The mayor’s office sent materials to Chairman Martinez’s office in a bid to get the administration’s proposed amendment placed on a commission committee agenda last Monday. But Martinez declined to place the item on the agenda and pressed the mayor to provide more details on why the contract should be reduced. The mayor sent back additional information a few days later.Joe Martinez is threatening to run for Mayor but I see no PAC for him yet. County Commissioner Xavier Suarez said he might run and has opened a PAC called Imagine Miami. I wonder if Daniella Levine knows about this? Imagine Miami is the "civic network" of the Human Services Coalition.
In the memo to the mayor, Martinez wrote: “Consideration of any reduction of a revenue-generating contract requires a thoughtful and deliberate review.’’
BTW, When is the last time you had your luggage wrapped?
26 comments:
I never had my luggage wrapped. Why would anyone wrap their luggage?
Joe Martinez will take every opportunity to screw with Gimenez. He has his voting block of Bell, Jordan, Diaz, Barreiro, Suarez and Souto on most issues. That gives him 7 votes.
Yeah, what is that luggage wrapping all about? Why is it done?
In theory luggage wrap prevents theft of ur belong gs... Of course, if u had employees who didn't steal or toss your luggage so it gets road burns... You wouldn't be tempted to protect it from damage.
Luggage wrapping is an enhancement to the baggage inspection process, it deters illegal activities on checked baggage; that's a proven fact.
What is troubling is that Mayor Alvarez & his staff pushed through the award to the Italian company in total disregard for the rule of law & now Mayor Gimenez is backing the same company & is going back on his word that he would never comtemplate a reduction. When the facts come out it'll be clear that the Italian company is corrupt & so some of the players trying to keep them in, eventhough they are in default by not placing the bond or making payment this month; just to name a few of the issues that they are in non compliance with on their contract.
One small detail, they are in noncompliance with their minority participation.
Shameful...............
You sound like a lobbyist for SecureWrap.
yes yes, it's so clear: it's a war between lobbysts and the old wrapper is famous for being sgtrong connected to the republicans, it's easy to see the truth by reading the article on the herald
where is my old "friend" Armando "The White Bunny" Gutierrez? i'm sure he's hidden behind Securewrap, same old vices in Miami. Nelson Horta always shout about freedom freedom freedom... but why he's making advertising on Securwrap??? and especially: why he doesn't publish the comments who doesn't agree with his campaign??? he's not ablogger, he's a junk journalist. isn't this a form of corruption? and what about the letter posted on his site by Regalado, the highest ingorance on the county? Securwrap is a financer of him as well as the competitor of Gimenez hihihihi what a poor show they r doing but fortunately we r not so stupid as his closed friends Ramos and Villalon think.
anyway nelson, how is going on with the sells of your corporation Help Medical Equipment Supply???? good sells to the wife of Ramos? uuuuuuuuhhhhhh
In response to Geniousofdespair, I'm no lobbyist for anyone, I just know the facts, as you should when blogging. Make your blog interested & valuable by stating facts not rumors.
In response to what Anonympous wrote Dec 20th: it is sad to see how low lifers attack inocent bystanders such as family members of the players in this saga; all stated by this blogger has zero merit.
In life the truth will set you free, so at the end the truth will prevail above hate & plain ignorance.
I've followed EyeonMiami & this blog for a long time as a local resident, hoping that I get facts, but I can see that all it is, is inflamatory lies; rise above it Geniousofdespair, write facts, it'll add value to your efforts to get truth out; if that is what your after.
Last poster do you know what self righteous means? It defines you. Exactly what rumors did I write?
Geniousofdespair, you stated as to my post:
Geniusofdespair said...
You sound like a lobbyist for SecureWrap.
December 19, 2011
So I guess anyone that speks its mind with what it deems to be the truth has to be a lobbyist? I'm not a lobbyist, but I follow items at County & on this one the facts speak for themselves.
You have a blog that can do a lot of good for the citizens of our County, the more fatcs you reprot the better informed we are.
I'm a mere human being, been called a lot of things but self righteous is a new one, but your opinion & I respect freedom of speech, even when I disagree.
Over all I find your reportings helpful to keep informed when away on travels.
BTW, my comment that you report facts was incorrect way to say "go easy on a blogger". If one thing I find in your blog is facts as you see them & your reports are informative. When I'm wrong I admit it.
