Lester Sola is Going to Clean Up The Airport? Lester? By Geniusofdespair

Peter Principle Cover Boy

Lester Sola has gone from head of the Elections Department, to head of Water and Sewer, and now he is head of the County run Airport. The Peter Principle (As people are promoted, they become progressively less-effective because good performance in one job does not guarantee similar performance in another.) was already at work when he got the job at Elections. One of the first things he did at the airport was fire Greg Owens who didn't get along with County Commissioner Dennis Moss's wife (when she worked at the airport). Lester might appear incompetent to me but he knows where his bread is buttered and that speaks loudly to our Mayor and Commissioners. He told Owens: "I just need to get rid of problems." Owens worked at the County for 27 years.

So when I looked at the headline this morning that Lester was going to clean up the Airport, I thought: "What?" Lester wouldn't know how to fight the lobbyist cartel, nor would he bother. He just does what he is told. This headline didn't make any sense to me. Then I read further: He is going to clean THE BATHROOMS at the airport. I don't think he personally is going to be involved with the cleaning although I think he would probably be qualified for that. Well, this makes me so confident in the airport's future. It is in such good hands. I just remember Angela Gittens trying to tackle the lobbying at the airport and having Natacha Seijas brutally berate her, and I shake my head.

I am confident that Mr. Sola’s experience in County operations, capital design, construction management contract administration and negotiations will prove invaluable to MDAD and the residents of Miami-Dade County - Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez

Good Lord! That was a pretty outrageous quote.

Is Rebeca Sosa Turning into a Bully? By Geniusofdespair

A Bully in the making?

I have always practiced the benefit of the doubt with Ms. Becky Sosa. She was the first to address Sea Level Rise on the County Commission. I always cut her slack EVEN on votes I didn't like because there were good votes too. But as she prepares to run for Mayor of Miami Dade County in 2020...I am very worried. Usually the bullying trait comes AFTER the power is obtained not before. Mayor Philip Levine is a bully and Mayor Carlos Gimenez is a bully. Donald Trump is a Bully. By the way Philip, even though you are a Democrat, I would not vote for you for Governor...because you are a bully. I hate bullies!!

We all know that the Ethics Department and the Inspector General's office are there to help us the citizens by keeping our leaders ethical.  Conmissioners making threats against either is very dangerous as it looks SOOOO BAD to us the Voters.  These two are off limits. Criticize them maybe, but do not be so bold to bring up their funding. That to me is so off limits. According to Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald:

Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa was furious to see her sister’s name in a county ethics report last month critical of elected officials using VIP services at Miami International Airport, including the occasional security bypass for a relative.

This week, Sosa grilled the county’s ethics director on why Miami-Dade should continue fully funding his watchdog agency in light of an investigation she found to be a waste of money since it found no evidence of any policy violations at the county-owned airport.

“We have to approve the budget of every department,” Sosa told Ethics Commission director Joe Centorino during a Monday meeting with fellow commissioners Audrey Edmonson and Sally Heyman. “How will I feel to approve the budget of a department when you are telling me that department had investigators for more than a year investigating a rule that doesn’t exist?”

A rule that doesn't exist? Wasn't there indeed a "policy violation"? How about the MIA PROTOCOL PROCEDURES MANUAL Rebeca? Taking advantage of a costly service is important to us. Do you need a rule to tell you that? And it is the job of the Ethics Commission to investigate complaints. That is what they do.  Fred Grimm of the Miami Herald said on Sunday:

To be sure, MIA does indeed provide protocol escorts to guide certain dignitaries through the airport. The county’s “Protocol Procedures Manual” lists the kind of grandees who rate this VIP service: Heads of states (“including reigning kings, emperors, queens, empresses and heads of dukedoms and principalities”) presidents, vice presidents, cabinet officers, ministers of state, their various chiefs of staffs, ambassadors, and immediate family members of reigning royal families rate the airport express lane.

I’m looking. I’m looking. Nope. No mention of “county commissioner."

Apparently, some local grunt, stewing in the security line, was not pleased to see a county commissioner getting the royal treatment. A complaint was filed with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. The ethics commission investigated and issued a report last month. “In an age when security issues abound at airports, including those related to possible terrorist activities, a policy of routinely offering such unnecessary courtesies that create diversions from necessary security activities is highly questionable,” the investigator (former Miami Herald columnist Robert Steinback) concluded.

Maybe. Maybe not. But then Steinback got at what drives us commoners crazy, suggesting that “the image of local public officials being specially escorted through security lines for non-emergency trips, including personal family excursions, while other taxpayers wait patiently in line, is likely to be offensive to the traveling and taxpaying public.”

