Hoeveler Award Invitation + Press Release by Alan Farago on Scribd

WARNING: Do not file a STATE OF FLORIDA Ethics Investigation Request. By Geniusofdespair

You must pay for the other guys lawyer and costs if the ethics complaint is dismissed or unfounded at the State level.  And we all know how often that happens on the County level. It is pretty hard to get an ethics violation finding at any level of government. Ethics is such a Jello-Like concept. I have filed plenty of complaints at the county level. If I did it at the State Level, I could owe $100,000. Yes that is right.

There is some Tallahassee lawyer raking in the bucks on this. Consumers, citizens, good people don't be a patsy. Ethics complaints never go anywhere anyway. Your costs could be tens of thousands at the State level for one complaint. You don't know what they will tack on (see some of the big bills at this link).

A former elections supervisor Kimberle Weeks, and 2 others, just were ordered to pay $312,000 in fees and awards to their targets. She is to alleged to have taped illegally but she contends they were at a public meeting which would allow for a taped conversation. A Democratic member of the Ethics Commission said:

Michael Cox, a member of the ethics commission–he is a certified financial planner and, like Weeks, a Democrat–alone raised issues on behalf of Weeks, terming himself “disturbed” by the issues Weeks raised and the amount of the fees she was being required to pay. “I don’t know her situation but it could potentially ruin her financially,” Cox said. “Some of the things she’s hitting on are hitting a lot of buttons with me.”

Although, in another case, the State Ethics Commission did find probable cause against State Rep. 112 Nick Duran (but they still dismissed it) for not putting his source of income on his financial disclosure form. Here is a stretch for you: because he put it on another form he filed with the Children's Trust, they sort of thought that made it okay. Nick Duran is the guy I am running against.

More on this later.

All the People Who Filed Financial Disclosure Forms in Miami Dade County. By Geniusofdespair

There are 45 pages of people. Maybe you would like to check on someone. Form 1 is useless.

Financial Disclosures 2016 by geniusofdespair on Scribd

2016 net worth of County Commission Chair Esteban Bovo $447,760
His Business is ELB Business and Community Consulting. He claimed $75,000 in 2016 from that. He has $333,275.19 in liabilities.

2016 Net Worth of County Commissioner Joe Martinez is $309,095. He figures his house is worth $469,420 and he has two mortgages totaling $368,000. His income is $75,000 from Centurion Security Group.

Need to get Form 6 Financial Disclosures for others? HERE IS THE LINK...YES HERE -- HIT IT.

Tomas Regalado's form is with the Miami Dade County Commissioner of Ethics because he only had to do form 1. I can't find them on line.

Form 6 is much more interesting. Here is Mayor Gimenez's Form 6 (his quarter of a million income -- from us).

Palmetto Bay Vice Mayor John Dubois "Bagel Boy" Sues the Ethics Commission of Miami Dade County. By Geniusofdespair

I have given up trying to figure out John Dubois's many, many lawsuits. I think this is his beef but what do I know. I don't think he is calling Joe Centorino a liar but you can make your own Conclusions.

Dubois Complaint

This Year's Slap on the Wrist Award Goes to the Ethics Commission of Public mis-Trust. By Geniusofdespair

"The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust (COE) has issued a Letter of Reprimand to former Homestead Mayor Steven Bateman, who last month settled a complaint (C 13-50) that he violated the Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance by accepting a round-trip flight on a private jet without disclosing it as a gift.   The Letter notes that Bateman had been an elected official for more than a decade and had filed numerous gift disclosure forms, demonstrating his awareness of the requirement.  It asserts that “Bateman eroded the trust placed in him by [the citizens of Homestead] when he accepted travel on a private aircraft paid for by DMC (Dade Medical College) and did not disclose it.” It also states that at the time of the flight, his wife, Donna Bateman, was earning $5,000 a month as a consultant to DMC, so the then-mayor’s “finances were clearly intertwined with an entity which has an interest in favorable treatment by the City of Homestead.”  As part of the settlement, Bateman also paid a fine of $500."

They might as well get the award every year. That is mostly all they do: slap, i.e.  "Genius of Despair committed murder. Genius got a $500 fine and a reprimand letter from us for the offense".  That would be typical.