Dear genius and dear anonimous, please stay online on the matter we are discussing, that's to say the presence, that's smell, of the lobbysts in this issue in the airport. I have some explosive and insider informations about this war on the luggages. Stay connected and i'll surprise youy all. I like the phrase the anonimous said: "the Truth will set you free". this is the real real real true. and i have the true to tell you. and please dont' talk about families or not, in this story you must remeber only this: "FOLLOW THE MONEY". and you do it...you'll have lot of surprises.
Stay connected.
Why do you announce you have explosive information? Just give it to us. I get this all the time "I can break this story right open...." and then I never hear from the reader ever again. You can also send to Geniusofdespair@yahoo.com. Put EOM blog info in subject line as I get a lot of junk mail.
genius please be patient just 4 a while, i'm organizing everything. suddenly, the fire of truth has started to burn in me. i'm becoming ancient and it's time to say what you have seen in a life of honest work as "insider" in the airport. anyway, only a little bit of patience and i'll post some inetersting info suspence!!!!!
Be patient? I'm an insider? I'm becoming ancient? What a bunch of bs; sounds like a past reporter turned lobbyist & who pretends he influences reporters stories....mmmmm, could be wrong.....let's see what he brings...suspense indeed....
Just ask the folks at Securewrap of Miami, who raked in $7 million in 2009 (only 7 millions declared??)for swathing suitcases in a cellophane-like material that prevents unscrupulous baggage handlers or others from pilfering travelers' belongings. The once tiny company works in dozens of airports around the world, but everytime with a sort of franchising formula with misterious local partners (aka Panama or Mexico).
The firm has wrapped baggage in the subtropics since 2001, when Miami-Dade County awarded it exclusive rights to do business at the airport. That battle was bitterly contested. Before the final vote, Securewrap owner Ramos accused then-Mayor Penelas of trying to steer the deal to one of his campaign supporters. The agreement required Securewrap to pay the county a certain percentage of their profits.
But during the first three years of the agreement, Securewrap failed to fork over a required $2.5 million despite generating more than $10 million wrapping bags. According to Ramos, Securewrap would have made more money had it not been for the Federal Transportation Security Administration. "Security measures after 9/11 almost killed us," he says. "For every bag that TSA tore open, we had to refund our customers." So in 2004, then-Aviation Department director Angela Gittens forgave Secure Wrap's debt, but this was made WITHOUT ANY NOTE SENT TO THE COMMISSIONERS, but simply recalling the invoices that where already sent to SW. Doesn?t sound strange? where were the public watchdogs? . She renegotiated the terms, and then extended the agreement for another five years, withouit any sort of voice against or any kind of question coming from anyone, bloggers or supposted bloggers included. And then she resigned immediately by her charge, leaving MIA and leaving USA for another country.
Then the contract's up and things are getting interesting again. Secure Wrap had and has now a squad of high-powered lobbyists to protect it from competitors who want in on the action, like between alls Miguel De La Portilla.
The company needs all the help it can get.
The county might not even have begun the search had Miami-Dade Inspector General Chris Mazzella not pushed Aviation Director Jose Abreu into action. Mazzella penned a scathing memo to Abreu urging him to put Secure Wrap's contract out to bid.
"If the county bids out the contract, TSA may not let anyone in the back security area to rewrap suitcases," said Securewrap's owner, what a poor argument.
To be continued.
The latest comments made by Anonymous Dec 28th are so false & inflamatory that they merit no response.
But to set the record straight, throwing dirt on Ms. Gittens, one of, if not the best Director MIA has ever had is shameful to say the least. Ms. Gittens always acted on the best interest of the County without abusing those that operated at MIA; the record speaks for itself. The allegations are completly false, a check of past records will prove that; all actions were brought in front of the commission & voted on in favor of the Director's recommendations.
On another note, the OIG sent a letter out requesting/demanding that a bid process be put out in the latest debacle, without knowledge as to the efforts, in the baggage wrapping industry, to get the Federal Government to create Minimum Uniformed guidelines, in order to prevent what is now happening at MIA with a foreign company that has been allowed to operate behind secure areas without having been properly, if at all, checked out; it now appears thast they would off never been approved if an investigation, as required by law would off been conducted by MIA's staff.
MIA staff & the Mayor's office opted for money rather than for the rule of law.
These are the facts.
As for all other comments, show proof when making acussations/allegations.
Easy to read between the lines, you're obviously a fired Lobbyist/lawyer, or work for/with a disgruntled competitor.
Bring proof, this blog deserves better.