Honestly, I think all the County Commissioners that threatened the funding of the Ethics Department over this, owes Joe Centorino an apology for overreacting.  Bullying by dangling funding is offensive to me and has no place in Miami Dade County. We adhere to the the Home Rule Charter that favors Citizens 'the governed' over 'the governing body.'

We know Carlos Gimenez is a Bully now, Is Rebeca Sosa Catching the Affliction?

Failure to Launch: The Paris Air Show, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, and the Plan to put a major North American Air Show in the Middle of Big Cypress Preserve ... by gimleteye

While Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez leads a delegation to Paris to advance a plan for a major international aviation show in the middle of the historic Everglades, an army is assembling for battle to oppose it.

Please consider becoming involved in a legal defense effort to stop in its tracks Miami-Dade County's latest aviation scheme: a major international aviation exposition in the middle of Big Cypress National Preserve.

The location is the exact site of the late Everglades Jetport Battle. Miami New Times just published an excellent investigative report by Jessica Weiss on the latest insult-in-progress: "Fiery Debate Over Miami Air Show In Everglades".

County Manager Jack Osterholt and Mayor Gimenez are kicking a hornet's nest in the middle of the Big Cypress National Preserve, part of the historic Everglades, and stirring the hot coals of past aviation battles in south Florida: the memory of the Everglades Jetport and the Homestead Air Force Base fiascos.

So while the Mayor and his "Entourage" prepare for a "state visit" in Paris -- to attend the Air Show and other off-schedule fun, we hope they keep in mind, while they do so, a kicked hornet's nest.

We've published a few pieces on the Air Show:
Mayor off to gay Paree - May 18th
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2015/02/is-mayor-off-to-gay-paree-again-this.html
Paris Ooh La La Trip- June 2nd
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2015/06/more-on-miami-brass-trip-to-ooh-la-la.html
International Aviation Show - April 1st
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2015/04/international-aviation-show-in.html

Mayor Gimenez' political vulnerability is the perception he is one more mayor insulated, as other Miami-Dade mayors before him, from criticism and surrounded by people who have learned not to test his patience by challenging his views. As a county commissioner, Mayor Gimenez once encouraged diverse points of view and was willing to listen, but he changed.

Judging from documents and statements, his view is that the air show in the Everglades Jetport will happen irrespective of what citizens think. County manager Jack Osterholt laughed about the plan's environmental sensitivities to Miami New Times ("Asked if he is aware of the environmental sensitivity of the jetport as the host for a potential air show, Osterholt laughs. "Everybody... knows the story of the Everglades Jetport," he says.)

Osterholt claimed to the New Times that a major air show in the Big Cypress will have "zero environmental impact". There has been zero outreach to the not-for-profit environmental groups that are significantly invested in permanently protecting the Big Cypress from industrial incursions. And because there has been zero outreach, it is a virtual certainty these issues will need to be ventilated in federal court.

I lead the battle to stop the Homestead Air Force Base fiasco in the 1990's and am board chair of the non-profit, Friends of the Everglades, founded in 1969 over the battle to protect against the Everglades Jetport itself, the same location for the newest planned incursion.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his team are headed to Paris to promote this idea but from EOM's perspective, like other schemes before it, this one will also "fail to launch". Here are a few county documents that detail the planning behind-the-public's-back by the Everglades Jetport enthusiasts.

Readers who are so inclined, please share this post on Facebook and other social networks and consider giving generously to the not-for-profit groups that will likely fight this plan. If you would like to become involved, please contact Friends of the Everglades. Perhaps Al Gore wants to help make things right in South Florida?

Miami Dade Aviation's Notes on LePortz Visit and Next Steps to Put Major Airshow in Everglades Jetport...

Benefits of Using the Everglades Jetport by Joe Napoli, M-D Aviation, Chief of Staff and Sen. Policy Adviso...

Paris Air Show Commissioner General Louis Le Portz's Consultant's Report to Miami Dade County re...

A Compliment for Miami International Airport … by gimleteye

After a 16 hour flight from Doha, Qatar I can report a miracle: an arrival at MIA, moving through passport control, baggage, immigration and customs in record time. In fact, thanks to Qatar Airline's baggage handling, I was able to retrieve luggage faster than I ever did on any American Airlines flight.

I've been flying internationally from MIA for thirty years and have experienced every phase of the airport trying to deal with outdated facilities, baggage retrieval difficulties, growth, and massive, teeth-pulling, hair-wrenching delays at immigration control. And that was BEFORE 9/11. 