Ethics or Business as Usual? By Geniusofdespair

I was there when Lobbyist Dusty Melton wanted the Miami Dade County ethics department to take action against a fellow lobbyist for not being registered. He wrote letters, made presentations, etc. all for naught. They ruled the other lobbyist just made a small blunder.

That is the problem. When people do something wrong, as far as ethics department is concerned they have to do something really really wrong. They follow their rules loosely and try to find the offender any excuse. The Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance already establishes "minimum" standards of ethical conduct. They don't have to minimize more. In fact I am sure they can increase the standards if they really wanted things to be different. They remain instead, part of the problem. What happens is the commissioners ask for an ethics opinion and they get one, usually favoring what they want to do (that would seem unethical to you and me --- any reasonable person).

One of the parts of the ethics code is "Exploitation of official position." If anyone from the ethics department doesn't think this goes on during fundraising, they are in for a rude awakening. When are they going to start interviewing donors? The Ethics rule: "A person cannot use his or her public position to obtain a special privilege or exemption for him or herself or for others." Everyone giving knows they have a special privilege, like even a small thing like getting an appointment with a commissioner. Most regular people can't get to see their OWN Commissioner, they get to see the aides only. I could go on and on. You all know it is going on...except ethics, they turn a blind eye to most misbehavior. Major overhaul needed!!! Suggestions?

I am fascinated with the concept of "Moral Hazard" because it is exactly what we are doing, not real change:



(Do not hit play all, don't know how that got there)

Joe Centorino, Ethics Czar: Pretty much always "Let Them Go Joe". By Geniusofdespair

Stephen Shelley's wife worked for Steve Shiver at one time.  He put her in his will without her knowledge and now was trying to negate Shelley's vote against the project based on the will he produced last minute  -- bad government at its best. Why was this left out of your opinion so the public would know there was a form of extortion going on?

Joe once in a while, you could advise on the side of caution, never huh? What is wrong with... "it might be technically legal but it looks like shit because X Y Z". That is why you are known as "Let Them Go Joe." You also could look at the personalities involved. This is ethics not Rundle's office. It is a lower threshold.

I call him 'go by the book Joe.'

We need to partner with the universities and get an ethics code that makes sense. MAJOR OVER-HAUL NEEDED. Daniella Levine Cava's sister in law in involved in Ethics at the University of Miami. The County ethics department stinks to the high heavens the way it is designed. All it does is offer cover for bad behavior...i.e. "it's okay he is my brother not my son." Please let's address this, this year with our new Commissioner who ran on ethics. Let's get a better code we all can believe in. The secret discussions at the ethics meetings don't help. I was glad to talk to Councilman Shelley to hear what is really going on. And that really stinks. Because I know the two men involved, I think a new ethics complaint should be filed with the intent part of the equation.

The Mayor Hall of Shame. By Geniusofdespair

Former Mayor Bateman of Homestead is in the paper today for not declaring a gift (plane ride) from Dade Medical College owner Ernesto Perez.  He might get slammed with a $500 fine from ethics.  Are they kidding with these fines? Even I can afford that.

The two last mayors of Hialeah admit to shadow banking, charging interest rates of 3% a month in some cases. When Carlos Hernandez, the current Mayor, was running he LIED and said it was untrue that he participated in shadow banking. He didn't "contradict himself" in court yesterday, as the Miami Herald said today, he lied when he he ran for Mayor.



This video was uploaded in 2011. Sure doesn't match his testimony yesterday in court.

Meanwhile Former Mayor Julio Robaina's very serious case on income tax evasion is winding through the courts (that is how they got Al Capone). It is totally disgusting.  I often wonder had we been given a REAL choice for mayor, would Carlos Gimenez have won? Julio Robaina got a startling 48.98% of the vote. Almost 100,000 people voted for him and he was an accused candidate even then, in July 2011.  Carlos Gimenez just was a lucky guy that voters are so willing to elect a man under investigation (in other words, stupid voters).

