HUDSTEAD Update: Long Ago The Swamp Was Drained and Homestead Appeared. By Geniusofdespair

if you want to look at the bid documents...

Why is Homestead my favorite city in Florida to chuckle at? Because of the zany way the place runs and the inbred crackers that run it. The police building was just completed and it needs a new roof?  According to the City of Homestead website:

 

Thanks to your support and the careful planning of those involved, we've completed our new Homestead Police Headquarters on-time and on-budget!

The 55,000 square-foot, three-story facility is the first new building constructed specifically for law enforcement operations.

The station was designed by Rodriguez & Quiroga Architects Chartered and built by Munilla Construction Management. The impressive facility, constructed on-time and on-budget, is a community centerpiece that aligns with the vision to revitalize Downtown Homestead.

The new Homestead Police Headquarters opened for business Wednesday, February 15, 2017. All are invited to the Grand Opening Ceremony on Saturday, February 25, 2017 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

So it appears the building is a little less than a year and half old yet it needs a roof replacement. The City residents appear to be as bewildered as I am.

They Want to Build a STEEL MILL in Hudstead With Miami Dade Mayor Gimenez's Blessings as He Had to Recuse Himself. By Geniusofdespair

Miami Dade County's most notorious city for UP-TO-NO-GOOD, Homestead, is being slated for...wait for it...an eco-friendly steel mill. Julio Gimenez, the County Mayor's son, is helping pitch this insane area and other family members have been lobbying for it. The Trump-like family ties on this project forced Gimenez to recuse himself. They, the County and the Steel people, want to put this Steel Mill on County land (our land) by the military airport in Homestead: or as most of us in the know call it Hudstead.

The company, Ecosteel wants 124 acres for this eco-steel plant (Oxymoron to the max).

Okay how crazy does this sound? I am astounded by this idea that apparently as been around for awhile, kept under tight wraps from the public. The owner said if he doesn't get the land here he will go to another State and build his plant. I say, don't threaten us Mr. Steel guy. By all means, go to another State. And while you're at it take all the Gimenez children that are involved with this really crazy idea of spewing heavy metals into our cleanish air and falling into Biscayne Bay.

They do aim to be environmentally friendly, but from what I read they are not there yet:

Climate-damaging smelting gases, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane, are produced in many parts of a steel mill. After steel production, these gases are burned in power plants to generate electricity. But the catch is that this process also generates CO2 emissions. Moreover, when excess wind and solar power are produced, it is not possible to sell the resulting electricity to the grid. The approach being pursued by the Carbon2Chem project partners is therefore not to incinerate the smelting gases, but to convert them into in reusable materials for the chemical industry.

Florida has to decide what it is. does it want to be the rust belt? Does it want to be a tourist destination? Does it want to have oil rigs off their coast? Does it want to keep the agriculture the sub-tropical Homestead area is known for? Get a grip people, start telling the County what you want because if you don't, something will get shoved down your throat and I guarantee it won't be what you want: A designer $240 Million, Steel Mill on your TAXPAYER OWNED LAND producing 1,000 tons of steel a day, for instance.

The Miami Herald reported on this on Sunday:

"A lot of companies try to say they're green, that they're environmentally friendly," said Elizabeth Bonnell, chair of the Miami chapter of the Sierra Club. "Later on, people are left to have to clean up after the mistakes of the company. We're pretty concerned."

In other Hudstead news, the former Mayor, Steve Bateman is being sentenced today for being found guilty for Corruption.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article210208269.html#storylink=cpy

Hudstead (aka Homestead) Update. By Geniusofdespair

A new watchdog Facebook Page exists for Hudstead: True Homestead (not to be confused with True Blessing Car Care on Krome Avenue).

Their mission is: This page is to expose corruption and ethical failings in the City of Homestead and its Police... (Tall Order)

Here is a video starring, I think, the owner of the site Dr. James Eric McDonough:



James have you looked at Wayne Rosen? Wayne, I have decided that you should restore the golf course to a park, like they did in Palm Aire (Pompano Beach) because you owe the people of Homestead so much and you have gotten rich off of them. Not a cut the grass park but a more natural park. I think you should talk to The Trust for Public Land. Maybe you can even get tax write-offs. Don't be so greedy Wayne. Help the people who stupidly bought your homes with the promise of a golf course. And, let them form an independent Homeowner's Association. It is time (over 20 years of buildout--come on!).