After 9/11, MIA was the worst airport in the nation for handling its international customers. (Who can forget the Bush White House letting the Saudis fly away after 9/11 for free, while the rest of the nation was trapped? But I digress…)

Here is my update, and even if it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it's worth a compliment to MIA.

Travelers used to walk a mile to get to immigration control. On this trip, our plane taxied (at the early side of rush hour), passengers disembarked, and straight up to the people mover (still 1990's technology, but you can't ask for perfection where so many lobbyists are involved), to the escalator straight to passport control and then to baggage claim.

The kiosks for citizens with pre-screened entry cards worked smoothly. No spitting out passports or missing fingerprints. Then sped through immigration with our printed form.

Qatar Airways delivered my luggage quickly. Customs simply scanned the declaration form and the printout from the kiosk and off to the taxi stand.

The taxi driver, by the way, had a machine that could take a credit card! (That's what Uber has done. But the driver hadn't read the manual how to use it. Seriously. We paid cash. So Miami.)

Maybe it was just our lucky day, but I'm practically giddy. Now if American Airlines could only get its act together.

Daniella Levine Cava Speaks out on two of her votes at her first County Commission Meeting. By Geniusofdespair

I asked Daniella Levine Cava some of your questions that you left in comments on my last post, December 2nd. She was kind enough to get back to me. Let me assure you SHE WILL NOT BE DOING SPLAININ' on a regular basis. You have to trust her decisions are thoughtful ones. We can't all be Monday morning quarterbacks. This is an exception and you are lucky to be getting anything because I am sure you didn't watch the grueling 12 hour meeting on the 2nd (at least 12 hours). I only watched 5 or 6 hours and most of that was about actual living people professing that they were afraid to use public bathrooms because they might be trounced on by a transgender person, if the vote didn't go their way. "God deliver us from the dopey people in this county." The Gender Identity Rights ordinance passed 9 to 3 with Souto absent. I could be wrong on that but I am sure I would have remembered Souto jabbering on, if he were there. I didn't hear why Juan Zapata voted against it. That was the only surprise for me, his vote. He seems the type that can handle himself under any circumstances in a public restroom. Pepe Diaz still hasn't had his epiphany and I am getting less sure we will ever see one from him. If a Brain Tumor didn't scare him into sanity what would?

Daniella Levine Cava's feedback (if you haven't read my previous blog and the comments you might not understand this):

Airport: There are sometimes valid reasons for exceptions on a process, I believe, for extenuating circumstances. I spent a lot of time before and during the meeting getting the background on the no bid contract. I never expected I would be willing to do it but based on unusual circumstances felt it was vital or we would lose major American Airlines business, jobs and revenue.

I made them clarify in the resolution that Odebrecht was getting a smaller amount as the management fee (about $6 m I was told) and to spell out the reasons it was vital, and that almost all of the amount would be competitively bid through the subcontract process.
It was about 7-8 pm on the tape if you wish to watch it.

It is clear that I have no donations from anyone associated with these deals so clearly I made my decision strictly on the merits. And I will always do so, regardless of campaign donations. Just making that point as your readership may assume that is the motivation for BCC votes. As you know, I will be working to try to prevent those doing business with the county to donate to campaigns.

Further clarification: While the bid waiver is not well-timed or perfect language, I raised many questions and received on the record assurances from the Administration that the vast majority of the funding will go through a localized bid process. In the end, I had to balance the needs of our community, the residents and businesses who use our airport services and the desire to achieve greater accountability on this project and more importantly, future ones. I believe my position on Tuesday balanced these three objectives and the outcome will be measured by a decrease in rushed proposals and fewer bid waivers in the future.

Aviation says this is the first part of a larger $200 million overhaul and they assured me there would not be a repeat.

Badia Spices: It is a federal bond program that goes through the county but the eligibility and selection are managed federally (so I understand), with focus on local economic development and job creation.  I am going to be briefed further on the program so I can support promoting it to others. But it is apparently a well established national program. Jesse Trice Health Center was also got approved for one yesterday, so nonprofits and for profits are both eligible. They are not competing against each other. There is no cost to the county and thus the taxpayers. I told staff that in future I would expect greater clarity in writing on this and other items in the agenda itself, so that the public understands the rationale. Other commissioners agreed with me and the mayor said he would do it (during discussion on the airport). I was able to improve transparency on a few items yesterday including county transfer of property. I will work on legislation to prevent "no solicitation bids", others agreed with me, and the mayor agreed to have an open competitive process for the courthouse building if sold.

