Watchdog Report Vol. 10 No. 37 March 21, 2010 Medical Issue
CONTENTS
Argus Report: I filled out the 2010 Census this week, will you? Feds distribute $400 billion yearly based on community population, Dade lost out in 2000
Florida: State residents need to keep pressure on legislature for Open Government and access to public records, says Gov. Crist
Miami-Dade County: Registered agent Forbes fails to report income from community groups and law firm, settles with ethics commission
Broward County: Tri-Fecta of elected leaders going down, Salesman next up in the judicial box
Palm Beach County: Feds add more defendants in mortgage fraud case
Hillsborough County: Gov. Crist taps Hillsborough County Court Judge Huey of Tampa to the 13th Judicial Circuit Court.
Miami-Dade Public Schools: Perez kicks off Healthy Smiles in Our Schools, 17 sites in district
Public Health Trust: Part II: The PHT board lives another day, how we got to where it is today?
City of Miami: Chair Sarnoff gets ethics complaint concerning Mercy Hospital, thrown out
City of Miami Beach: Ethics commission says Libbin can serve as Chamber CEO, but with limitations
City of Coral Gables: Gov. Crist today taps Brooks, Haggard of Coral Gables and Sembler as FSU trustees
Editorials: WDR NOV. 2005: High definition transparency in government is available with the Watchdog Report, news extras only a click away — WDR OCT. 2005: Dade Home Rule Charter created to “protect the governed, not the governing” and the media has a role in that mission
Letters: Reader on PHT graph – Readers on my medical issue and being gone
Sponsors – Publisher’s mission statement & Subscription information is at the bottom of this issue
>>> Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics will not take an interest in you. –Pericles (430 B.C.)
>>> The Watchdog Report publisher would like to thank the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation www.knightfoundation.org for funding the University of Miami’s Knight Center of International Media http://knight.miami.edu within the University’s School of Communication www.miami.edu assistance to rebuild my web site www.watchdogreport.net that is now on line again, since the previous one was shut down in July 2008. Past reports will continue to go on line in the future, potentially as far back as May 2000. This institutional support is a major break through for me, and I am deeply appreciative of the help these two substantial international institutions have given me at a time the site was an unbudgeted expense and to keep the Watchdog Report a community education resource, while also being a decade old news service.
>>> If you think it is important to have someone watching your public institutions consider becoming a supporter or sponsor. For there is no trust fund and I do have to live. A convenient form is at the bottom of this week’s Watchdog Report with all the instructions on how to support this decade old newsletter and news service soon to start its 11th anniversary on May 5.
>>> Clarification from a reader: The term “No Margin, No Mission” was coined by American Hospital Association then-President Sister Irene Krauss–in the 1980’s.
ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street
>>> I filled out the 2010 Census this week, will you? Feds distribute $400 billion yearly based on community population, Dade lost out in 2000
The publisher got his 2010 Census form last week; I filled it out, and mailed it back the next day. The U.S. Census is the most critical event facing the community in some ways over the last decade since we are still feeling the pain of the 2000 undercount that occurred in the middle of the Elian Gonzalez saga that had split the community down along ethnic lines and many residents saw census workers not as members of the treasury department working in confidence, but a federal agent. The federal government gives out about $400 billion in federal funding a year based on these numbers and the count determines political representation in Congress. In my case, only two questions caused me to pause, though I supplied the information. The 10-question form asked for my phone number (for possible follow-up) and my date of birth which while confidential when it comes to the census. It is gateway information (with a social security number the Gold standard) if one is trying to do a scan of somebody and what they might be up to. Readers that want more information about the local Census activities go to www.miamidade.gov/census2010.
>>> New Zogby Interactive survey also finds 49% have concerns about confidentiality of Census data – As Americans receive their Census forms in the mail this week, results of a new Zogby Interactive poll suggest that a large majority of American adults will complete the census. However, nearly half express doubt about either data confidentiality or whether the results of the Census will benefit their community. Overall, 87% of adults say they plan to complete the Census, while 6% do not, and 8% are not sure. Republicans express more trepidation than Democrats or independents, with 8% saying they do not plan to complete the Census, and an additional 12% saying they are not sure whether they will complete the Census.
Do you plan to complete the 2010 Census?
| Overall | DEM | IND | GOP | |
| Yes | 87% | 95% | 84% | 80% |
| No | 6% | 4% | 7% | 8% |
| Not Sure | 8% | 2% | 9% | 12% |
Pollster John Zogby: “The one in seven who are unsure or will not complete the Census is very troubling.” Please click the link below to view the full news release on our website: http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.cfm?ID=1833
>>> Press release: Ros-Lehtinen Cautions Europe & U.S. on Devastating Consequences of Appeasing Russia
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, made the following remarks at a hearing this morning warning of the dangers of making overtures to Russia. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen: “We should not appease a Russian regime that sponsors widespread corruption, represses it political opponents and mounts open aggression and intimidation against neighboring countries. “We should also recall how appeasement in Europe has been a certain path to a bitter, devastating outcome leading to the death of millions during the Second World War. Today, European appeasement of the Cuban, Iranian, and Russian regimes clearly show they have not learned the lessons of history. “The leaders in Moscow today, despite their occasional, soothing statements, quite simply recognize that they need to create the image of an ‘enemy’ for their people, in order to justify their continued rule. “Our efforts to appease the Russian regime will only lead them to raise the ante.
“Why? They have done little to nothing to set a strong foundation for Russia’s future economic progress. They have also done little to set a realistic foreign policy that will provide true security for Russia in the future. “Instead, they have enriched themselves while sponsoring the most shameful methods to eliminate their internal critics, all the while keeping the Russian people distracted by creating a façade that their country faces a threat from the West, particularly the United States. “We cannot expect to have any real credibility if we condemn Russia’s invasion of Georgia, but then ignore Russia’s continued occupation of Georgian territory, re-admit Russia into NATO’s councils and then offer to sell it our advanced weapons.
