War Is Escalating in Miami Dade South East. By Geniusofdespair

First there was a war over putting a bridge over a canal in Palmetto Bay. Calls of Nimby got harsh from neighbors South of the canal who wanted a shortcut around the mind numbing traffic. Included in the voices in favor of the road, a man who has aided developers all these many years I have been an activist. To him I say: Reap what you sow, developer flunky.

Anyway, here is the newest fight brewing presented in an immensely entertaining video. Watch it.

This time it is people in Cutler Bay upset about the use of town land as a right of way.



What is this war all about? TRAFFIC.  I offered a comment on a closed group called "Palmetto Bay Leadership Thru Transparency," it was addressed to someone complaining about the bridge not being built over the canal on an artery in a neighborhood. A woman that had wanted the bridge was nixing the buses as an answer I said:

Make mass transit work.  Might not be for you but it can get others off the road so it could be a cause for you to get behind. You were getting light rail, ask Alice Bravo what happened with that. The metro rail need to go further South. If you stood together to clamor for mass transit you might get it. What happened to all the Federal matching grants not being a sanctuary County was supposed to get us? Getting involved takes work, and massive research not just writing on Facebook. And my ferry idea— not so bad even if it can’t run some days. You just might not have the sea legs other do. Try to focus on more than a bridge. There are meeting going on right now at the government center library about moving the UDB some more. I went to one...developers are there...

The bridge was rejected by the county so there was a lot of sour grapes from the people looking for the shortcut.

I also suggested that Palmetto Bay put up a wall and make Cutler Bay pay for it. That didn't go over so well.

Back to the subject of the video above:

From LivableCutler:

"Don’t Pave Paradise...
MAKE IT A PARK!
Why is this important to Palmetto Bay?

On Feb 21 in Cutler Bay the Town Council will vote to allow or deny a developer to build 30 3,000 sq ft McMansions on small 75x100 lots on 9 acres right on Old Cutler Rd just south of SW 184 St. 30 monster houses to be built like big barracks right next door to our beautiful Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands restoration.

As if the $22 million profit weren’t enough that the same developer cashed in from selling the 125 acre Biscayne Bay Costal Wetlands property in 2010 to the SFWMD....now they want Cutler Bay to give them town owned land to allow them an exclusive entrance to their development from SW 184 St. Yes that’s some nerve, and a whole lot of greed.

Why is this wrong...

1. Town land to build a road for the exclusive use of 100 future residents should not be given away when that land can be enjoyed as a pocket park by the 44,000 residents of Cutler Bay.

2. The development sited adjacent to BBCW with barely a buffer between the houses and coastal wetlands puts BBCW at great risk!

3. No one wants the additional traffic on this already over burdened stretch and intersection of Old Cutler Rd.

4. Lastly, these 30 houses if built, forever kill the best hopes and desires of the Cutler Bay community to see a beautiful 9 acre nature park with trails, educational and recreation opportunities, and the best location in our town for a possible boardwalk and a view to Biscayne Bay.

Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay Election Part 2. By Guest Blogger Tito

CUTLER BAY CANDIDATES FOR VICE MAYOR

Sue Loyzelle currently serves as the district 2 representative. She works for the YMCA and is liaison to the town's Communities for A Lifetime Committee. She was appointed to the council in 2010 and then ran for office in 2011 using lobbyist Jose Luis Castillo as a consultant. She has also consulted with him in her current campaign. Jose Luis Castillo works as a campaign consultant and as a lobbyist hired to convince the council to approve zoning changes and site plans in Cutler Bay.

Loyzelle stated in 2011 that she was in favor of allowing buildings as high as 4 stories along Old Cutler Road and she has voted accordingly. She has also voted to rezone properties to allow greater density. In recent debates and interviews she has tried to rewrite history, contradicting her former positions.   The rest of her platform is rather generic and nondescript with no written details whatsoever, wanting to improve our quality of life, fight for families, public safety, better parks, etc.

Her campaign finance reports show contributors including 3 real estate PAC's ($3,000), recalled former Miami-Dade Commissioner Natacha Seijas ($100), former commissioner Katy Sorenson ($75) and Palmetto Bay's Vice-Mayor John Dubois ($250). One check from a business ($1,000) and another from an individual ($1,000) associated with the recently approved Mater Academy which Loyzelle voted in favor of.