I think this is a site worth following. It appears to focus on police...I followed all their links.

RUMOR:

Lynda Bell has her house for sale for $385,000 according to Zillow and has already moved to Tallahassee where she has bought some rental property.

HUDSTEAD: Wow! this is a Who's Who in Homestead.

This Ethics Complaint is so interesting. Everyone in Homestead is named, Shiver, Munz, Wayne Rosen, Lynda Bell, Mayor Porter.  Lynda Bell is so vindictive...

Lynda Bell and Steve Losner made an ethics complaint against Judy Waldman, about a "Citizen" petition that would have lengthened Waldman's term. Even Mayor Porter was behind it although he stated citizens initiated it:

We received a call on Tuesday from Mark Goodrich. He stated that he was working with the Mayor on an initiative petition and wanted to confirm the procedures we follow for signature verification. I told him that he needed to also contact you to assist him with the preparation of the package.

Just in case he has not made contact, he stated that he already had 3,000 petitions ready for verification. I did not ask for the name of the petition, but it is an Initiative Petition.

Please make sure that when you prepare the cover letter that it includes how the signatures should be verified, since your City Charter does not specify. Just in case, I have attached the sample cover letter.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Respectfully,

Kimberly M. Keels
Registration Manager
Miami-Dade County Elections Department

I took out three pages from Lynda Bell's ethics complaint (the whole complaint is at the end). Goodrich ended up with an elections complaint against him. Not much else happened, except they said "Judy Waldman was the driving force behind the petition drive." But, this is excellent reading to see how Hudstead got its name. What a snake pit of fools. A loathsome lot to be sure.

   k_15-39_waldman by geniusofdespair on Scribd

Always Amused by Hudstead Antics. By Geniusofdespair

Vote me Out: I am too Greedy to Serve You!

Major Chutzpah going on in Homestead. Councilman Jimmy Williams tried to get his own pensions increased and that of the council. According to the Miami Herald's Monique Madan:

A Homestead councilman’s move to increase most council members’ pension benefits by about 75 percent during an election year failed when citizens questioned the council’s priorities during a public hearing, one calling the measure a “disgrace.”

Councilman Jimmie Williams, who sits on the city’s pension board, proposed an ordinance that would increase the amount of money elected Homestead officials receive, lower the age requirement, and lock in automatic 2 percent raises every year.

The measure died 4-3 on Wednesday; Councilman Elvis Maldonado and Vice Mayor Patricia Fairclough voted with Williams in favor.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/homestead/article157904544.html#storylink=cpy

Elvis and Patricia Fairclough, you both are connivers too,  trying to get this self serving money from a poor city.  All three of you should be ashamed.  Get jobs if you need money. None of us have pensions.

Homestead should thank Mayor Jeff Porter and Councilmen Burgess, Roth and Shelley for holding off this crappy, greedy idea.

Jimmy why don't you ask Wayne Rosen for a pension. You have been kissing his behind for a long time.

Hudstead Never Fails Us. By Geniusofdespair

Patricia Fairclough, Vice Mayor of the city of Homestead was REQUESTED to apply to be principal of a school that got a $175,000 grant from the city. An ethics opinion was requested and in July they gave her the okay.  In fact the amount was $775,000 not $175,000 that should have been in the Ethics request letter written to Joe Centorino of Ethics by Homestead City Attorney Richard Weiss. She subsequently got the job -- no surprise there.  She was EMPLOYED by the school board when the money was voted on.

How about giving Joe Centorino the correct facts Richard Weiss? Weiss also told Centorino the $175,000 went for "Computer Equipment".  It did not. Is Richard Weiss aware of the wrong information he supplied to the ethics department? And, wasn't ethics considering the wrong conflict? How about quid quo pro?


The $775,000 was combined with GOB funds, and went for design and construction.  In 2013 the amount the city CRA authorized was $775,000 to help reconfigure the school into a middle school. Is this not a misuse of CRA funds?

In 2015 the school board picked MCM and gave them GOB money for the school conversion job (Project No. 01335300). There was a GOB budget for $6,679,129 for this project and others.

Did Fairclough get a REWARD from the School Board for voting for the $775,000 or is she truly a qualified person to be a Principal of the school? Your guess is as good as mine. I have not seen her resume or who else applied for the job. According to Weiss she was "requested to apply". Does that happen?

But why on earth are cities giving CRA money for schools? Why the hell did we vote for the GIANT SCHOOL GOB BOND if they needed CRA money as well?

