Now that a credible challenger emerged to take her district seat in next August's county election, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Lynda Bell discovered the Everglades!
In her public life, Bell only cared for the environment so much as it served her standing with those who profited from lowering standards. From her first days as a county commissioner, Bell sided with anti-environmental forces. She wasn't a passive by-stander. She personally took the hatchet to environmental protections -- launching a successful attack against county environmental regulators -- ; scattering staff and local environmentalists to try to save what was left of enforcement capacity of the agency.
Politics makes strange bedfellows until the coast is clear, when the politician leaves quietly the next morning without a note saying goodbye.
In her public life, Bell only cared for the environment so much as it served her standing with those who profited from lowering standards. From her first days as a county commissioner, Bell sided with anti-environmental forces. She wasn't a passive by-stander. She personally took the hatchet to environmental protections -- launching a successful attack against county environmental regulators -- ; scattering staff and local environmentalists to try to save what was left of enforcement capacity of the agency.
Here is a photo of Lynda Bell duct-taping the results of dismantling the single environmental agency in Miami-Dade county: DERM. So egregious were her assaults that DERM's longtime top director Carlos Espinosa up and quit.
That was then. Now, with a tough challenger in her field of view, it's time for an airboat ride in the Everglades.
Daniella Levine Cava is running against Bell in the seat held by former commissioner Katy Sorenson, who strongly supports Cava. Here is the text of the press statement from the Bell office.
The Everglades can use all the help it can get, but Bell's summoning of "our precious water supply" and "working together" to "preserve and restore South Florida's most delicate and priceless ecosystems" and its "original glory" reminds me of a fairy tale about the wolf and the seven little kids. If you have the patience, find the Lynda Bell character in the Grimm morality tale, here:
21 comments:
Lynda went on a private tour? She Will do anything to avoid nasty constituents.
If the Everglades Foundation had any sense, they would have put her on a tree island and left her there.
Bell was a VIP courtesy of the Everglades Foundation at an event in Pinecrest. The hypocrisy of this event, that event, and her statements are amazing considering her voting record.
With that being said though, Ms. Cava has zero environmental experience from what I an gather from her bio. She is an outstanding candidate nonetheless.
I'd rather see Bell's clearly ethically challenged term put up against Ms. Cava's charitable work in the community where you will see the stark differences between the two. Environmental issues are too complicated for the ordinary voters because it's an unseen situation until the water runs out or the buildings are swallowed by sea level rise! That is the shame of it all.
Bell supporting the Everglades with a band-aide of funding from the State is even further absurd, but that's what's happening and that's how the campaign is going to go on the issue like when Big Sugar put out their kumbya press release with the Audubon Club "supporting" them as a very misleading statement. I see where Bell is going to play this. It could work.
The more Lynda Bell tries to reinvent herself the worst it will get. She has a voting record that is horrible on the environment.
Frau Bell was not enjoying the Everglades. To the contrary, she was out surveying for future developments.
Where's the beer cooler full'a Busch and beef jerky?
She hid the poached gator under the rear seats
Did anyone check if any beer cans got thrown overboard?
The trip was subtitled "Beer 'n Banjos" Yeeeeeee - haaaaaw! Wheresis me baby mama??!
Maybe Cava can let her kid be her enviro-proxy.. While Bells kid puts up fences, Cava's kid takes them down, a Master tree hugger with an ivy league forestry degree to prove it.
Daniella Cava Levine worked with me on hold the line. She is deeply engaged with the environment...that is why I am friends with her
Love the new website Dubois put up about rising up against the environment. He's still fighting fixing the environmental mess he made on Old Cutler Road. Wonder what happened at his court hearing today?
Looks like that airboat ride is out of Coopertown, no? Why go through Florida City to the Everglades Alligator Farm airboat ride? That would mean being in your district, right? Can't have that, now ....
Is Bell still bossing around Rebecca Sosa?
Bell on an airboat? I see that she is trying to rewrite history. Just more perfume being poured on a pig.
Oink, oink.
Maybe Bell thought is was a road trip with the Duck Dynasty crew!
It would be really wonderful to have an intellectual interchange on the blogs without the meanness. I am sure that these bloggers don't write so that people can post snarky responses to their articles. There are many comments that are stupid (and usually juvenile) as well as off topic.
Please, can we get serious with our governmental situation?
If we make light of the people who represent us, they will never take us seriously as constituents. We need to state our needs and expectations for our elected officials. And be damn serious about getting results.
We deserve accountability, but we have act like adults if we expect the elected to tune-in.
If every blog comment is going end with oink oink , it is going to be a very long campaign season.
Heard they needed another airboat just for Eddie
This is yet another Bell flip flop.
Remember how a Bell rings: flip flop, flip flop, ring, ring. Flip flopping from side to side, moving and striking from one side to another.
Just once can we see a consistent position from her? Is Lynda Bell as indecisive in her personal life as she is in politics?
It is unfortunate "Youbetcha" that we cannot have a mature conversation. The comments follow the lack of civility and responsibility from those elected. Many of them, and Bell is the prime example, have made a farce of Miami-Dade county.
Until we get some great minds elected, all I can say is "oink oink."
To get to the Gator Farm, Bell didn't want to subject her buddies to that arduous trek thru shithole Homestead.
Post a Comment