Javier Giraud is an attorney focusing on real estate and representing homeowners against their insurance companies. His previous government experience was as an aide to county commissioner Javier Souto. He is also on the board of his homeowners association.

Giraud is a relative newcomer to Cutler Bay. He has taken a strong anti-lobbyist stance and has publicly stated he is against four story buildings on Old Cutler Road. He is also against any attempt to increase the zoning or density on property along this roadway. He owns property on 87th Ave which was recently rezoned, but he did not ask for increased density. According to Sunbiz, he has a business relationship with an Old Cutler landowner who has attempted and failed to get approval to build a CVS on his property.

Other issues Giraud is focused on is making changes to the growth management plan, converting parts of town hall into office condos to save money, fewer no bid contracts, and public safety. He alsostates he will not meet privately with lobbyists or their clients, a practice now allowed in the town. He gives voters a detailed account on his positions on his website. His campaign finance reports show he is primarily self funding his campaign. He pledged to never take funds from lobbyists or their clients and so far he has kept this promise. There are no smoking guns regarding contributions.

CUTLER BAY CANDIDATES FOR DISTRICT 2

Chuck Barrentine works in loss prevention for Sears. This is his third run for office, his first was in 2006, and again in 2011. In his last campaign, he ran against Sue Loyzelle on a platform of replacing the town manager (who left a year later) and opposing 4 story buildings on Old Cutler Road. His position of limited growth on Old Cutler Road appears unchanged, citing traffic as a primary concern.

Barrentine has come out strongly against the influence of lobbyists, developers and special interests and for increased transparency. His website includes a detailed list of several local issues of concern, along with potential solutions. Barrentine has served on the South Dade Military Affairs Committee, hurricane preparedness activities (CERT team), and coaching sports teams among others. Chuck is less polished then his opponent, but appears to be well informed about local issues. According to Barrentine's latest campaign report he has collected $3,900.00. For the most part, Barrentine seems to be funding his own campaign. There appear to be no smoking guns.

Michael Callahan works as Manager of Facilities at East Ridge Village and is the chair of the town's Parks and Recreation committee. Unlike Barrentine and Giraud, Callahan appears to be unconcerned about the influence of lobbyists on town decisions. His concerns seem to be focused on three main issues. The first being parks, which he is well familiar. He supports building a multimillion dollar aquatic center, creating a park by town hall, and other park improvements. His other two issues include managed development and traffic calming. His position on not allowing developers to provide their own traffic studies is an important issue but his thoughts on traffic calming presents nothing new.
Callahan is far more polished than his opponent, but he comes off as very much the politician, perhaps due to a previous career in acting.

He has the least amount of funding, with just $1,950.00 raised. Again, there are no smoking guns regarding his campaign finances. Callahan has made comments that lead me to believe he would be pro-environment, which does fit nicely with his parks
advocacy.

Part 1 - Palmetto Bay

Genius says:
My problem with both of these -- the influence of Jose Luis Castillo. I don't believe that one should manage a campaign and then get paid to lobby the people he has managed. It is an unethical situation to me. I think both towns (or villages) should look at an ordinance to curtail this. I wrote about this problem in Cutler Bay in 2014. When are they going to fix it? Unless they make a pledge to recuse themselves from any vote he is lobbying for --- I would NOT vote for any candidate that he manages.

Cutler Bay/Palmetto Bay: WOW! What a mess. By Geniusofdespair

Jose Luis Castillo

I only printed the second document that Former Cutler Bay Mayor Ed MacDougall mentions -- as you know I am not a fan of Jose Luis Castillo:

These attachments are a request for a hearing under the Town of Cutler Bay charter “Bill of Rights”. But, I do not believe it will be respected. The reasons are articulated in the second document which outlines what has happened in Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay. Many requests made by me as the mayor, for the council to act on possible violations by lobbyists, have been ignored.

With Kindest Regards,

Ed MacDougall, Private Citizen and former mayor
Town of Cutler Bay

From Former Mayor Ed MacDougall:

If I am misguided, then I shall discontinue my fight. But, I truly feel it is the duty of each of us to protect our system of government from themselves.