Gimenez posed as a moderate. Julio Robaina won the absentee ballots by 1,000 votes. In early voting, a favorite of Democrats, Gimenez found victory, 22,315 to Julio's 17,280.  Carlos Gimenez had all the Democrat strongholds, but now he is sucking up to Conservative hardliners and the T. Party.  Get a moderate Republican to run against him and you can put Gimenez out to pasture. His alliance with Lynda Bell is going to do him in. He is raising money for her. I told his son that it was a big mistake. I believe it. I gave Gimenez a campaign contribution. He fooled me. I  will never do that again.  And, Carlos we don't want a straw vote including cultural institutes. Just do as Xavier Suarez suggests and REFUND the stripped money from libraries, raise the taxes for libraries or find it in the budget. The Straw Vote will cost us SO MUCH MORE because you are piggy backing other things in the vote NOT FAIR.

Blue were Robaina supporters and Green were Gimenez. Gimenez won in Democratic areas.

The Ethics Commmission Responds to Dusty Melton. By Geniusofdespair

I did get another reply to Dusty Melton's column on his distrust of the ethics commission (that I printed January 30th), but that reply was sarcastic and I didn't like it's tone so I wouldn't print it. What is wrong with being polite when you are a public servant? I just don't understand the little rude additives from someone who is supposed to be a public servant. Anyway, this one is more polite than Michael Murawski's reply so I will print it. I am sure Dusty will have a reply to this one as well as to the other more insulting one. Michael, get rid of the attitude, take a cue from Copeland.

  COE Eston Melton LTR - 
It took Ethics almost 6 months to respond to Melton's complaint.

Dusty to Copeland 9/20/2013:

Melton Letter to Copeland 9.20.2013

Ethics Commission Rebuttal to Dusty Melton. By Geniusofdespair

The Ethics Department (it wasn't from the commission but from staff) sent me a rebuttal to Dusty Melton's criticism of the Ethics Department.

Since Ethics did not give me an opportunity to comment/question on ethics investigations that originated from this blog, I am not thrilled to give them the opportunity. They don't give me an opportunity to respond before they issue opinions. I told them if the rebuttal came directly from Joe Centorino head of ethics I would print it. And then I would have to print a second rebuttal from Dusty (this could go on for a long time).  Anyway, I think it is dead in the water over here at Eye on Miami as I haven't gotten anything from Joe. It is still going on at Miami Today. They printed the rebuttal or are debating it. That is what happens when you deal with a real newspaper. They don't hold grudges.


Does the Commission itself even care what their staff does?

Commission on Ethics is a Joke. By Eston Melton III

THIS POST IS OUR FIRST WRITTEN BY AN ACTUAL LOBBYIST - DON'T MISS READING IT!

The Miami Herald refused to publish an opinion piece Dusty Melton submitted last month regarding the County's Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. Kudos to Michael Lewis, publisher of Miami Today, for providing a public forum. The so-called Ethics Commission has never gotten the critical scrutiny by local media that it deserves, and Dusty has provided the first, important exposure in Mainstream Media of its highly questionable behavior of late (we have been ragging on them for a long time and Al Crespo has been all over them.). Let this be the start of some serious media digging, we hope.  We and other blogs are dismissed by Ethics but they don't do anything anyway so I don't care.

'Dusty" Eston Melton III

Illegal lobbying at Miami-Dade County Hall is commonplace.

All of the political regulars, folks like me, know it. We see it all around, all the time. It's blatant, in plain sight of county commissioners, the mayor, his senior administrators, everyone.

And it's becoming even more common, thanks to the county's very own Commission on Ethics and Public Trust.

Make that, the Commission on so-called "Ethics" and so-called "Public Trust."

Here's a recent example:

Miami International Airport solicited sealed bids on a construction project. Three teams competed. The lowest bidder's price was $87 million. The second-lowest bidder was about $9 million more expensive. The third bidder was some $20 million higher than the lowest bidder.

The second-lowest bidder hired two attorneys at two separate Coral Gables law firms. Those lawyers sent exhaustive letters to county officials in an attempt to steer the contract to their common client, $9 million more expensive than the lowest bidder.

This is known as "lobbying," trying to influence the decisions of public officials. By writing their letters to decision-makers at the airport, the attorneys also were "lobbyists."

Both attorneys knew that the rules require each to file certain forms, one a sworn affidavit, prior to lobbying the county in any manner, including their letters. We know that because each of them had filed lobbyist registration forms before.

Still, both attorneys failed to register and disclose their lobbyist activity as required by code. Each simply broke the law, and did so identically.

Complaints were filed against both attorneys with the Commission on "Ethics" and "Public Trust."

What a joke that became.

