Someday. Someday. Someday the history will be written about the despoiling of South Florida to accommodate private corporations associated with construction and development: who, what, and how America’s only subtropical wilderness turned into a low-scatter density froth of strip malls, useless storm-water retention ponds, and the millions of voters and taxpayers clueless that officials they elected to office presided over jeopardy to the one commodity we can’t live without: water.
And when the history is written, a major chapter will be titled, “When Judge Hoeveler ruled on rock mining in West Dade.”
Today’s story by Miami Herald reporter Curtis Morgan is terse and to the point.
See archives in eyeonmiami for other blog postings on rock mining in Miami Dade County.
Over the decades, while citizens floundered at city and county hall trying to stop suburban sprawl or high-rise condos from occupying every last piece of Miami Dade County, mining executives in helicopters flitted back and forth from downtown law offices and conference rooms, their views unimpeded by any of the concerns that riled up people, unreported for the most part by the mainstream media always attentive to the balance and contribution of the contractors and developers.
If Florida is defined by the transience of people—people always moving, in and out of state, always from somewhere else, never sinking roots much deeper than the swaying palm trees on Ocean Drive—then the very fact of transience is cemented in place by rock miners agnostic to any compelling motive or organizing principle other than profit.
This is not a harsh opinion: it is a fact. Government agencies and private corporations have failed to abide by federal law and past agreements to protect the Everglades.
In The Miami Herald report, there is considerable ruckus by the industry about job loss and threats to economic activity. Of course. What other arguments does industry have to lean on?
Reporters should closely scrutinize “An Overview of the Socio-Economic Condition of Miami-Dade County”, May 2007, by Miami-Dade Department of Planning and Zoning before printing industry claims as fact. Table 34, Employment by Industry Miami-Dade County, Page 48 shows Mining and Construction accounted for 4.2 percent of employment in 2006.
Not only is rock mining and construction of less importance to the Miami-Dade economy than advertised, there is ample evidence that the growth pattern of construction and development in South Florida is unsustainable.
The unsupportable costs are not the commodity prices of limerock or concrete: it is the low-density scatter pattern of development—essentially allowing zoning and permitting and whatever big campaign contributors from the development industry want—that lead to liar loans, mortgage fraud, and the recent implosion of the subprime credit markets.
The howls of complaint from the rock miners and pro-development forces are likely to grow louder and louder in the coming days.
This is always the case when there is any threat of impinging the economic elite and political status quo.
One can still hope that mainstream news will balance their coverage (and not just report the PR flacks for industry) with rock solid evidence that the growth model for South Florida is running on fumes due to crashing housing markets.
History will show that the greatest speculative land and housing boom in Florida history, that ended in 2005, relied in part on illegal rock mining supported by government agencies charged with protecting public health and welfare and especially those local county commissioners, like Natacha Seijas, who thumbed their noses at the public and in defiance of the law.
This remarkably difficult case, pitting a few public interest attorneys against an army of attorneys for the rock miners and an unlimited budget for litigation, totalling more than $10 million, is a career capstone for Judge William Hoeveler who persevered as a matter of loyalty to bedrock federal laws that special interests persistently challenge and seek to erode.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Florida Bird Decline & Greedy Developers by Geniusofdespair
(Hit on image to enlarge)Gimleteye has taught me how to read and connect. You read one story and then you read another and you think about how they link or do not link together. Two stories did link quite nicely.
The Herald reported today Common Florida birds in decline and Endangered Species: Judge's endangered species ruling aids builders.
So on the one hand we have the South Florida Homebuilders Association trying to fight endangered species rulings and on the other we have Audubon (doing counts with the US Geological Society) saying that some species of common birds, not endangered birds, are declining up to 82%. The article on common bird decline says:
Destruction of wetlands is shutting out the rail. Same goes for the little blue heron, which lays its blue eggs in nests in freshwater prairies.
The dwindling of the bird populations is a signal that something is wrong, says David Anderson, executive director of Audubon of Florida. ''As the common birds go, so goes the quality of life of wildlife areas for people also,'' Anderson says.
``To deal with that, people are going to have to be much more conscious of the need to conserve -- conserving water, conserving other resources, and particularly in looking at the planning for future growth.''
The article on the builders says:
“A federal judge in Orlando has ordered a status review of almost all of Florida's endangered and threatened wildlife, a ruling developers hope will lead to lifting building restriction on lands across the state.”
I don’t know developers. People are starting to get very angry with you guys. You should lay low for awhile. If people put these two stories together, that even our common birds are in trouble you are going to look quite heartless to all of us.
Now here in Gimleteye style, I will link more distant stories. I again mention the Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, the Mangroves disappearing (previously reported here) and the 6,000,000 people said to have parasites in Thailand (that leads to liver cancer) from eating raw fish: Worms in Asian fish tied to liver cancer. Sushi eaters take note and take note we are going to be pouring reuse water on our wetlands in the not too distant future.
As the Buffalo Springfield song says:
"There’s something happening here, What It is ain’t exactly clear.”
P.S. The newspaper had the bird story front and center. Online I couldn’t find the story, it was buried.
Return to Eye on Miami
Crist, political courage and climate change, by gimleteye
With his Climate Change Summit in Miami, Governor Crist made a significant break with Florida's past performance on state energy policy.
To see a governor of Florida—the sunniest state when it comes to accommodating the needs of utilities and big business—turn the ship of state in a new direction is surprising.
In comparison, two terms of Governor Bush achieved mainly the fortification of the ship, putting special interests in fast speed boats to patrol the perimeter and disperse objecting citizens and the public interest wherever it might crop up.
Crist is saying, if Florida doesn’t do something, quickly, by way of addressing greenhouse gas emissions, the entire state could find itself coping with unimaginable threats: like sea-level rise.
