Roscoe Warren Park could be called the Multi-Million Dollar Flood-Plain Park. By Youbetcha'

At an estimated cost of almost $21 Million dollars according to Homestead is Home Blog (or $10 Million according to the South Dade Monitor) Roscoe Warren Park was born! 

One would guess at either of those price tags, that that Roscoe Warren Park in Homestead would be the park to end all parks. Officially opened to the public on October 1, 2011, the community was looking forward to enjoying the latest park in Homestead’s park system.

Environmentally, it was good thought --- the reclamation of a landfill for public use. It also has a much used tot lot and if you can stand the mosquitoes, probably a wonderful place for a brisk walk. However, look at the photos, it also has lakes. Lakes that are not supposed to be there.

Last weekend’s rains put much of Homestead under water including this brand new park. After spending a time locked up in the house, I thought a trip to the park would be a fun way to end our soggy three days. It should have been a great idea as it is a lovely open space with opportunities for a nice sunset view, however, as I witnessed, it has no drainage.

I did see a drain, unfortunately it was under water. I didn’t notice any fish, but I guess those take time to evolve. I am presuming that there will be much finger pointing about the lakes; however the damage to the park and its features will be done. When it is all said and done, it will be the tax payers who will have foot yet another bill for this park. Oh, there was a bill for it before it was even begun - to reclaim it from a landfill. All of us in the rest of the county helped pay for that cleanup. The County contributed about $3.5 Million through Building Better Communities to this under-water passive park.

Ron Book In Defense of Lobbyists (LOL). By Youbetcha'

Ron Book is getting defensive in his golden years as is obvious in a recent article in the Sun Sentinel.

People tend to get pissy about lobbyists and Book seems to be feeling like he has to “explain” the things we don’t understand.

His article was titled: “In Defense of Lobbyists.” He argues that lobbyists help more than people think. Okay....faulty premise to start.

He seriously points out several  things I thought amusing:

“Lobbyists know that the process is driven by information, and more importantly, the integrity of that information. The first time a lobbyist provides bad information is likely the last time that lobbyist will get through a lawmaker's door. The first time you lie or mislead will likely be the last time your information is considered credible. Credibility and the integrity of the information we convey are life and death in our profession, and I cannot emphasize that enough.”

Well, I seem to remember more than once, that the facts were distorted during public hearings as the lobbyist du jour paints his/her picture of their project.  They often paint a picture that is devoid of brush strokes. No matter, the lobbyist has already sold the issue to the eager politicians while in their offices earlier in the week: "Sure we'll build a school and a fire station too!"

Amusing point by Ron Book number 2:

“Many people think lobbyists only represent wealthy, corporate interests, or "special interests," a term we hear so often in the media today. People believe that all these "special interests" want to do is get their way, which will no doubt bring harm to the public. But that is simply not true.”

I know that lobbyists like Ron do an occasional good deed for a non-profit or a neighborhood, or even a daughter's charity. But, let’s be truthful, for lobbyists this is their penance. Lobbyists prefer to help the people who pay them.  And some of the people who pay them will bring us harm if it brings them more profit.

Ron doesn’t want us to believe that lobbyists do evil things or like he sometimes does -- along with Miguel DeGrandy -- represent multiple clients that may have opposing interests.

I have never figured out how Book can ramrod a project for a client through the State legislature to the impairment of another client's best interest. Equally amazing, lobbyist Book appears to get paid by two cities as he screws one of them.

Finally Ron describes himself as an “advocate”, just like you and me. Except, in truth...it is not true. There are so many holes in the logic of this article you could drive a truck through them. Hey, Ron, we ain't no stupid politicians here! Real advocates, like us in the public realm, don’t have the political capital, the election cash tree or the pass key to the Commission offices to  have any hope of advocating effectively.

Stop trying to justify what you do Ron Book, it doesn't ring true. Admit to yourself that you are for sale. I don't subscribe to the opinion that all lobbyists are whores with the gift of gab. To me they are just manipulators or handlers of what are supposed to be OUR public servants.