These are the events surrounding a lawsuit filed by Jose Castillo against the Town of Cutler Bay/Mayor MacDougall and Art Nanni through attorney Jeffrey P. Leary. Mayor Eugene Flinn has also been served legal papers by Jeffrey Leary. Mayor Flinn advised in writing that Mr. Leary is the attorney of John Dubois. In addition, John Dubois told me personally that Jeffrey Leary is his attorney.

As mayor of Cutler Bay, I promised not to allow corruption in our Town. In this attempt, I have done the following.

I first brought to the attention of our council that one of our lobbyists, Fausto Gomez, had made a campaign contributions to vice mayor Sochins 2012 election. He made that contribution by check from a company he owns unrelated to his job as our lobbyist. Mr. Gomez did not disclose his contribution which is in direct conflict with our charter and ordinance. The purpose of the charter provision was to ensure that campaign contributions from people that the town hires, especially those made through an unrelated company, are made public. I believe in the rule of law and upholding our charter and as such brought this to the council’s attention at three different meetings. The council refused to hear the matter or put it on the table for discussion. I later filed a complaint with the Miami Dade Commission on Ethics. They replied that there appeared to be a violation but since the council refused to hear it, the Commission on Ethics would not act on the matter.

In 2014 I brought to the attention of the manager that Richard Candia, another lobbyist who was being paid $40,000/year by the town to represent our interests, had taken $100,000 from the Miami Dolphins owner (confirmed in a phone conversation with Richard) to represent them in support of the stadium. Our council had passed a resolution opposing the $400 million tax increase for the stadium. Richard Candia was released as a lobbyist for Cutler Bay and subsequently arrested a couple of months later by the FBI in a corruption scheme. At the time I did not realize my conversation with Mr. Candia was most likely recorded by the FBI.

In 2012, during the largest zoning issue the Town has taken up, the Publix center development, council member Susie Loyzelle consistently voted to approve the site plan, which eventually passed. I eventually learned one of the lobbyists for the project was Jose Castillo, who not only lobbied for the project but had worked as Loyzelle’s former campaign manager. Councilmember Loyzelle never disclosed her relationship with Mr. Castillo, nor did he disclose his relationship with her.

Soon after the Publix vote for their new project, it was brought to the entire council’s attention that per our charter both councilmembers and lobbyists must disclose, prior to a hearing, any conversations they have with each other regarding quasi-judicial matters. Mr. Castillo did not make these required disclosures and since no other member of my council would act, I filed a complaint with the ethics commission. Mr. Castillo pled no contest and paid a fine.

It was told to me then that Jose Castillo would get back at me.

During the recent 2014 election, Jose Castillo ran the campaigns of council member Peggy Bell for mayor and Ed Wolmers for council seat one. At the same time he was running their campaigns, he was also a paid registered lobbyist for a new project, “Old Cutler Village”. In other words, he was being paid to lobby the council, including Peggy Bell, to vote in favor of a zoning change while being employed by Peggy Bell to consult on her campaign. In my opinion this is a conflict of interest, and as such I could not support either individual’s campaigns.

After I was made aware of Mr. Castillo’s dual role as lobbyist and campaign consultant, I decided to come out publicly for Art Nanni. In a letter of support I made the statement that Peggy Bell had as a campaign manager, Jose Castillo, who had pled guilty to an ethics violation. Jose Castillo has sued me personally for slander for using the term “pled guilty” and not “pled no contest”. It has become very personal for him.

While attempting to get my support for his campaign, I had a conversation with Ed Wolmers who stated that Jose Castillo had given him $3,000 to support the vote on the Old Cutler project. Ed Wolmers told me he refused the money, so that must mean he is honest so he would like my support for his council member campaign. Given the illegal nature of such an offer, I reported my conversation to the Town’s attorneys via email. I later learned Mr. Wolmers told two other people the same story, each of whom have filed sworn statements to what they were told. Mr. Wolmers now denies that he made this comment to any of us. The council was advised on the matter but never responded.

