On Jeb Bush: Miami New Times scores a near perfect "10" ... by gimleteye

For Miami New Times, journalist Frank Alvarado deserves kudos for a top story, "As Governor, Jeb Bush Stopped At Nothing To Retaliate Against His Enemies". An archive search of Jeb Bush will disclose exactly the theme explored by Alvarado although our focus has been on Bush's destructive policies regarding the environment. Alvarado's filter is through a terrific interview with former state senator Alex Villalobos who, at the time in the early 2000's, was one of the fast rising stars in the Florida legislature. Although the story is not new -- how Villalobos was singled out by Bush, for extraction for failing to obey Jeb's "My Way Or The Way" style of governance -- what has never been captured so clearly is the vindictive and pettiness of Jeb Bush.

Alex Villalobos

Thanks is also due to Villalobos who had never talked so openly to a reporter about his experience with Jeb. For those observers who read state politics closely -- and who were conscientious objectors during the dismal Jeb Bush years in Florida -- Villalobos' interview peels back the surface sheen of the Jeb Bush reputation: not a policy wonk and nerd so much as a brittle micro manager whose underhanded tactics were well known to insiders who declined to speak publicly for fear of reprisal.

Finally, it is very telling that Villalobos spoke so clearly to Miami New Times, a newspaper that can and occasionally does bring important national stories to its front page. What Villalobos' choice also reflects is an understanding that other mainstream news cannot be reliably counted on to tell uncomfortable truths in Miami.

Congratulations to New Times, Frank Alvarado, and thanks to Alex Villalobos for his candor at last.

I had an eye procedure. By Geniusofdespair

If you could see me now...long story. Eye disease correction done at Bascom Palmer.  Won't be writing for a while. I can see...sort of.  Vanity is not one of my faults.

 Luckily I have the whole season of the Walking Dead on tape. I saw them all so I can just listen. Very calming.

Miami New Times Article About Raquel Regalado Must Have Mayor Carlos Gimenez Quaking in His Boots. By Geniusofdespair

Miami New Times Article About Raquel Regalado:

She says she loves working in media, that it feels like home. But then the second-term Miami-Dade County school board member adds she might soon give it all up.

"When you become mayor, you have to leave it behind," she says matter-of-factly. "I'll give up radio and TV. Both."

The 40-year-old recently announced she plans to run for either city or county mayor. Neither position has ever been held by a woman. And even though the elections are still one and two years away, respectively, she's the odds-on favorite for both. Her political profile is higher than ever. Last fall, Regalado, an Energizer Bunny single mom of an autistic 11-year-old daughter, put her reputation on the line to almost single-handedly bring down a controversial $393 million courthouse bond.

Carlos Gimenez has a sudden interest in the school board, maybe trying to steal Regalado's thunder. It was only a week ago he was saying Not my job.  He is NOW working with the Superintendent on a fix for tax appeals (the tax appeals hold up school funding) according to the Miami Herald's Typepad. Raquel is a School Board Member and has been championing this issue.

I don't know anyone that supports Gimenez anymore. Maybe it is his abrupt manner, maybe it is his lack of loyalty. Maybe it is his nasty demeanor to former friends.

By the way: What is his former aide, Inson Kim doing? She was the Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs. Now she is supervising policy and legislative affairs for the Office of the Mayor, she oversees matters related to the County's Intergovernmental Affairs, Charter Review, Agenda Office, Agenda Coordination, Property Appraiser, Commission Auditor, Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, and Inspector General. In other words, she is in the way of many Departments, overseeing Department heads. Wasn't Jack Osterholt enough of a meddler? Now we need two? It is a mystery to me on how the Mayor is coming up with so many really stupid ideas. I think Jack is a major problem for him besides all his lobbyist buds. For me it was Lynda Bell that killed my respect for the Mayor. He can never regain that respect from me even though Bell is gone. I warned him about her but he is so arrogant he wouldn't listen.

Miami New Times: on front page of New York Times ... by gimleteye

When was the last time journalism from a free weekly newspaper was cited on the front page of the New York Times? I'm not sure it ever happened before. Credit the nation's most important daily newspaper for singling out Miami New Times, for disclosing the A-Rod juicing story. EOM sent a high five to New Times when the story first popped, and here's another. Plus, a wish that New Times would spend more time tilling the dirt in Miami-Dade and less space on the odd, curiosities and fake gold leaf of Miami. The results won't get the front page of the New York Times, but the tradition of setting journalists to investigative reporting does have a respected place at Miami New Times. A-Rod is taking it on the chin and will live with the consequences for the rest of his life, but the context IS the Magic City.