Investigators interviewed each attorney. Both confessed; the investigators' reports are proof. The clear violations of rules by both attorneys were presented in writing to the "ethics" commission on Sept. 12, 2013.

Lawyer No. 1 was fined $500 and sent a letter of reprimand for violating the rules. Justice was served -– unacceptable behavior had serious consequences.

Lawyer No. 2, who enjoys an exquisite relationship with the members of the "ethics" commission and its senior staff -– a colleague at his law firm was the "ethics" commission's founding executive director -- was given a free pass:

Case dismissed. No fine. No letter. No consequences at all.

Two attorneys. Same shared client. Same lobbying-by-letters. Same zero compliance with the lobbyist registration rules thoroughly known to both of them. Same county code violation. One attorney gets stung. The other attorney gets a friendly wave goodbye.

These starkly different outcomes, by unanimous votes of the "ethics" commission, were and still are appalling.

Even worse, the public was kicked out of the "ethics" commission's meeting when the two complaints were presented, discussed and decided. That's their "secret session" rule. Well, not entirely secret. The county code violators and their attorneys were allowed to stay in the meeting room, and to cut their penalty deals out of the public eye.

The chairman of the "ethics" commission was asked, in writing, to explain why Lawyer No. 2 was given a free pass for the identical county code violation that earned Lawyer No. 1 a fine and public reprimand.

Four months later: no response.

Here's my take on the "ethics" commission:

1. If you are an insider, like Lawyer No. 2, you can break the rules and get away with it.

2. Thanks to that fact, increasingly known in the community of political operatives, illegal lobbying is getting worse at Miami-Dade County Hall.

3. If you challenge the "ethics" commission's blatant favoritism by merely asking for an explanation, you will be stonewalled and insulted. (Genius: OMG this is so true)

A recurring theme at several of the "ethics" commission's recent monthly meetings has been a self-congratulatory discussion about how well it is elevating the ethical conduct of our community.

If only its five members and senior staff would reflect on the "look-the-other-way" bias they show toward insiders who violate the rules, perhaps they might understand what an absolute joke their discussions truly are.

More on Dusty:

Eston "Dusty" Melton is chairman of Global Projects Inc. He is a local, non-lawyer lobbyist who registered to represent the lowest responsive bidder for the contract in question.

Say what you will about local lobbyists – and we've had plenty bad to say here at EOM – but Dusty Melton at least corrects my typos occasionally. A former Miami Herald reporter (he covered County Hall from early 1979 to late 1981) and then the newspaper's political writer and columnist through September 1982, he actually understands how local government works and  respects our blog (well at least he reads it).

Trickle Down Ethical Collapse: the results of Citizens United … by gimleteye

Miami-Dade is one of the nation's largest counties. Its government is subject, as all governments are, to influence peddling and insider dealing. The county Commission on Ethics and the Miami Dade Office of the State Attorney are organized to protect the public by enforcing laws and those "grey areas" where so much county business is done.

Why, then, are there so many complaints and such little confidence in the ability of government to police its own ethical lapses?

Leadership on ethics comes from the top. Competing to be elected to the top positions in public office requires larger and larger inputs of campaign cash. If you are interested in politics, the familiar routine of candidates for office constantly scraping for campaign cash is very familiar.

But since the US Supreme Court's Citizens United decision four years ago, the money game in politics has fundamentally changed. As much as individuals may feel put upon or feel it is a civic obligation to support with twenty, one hundred, or even a thousand dollar campaign contribution -- whatever is allowed by law -- the real action in American politics has turned to the unlimited campaign contributions allowed to corporations (who are "people" according to the Supreme Court) through dark money channels.

Citizens United turned crony capitalism into exactly the ethical cauldron that one would expect from a political system that long earlier had turned elected officials into money gathering obsessives. It has pushed American politics even further to the right, and turned the business of politics -- ie. redistricting to enable secure anchors for incumbents in elected office -- into a virtual criminal enterprise. It is all about money.

For the Washington Post, writer Chris Ciilizza recently wrote, "How Citizens United changed politics, in 6 charts". "Spending at this point in the 2014 cycle is already almost three times as much as it was at this time in the 2010 election. And it's 25 times more than at this point in the 2006 election." And, "Conservatives have a far better organized snd financed outside operation than do liberals."