“We cannot make major reductions in our strategic nuclear forces and play with negotiating away our right to deploy strategic missile defenses simply to cater to the Russian leadership. “We cannot talk of human rights with sincerity if we ignore the all-too-obvious campaign of beatings and murders of independent reporters, lawyers and activists in Russia in recent years. “No. This is not the time for appeasement, arms sales and abandonment of those struggling for democracy in Russia and the countries that once formed the Soviet Bloc, including those yearning to be free in Cuba, just 90 miles from our shores. “It is important that the leading states of Europe set for themselves a role that reflects the reality of the world as it is – and of events and policies in Russia as they are – rather than continuing to take the paths of least resistance and wishful thinking.”
>>> Zogby Poll: Down 10 Points From Nov. 2008 The percentage of people who believe it is possible for themselves and their families to achieve the American Dream has dropped 10 points since immediately after the November 2008 elections, falling from 67% then to 57% now. This result comes from a Zogby Interactive survey of 2,068 U.S. adults conducted from Feb. 17-19, 2010. The poll has a margin of error of +/-2.2%. Loss of belief in the attainability of the American Dream was fairly consistent across all demographic groups. It was largest for those with household incomes below $25,000, falling from 46% in 2008 to 28% now. Please click the link below to view the full news release on our website: http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.cfm?ID=1834
>>> I wanted to thank the over dozen people and organizations that have sent me money over the past weeks and it was more than appreciated and you will each hear back from me by mail in the future. Thank you for the support. The report is also shorter and with less real content because I am still weak and do not have my past energy level that allowed me to write all day Saturday and Sunday as in the past almost 11-years that I have been doing this. I ask for my readers understanding during this time.
>>> PAST WDR: I have been in the hospital after emergency surgery, one more procedure to go, need the community’s financial help to keep at this!
I have not communicated or sent out a Watchdog Report since the end of January because I had a catastrophic medical issue that required one emergency surgery and another in a few weeks after about two months of convalescing at the hospital and home. I would like to thank surgeon Jorge R. Rabaza, M.D., and the rest of his vascular surgery team of Verdeja, Rabaza, Gonzalez, P.A., who practice at South Miami Hospital (http://www.miamihope.com/doctors/index.asp.). I went to the emergency room Feb. 8 and later in the evening, the operation was done, and it was touch and go. I also want to thank all the nursing and support staff located in the forth floor annex of the hospital who took care of me for over a week after the operation and your kind manner and medical attention was deeply appreciated. I have not had the strength and mental clarity to write until the last few days and to say I need a miracle is an understatement regarding my financial survival. I have been unable to send invoices to past supporters and just paying my rent currently is a big deal and hope you will consider doing what you can to keep me out in the field and reporting back after I get back on my feet and I am feeling better. The support form is at the bottom of this truncated issue for your convenience and if high definition transparency of what your public institutions are doing is important to you. Please help and support me financially during this particularly rough patch. >>> Editor’s note: If you see people that represent these two organizations let them know you appreciate how they helped me keeping this free news resource out in our community for all to read if desired.
>>> See what was said about the Watchdog Report in the Miami New Times 2003 — Best of Miami — BEST CITIZEN — Daniel Ricker –
Three years ago, we said Ricker was our Best Gadfly. Given his dedication and perseverance, this new honor, Best Citizen, is well deserved. Ricker goes to 2500 mind-melting meetings annually, from the Public Health Trust’s purchasing subcommittee to the Efficiency and Competition Commission to the Alliance for Human Services’ nominating council to the school board’s audit committee. Sometimes he’s the only public observer. Object: to be the Public Citizen for all those out there who can’t attend, and to connect and serve as an information bridge among the special-interest-dominated Miami-Dade governmental institutions that seem so problematic and indifferent to the democratic process.
This month his e-mail newsletter, The Watchdog Report, celebrates its fourth anniversary. In a former life Ricker made a handsome living as an international salesman of heart pacemakers. As the hard-working publisher of Watchdog Report, though, he’s struggling financially — this despite the fact that his weekly compendium of meeting summaries, analysis, interviews, and commentary has become essential reading for anyone involved in public affairs. What his written work may lack in polish, it more than makes up for in comprehensiveness. So raise a toast to the man whose official slogan says it all: “A community education resource — I go when you cannot!”
FLORIDA
>>> State residents need to keep pressure on for Open Government and access to public records, says Gov. Crist
Press release: Governor Charlie Crist today hosted an Open Government reception at the Governor’s Mansion in honor of A Week of Sunshine in Florida. The Governor issued a proclamation recognizing March 15-21, 2010 as Sunshine Week for the citizens of the State of Florida, urging citizens to celebrate Florida’s dedication to making state and local government accessible and transparent to the public. The Governor also honored the winners of the 2010 Sunshine Week essay contest. “Florida’s open government and sunshine laws are among the strongest in the nation, and my administration has been proud to carry on and strengthen this legacy,” said Governor Crist. “Government exists to serve the people and Floridians of all ages are entitled to have every tool at their disposal to hold their elected officials accountable, ensuring an honest and open process. Teaching this fundamental right to our children is also critically important to the continuation of our democracy. ”
The Sunshine Week essay contest was open to all Florida high school students in grades 9-12. Essay participants were asked to, “Read and study the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Explain the importance of one or more of the civil liberties found in the First Amendment and how Florida’s open government laws protect these liberties.” The first place winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship, the second place winner will receive a $1,500 scholarship, and third place will receive a $1,000 scholarship. The winners are as follows: First place: Emily Cochrane, Coral Reef Senior High, 9th grade, Miami Second place: Melissa Phillips, Lakewood High School, 10th grade, St. Petersburg, Third place: Ronald “Charlie” Charles Johnston Jr., Stanton College Preparatory School, 12th grade, Jacksonville …
In June 2007, the Governor appointed the Commission on Open Government Reform. He charged the nine-member Commission to review and evaluate the public’s right of access to government meetings and records. The commission held four public hearings throughout the state, hearing suggestions from Floridians. The Commission submitted its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives on January 27, 2009 and is working with the legislature to enact them during the 2010 legislative session. About Sunshine Week >>> In 2002, the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors launched Sunshine Sunday to increased public and legislative awareness of Florida’s strong public record and open meeting laws. After Florida’s trailblazing actions to establish these laws, many other states adopted Sunshine Sunday, which resulted in the American Society of Newspaper Editors designating a Sunshine Week in March 2005 and each year thereafter. Sunshine Week is an opportunity for Floridians to learn about the benefits of open and transparent government operations. For more information on Governor Crist’s open government initiatives, please visit http://www.flgov.com/og_home.