Quote of the day from Miami New Times. By Geniusofdespair

"Marco Rubio, however, is like your fundie cousin who says stuff like, "I don't hate gay people, but..." and then spends ten minutes talking about why he thinks gays are still kind of icky." - Kyle Munzenrieder

And not to be out done, Rubio has his own quote of the day:

"It is also my hope that those who argue for the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex marriage will refrain from assailing the millions of Americans who disagree with them as bigots."

Favorite Allegations in Miami Herald update on "where in the world is Ana Sol Alliegro" ... by gimleteye

Favorite allegations, verified by two or more sources, in today's Miami Herald report on Ana Sol Alliegro, the "Republican Bad Girl" tied to a criminal investigation involving former Congressman David Rivera. Alliegro now lives in Granada, Nicaragua as first reported by Miami New Times.

1) She denies seeing Rivera -- "Don David" -- in Nicaragua, despite neighbors and even immigration records matching the two crossing borders.

2) She coached her maid, to retract a phone conversation telling a Miami Herald reporter that Don David had been to Grenada repeatedly.

3) That Rivera paid her rent.

4) That the scent of marijuana wafted from her rooms.

5) She smashed an ex-lover's car windows and tried to set fire to his windshield after accusing him of sexually assaulting her.

6) She watches porn with sound turned up so high that it bothers neighbors.

US Senator Marco Rubio, Rivera's former room-mate in the state capitol, must have an opinion about Ana Sol Alliegro. A future OPED in the Herald, to come?

Miami New Times Breaks a National News Story. By Geniusofdespair

Tim Elfrink of Miami New Times reports that a host of athletes, including Yankee's Alex Rodriguez, were getting performance enhancing drugs from a clinic recently closed in Coral Gables:

"Taken as a whole, New Times' three-month investigation into Biogenesis adds fuel to the raging national debate over the role of steroids and HGH in sports. It follows an embarrassing Hall of Fame election that saw no steroid-era stars enshrined and comes just weeks after cycling star Lance Armstrong described to the Oprah Network his own chemical cheating. Now, as baseball teams head to spring training under a tougher new policy, the Biogenesis records affirm that the war on doping has been as futile as the War on Drugs."

Check Out the WTF Awards over at Miami New Times. By Geniusofdespair

Miami New Times is giving end of year awards:

Welcome to the first annual WTF Florida Awards ceremony. It's the only award show celebrating the special brand of bizarre depravity we excel at down here in the Sunshine State. Black tie isn't required. In fact, jorts and a NASCAR cap are preferred. This past twelve months was truly a staggering display of stupidity on the campaign trail by Florida politicos. From a guy who changed his name to his campaign website to bogus ringer candidates paid in envelopes of cash to cocaine smugglers holding campaign rallies, here are your nominees:

Independent House candidate VoteForEddie.Com for legally changing his name to VoteForEddie.Com

Go to Miami New Times to see the rest....

Turkey's on Riptide. By Geniusofdespair

Miami New Times' Francisco Alvarez wrote a blog on Thanksgiving, The Top Five Turkey's in Miami-Dade Politics, and I am thankful as it features Eye on Miami so I don't have to write today.

Eye on Miami Gets Best News Blog 2012 Award. By Geniusofdespair

The votes from our readers put Eye on Miami on top as Best News Blog in the New Times Web Awards sponsored by Miami, Broward, Palm Beach New Times.

The nominees were:

Absentee Ballot Fraud, Don't Miss "Mock the Vote". By Geniusofdespair

Best in depth Absentee Ballot Fraud article that I have read.  Thank you Frank Alvarado and Miami New Times for "Florida Republicans' Ballot Fraud 2012: Mock the Vote." Great job!

Best Local Campaign Video, Slogan: Return to Awesomeness. By Geniusofdespair

Gus Garcia Roberts (Miami New Time Reporter) is running for Commissioner in Surfside. Below is his campaign video. You gotta see it. He even humps the Bal Harbour sign. The Miami Herald said he is alarmed because his opponent hasn't asked to see his birth certificate.



Don't see video? Here is the link, really fun to watch! Truthfully, it is better to run it from the link.