By executive order, the first steps will be to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of the state, itself—the largest consumer of energy in comparison to other industries.
But aligning Florida more closely with the progressive energy policies of the most forward-acting states in the nation will require further acts of political courage—a commodity in tight supply.
Yesterday, according to the Miami Herald, Robert Kennedy Jr. addressed the convocation. Inviting a Kennedy was an act of political courage, too; a step of uniting, not dividing, that seems disorienting in the recent history of the Bush White House and past terms of Governor Jeb Bush.
At massive costs to the nation and to the state, the first principle of governance under the Bush terms was no dissent, no disloyalty, no criticism of predetermined outcomes.
The mainstream press –including the Miami Herald—utterly failed to identify the parallels between the national and state political agendas, as they related to environmental policies.
Kennedy, yesterday, criticized a “lazy and indolent press” for under-reporting climate change.
Good for the Miami Herald for printing it, and bad for the Miami Herald writing, “Considerable debate remains, however, about the magnitude of (that) human contribution, with some experts noting that the planet always has experienced warm and cool cycles.”
If ever there was a lazy sentence about global warming, there you have it.
It doesn’t take an expert to note the earth has always experienced warm and cool cycles. But it is of little value to waste ink in fruitless compression: there is no point in raising, ad infinitum, the questionable subject of quantifying debate about the contribution of human activity to global warming.
In point of fact, there is NOT “considerable” debate on this subject. Industry-funded groups, like coal and oil, whose paid-for scientists and PR flacks are still throwing sand into the eyes of the mainstream press. Why not include a sentence about them?
If the Miami Herald wants to be a leader in reporting and editorializing on global warming, it would take a much closer look now at climate change scientists who are questioning, "considerably", the consensus approach and compromises incorporated by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Recent data and reports on climate in the polar regions and glaciers particularly, are ‘off the charts’ in respect to scientific models. Right here in Miami, authoritative experts like Dr. Harold Wanless—chair of the geology department of the University of Miami—have been saying, for years, that the historical record is full of evidence that shifts in climate can be dramatic and sharp.
For years, The Miami Herald and other mainstream media have failed to foster sensible discussion, the case of the Everglades--the plan whose costs are skyrocketing toward tens of billions and predicated on engineered solutions that are fiction, in terms of benefits conferred to taxpayers and the environment.
Governor Crist deserves our thanks and appreciation for taking his stand on global warming, but he should also cast a very wary glance at what passes for Everglades restoration which Joe Podgor, of Friends of the Everglades once said is a test: “If we pass it, we get to keep the planet.” Ten years ago, we didn't have ten years to act to save the Everglades.
Last week, the US Government Accountability Office states that Everglades restoration is significantly behind, and especially in the matter of providing clear coordination of science review. This week, state agencies announced that funding of science review was being cut.
The Miami Herald and mainstream media would do well to start telling this story, too.
To see a governor of Florida—the sunniest state when it comes to accommodating the needs of utilities and big business—turn the ship of state in a new direction is surprising.
In comparison, two terms of Governor Bush achieved mainly the fortification of the ship, putting special interests in fast speed boats to patrol the perimeter and disperse objecting citizens and the public interest wherever it might crop up.
Crist is saying, if Florida doesn’t do something, quickly, by way of addressing greenhouse gas emissions, the entire state could find itself coping with unimaginable threats: like sea-level rise.
By executive order, the first steps will be to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of the state, itself—the largest consumer of energy in comparison to other industries.
But aligning Florida more closely with the progressive energy policies of the most forward-acting states in the nation will require further acts of political courage—a commodity in tight supply.
Yesterday, according to the Miami Herald, Robert Kennedy Jr. addressed the convocation. Inviting a Kennedy was an act of political courage, too; a step of uniting, not dividing, that seems disorienting in the recent history of the Bush White House and past terms of Governor Jeb Bush.
At massive costs to the nation and to the state, the first principle of governance under the Bush terms was no dissent, no disloyalty, no criticism of predetermined outcomes.
The mainstream press –including the Miami Herald—utterly failed to identify the parallels between the national and state political agendas, as they related to environmental policies.
Kennedy, yesterday, criticized a “lazy and indolent press” for under-reporting climate change.
Good for the Miami Herald for printing it, and bad for the Miami Herald writing, “Considerable debate remains, however, about the magnitude of (that) human contribution, with some experts noting that the planet always has experienced warm and cool cycles.”
If ever there was a lazy sentence about global warming, there you have it.
It doesn’t take an expert to note the earth has always experienced warm and cool cycles. But it is of little value to waste ink in fruitless compression: there is no point in raising, ad infinitum, the questionable subject of quantifying debate about the contribution of human activity to global warming.
In point of fact, there is NOT “considerable” debate on this subject. Industry-funded groups, like coal and oil, whose paid-for scientists and PR flacks are still throwing sand into the eyes of the mainstream press. Why not include a sentence about them?
If the Miami Herald wants to be a leader in reporting and editorializing on global warming, it would take a much closer look now at climate change scientists who are questioning, "considerably", the consensus approach and compromises incorporated by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Recent data and reports on climate in the polar regions and glaciers particularly, are ‘off the charts’ in respect to scientific models. Right here in Miami, authoritative experts like Dr. Harold Wanless—chair of the geology department of the University of Miami—have been saying, for years, that the historical record is full of evidence that shifts in climate can be dramatic and sharp.
For years, The Miami Herald and other mainstream media have failed to foster sensible discussion, the case of the Everglades--the plan whose costs are skyrocketing toward tens of billions and predicated on engineered solutions that are fiction, in terms of benefits conferred to taxpayers and the environment.
