security clearance. This is the amazing result of a nation whose security interests are calibrated to terrorists living in medieval parts of the Muslim world. With 850,000 top security clearances, 'secret' cannot help but be a relative term. Personally, I fear a government security backlash against Wikileaks and a tightening of surveillance across the board, much more than Wikileaks.

Why are Petitions Judged on a Higher Standard Than Absentee Ballots? By Geniusofdespair

Harvey Ruvin, The Miami Dade Clerk of Courts is reviewing the Petition signatures for the Mayor's Recall. Ruvin wrote an article in the Miami Herald on how he would be handling the Recall count. He has hired a forensic document examiner to look at the petitions/signatures. Say what?

This is overkill and I don't like it. The bar is set too high for Petitions or too low for Absentee Ballots.

I recently looked at absentee ballot envelopes in 2 small precincts at the Elections Department. I found one with NO SIGNATURE at all that was indeed counted. I saw whited out signature lines, counted. I saw two that were ink traced over pencil...counted. My colleague found one with no signature but it was counted because it was mailed return receipt requested. I saw many ballots where the person did not print their name where it was required - blank. All of these mistakes would be thrown out by Harvey Ruvin but were acceptable at Elections Department. In the last Seijas recall, Ruvin threw out petitions because instead of printing their name - people joined letters where it said "print".

I wanted to compare signatures on the absentee ballot envelopes that I looked at against the elections database. I was told I would need a court order to view the database signatures (even though I did it before a few years ago for Amendment 4 petitions).

I am still trying to determine how elections compares signatures on a deluge of incoming absentee ballots during an election. They said they do it, but how? I asked elections staff but the answer was unclear. A former election staffer said that signatures were verified by a computer program. Then why is Harvey Ruvin not using that program if it is reliable enough for absentee ballots? Why waste our tax dollars to have 20 people at computers comparing signatures to the data base signatures? Something just doesn't add up. What also irks me, if you don't sign your name you can't vote on election day period, but you can vote absentee without a signature. Why are there so many different standards for us to be counted? Is consistency of method so much to ask?

Here is the entire article written by Ruvin:


Miami-Dade recall signatures will be counted carefully and credibly, county clerk pledges

BY HARVEY RUVIN
Nov. 28, 2010

As the greater community begins to anticipate the realities and potential consequences of the recall effort launched by Norman Braman to unseat Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, the volume of the debate is rising and emotions on both sides are heating up.

In this atmosphere, it is essential that the public have a clear picture of and a high degree of confidence in the fairness and accuracy of the process we will use to canvass and tabulate the approximately 113,000 individual petition forms delivered to my office by truck on Nov. 5. The Elections Department has established that 51,992 valid signatures of voters are needed to force a recall election.

To help you visualize the utter massiveness of this unprecedented submission: picture each petition form laid end to end, spanning 24 miles of paper, enough to cross Biscayne Bay from downtown Miami to South Beach and back again — twice.

Mr. Braman submitted 113 boxes with approximately 113,000 separate legal-size petition forms, each with the signature of only one petitioner, the signature of the circulator and the signature and stamp of the notary. Each box contains about 1,000 forms, 10 batches in a box. Once submitted, all of them became public record!

As such, maximizing security and enabling access and retrievability became job one of the petition-canvassing process. Managing and modernizing court and property records successfully have given the clerk’s office personnel valuable and relevant experience. It’s a part of our DNA as an organization.

Our first challenge was to log in the total submission, reverifying the batching and number of the boxes. We then stored them in a fully secured area, laid out and maintained in consecutive order so as to constitute a “library” of the actual paper petition forms.

We then systematically scanned each and every petition form with high resolution, high-speed electronic scanners, all the while maintaining the “library” placement of the 113 boxes for easy access to any individual form if needed for any reason.

The scanned images will be viewed alongside the signatures appearing in the voter registration rolls on some 20-plus dual-screen computer workstations, thereby facilitating the step-by-step comparative judgment process without having to expose the original forms to loss or damage.

We will also check each form’s full compliance with the requirements of County Ordinance 12-23, the County Attorney’s Office having already passed on the constitutionality and legal sufficiency of the ordinance.

The next challenge was to select the individuals to be utilized at these workstations where, among other tasks, the difficult comparisons must be made between a recent signature on a petition form and a signature on a voter-registration card that might be much older.

Though tempting, I rejected deputizing Elections Department part-timers who were already trained in similar processes involving verifying absentee ballots, in order to avoid even the appearance of bias or conflict of interest.

