A city can’t be great without a park. It can’t even be a second tier city, without a good park. Miami doesn’t fall into either category, because its bayside parks have been orphaned by commerce.
I don’t know about other people’s reasons for objecting to museums in Bicentennial Park, but mine are based on the way that the City of Miami and Miami Dade County has turned its back on Biscayne Bay.
That’s the story of Bayside Marketplace: a mistake of a bad mall in the center of downtown's waterfront. Today we have Bayfront Park, separated by Bayside, separated by the Miami Heat Arena, separated from Bicentennial "Park", separated by 395, separted by the Carniverous Performing Arts Center.
(I'm not even going to touch the what is happening in the public space off Rickenbacker Causeway-- those beaches (if they can be called that) are a disgrace that confirms for visitors from Latin and South America that our claim to first world status does not always manifest in ways that matter to ordinary people.)
The original deal for Bayside included the creation of a trust that was supposedly for purchase of lands on the bay for the benefit of the public: a possibility that might have saved Coconut Grove’s shorefront but for inattentive city bureaucrats and private developers who can afford visiting Paris to see a great city and its parks.
But that's not what the Wall Street Journal trumpeted, yesterday.
“There’s a new status symbol for American cities and it’s not a soaring office tower or retro stadium. To many civic leaders, nothing says progressiveness and prosperity like an elaborate urban park.”
Miami’s business leaders presumably read yesterday's Journal. Whether or not they noticed, and if they noticed whether or not they cared about Miami’s absence on the list is another matter.
“On a scale not seen since the ‘City Beautiful’ movement of the 19th century, public green spaces are proliferating.” Not in Miami.
In addition to mismanaging its zoning and permitting—to benefit land speculators, condo developers and big lawyer lobbyists of the Growth Machine, like Greenberg Traurig—the City of Miami now finds itself staring down a fiscal crisis simply to provide infrastructure for the dozens of skyscrapers nearing completion, that will be mostly empty for the foreseeable future because of the glut and gluttony elected officials and the building lobby fed into. (Deficits will no doubt lead to cries for more zoning changes to benefit developers, to "increase the tax base".)
One of the interesting features of the Wall Street Journal story is the focus on the massive park designated for a closed Navy base in Southern Calfornia: El Toro.
El Toro is being redeveloped by Lennar Corp., that eyeonmiami has often highlighted for its role in undermining the public interest in protecting the Urban Boundary.
The closure of El Toro Navy Base was raised as a comparable to the conveyance of the Homestead Air Force Base. Today, fifteen years after Andrew, the base is empty for the most part.
Its development promise has been throttled by elected county officials, Natacha Seijas lead the charge, determined to avoid state and federal laws protecting two national parks nearby: Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park.
Sometimes I think it must be something in the drinking water that leads to such strange paradoxes: here, in Miami, we have some of the closest access to unique national parks in the nation, and yet the city has turned its back on them. Here, too, we have a major corporation that can find the right way to develop elsewhere in the nation, but not in the suburbs of the place it calls home.
One difference is that in return for development rights at El Toro, Lennar was mandated to create a massive public park through the conveyance process, involving public input.
At Homestead Air Force Base, the county commission, (Seijas, in particular), not only ignored the public but routinely antagonized the public. Although the county promised a park for the air base, it would be interesting to know how much has been invested and what the usage of the air base park is, today.
At El Toro, according to the Journal, Lennar was give the development opportunity in exchange for a commitment of $200 million to the creation of the park, and another $201 million on infrastructure.
Biscayne National Park is gorgeous and peaceful and a place to get away from the pressures of the office for thousands of Miamians, every weekend, including Lennar CEO Stuart Miller. I wonder how much Lennar has contributed, or the family private foundation, to Biscayne National Park?
But Lennar is not alone.
In Miami corporations have turned their backs on Biscayne Bay, that could help define Miami as a great city--more than a performing arts center or a museum. In failing to use Biscayne Bay to its best advantage, business executives based in Miami have the attitude that a great city is somewhere they fly to visit but not to call their home.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Fakery, inflation and housing: Up the down staircase, by gimleteye
The British sitcom, “Upstairs Downstairs” was a comedy of manners, of the rich and their servants, which is come to think of it, how the Federal Reserve and Wall Street’s stylized dialogue on inflation will appear to historians, in retrospect.
Over the past decade we’ve had Wall Street wagging its tail to the Fed’s “growth recession”, “low” inflation, we’ve had “worries about higher inflation”. Meanwhile, Americans in the vast majority are noticeably poorer.
It is not just the pocket book: it is also quality of life. The growth economy based on suburban sprawl—now flat on its face—has been a nation killer, sold like tobacco or sugar as ‘what the market wants’.
But, always, the bottom line is the pocketbook. And there, the incredibly narrow bandwidth on government propaganda on inflation, and the timidity of most economists, Americans for the most part have meekly bought into the rosy scenarios.
Americans on fixed incomes, though, may wonder indeed if they have been inflicted with an unreported kind of disease—because inflation to them has been real and rampant.
“Thanks to 20 years of inflation, $1 million today has just 54% of the purchasing power of $1 million in 1987.” (from The Wall Street Journal, Jonathan Clements, June 27, 2007)
Bingo.
Countless Americans responded to the pressure of inflation, emptied of meaning and relevance by government statistics, by investing far more in housing than historical precedent or reason would prudently allocate.
When a significant percentage of the nation’s homeowners are investing 40 to 50 percent of disposable income on housing, and home values have fallen 30 percent off purchase prices (as they are, in the nation’s most overheated areas), who needs an exogenous shock to threaten the economy?
Until 2005, real and unreported inflation was matched by consumers of mortgages in housing, matching inflation with inflation, sucking up many purchasers of subprime mortgages, but also, hard working middle and upper middle class.
As paper value of individual investments in housing went up, up, up, the real value of mortgages packaged and sliced into financial derivatives disappeared into pension funds, insurance pools, and hedge funds providing leverage for even more speculative investments.
Today there is a slow motion earthquake trembling through markets for financial derivatives, whose cumulative float is approximately ten times the value of stocks traded on public exchanges in the US.
It doesn’t matter whose liquidity is keeping US stock markets uplifted or high: it is an entirely different scene down in the boiler rooms where government economists and statisticians and Fed board members are keeping the engines running: the denial is remarkable.
The picture is similar to the one painted by Nicolas Kristof in his editorial on the victims of climate change, in the New York Times yesterday.
Kristof, who writes frequently on the planet’s most destitute—not the environment—reports that tens of millions of Africans and Asians are already on the march because of global warming that has wrecked substinence farming.
Think of American buyers of subprime mortgages who are now in default as the homeowner equivalent of climate change victims.
Kristof makes the mistake, in his editorial, of suggesting that wealthier nations like those in the industrial West can withstand the impacts of climate change.
To extend the metaphor, as financial markets are doing, mortgage holders with better credit, ie. the middle class and upper middle class, are not going to be sucked into the same problems afflicting subprime borrowers.
But there is no evidence whatsoever that the United States is insulated from the impacts of climate change, any more than purchasers of A rated mortgage credit are insulated from the troubles afflicting subprime buyers.
It is just taking a little longer. It is just a matter of time before blue-chip mortgage holders find themselves going up, the down staircase.
Noriel Roubini puts meat to these bones. In his June 27th blog, Roubini wrote:
“The fallout of this CDO mess is likely to end up into $100 billion plus of losses for banks, financial institutions, hedge funds and investors once these CDOs and subprime mortgage backed securities are marked-to-market rather than being marked-to-a-delusional-misrated-model. Thus, the Bear disaster is only the tip of the iceberg of a much bigger financial mess that will unravel in the next few months: the pile of rising subprime and nearprime delinquencies will take a toll on the toxic waste of mortgage backed securities that a rating “voodoo magic” pretended to turn below-junk securities into A-rated ones. “
No wonder that all these lousy news about housing and gasoline prices sky high have depressed the US consumer with consumer confidence now significantly down. And no wonder that the latest news from retail sales are also lousy. As reported by the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS in the last two reporting week same store chain store sales have been down (-0.7% in the last week) while the year-over-year growth rate of such sales is now down to 1.7% (i.e. falling in real terms relative to a year ago). Add to that a 2.8% fall in durable goods orders for May and a survey of major CFOs suggesting that they are planning to cut capex spending and accumulate less inventories.
"… subprime delinquencies rising and the credit crunch in the subprime market getting worse. The delinquency rate for subprime mortgages increased to 13.8% in Q1, according to the MBA, up from the already high 11.5% a year before.
near-prime Alt-A delinquencies are rising sharply: late payments of at least 90 days and defaults on 2006 Alt A mortgages have increased to 4.21 percent, up from 1.59 percent for 2005 mortgages and 0.81 percent for 2004 mortgages, as reported by S&P. So the subprime carnage is now spreading to near prime mortgages.”
So far, the mainstream media is meekly parroting government statistics and tracking the paw prints of big financial houses, like Bear Stearns, stuck in the tar pits of the subprime mortgage mess.
And it is interesting what is happening on the ground, too, in places like Florida where reams of ink have been devoted to the costs afflicting homeowners from insurance and property taxes—including a much trumpeted special legislative session in Tallahassee to deal with the crises—when suddenly, as though out of the blue, yesterday’s news is that tax receipts state-wide are anticipated to fall at least $1 billion.
The building and construction lobby has been flailing at the promise of tax cuts, as though tax cuts could revive the sharp declines in housing markets. Well, no: not if Florida suddenly finds itself a billion short in tax revenues toward a budget that has already been paired to the bone.
In Miami, you would think there would be some public discussion, as the builders lobby comes calling for new zoning and building permits to plow more suburban sprawl and more condo towers.
But there is not a single elected official (OK, maybe one or two) who will raise the question, why have local legislatures turned into rubber stamps for ill-advised development?
Conceivably, it will take a financial meltdown to knock some reason in their heads: that would be just about the same as Congress and the White House waiting until sea level rise, or, the nation’s breadbasket burns up in extreme summer heat before mandates to compel industries to sharply reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.
Everyone wants things to be the way they used to be, just a few years ago, when the formula for riches and political power was simply twinned by campaign contributions wrapped around votes for residential zoning.
In a Florida Association of Realtors press release, on June 25th, “Harry Millsaps, president of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtos and a Realtor with Prudential Coastal Propertie Inc., says that the area’s economy remains strong and home sales are returning to a more normal pace.” But in Miami and Orlando, year-to-year homes sales for May decreased 44 and 40 percent respectively. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater decreased 42 percent. And state-wide, down 34 percent.
In a Wall Street Journal report, on June 26th, Michael Corkery wrote, “Many analysts believe home supplies will decrease and prices will stabilize, only after builders shed their unwanted land.”
But in Miami-Dade the production home builders and land speculators are still jumping up and down, burning through their cash, and the commissioners are nodding in syncopating rhythm: we need zoning changes and building approvals because more people are coming in to Miami and Florida.
Not now.
All but one of nine Miami-Dade school districts are losing students, a perceptible annual rate on the order of five to ten percent. This is news roundly ignored by Miami city and county commissions.
People are moving, although it hasn’t risen to the threshold of Africans fleeing an angry, unrelenting climate. In Miami, the hissing from the housing bubble bursting is perceptible.
