Tuesday, June 30, 2015

LIVE REPORT: Circus at County Hall. By Geniusofdespair

9:15 am: Taxi Drivers are lined up honking their horns in protest of Uber. There are people lining up for the Special Taxing District discussion, and the Homeless. People are here to discuss LED signs --- against changes to the county ordinance. Mark Sarnoff and Willie Gort are here from the City of Miami. Wait I have to go pee.

Back. All the lobbyists are here in chambers or the ante room. The public? They are lined up downstairs. So many Lobbyists no room for the people in here.

 They are still giving awards and stuff. 10 am. Stupid Osterholt is watching the Mayor who is talking to Willie Gort while Commissioner Moss is talking. Not a seat left in here. Lobbyists are saving seats. Public Hearing is starting. Mayor is now talking to Lobbyist Ron Book.

Sarnoff, Francis Suarez and Gort are talking about the new homeless program sponsored by Camillus House. Ron Book is not listening still talking to the Mayor. Mayor Regalado just walked in.

Mayor Regalado speaking about homeless problem. Gimenez is talking to Osterholt not listening. Mayor Gimenez now talking to County Clerk - not listening.

10:43 -- not one citizen has spoken. I have to move my car at noon. The Mayor has finally sat down. They are all talking about 7a --- making marijuana possession a civil infraction. The chair was waving a bundle of yellow speaker cards, he said he has 200 speaker cards. That is a lot. Each person has 2 minutes. Half the people are downstairs as there is not enough room up here (all the lobbyists are up there.)

The public hearing begins at 10:51am. This is crazy. They are speaking on so many subjects the Agenda hasn't even been set. This is the general public hearing. Talking about homeless. Mayor walking around.

Okay Ron Book got everyone here to talk about the homeless trust. They have organized, they have uniforms, it is all about homeless. Apparently I AM WRONG. It is bad blood between Camillus House and The Homeless Trust---- a pissing match. The other side motivated and brought the speakers. Speaking of pissing the homeless want porta-pottys too. It is 11:39 still going on. People are supporting the MAT program. They like to sleep on mats outside. The Mat program is sponsored by Camillus House. Have to go --- noon. Too boring.  Book must be furious. His hold on the Homeless Trust is waning.

The Special Taxing District, time certain at 9:30 am, heard at  4:44pm.


Commissioners Levine Cava, Bovo and Chair Monestime

Taxi drivers aren't very happy with UBER.


People waiting to speak in the First floor lobby. The Commission Chamber is filled.


Ron Book, Jack Osterholt and Mayor Gimenez chatting. Who is the dominant one? The Mayor has his tell on -- head tilt. Ron Book is very unhappy. It appears there was a power grab from his Homeless Trust to Camillus House. All the homeless were talking about the training and other perks offered by Camillus house that the Homeless Trust doesn't do.


19 comments:

Anonymous said...

GOD. Book.

Anonymous said...

thank you

Anonymous said...

For all of the voices who cannot attend, thanks for going the distance. A definitely plus is that you annoy them.

Anonymous said...

Unless we unite as a countywide grass roots coalition our county will continue to suffer and our democracy will be lost thanks to corrupt lobbyists and kiss arse politicians such as Gimenez. Expose the rats for what they are and shame the Herald and media into action. The third rate burlesque theatre known as the BCC only fears the media, every agency responsible for enforcement has drank the Kool Aid.

Anonymous said...

EmergeMiami.com

Anonymous said...

dumpthebastards.com

Anonymous said...

Mayor Carlos Gimenez admitted on the record today at the BCC MEETING that there had been "commingling and pooling of STD funds". I believe Commissioner Miguel Diaz de la Portilla passed an ordinance in 2000 that criminalizes such action. Why is the OIG not involved yet? Commissioners Zapata and Cava are already calling for it. Raquel Regalado spoke and asked for a forensic audit. Time to unmask Gimenez and expose this STD scheme.

Anonymous said...

Reality check, it was going on since 2009, so calm down, breathe deeply and it will be okay. The adjustments are going to be made and now it will never happen again.
The grandstanding by Regalado and others was semi pathetic. Talk about political exploitation. Now the good news, Monestime ran an effective and respectful session. Barbara Jordan needs to dump her constant "in terms of" phrasing prior to all of her statements.

Geniusofdespair said...

I think Regalado and Zapata were on the money. Nothing pathetic about asking for an audit.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Reality check, we did not have a strong mayor in 2009 so Gimenez owns this mess. This scenario is typical of the mess Gimenez has created in every county department since he took over. If anyone needs a reality check is you and your benefactor. Gimenez has straddled the line for way too long and one of these days we may just see him wearing silver cufflings compliment of the FBI. Now exhale.

Anonymous said...

Ever hear of a man named Carlos Alvarez? Ever hear of the strong mayor vote in January of 2007?
Go away now, you are wrong on both counts. Go back under your little troll bridge and curl up in a fetal position sucking your thumb.

Anonymous said...

Are those "Elevator Operators"in those yellow t-shirts...... Maybe they are "typewriter repairmen". Nope, those are actually horse-drawn carriage drivers! Boy! Time and Technology just creates change!

Anonymous said...

Also heard among county observers today was the unique human resources approach of the most unqualified director the Water & Sewer Dept. has ever had, Mr. Lester Sola - his idea of successuion planning- without a conversation with three of the department's Assistant Directors he posted their jobs on the Countys' Jobs website. The Asst. Directors of Water, Engineering and Regulatory Compliance found out that their jobs were been advertised by reading it in the Jobs website. Mr. totally unqualified Sola will be hiring "shadow" Assistant Directors to follow these three for two to three years - or so he has said. In the meantime he fired the only Assistant Director with any experience in managing utilities - Ralph Terrero - because "we have too many Assistant Directors"!!! And this is the guy in charge of our billion dollar infrastructure improvements!

Anonymous said...

How anyone could be supportive of Mayor Gimenez at this juncture is beyond comprehension. Unless of course you are one his lackeys and you are trying to keep your cushy job and benefits.

Anonymous said...

I would like to see Raquel ask Carvalho for a forensic audit of how four teens can sexually abuse a female student. How the school police covered up Trayvon Martin's record. Why so many kids failed the new assessment test. Why the "system" crashed at the two largest county school districts when the test was rolled out.
For her to get involved with something that will be corrected while her own house is on fire is political grandstanding.

Anonymous said...

The Gimenez image cleansing machinery is alive and well here. This time around your walls are imploding. Maybe Trump can come to your rescue. Just ask Carlitos, Jr. to seek help from his boss.

Geniusofdespair said...

Last chance and warning: no more ito or ita on the end of adult names will be accepted here in comments. This is the third warning.

Anonymous said...

Pepe Diaz on billboard industry payroll again?

Anonymous said...

Yup, Pepe Diaz is pushing legislation to legalize illegal LED billboards and allow new LED billboards to flood into M-D County.