Four days before my term as mayor ended, I was sanctioned by the council because of my letter of support for Art Nanni. My sins, so to speak, were that I used the term “pled guilty” and not “pled no contest” with regard to Jose Castillo’s ethics complaint. They argued this constituted making a false statement. The fact that I had signed not only my name but my position as mayor they labeled a misuse of authority, even though it was not done on town stationary nor using town resources. It was Ed Wolmers who asked for a hearing and Peggy Bell who agreed to bring it to the council. Remember, both were still using Jose Castillo as their campaign consultant and both were counting on his ability to get them elected. Also, vice mayor Sochin was photographed in a private meeting in a public restaurant, with Jose Castillo and it was never publically disclosed. Admittedly, not an illegal act, but Add to that, the photograph of Jose Castillo with Cutler Bay council member Susie Loyzelle, Palmetto Bay V/M John Dubois, Palmetto Bay Council member Karen Cunningham and Palmetto Bay Council member Laura Siegel all at a private party, and a picture can be drawn. I have the photos.

We now have a council in which at least two of the five members have openly used Jose Castillo as their campaign consultant. Castillo is listed as a lobbyist for the Old Cutler Road project, the 9.5 acre Old Cutler Village project at SW 184 Street and OCR which they are seeking a "Master Plan change and zoning change”. Jose Castillo first registered as a lobbyist for the 184th Street property on 2/24/14; he amended it on 9/18/14 presumably due to his being hired by Peggy Bell. All lobbyists’ registrations expired on 12/31/14. He re-registered on Jan. 27th. 2015. This project is on the border of Palmetto Bay with Cutler Bay, directly affecting each municipality.

Cutler Bay Property on Development Track? By Geniusofdespair

This property is surrounded by South Florida Water Management Land and is in the footprint of a Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project. It is high and dry in comparison to the land around it.

From CutlerBay.Net Website:

Cutler Properties LC purchased the 138 acre parcel of land situated between the Palmetto Bay Village Center (old Burger King HQ) and Cutler Cay, in October 2003. In addition to the 9+ acres of buildable land fronting Old Cutler Rd, asked for an environmental variance to fill and develop an additional 33.12 acres of wetland area. This property is located in the footprint of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project (BBCW), a plan to rehydrate the coastal wetlands, and is one of the components of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

At the November 9th, 2006 Environmental Quality Control Board (EQCB) meeting, residents from Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay as well as representatives from the Tropical Audubon Society and Biscayne National Park spoke out in opposition to this variance.

The EQCB granted Cutler Properties LC two additional continuances in order for the owner to meet with the community. Concerned residents sent almost 400 emails to the EQCB protesting this development. Just prior to the EQCB meeting on January 11th, 2007, Cutler Properties withdrew their application.

Handsome guy...

The Manager of this property, according to corporate files is Edgardo A. DeFortuna. I would suppose that means he is the owner as well even though he dabbles mostly in downtown deals.  Rumor has it that one of the biggest complainers about this property being developed tried to purchase the property from DeFortuna and was rejected. Is Sour Grapes the real reason for his opposition, not environmental concerns and opposition to Dover Kohl's New Urbanism as he professes. However, the planners have a lot planned for this very small parcel on the edge of environmental land. What is up with that Victor? It is currently zoned for single family residential which is 5 units per acre. They are seeking a change to mixed use zoning. I am a proponent of New Urbanism but in the right place. That message is to you too handsome guy.

DRUM ROLL: THE LOBBYISTS on this project?? I called the town of Cutler Bay to ask and left a message for the Clerk and the Manager and no one got back to me. The Manager called me this morning and said the Clerk had the information.

Wildlife Abounds in Our Coastal Wetlands...For Now. Guest Blog By Concerned in Cutler Bay

I took this picture off SW 184 Street and Old Cutler Road of a Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill spotted at coastal wetlands restoration off SW 184 st and Old Cutler Rd.

How appropriate to have a nine acre strip mall up to four stories tall looming over these wetlands  on already traffic packed Old Cutler Rd? Yet the Cutler Bay Council will soon decide if the change of zoning the developer wants will allow this rape of our few remaining open lands to go forth.

The Cutler Bay Meeting Last Week. Guest Blog By Concerned in Cutler Bay

In short charges were brought against Mayor Edward MacDougall by Wolmers and Bell of violating the town charter for a letter he wrote, but did not distribute, denouncing their ties to Castillo and in the letter he admitted to supporting their opponents.