As bad as the decline in school enrollments may be, it is still considerably less than the number of Miami homeowners in the clutch of mortgages they may not be able to afford for much longer, residents who would like to move to less expensive locales and are keeping their kids in public schools, holding on and praying for housing values to reverse.
A more likely scenario that improvement in housing values, though, is that the federal government gradually admits to the inflation that has been rampant in the economy, though unacknowledged.
Could it be that prices will be allowed to rise all around the housing bubble, swallowing inflated values in a dollar worth even less than it is, today? There is no humor, in that.
Over the past decade we’ve had Wall Street wagging its tail to the Fed’s “growth recession”, “low” inflation, we’ve had “worries about higher inflation”. Meanwhile, Americans in the vast majority are noticeably poorer.
It is not just the pocket book: it is also quality of life. The growth economy based on suburban sprawl—now flat on its face—has been a nation killer, sold like tobacco or sugar as ‘what the market wants’.
But, always, the bottom line is the pocketbook. And there, the incredibly narrow bandwidth on government propaganda on inflation, and the timidity of most economists, Americans for the most part have meekly bought into the rosy scenarios.
Americans on fixed incomes, though, may wonder indeed if they have been inflicted with an unreported kind of disease—because inflation to them has been real and rampant.
“Thanks to 20 years of inflation, $1 million today has just 54% of the purchasing power of $1 million in 1987.” (from The Wall Street Journal, Jonathan Clements, June 27, 2007)
Bingo.
Countless Americans responded to the pressure of inflation, emptied of meaning and relevance by government statistics, by investing far more in housing than historical precedent or reason would prudently allocate.
When a significant percentage of the nation’s homeowners are investing 40 to 50 percent of disposable income on housing, and home values have fallen 30 percent off purchase prices (as they are, in the nation’s most overheated areas), who needs an exogenous shock to threaten the economy?
Until 2005, real and unreported inflation was matched by consumers of mortgages in housing, matching inflation with inflation, sucking up many purchasers of subprime mortgages, but also, hard working middle and upper middle class.
As paper value of individual investments in housing went up, up, up, the real value of mortgages packaged and sliced into financial derivatives disappeared into pension funds, insurance pools, and hedge funds providing leverage for even more speculative investments.
Today there is a slow motion earthquake trembling through markets for financial derivatives, whose cumulative float is approximately ten times the value of stocks traded on public exchanges in the US.
It doesn’t matter whose liquidity is keeping US stock markets uplifted or high: it is an entirely different scene down in the boiler rooms where government economists and statisticians and Fed board members are keeping the engines running: the denial is remarkable.
The picture is similar to the one painted by Nicolas Kristof in his editorial on the victims of climate change, in the New York Times yesterday.
Kristof, who writes frequently on the planet’s most destitute—not the environment—reports that tens of millions of Africans and Asians are already on the march because of global warming that has wrecked substinence farming.
Think of American buyers of subprime mortgages who are now in default as the homeowner equivalent of climate change victims.
Kristof makes the mistake, in his editorial, of suggesting that wealthier nations like those in the industrial West can withstand the impacts of climate change.
To extend the metaphor, as financial markets are doing, mortgage holders with better credit, ie. the middle class and upper middle class, are not going to be sucked into the same problems afflicting subprime borrowers.
But there is no evidence whatsoever that the United States is insulated from the impacts of climate change, any more than purchasers of A rated mortgage credit are insulated from the troubles afflicting subprime buyers.
It is just taking a little longer. It is just a matter of time before blue-chip mortgage holders find themselves going up, the down staircase.
Noriel Roubini puts meat to these bones. In his June 27th blog, Roubini wrote:
“The fallout of this CDO mess is likely to end up into $100 billion plus of losses for banks, financial institutions, hedge funds and investors once these CDOs and subprime mortgage backed securities are marked-to-market rather than being marked-to-a-delusional-misrated-model. Thus, the Bear disaster is only the tip of the iceberg of a much bigger financial mess that will unravel in the next few months: the pile of rising subprime and nearprime delinquencies will take a toll on the toxic waste of mortgage backed securities that a rating “voodoo magic” pretended to turn below-junk securities into A-rated ones. “
No wonder that all these lousy news about housing and gasoline prices sky high have depressed the US consumer with consumer confidence now significantly down. And no wonder that the latest news from retail sales are also lousy. As reported by the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS in the last two reporting week same store chain store sales have been down (-0.7% in the last week) while the year-over-year growth rate of such sales is now down to 1.7% (i.e. falling in real terms relative to a year ago). Add to that a 2.8% fall in durable goods orders for May and a survey of major CFOs suggesting that they are planning to cut capex spending and accumulate less inventories.
"… subprime delinquencies rising and the credit crunch in the subprime market getting worse. The delinquency rate for subprime mortgages increased to 13.8% in Q1, according to the MBA, up from the already high 11.5% a year before.
near-prime Alt-A delinquencies are rising sharply: late payments of at least 90 days and defaults on 2006 Alt A mortgages have increased to 4.21 percent, up from 1.59 percent for 2005 mortgages and 0.81 percent for 2004 mortgages, as reported by S&P. So the subprime carnage is now spreading to near prime mortgages.”
So far, the mainstream media is meekly parroting government statistics and tracking the paw prints of big financial houses, like Bear Stearns, stuck in the tar pits of the subprime mortgage mess.
And it is interesting what is happening on the ground, too, in places like Florida where reams of ink have been devoted to the costs afflicting homeowners from insurance and property taxes—including a much trumpeted special legislative session in Tallahassee to deal with the crises—when suddenly, as though out of the blue, yesterday’s news is that tax receipts state-wide are anticipated to fall at least $1 billion.
The building and construction lobby has been flailing at the promise of tax cuts, as though tax cuts could revive the sharp declines in housing markets. Well, no: not if Florida suddenly finds itself a billion short in tax revenues toward a budget that has already been paired to the bone.
In Miami, you would think there would be some public discussion, as the builders lobby comes calling for new zoning and building permits to plow more suburban sprawl and more condo towers.
But there is not a single elected official (OK, maybe one or two) who will raise the question, why have local legislatures turned into rubber stamps for ill-advised development?
Conceivably, it will take a financial meltdown to knock some reason in their heads: that would be just about the same as Congress and the White House waiting until sea level rise, or, the nation’s breadbasket burns up in extreme summer heat before mandates to compel industries to sharply reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.
Everyone wants things to be the way they used to be, just a few years ago, when the formula for riches and political power was simply twinned by campaign contributions wrapped around votes for residential zoning.
In a Florida Association of Realtors press release, on June 25th, “Harry Millsaps, president of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtos and a Realtor with Prudential Coastal Propertie Inc., says that the area’s economy remains strong and home sales are returning to a more normal pace.” But in Miami and Orlando, year-to-year homes sales for May decreased 44 and 40 percent respectively. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater decreased 42 percent. And state-wide, down 34 percent.
In a Wall Street Journal report, on June 26th, Michael Corkery wrote, “Many analysts believe home supplies will decrease and prices will stabilize, only after builders shed their unwanted land.”
But in Miami-Dade the production home builders and land speculators are still jumping up and down, burning through their cash, and the commissioners are nodding in syncopating rhythm: we need zoning changes and building approvals because more people are coming in to Miami and Florida.
Not now.
All but one of nine Miami-Dade school districts are losing students, a perceptible annual rate on the order of five to ten percent. This is news roundly ignored by Miami city and county commissions.
People are moving, although it hasn’t risen to the threshold of Africans fleeing an angry, unrelenting climate. In Miami, the hissing from the housing bubble bursting is perceptible.
As bad as the decline in school enrollments may be, it is still considerably less than the number of Miami homeowners in the clutch of mortgages they may not be able to afford for much longer, residents who would like to move to less expensive locales and are keeping their kids in public schools, holding on and praying for housing values to reverse.
A more likely scenario that improvement in housing values, though, is that the federal government gradually admits to the inflation that has been rampant in the economy, though unacknowledged.
Could it be that prices will be allowed to rise all around the housing bubble, swallowing inflated values in a dollar worth even less than it is, today? There is no humor, in that.
The Blame Game: County Manager in the Dog House By Geniusofdespair
Shirley, Shirley bo Birley Bonana fanna fo FirleyFee fy mo Mirley, Shirley!
Oh, sorry wrong game. We are playing the Blame Game not the "name game".
The Miami Herald reported that the County Commission blames Burgess over biotech deal. Yes, he should have researched Stackhouse as I said in a previous post. Just a Google away was the information that would have nixed the whole deal. But I bet Burgess was under pressure...as always...to get it through. He more than anything, is obedient. Obedient to a fault!
Under fire from the Commission Thursday, Burgess did what any Manager would do: He passed the blame on. He blamed the non-profit Miami Dade Empowerment Trust, Inc. Hmmm. There seems to be a lot of blame to go around.
I looked up the Trust. Aundra Wallace was the Registering Agent and is/was the CEO and President. He also has another corporation with Irby McKnight. Willard T. Fair is on the Empowerment Trust corporate papers as is Dean Goldsby, Sr. and Willie Carpenter. Some are big powerful names in the Black Community.
Affordable Housing Cynthia Curry was the registering agent in 2000 when the Trust did their first annual report. At that time, Alex Penelas, Joe Carollo, Steve Shiver and Otis Wallace were the officers. What a crew! Red flag, red flag!
It is fair to say that Commissioner Dorrin Rolle should take some of the blame, after all didn't Rolle say in a Poinciana press release (I found on Black PR Wire) put out by the trust Feb. 26, 2007:
“This little project that couldn’t has turned doubters into believers.” A joke Dorrin?
And, the Herald said:
They “found that Rolle -- one of the driving forces behind the project -- received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and a $10,000 donation to a social services agency (the troubled JESCA I presume) he heads from Stackhouse -- the money drawn from project funds, records show.”
And if we are looking for people to blame let us return to that Poinciana press release to see who the Trust thanks because that is who should get the blame, the people thanked:
“It was a vision we gave birth to, fought hard for, and planned out over many long days and nights,” states Aundra Wallace, 39, president and chief executive officer of the Miami-Dade Empowerment Trust. “The great works of many people, including County Manager George Burgess, Senior Advisor Cynthia Curry, Commissioner Dorrin Rolle, Vice President and CFO Rodney Carey, the GSA department, our elected officials and the Miami Dade Empowerment Trust Board, have helped greatly...”
There you have it in the blame game: we now have a list.
Commissioner Sally Heyman summed it up best at the Commission Meeting:
''We're past the point of bruising. We're bleeding. We've lost credibility''
Ya think? Credibility was lost long ago girl. The affordable housing scandal - House of Lies - was just the icing on the Commission's credibility cake. You are bleeding.
You share the blame for this one Sally, as the Herald said:
“While commissioners blamed the manager's office and the trust, records show the County Commission was responsible for making the trust the master developer of Poinciana.
Under a 2001 agreement, the county was to receive annual financial statements about Poinciana and quarterly progress reports. But that never happened -- and commissioners never questioned why they weren't receiving the updates.”
Feh! Yiddish for Ick.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Great Quote from Lobbyist/Lawyer Clifford Schulman of Greenberg Traurig and Miami Herald on Ron Book. By Geniusofdespair
“This is the first time in 33 years that any one has accused me of fraud.”Let’s see, Clifford Schulman looks to be about 65 - at least. So, exactly what transpired when he was in his early 30’s?