Governor Crist deserves our thanks and appreciation for taking his stand on global warming, but he should also cast a very wary glance at what passes for Everglades restoration which Joe Podgor, of Friends of the Everglades once said is a test: “If we pass it, we get to keep the planet.” Ten years ago, we didn't have ten years to act to save the Everglades.
Last week, the US Government Accountability Office states that Everglades restoration is significantly behind, and especially in the matter of providing clear coordination of science review. This week, state agencies announced that funding of science review was being cut.
The Miami Herald and mainstream media would do well to start telling this story, too.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Commissioner Moss on Gambling by Geniusofdespair
At the County Commission Meeting in defense of gambling, Moss said that he has been to the casino at Gulfstream Park and it has revitalized the area and brought in jobs???
Is he nuts? There are million dollar homes a stones throw away. And there are nice shops around it. The City Hall, police station and post office are across the street. What is to revitalize? Everything has been there for years. And what jobs? They could have built a Starbucks/Publix strip mall and would have had as many jobs.
Gulfstream is on the border of Broward and Miami Dade County. Literally, it is right on the line. Aventura is a wealthy community and Hallandale is doing okay. The gambling did nothing to either hood.
Here is a hint, when a lobbyist tells you what to say to push something, use a little common sense.
Is he nuts? There are million dollar homes a stones throw away. And there are nice shops around it. The City Hall, police station and post office are across the street. What is to revitalize? Everything has been there for years. And what jobs? They could have built a Starbucks/Publix strip mall and would have had as many jobs.
Gulfstream is on the border of Broward and Miami Dade County. Literally, it is right on the line. Aventura is a wealthy community and Hallandale is doing okay. The gambling did nothing to either hood.
Here is a hint, when a lobbyist tells you what to say to push something, use a little common sense.
Throw the bums out! Wish we could. by Geniusofdespair
If one more person says: “You have to put good people in office” I am going to smack that person or, more likely, barf on them.
I am so sick of hearing that. When most people don't vote and most of those that do, do not read the paper or follow anything except their own shadow and they vote for any name they halfway recognize or sounds ethnically or racially like themselves. Then to make matters worse, we have district voting, overturned campaign financing reform and lobbyists with barrels of money. You can’t get good, honest people in office under these circumstances. So stupid letter writer from Broward in today’s Miami Herald who says, Clean up Miami, we already know what you are saying. We tried to recall the most horrid of County Commissioner's, the Vile Natacha Seijas. You can't get them out: District voting! So stop telling us what we already know, we can’t change it. Give us about $700,000 for a City of Miami election/recall and about a million for a county election, and maybe we could.
Example, the Herald said today that Marco Rubio’s brother “Mario” is going to run for office. Don’t we also have a gaggle of Diaz de la Portilla's in office? Now more Rubio’s? Two Meeks? That is one of the ways to get in office: have the "name."
Maybe Rebecca Wakefield of “The SunPost” has the answer: Voting Is Cool! It’s Our Fault Our Politicians Generally Suck. Now This Columnist Wants to Do Something About It. She says:
“Year in and year out, it’s the same story. A handful of the usual suspects (plus one or two grass-roots candidates who usually don’t have a shot) hires someone from the small group of political consultants who run nearly every local election.” She goes on to describe our broken system of why we get shitty people in office over and over, her reason why:
“It works because most of the rest of the populace doesn’t vote.” She says 10% to 15% vote in most elections.
Her goal is to get the people out to vote with fun events:
“Take a Politician Bowling” night and “Beach Ballot Bingo.” We’ll also be doing limo rides to the polls and red carpet exit polling, among other nutty stunts. The idea in general is simply to have fun, connect with people and get them thinking about local politics.”
I wish you, Celeste Fraser Delgado and GenerationEngage luck Rebecca, and yes I love your idea to get more people to vote. Any idea is good and I hope the outcome will shut up those annoying people who say: “Just vote good people into office.”
Read the article.
I am so sick of hearing that. When most people don't vote and most of those that do, do not read the paper or follow anything except their own shadow and they vote for any name they halfway recognize or sounds ethnically or racially like themselves. Then to make matters worse, we have district voting, overturned campaign financing reform and lobbyists with barrels of money. You can’t get good, honest people in office under these circumstances. So stupid letter writer from Broward in today’s Miami Herald who says, Clean up Miami, we already know what you are saying. We tried to recall the most horrid of County Commissioner's, the Vile Natacha Seijas. You can't get them out: District voting! So stop telling us what we already know, we can’t change it. Give us about $700,000 for a City of Miami election/recall and about a million for a county election, and maybe we could.
Example, the Herald said today that Marco Rubio’s brother “Mario” is going to run for office. Don’t we also have a gaggle of Diaz de la Portilla's in office? Now more Rubio’s? Two Meeks? That is one of the ways to get in office: have the "name."
Maybe Rebecca Wakefield of “The SunPost” has the answer: Voting Is Cool! It’s Our Fault Our Politicians Generally Suck. Now This Columnist Wants to Do Something About It. She says:
“Year in and year out, it’s the same story. A handful of the usual suspects (plus one or two grass-roots candidates who usually don’t have a shot) hires someone from the small group of political consultants who run nearly every local election.” She goes on to describe our broken system of why we get shitty people in office over and over, her reason why:
“It works because most of the rest of the populace doesn’t vote.” She says 10% to 15% vote in most elections.
Her goal is to get the people out to vote with fun events:
“Take a Politician Bowling” night and “Beach Ballot Bingo.” We’ll also be doing limo rides to the polls and red carpet exit polling, among other nutty stunts. The idea in general is simply to have fun, connect with people and get them thinking about local politics.”