>>> Governor Charlie Crist today announced the following appointments: Governing Board of Suwannee River Water Management District (Senate Confirmation Required)
Alphonas Alexander, 60, of Madison, independent contractor for The Forestry Company, succeeding Oliver Lake, appointed for a term beginning March 19, 2010, and ending March 1, 2014.
Donald “Ray” Curtis III, 28, of Perry, self-employed attorney, succeeding Donald Curtis Jr., appointed for a term beginning March 19, 2010, and ending March 1, 2011.
Guy N. Williams, 53, of Lake City, self-employed certified public accountant, succeeding Georgia Jones, appointed for a term beginning March 19, 2010, and ending March 1, 2014.
>>> Check out what Florida TaxWatch has to say about the ongoing legislative session
Florida TaxWatch is a statewide, non-profit, non-partisan research institute that over its 30-year history has become widely recognized as the watchdog of citizens’ hard-earned tax dollars. Its mission is to provide the citizens of Florida and public officials with high quality, independent research and education on government revenues, expenditures, taxation, public policies and programs and to increase the productivity and accountability of Florida state and local government. Its support comes from homeowners and retirees, small and large businesses, philanthropic foundations, and professional associations. On the web at www.FloridaTaxWatch.org.
>>> Press release: EIGHTH ANNUAL SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY AT THE CAPITAL – Promoting awareness about this devastating public health problem. According to the Florida Department of Health, 2,723 Floridians lost their lives to suicide in 2008 at a rate of 7 people per day. Of those, 231 were between the ages of 10 and 24. Tragically, many Florida families and communities have been affected by the suicide deaths of their loved ones, friends, classmates, co-workers and neighbors. The Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention is holding an awareness day to address this silent epidemic. Suicide Prevention Day at the Capital is a statewide event in which the Office of Suicide Prevention and Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition are joined in Tallahassee by advocates, survivors, grassroots organizations, other state agencies, and youth to bring suicide to the forefront as a public health issue. This year Suicide Prevention Day falls on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010. Beginning at 8:00 AM, multiple advocacy and human service organizations will be hosting educational display tables in the Capitol Plaza Rotunda. A press conference will begin at 11:00 AM in 22nd floor observatory featuring Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon, Director of the Office of Drug Control Colonel Bruce Grant, Senator Evelyn Lynn, and former Department of Corrections Secretary, Colonel Jim McDonough.
The 2007 Florida Legislature passed a bill which was signed into law by Governor Crist that created the Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention within the Office of Drug Control to coordinate and provide oversight to statewide efforts. This law also established the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to advise and make recommendations to the statewide office. The Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention is charged with coordinating Florida’s suicide prevention efforts by developing mechanisms for implementing the Florida Suicide Prevention Strategy, providing oversight, building capacity, creating policy, and mobilizing communities, with the overall goal of lowering suicidality and improving quality of life for Floridians. >>> To learn more about Suicide Prevention Day and other suicide prevention initiatives, please visit the Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention website at http://www.HelpPromoteHope.com.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>> Registered agent Forbes fails to report income from community groups and law firm, settles with ethics commission
Miami-Dade Ethics Commission press release: Husband and wife lobbyist and politician settle ethics violations: A South Miami-Dade couple has settled with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust for failing to report income from business and community groups. A complaint (C 09-05) filed by the Independent Advocate against Kentward Forbes alleges that the Board Member of the Naranja Lakes Community Redevelopment Agency failed to disclose payments he received from various sources on financial disclosure forms filed for 2005, 2006 and 2007, as required by law. Forbes told investigators he had no primary source of income, but state records show he is the registered agent for several incorporated entities, including “Citizens Integrated Voices Inspiring Changes (CIVIC),” “Civic Services” and “Naranja Optimist Club, Inc.” through which he received several thousand dollars for consulting services and community organizing. He also was paid $26,000 by the First National Bank of South Florida, $20,000 from Holland & Knight LLP, more than $10,000 each from CIVIC and Palm II and $9,000 from Sandy Rivers Walker during that period. Forbes agreed to pay a fine of $1,500 and accept a letter of instruction. As part of the settlement, a different complaint (C 09-27) against his wife, Patricia Forbes, was dismissed, but she, too, will receive a letter of instruction. The South Bay Community Council (#15) member had failed to list on her financial disclosure forms that she received checks totaling $4,200 from “CIVIC” during 2006 and $2,240 from the same organization in 2007.
>>> The Ethics Commission found no probable cause to a complaint (C 09-39) that North Miami City Councilman Michael Blynn violated municipal law by using his city-issued credit card to buy airline tickets for his wife to accompany him on government-related trips. Councilman Blynn contends limitations of on-line reservations required the use of only one credit card so he and his wife could travel together and that he immediately repaid the city for his wife’s expenses. He has since turned in his city credit card.
>>> A complaint (C 10-12) filed against Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff was dismissed as not legally sufficient. A citizen accused Sarnoff of violating state law by meeting with former City Manager Joe Arriola and Jorge Perez, president of the Related Group, between November of 2006 and January of 2007, prior to the commission’s January 25th vote on a building project proposed by the Related Group next to Mercy Hospital. The Ethics Commissioners ruled they did not have jurisdiction because the alleged event took place more than three years ago and they have no power to enforce the state rule. Additionally, there is no evidence that the meetings influenced Commissioner Sarnoff since he consistently voted against the proposed project.
>>> Miami Beach City Commissioner Jerry Libbin may serve as President/Executive Director of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, with certain limitations. That’s the response to Libbin’s Request for Opinion (RQO 10-08) before taking over leadership of the non-profit corporation that supports local businesses. The Ethics Commission recommended that Commissioner Libbin avoid voting on matters brought before the City Commission by directors of the Chamber related to Chamber business.