I believe the charges were completely politically driven under the guise of upholding the town charter which of course is done selectively. All this five days before the end of 8 years of service by the mayor. The mayor promised to fight the censure by the council (passed on a vote of 4-0). He will appeal this legally as well as bring forth legal proceedings against Wolmers/Castillo for Castillo's alleged, offering Wolmers $3,000  to support the change of zoning on SW 184 St and Old Cutler. Castillo is a registered lobbyist for that project. The Mayor also stated he would be pursuing another legal matter against Council Member Loyzelle regarding a serious voting impropriety on the removal of prior town manager Alexander. The room was full of McDougall supporters and very few there were supporters of Bell and Wolmers. It was a very sad moment for Cutler Bay. Whatever Castillo touches seems to turn bad.

The censure vote itself was a three ring circus with acting Chair Sochin trying to second his own motions and Bell trying to guide Sochin and being advised by staff that she could not take over. The whole thing was as nasty as Palmetto Bay during the Palmer Trinity days and that is saying something. At times Loyzelle seemed as mean and pugnacious as Gov. Christie of NJ towards the Mayor. Bell was much more controlled but if looks could have killed...and Wolmers, a sad case of a man who would do anything to be elected, joined in. I'm sure there was a lot of encouragement by Bell and maybe others to pursue this action against the Mayor.

From the Miami Herald an earlier article leading up to this:

The latter complaint, brought by Town Council candidate Ed Wolmers and sponsored by council member and mayoral candidate Peggy Bell, alleged that a letter sent by the mayor to the town’s residents on Sept. 25 violated a town charter rule against officials “intentionally misusing his position to threaten, harass or otherwise attempt to intimidate any other person including but not limited to any citizen, employee or colleague.”

The complaint alleged that the letter appeared to be official, and that it criticized Bell and others.

“The question at hand is, is this an official communication from the town to the residents or is this just a personal opinion from the mayor,” Wolmers said in his complaint at the meeting. “The issues that I raise are a misuse of power and a misuse of office. While the mayor is entitled to his opinions … the message clearly is intended to send a message of distortion and rhetoric.”

Wolmers is running against incumbent Seat 1 council member Mary Ann Mixon. In his letter, MacDougall speaks of lobbyist Jose L. Castillo, the campaign manager for Bell and Wolmers. In his complaint, Wolmers writes that MacDougall used “rhetoric created with the sole purpose of accusing Peggy Bell and Ed Wolmers of association with a ‘corrupt’ lobbyist.”

“I think because I’m named in the violation, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to comment on it,” Bell said. “I just think they brought it forward because I didn’t think it was likely anyone else would be able to do it.”

MacDougall said he “demanded a public hearing” regarding his letter endorsing Nanni. The public hearing will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at Town Hall.

Art Nanni running against Peggy Bell. Art's wife is a volunteer on many fronts.

Genius: Environmentalists praise Ed MacDougall on his environmental record. But acknowledge his short temper.

Cutler Bay & Palmetto Bay - Two Wayward Towns. Guest Post By HowLowCanItGo

 Lobbyist and Politicians Run Amok in our Piece of Paradise

I'm a Hispanic Environmentalist citizen of South Dade, Cutler Bay. I moved here in 1995 from the Gables area so I have witnessed many changes to include incorporation and quite a bit of unwise development. Yes I was one of those who foolishly thought local home rule would be a good thing overall, although I had reservations. I should have trusted my gut. But before incorporation we saw rampant and unsustainable development of open spaces rubber stamped by Miami-Dade County government, so how much worse could it get?!

I chose to move south due to the affordable  housing market and the open green space character of the Old Cutler Road corridor and all that beautiful open land to the south and east of our historical road. Those were the days when traffic jams were caused by thousands of land crabs and by the caring residents not wanting to crush them in their summer migration over Old Cutler as the land crabs  searched for food and fodder in the open land and pine rocklands. Today there are only a few land crabs but there certainly are plenty of traffic jams, daily. So home rule to me meant that citizens of the area could positively influence their city governments to suppress unbridled and environmentally  unfriendly development.

Then something happened.

Lobbyists moved into our cities along Old Cutler, well not physically moved in as none of them live here but in effect their devastating influence did.  And today what we have are local city governments and town councils controlled from behind the scenes by shadow politicians, the lobbyists and the interests they represent. In Cutler Bay alone there is one current council member with ties to second rate lobbyist Jose Luis Castillo, Sue Loyzelle. She has been known to fight hard in chambers for Castillo projects.