I wish you, Celeste Fraser Delgado and GenerationEngage luck Rebecca, and yes I love your idea to get more people to vote. Any idea is good and I hope the outcome will shut up those annoying people who say: “Just vote good people into office.”
Read the article.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
County Commissioner Gimenez: You Rock! By Geniusofdespair
I was depressed all day because I was watching a county commission meeting. Yesterday I reported on two items, the gambling vote and the Jorge Perez/Related Group/Vizcayans. But watching this crew all day is painful. The Vile Natacha really is running everything, she wasn't this strong or vocal under Martinez. She didn't shut her mouth.
I listened to the discussion on the Expensive Health Care Plan for County Employees as reported in yesterday's Herald: Favored healthcare insurer for Dade County is millions costlier than competitor: Problematic bids could lead Miami-Dade County to hire an insurance company charging almost 50 percent more than a competitor.
Gimleteye brought this up in his post yesterday and I did look up the AvMed Lobbyists. Chief among them: Miguel DeGrandy (See the full list in the comments section of Gimleteye's post). I think Miguel had a lot to do with what happened yesterday.
Only one Commissioner stood out and stood up for us: Carlols Gimenez. He really got Burgess riled up. He said the ranking in the RFP was arbitrary. He said they could have easily written it, ranking cost much higher.
How did these idiots write the RFP? You are not going to believe this: They did a survey of what employees wanted. Out of 28 thousand or so, 6 thousand responded (15%?). They weighted what the employee's wanted most. And you know the employees don't really care about OUR COST. It was up to staff to write a meaningful RFP that saved us money and weighted that highly. The RFP weighted highly, if employees didn't have to change their primary care physician. What??? Get real.
THE TAXPAYER COST should have been weighted at 25% or so. Not only did they weight it at 10% they then threw the 10% out! They should have thrown out all the bids and started over. The only Commissioner that cared was Gimenez. He spoke about the taxpayer. He dissected the costs. He wouldn't let Burgess wiggle around it. He took him to task. Burgess fumed. Gimenez was great. He moved up a notch or two in my book.
Sorry Katy Sorenson, you were way off base on this one. We the Tax Payers should come first. Cost HAS GOT TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. You can't have bids on an RFP without cost being a factor. There is no way around that. They voted for the more expensive plan, except Gimenez. What a bunch of ass H----. And I would use an additional word before "bunch" except someone would lecture me on it.
That putz Miguel De Grandy wins again. He even spoke for AvMed at the meeting. ICK
I listened to the discussion on the Expensive Health Care Plan for County Employees as reported in yesterday's Herald: Favored healthcare insurer for Dade County is millions costlier than competitor: Problematic bids could lead Miami-Dade County to hire an insurance company charging almost 50 percent more than a competitor.
Gimleteye brought this up in his post yesterday and I did look up the AvMed Lobbyists. Chief among them: Miguel DeGrandy (See the full list in the comments section of Gimleteye's post). I think Miguel had a lot to do with what happened yesterday.
Only one Commissioner stood out and stood up for us: Carlols Gimenez. He really got Burgess riled up. He said the ranking in the RFP was arbitrary. He said they could have easily written it, ranking cost much higher.
How did these idiots write the RFP? You are not going to believe this: They did a survey of what employees wanted. Out of 28 thousand or so, 6 thousand responded (15%?). They weighted what the employee's wanted most. And you know the employees don't really care about OUR COST. It was up to staff to write a meaningful RFP that saved us money and weighted that highly. The RFP weighted highly, if employees didn't have to change their primary care physician. What??? Get real.
THE TAXPAYER COST should have been weighted at 25% or so. Not only did they weight it at 10% they then threw the 10% out! They should have thrown out all the bids and started over. The only Commissioner that cared was Gimenez. He spoke about the taxpayer. He dissected the costs. He wouldn't let Burgess wiggle around it. He took him to task. Burgess fumed. Gimenez was great. He moved up a notch or two in my book.
Sorry Katy Sorenson, you were way off base on this one. We the Tax Payers should come first. Cost HAS GOT TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. You can't have bids on an RFP without cost being a factor. There is no way around that. They voted for the more expensive plan, except Gimenez. What a bunch of ass H----. And I would use an additional word before "bunch" except someone would lecture me on it.
That putz Miguel De Grandy wins again. He even spoke for AvMed at the meeting. ICK
WTF? by gimleteye
It is just a very bizarre story, in the Herald Miami-Dade section today on "The Firm".
Apparently, Mary Conway--who supervised the city department that went to the dark side, converting public employees and taxpayer resources into a private engineering firm--has provided a "timeline" to her supervisors (that would be the city manager?) in which she reported the illegal activities at once.
The Herald reports it has obtained a copy of the timeline, but did not publish it so far as I can tell.
The Herald story concludes with a statement by Conway defending her conduct to the city commission, "''It's unfortunate that that happened, but I also think that it's notable that it wasn't . . . something that The Miami Herald discovered,'' she said."
Readers of the Miami Herald deserve to read the timeline.
Have I missed it?
Moreover, why is this blog the only place that has speculated HOW an entire city department could be transformed into a private enterprise? What is the culture that is pervading city and county government, that allows such conduct to go on--brazenly?
The conversion of city AND county government to be wholly attentive to the needs of developers for zoning and permitting--and the expectation that they and incumbents will always get what they want (campaign contributions, graft) is the soil in which local government grows.
For the past decade, citizens have witnessed the grand experiment of loosening state regulatory controls on growth management in favor of "local decision-makers". This was the Jeb Bush experiment that NOT ONCE in eight years made it into the editorial pages or reporting of the Miami Herald.
Let me repeat it again! NOT ONCE.
The devolution of state authority in favor of local control been a disastrous experiment. It is called a bedrock principle of conservative government: it is a license to steal.