A new twist on agriculture land use - Forgo beans for buried bodies. By Youbetcha'

Only in Miami Dade County can there be a zoning request for agricultural zoning in order to plant a crop of people in caskets.

Apparently, if the developers can’t build houses on Ag land, they will still get the homeowners any way they can: Dead or Alive.

Coming up on October 4 is the fourth attempt at rezoning a large parcel of land from GU to AG out in the far west side of the Kendall area. Setting aside the obvious misuse of the Ag zoning, the issue with a proposed cemetery inside the UDB is generating some grassroots concerns in West Kendall. While researching the issue, I noticed the puzzling finding that Patricia "Shannen" Davis has never filed her final campaign report, even though the election results were certified in August 2010. That's more than a year ago.

A review of Shannen’s campaign donations reveals that it is loaded with land use attorneys (see report left) and it appears she gave some of the money back and then took money back again in one case. She clearly had expenses as she passed out palm cards during early voting. Those familiar with county campaigns suggested her palm cards showed a strong similarity to those used in other 2010 campaigns in which Jose Luis Castillo was involved. Additionally, people familiar with the last election say Castillo acted as her "campaign manager." He worked on Lynda Bell's campaign and is a Natacha Seijas confidant. I note that campaign managers are trusted advisers to their candidates and it is worth tracking what candidate uses which campaign manager. Castillo reportedly has a role in the agricultural cemetery application. Also having roles in this application are Jeffrey Bercow sidekicks, EAS Engineering's Ed Swakon and bushy-haired Transportation woman, Kathy Sweetapple. All three participated in support of the Parkland mega-large DRI application. Again, I was told that Castillo was involved in Parkland as well.

Some onlookers began questioning the Castillo-Davis relationship during the long drawn-out Walmart expansion application. Castillo was present at some of those council meetings and handled council person Jay Reichbaum's failed Council run in 2008. It may be scary to some to have a lobbyist like Castillo lurking in the Community Council 11 chambers. It is worth noting that while this community council has been dysfunctional and full of questionable players from its origin, there are some very principled people who are associated with it. As I have watched many community councils over the years, I can say that this board never has struck me as anti-development. So in retrospect, the lobbyists and ‘community people’ with pro-development agendas hanging out at the meetings is no surprise. I think in all quasi-judicial proceedings with government officials it is what may be going on behind the curtain (which we don’t see) that is truly the part that matters. Back to that missing report. How could an experienced elected official forget to file her reports? Could it be that she didn't file a campaign report because it was going to raise questions with the community activists regarding connections to Castillo and his work with land use attorneys on Krome Gold and other active applications? We will never know if she doesn’t file her close-out report.

That being said, observers may have a valid point when they claim this campaign filing issue doesn't pass the smell test and that former candidate Shannon Davis should be hit with fines for the missing report. The Department of Elections is asleep at the switch again, allowing for questions to arise where none should be. They say we, the public, have to report the problems, they don't go looking for them. The link to the back-story.

Bachmann or Palin To Top The Ticket? God, No! By Youbetcha'

It is pretty amazing that Republicans have produced yet another wacky woman to watch during the upcoming presidential race. Just when I have recovered from the threat of Sarah being a heartbeat away from the Presidency in 2008 (yes it took me 3 years to shake that nightmare off) along comes a lady even scarier and maybe stupider, Michele Bachmann.

While Michele has not claimed to see a Foreign Country from her backyard...yet, she is promising to be just as much of a source for late-night comic material. Watch out Palin! For instance, Bachmann advised her constituents to not fill out census forms hinting that Obama might put folks in an interment camp if they did.

I was thinking today, do I have anything in common with these two gals?

I am a woman but not conservative and not politically inclined to the point of wanting to be the leader of the free world. I also am well aware that the authors of the constitution didn't work tirelessly to end slavery as Bachmann has said. Nor would I board a plane for a flight to Alaska pregnant, once my water broke (Palin).

I do have a degree in religion -- that gets me a comparison to the gals -- as I too have Godly credentials, more than theirs I might add. But as a liberal, we are far apart on ideology. Somewhere along the line, I fell off that conservative hay wagon.