>>> A complaint (C 10-09) that alleged a Miami-Dade County Corrections official used his official position to have a subordinate falsify a report was dismissed because it was considered to be a personnel matter outside the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission. The board also withheld action on a complaint (C 10-13) filed against officials of the Miami-Dade Police Department by an officer alleging acts of misconduct, pending resolution of union grievance and a civil lawsuit initiated by the officer. >>> The Ethics Commission was created in 1996 as an independent agency with advisory and quasi-judicial powers. It is composed of five members, serving staggered terms of four years each. Through a program of education and outreach, the Commission seeks to empower the community and bolster public trust.
>>> Press release GMCVB: GREATER MIAMI & THE BEACHES RANKED #1 IN HOTEL ROOM RATE, #1 IN REVENUE PER AVAILABLE ROOM (REV PAR) AND #2 IN OCCUPANCY FOR FEBRUARY 2010 AMONG THE TOP 25 U.S. MARKETS DESPITE GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECESSION
For the month of February 2010, Miami ranked #1 in average daily hotel room rate at $201.63, #1 in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) at $158.45 and #2 in occupancy at 78.6% among the Top 25 Markets in the U.S. During February, Greater Miami and the Beaches hosted its record 10th Super Bowl, contributing to February’s positive increases. Smith Travel Research compares and ranks the top markets in the United States based on Occupancy, Average Daily Room Rate (ADR) and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar).
| Hotel Room Rate (February 2010) |
||
| U.S. MARKETS: | $ | % Change vs. 2009 |
| #1. Miami | $201.63 | +12.1% |
| #2. New York | $184.28 | -4.5% |
| #3. Oahu Island | $142.89 | -7.9% |
| #4. Washington | $135.83 | -8.4% |
| #5. New Orleans | $128.20 | -4.2% |
| Revenue Per Available Room (Rev Par) ( February 2010) |
||
| TOP U.S MARKETS: | $ | % Change vs. 2009 |
| #1. Miami | $158.45 | +21.4% |
| #2. New York | $130.16 | +5.2% |
| #3. Oahu Island | $115.15 | -3.8% |
| #4. Orlando | $90.97 | +1.6% |
| #5. San Francisco | $81.10 | +11.7% |
| Hotel Occupancy (February 2010) |
||
| TOP U.S MARKETS: | % | % Change vs. 2009 |
| #1. Oahu Island | 80.5% | +4.5% |
| #2. Miami | 78.6% | +8.3% |
| #3. New Orleans | 71.0% | +6.1% |
| #4. New York | 70.6% | +10.1% |
| #5. San Francisco | 65.2% | +13.8% |
The Average Daily Room Rate and RevPar our hotels are able to command based on the popularity of the destination and the outstanding hotel and service product we feature continues to be among the highest in the nation.
BROWARD COUNTY
>>> Tri-Fecta of elected leaders going down, Salesman next in judicial box
Local county residents get to watch the final chapter in a political tri-fecta when it comes to wayward elected officials being busted by federal and state authorities or pleading guilty like ex school board member Beverly Gallagher did last week and a Broward commissioner did earlier. Now, former municipal commissioner Fitzroy Salesman is next up in the judicial box and all this legal activity continues to outrage county elected leaders and residents that are considering whether an office of inspector general should be created to keep an eye on the county’s public institutions and 31-municipalities. These public organizations get none of the critical press that these should if past actions are any indication, because many times it has taken way to long for corruption or conflicts of interest issues to play out and elected leaders should pay attention for voters are in a cynical mood and their discontent could be reflected on Election Day.
>>> Press release: BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER PLEADS GUILTY TO BRIBERY
Jeffrey H. Sloman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce that Beverly Gallagher, 51, of Pembroke Pines, pled guilty to a charge of bribery in programs receiving federal funds. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 2, 2010 before U.S. District Court Judge James I. Cohn. Today’s plea revolves around Gallagher’s acceptance of $9,000 in exchange for her promise to assist undercover FBI agents in connection with the issuance of a contract and subcontract work for the reconstruction and renovation of Hollywood Hills High School. According to court documents and statements made in court today, Gallagher, who was first elected to the Broward County School Board in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 and 2008, met on numerous occasions with FBI agents acting in an undercover capacity. Two of the agents held themselves out to be asset managers who purportedly represented contractors seeking to obtain construction contracts with local government entities, including the Broward County School Board.
At today’s hearing, Gallagher admitted, among other things, that on December 23, 2008, she accepted $3,000 cash from the undercover agent for “hooking up” the undercover’s construction company client for subcontracting work. Gallagher further admitted that on June 3, 2009, she accepted $6,000 cash for her efforts to obtain subcontracting work on the Hollywood Hills project on behalf of that construction company client. >>> U.S. Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service in connection with the investigation and prosecution of this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey N. Kaplan and Neil Karadbil. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
>>> Thank you for using the Broward County Commission Agenda E-mail Notification System. A new Broward County Commission Agenda is available. Point your browser to http://www.broward.org/commission/welcome.htm to view the new agenda.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
>>> Press release: Feds add more defendants in mortgage fraud case
Jeffrey H. Sloman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael K. Fithen, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Henry Gutierrez, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, J. Thomas Cardwell, Commissioner, State of Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation, and Alex Sink, Chief Financial Officer, State of Florida’s Department of Financial Services, announced that a federal grand jury yesterday returned a superseding indictment in the case of United States v. Jason Vitulano, et al., Case No. 09-80156-CR-MIDDLEBROOKS(s), adding four new defendants and three new counts to the original indictment. Newly charged in the case are attorney Joseph Miller, 63 of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Peter Hartofilis, 33, of Flushing, NY, Robert Hofler, 52, of Pembroke Pines, FL, and Steve Vento, 41, of Jupiter, FL. All of the defendants are charged with conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud by submitting false mortgage loan applications to Washington Mutual and other lenders between January 2006 and October 2007, in violation of 18 U. S. C. § 1349. In addition, Joseph Miller is charged with four counts of mail fraud, in violation of 18 U. S. C. § 1341, and Peter Hartofilis is charged with one count of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 and 1343, respectively. Jason Vitulano, 44, of Boca Raton, FL, was previously charged with the same violations and remains under indictment for conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud and six counts of wire fraud. If convicted, the defendants all face up to 30 years in prison and mandatory restitution on each of the counts pending against them.