The quote stemmed from Clifford lobbying/lawyering for Publix in Sunny Isles Beach and according to the Miami Herald Publix appeal gets a 2nd no from the city.
Apparently Clifford was miffed because Sunny Isles attorney said 2 different site plans were presented by Publix/Clifford: One to the city and a different one to the Shoreline Review Committee (which didn’t include the 140 slip commercial marina).
Sunny Isles Beach attorney Abadin said:
“The development review process says that land owners need to provide complete and truthful information in zoning applications. If they fail to do so, the city commission cannot review the site plans.”
This attorney Abadin is pretty brave. I wonder if he knows what he is up against.
Ron Book:
This is a bad week for Lobbyists. Integrity questioned of Clifford and also Lobbyist Ron Book. In addition to the fight with Assistant County Manager Roger Carlton who insisted Ron was told he was treading on thin ice, the Herald Editorial said today about Ron:
"...no lobbyist who works for a government should be able to petition that same government on behalf of another client, much less for his own financial interests."
The meek and the hamstrung, by gimleteye
I’m not sure which I appreciate more: “House of Lies” or “Poverty Peddler” but I sure wish the Miami Herald would cop to miserable reporting leading up to the debacle of the Carnivorous Center for the Performing Arts.
Close readers of this blog probably wonder, why is it that I keep yammering on the PAC which is, after all, simply a $500 million dollar mistake.
The Herald did a kick-ass job, including bad decisions by prominent African American leaders in the now-fallen scheme, on “Poverty Peddler”, the series by Jason Grotto and yesterday’s “Miami Dade kills biotech park venture”.
But you had to read through the entire “Miami Performing Arts Center gets a bailout—this time” for the salient feature in the account of disgruntled county commissioners shelling out another $4 million to cover operating costs.
County Commissioner Dennis Moss “questioned whether county staff had overlooked errors in the budget planning before the center opened. Jennifer Glazer-Moon, the county's budget director, said county staff questioned the figures but ultimately relied on the expertise of the trust and its consultants. ''We had questions about the ability to generate the revenues that were anticipated through ticket sales. We also had questions about . . . the occupancy costs associated with the facility,'' she said.”
Good questions, Commissioner Moss.
At the time the PAC was commissioned, the Miami Herald should have interrogated the data and the projections. It didn’t because the Herald wanted the PAC to be built right where it is, at the edge of its property.
If the Miami Herald wants to get on the right side of this story, the editors would insist on accountability now: interview, now, the “trust and its consultants”. Who are they? What did they promise? How did the numbers add up?
The Herald has been marginal on the PAC story for a simple reason: the underlying story stepped on its own toes at a time when Knight Ridder was ginning up its own value, first to maximize shareholder value and later, in anticipation of the sale of the newspaper.
Whether the PAC was needed or not, whether projections vetted by non-profit boards populated by insiders were accurate or not, whether Miami and Miami Herald readers would be better served by building audiences for culture first, through investment in arts programming in the public schools for instance: none of these questions were ever raised by the Miami Herald when raising these questions could have made a difference.
Now we have to read about what a fiscal hole in the ground the PAC is, without ever having had an honest accounting of how we got to this place: the paradigm I'll get to soon enough.
The reason the PAC, which I refer to as the Carnivorous Center for the Performing Arts, is such an irritation is that it continues to swallow all logic.
Now that there are a thousand empty condominiums nearby, and the downtown core empty as a robin’s nest abandoned decades ago, the party line is that we should all just calm down and wait a decade or so until the audience grows… like Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
The reason I continue harping on the PAC is my hope that if the Miami Herald can get on the right side of disclosing the history—of how we got to this burnt place—then maybe the Herald will see its way to the biggest story of 2007: what is going to happen to Florida in a time of crashing housing markets.
The reluctance to connect the dots by Herald executives, is maddeningly reflected in two of today’s top stories: first, the emerging budget crisis because falling revenues that will probably blow apart the tons of ink wasted on Florida legislators struggling to cope with tax reform and, second, the infuriating story of Homestead—where the Growth Machine has throttled common sense like a chicken destined for the soup pot.
The Miami Herald lost its way, on reporting the costs of the building boom to ordinary citizens—a long time ago. There is no discernable opinion on the editorial board about the costs of development, although there are slight, paragraph-long detectable improvements since McClatchy bought the paper.
In the Homestead story, Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace is “jubilant”—but what South Dade turned into in the last decade is the worst example of excesses of the building boom anywhere in Florida. But the Herald hasn’t told that story: even in today’s report, there is no mention of facts related to vacancies or houses for sale or city budgets that are going to be busted because of falling tax revenues.
The Growth Machine has fraudulently advertised the benefits of sprawl for such a long period of time that even the city’s only daily newspaper is totally blind. Maybe if the Herald can get the story on the PAC straight, it can find its way back to reporting on the unfolding economic mess in Florida.
‘House of Lies’ and ‘Poverty Peddler’ show that the Herald knows exactly how to let its reporters work: but don’t just assign your reporters to expose fraud committed on behalf of “improving” poor people. Do the same for fraud committed on all of us, which is the story of the Growth Machine.
The news continually reminds me of this. The other day, it was the report of Lennar’s quarterly loss of nearly $250 million, bleeding its way downward.
Lennar is the Miami production homebuilders with the deepest pockets. Because it has the deepest pockets, its Miami operation has lead the way in trying to move the Urban Development Boundary and plotted with County Commissioner Barbara Jordan to create an “affordable” housing ordinance which was merely a fig leaf to provide cover for the county commission to push out the UDB in Florida City, where Jordan’s brother, Otis Wallace, is jubiliant mayor for the Growth Machine.
Former Congresswoman Carrie Meek has also turned up on Lennar’s payroll as a lobbyist.
Which reminds me of the flurry, a few weeks back, about the timing of Kendrick Meek’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
Before the Meek roles in “Poverty Peddlers” hit the street, Kendrick Meek was well positioned on the Clinton launch pad. He appeared regularly at Miami Dade functions featuring the Clintons on their frequent visits.
On June 8th, one day after he was poised to endorse Hillary, he refuted claims that he was ready to endorse her. It was either a) real hesitation, or b) a ploy to push a news cycle, or c) that Kendrick wanted assurances on title in the campaign or a future appointment in a Clinton administration.
At any rate, on June 14th Senator Clinton announced his endorsement, saying that Kendrick would be a Senior Advisor to the campaign, calling him “a rising star and the future of our party… I look forward to working together as we tackle the challenges facing America at home and abroad."
Well, “Poverty Peddler” certainly raised an unexpected challenge at home.
No wonder Kendrick tried to put as much distance between himself and the fraudulent biotech project as quickly as possible, and good for Mayor Carlos Alvarez for pulling him back instantly.
The Miami Herald reported: “Stackhouse diverted more than $500,000 from the biotech park through doubling billings and dubious expenses while paying a host of political insiders to drum up support for the project Among them: former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, who received at least $40,000, a leased car and a free office for her foundation while her son, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, moved to secure federal dollars for the biotech park Kendrick Meek wrote a letter to the mayor Monday questioning the county's oversight of the project and demanding an end to federal funds for the developer. That prompted a strongly worded response on Tuesday from Alvarez, who pointed to the congressman's two-year role in the biotech park, including his involvement in an organization that provided Stackhouse's companies with millions of dollars.”
''As the former chair of the Task Force on Urban Economic Revitalization between 2002-2005 . . . you are undoubtedly aware of the loan review process and how funding is allocated,'' the mayor wrote. With Meek as chairman, the economic task force approved two loans to Stackhouse companies totaling more than $5 million. Those companies now owe more than $200,000 in late payments, The Miami Herald found.”
For the past several years, Kendrick Meek has been grooming to represent something more than a sinecure district in Miami-Dade County.
Kendrick is smart, well-spoken, and ambitious. He earned his stripes supporting registration of minority voters in 2000 and fighting for the class-size amendment.
But so was Daryl Jones in 1996, when the state senator from South Dade promoting the LBA / HABDI plan for the Homestead Air Force Base was being considered to be Secretary of the Air Force by President Clinton.
When it surfaced that Jones had a very spotty record in his own Guard service at the Base, and failed the confidence test of his own Air Force commander, the White House reversed gears on the budding relationship.
From Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters, you can hear the air hissing out of the Meek aura.
If anything good comes out of this misfortune, it would be to elevate the glum fact that the formula for political success in predominantly African American districts in Miami Dade County is welded to the most abject version of a failed campaign finance system: the Growth Machine provides funds in return for “hands-off” support for zoning and permitting of big projects in other single-member districts.
It is a shame that in her ninth decade, as a “lobbyist”, Carrie Meek found herself deep in the thickets of a huckster’s grip.
Daryl Jones was nimble enough to be vetted by Jim Davis’ failed 2006 governor’s race in Florida. The mainstream media gave him a pass, for1996.
Kendrick gave himself some very, very heavy baggage to carry.
After working so hard to be part of a new wave, it is sad to see the undertow from an old wave pulling him back.
What is the nature of that undertow?
“Facing the downturn, Lennar launched a strategy last year to build and sell homes already in its development pipeline at whatever price the market would bear while pairing down landholdings and slowing housing starts.” That’s also from the Miami Herald, this week.
In other words, what Miamians have sacrificed in terms of quality of life through the blasting of suburban sprawl as the operative principle of local government, has dissolved into a competition to sell “at whatever price the market would bear”.
“We continue to see weak, deteriorating market conditions,” said Stuart Miller, Lennar CEO.
Mr. Miller is being honest.
But who among the elected city and county officials will admit to their role in facilitating the dreadful economic reality unfolding right now, in Miami?
I read, just yesterday, the ruminations of Bill Gross, the highly successful manager of Pimco Funds, on the collapse of the subprime mortgage sector and the instability to the US economy—which is, in my opinion, the result of the Growth Machine run amok and unchallenged in the past decade. “The problem lies not in a Bear Stearns hedge fund that can be papered over with 100 cents on the dollar marks. The flaw resides in the Summerlin suburbs of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the extended city limits of Chicago headed west towards Rockford, and yes, the naked (and empty) rows of multistoried condos in Miami, Florida. The flaw, dear readers, lies in the homes that were financed with cheap and in some cases gratuitous money in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Because while the Bear hedge funds are now primarily history, those millions and millions of homes are not.”
I’m a lot more bearish than Bill Gross. He’s a lot more successful than I am, managing money. But Bill Gross is insulated by his success. Those of us who live on the ground here, in Miami, we feel the the depth and scale of infestation of bad logic in the Decision Trees that pass for good judgment by the Growth Machine.
Anyhow, before leaving this rumination of odds and ends, here’s a last question for Eyeonmiami readers: guess where the editors of the city’s only daily newspaper are more likely to focus their attention: a rip-off and political casualties in Liberty City or the hoi-polloi and the Carnivorous Center for the Performing Arts?
Close readers of this blog probably wonder, why is it that I keep yammering on the PAC which is, after all, simply a $500 million dollar mistake.
The Herald did a kick-ass job, including bad decisions by prominent African American leaders in the now-fallen scheme, on “Poverty Peddler”, the series by Jason Grotto and yesterday’s “Miami Dade kills biotech park venture”.
But you had to read through the entire “Miami Performing Arts Center gets a bailout—this time” for the salient feature in the account of disgruntled county commissioners shelling out another $4 million to cover operating costs.