The biggest difference between Michele, Sarah and I is the fact that I have enough sense to know that I am not Presidential material.

All I know is I don’t want to hear whining from Sarah-Michele that the media is abusing them. These ladies need to hire speech writers and staff who know how to fact-check. Then they need to learn how to button those ruby red lips when they don’t have a clue on a topic. And a stroll down that yellow brick road for a REAL brain would be a worthy trip for both.

Michele and Sarah take note: It is because you have no sense of your limitations, not your conservativeness, that divides us as women. Those limitations, if God is truly good, will also keep you both far, far away from the White House.

University of Miami: A Season Tickets Tale. By Youbetcha'

I see my experience with UM a prime example of what's going wrong in our communities and indeed, the world. What is in play is the emergence of the corporate mentality at all costs.

As someone who was a season ticket holder for a zillion years (actually 25), the university’s greed eventually made me tell them to keep five season tickets... First we were told to give them $10,000 a seat for the seats they decided to convert to box seats; those were seats we had since college.

So UM moved us; we paid more for our new seats and 5 years later, they take away our parking passes that came with the tickets (that they blamed on the city). Then they offered the parking pass back to us for an extra $500.00 a year.

Within 2 years after that, we were forced to buy an extra ticket because UM seated an oversize bully next to us who would press his body against whoever was there (not a great experience for business clients and scary for our kids). He then decided that the extra seat was his, so he would drape his sweaty body parts on it and the UM athletics director didn't give a crap. It was an embarrassment to have to ask the police make the man stop and should have been unnecessary.

In the end, UM decided that they would nail us for an extra $2,000 per seat to sit in seats that we had sat in for 15 years.

It was over. No more fighting traffic, no more parking at the hospital overpasses and walking a mile, no more eating dog meat from the street-side vendors, no more having our cars broken into... no more. Our love affair with the big U was gone.

The saddest thing was that our “stadium section” all dated, got married, pregnant (divorced?) and watched our kids grow-up with the same rows of strangers over those years. As we grew-up together, our section became business owners, school board executives, college graduates, a county elevator maintenace guy and even community activists. We even launched a politician or two. The younger people that transitioned into the section repeated the dating/marriage/baby pattern and we proudly watched the process as their lives changed.

That was UM. That was the UM tradition.

As the UM's Board of Trustee's egos grew and as they encouraged an environment of greed, their management process became the death knell for our amazing 4 month-a-year community. We were forced to scatter and many of us gave-up season tickets because we were finally tired of giving more to UM and actually getting less.

By the way, for our section, it was not a winning team that kept us buying tickets – we were there before they were national champs --- it was the community and common bond of the Orange Bowl that united us.

I would shrug it off, except I see my experience with UM a prime example of what's going wrong in our communities and indeed, the world. What is in play is the emergence of the corporate mentality at all costs.

The UM Board of Trustees is a dismal failure in exhibiting good business sense and ethics to their alumni, their community and the world. What were they thinking?

The Marlins might have a job for the X-Mayor. By Youbetcha'

Who should get the job, Mayor Carlito because he was THE Mayor or George Burgess since he was the de facto Mayor? George has the most operations experience by default.

Guess we will have to wait and see!

County Waived Competitive Bid for Politically Connected Innovida - Now in Bankruptcy. Guest Blog by Youbetcha'

A recent article in the Miami Herald noted that businessman Claudio Osorio filed for bankruptcy. Gimleteye also reported on his own adventure with the political mover and shaker.

However, there is a Miami-Dade County connection (as always) to this bankruptcy. Claudio and his company were recipients of a 6/3/2010 bid wavier which offered up the POINCIANA INDUSTRIAL CENTER project to them. Ironically, they were given the bid in spite of the fact that one of their partners in the bid had criminal actions pending. InnoVida was allowed to replace the partner, instead of the county tossing the bid process and rebidding the RFP.