What is most shocking is how the spending with no disclosure of donors has soared.

At Eye On Miami, we track local campaign finance reports. What we see, is exactly the pressures that are deforming democracy and creating the conditions for ethical collapse right within the state attorney's office and the county commission on ethics.

Trickle down economics doesn't work, but its corollary in the world of politics most definitely does: a fire hose pouring campaign cash without disclosure straight into the unslakable thirst of state crony capitalism.

Reversing Citizens United will require a massive effort by both Republican and Democratic voters. Just look what has trickled down to Miami-Dade county to understand why.

The Fab 3. By Geniusofdespair

The troika is in place. Mary Cagle will be confirmed as the Inspector General at the county commission meeting today. She worked with Katherine Fernandez Rundle for about 2 decades. Joe Centorino,  our ethics commissioner, also worked for Rundle for many years. Too much incest in these 3 separate entities.

Our 3 watchdogs, I predict, will be useless, working together instead of independently. I agree with Joe Carollo today as he expressed anger that his case was dropped by Rundle. Imagine agreeing with Joe Carollo on something!

I am being accused of Favoring AECOM over CH2M. By Geniusofdespair

In comments I am being accused of favoring AECOM. Probably Lynda or the Lobbyists. I have no favorite in this race. If offered a bribe maybe I would. I was waiting for some Heat tickets but they never arrived from either side.  Anyway, I do not like the mixing of numbers with initials, it is confusing CH2M. Aside from that not much to say about them.

I do know Peter Hernandez head of AECOM. I corrected him at a meeting years ago, when he was city manager, saying that Arthur Lamb Jr. Road on Virginia Key is not called "Sewer Road." He was calling it "Sewer Road." He was not very happy with me. Other than that we have not ever talked. Maybe "hello". My spouse worked for him briefly years ago. I do think he is a good man but I do not know his qualifications for this bid. Nor do I know CH2M's qualifications. I just know something happened that may not have been kosher. I think it put the Mayor in a hard place (that is why he asked for all these ethics opinions) and I think he is trying to make right of it. Some say he should divide the work between the two companies (I think it was Barbara Jordan, at the meeting Lynda Bell said she was "concerned" 14 times in less than 3 minutes).

Anyway I have no leg in this race. I have nothing to gain, I just feel something went on that made the Mayor uncomfortable and me as well. This is too big a contract to not do right by it ($1.6 billion and don't think it won't skyrocket).  It is like the Shrink Wrap contract. I had no leg in that race either but there was controversy.

In my blog of November 11th I think the Ethicist Anthony Alfieri made a compelling argument. You can read it in the post.

I even made a video of Anthony Alfieri talking about Moral Hazard. That is how impressed I was with him.

I have lost faith in our ethics department to find anything NOT OKAY.  However they did say:

Joe Centorino, executive director of the Commission on Ethics & Public Trust, said allowing one of the two bidders, CH2M Hill, to directly contact members of a selection committee to submit more than 400 pages of additional documents “contributed to a serious public trust problem with this solicitation.”

Also the acting OIG said:

They don't sound real sure nothing was wrong. So fuck all of you who are accusing me of favoring one company over the other. This is a $1.6 Billion dollar contract. Let's do the right thing. On Lynda Bell, I accept that I do not favor her, but on this one - let's do it right.

No Surprise with Ethics Department, but What is going on Here with our tax dollars in Doral? By Geniusofdespair

It is okay to have guards Mayor Lucie Tondreau: Because the Ethics Department says so.

I am so tired of reading ethics opinions that find nothing wrong. Bringing a cop to Haiti is okay for the North Miami Mayor? Don't go on vacation lady if you are afraid for your life. And she did say it was a vacation. Ethics found nothing wrong. I am, of course, not surprised.

Speaking of cops, a reader sent me these photos from the police department training facility at 9601 NW 58 St. in Doral. This appears to be construction material bought by the Miami-Dade Police Department and paid for by taxpayers. This expensive construction material appears to be abandoned. This is a waste of taxpayers money if all the stuff is going to do is rot. What is the scoop? Build it or pay back the taxpayers!

Ethics Commission Lost in Space. By Geniusofdespair

The Ethics Commission appears to be irrelevant in promoting good ethics of our government officials in my view.

What is ethics? According to the dictionary "it is the moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. The branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles." It is not about breaking laws. It is about public trust and most of all: principles.