Currently running are Peggy Bell and Ed Wolmers both being managed by that same Castillo. The Cutler Bay council has five members, so three is all Castillo needs: Bell, Wolmers, and Loyzelle. Castillo has been heard saying, indirect quote, once the current government of Cutler Bay is gone, I will own that town. We will know soon enough. 

And don't think Palmetto Bay is immune from the lobbyist-ebola virus, call it the Eblobbyist virus. Palmetto Bay has 2 infected by Castillo: Cunningham and Dubois. Tim Schaffer, he is another story. But he will vote with them. He said at a county meeting last week, supporting Wayne Rosen,  the tax base of Palmetto Bay is mostly residents, as if that is a bad thing.

So should the Castillo voting block breakout in November  because you vote for Castillo Candidates in Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay, every zoning change, variance, accommodation to a development plan, and any other related favor that comes up when Castillo's hand is in it, will have a free pass.

Some of you may need proof of the strings that have become attached to our candidates and politicians so let me offer some evidence. In the latest disclosure by Peggy Bell of her campaign of contributors here are some highlights:

• Jose Castillo/Green Point Group, $3300 - lobbyist for 9 acre property next to Cutler Wetlands on SW 184 St and Old Cutler Rd. He will lobby for a change in zoning from RU 1 residential to Mixed Use, which means they can build ANYTHING the Cutler Bay Council approves, to include a 3-4 story strip mall. This zoning change application is already in process and the issue will be heard shortly after the elections.
• Juan Mayol, $ 1000 - Attorney and lobbyist for 9 acre property next to Cutler Wetlands on SW 184 st and Old Cutler Rd. Working with Jose Castillo.
• Howard Nelson, $200 - Lawyer for property owner of above 9 acre property, also lawyer that represented same property owner in past negotiations with SFWMD where SFWMD bought adjoining 129 acres Coastal Wetlands currently under restoration. District paid 24 million for the 129 acres and now same greedy property owner wants even more for the other 9 acres by getting the zoning change which will immediately inflate the price of the land.
• Brian Bilzin, $200 - Lawyer for property owner of above 9 acre property…
• Sue Loyzelle, $50 - Current Cutler bay Council member, also managed by Castillo in the last election, lobbied hard for Castillo and developers of another unpopular project in Cutler Bay, the mega Publix shopping center in the potato field. Issue is not resolved and will likely be back up for votes in upcoming term of the council.

Citizens of South Dade we must free our towns (you too Homestead) from the toxic strings of these outside lobbyists and developers. This is a puppet show gone deadly viral and Castillo's hand is maneuvering the politician puppets who are sick with ego, power, and self interest and love for this modern day Svengali with his linen clothes and expensive watches.  If he only managed campaigns, it wouldn't be so bad. It is the lobbying of the same people he manages that is toxic.

Do not vote for any candidate with ties to Castillo and his clan. Castillo has been involved absentee ballot fraudsters under arrest, supported and managed horrible individuals in the past such as Lynda Bell, Mark Bell and Natacha Seijas. And now he intends to control our local politics until they have paved over every inch of green space with hot asphalt and cold concrete, and nothing and I mean nothing lives in that!

Cutler Bay: Peggy Bell's Campaign Report. Guest Blogger HowLowCanItGo

Is Jose Luis Castillo the Puppet Master on The Cutler Bay Council? He gets paid to get them elected and then he gets paid to lobby them.

Peggy Bell campaign report

Highlights from the report:


• Jose Castillo/Green Point Group, $3300 - lobbyist for 9 acre property next to Cutler Wetlands on SW 184 St and Old Cutler Rd. He will lobby for a change in zoning from RU 1 residential to Mixed Use, which means they can build ANYTHING the Cutler Bay Council approves, to include a 3-4 story strip mall. This zoning change application is already in process and the issue will be heard shortly after the elections.
• Juan Mayol, $ 1000 - Attorney and lobbyist for 9 acre property next to Cutler Wetlands on SW 184 st and Old Cutler Rd. Working with Jose Castillo.
• Howard Nelson, $200 - Lawyer for property owner of above 9 acre property, also lawyer that represented same property owner in past negotiations with SFWMD where SFWMD bought adjoining 129 acres Coastal Wetlands currently under restoration. District paid 24 million for the 129 acres and now same greedy property owner wants even more for the other 9 acres by getting the zoning change which will immediately inflate the price of the land.
• Brian Bilzin, $200 - Lawyer for property owner of above 9 acre property…
• Sue Loyzelle, $50 - Current Cutler bay Council member, also managed by Castillo in last election, lobbied hard for Castillo and developers of another unpopular project in Cutler Bay, the mega Publix shopping center in the potato field. Issue is not resolved and will likely be back up for votes in upcoming term of council