According to the superseding indictment, Jason Vitulano and Peter Hartofilis were branch managers of the TopDot Mortgage office in Boca Raton. The allegedly devised a scheme to submit loan applications to numerous lenders that contained grossly inflated statements of loan applicants’ earnings and assets on deposit in a local bank. Steve Vento is alleged to have submitted two false loan applications to fund the purchase of two houses, priced at $1.9 million and $1.1 million. The superseding indictment also alleges that attorney Joseph Miller acted as closing agent and title agent on a number of these loan transactions and that Miller agreed to divert loan proceeds to the personal accounts of Vitulano, Hartofilis and others without disclosing that fact to the mortgage lenders. According to the indictment, defendant Robert Hofler worked at First Southern Bank in Boca Raton as a vice president. Hofler is alleged to have falsely attested to loan applicants having large balances on deposit at First Southern, ranging from $130,000 up to $600,000. In reliance on these and other false statements in the loan applications, the lenders approved and funded more than $5 million in mortgage loans to purchase residences in Palm Beach and Broward Counties. Jason Vitulano is detained pending trial. Defendants Joseph Miller and Robert Hofler will make their initial appearances before U. S. Magistrate Judge Ann E. Vitunac on Friday, March 19th at 10 am. Defendant Peter Hartofilis was arrested in Queens, NY, where he made his initial appearance today. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. Steve Vento is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. Trial has been scheduled for July 2010. >>> Mr. Sloman commended the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, State of Florida’s Department of Financial Services, and Office of Financial Regulation for their work in the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Jorgensen and Ellen Cohen. The law enforcement agents and prosecutors are members of the Palm Beach County Mortgage Fraud Task Force. An Indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist taps Hillsborough County Court Judge Paul L. Huey of Tampa to the 13th Judicial Circuit Court.
“With experience as both a county judge and an acting circuit court judge, Paul has consistently demonstrated high ethical standards, strong intellect and a dedicated work ethic,” said Governor Crist. “His respect for people, the law and our judicial system will ensure fair consideration of every case that comes before him.”
Huey, 50, has served on the Hillsborough County bench since 2002. Previously, he practiced privately with Bush, Ross, Gardner, Warren and Rudy P.A. from 1987 to 2001 and Trenam Kemker from 1985 to 1987. From 1981 to 1982 he was a staff accountant with Price Waterhouse. He earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Florida in accounting and a law degree from Duke University. Huey will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell.
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
>>> Perez kicks off Healthy Smiles in Our Schools, 17 sites in district
Press release: Dr. Marta Pérez, School Board Member for District 8, proudly announces the launching of the Healthy Smiles in Our Schools project by the DentaQuest Foundation, which will provide dental screenings along with preventive and restorative treatment to at-risk children in 17 school sites. The project began early this week at Bent Tree Elementary School. “Dental disease is one of the most common chronic childhood disease that is nearly 100 percent preventable with proper care,” said Dr. Pérez. “Untreated dental disease can interfere with a child’s learning, speech and eating, leading to poor nutrition and problems in school.”
Healthy Smiles in Our Schools is part of the DentaQuest Foundation’s multi-year and multi-pronged strategy for raising oral health awareness throughout the state. The DentaQuest Foundation has partnered with The Health Foundation of South Florida, The Children’s Trust, and two Miami community health centers—the Borinquen Health Care Center and Community Health of South Florida—to launch the school project in Miami-Dade County.
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST
>>> Part II: The PHT board lives another day, how we get to where it is today?
In marathon meetings last week, from Monday at the PHT old board meeting room in the main hospital’s West Wing, to twice in front of county commissioners Tuesday and Thursday. The PHT’s administration and volunteer oversight board was grilled by the elected leaders who ultimately relented when it came to dissolving the 17-member trust oversight board, settling for a county “management watch” instead in the months ahead to make sure the recovery plan is on track www.miamiherald.com . On Thursday, after the commission had time to review another recovery plan unveiled earlier in the week and was presented by President and CEO Eneida Roldan, M.D. She was requesting the county advance the organization $80 million to tide it over until the end of the budget year at the end of September. The PHT has been hemorrhaging cash for months and believed it could not make its payroll of some $85 million in May. The community, after weeks of dire media reports on the organization’s demise, was outraged at the draconian cuts suggested on March 5 in a preliminary handout dubbed the “Roldan Plan” by one critical county commissioner, that included laying off 4,500 employees and closing Jackson North and South Hospitals but was later scrapped.
What about the Deloitte Contract?
A multi-year contract with Deloitte Consulting caused some discussion Thursday afternoon in the commission chambers. The agreement was first implemented in 2004 after President Marvin O’Quinn became the new CEO in the summer of 2003 and what he found was a medical institution in dire need of infrastructure upgrades, including scrapping a mid 1980s billing and revenue system that was incapable of handling without errors. The roughly 10,000 medical codes used for healthcare billing, but the trick was to change the old technology while also implanting a new system in the coming years as well as educating key personnel on the technology which had mixed results. The consulting firm also embarked on a massive review of the $1.9 billion health system saving the institution over the years some “$530 million in economic benefits” along with other cost savings efforts, said Angel Medina, Jr., the board’s vice chairman at this commission meeting. He was responding to criticism from long serving Commissioner Natacha Seijas who questioned why the organization gave $97 million to the company over six year and what did the trust get for the money and when was the last contract extension. Medina noted that in “May 2008 another consulting agreement” was signed and he said there were areas where we “lacked resources or technology for the exceptionally antiquated” systems.
What about Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta?
