We dare to go where the Miami Herald goes no more...Saturday!!
TV REVIEW
I have to recommend my favorite show. You can binge watch it on HBO. You only missed two short seasons: Silicon Valley (a half hour show).
I like the posture of the star of Penny Dreadful but the plot is stupid and you have seen it before. Enough of TV, I have to get out more. Back to local news...
SEEN ON THE STREET (ACTUALLY IN THE OFFICE)
Mayor Carlos Gimenez and chief county Sycophant Lester Sola in a man hug. Why is the Water and Sewer head going to Paris with Carlos. Reward for good behavior? |
| Here he is with David Rivera when in the Florida Legislature. |
OMG IS RUBIO's CAMPAIGN DONE, AT LEAST FOR WOMEN?
I need details people so far touched by rumor: I heard on Chris Matthews that Jeb supported a very stupid law in 2001that made it mandatory for a woman who wanted to put a child up for adoption to put a notice in the newspaper for a week and name her partners etc. to do the adoption. Very embarrassing stuff for a woman to do before she let her child be adopted. On the show they slammed Jeb on it. But I heard Marco Rubio sponsored it. Woof, worse!!! Whatever he said at the time (2001) is gold to end his campaign and display his war against women...Marco Rubio was in the State House at the time and voted for it. Did he sponsor the Scarlet Letter Bill? Details readers, I need details.
HOMESTEAD:
What is a week without news from beloved Homestead? They want to approve a mail in ballot on their stupid idea to skirt term limits.Will Porter, Burgess, Shelley and Waldman will recuse themselves since they have already served in the capacity of Vice-Mayor and this ballot initiative will allow each of them to serve another four year term with annual benefits of at least $40,000.
In essence it is a council vote worthy of $160,000 for possibly four council members for a grand total of $640,000. Plus another $70,000 in unbudgeted costs for the County to run this election. It is scheduled for a vote on June 17th (was deferred). Isn't this a 3 subject vote all in one --- in violation of State Law?
Oh well, it's HUDstead they are lawless.
(Note: scroll below this, a County TAX discussion follows)
YOUR TAXES ARE BEING RAISED BY THE COUNTY BECAUSE THE MAYOR TRIED TO HIDE INCREASED COSTS THAT HE CAN NO LONGER ABSORB IN THE BUDGET:
Thousands of you, maybe tens of thousands (enough to swing the 2016 vote to Raquel Regalado for Mayor) of you are getting your taxes raised. Your special taxing district cost will almost double.
Your community might have had lighting done through the county or you have a guard gate supported by the county. The costs have held steady artificially (at Mayor Gimenez's bequest - he is the strong mayor) since 2011 now there is going to be a substantial raise to all of you in a special taxing district. The hearing is on June 30th. There have been pages of notices in the Newspaper. So, if you think that Mayor Gimenez has held your taxes at bay, he might have been robbing Peter to pay Paul these last few years and now the shit is hitting the fan. Read the 2 blogs about this subject and don't blame Tok. He is only a rejected Words with Friends word -- not an actual person that should be blamed -- (here are the two articles on it) we have a strong mayor to blame, the man at the top:
In Miami-Dade County some of these services include, but are not limited to:
Street lighting, Security guard services, Guard houses, Lake maintenance."
The Public Works and Waste Management department controls Special Taxing District funds. The section was headed by Don Tok for many years. The rates of each district were reviewed every year according to cost and growth.
In 2011 when Mayor Carlos Gimenez merged the Public Works and Solid Waste Departments he promoted a group of Solid Waste employees that included a Director (now Miramar City Manager), Assistant Director and a Chief. The listed individuals were put in place by Gimenez for political reasons and many think were not qualified to oversee the finances of the newly created department.
Assistant Director Chris Rose chose to maintain low or cut rates on the Special Taxing Districts without permission from the County Attorney's Office to make Gimenez look as a mayor intent on cutting taxes. The result is that after 3 years of low rates there is a multi million dollar deficit of Special Taxing District funds and an ongoing analysis has uncovered the comingling of funds from different Special Taxing districts- something strictly prohibited by county ordinance. As a result, today Don Tok is being forced to resign and Alina Hudak could also be forced to resign. Rose has already left the county to City of Miami and he is not acknowledging responsibility for the deficit of funds.
A meeting was held Friday 4:30 pm with the Mayor, Kathy Jackson Director of Audit, and Alina Hudak also AD's from the Public Works Dept. as they tried to find a solution to the deficit problem.
According to department employees, the Section has been running on "cooked" numbers for the last three years.
2nd Gimenez Cop out (another oldie rearing its ugly head):
The Board of County Commissioners will address the Special Taxing District item during today's BCC hearing.
As previously exposed by Channel 23, in 2011 the Miam-Dade Public Works and Waste Department failed to raise the rates on all Special Taxing Districts in an effort to keep taxes low and help reelect Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
For the span of four years, under orders from the mayor's office, the listed department has failed to raise the rates throughout the county and as a result the Miami Dade Finance Department has uncovered a huge deficit in Special Taxing District funds.
The County's Legal Department has ordered rates for all districts to be raised in order to cover the deficit; however, Mayor Gimenez wants to raise the rates on a pro rated basis in order to avoid raising the rates of thousands of county residents, especially in a year prior to his reelection bid.
In order to diffuse this issue the listed department forced Special Taxing District Chief Don Tok to resign and Deputy Mayor Alina Hudak has been assigned to oversee the issue.
The department has held back the required notice alerting all Special Taxing Districts of the impending raise in taxes due to the wave of bad publicity such action will create. The department is hoping to convince the commission to delay hearing the item or procure funds from other sources to cover the deficit. (rob Peter to pay Paul approach)
This is a clear attempt by the Gimenez administration to cover up a past misdeed by playing a budgetary shell game. The intended objective is to protect the mayor by keeping taxes and rates low and prevent Raquel Regalado from using the information against the mayor in her mayoral campaign.