How could The Firm materialize in city government? Because government had been turned into a high-walled castle with moats keeping out ordinary citizens and patrolled by powerful lobbyists.
The mainstream media has failed to report on this great experiment that has left the public interest in shambles.
More and more people are interested to know, and that's why blogs like eyeonmiami are growing in popularity.
Apparently, Mary Conway--who supervised the city department that went to the dark side, converting public employees and taxpayer resources into a private engineering firm--has provided a "timeline" to her supervisors (that would be the city manager?) in which she reported the illegal activities at once.
The Herald reports it has obtained a copy of the timeline, but did not publish it so far as I can tell.
The Herald story concludes with a statement by Conway defending her conduct to the city commission, "''It's unfortunate that that happened, but I also think that it's notable that it wasn't . . . something that The Miami Herald discovered,'' she said."
Readers of the Miami Herald deserve to read the timeline.
Have I missed it?
Moreover, why is this blog the only place that has speculated HOW an entire city department could be transformed into a private enterprise? What is the culture that is pervading city and county government, that allows such conduct to go on--brazenly?
The conversion of city AND county government to be wholly attentive to the needs of developers for zoning and permitting--and the expectation that they and incumbents will always get what they want (campaign contributions, graft) is the soil in which local government grows.
For the past decade, citizens have witnessed the grand experiment of loosening state regulatory controls on growth management in favor of "local decision-makers". This was the Jeb Bush experiment that NOT ONCE in eight years made it into the editorial pages or reporting of the Miami Herald.
Let me repeat it again! NOT ONCE.
The devolution of state authority in favor of local control been a disastrous experiment. It is called a bedrock principle of conservative government: it is a license to steal.
How could The Firm materialize in city government? Because government had been turned into a high-walled castle with moats keeping out ordinary citizens and patrolled by powerful lobbyists.
The mainstream media has failed to report on this great experiment that has left the public interest in shambles.
More and more people are interested to know, and that's why blogs like eyeonmiami are growing in popularity.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Coconut Grove: Heed the Evil County Commission by Geniusofdespair
Hit on pages to enlarge.
Always ready to aid their pal Jorge Perez, the Miami Dade County Commission voted on this resolution today in an attempt to unfund/stop the Vizcayan lawsuit that is trying to stop the two Perez towers at Mercy Hospital.
Katy Sorenson and Carlos Gimenez voted against this resolution. Even the vile Natacha thought the last sentence was too harsh and asked Souto to take it out. He refused.
See Coconut Grove...I have been telling you, get interested in the County because they will screw you.
Always ready to aid their pal Jorge Perez, the Miami Dade County Commission voted on this resolution today in an attempt to unfund/stop the Vizcayan lawsuit that is trying to stop the two Perez towers at Mercy Hospital.Katy Sorenson and Carlos Gimenez voted against this resolution. Even the vile Natacha thought the last sentence was too harsh and asked Souto to take it out. He refused.
See Coconut Grove...I have been telling you, get interested in the County because they will screw you.
Lincoln, What's Cooking? by Geniusofdespair
Word on the street: Is it true that Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart is retiring? Any truth to the rumor? A reader sent us a copy of what appears to be a Federal Elections Commission document: Termination Report .7/11/07
NEVER MIND: HEARD IT WAS A GLITCH IN PAPERWORK. ALL IS WELL FOR LINCOLN! HE WILL BE IN POWER FOREVER. The FEC has this posted on their website:
Charter Review Task Force is almost staffed. by Geniusofdespair
According to a June 28th "Miami Today" article:
"Among those who will serve on the board are former mayors Maurice Ferre of Miami and Raul L. Martinez of Hialeah, Miami Beach Mayor David Dermer, attorney and former Jackson Public Health Trust Chairman Larry Handfield and two retired county attorneys, Murray Greenberg and Robert A. Ginsburg.
The task force's membership consists of one member appointed by each of the Miami-Dade commissioners, one by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, one by each of the county's four largest cities and three by the League of Cities, representing smaller municipalities.
Commissioners Carlos Gimenez, Sally Heyman, Barbara Jordan and Javier Souto appointed themselves. Victor Diaz Jr., a Miami attorney, becomes chairman as the appointee of Miami-Dade commission Chairman Bruno Barreiro. Commissioner Audrey Edmonson initially appointed herself but later reconsidered and Tuesday appointed attorney H.T. Smith.
Also agreeing to serve are former Sunny Isles Beach city attorney Lynn Dannheisser (Sorenson), Miami attorneys Miguel De Grandy and Carlos Diaz-Padron and retired police division chief Ignacio Jesus Vasquez.
Pending are appointments to be made by Miami and Miami Gardens city officials and the League of Cities."
With 16 appointments, they are expected to start as a report is due by October 31.
"Among those who will serve on the board are former mayors Maurice Ferre of Miami and Raul L. Martinez of Hialeah, Miami Beach Mayor David Dermer, attorney and former Jackson Public Health Trust Chairman Larry Handfield and two retired county attorneys, Murray Greenberg and Robert A. Ginsburg.
The task force's membership consists of one member appointed by each of the Miami-Dade commissioners, one by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, one by each of the county's four largest cities and three by the League of Cities, representing smaller municipalities.
Commissioners Carlos Gimenez, Sally Heyman, Barbara Jordan and Javier Souto appointed themselves. Victor Diaz Jr., a Miami attorney, becomes chairman as the appointee of Miami-Dade commission Chairman Bruno Barreiro. Commissioner Audrey Edmonson initially appointed herself but later reconsidered and Tuesday appointed attorney H.T. Smith.