Further, another $50,000 a month contract just signed with Price Waterhouse also caused a debate with Mayor Carlos Alvarez questioning what could be done in a month and that he felt the contract would be extended and become another multi-million agreement for the health trust. The organization was cited as helping in the turn around of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta in early 2008 when it almost turned off the lights at the only public hospital in the area. However, what is ironic is O’Quinn helped in that turn around himself with Grady offering advice and hospital representatives came to checkout Jackson. Further, O’Quinn is said to have gone up there to give some assistance and financial insight to the beleaguered hospital overseen by two separate political bodies.
What about the PHT Board’s size?
Recently in the media, it is being reported that the oversight board is made up of 16 voting members but the number by county ordinance is 17, which includes 15 citizens that go through a nominating process and background check plus two county commissioners that also vote. The commissioners currently on the board are Commissioners Dorrin Rolle and Javier Souto, both long serving members of the commission. The reason for one member being absent on the board now is former county police captain Diego Mella, on the board just over four-years, resigned from the trust late last year. Further, PHT board members spend almost 30 to 40-hours a month on the massive enterprise and since they work pro bono that is no small task and while the board is not perfect. Over the past 12-years, there have been overall more good trustees than weak ones and I have noted board members that were not cutting their weight on the board over the years, and some have dropped off the trust but a few remained despite the media attention on them.
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How did the PHT get where it is today?
During the multi-day discussion, I was concerned about one important fact regarding any decisions that could be made by these elected leaders. These people knew very little about how a large health system operates, its governance and the many internal boards that review a wide swath of clinical and ethical issues that such an institution faces on a day-to-day basis. Jackson, is unlike any government entity, just as the public schools is a different type of entity that Manager George Burgess found out when he was the nation’s fourth largest public schools district CFO, during when former county manager Merritt Stierheim took over the helm of the organization for a few years until Rudy Crew was brought in the summer of 2004. Stierheim also is now being used as a pro bono consultant to the PHT during this fiscal crisis, but he admits the situation is nothing like he has faced in all his decades of public service, while also being a public institution that is in many ways foreign to him and under what parameters a health trust operates. It also should be noted that during Stierheim’s last county budget hearing in Sept. 2000 was when Commissioners Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and to a lesser extent Commissioner Katy Sorenson along with other commissioners voted to shift $60 million in county programs into the trust budget, made easier when then CEO Ira Clark did not even show-up in the commission chambers to speak and fight against the funding raid. This shift to the PHT budget of corrections healthcare, county nursing homes etc. allowed the first significant general fund seed money at the time to go to the county’s Cultural Affairs department that has since blossomed in size but at the health trust’s expense.
What did Commissioner Souto say?
Javier Souto, a former state representative and senator warned the commission when it came to Jackson and its importance to the community. The term “Red Alert” should be applied and its demise was like “playing with dynamite” and people expect a “uniform health system” and without this institution. The “health, peace and tranquility” here in Miami-Dade is in jeopardy, he warned.
What about the televised PHT board meetings?
While county commissioners were complimenting the fact the PHT board meetings were being televised, and occurred because now commission Chair Dennis Moss pushed changes that included this new wrinkle. It did not come easily and some commissioners and PHT board members resisted the change and during this time in 2003. The Watchdog Report pounded the body weekly about its lack of being televised and I got then Commission Chair Barbara Carey-Shuler to agree it was needed and I quoted her back then. At the time, she said “Yeah, why should we have all the fun. The PHT board meetings need to be televised and [they] need to let the [county] inspector general have an office” on the sprawling campus, something that had been denied for the past years.
What about past Watchdog Report stories since 2000?
Since May of 2000, I have been covering the PHT in all its aspects over the years and its financial challenges since then have never been far below the surface of any story over this time. In 2004, I ran the headline about the $84 million charge the organization was having to take for the year and the numbers in many ways never got that much better, week after week, month after month, to where we are today. Some of the county commissioners are carping about all the sudden press and media attention the hospital system with 12,000 employees is getting but that is what happens in Florida where the state sunshine and open records laws makes all these activities public events. However, the commissioners should also be asking why they and the Fourth Estate did not kick in earlier to alert South Florida of the pending financial train wreck. The chronic problem was apparent to anyone that read the Watchdog Report over the decade, but in many ways, my role seems to be of Cassandra for we, as a community did not necessarily have to be where we are today, if corrective action had occurred years ago.
>>>HERE IS ONE SUCH EXAMPLE OF PAST WDR STORIES: JULY 2008, Financial shortfall earlier then expected with the bad economy: >>> Jackson Memorial, 90 years old but will it run out of cash by 2011-2012 without major community help, check out the financial graphs
When PHT president & CEO Marvin O’Quinn gave his presentation to the joint Board of County Commission and PHT board recently he used the following two graphs to illustrate what the health trust faces in the future as far as the financial burdens. He noted cities that have had its public hospital fail creates a ripple effect on other near by medical institutions and many times other local hospitals will close a few years later. The graph below says it all, and from 2008 on the difference between revenue coming in and charity care given just gets wider as a deficit grows with the end coming in 2011-2012 . When there will be no cash left to make payroll and community leaders must work together now to try to figure out of a way to avoid this future calamity.
Jackson Memorial, 90 years old but will it run out of cash by 2011-2012 without major community help, check out the financial graphs
When PHT president & CEO Marvin O’Quinn gave his presentation to the joint Board of County Commission and PHT board recently he used the following two graphs to illustrate what the health trust faces in the future as far as the financial burdens. He noted cities that have had its public hospital fail creates a ripple effect on other near by medical institutions and many times other local hospitals will close a few years later. The graph below says it all, and from 2008 on the difference between revenue coming in and charity care given just gets wider as a deficit grows with the end coming in 2011-2012 . When there will be no cash left to make payroll and community leaders must work together now to try to figure out of a way to avoid this future calamity. >>> PHT administration graph created in JULY 2008 and as of Mar.4, 2010, Readers should just bump up the date for when it is out of cash for payroll now to late summer.