When the ethics commission does not highlight bad behavior they fall short and encourage more bad behavior. Moral Hazard it is called. When they give ethics opinions they appear to just give cover for the commissioners to do bad things all over again. They have to end their opinions with something like: If I were you I wouldn't do this. Although legal it doesn't look good to the public. It appears to be skirting the laws, at the very least it doesn't appear ethical.

What the Ethics Commission is missing is common sense. For instance lets take Lynda Bell. I never said her daughter or her husband made EXTRA money because of Lynda's misguided fence ordinance. What I said was it was disingenuous of Lynda to NOT MENTION TO HER FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND THE PUBLIC that her daughter owned a fence company and that LYNDA HERSELF had the fence company registered at her own home. To me that was unethical especially when you listen to the tape of the meeting. She appeared to be lying. To the Miami Herald and columnist Fred Grimm it was unethical. The Ethics Commission, on the other hand, they focused on whether Jenna made EXTRA money because of the resolution. Why?

Anyway I feel like the Commission has lost their way. They are stuck on laws and not addressing behavior. They should have said that Lynda Bell's daughter did not profit from the resolution BUT more importantly, Bell was wrong not to disclose to the public and fellow commissioners that a fence company was registered at her home.

And, does anyone believe that Lynda is not helping to run that company?

Mind you -- I didn't ask for an ethics opinion, I sent them my column as an FYI, here is what I got in return:

I am in receipt of your recent blog post concerning Lynda Bell sponsoring and voting on an ordinance that would repeal the County’s prohibition of chain link fences on certain properties. You were concerned that it was a conflict of interest for her because her daughter owns a fence installation company. Although the Ethics Commission was not asked to issue an opinion on this issue, this situation would not present a conflict.

In other opinions, which I have attached for your convenience, the Ethics Commission has held that there is no conflict in similar situations. Commissioner Bells daughters company, Fence Assured, would not be affected by the passage of this ordinance in any way different than the hundreds of other fence installation companies in Miami-Dade County. In fact, a quick check of the YellowPages.com shows almost 200 listings under “fence installers” alone. Moreover, Fence Assured does not only sell chain link fences (which are often the least expensive), but also fences made of wood, aluminum, dura fence, wrought iron, balconies and railings. Further, Fence Assured also services commercial and industrial fencing, not covered by the ordinance.

The fence ordinance, unlike the Health care law for example, does not mandate citizens to purchase chain link fences and certainly does not mandate they be purchased from a particular fence installation company.

In short, many fence companies may or may not benefit by the passage of this ordinance, it is far too speculative to conclude that Fence Assured will benefit from this ordinance any more or less than other companies. I realize you may not agree with that analysis but there are several examples of similar situations also in the State Ethics Commission as well.

Have they lost their way or what? I thought this was condescending and at the same time stupid. Now we have The Ethics Commissioner, The State Attorney and the Inspector General all out of the same office. Heaven help us.

P.S. When the Ethics Commission does an investigation, they go ask the people you complained about (they don't tell you what they said until they close the case and it is too late for you to elaborate) what happened don't check on it, just repeat the stupid excuse of what the offending people told them. You don't even get the opportunity to correct or comment on the testimony they get that is NOT under oath.  "Nope, didn't do it but thanks for asking."

Moral Hazard: What our Ethics Commission is not understanding. By Geniusofdespair

Look at the beginning of this video of Anthony V. Alfieri an ethicist, from the University of Miami, talking to the Ethics Commission. Pay attention at about 22 seconds...it is what our government is doing.

Here is an example:

Moral hazard is said to have been a significant cause of our current economic problems. The government has long displayed a willingness to step in and rescue businesses and institutions in financial distress. From the Chrysler bailout to the rescue of the Mexican government to Long Term Capital Management in 1998, investors have had reason to believe that, while they will be able to keep any gains from their risky investments, the government will step in to cover the losses.

As a result, large investment institutions took risks – or at least failed to exercise cautions – that they probably would have avoided if not for the government’s implicit promise to cover the downside risk. When the government actually allowed Lehman Brothers to fail in September of 2008, people who had invested in financial institutions expecting the government to protect their downside risks suddenly panicked. Faced with the prospect of suffering the true costs for foolish decisions, they suddenly wanted to put their money someplace else.