I will likewise seek to screen out anyone from the process who has taken a public position on either side or for any reason feels unable to be fair and impartial.

My decision is to deploy approximately 40-plus highly capable and impartial personnel from the Clerk’s Office operations who are already versed in technological innovation and the responsibilities inherent in having custody of the public record.

In addition, we have secured the services of one of South Florida’s most outstanding forensic document examiners (handwriting experts), Dianne Flores, to provide the training and screening of our team. She will also be available to offer assistance in the most-difficult-to-determine instances, which will be batched for her review.

Having served on several canvassing boards over the years, I can appreciate the intricacies and sometimes-tedious nature of the signature-comparison process. I know that it requires total focus and concentration.

I have, therefore, resolved to allow observers, but to keep them at a prescribed distance from the workstations where this demanding work is to be done. I will not allow anyone to distract, intimidate, influence or in any way disrupt the environment needed to do this work.

Detailed records will be kept so that every single decision to accept or reject can be easily reviewed, and any individual paper petition form can be easily accessed and examined. This assures all sides that there will be ample opportunities to review any decision once we have finished our job and are in a position to certify the results of our canvass.

We are determined to provide the professional, methodical, neutral, secure and transparent process that the people of Miami-Dade County demand and have a right to expect.

Florida Chamber of Commerce: we can't afford to clean our pollution of your waters ... by gimleteye

Recently, the St. Pete Times wrote an editorial blasting the business interests that are obstructing the US EPA from enforcing against pollution of Florida's waters that makes The Miami Herald editorial page, a desert in comparison. The editorial, reprinted below, is along the lines that I wrote recently, "Florida is floating in a sea of pollution." This weekend, I saw this phenomenon first-hand; through an airplane window and then on a small boat out of Key West: the blighted, shallow water environment-- wrecked by algae blooms and pollution.

This photo shows is layers of polluted water converging and moving through the Keys. The photo was taken, roughly, between Islamorada and Marathon, on the Atlantic side. But the ugly water is everywhere.

Shot from a few thousand feet in the air, I matched this view a few hours later from a small boat from Key West into the Mud Keys and Snipe Point. It was a magical winter day-- almost without wind and warm, too. At dead low tide there should have been wading birds everywhere, spearing small crabs and shrimp in the exposed bottom. I only saw a few and I knew why. Like so much of the Everglades, the place was barren. That's because there is so little food left; its fragile web has been busted apart by polluted water. To an untrained eye, the water looked fine. But I've watched this stretch of our natural heritage since the 1970's. Everywhere the water had a dense green cast; the sea grass didn't resemble anything like the lush carpet that once blanketed these meadows. For the most part, the blades of seagrass were coated with slime, like a sick tongue. Click, 'read more'.


My friend, a life-time resident of the Keys and avid waterman, told me that bonefish populations had collapsed in the past year. He is a doctor. Several times a week for decades, he puts out of his dock on Sugarloaf Key and heads to the back country. He knows the channels and tides like lines in his palm. We've had this conversation before. My friend still harbors the expectation that hard science will tell him what is happening now; that the jury is still out, that the decline of marine life is a pause in an unfathomable cycle. This is not what I have observed. As young men we both fished the Keys in the 1970's; then, there were moments in the backcountry when life was firing on all eight cyclinders-- a riot of species in water so shallow you could measure its depth from your waist, down. Things began to change very quickly in the 1980's. You didn't have to be a marine scientist to read in the sudden blooms of toxic algae a threat to Florida.

Those who dismissed the threat, then, to Florida's natural heritage are the same who dismiss it now: wealthy sugar barons who farm and dump their pollution into the Everglades that feeds Florida Bay, big cities that continue to use canal systems as sewage drains to dump stormwater filled with chemicals and nutrients, and shills for the builders and land speculators whose business models depend on shifting infrastructure costs to taxpayers while they pocket profits. Today they are fighting tooth and nail in Congress, to strip out the authority of EPA -- surely the most bedraggled of federal agencies-- to regulate fertilizer and phosphorous pollution; a chief culprit in the toxic waters of Florida.

Then, Florida's business leaders didn't give a crap that our nearshore waters were falling apart. They would use hollow arguments: "Science is inconclusive," or, "This is just part of the natural cycle." Or, "What we need is a big hurricane to wash out the dirty water." Today, in the Keys and the rest of Florida they are out of excuses including the worst of all: "Business can self-regulate their pollution better than regulations."