>>> State Press release: AHCA RESPONDS TO DADE DELEGATION JACKSON REQUEST — Today, Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) Secretary Tom Arnold agreed to shorten the standard 30 day Medicaid reimbursement period held by AHCA for hospitals to 15 days for Jackson Memorial Hospital (Jackson). This request was made on behalf Jackson by the Miami-Dade County Legislative Delegation on Thursday, March 11th during a special meeting with Jackson CEO Dr. Eneida Roldan. “The Agency has reviewed our ability to meet this request and we believe we have the capability to do so”, said Secretary Arnold in a letter to Delegation Chairman Juan C. Zapata.
CITY OF MIAMI
>>> Chair Sarnoff gets ethics complaint concerning Mercy Hospital, thrown out
Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff had a ethics complaint dismissed last week by the county’s ethics commission regarding the Mercy Hospital Development Project “as not legally sufficient.” Sarnoff, serving his first full term since his 2007 election, as commissioner of District 2 had been a strong opponent to the hospital having the Related Group develop a three-tower condominium complex that never materialized after court challenges. The full text of the Miami-Dade Ethics and Public Trust ruling is the following >>> “A complaint (C 10-12) filed against Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff was dismissed as not legally sufficient. A citizen accused Sarnoff of violating state law by meeting with former City Manager Joe Arriola and Jorge Perez, president of the Related Group, between November of 2006 and January of 2007, prior to the commission’s January 25th vote on a building project proposed by the Related Group next to Mercy Hospital. The Ethics Commissioners ruled they did not have jurisdiction because the alleged event took place more than three years ago and they have no power to enforce the state rule. Additionally, there is no evidence that the meetings influenced Commissioner Sarnoff since he consistently voted against the proposed project.”
What about new people joining the city as employees?
With the election of Mayor Tomas Regalado and a host of new commissioners on the dais, it is important that any people they hire for city or staff jobs be aware of the Florida Sunshine Law, the open records law and city employee guide lines for employees for some of these new people need a training course if they are not to run afoul of organizations like the county ethics commission or the state attorney’s office and not knowing the law, if you are a municipal worker, does not excuse your actions or the consequences.
>>> The following e-mail was sent to (now former) Mayor Manny Diaz using his e-mail address on his extensive city web-page on Sept. 13, 2008 at 9:38 a.m. and to date there has been no answer from the mayor.>>> “Mayor Diaz, I wanted to ask you in the chamber today but not in front of Chair Joe Sanchez. My question is where did the extra $400,000 in the 2007 disclosure form come from? I will run what ever you respond unedited but I would appreciate closing this issue, as I am sure you do. Sorry but I have to ask. Best to all. Dan” >>>> The Watchdog Report through Dec.7 has yet to get a response or catch-up with Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz on where he got the extra $400,000 in cash listed in his 2007 financial disclosure forms. To see what CBS 4 reporter David Sutta’s take on this issue and the other city leaders financial disclosures go to cbs4.com Blogs . >>> Readers should stay tuned and catch the meeting on the city’s cable station channel 77. >>> Stream Channel 77, for all City of Miami meetings, (Commission, Village Council meetings, Waterfront, Zoning, PAB, Code, etc. hearings) http://videos.miamigov.com/
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
>>> Ethics commission says Libbin can serve as Chamber CEO, but with limitations
Commissioner Jerry Libbin has taken on a new gig. He is the new director of the Beach’s Chamber of Commerce and the commissioner since his election a few years ago to the dais has been very pro business and sponsored in the past greater ties with China. He is not the first commissioner to work in a similar capacity because a past collogue a couple of decades ago got a state ethics ruling, still valid that said it was okay but times have changed since then when it comes to perceived or actual conflicts of interest. In an abundance of caution, the commissioner asked the Miami-Dade Ethics Commission for a ruling and below is how the body came down on the subject. The Watchdog Report has mixed views on this new job and if he had it before being elected that would be one thing. Voters would have known what they were getting with their commissioner. But doing this after the fact creates a different set of issues and Libbin needs to rethink this if he finds himself recusing himself to often. For in this new capacity as being the Beach business cheerleader, he can easily have a conflict with what residents concerns are on an issue and municipal voters have the right to expect a full time elected official on the dais, not a hybrid shill for business and development whose vote could be perceived as in the bag. I suggest the commissioner be very careful in walking this ethics and civic tightrope during the coming months and years while he is in office.
>>> Here is the ethics opinion: >>> Miami-Dade Ethics Commission ruling last week: Miami Beach City Commissioner Jerry Libbin may serve as President/Executive Director of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, with certain limitations. That’s the response to Libbin’s Request for Opinion (RQO 10-08) before taking over leadership of the non-profit corporation that supports local businesses. The Ethics Commission recommended that Commissioner Libbin avoid voting on matters brought before the City Commission by directors of the Chamber related to Chamber business.
>>> Please be advised that due to several religious holidays, the upcoming Neighborhoods/Community Affairs Committee meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 6, 2010. It will still be held at 2:30pm in the City Manager’s Large Conference Room.
>>> Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club: March 19th, 2009 – PRESS RELEASE Meeting Date: Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 Meeting Time: 8:30 AM Meeting Place: David’s Café, 1654 Meridian Ave., South Beach >>> Miami Beach City Commissioner Deede Weithorn, Chair. of the city’s Transparency, Reliability, and Accountability Committee, and past Chair. of the Capital Improvements Oversight Board, will be this week’s guest speaker at the March 23rd Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club meeting. Commissioner Weithorn will be discussing the proposed city budget for FY 2010/2011 and the financial impact of a possible short-fall in revenue resulting from the continued decline in property tax assessments and escalating pension costs for Miami Beach.
Commissioner Weithorn, a CPA, is well versed in dealing with city budgets, having served as Chairperson of the city’s Budget Advisory Board prior to becoming a City Commissioner. She will also be sharing her insights regarding the financial crises at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the ongoing financial problems at the City of Miami. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact David Kelsey. To be placed on the Breakfast Club’s mailing list, contact Harry Cherry. Both can be reached at TuesdayMorningBreakfastClub@Yahoo.com Visit our new web site at: www.MBTMBC.com (Miami Beach Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club).
CITY OF CORAL GABLES
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist today taps Brooks, Haggard of Coral Gables and Sembler as FSU trustees: Board of Trustees, Florida State University (Senate confirmation required)
Derrick D. Brooks, 36, of Tampa, retired professional football player and founder of Derrick Brooks Charities, reappointed for a term beginning March 19, 2010, and ending January 6, 2011.
