No. Not in a million years. But The Miami Herald publishes a puff piece on the question. The High Line in Lower Manhattan is an inspiration of urban planning. It depends on people arriving either by mass transit or walking. By virtue of location, there are many, many options for pedestrians either before or after walking on the High Line. The Marine Stadium is just like the Parrot Jungle at the end of another causeway. Worse, you have to pay a toll to get there. In both cases, it is a single destination unlikely to attract audiences by mass transit. I'm happy for the renovation project of the Marine Stadium because otherwise the entire area would be consumed by a developer's dream of privatizing the remaining waterfront in Miami. That still could happen, Marine Stadium or not. The bottom line is that we don't know how to protect value in Miami. We just know how to exploit it.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Now is the time to run for County Commissioner. By Geniusofdespair
The odd numbered districts are up for reelection. The primary is August 14 (really the election except if there is a runoff) so it is time to throw your hat in the ring. All 7 odd numbered Commissioners have opened campaign accounts.
Why should you run? Because it cost the lobbyists time and money. Pepe Diaz had a challenger in 2010 who raised $600. His machine raised $329,549 against her. Esteban Bovo collected $316,200 in 2011 but his closest challenger only raised $1,150. Overkill? Yep. And I love it.
Why? Even if there is some token challenger, the lobbyists have to get their machine's working for their candidates. If there is no challenger the lobbyists only raise about $150,000 (2010: Sally Heyman & Rebeca Sosa). You force the lobbyists to spend MORE time raising money if you run. Secondly, the lawyers and developers have to dish out those funds. A third advantage of your running, we get to see who that politician is beholden to by the campaign reports and who has a grudge against the Commissioner (by their absence). Those are the 3 main reasons why you should run against the Commissioners. Here are the rules to run:
1. Qualified elector of Miami-Dade County.
2. Resident of Miami-Dade County at least three (3) years prior to qualifying.
3. Resident of District at least six (6) months prior to qualifying.
Money you will need:
Qualifying fee of $360.00 is to be paid by means of a bank check drawn from the candidate’s campaign account as prescribed in F.S. 106.11(1)(a), made payable to the Board of County Commissioners. (Filing fee of $300.00 plus an election assessment equal to 1% of the annual salary as of July 1 of the preceding year).
You only need the filing fee to kick the lobbyists into fundraising gear, $360! You can drop out by June 5th. That is when you have to give your financial disclosures, etc.
Make the lobbyist work hard: Run for office! There are 4 County Commissioners without any challengers.
Why should you run? Because it cost the lobbyists time and money. Pepe Diaz had a challenger in 2010 who raised $600. His machine raised $329,549 against her. Esteban Bovo collected $316,200 in 2011 but his closest challenger only raised $1,150. Overkill? Yep. And I love it.
Why? Even if there is some token challenger, the lobbyists have to get their machine's working for their candidates. If there is no challenger the lobbyists only raise about $150,000 (2010: Sally Heyman & Rebeca Sosa). You force the lobbyists to spend MORE time raising money if you run. Secondly, the lawyers and developers have to dish out those funds. A third advantage of your running, we get to see who that politician is beholden to by the campaign reports and who has a grudge against the Commissioner (by their absence). Those are the 3 main reasons why you should run against the Commissioners. Here are the rules to run:
1. Qualified elector of Miami-Dade County.
2. Resident of Miami-Dade County at least three (3) years prior to qualifying.
3. Resident of District at least six (6) months prior to qualifying.
Money you will need:
Qualifying fee of $360.00 is to be paid by means of a bank check drawn from the candidate’s campaign account as prescribed in F.S. 106.11(1)(a), made payable to the Board of County Commissioners. (Filing fee of $300.00 plus an election assessment equal to 1% of the annual salary as of July 1 of the preceding year).
You only need the filing fee to kick the lobbyists into fundraising gear, $360! You can drop out by June 5th. That is when you have to give your financial disclosures, etc.
Make the lobbyist work hard: Run for office! There are 4 County Commissioners without any challengers.