Hudstead: Now Known as the Snake Pit. By Geniusofdespair

Not content with being associated with Hud and Peyton Place,  Homestead is now vying for a 'new' old movie title: The Snake Pit

Snakes are invading Homestead...no not just Wayne Rosen...the actual reptiles.

of course Ethics took no action, the three year period for filing an ethics complaint ran out.

Back to other snakes:

Police caught a 9 foot python at Homestead High School in September.

Also a warning went out in the Keys Gate Neighborhood:

This morning  a resident discovered a five foot boa constrictor cross my back lot by the lake and slither into the philodendron bushes on the north east corner of the property traveling towards North Gate Drive. It's width was the size of a man's forearm. It was too small to be a menace to most dogs, but cats could be at risk.  This has been reported to MM and the authorities.

Other Homestead snake sightings:

Homestead: Real snakes, and also the breeding ground for the political snake pit of Miami Dade County.

Meanwhile, Keys Gate houses are shaking off their foundations from all the rock mining blasting. I have had numerous reports of cracked tile and houses shaking. People are considering installing carpets. Who will help these people? Really, carpets? That is pretty extreme.

Florida City leaders approving the blasting said the economic benefit of the quarry outweighed concerns raised last fall by homeowners as well as environmental and park officials.

What to do, what to do? Have a fashion show of course. Wayne Rosen's wife is helping to sponsor a fashion show to benefit Dade Legal Aid, on February 24th: Fashion Night on Brickell. Wayne Rosen is rumored to have donated $38,000.

Hudstead News: CAPRI Restaurant for sale. By Geniusofdespair

Actually in Florida City, the Capri Restaurant has been an institution of the good ole' boys network from Homestead. It is being offered at $4,700,00.

Since 1958 Richard Accursio's family has been operating the joint.  Many a campaign celebratory win (and loss) has been held at the place. Is there any place else for political junkies to hang out? Where will people eat? Not much of a choice in the area. That is a bad sign for residents. Having a Chili's, Olive Garden, Pizza-Spaghetti joint and two Mexican restaurants is a meager choice.

In other news, the Vice Mayor of Florida City Sharon Butler is one angry lady. Something is definitely in the water down South besides tritium. I agree with some of her sentiments but NOT how she is expressing them.  The Vice Mayor is saying she DID NOT post this but it came in on news feed of her friends.

Meanwhile, the city of Homestead is being sued by the Miami Speedway which is trying to squash the zoning variance given to our good friend Wayne Rosen. Apparently the speedway is claiming encroachment.

Patricia Fairclough, who ran in Homestead November 2015 for a two year term, had a PAC helping her called Building A Better Homestead.  Just guess who was the major funder. Yep, Wayne Rosen. And guess who is the Wayne Rosen Cheerleader on the Council: Patricia! Do not vote for her again. Wayne: move out of Miami-Dade county. Take your manipulation elsewhere. 

Homestead and Wayne Rosen Update: Hudstead's Keys Gate Can't Catch a Break. By Geniusofdespair

Multiple neighbors are complaining on line about their houses shaking and cracks in their foundation. One woman replaced all the tile in her home....

Some of the copy that is with  Keys Gate petition:

Florida City Commission gives final approval to a rock quarry’s expansion despite earlier protests by homeowners, regulatory agencies and the superintendent of Biscayne National Park against Atlantic Civil. (Posted on Sun, Mar. 30, 2008).

Atlantic Civil will develop a rock-mining quarry on 589 acres of land that is so far projected to be located south of Southwest 360th Street and east of Southwest 167th Avenue. Some 72 acres are already being mined.

City leaders said the economic benefit of the quarry outweighed concerns raised last fall by homeowners as well as environmental and park officials.

Amanda Garner (a Homestead Council member at that time) appeared at the Florida City Commission meeting to express her constituent’s concerns about blasting damaging their homes. ''I can't tell you how many times I've been contacted by residents who've had damage to their homes -- foundation cracks, brand new homes with cracked tiles,'' said Garner, who's no longer on the council. ``People can feel it in their homes when it happens.''