County Commissioner Dennis Moss “questioned whether county staff had overlooked errors in the budget planning before the center opened. Jennifer Glazer-Moon, the county's budget director, said county staff questioned the figures but ultimately relied on the expertise of the trust and its consultants. ''We had questions about the ability to generate the revenues that were anticipated through ticket sales. We also had questions about . . . the occupancy costs associated with the facility,'' she said.”
Good questions, Commissioner Moss.
At the time the PAC was commissioned, the Miami Herald should have interrogated the data and the projections. It didn’t because the Herald wanted the PAC to be built right where it is, at the edge of its property.
If the Miami Herald wants to get on the right side of this story, the editors would insist on accountability now: interview, now, the “trust and its consultants”. Who are they? What did they promise? How did the numbers add up?
The Herald has been marginal on the PAC story for a simple reason: the underlying story stepped on its own toes at a time when Knight Ridder was ginning up its own value, first to maximize shareholder value and later, in anticipation of the sale of the newspaper.
Whether the PAC was needed or not, whether projections vetted by non-profit boards populated by insiders were accurate or not, whether Miami and Miami Herald readers would be better served by building audiences for culture first, through investment in arts programming in the public schools for instance: none of these questions were ever raised by the Miami Herald when raising these questions could have made a difference.
Now we have to read about what a fiscal hole in the ground the PAC is, without ever having had an honest accounting of how we got to this place: the paradigm I'll get to soon enough.
The reason the PAC, which I refer to as the Carnivorous Center for the Performing Arts, is such an irritation is that it continues to swallow all logic.
Now that there are a thousand empty condominiums nearby, and the downtown core empty as a robin’s nest abandoned decades ago, the party line is that we should all just calm down and wait a decade or so until the audience grows… like Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
The reason I continue harping on the PAC is my hope that if the Miami Herald can get on the right side of disclosing the history—of how we got to this burnt place—then maybe the Herald will see its way to the biggest story of 2007: what is going to happen to Florida in a time of crashing housing markets.
The reluctance to connect the dots by Herald executives, is maddeningly reflected in two of today’s top stories: first, the emerging budget crisis because falling revenues that will probably blow apart the tons of ink wasted on Florida legislators struggling to cope with tax reform and, second, the infuriating story of Homestead—where the Growth Machine has throttled common sense like a chicken destined for the soup pot.
The Miami Herald lost its way, on reporting the costs of the building boom to ordinary citizens—a long time ago. There is no discernable opinion on the editorial board about the costs of development, although there are slight, paragraph-long detectable improvements since McClatchy bought the paper.
In the Homestead story, Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace is “jubilant”—but what South Dade turned into in the last decade is the worst example of excesses of the building boom anywhere in Florida. But the Herald hasn’t told that story: even in today’s report, there is no mention of facts related to vacancies or houses for sale or city budgets that are going to be busted because of falling tax revenues.
The Growth Machine has fraudulently advertised the benefits of sprawl for such a long period of time that even the city’s only daily newspaper is totally blind. Maybe if the Herald can get the story on the PAC straight, it can find its way back to reporting on the unfolding economic mess in Florida.
‘House of Lies’ and ‘Poverty Peddler’ show that the Herald knows exactly how to let its reporters work: but don’t just assign your reporters to expose fraud committed on behalf of “improving” poor people. Do the same for fraud committed on all of us, which is the story of the Growth Machine.
The news continually reminds me of this. The other day, it was the report of Lennar’s quarterly loss of nearly $250 million, bleeding its way downward.
Lennar is the Miami production homebuilders with the deepest pockets. Because it has the deepest pockets, its Miami operation has lead the way in trying to move the Urban Development Boundary and plotted with County Commissioner Barbara Jordan to create an “affordable” housing ordinance which was merely a fig leaf to provide cover for the county commission to push out the UDB in Florida City, where Jordan’s brother, Otis Wallace, is jubiliant mayor for the Growth Machine.
Former Congresswoman Carrie Meek has also turned up on Lennar’s payroll as a lobbyist.
Which reminds me of the flurry, a few weeks back, about the timing of Kendrick Meek’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
Before the Meek roles in “Poverty Peddlers” hit the street, Kendrick Meek was well positioned on the Clinton launch pad. He appeared regularly at Miami Dade functions featuring the Clintons on their frequent visits.
On June 8th, one day after he was poised to endorse Hillary, he refuted claims that he was ready to endorse her. It was either a) real hesitation, or b) a ploy to push a news cycle, or c) that Kendrick wanted assurances on title in the campaign or a future appointment in a Clinton administration.
At any rate, on June 14th Senator Clinton announced his endorsement, saying that Kendrick would be a Senior Advisor to the campaign, calling him “a rising star and the future of our party… I look forward to working together as we tackle the challenges facing America at home and abroad."
Well, “Poverty Peddler” certainly raised an unexpected challenge at home.
No wonder Kendrick tried to put as much distance between himself and the fraudulent biotech project as quickly as possible, and good for Mayor Carlos Alvarez for pulling him back instantly.
The Miami Herald reported: “Stackhouse diverted more than $500,000 from the biotech park through doubling billings and dubious expenses while paying a host of political insiders to drum up support for the project Among them: former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, who received at least $40,000, a leased car and a free office for her foundation while her son, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, moved to secure federal dollars for the biotech park Kendrick Meek wrote a letter to the mayor Monday questioning the county's oversight of the project and demanding an end to federal funds for the developer. That prompted a strongly worded response on Tuesday from Alvarez, who pointed to the congressman's two-year role in the biotech park, including his involvement in an organization that provided Stackhouse's companies with millions of dollars.”
''As the former chair of the Task Force on Urban Economic Revitalization between 2002-2005 . . . you are undoubtedly aware of the loan review process and how funding is allocated,'' the mayor wrote. With Meek as chairman, the economic task force approved two loans to Stackhouse companies totaling more than $5 million. Those companies now owe more than $200,000 in late payments, The Miami Herald found.”
For the past several years, Kendrick Meek has been grooming to represent something more than a sinecure district in Miami-Dade County.
Kendrick is smart, well-spoken, and ambitious. He earned his stripes supporting registration of minority voters in 2000 and fighting for the class-size amendment.
But so was Daryl Jones in 1996, when the state senator from South Dade promoting the LBA / HABDI plan for the Homestead Air Force Base was being considered to be Secretary of the Air Force by President Clinton.
When it surfaced that Jones had a very spotty record in his own Guard service at the Base, and failed the confidence test of his own Air Force commander, the White House reversed gears on the budding relationship.
From Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters, you can hear the air hissing out of the Meek aura.
If anything good comes out of this misfortune, it would be to elevate the glum fact that the formula for political success in predominantly African American districts in Miami Dade County is welded to the most abject version of a failed campaign finance system: the Growth Machine provides funds in return for “hands-off” support for zoning and permitting of big projects in other single-member districts.
It is a shame that in her ninth decade, as a “lobbyist”, Carrie Meek found herself deep in the thickets of a huckster’s grip.
Daryl Jones was nimble enough to be vetted by Jim Davis’ failed 2006 governor’s race in Florida. The mainstream media gave him a pass, for1996.
Kendrick gave himself some very, very heavy baggage to carry.
After working so hard to be part of a new wave, it is sad to see the undertow from an old wave pulling him back.
What is the nature of that undertow?
“Facing the downturn, Lennar launched a strategy last year to build and sell homes already in its development pipeline at whatever price the market would bear while pairing down landholdings and slowing housing starts.” That’s also from the Miami Herald, this week.
In other words, what Miamians have sacrificed in terms of quality of life through the blasting of suburban sprawl as the operative principle of local government, has dissolved into a competition to sell “at whatever price the market would bear”.
“We continue to see weak, deteriorating market conditions,” said Stuart Miller, Lennar CEO.
Mr. Miller is being honest.
But who among the elected city and county officials will admit to their role in facilitating the dreadful economic reality unfolding right now, in Miami?
I read, just yesterday, the ruminations of Bill Gross, the highly successful manager of Pimco Funds, on the collapse of the subprime mortgage sector and the instability to the US economy—which is, in my opinion, the result of the Growth Machine run amok and unchallenged in the past decade. “The problem lies not in a Bear Stearns hedge fund that can be papered over with 100 cents on the dollar marks. The flaw resides in the Summerlin suburbs of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the extended city limits of Chicago headed west towards Rockford, and yes, the naked (and empty) rows of multistoried condos in Miami, Florida. The flaw, dear readers, lies in the homes that were financed with cheap and in some cases gratuitous money in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Because while the Bear hedge funds are now primarily history, those millions and millions of homes are not.”
I’m a lot more bearish than Bill Gross. He’s a lot more successful than I am, managing money. But Bill Gross is insulated by his success. Those of us who live on the ground here, in Miami, we feel the the depth and scale of infestation of bad logic in the Decision Trees that pass for good judgment by the Growth Machine.
Anyhow, before leaving this rumination of odds and ends, here’s a last question for Eyeonmiami readers: guess where the editors of the city’s only daily newspaper are more likely to focus their attention: a rip-off and political casualties in Liberty City or the hoi-polloi and the Carnivorous Center for the Performing Arts?
Right Under our noses: House Bill 7203 covers City of Miami, Hialeah and all of Broward. By Geniusofdespair
I went to a Downtown Bay Forum meeting yesterday and heard Carolyn Dekle, Executive Director of the South Florida Regional Planning Council (you all must remember that Katy Sorenson was taken off the Council by Commissioner Chair Martinez last year). I have an uncanny ability to zone out most of the time but still pick up what is important. I almost hit the floor when Dekle referred to a new law that has truncated review of (State Growth/Planning Reviewing Agencies) DCA and SFRPC. Deckle said the State agencies are moving towards letting local communities take more of a role in their growth management.
I am a pretty regular reader of the Miami Herald and not much slips by me...although I am on overload, but somehow this became a law right under my nose, never saw it in the Herald.
When I got home I quickly called Charles Pattison of 1000 Friends of Florida, a former staff member of the Department of Community Affairs. He said I should have looked on their website 1000 Friends of Florida . The Bill was there. (This is boring stuff but you have to know it so please read on).
In short, the bill is a pilot project. The process affects the City of Miami (not the county YET!) and is basically a modified “small scale” amendment process for all amendments – one hearing, DCA , RPC and state agencies, and any local government that asks, get copies of the proposed amendments, and they can comment if they want but they don’t have to. Individual comments are then sent back to the city, and then a 2nd adoption hearing is held. Any amendments that pass are sent back to the agencies, and the agencies can appeal if they chose. Standing by citizens affected to challenge any amendment remains the same. 1000 Friends wrote:
OVERALL IMPRESSION - not moving in the right direction as many more issues included:
1. makes it easier for development to occur regardless of transportation concurrency issues
2. dangerous extension of local government/developer agreements from 10 to 20 years when revenue forecasting less certain than ever
3. establishes a pilot program in several communities (Broward, Pinellas, Jacksonville, Miami, Hialeah, Tampa) that allows all amendments to be reviewed through small scale amendment process
4. citizens get little from this bill - developers and local governments get relaxed concurrency standards with limited requirement for consistency with the local comprehensive plan
It seems like we need - Florida Hometown Democracy Petition more than ever.