Friday, February 17, 2012
R. Allen Stanford on trial in Houston ... by gimleteye
After a three year wait, ex-Miami financier, R. Allen Stanford is finally on trial in Houston. For the past 3 weeks, prosecution have been at work, to prove Stanford's role in a $7 billion Ponzi scheme that prominently featured in Miami, where bags of cash were loaded onto private jets for Antigua. If any readers have details on Stanford and Miami, please email us.
Turkey Point: More Safety Violations at Nuke Plant. Geniusofdespair
This issue about Turkey Point's safety was reported first in the Palm Beach Post. The Herald picked it up on Valentine's Day. People you must stay on top of problems at Turkey Point. The most current safety issues the Nuclear Regulatory Commission cited them for were:
...on two different occasions in 2010 and 2011, plant workers disabled portions of the plant's Technical Support Center ventilation system, which would have left the facility unusable during an emergency...Holy Toledo! I just went to the NRC site (Document # ML120260599), and they said there was a 7 month gap in functioning operation in the Support Center:
The second Apparent Violation is related to the failure to report a major loss of emergency assessment, offsite response, and offsite communication capability to the NRC when the Technical Support Center was not functional from December 4, 2010, to July 13, 2011. This Apparent Violation is being evaluated using the NRC’s traditional enforcement process because it impacted NRC’s ability to perform its regulatory function and is being considered for escalated enforcement action in accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy.
Aurdrey and Jean: I Want to Have A Word With You Both. By Geniusofdespair
Commissioner Jean Monestime, I wasn't so happy when Joe Martinez disrespected you over the Head Start vote. It is only fair that I point out, that you and Commissioner Edmonson are being disrespected again.
FIU wants to fill 350 acres of wetlands for fairgrounds way, way out -- on the other side of the UDB line -- away from your districts so that your constituents won't be able to get there and more importantly, won't be able to get jobs there. Did anyone even consider looking for a site in either of your districts?
It sucks that they haven't even thought to bring your districts a good project. Why are your districts always left out? Barbara Jordan has the Stadium. Moss has the zoo complex, agriculture and Homestead Air Force Base, Suarez has the waterfront. Barreiro has the port and the baseball stadium. Bovo has Hialeah Park. Diaz has the lake belt. Sosa has the airport. Complexes bring jobs to the district. These fairgrounds would be a big boost to the economy in one of your districts, don't let them bamboozle you into putting it out in the middle of nowhere. Get your district a good project for once. Fight for these fairgrounds.
Why do the Western Commissioners rule the roost? Get some balls and demand your fair share. (also see Gimleteye's post on the Fairgrounds)
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| Does this look like a central location? |
Put the study of corruption in Florida law schools ... by gimleteye
The Hindustan Times reports that the University of Sussex in Great Britain "has announced the creation of a new research center at Sussex entitled, "the 'Sussex Centre for the Study of Corruption'." The university will offer a master's degree for center students who will "analyze what corruption is, where it thrives and most importantly, what can be done about it."
Understandably, this is an idea that we could affiliate with locally. The University of Miami Law School, FIU or Nova could link with the Sussex venture, started by an Indian politician, Anna Hazare.
Suggestion to UM president Donna Shalala: solicit support for a new study of corruption from Lennar and Stuart Miller, a UM board member and on whose corporate board she sits, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, or Leonard Abess, an environmental philanthropist. Just a thought, but a thought that came to me in the context of a report by environmental journalist Bruce Ritchie, "Suwannee River Water Management District chief quits, warns Senate panel about water policy." Former District chief David Still told the GOP led legislature, "People have asked me, 'How you like what you're doing in the Legislature? ... The truth of the matter is I really want to tell them -- you won't hear this out of me very often -- I'm scared. I'm scared what is going to happen in our future with water."
What do the people of Florida recognize that the legislature doesn't? That to accommodate ceaseless growth of the cement and asphalt based footprint of development in Florida we are destroying our fresh water future. Its the same manifesto-- growth at any cost-- that made Florida the centerpiece of the housing boom and bust; mainly for the political influence peddling and campaign money that coalesced around former Governor Jeb Bush and an immoveable Republican majority in the legislature. Destroying our water future is in the genetic code of the Florida builders and associations like the Latin Builders: just give us the water we want, now. Keep the costs low. Keep building platted subdivisions in wetlands and open space. Never mind the future.