Great find: The Crespogram taped the meeting on the ethics discussion on the award of the $1.6 Billion dollar Water & Sewer contract. By Geniusofdespair

Al Crespo of the Crespogram taped the ethics meeting on the Virginia Key bid for $1.6 billion dollars. Thank you Al.  Very interesting, listen to the lawyers argue.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cvkzRzZKXo&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEPqxxzbWwk&feature=youtu.be

Part 2: County Commissioner Lynda Bell Saga. By Geniusofdespair

Yesterday, I wrote an investigative report on County Commission Lynda Bell and a fence company at her home owned by her daughter.  The Miami Herald picked up the story and ran with it, I thank you Patricia Mazzei.

But there is more.

When Lynda Bell was Mayor in Homestead, just like with the chain link fence company that came out of left field, Lynda came up with legislation to get a new towing company. The towing company hired had ties/was owned by arrested Sweetwater Mayor Marono, another T Party friend of Lynda's I would suppose.

A few months later Lynda Bell's daughter (the one who owns the fence company) got a job with the Sweetwater Police Department. That was after she was fired from Homestead for pulling a gun on a boyfriend.  How did she get that Homestead job anyway?  I was told her training was a special deal that they had discontinued but reinstated for Jenna. But I don't know if that is true. Rumors fly.

Anyway now the fence company is working with the towing company:

Is the fencing company getting jobs because of the Lynda Bell connection around town? Let's hope the El Nuevo Herald and Miami Herald will sort it out. From the Fence Assured Website it looks like the new company has very big jobs and that they are doing a lot of chain link fencing.

You can see it in the photo above from her website.

The building in this photo taken this morning is in the background on Lynda Bell's Daughter's Fence Assured website.

Here is an enormous fence Lynda's daughter's company installed in Sweetwater. She did the fencing around where the police park the helicopters and the swat team truck.  She also did fencing around the city of Sweetwater Building and Zoning Dept. Can a police officer do work for the police dept.? I guess only in Sweetwater.

In any event, Jenna, with a fencing company and a police officer job, got some public assistance to buy her home FROM US TAXPAYERS just like her dad did with his CRA grant.  You would think with all the benefit that Lynda Bell gets from local government that she would have donated her excess $800 from her Mayoral campaign locally, instead of sending it up to Almonte Springs to the Right to Life Group. Here is the information on Jenna's 2nd mortgage subsidy Okay I got this today 11/18 CORRECTION from Greg Fortner:

Jenny Mendez does not receive a 2nd mortgage from Miami-Dade County Public Housing and Community Development.  Ms. Mendez applied for our 2nd mortgage program thru the Neighborhood Stabilization Program in early 2011.  Her application was withdrawn in late spring 2012.  Let me know if you wish to continue this request so we can notify you of the record review process and any fees for copies…..

 Expect the reporters to tie this all together.  I think it does but I don't know how to do it.

Lynda, in my last post, said on the video that chain link fences look good in the front of houses and that was one of the reasons why she filed the legislation to allow it. This is from the Fence Assured website of the before and after:

All I can say is woof! Where is your taste Lynda? You think that looks good?


SEE PART 3

I am Uninformed. By Geniusofdespair

So says Joe Centorino. Here are the documents that are to inform both me and all of you. Centorino said I should have read the documents but I didn't have them to read. They were not posted anywhere. Now I do have them and so do you. After reading the documents, I still think a bid should be thrown out. Sorry Joe, I am entitled to my first amendment right to have an opinion even if it is based on my instincts that packages shouldn't be sent to the selection committee. We aren't just talking about emails. As the OIG mentions contacting you in September, there would have been plenty of time to get this information posted so I wouldn't have, as you said, "not throw out uninformed opinions". Please read blog from yesterday for my uninformed opinion. I did have access to the OTHER ethics opinion so I was half informed. And I was informed about the absentee ballot shenanigans in Homestead when you were not (I notified you and gave you the contact information). We all get our information when we get it. I didn't get mad at you for not knowing about that case in Homestead, I was happy to INFORM you.

sounds unethical to me...

MayorGiminezRequestforOpinion- ISDProject No.E13WASD-01R.pdf

GimenezWASDopinionFinal.pdf

OIGMemo(WASDProject).pdf