THE AWARDING OF THE LUGGAGE WRAPPING CONTRACT:
An example of what is wrong with Miami.
I've lost the way. Let me understand folks! So: there's a company that had a contract in mdad. they didn't paid 2,5 mil for 2 years. noone said nothing. and then....the genious in charge, this Giddens, cancelled the invoices and the debt????? and the anonimous say that this public manager is the best one???? oh yeah, for him yes, not for our community!! whre are our money? why securwrap didn't returned the money? noone said nothing? this is not private money, this was public money folks.
Angella Giddens one of the best manager ehhhh!!!! ahahaha one of the best uncompetent you should say dear anonimous lobbist. But believe me, readers of the herald, i bet that the anonimous is not only one of the rich lobbists hired by secure wrap but.....i'm sure he's the owner. this should be the biggest signal of the decadence of our poor city. shame on loibbists, shame on private money with public robberies.
The anonymous seems to copy and paste an old article appeared on this site or a newspaper. let me check. i've already seen this story in the past years, probably written by Francisco Alvarado
This is an old article made some years ago, i thimk 2009, by Banana Republican on the Miami Newtimes, i'm sure of it. Look. the reality is this that every reader shall see between the rows of this conflict; FOLLOW THE MONEY. I travel a lot to Panama city and secure wrap is well known there, everyone says that they r untouchable there. know why?
Finance1, if u r "inserted" in the business community in Panama city you must know what everybody knows here: Securwrap operates via a local company owned by the brother of president Martinelli, Guido. The same Guido is involved in arms trafficking and drug money laundering, while his cousin has been jailed in Mexico for the same facts. What a beautifull painting: Miami, Panama, airports.... and imagine that Securewrap continue to shot about their association with TSA!!!! FOLLOW THE MONEY, dear
Something about the Securewrap partner in Panama is here:
After persistent accusations of money laundering, narco campaign donations and ties with drug trafficking, FRENADESO is implicating president Martinelli in arms trafficking.
According to an article on Kaos en la Red, Martinelli’s brother, Guido Martinelli, is subject of the same investigation by Colombian security agency DAS that earlier implicated tourism minister Shamah in the sales of arms to Colombian armed groups (read: paramilitaries).
Guido Martinelli serves as Panama’s ambassador to Italy – which we are sure is exclusively because of his excellent diplomatic qualifications.
The arms trafficking ring reportedly consisted of Salomo Shamah, Guido Martinelli and businessman Mario Guardia Durfee. The arms, bought in Central America and other countries, were stashed on land owned by Guardia Durfee in Bocas del Toro before being shipped to Colombia.
That land is the very same land where the indigenous Naso people used to live before the police moved in, destroyed their village and threw them off their land on behalf of a Canadian company building a hydroelectric dam and of aforementioned Mario Guardia Durfee, whose daytime job is that of one of west-Panama’s largest cattle ranchers.
According to Almanaque Azul, he is also owner of a company called Unisys World Trade, which became notorious in 2003 for defrauding the National Lottery for $14 million, by selling products and services that were never delivered.
What a bunch of garbage writers, all bs & no facts. Here are facts:
1. Secure Wrap demanded via written letter to be audited by the County & the County refused. Such an audit would reveal that Secure Wrap has always acted honorably, increasing sales through hard work & as a matter of fact always ended up sharing approx 50% of profits with MIA (profits vs payments).
2. Ms. Gittens did not forgive any debt, but rather the BCC heard the case & voted for the extension & adjustment of the fees.
3. Secure Wrap's partner of over 15 yrs in Panama is a respected & honorable lawyer named Francisco Martinelli; check your facts out.
The best remedy to all this bs session is to have the owners of this blog contact Secure Wrap & see what information they share with him, that should show good or bad faith, don't you all think?
BTW, why don't you all Google:
Sinapsis Paolo Berlusconi Fabio Talin
Now, that's a story to be shared & talk about a company that is directly linked with Italy's ex prime minister, promised MIA/Dade County to pay an astronomical fee (11.2mm per year) based on projected sales of $15mm & according to their sales report they reached that goal, but now are asking MIA/Dade County to reduce the fee. It's their MO all over the world, read up on them, the truth always prevails.
Be careful, Geniousofdespair, what you write about them because you might just find yourself facing a RICO Federal Lawsuit in order to intimidate you from reporting the truth, it's being done to a local reporter as yourself; again, investigate & the truth will amaze you.
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