The best aspect of the whole county legislative recommendation was staff’s observation:

“InnoVida’s proposal meets the requirement for creating jobs, provides for a viable business and real estate plan and is presented by a firm with good experience and financial ability.”

Need I mention that this legislative item was sponsored by Commissioner Rolle and was seconded by Commissioner Jordan. It passed by a vote of 9-0. (Commissioners Diaz, Sosa and Seijas and Chairman Moss were absent). Our new county manager, Alina Tejeda-Hudak, was the county staff person assigned to this item.

InnoVida was deemed a solid company with a viable business plan in June 2010 by the County, but by March 19, 2011, it is bankrupt and according to the Miami Herald, ”Their Chapter 11 filing in Miami’s federal bankruptcy court capped a series of lawsuits that accuse the Osorios of duping investors to put tens of millions of dollars into Claudio Osorio’s once-fledgling business venture, InnoVida, to pay for the couple’s lifestyle.”

How much money did the county taxpayers contribute to their lifestyle? Don’t you think we have a right to know?

Miami Dade County only at Number 3? Guest Blog by Youbetcha'

Miami-Dade County has collected another high ranking statistic! According to Florida's CFO Jeff Atwater, "Miami-Dade County now ranks number three in the country in staged auto accidents”. I am not surprised, Miami–Dade residents are always trying to out-do other folks. However, with all these arrests yesterday of crooked insurance people, it makes one wonder what business in this town is safe from being overrun with lawbreakers?

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle said on Channel 7: "You know, a lot of the drug dealers of the 80s and 90s find this as a much safer way to make money."

I am just wondering if she got a look at the arrestees…. Some of them look young enough to have been in elementary school in the 80’s, not running a drug business.

Lynda Bell Attacks Free Speech in Miami-Dade County. Guest Blog By Youbetcha'

District 8 County Commissioner Lynda Bell has indicated that free speech is not allowed in public facilities. As a result the county venue is getting sued. More tax dollars will be used to fight it. In Saturday’s Herald, Lynda bolsters my suspicion that she has been drinking too much Kool-Aide while hanging out at County Hall with VNS and friends. To quote the paper:

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Lynda Bell told Miami’s Radio Caracol (1260 AM) on Feb. 7 that the appearance of Cuban artists in Homestead would be painful to South Florida’s exile community. "I would be 100% opposed and I would do everything in my power to stop that,” she said. “We understand free speech and defend free speech but not when public facilities and funds are being used.”

"Civil rights advocates say that public events are precisely where free speech must be defended."

How can a sitting commissioner who uses public facilities to pray with staff be opposed to free speech at Homestead Speedway?

BP Oil Drilling Disaster is Prompting Legal Moves. Guest Blog by Youbetcha'

While those of us who are environmentally driven ponder and reflect about the horrific impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on the environment and humans, high powered legal jockeying is happening right under our noses. As we attempt to measure the leak in terms we can come to grip with, the legal beagles are defining it in the terms of law suits.

Over the past week, in the Herald classified section, a series of “Public Notices” have been published in regards to the Deepwater Horizon spill. This is nothing more than a preemptive legal move to either look good for public perception or as in the case of one company, limit (or make disappear) any liability.

It is heartrending to see the loss of life, to witness the destruction of the wondrous beauty of our wildlife, seashores and marshes and to stand-by as generations of family businesses are buried under brown goo.

What is even more distressing is that the Herald’s classified section portends the fact that someone in the oil world is acknowledging the worst is yet to come. By getting ahead in their corporate damage control process, their legal teams march onward, all the while the rest of us sit wondering what we should (or could) do next to help slow the damage.

In the end, the lawsuits that follow will be the only aspect of this disaster that will have a sense of reason and order; the rest of the event will make no sense at all.

FPL: Monster Poles in South Dade. By Youbetcha'

Hit on image to enlarge it.

While driving through South Dade recently, I could not help but notice the work Florida Power and Light was doing throughout the community. Take a good look at the size of the monstrous poles in the photos above. The picture of the intersection gives a great perspective of the size of the existing poles, cars and the new monsters. The bottom middle photo was a pole being placed today in some lucky homeowner's back yard. What is corporate FPL thinking, putting up poles before the two new nuclear reactors are approved?

