Water Disaster (Again): The only interest that never suffers when it rains too much? BIG SUGAR ... by gimleteye

Florida Bay had another bad week. This video of the latest fish kill was taken on Monday at the marina in Flamingo. Lake O had a bad week, too. As one expert reported: “When I see over 200 ppm [phosphorus] going out of STAs--five times the Lake O limit and 20 times the Everglades limit--I have to wonder what the hell is going on? Nothing clean about the June 2017 EAA stormwater, regardless of how it was treated. Someone is lying.” (SFWMD’s Randy Smith told reporters the water was clean). Sugar had a good week, though. More than 400,000 acres of sugarcane in the EAA stayed perfectly drained despite getting more than a foot of rain. Just as they stayed perfectly watered in May, while the rest of South Florida faced water restrictions. And that’s the problem: everyone else suffers the consequences of extreme weather while water managers protect the sugarcane crop first, foremost, and (more often then not) only. It works. Sugar has never had a bad year. In one of the world’s most erratic, unpredictable climates sugarcane has delivered steady, predictable yields for decades, generating fantastic wealth for two billionaire families at a horrific price for millions of Floridians. Quietly. Whatever emergency-of-the-week state officials blame for pumping sugar runoff into Lake Okeechobee, or blocking water from reaching Florida Bay and Everglades National Park, or discharging toxic algae into the estuaries, they never say a word about the reliably perfect conditions on US Sugar’s and Florida Crystals’ properties. In fact they routinely lie to the public about water management to avoid mentioning sugar, as they did this week. The truth is sugar’s needs are now prioritized above public health and safety, drinking water supplies, the tourist economy, wildlife and land and water conservation, and everything else that depends on water and drainage. That’s wrong. When we do get our priorities right--and we will--every stakeholder in South Florida will finally have a good week. A great week. -Peter Girard Bullsugar.org http://www.bullsugar.org/ P.S. Bullsugar.org supporters are changing the game, helping Florida win its biggest victory for clean water in years. If you can, please click here to make a donation to continue building momentum and shedding light on how our water is managed.

My Absentee Ballot is Missing in Action. By Geniusofdespair

My absentee ballot was sent 9 days ago. I called 3 days ago. They told me to wait until today. No ballot arrived today. Both times I called they said it was delivered. I don't suppose they know where it was delivered to, because it wasn't delivered here. Whoever got it can now go to public records, find my signature and trace it. Doesn't take much know-how if you have the ballot. Now it is a race against time. Who will get the ballot in sooner: Me or the thief. The first one delivered to elections counts. Can't they flag my registration or signature in the computer? I wish they could.

My Absentee Ballot is Absent. By Geniusofdespair

My Absentee Ballot went out August 2nd. I called Monday, they said it was delivered. I told them I never got it. Then they said wait till Thursday. I said if it was delivered why am waiting till Thursday? No real answer to that.

Meanwhile someone can vote if they get it, like the signatures are REALLY checked.

Absentee Ballot Fraud Has Begun in the 2016 Miami Dade Election. By Geniusofdespair

Boletera Marta Campos talking to a Private Investigator Offering access to the elderly for a fee.

As you can see, not only do you have to REPORT the criminal activity, you also have to investigate it. The State Attorney's Office just wants to look the other way on these crimes. The fix is already in and no law enforcement agency has enough intestinal fortitude to tackle it.

 

The State Attorney's Office? Forget about it! Our State Attorney was knee deep herself in ballot fraud accusations in 2012 along with Mayor Gimenez so she will turn a blind eye. MDPD? Absolutely not! The current director, one of his chiefs and a recently promoted major were all involved in the 2012 absentee ballot investigations. They are willing to let sleeping dogs lie since they obstructed the 2012 ballot fraud investigations in exchange for promotions. They would not touch that skeleton with a 10 ft. pole. FDLE? Not a chance. Their current public corruption squad supervisor was the FDLE director in 2012 before she was demoted. She is good friends with our State Attorney and sat idle in 2012 while county investigators tried to put together cases against absentee ballot fraud violators. No help there either. The FBI? That hapless crew neither understands the game nor cares about our "little problem". They deem it as "business as usual in South Florida".

The scheme begins with the $3 million in campaign and PAC contributions that Gimenez has amassed from lobbyists, consultants, contractors and political gadflys.

The monies are funneled through Rafael Garcia Toledo through Gimenez's campaign manager Jesse Manzano and they are distributed to a cottage industry through ballot brokers such as Jose Luis Castillo, Al Lorenzo, etc.

Every area of the county is covered by the absentee ballot brokers who pay cash to a cast of "boleteras" and "phone bank operators" who by now have secured rights at every elderly care facility, lunch hall and elderly activity center.