This is no exaggeration: the most important of Miami-Dade's 20 year plans based on its consumptive use permit with the state of Florida's water management district have been scrapped since Gov. Rick Scott took office. There is a virtual halt to enforcement and planning by state regulatory authority.
Don't get me wrong: I am not letting Democrats off the hook. When the Democrats had their turn at running the state of Florida and through their influence in Congress, not much was done to protect -- and I mean really to protect-- our water and air. Statewide candidates for office in Florida have been notoriously slow and indifferent to the ways that corruption is pervasive in environmental regulatory policies and growth management.
A recent report by the Department of Justice identifies Florida as 4th in the nation for public corruption. But factoring in state prosecutions, we are 1st. Numero Uno.
This leads me to thoughts about addressing corruption. Unfortunately we don't want to call corruption for what it is; not just the money under the table that lands county commissioners in jail, but policies that circumvent the will of the people as broadly expressed in important laws and regulations and for which loopholes are constantly being created. The goal posts change. The baselines vanish and are rewritten. Fast numerical standards on pollution become "narrative" standards. The Florida legislature hasn't even reckoned with the most dangerous pollutant of all, pervasive in Florida water: methylized mercury.
There you have it: the Florida legislature is obsessed with the moment of conception but cares not a shilling or dime for the pollution that is known to alter genes and creates terrible neurological deficits. This reminds me of the comment by super PAC organizer Karl Rove to the New York Times in 2003, when he was arguably the most important person in the Bush White House. Rove said, ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.'' I call that, corruption.
Suggestion to UM president Donna Shalala: solicit support for a new study of corruption from Lennar and Stuart Miller, a UM board member and on whose corporate board she sits, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, or Leonard Abess, an environmental philanthropist. Just a thought, but a thought that came to me in the context of a report by environmental journalist Bruce Ritchie, "Suwannee River Water Management District chief quits, warns Senate panel about water policy." Former District chief David Still told the GOP led legislature, "People have asked me, 'How you like what you're doing in the Legislature? ... The truth of the matter is I really want to tell them -- you won't hear this out of me very often -- I'm scared. I'm scared what is going to happen in our future with water."
What do the people of Florida recognize that the legislature doesn't? That to accommodate ceaseless growth of the cement and asphalt based footprint of development in Florida we are destroying our fresh water future. Its the same manifesto-- growth at any cost-- that made Florida the centerpiece of the housing boom and bust; mainly for the political influence peddling and campaign money that coalesced around former Governor Jeb Bush and an immoveable Republican majority in the legislature. Destroying our water future is in the genetic code of the Florida builders and associations like the Latin Builders: just give us the water we want, now. Keep the costs low. Keep building platted subdivisions in wetlands and open space. Never mind the future.
This is no exaggeration: the most important of Miami-Dade's 20 year plans based on its consumptive use permit with the state of Florida's water management district have been scrapped since Gov. Rick Scott took office. There is a virtual halt to enforcement and planning by state regulatory authority.
Don't get me wrong: I am not letting Democrats off the hook. When the Democrats had their turn at running the state of Florida and through their influence in Congress, not much was done to protect -- and I mean really to protect-- our water and air. Statewide candidates for office in Florida have been notoriously slow and indifferent to the ways that corruption is pervasive in environmental regulatory policies and growth management.
A recent report by the Department of Justice identifies Florida as 4th in the nation for public corruption. But factoring in state prosecutions, we are 1st. Numero Uno.
This leads me to thoughts about addressing corruption. Unfortunately we don't want to call corruption for what it is; not just the money under the table that lands county commissioners in jail, but policies that circumvent the will of the people as broadly expressed in important laws and regulations and for which loopholes are constantly being created. The goal posts change. The baselines vanish and are rewritten. Fast numerical standards on pollution become "narrative" standards. The Florida legislature hasn't even reckoned with the most dangerous pollutant of all, pervasive in Florida water: methylized mercury.