The real issue is what our state regulators and governments are doing...or should I say more accurately, not doing. They are meekly accepting the poles and the brutal scarring of our communities in exchange for what? Favors? Money? Campaign dollars?

Back to Corporate think: Do you know of any CEO that would allow his business to put millions of dollars into infrastructure if he was not confident of a done deal that would allow them to use the new infrastructure? That is what we see here in the photos. A done deal. We are looking at six photos of a completed back-room deal which has emboldened a CEO and his Board of Directors to spend the money for infrastructure that they claim they need for TWO unapproved NUKES in South Dade. They obviously aren't sweating not having their approvals.

If I were a CEO, I know I would not be gambling on a business expansion unless somewhere, somehow, somebody promised me something. I only love sure things. Don't you?

Miami Herald is Accepting Donations...Somewhere. By Youbetcha'

Fox News reported that YOU have an opportunity to save the Miami Herald by pressing a link at the bottom of online stories to make a donation. Sort of like supporting your church...or a panhandler.

Oh Dang! I can't find the button. I was ready to give them some money to pay for the free version of the newspaper that everybody reads. The Herald says 5 million different readers visit its website each month. It appears they have almost as many readers as Eye On Miami.

Lobbyists Suck and I Guess the Ethics Commission Does Too. By Youbetcha'

You want to know what is wrong with the county? It boils down to money. Look at this December 9th press release from the "never find anyone guilty" Ethics Commission:

Three related complaints (C 09-16, C 09-17 and C 09-18) were dismissed by the Ethics Commission. Attorneys Juan Mayol, Joseph Goldstein and Richard Perez registered as lobbyists for a developer seeking changes in the Comprehensive Development Master Plan. However, a second count in C 09-16 prompted the Ethics Commission to clarify -- through a letter of guidance -- the listing of lobbyist expenditures that should be reported. Juan Mayol did file a required expenditure report, but it did not disclose $30,000 paid to South Miami-Dade community activist Kentward Forbes to bring speakers to public meetings to show support for the projects. It was determined that many local lobbyists have interpreted current law as not requiring a listing of fees paid to community organizers as “lobbying expenditures.”

Isn’t that a stunner? Zoning attorneys called to task for paying an OUTRAGEOUS sum to Ken Forbes for “getting” people to a public hearing? Give me a break. Genius, we are in the wrong business! I wonder if that S30,000 listed for those community services provided by Mr. Forbes is listed on his financial disclosure for the Naranja CRA. How many times is Ken Forbes going to be sitting on the short end of government ethics and election cases before he gets stopped? Ken Forbes is not a community activist. He is a paid mouthpiece for the developers and certainly is not the voice of the community that I know.

To Get County Housing Bucks You Need to live in Opa Locka. By Youbetcha'

1.2 million dollars available for rehabbing houses...it must be an election year. They are offering up to 30k a household. How great is that?

My house certainly could stand to have its leaky roof fixed, the cracked, falling off stucco put back on its exterior, not to mention, a fresh paint job. Of course, there is stuff needed to be accomplished on the inside of the house as well, like repairing the damage to the ceilings caused by the leaking roof and re-doing floor tiles which are popping up off the kitchen floor. Oh no! Apparently, my house is located in the wrong city at the wrong end of the county. Hey, where’s my commissioner? Damn, so much for my government stimulus dollars at work!

Follow the Money. By Youbetcha'

The Human Services Coalition, a group of non-profit agencies in Miami, is rallying their community members to learn more about lobbying. The HSC must have watched the results of lobbying in Miami Dade County and finally came to the same conclusion that the Eye on Miami bloggers have been preaching for years – follow the money.

An article,Whose Money is Behind Political Campaigns?, in their November newsletter had a short series of questions from the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Take their quiz:

1. Which out-of-state organization contributed $350,000 to the Florida Democratic Party in 2008?
2. Which two groups' combined donations represented almost half of the money raised for the Save Our Homes ballot initiative?
3. How many lobbyists did U.S. Sugar Corp. employ in Florida in 2009?
4. Which industry contributed the most money to campaigns in Florida in 2008?