The true crime occurs when the elderly, the mentally ill and infirmed are "assisted" by these unscrupulous boleteras to vote for Gimenez and whomever else is listed on their preferred ballot slates. The ballots are then transported back in bundles (in violation of county ordinance) to Gimenez's "campaign offices" and eventually dropped in the mail assuring a Gimenez win.

How prevalent is this crime you may ask? Gimenez's own county employee Dottie Vazquez is a ballot broker who is alleged to have collected hundreds of ballots in 2012. That is how she "earned" her county job and now works directly under Gimenez as a member of his office.

Marta Campos, a suspected Boletera talking to a private investigator, is alleged to have said she is being paid to collect ballots for Carlos Gimenez - among others. It is alleged that Dottie Vazquez campaigns for Carlos Gimenez on company time, is on his office payroll and is also was in charge of Absentee ballot collection for Gimenez in 2012.

This cottage industry makes our vote our vote worthless because elections are already won and lost by the time we go to the precincts. We suffer because our tax dollars are spent to ensure Gimenez's benefactors receive sweetheart county contracts.

The Boletrs only admitted getting money from DelRey.

Miscarriages of Justice: Voter Fraud and Commissioner Pepe Diaz Acquitted. by Geniusofdespair

We all saw the police video of Pepe Diaz caught driving his motorcycle drunk. He dropped the Harley on the ground and the police had to help pick it up. Well he was acquitted because, believe it or not he was smart enough not to blow. Without the breath-alcohol test there was enough doubt. Watch the video, you decide.

Second Video of arrest of Pepe. He is visibly drunk.

SECOND MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE VOTER FRAUD IN HUDSTEAD:

The voter absentee ballot fraud case during the Mark Bell campaign for Hudstead Mayor was dropped. The witnesses wouldn't testify/cooperate. Even though they had the fingerprints of the suspects all over the absentee ballots the trial was a no go. And, there was a TV video about that one. I believed the family of Robkevia Scott might have been given incentive NOT to testify. I reported this story January 27, 2014.

The Miami Herald reported:

It seemed like the rare, slam-dunk case of voter fraud.

Two men stood accused of unlawfully handling four other people’s mail-in ballots in the 2013 Homestead mayoral election, filling at least one of them for precisely the candidates the voter didn’t want to vote for. Miami-Dade County investigators had a palm print and fingerprints, phone records, and suspicious stories from the defendants.

What they didn’t count on: lack of cooperation from the voters who were victims of the purported fraud — even though the voters themselves were the ones who initially alerted authorities they had been duped.

At the first trial, the witnesses changed their original testimony. At the second, one of the witnesses testified she didn’t remember the day the incident took place altogether.

And so, James Brady and Samuel Jean, the two campaign workers charged with voter fraud in 2014, didn’t go to jail.

This sucks. Both stories suck. Donald Trump sucks. Everything sucks. Traffic sucks...it is a sucky, sucky, sucky day.

Eye on Miami: March 15th Presidential Preference Primary in Florida. By Geniusofdespair

Florida being an un-super State, no surprise there, will be voting not on Super Tuesday which is Today. We will vote March 15th. That makes Florida pretty much irrelevant, except for Marco Rubio. If he loses here it is over for him. Still time to apply for an absentee ballot online if you do it today or tomorrow.

I gave my opinion a couple of weeks ago on who to vote for the Republican Primary. Here are some suggestions from friends and readers on who to vote for in the Democratic Presidential Preference Primary March 15th. We have another primary in August so don't get confused. That primary is actually not a primary but the County Commission and County Mayoral actual Election because it is non-partisan. I think that is why we should do away with non-partisan elections. They do it in August because everyone is away on vacation in August. If the the County elections were partisan it would be in November. We all know their parties anyway so who are we fooling. It's Florida, never makes any sense.

Hillary All The Way said:
Hillary is smart, experienced, realistic and effective. Bernie is idealistic, inspiring and impractical. I wish that our country were ready for the things he is promising he can deliver. It's not and he can't.

Bernie Will Deliver said:
I support Bernie for President because he does not take corporate money, he is not beholden to corporate interests and he has been an independent during his political career.

The two-party system is broken; it does not work for the people. We need a real revolution in our electoral system and we need to overturn the decision in Citizens United. Corporate control of our legislatures and politicians is the root of all the problems we face as a nation. It is time for change, real change, not Obama/Clinton half-hearted, incremental, we negotiate away our core values, kind of change.