I thought I was able to make some good inroads and garner support for changes.

So there you have it. Satisfied or not, that is all you get. Next time watch the meeting. I have to say I felt sorry for Daniella having to sit through this particular meeting for her first one. It was absolutely painful listening to people say the same thing for 3 or 4 hours..."danger bathroom."

Thank God this was withdrawn. Who ever heard of a $30 Million Dollar Change Order on a $50 Million Contract? By Geniusofdespair

This was supposed to be heard today. It looks as though it was withdrawn. You can't do this to bidders. If the change order is that big, it should be rebid. This is called cheating.

Subject: Change Order No. 1 to Miscellaneous Construction Contract, MCC-8-10, with Munilla Construction Management, LLC increasing the contract by $30 million


..RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Board of County Commissioners (Board) approve and authorize the attached Change Order No. 1 to the Miscellaneous Construction Contract, MCC-8-10, with Munilla Construction Management (MCM), LLC, increasing the contract by $30 million.

Committee discussion:
Assistant County Attorney Geri Bonzon-Keenan read the foregoing proposed resolution into the record. Chairman Bovo opened the floor for public comments and called for persons wishing to appear before the Committee on the foregoing proposed resolution. The floor was closed after no one appeared wishing to speak. Commissioner Zapata asked for clarification about the proposed change order and the original $50 million funding source. Mr. Pedro Hernandez, Division Director, Facilities Development Management, Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) clarified that the change order was for an additional $30 million, representing an increase from $50 million to $80 million. He noted that the initial funding source was North Terminal Capital Improvement funds and reserve maintenance funds. Commissioner Zapata questioned why the project was underestimated. Mr. Hernandez explained that MDAD was unaware that they would receive a flat, low cost contract with an 8 percent markup. He further explained that large North Terminal emergency rehabilitation funding expenses were incurred. Mr. Hernandez noted a decision to expand the current contract was made rather than to secure a new agreement at a higher markup.

Commissioner Zapata noted concern that the bid was not originally offered at $80 million, thus attracting contractors offering lower markups. He pointed out that this process encouraged vendors to initially underbid contracts and inflate the contract later. Commissioner Zapata said that the intended amount of work should have been included in the original bid and that there was no attempt made to rebid the contract. Mr. Carlos Jose, Assistant Director, Facilities Management, MDAD, explained that funds were used to cover the cost associated with large emergency expenditures at the North Terminal. Commissioner Zapata commented that the procurement process encouraged companies to submit low initial bids and then find reasons to raise the contract amount later. He pointed out that the proposed change order represented more than 50 percent of the original contract amount, noting that this proposal was not a good policy decision. Commissioner Heyman inquired whether MDAD or the contractor initiated the request for work order changes or funding. She also inquired whether the intent was to expand the existing contract to cover maintenance, operations, emergency, and construction costs associated with an existing project. Mr. Jose responded that MDAD initiated the request and that an existing contract was being expanded. Commissioner Heyman noted that she objected to change orders; however, pointed out that this request was associated with ongoing projects and that some of the money from the initial project was redirected to other purposes. She said that the current request was to replenish funds allocated to the original project that were used for other purposes and that the original scope was not being changed. Mr. Jose clarified that the statements just made by Commissioner Heyman were accurate. Commissioner Heyman stated that the proposal could have been documented to reaffirm that the change order was not impacting the previously approved scope of work but to replace funds that were used for other purposes. Chairman Bovo once again opened the floor for public comments and called for persons wishing to appear before the Committee on the foregoing proposed resolution. The floor was closed after no one appeared wishing to speak. Hearing no further questions or comments, the Committee proceeded to vote on the foregoing proposed resolution, as presented.

How did this get out of Committee? It passed 3 to 1 in the finance committee. Who were those 3???? Bad government at its best.

Too Powerful: Munilla Construction Management … by gimleteye

Miami-Dade County incubates political corruption in Florida. For that reason if one is politically attuned, one must pay attention. Attention starts with business. Charity begins at home.

Munilla Construction Management is a privately held company and boasts of being one of the top ten privately held Hispanic businesses in the U.S. 

Munilla family members give generously to local political campaigns.

Munilla maneuvering at Miami International Airport blew up at the county commission last week and smacks of influence peddling at high levels of Miami-Dade government, including Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

Based on the recent agenda item involving "miscellaneous construction contracts" involving MCM, it looks like the bad old days are back at Miami International Airport.