In short order — if the State keeps moving in that direction -- the Vile Natacha Seijas and other County Commissioners will not have the State scrutinizing land use changes they make for their developer pals.
If you hit “Read More” you can see what 1000 Friends of Florida wrote about this bill before it became law:
HB 7203, 2nd engrossed version, with amendments as of May 1, 2007
Our goal this year - only minor changes necessary to fix glitches from SB 360 regarding concurrency and financial feasibility this year, with more substantial and comprehensive revisions in 2008 session.
OVERALL IMPRESSION - not moving in the right direction as many more issues included:
1. makes it easier for development to occur regardless of transportation concurrency issues
2. dangerous extension of local government/developer agreements from 10 to 20 years when revenue forecasting less certain than ever
3. establishes a pilot program in several communities (Broward, Pinellas, Jacksonville, Miami, Hialeah, Tampa) that allows all amendments to be reviewed through small scale amendment process
4. citizens get little from this bill - developers and local governments get relaxed concurrency standards with limited requirement for consistency with the local comprehensive plan
HIGHLIGHTS as we see them on 5/5/07 (subject to update):
1. community redevelopment areas now included in Chapter 163 definition of "urban redevelopment"
2. comp plans deemed "financially feasible" when the capital improvements schedule shows that concurrency standards (for transportation and schools) will be achieved/maintained by the end of the 5 year schedule (means you don't have to meet concurrency in any one year IF you can demonstrate you will meet it by year 5)
3. allows plan amendments to be deemed "financially feasible" as well as meeting the "achieve and maintain" standard with respect to transportation facilities IF
(a) is a condition of development order of a DRI with proportionate share mitigation
(b) is part of a binding agreement with fair share mitigation where the amendment to the future land use map is within designated urban infill, urban redevelopment or urban service area - binding agreement must be based on maximum allowable amount of development on the map and/or in plan policy if less than the maximum
4. adds airport passenger terminals, concourses, air cargo facilities, hangars, aircraft maintenance/storage areas to existing transportation concurrency exemption for public transit facilities
5. clarifies that where urban service areas are to be considered for transportation concurrency, they can only be as large as the area covering a 10 year planning period (means that existing very large urban service areas that allow for more than 10 years of growth will not qualify)
6. allows existing Transportation Concurrency Areas to meet the tighter requirements established in 2005 at the time of the next EAR instead of 2006
7. clarification that DRIs using proportionate share not required to reduce or eliminate existing backlogs on roads and schools - extends this provision as well to Florida Quality Developments and optional sector plans
8. where a school board agrees to include a new facility in its next scheduled work program, developers can accelerate building of one or more schools
9. proportionate fair share mitigation specifically allowed to be focused on one or more transportation improvements - clarification that where such funding "significantly benefits" the overall transportation system as determined by the local government, development is allowed to occur even if concurrency not met
10. Transportation Concurrency Backlog Areas authorized:
a. allows creation of an authority (meaning the appropriate local government) that designates an area where one or more traffic deficiencies exist such that traffic volume(s) exceed the level of service standard (LOS) as found in the local plan
b. provides tax increment financing to raise funds needed to demonstrate that deficiencies will be addressed in 10 years or less - allows for bonds and related financing mechanisms
c. allows development to proceed once the improvement schedule is made part of the comprehensive plan - will be deemed "financially feasible" and meeting the "achieve and maintain" standard now required
d. also requires an overall plan showing deficient roadways, priority improvement list and financing schedule as part of the comprehensive plan
11. allows Jacksonville-Duval to have 720 acres (instead of 120) of small scale amendments/year - no more than 120 acres of such amendments allowed outside designated urban infill, urban redevelopment areas
12. Plan Amendment Review Pilot Progam:
a. designates Broward, Pinellas, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Hialeah to have all amendments reviewed under a modified small scale process
b. local government has transmittal hearing and DCA,FDOT, DEP, Education Commissioner, DACS, DOS, and Game Commission and any requesting local government may or may not comment within 30 days - Regional Planning Council comments limited to regional issues - use Chapter 125 or 166 notice requirements - DCA encouraged to focus on state and regional issues
c. local government has adoption hearing to consider any comments using Chapter 125 or 166
d. amendments go into effect if not challenged within 30 days
e. citizen standing allowed as before, with "preponderance of the evidence" test; state agencies may also challenge
f. any rural land stewardship, optional sector plan, EAR update amendment, implementation of any new statutory requirements, and new plans for newly incorporated areas required to use current system
g. Administration Commission takes final action within 45 days if administrative law judge recommends "not in" finding; DCA receives recommendations if "in compliance"
h. Where DCA finds amendment "not in", sends on to Administration Commission; if it finds "not in", may apply sanctions; if finding is "in", enters final order
i. OPPAGA to present evaluation report by December 1, 2008, to Governor, Speaker and President on pilot program
13. DCA gets 4 new positions for technical assistance
14. DRI buildout dates extended by 3 years without becoming substantial deviations
15. Community Workforce Housing Innovation Pilot Program (CHWIP) for building affordable housing renamed "Representative Mike Davis Community Workforce Housing Innovation Pilot Program
16. Conservation easement revisions which also appear in a DEP sponsored bill appear here regarding "Tax Increment Financing for Conservation Lands"
17. When Port Master Plans are integrated into a local comprehensive plan as part of an EAR, and the EAR is found not sufficient, the port master plan may still be adopted
18. DCA authorized to use rulemaking to implement Local Update Census Addresses (LUCA) tech assistance grants
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
The Everglades and Bush White House, rebranding failure as success by gimleteye
So why is the Bush White House advocating for the removal of Everglades National Park from the United Nation’s list of World Heritage Sites in Danger? Orwellian, yes.
According to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, “the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations, meeting in New Zealand, ‘commended the US for its investment of scientific and financial resources to rehabilite the site’. And x'ed the Everglades from its endangered ecosystem list.
Now hold on, pardner. If there was ever a poster-child for ruined ecosystems, Florida's Everglades is it. Joe Podgor, of Friends of the Everglades, once said, "The Everglades is a test. If we pass, we get to keep the planet." Well, yes.
We certainly are attentive, now, to issues of "keeping the planet".
But, if you want a prescient estimate of our chances of keeping the planet, consider the damage the building boom of the past decade has done to Florida where the Growth Machine repeatedly advertised, unquestioned by the mass media, its accomplishments as a benefit to society and the economy: cast your eyes on the poor Everglades pinata.
Decades of agitation have not restored the Everglades. What the Everglades demonstrate above all else, in reflection of Joe Podgor's observation, is that when the United States is confronted with pressure to change economic behavior rooted in the power of corporations, the result is an avalanche of "process" that condemns iniative to a bog as thick and heavy as--well-- the Everglades.
One of the core precursor projects in the East Everglades keeps drifting further and further from completion. The price tage for Modified Waters has risen in nearly two decades from just over $100 million to nearly $1 billion. It is meant to balance the needs of an endangered species and also a handful of property owners in the 8.5 Square Mile Area who would not sell their property to the federal government. (A few former county commissioners who opposed the project version that would have subject the entire area to condemnation also owned property in the area.)
In other words, Everglades restoration is either an utter mess or a windfall for land speculators.
A Greenwire story today reports that “the Bush administration had lobbied the international body to remove the Everglades from the list of world-class ecosystems suffering from severe environmental degradation. The Everglades were added to the World Heritage List in 1979 and placed on the danger list in 1993. Todd Willens, Interior’s deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, said in a statement, ‘Although full implementation of some restoration measures is still a few years off, we have committed significant resources toward the restoration of the Everglades.’”
“We”? OMG. Did Everglades National Park even know that it was being de-listed? We bet, no. We bet that a poll of Everglades National Park scientists of whether to be de-listed or not would be 100 percent against de-listing.
The federal government has manifestly failed its end of the budget agreement to fund Everglades “restoration”. But for its part, Congress has rightly questioned whether the State of Florida--under Governor Bush, the state seized the leading role in what was intended, originally, as a 50-50 partnership--is really restoring the Everglades or just providing billions to industrial water supply projects to fuel Florida's growth.
Everglades National Park is under-funded and at a competitive disadvantage in asserting science policy over restoration rubrics, primarily water supply enhancements for the cities and agriculture.
Would President Bush use the UN’s de-listing of the Everglades as an environmental ‘achievement’ in his legacy speech, when he leaves office? If he does, it won't be the first piece of misinformation rebranding failure as accomplishment.
According to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, “the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations, meeting in New Zealand, ‘commended the US for its investment of scientific and financial resources to rehabilite the site’. And x'ed the Everglades from its endangered ecosystem list.
Now hold on, pardner. If there was ever a poster-child for ruined ecosystems, Florida's Everglades is it. Joe Podgor, of Friends of the Everglades, once said, "The Everglades is a test. If we pass, we get to keep the planet." Well, yes.
We certainly are attentive, now, to issues of "keeping the planet".
But, if you want a prescient estimate of our chances of keeping the planet, consider the damage the building boom of the past decade has done to Florida where the Growth Machine repeatedly advertised, unquestioned by the mass media, its accomplishments as a benefit to society and the economy: cast your eyes on the poor Everglades pinata.
Decades of agitation have not restored the Everglades. What the Everglades demonstrate above all else, in reflection of Joe Podgor's observation, is that when the United States is confronted with pressure to change economic behavior rooted in the power of corporations, the result is an avalanche of "process" that condemns iniative to a bog as thick and heavy as--well-- the Everglades.
One of the core precursor projects in the East Everglades keeps drifting further and further from completion. The price tage for Modified Waters has risen in nearly two decades from just over $100 million to nearly $1 billion. It is meant to balance the needs of an endangered species and also a handful of property owners in the 8.5 Square Mile Area who would not sell their property to the federal government. (A few former county commissioners who opposed the project version that would have subject the entire area to condemnation also owned property in the area.)
In other words, Everglades restoration is either an utter mess or a windfall for land speculators.
A Greenwire story today reports that “the Bush administration had lobbied the international body to remove the Everglades from the list of world-class ecosystems suffering from severe environmental degradation. The Everglades were added to the World Heritage List in 1979 and placed on the danger list in 1993. Todd Willens, Interior’s deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, said in a statement, ‘Although full implementation of some restoration measures is still a few years off, we have committed significant resources toward the restoration of the Everglades.’”
“We”? OMG. Did Everglades National Park even know that it was being de-listed? We bet, no. We bet that a poll of Everglades National Park scientists of whether to be de-listed or not would be 100 percent against de-listing.
The federal government has manifestly failed its end of the budget agreement to fund Everglades “restoration”. But for its part, Congress has rightly questioned whether the State of Florida--under Governor Bush, the state seized the leading role in what was intended, originally, as a 50-50 partnership--is really restoring the Everglades or just providing billions to industrial water supply projects to fuel Florida's growth.
Everglades National Park is under-funded and at a competitive disadvantage in asserting science policy over restoration rubrics, primarily water supply enhancements for the cities and agriculture.
Would President Bush use the UN’s de-listing of the Everglades as an environmental ‘achievement’ in his legacy speech, when he leaves office? If he does, it won't be the first piece of misinformation rebranding failure as accomplishment.