Also agreeing to serve are former Sunny Isles Beach city attorney Lynn Dannheisser (Sorenson), Miami attorneys Miguel De Grandy and Carlos Diaz-Padron and retired police division chief Ignacio Jesus Vasquez.
Pending are appointments to be made by Miami and Miami Gardens city officials and the League of Cities."
With 16 appointments, they are expected to start as a report is due by October 31.
Miami Dade Gambling by Geniusofdespair
Katy Sorenson was the lone vote against putting gambling (slots) out for a referendum today. It passed before lunch. The County will get a paltry 1.5% kickback from the activity. Good deal for the rest of the State, crap for the County. As Sorenson said, gambling is not doing as forecast in Broward - it is way down. Miami's Calder and two dog tracks will be the only venues to cash in. Hialeah, because they let their license lapse cannot be part of of the referendum (to the dismay of the Vile Natacha Seijas). Ron Book pushed the issue and it looks like he did a good job -- that is if you don't mind getting screwed by the rest of the State.
More news? by gimleteye
Matthew Pinzur writes a story about the competition for county health care services, and the recommendation of a high bid by County Manager Burgess.
While the Herald story notes the competitive bids received are not identical and, so, not easy to compare, it was strange that no mention was made of who is lobbying for the bidders.
If we were editing the Herald, every story on a county contract would have a little pull-out box with a list of lobbyists and which commissioner they are affiliated with.
Speaking of scorecards, dozens of government agencies are involved in Everglades restoration. Who among South Florida reporters is keeping track of the budget for reviewing the science?
Florida Power and Light wants permission to build two additional reactors at Turkey Point. How does FPL propose to harden Turkey Point and access to the plant against sea-level rise that could jump dramatically in the next 100 years?
Michelle Spence Jones' absence from the city commission lately has been noticed by eyeonmiami readers. Where in the world is Ms. Jones?
Eyeonmiami is happy to print any other nuggets that are missed by the Miami Herald or other mainstream media sources. Readers can write us, directly.
While the Herald story notes the competitive bids received are not identical and, so, not easy to compare, it was strange that no mention was made of who is lobbying for the bidders.
If we were editing the Herald, every story on a county contract would have a little pull-out box with a list of lobbyists and which commissioner they are affiliated with.
Speaking of scorecards, dozens of government agencies are involved in Everglades restoration. Who among South Florida reporters is keeping track of the budget for reviewing the science?
Florida Power and Light wants permission to build two additional reactors at Turkey Point. How does FPL propose to harden Turkey Point and access to the plant against sea-level rise that could jump dramatically in the next 100 years?
Michelle Spence Jones' absence from the city commission lately has been noticed by eyeonmiami readers. Where in the world is Ms. Jones?
Eyeonmiami is happy to print any other nuggets that are missed by the Miami Herald or other mainstream media sources. Readers can write us, directly.
Focus Group Results: City of Miami. By Geniusofdespair
Florida International University's Research Institute on Social & Economic Policy Center for Labor Research and Studies conducted a Focus Group on:
Miami Voter Dispositions toward the Development ‘Boom’ and Economic Development Policy
Released in May, the “Primary Findings” were:
In all the focus groups, negative critiques of Miami’s development predominated.
Two general critiques were widely shared and emotionally felt:
• Planning is either non-existent or ineffectual
• Development must have oversight and both developers and government officials must be held accountable.
(Hit on image to enlarge)
Miami Voter Dispositions toward the Development ‘Boom’ and Economic Development Policy
Released in May, the “Primary Findings” were:
In all the focus groups, negative critiques of Miami’s development predominated.
Two general critiques were widely shared and emotionally felt:
• Planning is either non-existent or ineffectual
• Development must have oversight and both developers and government officials must be held accountable.
(Hit on image to enlarge)
Monday, July 09, 2007
Dinner sans the Miami Herald by Geniusofdespair
I had dinner with a college graduate, a very smart young man. He said his mother got the newspaper every day and it was a ritual with her; she sat down with her coffee and read the paper. So, there was a newspaper in this man’s house every day. Every single day. I asked: “Did you read it?” Answer: “Nope, I get my news on line.”So there are those of us who get our news on paper and I would suppose for most of us real paper people, it is a ritual. I have experienced the panic when it is not at the door: “Where is the paper?” I yell wild-eyed at spouse.
How can I understand this young man? I have to read the paper. He doesn’t.
I know the good reporters. I always look at who is writing the column. When a good reporter moves on I am sad. Am I too close to the paper? Maybe I am getting clingy, that is not good. Where has Andres Viglucci been? Haven't seen any articles lately, hope he's okay. We all know where Debbie went. And where is Noaki now?
Some days I get angry and I feel like canceling the paper, like when Jim DeFede was fired and when they endorse crappy candidates. But I don't cancel. I can't do without the paper.
“Anders, what happened? The behavior was modeled by the parents, the kids should have picked it up. Why aren’t the young reading the Miami Herald even when it is in the house?”
I think computers are it from here on out, a pity, such a comforting ritual: Coffee and the crackle of the pages being turned by ink stained fingers.
Terror in the mortgage pools, by gimleteye
On Sunday, The Miami Herald reported on the latest auction of home foreclosures at the Miami-Dade County Clerk Office. One can easily imagine the same scenario being played out a thousand times across the nation on hot, lazy days where sleepiness is kept at bay by massive inputs of air conditioning and caffeine.
The Herald reports, “The amount of foreclosed real estate owned by Florida-based banks and thrifts has nearly tripled since the fall of last year, when foreclosure rates began their upward trek -- to $94 million as of March 31, from $34 million Sept. 30, according to the most recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data. (These data do not include giants like Bank of America, which have large operations here but are based elsewhere.)