If you get 100% you also get to buy me lunch. I am hoping you win, here are the answers:

1. Michigan Democratic Party contributed $350,000 to the Florida Democratic Party in 2008? What’s that about?

2. The combined donations from Florida Power and Light ($1,000,000) and Florida Realtors Association ($1,111,778) represented almost half of the money raised for the Save Our Homes ballot initiative. That is beyond scary in my book. It also explains why everyone should have signed the petition.

3. The U.S. Sugar Corp. employed 20 lobbyists in Florida in 2009. I would love to see that invoice for their services!

4. Lobbyists and Lawyers contributed the most money to campaigns in Florida in 2008. I suppose that is not a surprise to most of us either. I wonder how many of those firms have roots in the South Florida area?

If you are interested in learning more about how to track this sort of information, the Human services Coalition is hosting a seminar to learn how to "Follow the Money," led by Edwin Bender, on Tuesday, December 8th from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Bender is Executive Director of the National Institute on Money in State Politics which has developed online tools and databases for tracking campaign donations, lobbyist funds and stimulus money.

Redland Community Council Rejected Soccer Field. By Youbetcha' and Geniusofdespair

The Community Council 14 vote was a unanimous 4 against a formal soccer field in the middle of agriculture land. Here is the whole story by Youbetcha' and it is a good one:

The attorney and his client did not seem at all concerned about the Urban Development Boundary or that they were plotting this 240 person stadium and 180 car parking area smack-dab in the middle of farmland. Yes, they knew that farmland was shrinking, but it was okay because their area was surrounded by larger parcels of farmland that could still be farmed. Even better is the fact they stated that they didn’t really want 180 parking spaces; the “county MADE them do it.” (Hit read more)

Since when do fruits, vegetables and farm animals play soccer? Actually, come to think of it, I suspect that the average neighborhood farmer would like to have a good night’s sleep after listening to their neighbors play soccer…illegally, without the benefit of a public hearing.

I found it particularly annoying that the applicant’s attorney stood at the podium and played the “migrant workers “card. Attorney Vera made it seem that out of very goodness of Bernardo’s heart, he was going to construct a private soccer club for the local residents and farm workers to use. He brought the prerequisite beautiful children to fill the seats and stand on cue. It was just like a wedding, his family on one side, her family on the other.

The plan was to light up the field, too. Imagine that. They would be playing soccer and creating traffic in a community that was tractor slow, as well as confusing the heck out of light-sensitive plants and wildlife.

It wasn’t a concern that they would be dumping automobile fluids and septic tank poop into the ground water which flows directly at their neighboring farmer’s drinking water wells. It didn’t seem to matter that the poop would work its way into the canal system or into the irrigation wells to water produce.

Actually, it was pointed out that DERM approved it. (What was DERM thinking?) This property has a canal on one side and an entire community around it that drinks and bathes in well-water that can be pumped from 10 feet down! The county environmental board actually told the property owner that his guests and employees would have to drink bottled water. Screw the neighbors! Screw the environment!

The miserable thing is that the county allowed the illegal soccer games to go on for at least a year. This resulted in anger and frustration that spilled over at the podium as the neighbors spoke. They complained about strangers in their neighborhoods; wild, if not drunken driving after events, noise and pollution. Some of it was undoubtedly true. Other of it, such smoke from fires, may not be solely the doing of the soccer players as farmers burn debris and plastic, too. But, the tone of the frustration took on an ethnic tint. That was not a happy thing for a diverse community such as our county.

I blame the county for not enforcing the laws. If county code enforcement was doing their job, not just the 7-4 Monday through Friday thing, the soccer games would have been shut down long before the growers/farmers sustained damages to their property and farms. The community would have not been able to complain about noise and strangers on the canal bank, and those beautiful children would not have been disappointed tonight.