Real Estate Slump/Dive (Take your pick) By Geniusofdespair
Eric Kalis of “Miami Today” reported that “about 9,000 foreclosures this year are pending in Miami-Dade County.” The reporter states that condo flippers cannot afford to rent because the rental market is at $2 a square foot. With insurance, condo fees and property taxes, the owner is turning to foreclosure instead. “Condo Vultures” said there are over 1,400 condos that have been on the market for more than 100 days throughout the region.
The Miami Herald reported S. Florida home sales stagnant as tax cuts take hold. Reporter Matt Haggman said Miami-Dade single family homes plunged 44% from last May and condo sales were down 46% from last year.
Bad news for our buds at Lennar. The Miami Herald said Lennar reports $244.2M 2nd-quarter loss. In the previous year they posted a $324.70 profit. Hell, this is one sluggish market. Lennar has cut their profit on new homes from 23.7% to 13.6%. In the 2nd quarter Lennar delivered 9,568 homes, down 28% from last year. The average price for a home fell to $298,000.
I am worried about what will happen to CEO Stuart Miller's Compensation package this year...(the compensation package shown here is from Salary.com)
P.S. Whomever took this photo of Stuart Miller should be taking my family portaits. This photographer has talent, love the halo.
The Miami Herald reported S. Florida home sales stagnant as tax cuts take hold. Reporter Matt Haggman said Miami-Dade single family homes plunged 44% from last May and condo sales were down 46% from last year.
Bad news for our buds at Lennar. The Miami Herald said Lennar reports $244.2M 2nd-quarter loss. In the previous year they posted a $324.70 profit. Hell, this is one sluggish market. Lennar has cut their profit on new homes from 23.7% to 13.6%. In the 2nd quarter Lennar delivered 9,568 homes, down 28% from last year. The average price for a home fell to $298,000.
I am worried about what will happen to CEO Stuart Miller's Compensation package this year...(the compensation package shown here is from Salary.com)
P.S. Whomever took this photo of Stuart Miller should be taking my family portaits. This photographer has talent, love the halo.
Our State Government Gets a Big Fat Veto from Crist by Geniusofdespair
(Hit on the letter to make it larger). Governor Crist Vetoed Substitute Senate Bill 900 which would have made it harder for us to get petitions signed to put initiatives on the ballot. The bill called for a strict 30 day deadline for the submission of petitions to the Supervisors of Elections for verification. The bill also gave voters 30 days to revoke their signature from a ballot initiative.Crist seemed to object to the 30 day submission requirement because, he said, it unnecessarily restricts the right of Florida’s citizens to petition their government. Thanks Charlie, I agree.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
More on Carrie Meek by Geniusofdespair
The third and final article came out today in the Miami Herald on the Bio-Medical research center farce. Apparently the scam was going on in Opa Locka first. Doesn’t anyone talk to each other in this town? The series might be over but I'm not finished. I decided to look up Carrie's records:
November 12, 2001 a non-profit called the Carrie Meek Foundation was formed. Officers included, Carrie, Cynthia Stafford and Rickart Glasgow.
October 20, 2004 The Carrie Meek Group was formed, another non-profit. Officers: Carrie and Lucia Raiford.
May 31, 2006 a non-profit was formed called The Florida Consortium for Biomedical Research, Inc. the officers of this Corporation are: MIT Graduate Api Rudich (MediVector’s president with the 300 sq. foot office in Mass.), Carrie Meek, Douglas Frank, Eduardo Padron and Winfred Phillips.
Carrie P. Meek is also known as Carrie P. Davis according to a mortgage she paid off on February 08, 2006.
She also owns a condo on Brickell, 990 square feet which she purchased for $139,000 in 2003, on the 12th floor. Other sales, 990 square feet, 2004 on 9th floor: $207,000, 9th floor, 990 square foot, 2003 sale: $187,500. Hard to compare prices, we don’t know the views from the units but I bet she got a good deal.
However, here is an interesting turn of events on the financing. Carrie bought the condo from Southern Skyway Property Corp.(Developer Gary Goldbloom officer) and Skyway wrote Carrie a mortgage for $119,000 at 4 3/4%. The only other mortgage the company wrote that year was to Brickell Bay Entertainment for $1,400,000. Southern Skyway did write a mortgage in 2004 for $2,215,500 to another Corporation. According to public records, between the year 2000 and the present, Southern Skyway gave 3 mortgages total and they wrote only one small mortgage and that was to Carrie Davis/Meek.
Coincidentally, according to campaign finance records:
In June 2005, Goldbloom gave $1,600 to Kendrick Meek’s campaign. And, in 2006 he gave another $500 to Kendrick. George Goldbloom (using the same company address) gave $2,000 to the 2004 Kendrick Meek primary campaign. Gary Goldbloom and wife gave $1,000 each to the Carrie Meek Primary campaign in ‘97. Hmmm. Something is up. Wonder if Southern Skyway Property Corp. ever benefited by any Meek vote?
As far as Kendrick Meek goes, he appears to be taking the advice of Donna Shalala’s dad (as reported on this blog on Father’s Day) who said to his daughter:
“If you get into a ditch, don’t keep digging.”
It is a much better stance to be proactive and stop the funds (as reported today): Rep. Meek urges halt on park than the previous day when Kendrick back-peddled and denied.
November 12, 2001 a non-profit called the Carrie Meek Foundation was formed. Officers included, Carrie, Cynthia Stafford and Rickart Glasgow.
October 20, 2004 The Carrie Meek Group was formed, another non-profit. Officers: Carrie and Lucia Raiford.
May 31, 2006 a non-profit was formed called The Florida Consortium for Biomedical Research, Inc. the officers of this Corporation are: MIT Graduate Api Rudich (MediVector’s president with the 300 sq. foot office in Mass.), Carrie Meek, Douglas Frank, Eduardo Padron and Winfred Phillips.
Carrie P. Meek is also known as Carrie P. Davis according to a mortgage she paid off on February 08, 2006.
She also owns a condo on Brickell, 990 square feet which she purchased for $139,000 in 2003, on the 12th floor. Other sales, 990 square feet, 2004 on 9th floor: $207,000, 9th floor, 990 square foot, 2003 sale: $187,500. Hard to compare prices, we don’t know the views from the units but I bet she got a good deal.
However, here is an interesting turn of events on the financing. Carrie bought the condo from Southern Skyway Property Corp.(Developer Gary Goldbloom officer) and Skyway wrote Carrie a mortgage for $119,000 at 4 3/4%. The only other mortgage the company wrote that year was to Brickell Bay Entertainment for $1,400,000. Southern Skyway did write a mortgage in 2004 for $2,215,500 to another Corporation. According to public records, between the year 2000 and the present, Southern Skyway gave 3 mortgages total and they wrote only one small mortgage and that was to Carrie Davis/Meek.
Coincidentally, according to campaign finance records:
In June 2005, Goldbloom gave $1,600 to Kendrick Meek’s campaign. And, in 2006 he gave another $500 to Kendrick. George Goldbloom (using the same company address) gave $2,000 to the 2004 Kendrick Meek primary campaign. Gary Goldbloom and wife gave $1,000 each to the Carrie Meek Primary campaign in ‘97. Hmmm. Something is up. Wonder if Southern Skyway Property Corp. ever benefited by any Meek vote?
As far as Kendrick Meek goes, he appears to be taking the advice of Donna Shalala’s dad (as reported on this blog on Father’s Day) who said to his daughter:
“If you get into a ditch, don’t keep digging.”
It is a much better stance to be proactive and stop the funds (as reported today): Rep. Meek urges halt on park than the previous day when Kendrick back-peddled and denied.
Miami Sim City: a new online real estate game by gimleteye
Through the post comment box, at the bottom, add your own suggestions for steps and decisions that could make Miami Sim City a big hit in the world of virtual gaming. If there are any profits, I promise to cut you in, or, credit your contribution.
GAME STEPS
Choose from one of the many real estate developer avatars, to be your identity.
Start with a small nest egg. Choose your nest egg source: home equity line of credit, partnership with investor, or “offshore” source. Incur liability depending on source.
Invest in a politician, a lawyer, and a lobbyist. Choose carefully. Buy points to fend off threats.
Join builders association. Attend luncheons. Exchange cards.
Find a tenant. A biotech company. A museum. Affordable housing. More points, for public sources of funding.
Ingratiate yourself with city and county officials. Take them to lunch at Joe’s Stone Crab, or, a steak house on Lejeune Road.
Hire and architect and draw up plans.
Hire a traffic planner to show your development will have no impact on surrounding roads. Lie.
Draft a request to obtain funding from a public source, based on the plan. Submit to county and city commissions.
Attend public hearing. Let lobbyist do the talking.
Fill out loan application. More points, for creativity.
Get money, put money in bank account.
Give large political contribution to key public officials.
Rent office space, lease cars and office equipment. Double bill your own company.
Go to Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Make friends.
Use commitment of public money to get bank loan or bond funding. Take loan officer fishing in the Caribbean.
Contribute to United Way.
Build model unit, pour concrete pad, put up chain link fence, drift banner with phone number behind single engine plane over South Beach.
Print glossy brochure. Don’t pay printer. Double invoice yourself.
Attend press conference. Cut ribbon. Take pictures with public officials holding shovels. Give political contributions through lobbyist. Increase your salary.
Get more money. Pay lawyer. Take in more partners (public money, gets you more points and a higher score).
Put personal property in wife's name.
Give away space to agencies or foundations were elected officials take their salaries. Send flowers to staff.
Do not answer calls from reporters.
GAME STEPS
Choose from one of the many real estate developer avatars, to be your identity.
Start with a small nest egg. Choose your nest egg source: home equity line of credit, partnership with investor, or “offshore” source. Incur liability depending on source.
Invest in a politician, a lawyer, and a lobbyist. Choose carefully. Buy points to fend off threats.
Join builders association. Attend luncheons. Exchange cards.
Find a tenant. A biotech company. A museum. Affordable housing. More points, for public sources of funding.
Ingratiate yourself with city and county officials. Take them to lunch at Joe’s Stone Crab, or, a steak house on Lejeune Road.
Hire and architect and draw up plans.
Hire a traffic planner to show your development will have no impact on surrounding roads. Lie.
Draft a request to obtain funding from a public source, based on the plan. Submit to county and city commissions.
Attend public hearing. Let lobbyist do the talking.
Fill out loan application. More points, for creativity.
Get money, put money in bank account.
Give large political contribution to key public officials.
Rent office space, lease cars and office equipment. Double bill your own company.
Go to Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Make friends.
Use commitment of public money to get bank loan or bond funding. Take loan officer fishing in the Caribbean.
Contribute to United Way.
Build model unit, pour concrete pad, put up chain link fence, drift banner with phone number behind single engine plane over South Beach.
Print glossy brochure. Don’t pay printer. Double invoice yourself.
Attend press conference. Cut ribbon. Take pictures with public officials holding shovels. Give political contributions through lobbyist. Increase your salary.
Get more money. Pay lawyer. Take in more partners (public money, gets you more points and a higher score).
Put personal property in wife's name.
Give away space to agencies or foundations were elected officials take their salaries. Send flowers to staff.
Do not answer calls from reporters.
Monday, June 25, 2007
My trip to New York by Geniusofdespair
You think Miami is a wacky place until you go to New York. I learn something new every time I go. I swear I did not know this, about being Catholic (see below):
Miami Politics, America's Perp Carnival by gimleteye
Come corrupt us, seems to be the shingle hanging out in front of every politician’s office in Miami, Florida. I’m not making this up.