Not a Kid Anymore but Big On Bernie  said:
I have given the current state of affairs in our nation much thought and I find that this country needs a voice with integrity, truthfulness and fairness. We are in desperate need of a leader who understands that we are all one and that we will sink or swim together. The politics of racism, separation, hatred, obstructionism and selfishness are meant to deflect responsibility and do not serve our nation.

We need leaders who will work towards world peace and promote inclusion towards solving the many problems that affect our nation and the planet. I find that Bernie Sanders is willing, and will work tirelessly towards that end.

I’m quite certain in my mind that the person who will lead us into a much brighter future is Bernie Sanders.

Clinton For Me said:
I’m voting for Secretary Clinton because I believe she’s the most qualify candidate and it so happens that she’s a woman.  Her agenda meets my aspirations of moving women forward and bring about social change in many areas that need it, as well as the experience to keep us out of unnecessary military engagement. I’m an independent Cuban American woman.

Not a Kid From Cuba But Young at Heart said:
As a 79 years old Cuban American woman I’m supporting Hilary Clinton because I care about the future of my grand children and great grand children.  In a world full of uncertainties I have confidence in her leadership to continue to move our country forward.

Hillary Delegate said:
I was a pledged delegate for Hillary in 2008, and have been waiting since then for her to run again.  This time I have pledged to Hillary as a Super delegate.  I am supporting Hillary Clinton, based on her lifelong commitment to social justice, having a record of working on those issues for decades and specifically to a women's equality in the workplace and women's reproductive health, assuring racial and LGBT equality, her lifelong commitment as a child advocate, her leadership in providing all people with access to healthcare, her  experience in the US Senate, and as Secretary of State preparing her to address the foreign policy issues this country faces.

She is smarter than any of the other candidates running in both parties, the most prepared of all candidates running, has a proven track record of problem solving, and commands the respect of world leaders,business leaders and significantly, the US Senators she has served with.

Pragmatic Democrat said:
She is an adult, believes in science and she has been battle tested with Republicans attacking her for 25 years. She has realistic proposals on health care, College costs, financial markets and immigration.  Hillary has foreign policy experience. She believes in the constitution as the founding fathers envisioned not as the Republicans have interpreted it. She will appoint Supreme Court justices that are rooted in judicial philosophy of the 21st century not the 19th. She believes in a woman's right to choose..climate change.. Equal pay for equal work.  She is tough, smart, yet compassionate.

Did I mention she is an adult AND most importantly she is NOT  Marco Rubio .. Donald Trump .. Ted Cruze GEEZ .. And she can beat these Neanderthals while Bernie probably can't.

Hillary is my Captain said:
The decision for Democrats is simply one of qualifications and competence.  To be POTUS, a candidate has to be prepared to protect our interests around the globe and manage a foreign policy agenda that will keep the peace. Secretary of State Clinton has the experience and skills to protect our interests.  Senator Sanders has a very long history of service to an extremely small state, where his views are tolerated.  Fortunately, his influence on the direction of the country has been unremarkable. The Sanders' rants have been entertaining, and it has benefited the Democratic debate to have his oar in the water. But now is the time to line up behind the woman who can steer the ship of state toward a better future. 

As you can see, I don't have a lot of Bernie Supporter friends but any supporters of any candidate for President can weigh in in comments today. EVEN Rubio supporters.

Eye on Miami Saturday Editorial Page September 26th: The Rube Rubio; Mayor Privatize it or Sell It Gimenez, PBA Foils County Again. By Geniusofdespair

The Miami Herald Almost Has An Editorial Page...But They Don't

Marco Rubio looks lovingly at his longtime pal David Rivera

PISSY LITTLE RUBIO

He is doing better in the polls, why not? No one is writing the truth about him and his scummy friend David Rivera.  They are life long friends, roommates, they even bought a house together. Do you think the sleaze didn't rub off on Norman's Braman's boy? Norman, according to a letter in the Miami Herald (and Fox News) Rubio attended a fundraiser on Yom Kippur at the Texas home of Harlan Crow alleged to display paintings done by Hitler. Did you know that? Cut off funding him.

I want to see the video of his speeches in the Florida House. I bet they are chock full of crap. He didn't get to be speaker just by kissing ass. Gimleteye, Jeb is done, concentrate on this twit.

 " SELL IT OFF" CARLOS GIMENEZ: MAYOR PRIVATIZER 

Career Ending Quote.

Clark Kent has returned to voice his displeasure with our Strong Mayor who seems to want to sell off the County to private entities.