What To Do About The Art Nanni and Peggy Bell Mayoral Race in Cutler Bay. By Geniusofdespair

I previously took Peggy Bell to task for hiring Lynda Bell's campaign manager Jose Luis Castillo. Apparently her opponent is making good use of my post...not so fast, Art has a campaign manager too, one linked to FPL I am told.


I have received annoying home phone calls about this race and from a Palmetto Bay candidate.  Don't call me on holiday weekends. It makes me very angry.

 Here is what Peggy Bell should do to salvage her campaign:

Send me an email and say she will recuse herself from any votes that this toxic campaign manager has anything to do with. Geniusofdespair@yahoo.com  A Lobbyist/Campaign Manager is a BAD mix.

Sue Ellen Loyzelle should do the same, promise to recuse herself from anything Castillo has before the council. 

I know Peggy Bell was warned not to use Castillo and she didn't listen. She also didn't have the balls to support Daniella publicly because she didn't have the FAITH that she would win or she liked Lynda Bell better. I find her hiring of Castillo disrespectful of Daniella considering all the dirty tricks Castillo played against her like trying to link her to the Marlins vote. And I know for a fact Peggy likes Lynda Bell: Because she told me.

Actually -- I don't give a crap about this race. I personally would not vote for anyone who was using Jose Luis Castillo. But the promise to recuse themselves would at least help the scabs heal.  I wrote about Councilwoman Loyzelle campaign as well in 2011. Same complaint:

Loyzelle said further, "I am very proud of the all the money coming to my campaign." I personally would have returned Vile Natacha's $100.

Second bone I had to pick with her was the hiring of Natacha's guy Jose Luis Castillo who also worked on Lynda Bell's campaign. Loyzelle said she met with many campaign managers and he was the best choice. Castillo's wife works for Lynda Bell by the way. Loyzelle also said she didn't know anything about Castillo or his long history with Natacha. That made me think again, she should have done as she told me to do -- do her homework. Yes, I may be ignorant of the whole person Suzy Loyzelle whom I never met, but she is ignorant of people she actually knows.

 If you want to clean up the system you have to start in your own backyard Peggy. Out of respect for Daniella Levine you could have found someone else. I wouldn't vote for Nanni either. If I got that promise from Peggy I might hold my nose and vote for her. Otherwise I just couldn't vote in this race. And you know my mantra: ALWAYS VOTE. This race disgusts me too much.

Why do I ask for the recusal BECAUSE THE INFLUENCE BY CASTILLO HAS ALREADY HAPPENED IN CUTLER BAY.

Castillo already got an ethics fine about Cutler Bay. One comment on the linked blog:

Anonymous said...

Cutler bay council members Sue Loyzelle and Ernie Sochin voted for everything Castillo wanted passed. Castillo was paid by Loyzelle to run her campaign, and Sochin is thought to have gotten Castillo's help behind the scenes. Nice to see Castillo get his hands slapped. Shame that Loyzelle and Sochin are so easily influenced.

ON the phone call the Peggy Bell cheerleader said the Campaign Manager is not the candidate -- a very tired argument. I would rather say the candidate is judged by their association. If you hire scum what does that make you? I do not think Eugene Flinn lost the race to Lynda Bell in a legal election in 2010. I think it was stolen from him in illegal absentee ballots. The State Atorney's office just found 2 men guilty of absentee ballot fraud that were working for Castillo on the Mark Bell campaign for Mayor. What does that say?

I talked to a friend who wanted a development in district 8. He met with Lynda Bell and Castillo. What does that say?

We need the candidates to clean up corruption. Didn't anyone learn anything at Katy Sorenson's good government class? And Art Nanni is no angel either. But Cutler Bay: You stink. Don't have your friends call me on a holiday. You might not get the response you want.

Jose Luis Castillo is Managing Peggy Bell and Karen Cunningham's Campaigns. By Geniusofdespair

Cutler Bay Candidate  for Mayor Peggy Bell. I think they need a write in candidate.