With housing markets collapsing like castles made of sand, the news of the day is a throwback to the 1950’s or some other era brazen era gilded by greed.
It’s nauseating, what Miami politicians have done in recent years, in the name of protecting public health and welfare.
Thievery of the public trust is the order of the day. How else to interpret Sunday’s feature story and today's second part in the Miami Herald: prominent African American leaders (Kendrick Meek, Carrie Meek, Dorin Rolle) aided and abetted a scam artist to once again pilfer the public trust in Miami Dade County? Developer reaped millions for biotech park never built.
“Under the watch of local government, a Boston developer reaped millions in poverty money for a promised biotech park but never delivered a single building—leaving only a desolate swath of land in one of Miami-Dade’s most neglected neighborhoods.” That's just the most recent chapter.
There was Barbara Jordan in 2006 trying to shoe-horn her own county “affordable” housing ordinance, a fig leaf for big developers like Lennar to plow more condominiums into farmland. There were African American county commissioners looking the other way as the County Housing Agency itself was plundered by low level political hacks aspiring to be big lobbyists, reported by the Herald in its Pulitzer Prize winning "House of Lies."
The Miami Herald deserves kudos, but damn if the city’s only daily newspaper didn't come up in second place in last week's other story of public corruption: the hijacking of an entire city department charged with capital improvements—turning a public department into a private contracting firm called, surprise, The Firm.
These scandals took flight at the apogee of the building boom in 2005, like a slingshot stretched and aimed at every politician with a nose for private gain. Like then county chairman Joe Martinez taking free work on his West Dade home from a contractor associated with the leadership of the Latin Builders Association, then seeking changes to the Urban Development Boundary?
Eagerly they jumped on whatever train was leaving whatever station, without concern for ethics or the law, and in the narcoleptic wake of Jeb Bush’s 'let’s streamline development for developers' school of government.
Looking back at the building boom and the behavior of public officials, who needed crack when simply raising your hand in an affirmative vote for the builders' lobby offered such delectable treats to compliant city and county commissioners?
A few weeks ago I wrote, “The recent, past building boom contained the seeds of the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on South Florida taxpayers. The stories are just beginning to bloom.”
Little did I know.
But The Firm headline leads to another clammy question: how did a monthly news magazine get a leg up on the city’s esteemed daily newspaper?
Miami Monthly appears to have scooped The Miami Herald in its in-depth report, “Robbing the City Blind: Welcome to The Firm. Where city employees work on their secret clients on city time, with city equipment, and on the city’s dime.”
The Herald did report the story on Saturday, and both news sources may have held off breaking the news until the State Attorney’s Office made its case.
“They called it ‘The Firm’—a consulting business Miami city government employees were running from their desks at the Riverside Center administrative building. On Thursday, police and prosecutors called it racketeering and organized fraud,” the Herald reports.
But Miami Monthly appears to have had the details, and the sources, to the heart of the story.
“In late December 2005, HDR consultants started piecing together clues that something was seriously amiss. One consultant told another in an email: ‘I have seen meetings between firm members to discuss and produce plans for projects that have no relation to any CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) project. I have also seen firm members holding meetings in their cubicles… with open plans that have nothing to do with any CIP project… These occurrences are well known by all CIP personnel in the 8th floor.’”
The Miami Herald reported, “We are arresting virtually an entire arm of city government,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at a news conference in the lobby of the city administrative building.”
But Miami Monthly gives us the detail: an initial January 2006 investigation dead-ended, allowing a full nine months for those charged to go on their merry way.
Beyond the question, was the Herald asleep?, how little regard did government employees have for law enforcement, that they felt continued their merry way for nine solid months until—as Miami Monthly reports, “late in 2006 a handwritten anonymous letter detailing The Firm’s activities arrived at the city manager’s office”?
Finally, City of Miami Human Resources Directior Rosalie Mark recommended a company to perform an in-depth investigation: RJD Unlimited, Inc.
Now with evidence in hand, the Miami Police Departments Internal Affairs division “took immediate action.”
“The massive investigation identified more than a dozen employees—some earning over $100,000 a year—surreptitiously managing 70 private projects ranging from additions and remodeling of private homes to multi-million dollar shopping centers—all during city business hours.”
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said one source, predicting that those brought in for questioning would freely rat out their cohorts in hopes of leniency.”
This story not only has legs. It has eighteen wheels.
Well, yes. Damn it: let’s have the names of the private individuals who were having work done by a city department for their construction projects.
By all means, let’s see if any of those individuals turn up as campaign contributors or consultants to contributors of political campaigns in the city of Miami?
I have questions: plenty of them.
Under what conditions of malfeasance does an ENTIRE city department go to the dark side?
I would say: under conditions of malfeasance in which corruption is not only tolerated but under conditions where ethical behavior is regarded as a career-killer.
The Herald reports, “City Commissioner Joe Sanchez said he was pleased the city initiated the investigation, though he said City Hall faces a difficult task in keeping the public’s trust. ‘There’s a perception that we’re all crooks,’ Sanchez said, ‘It’s absolutely wrong.’”
Joe, you’re wrong.
Let me tell you why city employees thought they could get away with turning over a department of government to private interests: it is because every single day government employees watch elected officials turn over their zoning and permitting authority to private interests.
Commissioner Sanchez, are you listening? Commissioner Pepe Diaz, are you listening?
What effect do you imagine it has when a powerful developer, Sergio Pino, takes a county commissioner on a private jet trip to the Caribbean during which time “no county business is discussed”?
And what effect does it have on county employees, who watch Natacha Seijas enforce hegemony over Hialeah politics by ruthlessly persecuting opponents and even violating their civil rights with the assistance of local police?
What effect does it have on morale of county employees when the Miami Dade Ethics Commission simply smiles and says, tsk, tsk.
How else do you think Miami citizens view a decision like the recent one to approve Jorge Perez’ zoning change at Mercy Hospital, to build condominiums for the ultra-wealthy in the midst of a housing market crash—in the face of universal civic disapproval?
What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.
So this leads to other questions: is it possible that employees at the city of Miami have migrated knowledge to or from the culture of corruption at Miami Dade County?
It is naïve to think there is no cross-pollination between the employees at the city of Miami and Miami Dade County: especially when key political consultants and big law firms lobby at both places.
So what does it say, that the Miami Herald could not uncover this major story before a monthly magazine?
Is it possible that good people in government are not talking to Herald reporters about corruption that they know to exist and talking to Miami Monthly, instead?
What is the real story behind the projections of financial stability by performing arts organizations that plunged the PAC into deficit?
How is it possible that a monthly magazine organized an investigative piece, did all the work that a monthly magazine does, and with all the lead-time delay, still did a better job than the Miami Herald on this important story?
A while ago, we praised the Herald for the “House of Lies” series and its Pulitzer. But we also noted, in passing, that it is easier to write about fraud done to poor and homeless people than to taxpayers by an economic elite that feels omnipotent in Miami and cultivates strong ties to the city’s only daily newspaper.
Mayor Manny Diaz told a lobby packed with reporters and city employees that his administration would continue to try to root out what he called the “bad apples.”
Balance that, against what fake biotech developer Stackhouse, told the Miami Herald in today’s paper “… Carrie Meek had nothing to do with her son's requests for federal dollars. It's totally unrelated,'' he said. ``Trust me.''
All we can say is—it is a very sad day for the City of Miami and every politician that can lay claim to protecting the public interest.
“In all, Stackhouse companies received commitments for nearly $30 million in public money from county leaders since he began to push the biotech park in 2003. That includes $23 million the County Commission approved to purchase a parking garage that the developer says will be built in the next two years -- even though the garage is already months behind schedule and there is no money to put up buildings to go with it.
''This little project that couldn't has turned doubters into believers,'' Commissioner Rolle said after the vote.”
And if you believe that, we have some wetlands to sell you to subdivide and live on the balance for your retirement. I'm still waiting for the Miami Herald to level its full wrath at the Perp Carnival of Miami Politics.
With housing markets collapsing like castles made of sand, the news of the day is a throwback to the 1950’s or some other era brazen era gilded by greed.
It’s nauseating, what Miami politicians have done in recent years, in the name of protecting public health and welfare.
Thievery of the public trust is the order of the day. How else to interpret Sunday’s feature story and today's second part in the Miami Herald: prominent African American leaders (Kendrick Meek, Carrie Meek, Dorin Rolle) aided and abetted a scam artist to once again pilfer the public trust in Miami Dade County? Developer reaped millions for biotech park never built.
“Under the watch of local government, a Boston developer reaped millions in poverty money for a promised biotech park but never delivered a single building—leaving only a desolate swath of land in one of Miami-Dade’s most neglected neighborhoods.” That's just the most recent chapter.
There was Barbara Jordan in 2006 trying to shoe-horn her own county “affordable” housing ordinance, a fig leaf for big developers like Lennar to plow more condominiums into farmland. There were African American county commissioners looking the other way as the County Housing Agency itself was plundered by low level political hacks aspiring to be big lobbyists, reported by the Herald in its Pulitzer Prize winning "House of Lies."
The Miami Herald deserves kudos, but damn if the city’s only daily newspaper didn't come up in second place in last week's other story of public corruption: the hijacking of an entire city department charged with capital improvements—turning a public department into a private contracting firm called, surprise, The Firm.
These scandals took flight at the apogee of the building boom in 2005, like a slingshot stretched and aimed at every politician with a nose for private gain. Like then county chairman Joe Martinez taking free work on his West Dade home from a contractor associated with the leadership of the Latin Builders Association, then seeking changes to the Urban Development Boundary?
Eagerly they jumped on whatever train was leaving whatever station, without concern for ethics or the law, and in the narcoleptic wake of Jeb Bush’s 'let’s streamline development for developers' school of government.
Looking back at the building boom and the behavior of public officials, who needed crack when simply raising your hand in an affirmative vote for the builders' lobby offered such delectable treats to compliant city and county commissioners?
A few weeks ago I wrote, “The recent, past building boom contained the seeds of the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on South Florida taxpayers. The stories are just beginning to bloom.”
Little did I know.
But The Firm headline leads to another clammy question: how did a monthly news magazine get a leg up on the city’s esteemed daily newspaper?
Miami Monthly appears to have scooped The Miami Herald in its in-depth report, “Robbing the City Blind: Welcome to The Firm. Where city employees work on their secret clients on city time, with city equipment, and on the city’s dime.”
The Herald did report the story on Saturday, and both news sources may have held off breaking the news until the State Attorney’s Office made its case.
“They called it ‘The Firm’—a consulting business Miami city government employees were running from their desks at the Riverside Center administrative building. On Thursday, police and prosecutors called it racketeering and organized fraud,” the Herald reports.
But Miami Monthly appears to have had the details, and the sources, to the heart of the story.
“In late December 2005, HDR consultants started piecing together clues that something was seriously amiss. One consultant told another in an email: ‘I have seen meetings between firm members to discuss and produce plans for projects that have no relation to any CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) project. I have also seen firm members holding meetings in their cubicles… with open plans that have nothing to do with any CIP project… These occurrences are well known by all CIP personnel in the 8th floor.’”
The Miami Herald reported, “We are arresting virtually an entire arm of city government,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at a news conference in the lobby of the city administrative building.”
But Miami Monthly gives us the detail: an initial January 2006 investigation dead-ended, allowing a full nine months for those charged to go on their merry way.