There you have it: the Florida legislature is obsessed with the moment of conception but cares not a shilling or dime for the pollution that is known to alter genes and creates terrible neurological deficits. This reminds me of the comment by super PAC organizer Karl Rove to the New York Times in 2003, when he was arguably the most important person in the Bush White House. Rove said, ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.'' I call that, corruption.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Sunlight on secret donations, NYT ... by gimleteye
This is desperately needed legislation, yet so far no Republicans have come forward to support or sponsor it. Republicans, who are reaping the lion’s share of the new unlimited donations, used to support disclosure laws. In 2000, the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, even said, “Republicans are in favor of disclosure.” Not anymore. Polls show the public supports disclosure as a way to fight political corruption. Any candidate who resists this common-sense bill deserves to be defeated.The New York Times Sunday editorial captures with flinty accuracy the public frustration with the rise of the super PAC's. As we've observed on this blog, the corporations funding super PAC's with unlimited (and largely unaccountable) donations, are all falling the Republican way. Although the GOP is now doing the circular firing squad thing, expect the air to clear and money to flow like a burst dam in the not-so-distant future. It's a grim state of the union, and the Citizen United decision by the Roberts' Supreme Court simply pushed our democracy downhill, faster. And to answer the inevitable question: yes I would feel exactly the same way if Democrats were reaping the whirlwind.
(New York Times, Feb 12, 2012 Editorial Board) Imagine if each of the vicious attack ads staining the presidential campaign had to name the five biggest donors paying for the propaganda, and end with an “I approved this ad” statement from the attack group’s chief operative. This thin ray of sunlight is at the heart of a new House proposal to repair some of the damage done to American democracy by the Supreme Court decision allowing campaigns to be flooded with unlimited, and largely cloaked, corporate, union and other special-interest contributions.
Miami's Best Looking Lobbyist. By Geniusofdespair
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| Melissa - Easy on the Eyes! |
Jeffrey Bercow's firm has snagged the prettiest lobbyist in Miami Dade County: Melissa Tapanes Llahues. She might not look so good after a few years of working on what I consider 'the dark side'. That ingenue look will be replaced by cynicism -- just look at the rest of them. Enjoy your good fortune of having good looks, Melissa. Think about practicing REAL environmental law to help the land, the animals and the ecosystem if you get demoralized and then your sweet, wholesomeness will endure. Also, in your new job, prepare yourself for some manhandling...all in good fun.
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| County Commissioner Pepe Diaz Gives LBA former President a friendly squeeze. |
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Everglades restoration: a carnival ... by gimleteye
Jon Ulman, the local Sierra Club representative, is right, calling the FIU expansion plan into the Bird Drive Basin, "a step in the wrong direction like the MDX expansion plan for the Dolphin Expressway." How could Florida's universities be turning such a blind eye to the decades of struggle to protect lands, like the Bird Drive Basin, purchased after lengthy effort and litigation? It is a travesty, just like the MDX boondoggle.
FIU enthusiastically allowed its sports stadium to be named for zero-rated US Century Bank; the banksters who drove the boom and bust, converting wetlands and the Everglades in suburban sprawl until the whole mess cratered-- and the landscape scarred forever. In key respects, there has never been a true accounting of the role of speculators like the ones whose names get put on university buildings in the housing bubble and crash.
FIU wants to move the Dade County Fair Grounds in order to expand, but it is clear that the powers-that-be want every last inch of open space and ag land built to the edge of Everglades National Park. If we had strong state authority, this nonsense wouldn't be tolerated. But we don't because Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida legislature are determined to surrender to thievery what we promised to protect so many years ago. Tough luck, Everglades.
FIU enthusiastically allowed its sports stadium to be named for zero-rated US Century Bank; the banksters who drove the boom and bust, converting wetlands and the Everglades in suburban sprawl until the whole mess cratered-- and the landscape scarred forever. In key respects, there has never been a true accounting of the role of speculators like the ones whose names get put on university buildings in the housing bubble and crash.