We are in the top 10 on Miami New Times' List. By Geniusofdespair

On a report of Miami's best blogs - Miami New Times rates us, I am number 9 (I lost points for my anonymous status) and Gimleteye is number 6. Thanks Miami New Times....We appreciate being ranked in your top ten, and we are honored that BOTH of us were included.

Also see a ranking of the worst politicians picked by the group.

Luther Campbell gets it right: the Miami free meal for celebrities must stop ... by gimleteye

In Miami New Times, columnist Luther Campbell speaks out on a subject that dare not speak its name: how celebrities who flock here use Miami just like the doormat of their private jets. Well there is plenty of precedent. Miami (and much of Florida for that matter) has always been a pass-through destination for snowbirds, the people who come to Miami for the weather but leave their civic commitment back north.

Campbell writes: "I have a message for Lil Wayne, his Cash Money brothers, DJ Khaled, Puff Daddy, and all the rappers from other parts of the country who now live in Miami. I'm tired of seeing you cats soak up our sunshine, take over our nightclubs, and sleep with our women without investing anything into the community. I want to know when Lil Wayne is going to do more than show up courtside at the American Airlines Arena. Hell, it's not like he has to pay for the tickets anyway. You know he gets comped. This freeloading must stop." A-men, brother.

My recommendation would be for the hip-hop stars, basketball players, and glitterati to get on down to Everglades National Park and do a music video that hangs the sugar industry out to dry for causing so much pollution of the fabled River of Grass. Of course, they could also lend their names to help Biscayne National Park and the bay waters that are also suffering from lack of attention. You think that stuff is just for free? No way, baby.

You heard the story from the French Revolution, where a minister was caught chasing a protest march in the streets of Paris: "The people are leading! I must follow!" That's the role Luther's boyz could play while their Netjet crew idles in the pilots' lounge at Opalocka.

Did Hialeah Julio Robaina Pay-Off Black Candidates? Uncle Luke Thinks So. By Geniusofdespair

You have to love Luther Campbell - He doesn't hold anything back. Julio did not look happy, Gimenez comes off as a saint in this Miami New Times video.

Former Miami New Times writer Jake Bernstein wins Pulitzer Prize ... by gimleteye

Congratulations to former Miami New Times writer Jake Bernstein, of the writing team that won a Pulitzer Prize awarded to journalism that appeared first on the web, and not print. A significant first.

Jake and Jesse Eisinger wrote for ProPublica, "The Wall Street Money Machine". I had followed the Magnetar story without realizing its Miami connection or Bernstein's coup. The series is the first detailing a complaint that was a focus here at Eye On Miami long before the financial crisis broke, involving the rampant use of platted subdivisions and corruption of local zoning and political processes to feed the Growth Machine. Miami and its environs were the epicenter of the housing crash precisely because of the way local builders and lobbyists meshed political ideology-- that propelled Jeb Bush into the Governor's Mansion in 1998-- and the proliferation of financial derivatives tied to housing. Both depended on the elimination of accountability: the former, through the evisceration of government authority to regulate the use of cheap wetlands and farmland to build sprawl and the latter, through the use of "demographics" to match distant investors with paper investments tied to formulaic developments; whether zero lot line housing, strip malls, or other mass market features of the suburban landscape. Both depended, utterly, on persuading buyers that risk was minimal compared to reward. Last but not least: both depended on speed of execution. The analog of knocking down banking regulations was to clearcut regulations protecting the environment. The formula was perfected in Florida, where a 30 Year War against the environment, started by the Sagebrush Rebellion and Wise Use Movement in the 1980's, found highly productive fuel in governmental efforts to protect the Everglades and other vital natural resources. It was snake oil from carpet baggers on a grand and national scale, wrapping up state legislatures, Congress and the White House. And it originated in Florida. (check our archive, under 'housing crash', for more.)

The billions of dollars flowing to Wall Street financiers from short selling their own financial derivatives could not have happened unless "product" was delivered. And the delivery of product depended on groups like the Latin Builders Association and assorted lobbyists geared into local politicians who used zoning changes in farmland and exploited Everglades wetlands to build platted subdivisions.

Their product was suburban sprawl, and it was fraudulently sold to the public as "what the market wants". In the latter stages of the housing boom, when Magnetar was hatched, the billions in profits and compensation were increasingly tied to an exhausted supply of home buyers; so exhausted, that by the end in 2005 forward mortgages were distributed like confetti.