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile here  is an update on, in my opinion, a Self-Centered Man always on the move to make more money at the expense of...well anyone but him. God forbid that he should help the middle class people who live in the community that he built, people who love their homes despite their dwindling property values because of his failed golf course:

 Wayne Rosen Update on Keys Gate - in the Miami Herald:

You have to understand that you can’t ask me to build a golf course without having those single-family homes to to help pay for it. It’s called cash flow. - Wayne Rosen

“Why is the developer dictating to the city what should be built? A city and its residents should be dictating that, not the developer. The developer should conform to what the citizens and the city thinks are the best uses for those lands.” - Councilman Jon Burgess

Will Homestead get its golf course? Developer: only if city passes my request

With some misgivings and a promise to review at least part of the issues before taking a final vote, the Homestead City Council tentatively approved a zoning application by Wayne Rosen that would allow give him more flexibility than other developers to build what he wants in an area designated for mixed use — a combination of retail, single-family homes and condos.

Rosen told the Miami Herald he plans to build 91 single-family homes and that in return, he would pay to renovate the rundown Keys Gate Golf and Country Club, although the golf course is nowhere mentioned in his application. Golf course renovations weren’t part of the conversation Wednesday.

But passage on May 18 is not assured. Some council members are not comfortable with proposed changes to the existing mixed-use zoning code on Rosen’s 20 acres, and say they want to revisit the issue before the final vote.

“I think we’re giving up too much with this ‘mixed-use’ dialogue,” said Mayor Jeff Porter, who voted in favor. “If we don’t have some sort of concession, some sort of clarification, it’s going to be the biggest sticking point. I’m giving it a chance to live, knowing that there’s still a chance for it to die in second reading.”

 When I think of Keys Gate I always have Watergate in the back of my mind.

What is new in Hudstead with Wayne Rosen and that Stupid Itty Bitty Golf Course. By Geniusofdespair

Homestead is a town of Good Old Boys...like in the Movie Hud.

Congress established the Immigrant Investor Program, or EB-5 program, in 1990 in order to stimulate the U.S. economy. Under this program, the foreign national must invest $500,000 or $1 million, depending on where the project is located, in a new commercial enterprise in the United States.''

Coincidentally, Wayne Rosen -- Eye on Miami's proclaimed boss man of hudstead -- is now President of EB-5 in Miami, Inc. a for profit Corporation. What is that about? Does Wayne want to use EB-5 funds now that other  more local public dollars are drying up?

In other Hudstead news Keys Gate Community Association formed in 1987, officially started a new Corporation on March 3, 2016.  Their name is Keys Gate Community Association Two (KGCA 2).  Why did they do this? Same officers. Did they transfer land to this Corporation? Does it have to do with the Speedway threats and to prevent discovery of the KGCA books?  Maybe they just think the"2" is a pretty cool number. Don't know the answers. Trying to figure out Hudstead in like trying to find a rotten tomato in a 4 cubic yard dumpster. You have to jump right in and do a lot of digging as the inbred Hudstead bunch, financed by the boss man, are just not talking.

And speaking of inbred, where did Bateman, who is broke, get money for a donation?

Something is scrambled in Homestead and it ain't eggs.

Eye on Miami on Homestead a.k.a.Hudstead: Wayne Rosen Still Working That Golf Course Angle at Keys Gate. By Geniusofdespair

With all this presidential nonsense we have totally ignored our most favorite Municipality in Miami Dade County:  Hudstead.

I have to admit I have never knowingly been to Keys Gate (although I did a tour of foreclosed homes years ago and I think many were in Keys Gate), the Development of Regional Impact that Michael Latterner (now deceased) and Wayne Rosen got permission to build so long ago I just don't remember. However they both made a fortune on this DRI. A fortune!! They built so many homes. A DRI is a windfall for a developer.

They had a golf course as part of the Development and people liking that socked their savings into a house in Homestead. No accounting for taste. The glossy must have been nice.

The golf course after years of neglect became a weed field. The Clubhouse was closed. Amenities be damned. So, what does a developer do? Try to get the Government to pay for it. Rosen tried to get Department of Housing and Urban Development money, to rehab the course. He said it would create jobs. After a firestorm of bad press, he said he was going to abandon the course and let it turn brown. Pretty nasty stuff to hear for the buyers of their dream home in Homestead. I would suppose they would be very, very angry.

Rethinking his harsh proposal, Wayne held a closed meeting and a new scheme surfaced. Lets build more homes and in exchange fix up the course and make it smaller. A meeting was held at Keys Gate and a golf course expert described what every golfer wants, a smaller course with more homes.

The Closed Keys Gate Meeting

The only problem, Wayne Rosen needed zoning changes to build more homes and he needed people he had made very angry to help him.