Florida's business leaders don't see how our state's natural resources contribute to the bottom line and how that bottom line is racing us to all become trailer trash. The reason that regulations don't work is that the entire system-- from civil service requirements to measurement metrics-- is designed to fail. It is not that government can't work. It is that the business interests that control government, don't want it to. That's the point of the St. Pete Times editorial, in rebuttal to Gov. elect Scott and the panoply of Republican extremists who are harping on the US EPA for its plan to finally-- FINALLY-- require Florida to impose laws on the kinds of fertilizer and nutrient pollution that is killing our state.

My opinion is: shut down the polluters. Who can doubt the time is long overdue to put the cost in the products they sell? Well, for one, the doubters include the Idiocracy that sees nothing wrong with the Keys water quality turning into garbage. They hold the center stage. They grab public attention with catch phrases like , "How's that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?" They don't have the slightest idea what they are talking about.

Take Sarah Palin, for example. Palin clearly loves the outdoors in Alaska. But nature in Alaska is not like anywhere else in the continental United States. There, human impacts are dwarfed by wilderness; or at least seem so. For the time being, Alaska is the last place where nature remains appears intact. It is no wonder that corporate polluters aka The Tea Party have grabbed onto Palin and her blissful ignorance that Alaska stands for everywhere. They did the same with other Alaska politicians who held environmental regulations hostage to "freedom", to stand for the whole nation and to hold the whole nation, hostage.

The economic crash has simply strengthened their hold. Now, the gang is in Tallahassee, promoting Jeb Bush ideologues back into the limelight; Jeb! whose amendments to the 1994 Everglades Forever Act, passed at the urging of Big Sugar in 2003, condemned the Everglades to more years of costly delay and federal litigation that still is not resolved while the waters of Florida degrade into layers of disgust.

The polluters want to keep polluting, and they are taking advantage of this mini-depression and economic crisis to solidify their agenda. They want taxpayers to foot the bill. They want voters to really believe that there is nothing we can do to stop progress that is the addition of all the features of modern life including pollution. We become dumber, sicker, and more and more used to a blighted, toxic landscape. (click 'read more' for the full St. Pete Times editorial)


St. Pete Times OPED: "Rick Scott, Pam Bondi and the rest of Florida's newly elected Republican leadership teamed up the other day for a shameful cause — dirtier streams, lakes and drinking water. The pair joined a host of incoming Republican officeholders to blast the new clean water rules announced this month by the Environmental Protection Agency. These leaders need to get their facts — and their priorities — straight. Polluted water endangers public health, threatens the golden geese of property values and tourism and destroys the very environment that attracts residents here. The state should welcome the new standards and work with polluters to clean up the public's waterways.

The new rules are hardly an example of an activist federal government overstepping its authority. The EPA told the states in 1998 to limit nutrient pollution in surface waters by 2004 or it would do the job for them. But 2004 came and went. Finally, in 2008, environmental groups sued the EPA, calling on the agency to intervene in Florida under the Clean Water Act. Last year, the agency settled the case under the stipulation that it adopt specific pollution standards for Florida waterways. The EPA unveiled those standards — for lakes, river and springs — this month. A separate proposal for coastal waters is due by November 2011.

Florida's political and business leaders decried the move as an unprecedented reach and a costly mandate that could stall Florida's recovery — totally ignoring that the EPA and state had dragged their feet for more than a decade while waterways deteriorated further. Industry groups said the measure could cost agriculture, municipal and industrial wastewater plants and pulp and paper manufacturers $12 billion a year. Barney Bishop, who heads Associated Industries, the powerful business lobby, blamed "radical left-wingers" for imposing regulations that the state might not even need.

Radical left-wingers? These rules were put into motion under the administration of President George W. Bush, after the EPA had worked for a decade with two Republican governors of Florida to write tighter pollution standards. And the standards are not near as draconian or as costly as industrial polluters have claimed. The EPA estimates the rules would affect only a fraction of farmers, plant operators and other polluters. Fewer than half of the wastewater plants and only about one-tenth of farming operations would fall under the plan, according to the EPA. The agency estimates the cleanup would cost between $135 million and $206 million annually. And that's before polluters could take advantage of a variance process that could take entire operations or watersheds off the hook from making any changes at all.

Business groups have done a good job camouflaging the issue as a jobs bill and confusing the point: The public's waterways should no longer be a cheap dumping ground for fertilizer, chemicals, livestock manure, stormwater runoff and septic tanks. Nutrient pollution causes harmful algae blooms, which can kill fish, cause infections, rashes and respiratory problems among swimmers and beach goers and cause huge financial losses in tourism and property values. The state acknowledged in 2008 that nutrient pollution tainted 1,000 miles of rivers, 350,000 acres of lakes and 900 square miles of estuaries in Florida.