More than a decade ago, while writing for Miami New Times, Bernstein wrote an article on another aspect of the fraud necessary to keep the Growth Machine humming: the use of underground aquifers by Florida's municipal governments and counties to illegally dump more than a billion gallons per day of scarcely treated sewage. Put another way: platted subdivisions and their builders relied on cheap methods of disposing all the waste generated by millions of new residents.

Click 'read more' for Bernstein's early venture into the Ponzi Scheme (and my role, then, as a Sierra Club leader in Florida). In the meantime, ProPublica would be interested to know that the recent session of the Florida legislature proves lobbyists successfully exploiting the economic crisis to cement their advantages. Today they call it "creating jobs" but what new bills do is to ensure that any barriers to the next Ponzi scheme involving cheap, low cost housing in wetlands and farmlands will be unimpeded by civic opposition. There's another Pulitzer. From my point of view, it would start with banks like US Century and the Miami-Dade fraudsters, showing how the small gears all connect back up to the big ones, like Magnetar.

Miami New Times: When does Julio Robaina, Mayor of Hialeah, get a free pass on property taxes ... by gimleteye

A controversy blew up on the pages of Miami New Times this week that will sink the incipient campaign for county mayor of current Hialeah mayor, Julio Robaina. "​While Miami-Dade County residents paid higher property taxes last year, Hialeah Mayor and Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Julio Robaina did not pay property taxes on a shopping center he owns in his city. In fact, it appears Robaina has avoided paying taxes on the building since 2006, when he and a business partner finished it." Say, what? Robaina did response to the report.

"Normally, when a builder completes a project and recieves a certificate of occupancy, the issuing municipality's building department must notify the property appraiser to reassess the value to include the structure, whether it is a house or a shopping plaza. In Robaina's case, that didn't happen. "We don't have a record that a certificate of occupancy was issued," says Deputy Property Appraiser Lazaro Solis. Although he told Banana Republican it was the property appraiser's office's fault Robaina's building value was not recalculated."

On the City of Hialeah's website, Robaina apparently wrote, "I look forward to a prosperous year filled with progress, where numerous initiatives will be set to continue to improve and expand on our existing programs and services. Furthermore, I hope to see you at our events throughout the year. We are the city of progress and we will continue to strive for excellence!" Of course, no progress is possible unless taxes are collected. Somehow honesty is a prerequisite but not apparently with Mr. Robaina.

On the New Times blog, Robaina supporters quickly leapt to the Hialeah realtor's defense: what good citizen, they say, would rush to the property appraiser's office to inform on himself? How about: dead beats, drug dealers, and scofflaws.

I wonder, the number of Miami political insiders in plain daylight who are not paying their mortgages much less property taxes. But to imagine that voters will elect a county mayor (and former president of the Northwest Dade Association of Realtors) for who has been 'outed' while gaming the system? I would say not even Miami-Dade voters would elect such a candidate.

Natacha Seijas Ambushed By Spanish Language TV. By Geniusofdespair

This was one angry lady...She was at a ribbon cutting event with Hialeah Julio and then they started asking her about the recall. GenTV reporter was persistent. When Natacha wouldn't talk to her about the recall at the ribbon-cutting event, she went to her office and then to her house. It is all here!



Miami New Times has a translation.

Is Vile Natacha Seijas Taking Revenge so soon? By Geniusofdespair

Is Vile Natacha Seijas punishing Jean Monestime's district for his vote against her request for her recall election delay? Francisco Alvarado of Miami New Times think she is making good on her grudge by not giving his district promised funds from her account. When she offered the funds a few days before the vote I thought it bordered on bribery.

Hialeah Julio (Robaina) Gets the Microscope Over at Channel 4 and Miami New Times. By Geniusofdespair

Channel 4 says Hialeah Julio:

"...is being investigated for alleged acts of loan sharking, mortgage fraud and tax evasion, CBS4 News has learned. The investigation, confirmed by three law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the ongoing federal probe, stems from allegations made against Robaina by Luis Felipe Perez, who plead guilty last year to operating a $45 million Ponzi scheme."

Watch the DeFede, CBS 4 video on Robaina -- it is bad for this wannabe Miami Dade County Mayor.

Lest we forget, on another front, Franscisco Alvardo goes into some of Hialeah Julio's questionable business dealings in the past, saying:

The department's investigation determined Robaina had committed ten violations of Florida's administrative code, including dishonest dealing, failing to maintain trust funds, and failing to comply with a subpoena. On July 18, 1994, Robaina signed a stipulation agreement that required him to pay a $2,000 fine.