Just a generation ago -- an epoch in political time -- careers were laundered through a cadre of top lobbyists congealed around Dade Aviation Consultants. That was then. As mismanagement of the airport careened out of control, finally order was reestablished and "the problem" eventually melted away into other avenues of economic opportunity, like banking and the housing boom in the suburbs.

Although times change, the impulse to make money -- tons of it -- the old fashioned way never disappears. Instead of getting at the root of the problem -- political meddling in contract management involving hundreds of millions of dollars -- the most recent blowup manifested through minority African Americans crying "foul!". 

The county commission explosion last week involved the question of whether the minority contractor guarantee has been ignored by both county contract administration at the airport and by its favored partner, MCM. 

We've noted in the past -- and so has the state attorney's office through criminal indictments-- how the injection of politics in county contract awards at the airport enforces a race-based pecking order that creates is own class of privileged insiders within the African American business community.

Thus arises a form of cronyism that deeply penalizes the entire community.

According to its enthusiastically followed Facebook page, MCM has a division in Texas and Panama.

Take notice, the company seems to be bragging, about who snagged the latest version of the gold ring in Miami-Dade County politics. Pride goeth before the fall sometimes.

Miami-Dade County and the County Commission: a new way forward … by gimleteye

The upset election result propelling Daniella Levine Cava over the incumbent Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade County Commission, Lynda Bell, provides an opening for optimism. Maybe, just maybe a proponent for accountability will emerge to protect taxpayers and our quality of life.

As one of thirteen votes -- and a newcomer to the county commission -- Levine Cava will have her hands full, learning the ropes. On the one hand, she may feel it is important to give deference to the experience and longevity of commissioners who have served many terms. On the other, there is no time like the present to raise her voice clearly.

She could start by questioning how contractors get away with underpaying the county, what the county is owed, in fees from airport concessions. Start in the river flowing with the most money. That's the airport.

In Miami Today, Michael Lewis puts his finger straight on the source of the problem: county commissioners who allow pay-to-play to dominate the political landscape and then turn a blind eye to corporate benefactors on the matter of fees owed.

It's also important for Levine Cava to keep the core group of volunteers together and activated now that her campaign is over. Helping focus attention and action in big ticket infrastructure areas, like Miami International Airport, is a place to start.

Roots of airport contract cheating reach back to county hall
Michael Lewis
September 10, 2014

In a dirty game, many of 400 to 500 firms holding contracts at Miami International Airport routinely underpay the county by as much as $3 million apiece.

Now that Commissioner Dennis Moss has unveiled it in a meeting that Miami Today reported last week, commissioners should fix it. If they probe deep enough, they’ll confront the nasty truth that some blame rests on them.

What auditors, inspectors and airport officials told commissioners is that 40% to 60% of airport concessionaires and other contract holders share a culture that until they’re caught they’ll never pay in full the percentage of their airport receipts that they owe government. About 10%, commissioners were told, commit outright fraud.

Commissioners were promised…

This is where your Tax Dollars are going: Audit of Airport Hotel

Don't complain about your tax dollars. Complain about the mismanagement of those dollars. The county is too big and bloated to watch what is going on. This one cost us at least $215,584.70. You would have to audit everything to get a true accounting of the waste. Every audit turns up mismanagement that costs us plenty of money.    Final Report.

Raining INSIDE Miami International Airport. by Geniusofdespair

Miami Herald Video. Like lets talk about stadium after stadium when the rest of the County is falling apart. Let's bilk visitors for money when the first thing they see is this: a rainstorm inside the airport. We are such idiots. When are we going to think about infrastructure and less about stupid ideas?

I have a good idea, lets tax tourists more -- or how about a bond? -- and build that sky rise thing in Bayfront Park (that anyone is seriously entertaining this idea is insane). It is just another wacky building we have to subsidize. Let it rain inside the airport. More fresh water for all!! Tourists passing by had their tongues out to catch some.

Best Show In Town: The Shrink Wrap War. By Geniuofdespair

NOON: VOTE IN 11 TO 1, OVERRIDE VETO. XAVIER SUAREZ VOTED NOT TO OVERRIDE. SHRINK WRAP IS FINALLY OVER FOR A WHILE. MIGHT BE A LAWSUIT HOWEVER.



Lynda Bell at the 3/5/2013 County Commission Meeting, Feverishly Defending Her Shrink Wrap Vote. (Her campaign manager was a lobbyist for the company she is arguing in favor of.)

Nothing says dysfunctional Miami Dade County like the shrink wrap contract award. The Miami Dade County Commission awarded the contract March 5th, against staff recommendation, the Mayor quickly vetoed the award. Today is the meeting to over-turn the veto...or not. It should be good theater once again, or else they might just shut-up (God willing) and just vote.