FIU wants to move the Dade County Fair Grounds in order to expand, but it is clear that the powers-that-be want every last inch of open space and ag land built to the edge of Everglades National Park. If we had strong state authority, this nonsense wouldn't be tolerated. But we don't because Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida legislature are determined to surrender to thievery what we promised to protect so many years ago. Tough luck, Everglades.
Election Day in India ... by gimleteye
Lynda Bell's Odd Corporation. By Geniusofdespair
Good Daughter, LLC.
Okay, that is a pretty strange name for a corporation in anyone's book. Good Daughter, LLC. was formed 12/22/2011. I expect Bad Daughter will be formed shortly.
Good Daughter is a trademarked name. Wonder if that will be a problem for them?
Proposed CDMP Amendment by the Damn Rock Miners. By Geniusofdespair
In the October 2011 cycle for CDMP (Comprehensive Development Master Plan) changes the rock miners are trying to chip, chip away at our safeguards.
They are trying to get rid of the language that calls for a super majority of the County Commission to approve EXPANSION of existing ROCK MINES. This is a toxic change. I can't keep up with all the crap going on. Cemex's Application 4 is a text amendment it will be heard at a Planning Advisory Board hearing on February 22nd at 2pm.
Also on the same cycle is the Brown Application change in use from WHAT THEY PROMISED and agreed to - to get the approval to move the UDB line - to include residential.
This will be heard March 8th by a Community Council 11 (West Kendall).
They are trying to get rid of the language that calls for a super majority of the County Commission to approve EXPANSION of existing ROCK MINES. This is a toxic change. I can't keep up with all the crap going on. Cemex's Application 4 is a text amendment it will be heard at a Planning Advisory Board hearing on February 22nd at 2pm.
Also on the same cycle is the Brown Application change in use from WHAT THEY PROMISED and agreed to - to get the approval to move the UDB line - to include residential.
This will be heard March 8th by a Community Council 11 (West Kendall).
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Election Results in South Miami. By Geniusofdespair
The Valentine's Day election in South Miami sparked a lot of fireworks. It is finally over.
Philip Stoddard: 57%
Julio Robaina: 42%
Congratulations Mayor Stoddard!
Philip Stoddard: 57%
Julio Robaina: 42%
Congratulations Mayor Stoddard!
Bruno Barreiro has 3 Challengers. by Geniusofdespair
When an unknown person runs for office, it is often said: What's their experience? Fundraising capability? Organization? Since they have never run before it is hard to know the answer to those questions.
I would say that those running against a sitting County Commissioner have no fundraising capability to speak of because everyone is afraid to get the sitting County Commissioner angry. You get a few donors but it is like pulling teeth. The incumbent just has to pick up the phone and tens of thousands of dollars are raised.
In order to have an "organization" you need money. Most new candidates loan their campaign some money. So a candidate has to have some wealth. Bruno already has $89,225 in his account. Ricky Rodriguez has been in since January 2011 - a full year. He still hasn't raised any money, I think that is a bad sign. Carlos Munoz Fontanills has raised $6,750 but that is through 10/07/2011. Calixto Garcia is new to the field - his filing documents are not even posted but he said he filed last week. He is a neuro-psychologist and he said he was/is the V.P. of the Chamber of Commerce 8th Street and Latin Quarter. Calixto said he is running a grass-roots campaign. He sounded promising when I spoke with him.
In my opinion, the only thing to look at before supporting a candidate that is new on the horizon is to figure out whether or not they are a flake. There has to be something more substantive then WANTING to be County Commissioner. Surprisingly, very often there is not. I have found candidates that provide non-working numbers on their filing papers. Or, when I call the numbers the candidate can't be found. Having a job helps and community service goes a long way to shed flakiness. I googled all three challengers with little feedback. Ricky has a campaign expenditure for a website but I couldn't find one.
I have to check out the 3 challengers against Bruno Barreiro, but we all know Bruno has to go!
Does Valentine's Day lead to sex, drugs and mafia? ... by gimleteye
The Hindustan Times quotes a state assemblyman on his campaign to end the celebration; "We are not against love, but essentially Valentine's Day leads to sex, drugs, and mafia ..." I'm not sure about the drugs and mafia part. What's your opinion?