The people of Hudstead's Keys Gate were caught between a rock and hard place. Tolerate more homes and get the Council to let Rosen change the zoning or they would have brown over-grown grass behind their homes.

So, somewhere out of the blue a petition was developed and the Keys Gate community NIMBY members were signing it in droves:

With hopes of pressuring council members, residents of Keys Gate subdivisions are backing Rosen by way of an online petition.

On the table? Having the council overturn a decision made by Homestead’s planning and zoning board and allow him to go forward on rezonings to build single-family homes near a beer warehouse, speedway and airbase. In exchange, Rosen would pledge to renovate the rundown Keys Gate Golf and Country Club.

The petition has 489 names on it. Rosen want's 1,000.


And the question we are all left with is -- is Wayne Rosen a greedy developer? I don't know.

An altruistic developer might have bitten the bullet and fixed up the Course for the people who trusted him way back when, when they bought their dream home with their savings.

So the moral of this story is:

When you look at that glossy offering brochure when you buy a new home, watch out. Aside: What happened to the "A" school promised? Now a "C." (another blog but here is the KEYS GATE SCHOOL AUDIT)

Keys Gate Schoo Audit

Wayne Rosen and the Keys Gate Homeowners Meeting in Hudstead. Guest Blog By Out of Sight

Wayne Rosen on the Right

In spite of the previous cankerous Homestead City Council meetings about Rosen and his plans for the Keys Gate golf course property, there was a love-fest tonight at the Keygate Golf and Country Club site. Wayne Rosen and his entourage faced off with a standing room only crowd. The crowd, with an exception of a few irritated people, received the cadre of development people surprisingly well.

The developer of the golf course, James Fazio was the front person speaking most of the time for Rosen. Mr. Rosen was not introduced until the very end when a gentleman stood and asked who the guy was in the background. Really strange strategy, but one that kept Rosen off the firing range for most of the evening with limited opportunity for him to create a ruckus.

A concern for Keys Gate Homeowners was the cost to residents. As it stands at this moment, there is no cost to the homeowners for the rebuilding and refurbishing of the course or its facilities. The partners are picking up the tab. However, they continued with the fact that if a Keys Gate resident plays there, they will be paying a special membership rate, but the costs are not set in stone at this time for any membership or greens fees.

They are fast tracking the course. Mr. Fazio is expecting to start with the heavy equipment soon as next week with the aim of having the greens sodded and ready to play in October of this year. With the permits pulled, the interior of the main Clubhouse is already in the process of being dismantled and will be redesigned with the existing building left intact.

Course designers are offering an 18 hole, 6370 foot-long course with new elevations and drainage. They expect, as they go along with the build, they will end-up stretching the course and it will be longer when it is finished. The tees are going be flipped about, but the basic border will be follow the general outside of the current course.

The course will lose 11 acres around the edge of the existing course. This land will be used for buffer or possibly some housing. Looking at the maps, there are some squared off acreage that could be feasible for residential. Additionally, there was some discussion about mitigation for the loss of the 11 acres with another already identified parcel for a park.

It was stated that Mr. Rosen is considering turning over some multi-unit acreage from another parcel for a well-lit driving range. They are looking into the development of auxiliary money-making enterprises such as a driving range which could be used for golf purposes in the evenings, along with a standard venue use upstairs in the club house and a grill type restaurant downstairs which will be easily accessible for the golfers. Currently, the driving range will stay put until a plan is designed to accommodate all the property changes.

One of the concerning issues was the additional residential being built by developer Pat Liber. When questioned about the housing, it was stated that the developer had not presented the plans to the golf team and Rosen --- which is hard to believe. However, they went on to say that they believe Liber will be doing single family homes against the existing two golf communities and fill-in some of the interior with attached housing around the 1st finger of the course.

It was interesting that there was relief and excitement in the room. No angry challenges to the DRI or other Rosen-related issues. The demeanor of this crowd seemed almost thankful and forgiving, happy and applauding positive comments from the crowd. The Rosen’s team was swarmed with handshakes and thank-yous as the crowd departed. On the way out, one gentleman pondered aloud as he walked to his car, if this was really going to happen. He indicated he had been excited and disappointed with promises broken roughly four times about this course. As a long-time Keys Gate resident, he stated, he will not believe Rosen until the bulldozers are there pushing dirt creating a golf course. It is obvious for some folks, the jury is still out.