It is early on the agenda, maybe about 10:30 am?

2A1 Mayoral Veto

RESOLUTION APPROVING AWARD OF A LEASE AND CONCESSION AGREEMENT FOR THE LUGGAGE WRAPPING SERVICES AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BETWEEN TRUESTAR USA A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN SINAPSIS TRADING USA, LLC AND TRUESTAR GROUP SPA AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, WITH A MINIMUM ANNUAL GUARANTEE OF $9,600,000 AND FOR A TERM OF EIGHT YEARS, WITH A TWO-YEAR OPTION TO RENEW; AUTHORIZING COUNTY MAYOR OR HIS DESIGNEE TO EXECUTE SAME, AND TO EXERCISE RENEWAL AND TERMINATION PROVISIONS THEREOF(Aviation Department)
3/5/2013 Recommendation rejected by BCC Passed 9 - 2
3/19/2013 Vetoed by Mayor

2A2 Mayoral Veto

RESOLUTION APPROVING LEASE AND CONCESSION AGREEMENT WITH SAFE WRAP OF FLORIDA JV, LLC FOR A TERM OF EIGHT YEARS, EXCLUSIVE OF OPTIONS TO RENEW, WITH A MINIMUM ANNUAL GUARANTEE OF $9,600,000.00, AND FOR A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS REVENUES TO THE COUNTY OF 52%; AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR MAYOR’S DESIGNEE TO EXERCISE AND ENFORCE ALL PROVISIONS THEREOF, INCLUDING EXTENSIONS AND TERMINATION

This is what all the fighting is about: Which company gets the lucrative award to cellophane your luggage.

The only good thing to come out of this long shrink-wrap war: Miguel De Grandy's shame and degradation at being reprimanded by the Florida Supreme Court, as described on the Florida Bar website:

FORMER MIAMI STATE REP. MIGUEL DE GRANDY REBUKED FOR ETHICS BREACH-- The Miami Herald,  Jan. 8, 2010.

The Florida Supreme Court has reprimanded former Miami state Rep. Miguel De Grandy, now a special counsel for the Florida House. The justices Thursday [Jan. 7] accepted De Grandy's plea of guilty with conditions that included the reprimand for violating legal ethics due to a conflict of interest in his private practice. The Coral Gables lawyer at one point represented a luggage-wrapping company and later a competitor for the same contract with Miami International Airport. De Grandy served in the House from 1989 through 1994. A Florida Bar report said De Grandy cooperated with investigators and withdrew from representing the second company.

You might think wrapping luggage is quite stupid, but apparently a lot of people do it. I have never done it, but I once had our Scarab Sport shrink wrapped in New York for the winter, mostly to protect the boat's teak. If they are offering to give the county about $10 million dollars, and hiring a gaggle of lobbyists, think about what they are making on wrapping luggage.  The thing I hate most is all the lobbyists hired by these shrink wrap companies. If I had more energy I would go down to County Hall and shoot pictures of the lobbyists, a photo op surely awaits. However, they run away now when they see me coming and as I said, I don't have the energy to chase them.  If anyone one is there, send me a couple of lobbyist photos.

I am getting a free lunch out of the deal from the president of the one of the companies, so I have a coal in this fire. Let the games begin...again!

Luggage Wrapping at Miami International Airport. By Geniusofdespair

The luggage wrapping feud at MIA is a prime example of what is wrong with Miami-Dade County contract awards.  It is all who you know and who you hire at the airport. Contract awards is what did in Angela Gittens: She didn't like the lobbyist meddling at the Airport.  This time around there is a new twist on the luggage wrapping contract. According to the Miami Herald, County Chair Joe Martinez is trying to put the screws on Mayor Gimenez. The corporation that won the bid can't make as much as it thought and is seeking to get a contract reduction and the Mayor wanted it on the agenda:

The mayor’s office sent materials to Chairman Martinez’s office in a bid to get the administration’s proposed amendment placed on a commission committee agenda last Monday. But Martinez declined to place the item on the agenda and pressed the mayor to provide more details on why the contract should be reduced. The mayor sent back additional information a few days later.

In the memo to the mayor, Martinez wrote: “Consideration of any reduction of a revenue-generating contract requires a thoughtful and deliberate review.’’

Joe Martinez is threatening to run for Mayor but I see no PAC for him yet. County Commissioner Xavier Suarez said he might run and has opened a PAC called Imagine Miami. I wonder if Daniella Levine knows about this? Imagine Miami is the "civic network" of the Human Services Coalition.