Rates will go up throughout the county as a result of this deficit.
You can't cop out of these 2 Mayor Gimenez: You look bad.
Example: A district where citizens paid $5,000.00 in special taxes had their service cut to $1,000.00 and now the taxes must be raised to $9,000.00.
The backlash of this deficit will upset citizens from every area of the county. Do you have a guard booth? It will effect you. This incident has occurred due to the promotion of what I think are unqualified employees and for political reasons by a mayor intent on "cutting taxes" as a reelection tool.
15 comments:
Homestead has a huge rodent problem a couple of rat faced weasels put some money into some political shill to get a petition signed by 10% of the registered voters.
They got some 2,300 suckers to sign it. But page 17 of your exhibit says Homestead has 26,597 voters, 10% of that is 2,660. Homestead City Attorney says the council has to vote it through.
What is happening in Homestead? Is Bateman back?
How many funds got shifted around by the Gimenez administration in order to fund temporary tax cuts in a recessionary period? The Water Sewer fund comes to mind, as does the Library Trust Fund. Can the sharp-minded readers think of others? Tax cuts are always popular, andmight be helpful for easing through economic doldrums, but eventually the costs must be paid, economic recovery or not. That time has come.
silicon valley - the best cast show since seinfeld? it IS entertainment!
hudstead voters are intentionally being confused by the ballot language that is the only way the item passes
I have asked you to leave "ita" off the names of women previously. I have asked a few Cuban women friends how they feel about its use after a name, and they feel it is diminishing the woman's significance and insulting to a woman. So again stop. I don't like it anyway mommy...another favorite of mine. No more Carlito either.
Page 17 of the Special Election document indicates Homestead has 26,597 registered voters, the Homestead City Clerk indicates Homestead has 23,430 voters. The County verified 2,352 signatures which is 9 more that the City Clerk's number required at 10%. If the County number is used the Initiative Petition falls 308 short. Who is right?
In 2009 Munz and Rosen funded a PAC with Jeff Porter as Treasurer. The PAC funded the campaigns of Shelley, Waldman, Williams, Maldonado and Bateman. They were all successful. Six years later, with Porter now as Mayor, Shelley as Vice-Mayor and Waldman term limited, Rosen and Munz renew their effort to keep Waldman on the City Council. Since these close ties exist, shouldn't Porter and Shelley be excepted from voting due to common donors trying to influence the council? What exactly were the behind the scenes efforts of Porter and Shelley in bringing this illegal ballot to Homestead? Were they complicit in pressuring the City Clerk and City Attorney to make this ballot a reality come hell or high water? Some people need to think about raising their right hand and telling the truth.
County is scamming people, Homestead is scamming voters. Looks like a free for all. Carlos has been a tremendous letdown and is only in office due to a massive absentee ballot fraud. One has to ask the question.
Where is Rundle? Where is Rundle? Where is Rundle?
Carlos Gimenez - bankrupting Miami-Dade's future, while his money-making PAC machine is hypocritically named "Residents First." He's built a house of cards.
The only thing the Gimenez' political machine fears is open disclosure of its corrupt ways. On June 30th we can make a difference by attending the commission hearing at the Stephen Clark Center and using our three minute allotted time to ask the Miami Dade Commission to push Mayor Carlos Gimenez for answers. For too long this individual has ducked questions about his relationships with lobbyists, consultants and those who corrupt government. On this specific issue with the Special Taxing District rates, it has become obvious that Gimenez's staff played a shell game to keep taxes low in order to gain reelection. The day Gimenez is out of office we will eventually learn about how his underlings have cooked the books to make him look good. By that time, the county will all be in such financial trouble that our citizens will be paying double in taxes to get us out of the hole. Get involved in exposing Gimenez not only for the tax rate increase issue but for his giveaway of public land and tax dollars to the wealthy and his crusade against librarians, teachers, police officers and anyone that dares call him a fraud.
With regards to Rubio and FL HB 141, the FL House website does not list votes on the measure. I suppose it would require a gumshoe to make a public information request to the FL House to obtain voting records and the history of the bill. It doesn't show who introduced or sponsored the bill.
Just looked at the public information request page for the FL House. The online form requires a name, address, and telephone number. This, of course, is contrary to the law. The only way I can think to obtain information is to travel to Tallahassee and request there.
from Arthenia Joyner- what a memory!! :
"I talked to the MSNB reporter and she quoted me on the Chris Matthews Show. The bill was sponsored by Evelyn Lynn in the House and Skip Campbell in the Senate. Debbie W-Schultz was only Senate Dem to vote against it. In the House 8 of us voted against it; Lerner, Joyner, Rich, Sobel, Peterman, Brummer, . Marco Rubio voted for it. Vote was 108 to 8. 8 people did not vote. Will send names of other 2 no votes when I get back to the Capitol."
Nothing about the 6/17 Homestead council meeting?? I'm surprised. Petition was discussed for over 4 hours with former County Commissioner Lynda Bell and former Homestead Councilman and Vice Mayor Steve Losner essentially taking Judy Waldman down. Mayor Porter did as was expected - stayed silent and did not show any leadership. The city clerk was thrown under the bus by the city attorneys and made to look like a fool. Even the vice mayor Stephen Shelley surprised everyone with a last minute ditch to try to save the 3rd item on the petition and, essentially, Judy. There is an affidavit that has been shared with the citizens of Homestead where they can sign it to have their signatures removed from the petition. Only 12 such affidavits are needed to invalidate the petition.
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