The Florida numbers are much worse than the national average, Miami banking analyst Ken Thomas said. Total real estate owned by banks and thrifts rose 37 percent in the first quarter, compared to 12 percent nationally, he said.
''It appears things will likely get worse before they get better,'' Thomas said.
At Thursday's auction, of roughly 70 properties offered for sale, investors bought only two. A handful were scratched. The rest were bought back by lawyers for various lenders.”
Nothing is happening in the most over-heated real estate markets around the nation, like South Florida’s.
A few weeks ago, The Palm Beach Post reported, “… in Delray Beach, developer Bill Morris is working hard to make sales at his Worthing Place, a 217-unit condo in the heart of Delray's festive downtown. Prices start at $350,000 per unit. Morris says he has plenty of buyer interest, thanks to several incentives. He's offering to pay two years of maintenance, plus a "fly and buy" program to bring qualified buyers in from out of town."
In South Florida real estate circles, a qualified buyer either has very fat wallet filled with dollars or a slim one filled with Euros.
Still, according to the Post, Mr. Morris' prospects are reluctant to sign on the dotted line. "Buyers are worried that if they buy today, the market will decline tomorrow. "No matter what we do, they say, 'Call me in November,'" Morris said.”
Judging from the lethargy of Miami real estate markets, nothing is happening in November aside from the silent click as billions in adjustable rate mortgages reset to higher rates.
Beneath the doldrums of summer, there is an inkling of worse around the corner. Condo and home buyers will not be flooding into housing markets any time soon or at anywhere near the volume to reduce the inventory of unsold residential property.
It is hard summer for US consumers, battered by gasoline prices and falling house values. A puckering feeling, all around.
The massive problems in subprime mortgages has to be unnerving for mortgage bankers at the root of a Decision Tree whose upper branches contain the exotic fruit of a poor homeowner’s misery.
The distressed, former homeowner is now in a rental, his or her credit rating excoriated, or staying with family or moved to a new town.
The banker has no idea what to do. Selling foreclosed properties at fire sale prices into weak and falling markets can't be helpful to the performance bonus.
But there are bigger dilemmas. It is one thing for mortgage inventories to swell on a balance sheet, another thing entirely to sell them off at a loss.
And, still, a bigger problem—the one you don’t read about in the newspapers—every dollar of mortgage value has spawned ten or twenty times the value (really, no one knows!) in derivative financial instruments that are used to leverage more financial assets on someone else’s balance sheet.
Typically, that someone else is a pension fund or provide required to book assets as “investment grade” and not the toxic waste that jumps out at you in a foreclosure sale in a fluorescent, over-lit conference room where everyone is fighting off yawns induced by taxing heat and uncertain prospects.
In 1998, a hedge fund LTCM needed to be hastily bailed out, to the tune of $3.65 billion by investment banks hastily convened to protect against a collapse in bond markets.
There is no final price tag, on the amount of equity Bear Stearns will have to commit, to get out of dodge in two funds sunk by collapsing subprime mortgage values. So far, the smaller of the two funds will require $3.2 billion. Is Bear Stearns, alone in its distress?
Last week, executives at the nation's leading investment banks claimed that the subprime mess is "contained". It sounded a lot, to me, like "Mission Accomplished".
The lenders at foreclosure auctions like the one the other day at the Office of the Clerk in Miami-Dade County don’t show their faces: that is what they hire lawyers for.
But I am wondering how long before the reality of sinking house values requires lenders to sell-off inventory at fire sale prices and what, then, happens to hundreds of billions of financial derivates that have been created from thin air.
Those derivatives are held by financial institutions that provide for the income of millions of ordinary Americans.
So as the fans circle lazily above a desultory and dejected crowd of mortgage lenders, their representatives, and bargain basement buyers in Miami, do the wizards of Wall Street, whose bonus pay packages set them far above quotidian concerns, do the members of the board of the Federal Reserve, or members of Congress, or does the White House have any idea how to avert a collapse, other than to deny inflation while stirring it higher, to whittle down the scale of liabilities from terror in the mortgage pools?
(Read more perspectives at eyeonmiami, the blog. For a coherent analysis of financial derivatives: read Paul Tustain, BullionVault, “Investment landfill, how professionals dump their toxic waste on you” )
The Herald reports, “The amount of foreclosed real estate owned by Florida-based banks and thrifts has nearly tripled since the fall of last year, when foreclosure rates began their upward trek -- to $94 million as of March 31, from $34 million Sept. 30, according to the most recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data. (These data do not include giants like Bank of America, which have large operations here but are based elsewhere.)
The Florida numbers are much worse than the national average, Miami banking analyst Ken Thomas said. Total real estate owned by banks and thrifts rose 37 percent in the first quarter, compared to 12 percent nationally, he said.
''It appears things will likely get worse before they get better,'' Thomas said.
At Thursday's auction, of roughly 70 properties offered for sale, investors bought only two. A handful were scratched. The rest were bought back by lawyers for various lenders.”
Nothing is happening in the most over-heated real estate markets around the nation, like South Florida’s.
A few weeks ago, The Palm Beach Post reported, “… in Delray Beach, developer Bill Morris is working hard to make sales at his Worthing Place, a 217-unit condo in the heart of Delray's festive downtown. Prices start at $350,000 per unit. Morris says he has plenty of buyer interest, thanks to several incentives. He's offering to pay two years of maintenance, plus a "fly and buy" program to bring qualified buyers in from out of town."
In South Florida real estate circles, a qualified buyer either has very fat wallet filled with dollars or a slim one filled with Euros.
Still, according to the Post, Mr. Morris' prospects are reluctant to sign on the dotted line. "Buyers are worried that if they buy today, the market will decline tomorrow. "No matter what we do, they say, 'Call me in November,'" Morris said.”