On Friday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said what he really felt, but hadn't told the public until now: "I don’t want to operate anything." he said. Did the mayor of a major US county really say that he wants to outsource the entire government? That's insane, but that's exactly what he's doing. He wants to turn all the functions of Miami-Dade County over to private companies. That includes water, parks, public safety, sewage, transit, libraries, garbage, everything that American cities have traditionally operated to assure accountability and public trust. Last week he announced he wanted to turn the main public library and the Historical Museum into a condo. What's going on here? I don't think people understand exactly how dangerous and extreme Carlos Gimenez is. People need to wake up fast before this county's government is essentially dissolved.

Here is a news flash for you Carlos: WE DON'T WANT YOU TO OPERATE ANYTHING.  Rebeca Sosa we really have to get rid of this loopy Strong Mayor. Gimenez is getting drunk with power. He doesn't want to operate anything? So lets not let him operate anything, or for that matter, do anything. Take it over County Commissioners, do your duty, do away with the strong mayor. Put it on the ballot for 2016. And, he can't do much of anything without your votes. Don't give him your votes!

HUDSTEAD ABSENTEE BALLOT SCANDAL - MARK BELL'S MAYORAL BID

The latest is fingerprints of absentee ballot gatherers, 2 hired by Jose Luis Castillo. Tim Milton's fingerprints (hired by the Porter campaign) were found on the absentee ballots picked up by James Hendry Brady and his accomplice. The theory is Brady knew where Milton was working his magic and decided to go to the head of the line and pick up the ballots knowing they were delivered and supposed to be picked up and mailed by Milton. Anyway, who's fingerprints came first. James Brady is being charged and the trial was originally set for September 21st but that has since changed. There was a motion to take Brady's fingerprints 6/29 and it was granted. Luis Robainas is a subpoena witness. So, in other words the trial is progressing in Judge Victoria Brennan's State Court. And neither side should have their grimey hands on absentee ballots.

Jimmie Williams - he also had a restaurant financed by Wayne Rosen

In other Hudstead news, one of the Councilmen Jimmie Williams actually lives in Miami Gardens not Homestead. He commutes to Homestead to vote and pick up his paycheck. Neighbors in Miami Gardens confirm he lives there. How could a pastor be so sneaky and under-handed, and LIE? He is also in trouble over a car dealership sweetheart deal (on the grounds of the bowling alley that the city of Homestead owns).

JUMBO'S

Former owner of Jumbo's  - Bobby Flam Eating Dessert at Panera's

 The iconic 24 hour dinner in Liberty City is now closed and the land sold. I sat next to the former owner, Bobby Flam and we struck up a conversation.  He said he just couldn't make any money there anymore. Apparently Bobby's daughter is married to Author Brad Meltzer.  Brad, according to Bobby, struck up a friendship with George Bush, Sr. after he got a note from him praising his books. Brad admits to hanging out with the Bush clan but Bobby Flam wouldn't fork over any of the photos. Brad says his new novel is based on that Bush clan friendship.

We talked about all the County Commissioners. This is the way I get info...gossiping. He said he never got a penny from the County or the City but he got a lot of promises especially from Michelle Spence Jones.


PBA HAS A SECOND WIN - THIS TIME FROM THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RELATION COMMISSION - AGAINST MIAMI DADE COUNTY

 

So not only did the PBA get the Mayor's power to veto out of the picture on stand-offs with bargaining (by the Florida Supreme Court), the PBA won back some perks taken away by the County for County Employees.  These are heavy wins for the County Unions. I guess the expenses to make this right are not in the budget. Where will Jenny Moon find the funds?

The Eye On Miami Absentee Ballot Law Penalty upheld by an Appeals Court. By Geniusofdespair

Without a penalty the law on the books did nothing. They couldn't prosecute. We urged Rebeca Sosa to put a penalty on the law. She listened. It was appealed this week and was found constitutional.

An appeals court on Wednesday shot down the case of Hialeah’s Sergio “El Tio” Robaina, who claimed the county law was unconstitutional and unfair to elderly Hispanic voters who rely on friends to deliver their absentee ballots.

The Miami Herald said further:

"The ruling is a resounding victory for Miami-Dade County, which in 2011 passed the ordinance amid fears of growing election fraud."

Rebeca Sosa gives Eye on Miami thanks on this law for the many posts we wrote about it -- Video from November 2011:



Aside: The Miami Herald NEVER gave us credit for this.

Absentee Ballot Fraud Found In Mark Bell's Campaign MANAGED BY JOSE LUIS CASTILLO. By Geniusofdespair

I can't believe Rundle's office couldn't get these guys to turn on Castillo or Bell.