Does it matter who is president? Yes it does ... by gimleteye
On the opinion page of the Bradenton Times, writer John Rehill offers,
Rehill makes a further point: how one of the nation's new super PAC's, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), is transforming local government: providing an endless stream of bullion, diamond, jewels and rubies to local legislatures by writing and promoting new laws authorizing the privatizing of key government functions.
In other words, ALEC is advancing the same privatization agenda that gave Florida, for example, under Governor Jeb Bush the promotion of useless "wetlands mitigation banking" -- privatizing the function of regulatory protection of wetlands -- that sped the proliferation of fetid, crappy subdivisions in Everglades wetlands and fed, in turn, Wall Street's overwhelming greed for debt and financial derivatives. This is how the local gears of the ill-fated Growth Machine connect up to the bigger gears; all facilitated through local and state policies. In Miami-Dade County, the repetitive assaults by developers against the Urban Development Boundary gave wing, finally, to the destruction of state regulatory authority for growth management-- urged on by the builders and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. What will come in its place will likely be determined by entities funded through unlimited corporate contributions to super PAC's like ALEC whose goal is to change local laws.
The crux of the matter is that ALEC exists because who is elected president matters. The Bush Supreme Court decided Citizens United, the reviled decision that gave birth to super PAC's. Yes, the crush of corporate money is driving Democrats and Republicans into the same cattle chute where "the results of what goes on in Washington are of little difference from administration to administration." On the broad policy front, I morosely agree.
But where White House appointments to the federal judiciary are concerned, the difference still matters -- provided those appointments are confirmed. It is a huge caveat. Of the awful backlog of judicial appointments, Former GOP representative Tom Davis notes in The Hill, that for "900 straight days there have more than 80 vacancies in the federal judiciary" due to Senate gridlock. In conclusion, who is elected president and which party controls the Senate matters a great deal to our democracy if only to protect the judiciary from radicalized legislatures. (Click, to read the Rehill editorial on ALEC from the Bradenton Times.)
"If it is possible to kick all political rhetoric aside, one thing will become overwhelmingly obvious; it doesn't matter who is sitting in the White House anymore. Sure, we have to feel like it does, so we'll get involved in our daily polarizing blame game, but the closer we look, the more we see that the results of what goes on in Washington are of little difference from administration to administration."I hear this a lot lately. Not just from my Republican friends -- uniformly dismayed by the GOP presidential primaries -- but also my Democratic ones.
Rehill makes a further point: how one of the nation's new super PAC's, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), is transforming local government: providing an endless stream of bullion, diamond, jewels and rubies to local legislatures by writing and promoting new laws authorizing the privatizing of key government functions.
In other words, ALEC is advancing the same privatization agenda that gave Florida, for example, under Governor Jeb Bush the promotion of useless "wetlands mitigation banking" -- privatizing the function of regulatory protection of wetlands -- that sped the proliferation of fetid, crappy subdivisions in Everglades wetlands and fed, in turn, Wall Street's overwhelming greed for debt and financial derivatives. This is how the local gears of the ill-fated Growth Machine connect up to the bigger gears; all facilitated through local and state policies. In Miami-Dade County, the repetitive assaults by developers against the Urban Development Boundary gave wing, finally, to the destruction of state regulatory authority for growth management-- urged on by the builders and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. What will come in its place will likely be determined by entities funded through unlimited corporate contributions to super PAC's like ALEC whose goal is to change local laws.
The crux of the matter is that ALEC exists because who is elected president matters. The Bush Supreme Court decided Citizens United, the reviled decision that gave birth to super PAC's. Yes, the crush of corporate money is driving Democrats and Republicans into the same cattle chute where "the results of what goes on in Washington are of little difference from administration to administration." On the broad policy front, I morosely agree.