Judging from the lethargy of Miami real estate markets, nothing is happening in November aside from the silent click as billions in adjustable rate mortgages reset to higher rates.
Beneath the doldrums of summer, there is an inkling of worse around the corner. Condo and home buyers will not be flooding into housing markets any time soon or at anywhere near the volume to reduce the inventory of unsold residential property.
It is hard summer for US consumers, battered by gasoline prices and falling house values. A puckering feeling, all around.
The massive problems in subprime mortgages has to be unnerving for mortgage bankers at the root of a Decision Tree whose upper branches contain the exotic fruit of a poor homeowner’s misery.
The distressed, former homeowner is now in a rental, his or her credit rating excoriated, or staying with family or moved to a new town.
The banker has no idea what to do. Selling foreclosed properties at fire sale prices into weak and falling markets can't be helpful to the performance bonus.
But there are bigger dilemmas. It is one thing for mortgage inventories to swell on a balance sheet, another thing entirely to sell them off at a loss.
And, still, a bigger problem—the one you don’t read about in the newspapers—every dollar of mortgage value has spawned ten or twenty times the value (really, no one knows!) in derivative financial instruments that are used to leverage more financial assets on someone else’s balance sheet.
Typically, that someone else is a pension fund or provide required to book assets as “investment grade” and not the toxic waste that jumps out at you in a foreclosure sale in a fluorescent, over-lit conference room where everyone is fighting off yawns induced by taxing heat and uncertain prospects.
In 1998, a hedge fund LTCM needed to be hastily bailed out, to the tune of $3.65 billion by investment banks hastily convened to protect against a collapse in bond markets.
There is no final price tag, on the amount of equity Bear Stearns will have to commit, to get out of dodge in two funds sunk by collapsing subprime mortgage values. So far, the smaller of the two funds will require $3.2 billion. Is Bear Stearns, alone in its distress?
Last week, executives at the nation's leading investment banks claimed that the subprime mess is "contained". It sounded a lot, to me, like "Mission Accomplished".
The lenders at foreclosure auctions like the one the other day at the Office of the Clerk in Miami-Dade County don’t show their faces: that is what they hire lawyers for.
But I am wondering how long before the reality of sinking house values requires lenders to sell-off inventory at fire sale prices and what, then, happens to hundreds of billions of financial derivates that have been created from thin air.
Those derivatives are held by financial institutions that provide for the income of millions of ordinary Americans.
So as the fans circle lazily above a desultory and dejected crowd of mortgage lenders, their representatives, and bargain basement buyers in Miami, do the wizards of Wall Street, whose bonus pay packages set them far above quotidian concerns, do the members of the board of the Federal Reserve, or members of Congress, or does the White House have any idea how to avert a collapse, other than to deny inflation while stirring it higher, to whittle down the scale of liabilities from terror in the mortgage pools?
(Read more perspectives at eyeonmiami, the blog. For a coherent analysis of financial derivatives: read Paul Tustain, BullionVault, “Investment landfill, how professionals dump their toxic waste on you” )
Clifford Schulman stays in the news with his client PUBLIX by Geniusofdespair
Read “Sunpost” article by Randy Abraham: City to Publix: You Suck!I have been complaining about the Florida Chamber of Commerce (see Post July 3rd, coincidentally titled: "Florida Chamber of Commerce You Suck!"). Maybe these stores are getting too uppity and need to be slapped down.
The Mayor of Sunny Isles Beach, Norman Edelcup, guns drawn, says to Publix and Clifford:
“It was never the intent of the City Commission to encompass submerged lands that were never platted and which abut other properties,” adding, “This City Commission is not in a position to give greed an opportunity to flourish.”
Publix lawyer/lobbyist Clifford Schulman of Greenberg Traurig shoots back:
”You closed the barn door, but the barn door was open...”
He was referring to a loophole in the City’s zoning that the law firm appeared to uncover for it’s client (Publix) to cash in on.
Resident George Scholl said he would form a boycott of Publix and brave Mayor Edelcup said he would support it, adding:
“Maybe the strategy of Publix and its attorney is to confuse everyone. It’s apparent that Publix will continue to defy the will of the people. There has to be a limit, a time to say ‘no’ to a developer.”
A time to say NO to a developer. Well, if that isn't a new concept!
Sunday, July 08, 2007
The Miami Herald on Foreclosure Auctions by Geniusofdespair
Monica Hatcher attended a Foreclosure Auction in Miami Dade and reports: Investors: Few deals at foreclosure auction. Hatcher says:“The amount of foreclosed real estate owned by Florida-based banks and thrifts has nearly tripled since the fall of last year, when foreclosure rates began their upward trek -- to $94 million as of March 31, from $34 million Sept. 30, according to the most recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data. (These data do not include giants like Bank of America, which have large operations here but are based elsewhere.)”
Miami Banking Analyst Ken Thomas said:
“The Florida numbers are much worse than the national average... Total real estate owned by banks and thrifts rose 37 percent in the first quarter, compared to 12 percent nationally....”
Which brings us back to my July 6th blog: "Dissecting an Inflated sale". If the lender were to unload the property I discussed for the $330,000 loan, it is still grossly overpriced. Long Beach Mortgage would have to drop the sale by $100,00 to $150,000 to make it an attractive deal. The lender would lose half their money invested in what appears to be, 2 really stupid loans.
In the Hatcher article, Stuart Gitlitz, a Miami lawyer who represents lenders in foreclosure proceedings, said:
''What is happening now is not the aberration,'' Gitlitz said. ''What happened in the last couple years was the aberration,'' and:
“During the boom years lenders could recover the full amount of bad loans at auctions from buyers, who could still turn around and sell the properties for a profit.”
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