The EPA's standards build on what is a Florida solution to a Florida problem. Federal officials have shown good faith by continuing to meet with state regulators and affected industries to ensure that the clean-water standards are reasonable and specific to the local hydrologic conditions. The EPA also stayed the rules for an additional 15 months to give the industry time to prepare. This was after the agency postponed the rules initially at the request of Florida's two U.S. senators, Republican George LeMieux and Democrat Bill Nelson. Florida's political and business leaders need to heed their own call for science, not politics, to drive this process. This is the water that Floridians drink."


[Last modified: Nov 19, 2010 06:47 PM]

Pepe Diaz, nothing but net ... by gimleteye

Great story by Matt Haggman and Martha Brannigan in Sunday's Miami Herald about county commissioner Pepe Diaz, one of the unreformable majority who has inherited the mantle of point guard, profiting from contracts at Miami International Airport. Diaz is director of a company I had never heard of, U.S. Construction that has jumped to the head of the line for contracting jobs at MIA. Diaz received $120,000 in 2009 from the company. The Herald writes, "Diaz's employment with U.S. Construction, coming at a time its work is mushrooming at a public airport in which the commissioner is a key political player, shows that the lines between public life and private business can sometimes blur." Sometimes? How about ALL the time. Miami International Airport has been, for decades, the money tree for the unreformable majority led by Natacha Seijas. Lobbyists Chris Korge, Rodney Barreto, Sergio Pino (of US Century Bank) and a host of others serving current and former political players, including Barbara Jordan. Airport Director Jose Abreu told the Herald, "Everybody is entitled to make a living, especially commissioners who don't get a [substantial] salary" ... He added that he's never seen Diaz misuse his public position to gain leverage for U.S. Construction." Of course not. It's all done on a wink and a handshake on fishing boats in the Gulf of Mexico, or private jets, or trips to Puerto Rico or the Bahamas. Diaz is adept at using his political power in favor of business interests from the dais: Lowe's outside the Urban Development Boundary and rock miners come to mind. But pushing his muscle extends even beyond; there's the story of Calusa Campground, a fledgling development in the Florida Keys, where Diaz owns property and where he and Santiago Echemendia pushed the Monroe County Commission around. As a local political appointee to the federal state working group on Everglades restoration, Diaz made it his point to be a fly in the ointment. That guy shouting "flood!" in a crowded theater, it's Pepe. So what are we to believe, with respect to influence peddling at MIA? That it doesn't occur, or, just doesn't need to be said aloud?(see our archive, under Pepe Diaz - 52 posts.)

County Commissioner Pepe Diaz in The Miami Herald: He has an unmitigated assumption of entitlement. By Geniusofdespair

I copied my title from a letter to the editor about Kottkamp. Fits better here.

The article today in the Miami Herald about Pepe 'Le Pew' Diaz will go exactly nowhere. Yes he makes a wad of money from an airport contractor and the contractor, U.S. Construction, has gotten rich with a bonanza of airport contracts since hiring Miami Dade County Commissioner Pepe Diaz. And, did I mention that Pepe "...served as chairman or vice chairman of the County Commission's committee overseeing Miami International Airport" during the same time this company hitched onto the airport gravy-train? Read the article, it is pretty disgusting, even mentions his last two bosses who are in jail, but the last few lines of the article made me sickest because you see the character of this guy revealed:

Last spring, commissioners considered asking voters to boost their salaries to $92,000 -- a number derived from a state population formula -- while restricting themselves from holding a second job. The panel ultimately rejected the idea. Diaz vigorously opposed any limits on outside work, saying that $92,000 ``is not a true salary. I don't think it's right, I really don't,'' said Diaz. ``You are going to limit yourself to a salary that is not fitting to the office you are holding.''

WHAT???? This guy is so pompous he should wear a crown. U.S. Senators -- important officeholders not self-important officeholders -- only make $169,300. First he is unfit for this 'local' office he holds and guess what Pepe, second: It is 'fitting' that you only make $6,000 a year in the insignificant 'local' office you hold so dear with your iron grip. Most of your constituents don't even know who you are.

I like what this poster said about Pepe Le Pew on my YouTube video of him voting against banning assault weapons:

Jose Pepe Diaz is truly what is wrong with Miami politics a more self serving disaster is hard to find.

However in the history of Miami politics REGARDLESS of how self serving and/or corrupt a politico might be he/she ALWAYS gets reelected till the day the FBI carts them away.

In a real non banana republic city this guy would have been kicked out or in jail.