BTW, When is the last time you had your luggage wrapped?

Jet Blue 372: notes from a skeptic ... by gimleteye

I was a passenger on the La Guardia bound flight from Fort Lauderdale on Jet Blue on Saturday, the one that made the nightly news. I knew a snowstorm was heading up the East Coast, but weather reports had it arriving later in the day. My flight was due to arrive at 12:30 PM. We circled over an hour, above La Guardia before diverting to Hartford. The whole time, we could watch The Weather Channel on the onboard TV although few people seemed to be paying attention. That is usually how it is, isn't it? Eyeonmiami readers know.

The full force of the storm still had not arrived when we landed. Already, it was heavily snowing. The plane sat on the tarmac for another half hour. The pilot finally edged the plane to the gate, telling the passengers "from the central office" that he wouldn't be able to keep the gate. The plane would refuel, de-ice and then push off "to make room for other planes". La Guardia, he said, was likely to open later in the afternoon. Then, if anyone wants to de-plane, do it now. So here is how things lined up: the pilot said that maybe La Guardia would open up, it was blizzarding outside, The Weather Channel showed the main part of the storm had still not arrived, and that when it did arrive the heaviest accumulations would be inland. Hartford is inland. There were already planes idling on the tarmac at Bradley, and "dozens waiting to land, having been diverted to Bradley". I knew from past experience (I'm old) that you can de-ice a plane, but that if you can't take off quickly, you have to de-ice again. I grabbed my bag from the overhead bin. At the plane door, a Jet Blue representative said, "La Guardia should open up by four PM" Over his shoulder, a runway attendant pushed open the door from outside. He was covered in snow. By that time, hundreds of planes would be circling over New York City. I took my bag and ran to a taxi cab. I gather the Jet Blue flight pushed off the gate only a few minutes later and that Jet Blue re-set the wait clock that eventually had passengers in a revolt on the runway, with bathrooms overflowing etc etc. and a feature on nightly TV news. I made my way to NYC by six thirty, six hours late and a hundred dollars short. I was lucky. But I am also skeptical. This leads to an interesting observation. Reading Eyeonmiami can make you skeptical too and help your decision making.

American Airlines in Miami: Could it be true? ... by gimleteye

I couldn't believe it. Baggage claim was only a few minutes walk from the gate where I arrived. Checked luggage arrived in less than fifteen minutes! Not fifty minutes, if ever. Is it possible that American Airlines is cleaning up its Miami act? It only took twenty years and a billion plus. My flight was a domestic one and arrived at the new concourse. The service was courteous if beleaguered. Still I will not fly American internationally when there are alternatives. For American's sake, I hope upgraded aircraft come soon. Keep cleaning, American Airlines!

PS. Just spent 45 minutes waiting for luggage on the same flight route, a day later, from Boston to Miami. Same gate. Same baggage claim carousel. I asked the service rep what happened. He just mumbled. Oh well. I take it all back.

Location of Miami's Airport Doesn't Make A Lot of Sense. By Geniusofdespair

Miami International Airport:

Hollywood Fort Lauderdale Airport:

Miami's airport affords residential homes little buffering especially where there are noisy take-offs to the East. Ft. Lauderdale's airport, on the other hand, is more neighbor friendly. On its East side there is no residential, it is only industrial and then the ocean. The West side of this airport also has a lot more industrial, unlike Miami, before residential areas begin. On the North side of Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood airport is the port and some housing. Miami has some warehousing but more residential. (If you hit photos they will enlarge)

Stuck in Miami with American Airlines and its filthy jets ... by gimleteye

American Airlines placed the largest order for commercial aircraft in history, but the $38 billion does not cover up the fact that its fleet interiors are so grimy that if you look closely, the layers of dirt look like the subway tracks in Manhattan.

Forbes writes, "American desperately needs the upgrade. Its fleet of more than 600 planes averages about 15 years in ago, among the oldest in the US airlines industry."

Five years? I fly American in Miami for convenience, but I'm always happier flying Jet Blue and Southwest out of Fort Lauderdale. Take the food trays; the complicated mechanism allowing the tray to retract from seat armrests. Next time you are on American, flip the food tray up and look at the apparatus and inside the cavity on an American Airline plane: you just might have to use the vomit bag.

The lack of cleanliness is symptomatic of a deeper cultural problem at American. We know the airlines have been losing money at a furious clip, but why should baggage handling be such a routine disaster at MIA with American?