Update on Lynda Bell's Husband: Mark Bell's Absentee Ballot investigation. by Geniusofdespair

I asked the State Attorney's office if the absentee ballot case on the Homestead Mayoral Election - Mark Bell specifically - is ongoing or if I could get the close-out memo. They said:

There is no close-out memo on this case. The investigation is ongoing.

I wrote about the case 6 months ago when it first came to light. Volunteers for the Mark Bell campaign took 3 absentee ballots from a house in Homestead and were accused of marking them. On both counts it is illegal.

Come on Rundle, get this case over with. Six months is plenty of time. Do not tie it to the Lucie Tondreau absentee ballot case.  We need to know ASAP. I suppose when the case was sent to the State Attorney I should have known we would be waiting forever.

Fixing Florida elections to serve the radical right: former state senator Michael Bennett … by gimleteye

The battle to dominate election outcomes by rigging polling days for early voting and reducing the number and location of ballot stations on election day isn't happening in Iraq. It is happening in Florida where a mainly white, aging GOP is pushing back against the changing demographics of one of the nation's most influential and important states.

In 2000, then Florida governor Jeb Bush had already supported through secretary of state Katherine Harris a faulty purge of voter files, denying the right to vote mainly to blacks likely to vote for the Democratic candidate Al Gore. Although Bush's successor, Charlie Crist, by executive order allowed more early voting days, his successor Gov. Rick Scott, cut back the numbers of days from 14 to 8 and Sunday voting was reduced from 2 to 1. Sunday voting, unsurprisingly, mostly serves elderly, poor or infirm black voters who carpool from church to polls. In other words, Democratic voters.

More news rattled "the most exceptional nation" last week when a Florida county voted to eliminate nearly one-third of its voting sites.

According to the website, ThinkProgress; in Manatee County, on party lines the board of county commissioners "by a 6-1 vote to trim the number of precincts, despite unanimous public testimony against the move — and complaints by the lone Democratic Commissioner that it would eliminate half of the polling places in his heavily minority District 2."

The action in a Florida county to further suppress election outcomes in favor of the radical, conservative right is part of an unmistakeable trend, noted by the national press, for Republican dark money to jam up democracy in the states. The highly controversial action in Manatee County shows that the ambitions of the radical right are successfully penetrating to the layer of government least susceptible to outside pressure: local jurisdictions at the county and municipal levels.

With the Citizens United decision by the Bush Supreme Court, it is now impossible to trace the billions of dollars filtering through donors whose identities are concealed. It is, however, relatively easy to trace its presence by noting the reactions and the actors.

The press noted that the Manatee County decision, to reduce the number of precincts from 99 to 69, was justified by the supervisor of elections as a way to "save money". Who was this supervisor of elections? His name is Michael Bennett, and although he is described as a "first time" supervisor of elections, he is very well known in Florida politics as one of the top GOP operators in the state legislature, from which he was term-limited out in 2012.

Bennett, in fact, was a charter member of Florida's GOP "Great Destroyers" who found their purpose in serving the interests of the real estate industry and Big Sugar by dismantling state authority related to growth management. By the time Michael Bennett was term-limited from the state senate, he had succeeded in the goal set out to 1) sharply curtail pollution laws and 2) knee-cap state regulatory authority over local development planning.

The targets were laws passed in the 1980's by a generation of Florida leaders in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation to preserve or at least offer the opportunity to preserve through state intervention the chief attributes that made Florida an attractive destination in the first place. The 1985 Growth Management Act was one of the nation's first and most important examples of state authority intervening to measure the impacts of suburban sprawl. Although the Everglades Forever Act was approved in the early 1990's, its genesis was in federal authority through the Clean Water Act, signed into law by a Republican president Richard Nixon two decades earlier but litigated in Florida for nearly as long.

Through the conservative looking glass in Florida, the gains achieved by eliminating state government capacity to regulate and enforce are threatened by changing demographics through which Florida was won by the nation's first black president, Barack Obama, and could tip from red to blue in the future. What the radical right needs is a strong bench, to filter its former operators and leaders in the state legislature, back down into the ranks at the county level. Operators like Michael Bennett whose trail is clearly marked by fact.

In the spring of 2003 then Governor Jeb Bush triggered the outrage of environmentalists and the editorial boards of every newspaper in the state when he, prodded by Big Sugar, undertook to re-write the water pollution law that underpinned a state federal settlement agreement of nearly a decade earlier, establishing a limit on pollution of the Everglades through the application of fertilizer on upstream sugar farms. Although Jeb Bush attended the Everglades signing in the Rose Garden at the Clinton White House -- on the very day the US Supreme Court decided the 2000 presidential election in favor of his brother -- memorializing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, only three years later he set a course against federal authority by approving legislation to change the compact he had signed.