But where White House appointments to the federal judiciary are concerned, the difference still matters -- provided those appointments are confirmed. It is a huge caveat. Of the awful backlog of judicial appointments, Former GOP representative Tom Davis notes in The Hill, that for "900 straight days there have more than 80 vacancies in the federal judiciary" due to Senate gridlock. In conclusion, who is elected president and which party controls the Senate matters a great deal to our democracy if only to protect the judiciary from radicalized legislatures. (Click, to read the Rehill editorial on ALEC from the Bradenton Times.)
Monday, February 13, 2012
The Best "Free" Show in Town: Dexter Lehtinen Hearing. By Geniusofdespair
On February 24th you can catch a hearing between Dexter Lehtinen (husband of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen) and the Miccosukee Indian Tribe.
Some of these Federal trials/hearings, right at our doorstep, are fascinating. If you have nothing better to do, go. At issue, the tribe is being charged $26 million by the IRS and they are blaming their former attorney for bad advice. From what I have been reading, I don't think he is responsible. He fought the IRS but he also advised the Tribe to:
"...create a tax-reserve fund as a “prudent step” should the Miccosukees have to settle with the IRS."
The tribe had $20 million in that fund under former Chief Cypress...just about what they owe now. Coincidence? I think not.
One word of advice if you go February 24th, leave your cell phone at home. You can't enter a Federal Court House with a cell phone unless you are a lawyer - party to the proceedings.
Some of these Federal trials/hearings, right at our doorstep, are fascinating. If you have nothing better to do, go. At issue, the tribe is being charged $26 million by the IRS and they are blaming their former attorney for bad advice. From what I have been reading, I don't think he is responsible. He fought the IRS but he also advised the Tribe to:
"...create a tax-reserve fund as a “prudent step” should the Miccosukees have to settle with the IRS."
The tribe had $20 million in that fund under former Chief Cypress...just about what they owe now. Coincidence? I think not.
One word of advice if you go February 24th, leave your cell phone at home. You can't enter a Federal Court House with a cell phone unless you are a lawyer - party to the proceedings.
In its Sam Zell story, what The Miami Herald missed ... by gimleteye
The Miami Herald reported the Sam Zell story in a way that gave cover to Jorge Perez, surely the last man in Miami who ought to be papered over in a discussion about what is needed to revive the economy. Mr. Perez might not have been the salesman-in-chief of the housing boom, but he surely deserves to take a back seat now that the housing bust enveloped the economy. Zell gets the spotlight because he is a billionaire investor who slid out from under the real estate crash. His critique of Miami runs in tandem with Eyeonmiami: "Miami's economic future depends on whether it can create a well-educated, highly skilled, talented workforce." Yes, but.
Regarding the Herald's trumpeting messengers who might or not deserve to be shot: if the powers that be have created such a mess of a second tier American city, do they deserve any credibility at all? Whether touting the Miami Marlins Stadium, the PAC, the Arts Museum, or Mr. Zell, the Herald can't seem to find its balance. And what about Mr. Zell and the Tribune Co? One imagines Herald reporters reading the puff piece in their newspaper about Zell then barfing in their wastebaskets.
Regarding the Herald's trumpeting messengers who might or not deserve to be shot: if the powers that be have created such a mess of a second tier American city, do they deserve any credibility at all? Whether touting the Miami Marlins Stadium, the PAC, the Arts Museum, or Mr. Zell, the Herald can't seem to find its balance. And what about Mr. Zell and the Tribune Co? One imagines Herald reporters reading the puff piece in their newspaper about Zell then barfing in their wastebaskets.
Food Seen at a Party. By Geniusofdespair
Sunday, February 12, 2012
What's Up With The Florida City Annexation? By Geniusofdespair
In the Herald today, there was a notice of a public hearing Feb. 22nd on the Florida City Annexation. A miniscule map was included. I couldn't find the map on Planning & Zoning's website so I blew up the crappy one in the paper. It is unreadable.
I also looked up the area on the Miami Dade Property Appraiser website (map above).
My question is: Why does Florida City want this land -- mostly vacant land outside the UDB line? What is really going on??
I also looked up the area on the Miami Dade Property Appraiser website (map above).
My question is: Why does Florida City want this land -- mostly vacant land outside the UDB line? What is really going on??
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