Peggy Bell and Karen Cunningham have hired Lynda Bell's Campaign Manager Castillo who is an absentee ballot....I don't know what to call him here but the SAO office is still investigating Mark Bell's absentee ballots.

For that reason alone...I would not vote for either of them although I think Karen is very personable and would have voted for her otherwise.  

Peggy Bell, when I suggested she run against Lynda Bell about a year ago, said she liked Lynda Bell.  Well, how far is that going to get her now?

Do as you may, but I know how I would vote.

And Castillo Lobbies for items in front of people he works for.  They should recuse themselves...they don't.

Not worth the bad karma gals.

Lennar's New Development's "Prime Location". By Geniusofdespair

Black Point Landfill, dubbed by locals as Mount Trashmore, seen at top, is near the development The Isles of Bayshore. I am sure the community will be landscaped to block any view of the Landfill.

I was reading this Lennar ad in the newspaper Sunday and I was saying to myself, this area sounds too good to be true. They call Isles at Bayshore a "Lifestyle Rich Community" from the low $200's. They call it a "prime location." The pristine lake views -- I suspect some are drainage canals. They say the community is in the desirable Old Cutler Neighborhood near the Black Point Marina. True, but we all know what else is near the Black Point Marina. The Black Point landfill and the wastewater treatment plant.

The Development at top, the landfill and the wastewater treatment plant land is indicated on the map.

The view above is  a snapshot from where the little yellow man is standing -- not from the Isle of Bayshore Property -- but it is nearby. The Property is in in purple.

I would think if there was an odor or bird problems the people living there would be up in arms like Fisher Island was, on the next Island from the Virginia Key Wastewater Treatment Plant or the Biscayne Landing folks living near a North Miami Beach Plant. Complaints of smell were light on line for Black Point area (do they not have drying beds): "The landfill is new since I lived in Cutler Ridge, but when we would go down in that area after we moved and they built the landfill, I think the smell was worse in the southern parts of Cutler Ridge than the northern areas. It also varies depending upon the wind and season."

It is always good to know where your property is located as "Location, location, location" is the most important rule of real estate. And, for the reader that states it is not sprawl, look at this, the whole area was green a few years ago:

Cutler Bay Election. By Geniusofespair

Can't say I am inclined to get involved but I did get two quotes from Suzy Lotzell running for Councilwoman. I wanted to wait to get campaign reports from both candidates but it looks like it is not going to happen. Too close to the election.

I took issue with 2 things that Lotzell did. She took a $100 donation from Natacha Seijas. She said "I am new at this, I don't share her views. I work with Natacha at the Y."

Apparently the woman works with vile Natacha Seijas for many years (over a decade) and apparently has no problem working with her. Lotzell wanted me to do my research to find out who Suzy Lotzell was "The whole person." I wish she had done her OWN research on Seijas, over the years she has known her, to see how Seijas has systematically done more to destroy the environment than any other county commissioner and to see how Natacha bullied residents that came before her. Did Lotzell do research to find that out? Did she know the whole person the whole "Natacha"? We have written 349 post on Natacha Seijas checkered past.

Lotzell said further, "I am very proud of the all the money coming to my campaign." I personally would have returned Vile Natacha's $100.

Second bone I had to pick with her was the hiring of Natacha's guy Jose Luis Castillo who also worked on Lynda Bell's campaign. Lotzell said she met with many campaign managers and he was the best choice. Castillo's wife works for Lynda Bell by the way. Lotzell also said she didn't know anything about Castillo or his long history with Natacha. That made me think again, she should have done as she told me to do -- do her homework. Yes, I may be ignorant of the whole person Suzy Lotzell whom I never met, but she is ignorant of people she actually knows.

I made the phone call wanting to like her, but she just doesn't get that these things could be looked at negatives by others as to her decision making process. Natacha Seijas is not a negative in her mind. They are co-workers after all. If Lotzell's opponent got a campaign contribution from Carlos Alvarez her campaign manager Castillo would be all over it. I have news for her, who gives to you is an issue in your campaign or else your opponent wouldn't be broadcasting it. Who runs your campaign is an issue too. Right now, Castillo is the worst of the campaign managers with the most baggage in my book. (Pictured: Castillo with Natacha Seijas's former Chief of Staff Terry Murphy.)