When Big Sugar needed help getting its bill through the Senate, it turned a group of state legislators willing to prove their mettle by taking on the "do' gooders" and state's newspaper editorial boards. There were a lot of hands on deck but one stood out: the state senator from Bradenton, Michael Bennett.

(I can write with some authority on this issue because in 2004, after the hotly contested bill became law -- dubbed by environmentalists as the Everglades Whenever Act -- the organization of which I am now board president, Friends of the Everglades, sued in federal court against the US EPA -- then under the thumb of ideologues in the Bush administration -- because it had meekly allowed the the Jeb Bush transgression without challenge. That lawsuit, finally settled in 2012 in a Miami federal court, is still being contested by Big Sugar and although the 2004 state legislation was never rolled back. In 2012 Gov. Rick Scott celebrated the state's agreement to invest $900 million to meet the EPA's reconsideration of water quality standards in the Everglades as though it was his administration's own idea.)

But this is just the introduction to former state senator Mike Bennett. (to be continued,)

Absentee Ballot Fraud by Geniusofdespair

Candidates and their ethically challenged handlers welcome. Public welcome with plenty of money and you get limited access to information you pay an arm and a leg for.

The Miami Herald editorial gives Mayor Gimenez some love for opening up IP addresses  of Absentee Ballot requests to the public. I am not really that concerned with ASKING for absentee ballots -- the people still have to send them in. And young people are arrogant creatures with computers, In the Suarez case they got the cards signed but were too lazy to send them in. They think you can do everything on computer.

I agree the mayor did the right thing but here is what we should really open up: Signatures.

I went down to the Elections Department a long time ago and checked the signatures from  petitions disqualified for signatures, against the signatures on the elections computer.  I was able to question many, many signatures they had disposed of. They didn't charge me to sit there 2 days on a computer in a room with two other workers. One worker, by the way, was working, the other was on the phone talking to friends ALL DAY. Today, you can't even look at YOUR OWN signature on file. And If I spent two days at elections today, it would cost me a few thousand dollars. That is wrong.

Elections: If you are going to be that careful to NOT let someone examine their own signature when you disqualify it, then beware that you give campaigns far too much information about absentee ballots. That is why we have bolleteras. If the campaigns didn't know who had an absentee ballot there would be no fraud. Be consistent. Secret is secret. Some secrets help, others do not. Certainly letting someone examine their OWN signature does not hurt. Print it out for them.

Can a candidate continue to say the Absentee Ballot Fraud done on their behalf "is not my fault"? By Geniusofdespair

James Brady (the accused) and "Know Nothing" Mark Bell (Miami Herald photo)

Mark Bell, Lynda Bell's husband, who ran for Mayor of Homestead was quoted in the Miami Herald today about the alleged absentee ballot fraud done by his campaign worker:

"We've done nothing wrong, so they can look innto it if they want...I have nothing to hide."

 I believe him that he has nothing to hide, because I think that candidates choose not to know when illegal activity is going on. He does have James Brady on his financial disclosure. Candidates look the other way when their sleazy campaign managers engineer absentee ballot collection, knowing full well what is going on. Lynda Bell won on absentee ballots. No surprise there, same campaign manager, Jose Luis Castillo. BTW

Jose Luis Castillo

Mark Bell, it appears unethical to me to reimburse your OWN restaurant for all those campaign events. I guess this is what we can expect for the Lynda Bell campaign as it swings into gear. Don't bother asking Ethics anyone...they won't find a problem with ANYTHING.

Lynda Bell was sweating bullets when Eugene Flinn's campaign went to the elections office to examine absentee ballots. I went along, that is where I  found an UNSIGNED ballot counted and obvious signs of a wife signing for a husband or visa versa (same signature). It is all a joke. We weren't allowed to touch the envelopes with the signature so it makes it cost prohibitive for most candidates to look at them. I would have liked to have looked for another couple of hours at least.  One problem, they won't let you look at the computer to compare signatures on the envelopes to the voter's signature. That ties your hands in uncovering fraud. The election department must make phone calls randomly to absentee ballot voters to see if they got "help" or someone collected their ballot. I will volunteer to do it for free.

I believe that the boletero activity of Deisy Cabrera and Sergio Robaina should not just get them in trouble only, there should be repercussions for the candidates as well.

The whole system of absentee ballots sucks. Campaigns should not be allowed to get notices when the ballots arrive and they should not get lists of absentee ballot voters.

Miami Herald image of Robkevia Scott Whistleblower,

The original story involved the family of Robkevia Scott who reported the fraud perpetrated on her family. The men  (Brady is accused of being one) from the Bell campaign even took the  ballots of the rest of the family. That in itself is against the law. But they also filled out the ballots, compounding the wrong done.