Tonight could have been a teachable moment for those children. A moment that could have said, “there are laws and your dreams have to abide by them”. Instead these kids were let down because no one explained that they had an unreasonable expectation that they could have what they wanted in spite of laws to the contrary. Tonight’s teachable moment became “we didn’t win because we are not like them, we are foreigners” NOT “we didn’t win because our soccer club was not a legal use for that property”. There was resentment, bewilderment and hurt as a result. You could see it in the young faces.

Community Council 14 board members did the right thing. They voted to protect the environment, the farmland and farm businesses. It isn’t easy to see children and vote against them. But, the Board honored their commitment to uphold the comp plan and Urban Development Boundary; it was an easy call after the evidence, but tough job at the end.

(Genius said: Youbetcha' I think the County Commission will fold and approve the soccer field when they hear it.)

Miami Dems Not Happy Campers? Guest Blog By Youbetcha'

Wow. There are political upheavals all over the place!

First up: the elections up North were messy and history making. Homestead and City of Miami elections were political upsets in their own right. They both were amazing politically speaking. And, the pending removal of two Commissioners in the City of Miami will put 4 newbies on a Board of 5. You couldn't make this stuff up.

And now, comes the local Democrats, having a coup d'état of their own. What a political hailstorm this coming year is going to be. The sane voters better run for cover and grab a window seat because the wind is just starting to blow.

Part 2, FPL: coming to a neighborhood near you. By Youbetcha'

News Flash! FPL doesn’t care what you, your city council or your commissioner think about their ambitious plans to destroy any headway our communities have achieved towards making the landscape more attractive. It would be a good thing if the County Office of Sustainability and the Consumer Protection Advocate could intervene with the state on our behalf. However, most likely those important county departments will be axed by budget cuts.

The maps FPL has designed do not even begin to explain the scale of the pole issue. Without some terrific sense of visual perspective the average person cannot conceive of the visual impact of the thousands of poles they are slamming down in neighborhoods’ everywhere.

There are multiple issues with FPL’s latest plan:


• They are going after approval in spite of having no need as yet. They don’t need the poles if the nukes don’t get approved. The cart is going before the horse. They will use that approval one way or another, with or without the nuke approval.

• It sets the precept for other utilities to put plain old ugly and dangerous poles wherever they want. Think cell and television towers and the struggle the communities already have had with their placement.

• The poles can come down in a hurricane or a tornado spun off of a hurricane. The emergency recovery (and power restoration) would have been delayed for days if they had to clear poles of the proposed size off US 1 following Hurricane Andrew. As it was, the concrete poles lying on Old Cutler cut the response time down while workers had to clear both lanes blocked by poles. There was no driving around them and this was one of the county’s few north south-corridors. Do we want this happening on US 1?

• They are Political Intimidators. They use their (our?) money to intimidate our elected officials to “back off” public concerns whenever possible. As a monopoly they should NOT be allowed to support any event or charitable cause that has ties to an elected official. This includes Dade Days in Tallahassee, political campaigns, and your favorite cousins non-profit. They should not be allowed to lobby.

• FPL will use the pole placement to distract from the nuke issue. The more the public’s attention is scattered by multiple community crises, the better their nuke campaign will be going. It is a variation of the divide and conquer routine the developers use with communities before zoning hearings.

The communities impacted by the poles need to address this plan. The plan is well on its way to approval and there needs to be some strong intervention. FPL has sent letters to the residents impacted. Did you get one? Did you do anything about it? This plan is just the start of the trashing of our communities by a greedy corporate entity.

People outside of the proposed maps (north of Hialeah Gardens, City of Miami) should not rest. The massive power lines will not be “power lines to nowhere”. They are going to be heading northward, right up the spine of our great state. Right out of the state so the newly produced power from FPL’s newly built nukes can be sold. It comes right down to our quality of life verses FPL’s bottom line. I know who usually wins, don’t you? (see Part 1 yesterday)

FPL: coming to a neighborhood near you. By Youbetcha'

On July 9 2009 there was a public meeting hosted by Everglades National Park to invite FPL to explain to the public what they intended to do with all that NEW power out at Turkey Point. The answer is:

FPL intends to move the power out of their plant and right through your neighborhoods and Everglades National Park.