Flying business class on a recent overseas trip, I swore I would never cross the Atlantic on American Airlines again. The next time I didn't. I flew another carrier and it was a better experience. And yet, for reasons of geography, I'm stuck with American Airlines. In Miami, we all are.

So American, it's a very good thing that you are committing $38 billion to new jets but in the meantime, don't fly your planes filthy.

Summer reading assignment: "Reckless Endangerment" ... by gimleteye

On a transatlantic flight I read the new nonfiction book on the origins of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression: "Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon" by Gretchen Morgenson of the NY Times. It is a story that really needs to be ventilated and lays down the tracks of how we got here, from there. This has been a favorite topic of Eyeonmiami: tracing the crash from the hubris and political energy fomented in Miami. Along this line, I will review the Morgenson book soon enough. Quick note: a friend at a recent national meeting of investment bankers reports, that when Morgenson's name was mentioned by the keynote speaker, she was loudly boo'ed. That's reason enough to buy the book.

PS. I had a positive experience getting out of Miami International Airport FINALLY. The customs process was quick. The baggage arrived quickly in the new international concourse. I even forgive the airline for damaging one of my bags. After twenty years, imagine: something positive to say about MIA! Most tellingly, my flight was not on American.

Miami International Airport: Gambling Demonstration Greets Travelers in American Airlines Concourse ... by gimleteye

I was in a foul mood, having flown back from LA with a baby screaming in the row behind me the entire flight. In other words, I wasn't predisposed to the Las Vegas-style gambling gimmick in the new American Airlines concourse at MIA. Whose idea was it to let this happen, anyhow? How do I get permission to put up my own dog and pony show: "Good Government Can Happen in South Florida"? Is there an Office of Dog and Pony Shows at Miami International Airport? Sierra Club wants a "Save The Everglades" demonstration for elevating Tamiami Trail in the same American Airlines concourse intersection. You get the point, Jose?

Gambling is a scavenger gimmick to "create jobs". If Floridians know what is good for them they will stay away from full gambling like it was cholera. Just go to Las Vegas, as I did last week, and see for yourselves the mess it has made for taxpayers and residents.


PS. And it still takes as long to get your checked luggage at American Airlines as it does to fly across the country.

US Construction, more ... by gimleteye

Very interesting US Construction corporate wiki. US Construction is the pop-up leader in contracts at Miami International Airport. It also employs Pepe Diaz, county commissioner. If you know who the principals are, of any of these related corporate interests, please let us know by using our email addresses for full confidentiality.

Who are the shareholders of US Construction? by gimleteye

It is a fact of Miami life that even within legitimate business activity there is a shadow economy that ties back to the stronghold of local politics. Miami International Airport, the region's largest employer, is the prime example. County commissioners, stretching back decades, figured out ways to reward campaign contributors through lucrative airport concessions. It was standard practice by some of the biggest political players who have fallen on hard times. Sergio Pino, comes to mind who obtained for many years the minority share of ownership of airport concessions. Pino parlayed that fortune into US Century Homes, that raced to build an empire from suburban sprawl in west Dade farmland and wetlands (tracking the housing boom and then bust), and US Century Bank.

But unlike ordinary people who find themselves drowning and in panic when the banks foreclose on their homes, there is no shortage of breathing room for the big borrowers who cannot pay their mortgages; and who may or may not be shareholders or just 'friends of family' with banks that also have the letters, "U.S." in their name. (The attached graphic, from the June 30, 2010 Bauer Financial Report shows the extent to which insiders at US Century Bank benefit, compared to its peers. There is no disclosure regarding loan terms for these specific insiders, but the relative deviancy speaks volumes.)

Which brings me around to US Construction, the source of income for Pepe Diaz, county commissioner, and a company recently featured in the Miami Herald as jumping to the head of the line of contracts at Miami International Airport. Who are the shareholders of US Construction?

There is a rumor floating around, that former county mayor Alex Penelas is involved in US Construction; either directly or indirectly through one of his longtime proxies. This wouldn't be much of a surprise if it were confirmed. Penelas' rise in Miami-Dade County was directly through Miami International Airport: an entire squadron of lobbyists led by Chris Korge, Rodney Barreto, and later-- his chief of staff, Brian May-- generated wealth through the airport.

Penelas was the bright star of Democratic politics, much like Marco Rubio is today for the Republicans, until he crashed and burned in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election when, during the recount of Miami-Dade ballots, Penelas and his cohort, Herman Echevarria, were reportedly "in Spain on business". Ah, Spain and its shadowy bankers in Miami. Now that is another hidden story that might be revealed in the fullness of time.