Beyond the question, was the Herald asleep?, how little regard did government employees have for law enforcement, that they felt continued their merry way for nine solid months until—as Miami Monthly reports, “late in 2006 a handwritten anonymous letter detailing The Firm’s activities arrived at the city manager’s office”?
Finally, City of Miami Human Resources Directior Rosalie Mark recommended a company to perform an in-depth investigation: RJD Unlimited, Inc.
Now with evidence in hand, the Miami Police Departments Internal Affairs division “took immediate action.”
“The massive investigation identified more than a dozen employees—some earning over $100,000 a year—surreptitiously managing 70 private projects ranging from additions and remodeling of private homes to multi-million dollar shopping centers—all during city business hours.”
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said one source, predicting that those brought in for questioning would freely rat out their cohorts in hopes of leniency.”
This story not only has legs. It has eighteen wheels.
Well, yes. Damn it: let’s have the names of the private individuals who were having work done by a city department for their construction projects.
By all means, let’s see if any of those individuals turn up as campaign contributors or consultants to contributors of political campaigns in the city of Miami?
I have questions: plenty of them.
Under what conditions of malfeasance does an ENTIRE city department go to the dark side?
I would say: under conditions of malfeasance in which corruption is not only tolerated but under conditions where ethical behavior is regarded as a career-killer.
The Herald reports, “City Commissioner Joe Sanchez said he was pleased the city initiated the investigation, though he said City Hall faces a difficult task in keeping the public’s trust. ‘There’s a perception that we’re all crooks,’ Sanchez said, ‘It’s absolutely wrong.’”
Joe, you’re wrong.
Let me tell you why city employees thought they could get away with turning over a department of government to private interests: it is because every single day government employees watch elected officials turn over their zoning and permitting authority to private interests.
Commissioner Sanchez, are you listening? Commissioner Pepe Diaz, are you listening?
What effect do you imagine it has when a powerful developer, Sergio Pino, takes a county commissioner on a private jet trip to the Caribbean during which time “no county business is discussed”?
And what effect does it have on county employees, who watch Natacha Seijas enforce hegemony over Hialeah politics by ruthlessly persecuting opponents and even violating their civil rights with the assistance of local police?
What effect does it have on morale of county employees when the Miami Dade Ethics Commission simply smiles and says, tsk, tsk.
How else do you think Miami citizens view a decision like the recent one to approve Jorge Perez’ zoning change at Mercy Hospital, to build condominiums for the ultra-wealthy in the midst of a housing market crash—in the face of universal civic disapproval?
What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.
So this leads to other questions: is it possible that employees at the city of Miami have migrated knowledge to or from the culture of corruption at Miami Dade County?
It is naïve to think there is no cross-pollination between the employees at the city of Miami and Miami Dade County: especially when key political consultants and big law firms lobby at both places.
So what does it say, that the Miami Herald could not uncover this major story before a monthly magazine?
Is it possible that good people in government are not talking to Herald reporters about corruption that they know to exist and talking to Miami Monthly, instead?
What is the real story behind the projections of financial stability by performing arts organizations that plunged the PAC into deficit?
How is it possible that a monthly magazine organized an investigative piece, did all the work that a monthly magazine does, and with all the lead-time delay, still did a better job than the Miami Herald on this important story?
A while ago, we praised the Herald for the “House of Lies” series and its Pulitzer. But we also noted, in passing, that it is easier to write about fraud done to poor and homeless people than to taxpayers by an economic elite that feels omnipotent in Miami and cultivates strong ties to the city’s only daily newspaper.
Mayor Manny Diaz told a lobby packed with reporters and city employees that his administration would continue to try to root out what he called the “bad apples.”
Balance that, against what fake biotech developer Stackhouse, told the Miami Herald in today’s paper “… Carrie Meek had nothing to do with her son's requests for federal dollars. It's totally unrelated,'' he said. ``Trust me.''
All we can say is—it is a very sad day for the City of Miami and every politician that can lay claim to protecting the public interest.
“In all, Stackhouse companies received commitments for nearly $30 million in public money from county leaders since he began to push the biotech park in 2003. That includes $23 million the County Commission approved to purchase a parking garage that the developer says will be built in the next two years -- even though the garage is already months behind schedule and there is no money to put up buildings to go with it.
''This little project that couldn't has turned doubters into believers,'' Commissioner Rolle said after the vote.”
And if you believe that, we have some wetlands to sell you to subdivide and live on the balance for your retirement. I'm still waiting for the Miami Herald to level its full wrath at the Perp Carnival of Miami Politics.
Childhood Abuse, The Democratic Party and the Two Meeks by Geniusofdespair
I read part two of Poverty Peddler: Stalled Liberty City project got insiders’ help - This is a continuation of Sunday’s story of the Boston Developer, Kendrick and Carrie Meek – which I wrote about in my post yesterday. Of course, County Commissioner Dorrin Rolle is involved too, but we all have figured out that he is ethically challenged long ago. Back to my title - There is a bigger picture to look at in this article. Many child abusers, etc. go on for years with their own children. The children of these repugnant people curiously cover for them, protect them and in most cases still love them. To do otherwise would hurt a child’s own self image: My father/mother is evil so I must be too. So the children must deceive themselves for their own good.
We have communities/groups here in Miami that do the EXACT same things as these children. Good leadership is so hard to come by in some areas, the people revere their leaders so much, they are unable to acknowledge the bad behavior of their leaders. They believe all the back-peddaling Kendrick and Carrie are doing in this Herald article. Why? Because were the community to acknowledge the bad behavior, they believe it would be a reflection on themselves, which, of course, is not true.
You would think when I mention "Group" I am talking ONLY about the the leaders in the community that help Carrie Meek and her son get elected. True enough. The African American community is proud of their elected officials and they take a shitload of crap from them. They even support that awful Rolle over and over – the man that has been throwing the community crumbs for years.
However, I am mostly talking about the Democratic Party.
The candidates for President are able to look the other way on so much just for an endorsement, a foot in the door – to get that black vote in Florida. Well, Democratic candidates who are pandering, let me tell you something: You suck.
Democrats: you should instead stand up for ethical government and ethical leaders and maybe, just maybe these self-serving charismatic leaders would fall down to their level of incompetence and get the boot. Without the Party pumping them up on the national stage, maybe the electorate would have the courage to vote them out. As long as the party is propping up the stature, the community will too. The Democratic Party Presidential Candidates are acting like the mother of abused children (who is the codependent propping up the father, not acknowledging the heinous behavior).
The Community is suffering and no one in politics really cares. Not one elected official that I see in Miami-Dade. This Herald series reaches my ICK level. Barfable to be sure.
Candidate Barack Obama finally got my attention this week talking about ethics reform in government...an oxymoron? I'm finally listening to a candidate.
P.S. Why didn't County Manager Burgess or his staff do a little research on Boston developer Dennis Stackhouse? Not even a google search, or public records? Come on!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Does Carrie Meek make us proud? By Geniusofdespair
(I guess Kendrick didn't know how to get this photo and copy off his website quick enough -- this is about the project reported on by the Herald!)I was going to write about Carrie Meek’s legacy being damaged by this new scandal at Miami Dade County involving a con job by a developer (A boffo report in today’s Miami Herald: Developer reaped millions for biotech park never built). But now I am thinking: What legacy? She has a street named after her. She planted a tree at Virginia Key Park (that has since died). I previously reported on Carrie Meek on March 15th:
Ms. Jordan is championing a $200 million dollar airport development proposal sponsored by a politically influential foundation headed by former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek. However, she has indicated that Higgins would be able to pitch the county once Opa Locka Community Development is out of the picture.”
What a mess.
I don’t think Willie should have taken so long and how the hell did he get the contract anyway? But, I also ask, are we going from the frying pan into the fire with this one? Carrie Meek appears to be tottering on the dark side of late - tarnishing her legacy – lobbying for developers and rock miners outside the Urban Development Boundary and now this. And isn't she in her 80's? Tsk, tsk.
I decided to see what the online (strange) encyclopedia Wikipedia had to say about Carrie Meek:
She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. Meek refused to attend a meeting with President George W. Bush in February 2001. She retired from the House at the end of her term in 2003. She was succeeded in office by her son, Kendrick Meek. Carrie P. Meek is an African American, with 3 children, 6 grandchildren,2 Great Grandchildren, and 1 adopted Grandchild. Carrie P. Meek has an incredibly big "Person Like" dog, a great Dane, named "Dutchess" and lives presently in Liberty City, Miami, Florida.
That sounds about right. Not much meat.
If you define legacy as a transfer of assets. I guess she has one. If you define it as a gift from the past for future generations: Forgetaboutit! If she doesn't watch out she is going to taint her son but good. It is already starting.
As reported by -- why have i never heard of him -- Jason Grotto:
Kendrick Meek said he did not know his mother was provided money and perks from Stackhouse. The congressman said his mother never approached him about funding the project with federal dollars and that his support is based on the community's needs.
Like, who believe that? Kendrick you are headed down the wrong path! Hillary and Barack take note -- stop fighting over him.
By the way...
If the Miami Herald keeps up this good reporting, we might have to change our masthead which calls the paper "anemic." I shouldn’t pick on them, McClatchy, their parent company, is losing a ton of money: ad revenues are way down. Speaking of money, the article today said we the innocent County residents could lose another 23 million of our hard earned tax dollars on this one. Anyone keeping count?
Only one stinking letter in the Palm Beach Post? By Geniusofdespair
No wonder Palm Beach People couldn't understand the Butterfly Ballots! They don't seem to think too clearly. I have been keeping an eye on the Palm Beach Post to see how the public would react to the appalling behavior of their government (See my Post MUST READ- June 17th) spreading reuse water on their wellfield - I expected a barrage of angry letters. I could only find this letter by a woman named Marilyn Sanders - one person is thinking at least:
Failure to advise public on treated water inexcusable
If West Palm Beach officials had been honest and told the public up front that treated sewage water would be added to the water supply ("Drastic measures," Sunday), what would have happened? People would have stopped using tap water; actually, I would have been using bottled water for everything. And the water supply would have been saved without having to add treated sewage water.
Instead, city officials lied by omission. Why? My guess is SunFest - they couldn't have people canceling their plans to visit West Palm Beach for fear of filtered sewage in the water supply. My question now is, what did The Palm Beach Post know, and when did you know it?
Fie on everyone involved with this deception. It was a counterproductive lie caused by greed. As always, follow the money.
MARILYN SANDERS - West Palm Beach
Good work Marilyn! I bet the butterfly ballots didn't stimie you!
Failure to advise public on treated water inexcusable
If West Palm Beach officials had been honest and told the public up front that treated sewage water would be added to the water supply ("Drastic measures," Sunday), what would have happened? People would have stopped using tap water; actually, I would have been using bottled water for everything. And the water supply would have been saved without having to add treated sewage water.
Instead, city officials lied by omission. Why? My guess is SunFest - they couldn't have people canceling their plans to visit West Palm Beach for fear of filtered sewage in the water supply. My question now is, what did The Palm Beach Post know, and when did you know it?
Fie on everyone involved with this deception. It was a counterproductive lie caused by greed. As always, follow the money.
MARILYN SANDERS - West Palm Beach
Good work Marilyn! I bet the butterfly ballots didn't stimie you!
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