New Mayor of North Miami had her office raided by Investigators, Absentee Ballots again! By Geniusofdespiar

The Miami Herald reported that Mayor Lucie Tondreau's private office was raided because an Internet Protocol there was used to file bulk absentee ballot requests. They had better arrest someone this is the third time it has happened this year!!! This is getting ridiculous. We have to do away with absentee ballots unless you are sick or out of town.

BREAKING NEWS: Absentee Ballot Fraud in Homestead by Bell Supporters. By Geniusofdespair

There are allegations from a voter that a volunteer marked Mark Bell and Norman Hodge on her ballot when she wanted Jeff Porter and Jimmie Williams. 3 more ballots involved - illegally taken from home.

Here is the scoop from Jimmie Williams. Big supporters of Jimmy Williams, running in seat 4, said volunteers came into their home and filled out their 4 ballots. The homeowners told the volunteers they wanted Jeff Porter and Jimmie Williams. The volunteers took 3 of the ballots with them, the voter (niece?) wouldn't give them her ballot. The one they left behind was marked with Mark Bell and Norman Hodge. That voter did not want Mark Bell or Norman Hodge.

Note from Elections Supervisor Penny Townsley:

I have confirmed that the State Attorney's Office is aware of the accusations.

Absentee Ballot Voting is, and continues to be, a convenient and safe way to vote. The Department has policies and procedures to properly handle absentee ballots, including a thorough authentication of the voter’s signature on the envelope. Our voters can further protect their right to vote by:

Keeping their absentee ballot between the voter and the Elections Department
Not giving their ballot to anyone who is not authorized (Genius: A candidate is not authorized or a candidate's representative)
Making sure that the absentee ballot is properly signed before returning the ballot
Ensuring the ballot is received by the Elections Department no later than 7:00 pm on Election Night
Maintaining a current signature on file with the Elections Department

It has never been easier to return a completed absentee ballot directly to the Elections Department now that no postage is necessary for countywide elections.
If someone observes illegal or unethical behavior, we encourage them to contact the State Attorney’s Public Corruption Hotline at 305-547-3300 and the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust Hotline at 786-314-9560.

M-D State Attorney Kathy Fernandez Rundle finally awoken from her slumber? ... by gimleteye

It appears that the chronic, systemic abuses of elections in Miami-Dade -- in particular, absentee ballot fraud that substantially tilted elections in favor of fraudsters for many years in Miami -- finally stirred the somnabulent office of the state attorney.

Eye On Miami broke the story of absentee ballot fraud abuses, two years ago. Check our archives. The Miami Herald followed on our footsteps. Fair enough.

Apparently, however, abusers of the absentee ballots were counting on Rundle to do nothing. Why would they think otherwise, when so little had been done to investigate and prosecute the offenders?

It must come as a surprise to elected officials in Florida's most populous and politically influential county, the sleepy state attorney's office is taking the abuse of absentee ballots seriously. Is this just a passing phase? A burp after the flan.

(Also see article in Crespogram - same subject)

Mad as Hell: Absentee Ballot Fraud, the Republicans Started It. By Geniusofdespair

Katherine Fernandez Rundle, too busy rounding up cat killers to stop Absentee Ballot Fraud.

Republicans pushed absentee ballots as a voting method for their flock...but it took a Democrat to F--k it up for them by taking the scam to another level.  It is disingenuous for either party to cry foul now.  They have all been eating cake for years, stealing votes. I don't see the absentee ballot scandal in U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia's camp any worse than all the other absentee ballot fraud scandals the Republicans have been caught up in over and over. At least Garcia's Chief of Staff never got his scam to work.

This quote irritated me the most in Pat Mazzei's article in the Miami Herald Saturday:

“Historically, absentee voting is the source of all voter fraud”

Said by: State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle

For our State Attorney to acknowledge that, while not having done anything substantial to stop it in 20 years on the job, is criminal.  In fact, under her reign absentee ballots fraud has sky-rocketed out of control. The Miami Herald's investigation led to the discovery that Garcia's staffers were the ones who tried to submit a couple of thousand phantom absentee ballot to the Elections Department, not Rundle's investigators.

A cottage industry of ballot brokers has grown up around absentee ballot collection. Absentee ballot collection even has a reigning Queen: Republican political operative Sasha Tirador (Who is a close friend of disgraced David Rivera, also known for absentee ballot collection).

"Garcia blamed the region’s rough-and-tumble politics..." for what happened with his aides. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING. The theft of our votes shouldn't be minimized, written off as "politics as usual." Our vote is sacred to each of us.

