(Hit on above to increase size)Free speech is under attack in South Florida, here are five instances:
First Assault: Was Local Newspaper Intimidated to Drop a "Hot Potato" Story?
I never saw an article and didn’t know about the issue until Miami Lakes people invaded my last post. I tried to look at the story but it is already off-line at the Herald. According to the not-reliable Fox news, Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Nancy Simon is accusing Gus Abella of stalking her and Gus is accusing her of practicing Real Estate without a license:
According to Simon's petition (for protection), her daughter was taking pictures of Abella's car outside of Publix. He believes she did it because he had a sign on his car that read "Vice Mayor Nancy Simon should resign."
Then, according to the report, he got out of the car and shook his arms at her or something, long story short: She got a 25 foot order against him.
First why does everything in Miami Lakes happen outside of Publix? Petition gatherers for the recall of Natacha Seijas got booted from Publix by police. Second, why is Abella wanting Simon to resign? I guess I would want her to resign as she is a boot licker of Natacha. However, there are alleged abuses of Simon practicing Real Estate without a license that Abella uncovered. Nancy Simon, FREC does not take kindly to practicing Real Estate without a license, you had better hope it ain’t true. In the crosshairs, the local rag covering the mess, the Miami Laker, got leaned on and the Editor said:
"We don't believe our role as a community newspaper is compatible with the extensive coverage expectations of local politicians."
Is he out of his mind or was he leaned on? I am guessing leaned on.
Let’s talk more about free speech abuses: (you had better hit read more – it get’s better)
Second Assault, Free Speech gets a Slapp Suit:
Developer Tibor Hollo has filed a lawsuit against a blogger.See Gimleteye's post January 29th.
Third Assault, Public Speakers are discouraged to speak out, often intimidated and belittled at public meetings. Here is a specific example:
A speaker making public comment at the Charter Review Task Force was intimidated by evil Natacha Seijas' appointee, Miguel DeGrandy. According to SunPost’s Rebecca Wakefield said, a Citizen, Mario Artecona made this statement and she describes what followed:
“I personally feel the group was manipulated by one of your members. Writing an op-ed piece and speaking about the greatness of parochialism, [he was] basically casting a shadow on anyone who wants to have a debate of regionalism versus district, [that they’re] somehow trying to take something away from minorities.”
Artecona didn’t mention him by name. But De Grandy, watching a tape of the meeting later (he’s a member, but wasn’t at the meeting), was incensed. De Grandy had, after all, written the op-ed piece in the Miami Herald a couple of days after the group had agreed that its members would funnel all its opinions through the task force’s chairman, Victor Diaz. I mentioned the squabble over this in a previous column.
So the next day, the task force had another meeting. De Grandy attended and let loose on Artecona and Diaz for some 30 minutes for impugning his reputation. Impugning may seem hard to do to a guy who is, arguably, the most successful lobbyist running the County Commission. But apparently it is still possible. “It ticked me off,” De Grandy told me. “The word manipulation involves some sort of underhanded behavior. Artecona insulted every member of this board as well as me. This is the second time someone took a pot shot at me. And because Victor Diaz, the chair, disagrees with me philosophically, he lets it happen.”
Diaz shot back. “While it’s my responsibility to make sure the debate remains respectful and high-level, I do not view my role as being the speech police,” he responded. “When you invite the public to speak, you have to be careful not to stifle it.”
Fourth Assault, Citizen Petitions To Ammend Charter Go Uncounted:
Valid Citizen Petitions, with a deadline of February 1st, may not be counted. The Elections Department had an election to contend with and by the end of today, they still have thousands of 3 petitions to verify.
Fifth Assault, State Tries to Censor Handouts at South Florida Meeting:
The South Florida Regional Planning Council is the local arm of the State Department of Community Affairs. It is where 3 counties' representatives decide policy issues of Regional Importance. The head of SFRPC staff took the handouts of a citizen speaker and would not hand them out until Council members insisted on seeing them. Head honcho, Carolyn Dekle finally distributed the hand-outs but would not change policy, saying that her staff should review all hand-outs. I ask: "What for, to censor them?"
Where is the ACLU in Florida, asleep at the wheel?