Soon you will see power lines everywhere. Even if you aren’t graced with them in your backyard, you will see them in the distance because we are talking about poles that tower 82 to 150 feet into the Miami Skyline. How attractive is that? (hit read more and hit the graphic to enlarge it)


In fact, FPL has provided its lucky ratepayers four photos on their website, under the environment section. Look at them very carefully, the first one is an actual photo showing the current poles and the surrounding neighborhood, including the bus way. The other three photos are photos with simulated new power poles. I would assume that FPL management created these illustrations to make the unhappy ratepayers and stray environmentalists happy with the attractive new additions to their neighborhoods.

What were they thinking? The poles are giant towers overwhelming their surroundings. As someone who experienced Hurricane Andrew and had to climb over the large concrete poles to get home, I can visualize one of those concrete and steel monsters collapsing on someone’s home. At the very least the poles are hideous and scar the landscape. Most likely they are dangerous and possibly even hazardous to the general public’s health with their radiation spewing from the live wires.

Interestingly enough, FPL didn’t post anything useful for the stray environmentalist. They want those 150 foot poles and the service road smack in the middle of a glades restoration area. Why wouldn’t they want them there? They already have four nukes planned for the shores of one National park just miles from a marine sanctuary and another National park. Why wouldn’t they ugly-up the vast wide open grass prairie? That is just more of the Miami Dade County developer attitude. Screw the historical landscape, screw the environment and screw the people.

The Marlin's Menu, what will it be? By Youbetcha

I am sitting here fantasizing about stadium food. I can’t wait to see the new and improved Marlin menu that will be coming with the new stadium. Based on these menu items from other stadiums Marlin fans better be prepared for the $4.00 bottled water and the $5.00 wiener.

A story circulating in the news recently claimed that pizza in the new Dallas Cowboys football stadium will cost $90. However, later reports confirmed it will cost only $60, the same price as it was in the old stadium. A bargain! New York's Yankee Stadium:

Has already become famous for the $850,000 suites, but food isn't a cheap either in the "house that replaced the house that Ruth built." A single patty burger goes for $9, Philly cheese steak for $10.75, large garlic fries $8, hot dogs for $5.50 and up.

Yet, for all the cost, these stadiums can't match the food at the minor league baseball home of the Gateway Grizzlies, near Chicago. Each year, the Grizzlies unveil a new treat.

In 2007, its deep-fried White Castles were a hit. It's Best Burger is a cheeseburger between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts. It's toasted ravioli would go great with one of its own beers brewed nearby by O'Fallon Brewery. Also on the menu is The World's Best Hot Dog (so it says), made with black angus beef, bacon, onions and cheese sauce. For only $4 -- take that, Dallas! And it is a bonus that besides your stomach it will fill your arteries too.

I suppose fans who can afford tickets to NFL and Major League Baseball games can afford to pay haute cuisine prices for street food. However, I'd be happy with a box of Cracker Jacks ($4.75 at Yankee Stadium).

I wanted to share this little fact of my own about our Fish Bowl, so sports fans everywhere can be jealous:

Our Marlins fans can get seats and pig out for one low price in the All You Can Eat Seats. These comprehensive Club Level tickets range from $47.00 to $70.00 depending on the game. Fans get to chow down on buffet inside the Club Level. The South Florida health food menu includes hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts and fountain soda. The very best part of the deal is when the game is not going well and it is hotter than Hell, you can duck in the buffet area which is air-conditioned and pretend you are in Yankee Stadium’s S850,000 suite.
Of course, Marlin’s fans better hurry-up and take advantage of this All You Can Eat deal, because in a short few years, they will be longing for the good-old-days when a $70.00 peanut feast was a bargain.

Someone will have to pay the players’ salaries, and I am betting it will not be the Marlin’s management. The outrageously priced, artery clogging fare, will go a long way towards salaries.