And what has Mayor Gimenez done to help? First he denied hiring the Boletera seen lurking in his office before she was arrested. Then he created a voter task force after the election and puts - of all people - Lynda Bell on it. Lynda Bell was working out of David Rivera's office for a while during her campaign and the rumor is Rivera ran her absentee ballots.  How did she win her election: ON ABSENTEE BALLOTS. What County Commissioner had her name in the indicted Boletera's book: Lynda Bell. Coincidence? What was the Mayor thinking?

Back to our State Attorney: Rundle should be at the bully pulpit every single day begging the Legislature to change the laws on absentee ballots.  She should be leading the charge to each and every Election Department head in the State of Florida to get on board with reform. Her lukewarm response for 2 decades, to a problem she fully acknowledges makes me want to puke.

Has anyone thanked the Miami Herald for uncovering the local IP addresses? pmazzei@MiamiHerald.com

And by the way, I don't want these vindictive, stinkin' politicians having my date of birth. Will someone make the elections department stop giving our dates of birth to candidates?

Let's not do absentee ballots anymore for the general public because they just don't work.

The only County Commissioner mentioned in Deisy Cabrera's Notebook: Lynda Bell. By Geniusofdespair

From Deisy Cabrera's notebook, the boletera awaiting trial for illegally collecting absentee ballots. It says:  Mario de Ovides "Campaign Bell". This was written about August 8, 2010. Deisy was using an old calendar.

Also in Deisy's notebook was a senior day care center business card for Alelise ALF, Corp. There was a voter name with the card. I suggested that the Elections Department contact the facility for supervised voting.  That is when the Elections Department goes to the facility and supervises the absentee ballot voting.

The Elections Department sent me this reply:

"We have contacted this site and at this time the residents are not able to participate because they all have Alzheimer."

Funny that this business card should be in the boletera's notebook.

On another front, the North Miami election is today. One candidate running for Mayor claims she is endorsed by Jesus. I guess anyone that would believe the Jesus claim, would not be any better equipped to vote than the Alzheimer patient in Hialeah.  Remember, the voting atrocities are not confined to Hialeah.

Blogger at Voter's Opinion hires Private Eye. By Geniusofdespair

Photo of operative holding an absentee ballot from VotersOpinion.com

Blogger Stephanie Kienzle hired P.I. Joe Carillo to look into the North Miami Beach election where absentee ballot fraud is also flourishing.  Just like in Hialeah, Joe Carillo actually caught a political operative in North Miami Beach red handed, holding a ballot. Carillo took his photos to Public Corruption and they didn't really care. Kienzle says:

"Absentee ballot fraud is a monster of a problem that doesn’t seem to be taken seriously by any of the law enforcement agencies, the Attorney General’s Office, the Miami State Attorney’s Office, the Florida Legislature, the courts, and the various and sundry Elections and Ethics Commissions. The boleteros in Hialeah know this. The ballot brokers in northeast Miami-Dade County know this. They buy elections through absentee ballot fraud with impunity.

Apparently, it’s been left up to investigative reporters, bloggers and ordinary citizens to do whatever they can to protect the integrity of the vote. Without help from authorities, we are left to take up the charge against fraud and corruption. Even when we have evidence and good leads, we get doors slammed in our faces by those public servants who were elected or hired to protect us from the fraudsters.

For now, it appears we are on our own. Folks, you need to keep your eyes and ears open to any and all voter fraud. If you see or hear anything fishy, please contact me or Melissa Sanchez at msanchez@elnuevoherald.com"

Barfable: How votes are stolen in Miami-Dade County. By Geniusofdespair

Read about the notebooks kept by arrested boletera reported by the Miami Herald but investigated by El Nuevo Herald's crack team of reporters.

Every time someone like this woman steals a vote, it cancels out a legitimate vote. I say that the election department should stop giving campaigns voter absentee ballot information. They have unearned the right to know by financing this cottage industry of stealing/manipulating votes. Sometimes elections are changed by absentee ballots -- Lynda Bell's close win as one example. She had David Rivera's help with her absentee votes according to two sources. Her opponent won but the lopsided absentees rocketed Bell ahead by a little over 300 votes.

Among other things in today's report:

"• She had access to more than 550 voters, the vast majority elderly Hispanics who live in Hialeah. The people whose names, address, phone numbers and dates of birth she tracked on lists titled “Deisy’s Voters” include some who have Alzheimer’s and others who are illiterate. Next to some names, Cabrera noted whether they were blind or deaf.

• She registered what appear to be payments for a total of more than $9,000 from seven judicial candidates in 2008."