William “Andy” Haggard, 67, of Coral Gables, senior partner with the Haggard Law Firm, reappointed for a term beginning March 19, 2010, and ending January 6, 2015.
Brent W. Sembler, 52, of Pinellas Park, developer and vice chairman of The Sembler Company, succeeding Jim Smith, appointed for a term beginning March 19, 2010, and ending January 6, 2015.
>>> CITY web page: City Manager Presents Status Of City Affairs — On March 10th, the City of Coral Gables held a Special Commission meeting on the University of Miami campus. City Manager Pat Salerno provided the Commission and those in attendance a briefing on the current status of City affairs. To read the City Manager’s remarks, click here.
EDITORIAL
>>> WDR NOV. 2005: High definition transparency in government is available with the Watchdog Report, news extras only a click away
Elected leaders at commission, committee or any other meetings where a vote is taken should be sure to clearly state what the vote is and who voted. Recently at a county committee meeting, it was difficult for someone to know who voted which way, and if I cannot figure it out. The general public does not have a chance. Further, this issue of how elected officials vote becomes even more critical when the item being considered could be considered controversial for the county commission talks constantly about transparency but sometimes it seems there may be a wink and a nod.
Elected officials carp that they are always under the spotlight, people criticize them and the media is always looking at the bad side of things but they bring some of that on themselves. High definition transparency should not just apply to television, but to the government and your other public institutions and with today’s technology that can be done. Elected leaders should remember that because the Watchdog Report sees government daily up close and personal and has the capability to reach out to the community with a touch of a button. Something I will be doing more of in the future.
>>> WDR OCT. 2005: Dade Home Rule Charter created to “protect the governed, not the governing” and the media has a role in that mission
The role of the press and the media in our society has been debated for centuries here in the United States but the rules have never changed so much since after 9/11 giving government a real edge in controlling what is or is not reported on. Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami are two local empirical examples of governments’ reactions to the press. There are some elected leaders that embrace the role of the media, accept it as part of the territory coming with public office, versus other elected leaders and public servants, that disdain the role and oversight the profession plays in our Republic.
Government has numerous methods at there disposal to get their side of the story out ranging from local free community periodicals to the public institutions dedicated cable station. However, when it comes investigative news stories that might keep some independent oversight of the $14 billion of public government or the $2.9 billion that will come with the county’s general obligation bond the local media resources are scant. Government understands that they actually have the advantage in the current wartime environment and as seasoned reporters with community history leave the field a large information and oversight void is being created giving public institutions a much looser political environment in which to govern the community’s 2.3 million residents.
The framers of The Miami-Dade Home Rule Charter adopted by the county in May 21, 1957 understood the edge that government has over the people they rule and the very first sentence of the Citizens’ Bill of Rights section of the charter got it right. “This government has been created to protect the governed, not the governing.” Residents need to start focusing on the rapidly depleting media resources in Miami-Dade that are being directed at their public institutions because these assets are slowly being picked off, especially when you consider the financial size of the public entities.
Throughout the nation’s history, there has always been tension between the press and government and the nation’s founders understood that and embraced the idea because they knew they would not always be in power themselves. Moreover, the last thing they wanted was to feel the pain of an arrogant government in their lives after leaving office, something many of our current public servants should reflect on.
LETTERS
>>> Your latest issue was grand! I loved the PHT graphs. You are a critical thinker…ever-think maybe they want it exactly the way it is? You ought to do a Carl Hiaasen type book.
DM
>>> I’m sorry to hear about your recent medical issues. I hope you are doing better now and starting to get back to normal. Your Watchdog Report was missed these past weeks.
>>> Keep up the good work and get well soon. I hope to see you soon. Please feel free to call on me if I can be of help.
Jorge Gonzalez
>>>Glad to see you are back…you were missed.
>>> So sorry to hear about your health problems. Hope you’re on the road to recovery. The community needs you.
MP
>>> I’m so sorry to hear that you have been sick. I wish you a very speedy recovery and hope you will be your 100% with the Watchdog Report very soon.
I have been out of town, and just saw that you were ill. I hope your are fully recovered, and I look forward to seeing you at the PHT when I am back in town.
DM
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The Watchdog Report covers a few of the meetings attended weekly. It remains my belief that an informed public will make better decisions. Therefore, I go to meetings, make the presence of an informed citizen known, and bring the information to you. The Watchdog Report is in the fourth year of publication and it has been an honor to be able to send this information to you. It is sent to readers in Miami-Dade, Florida, the U.S. and the world. The Watchdog Report is sent to thousands free and while readers have been prodded to subscribe the results have been mixed. Over 250 reports and Extra’s have been sent since May 5, 2000 and over one million words have been written on our community’s governments and events. The report is an original work based on information gathered at public meetings, interviews and from documents in the public domain.
LETTER POLICY
I welcome letters via e-mail, fax, or snail mail. Letters may be edited for length or clarity and must refer to material published in the Watchdog Report. Please see address and contact information. Please send any additions and corrections by e-mail, fax or snail mail. All corrections will be published in the next Watchdog Report. If you or your organization would like to publish the contents of this newsletter, please contact me. Please send your request to watchdogreport1@earthlink.net
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Watchdog Report
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Copyright © of original material, 2009, Daniel A. Ricker
>>> Watchdog Report is expanding as a new service and this content is now available to other news media, no longer exclusive to The Miami Herald
The Watchdog Report is no longer exclusively with The Miami Herald, and excluding the one story a week that is printed in the paper on Monday in the Metro & State section by me. The rest of the 20 or so news stories weekly sent out Sunday in the Watchdog Report are now available to television stations web pages, and all the newspapers and other media in South Florida if the publishers have an interest to run part or all of the stories. Further, in 2000, I used to have some paper’s running the report in the Spanish press, that option is available again, and publishers should contact me. The news content will not be free, but you can pick and chose the stories of interest, edit them if necessary but you must still keep the general story intact. If you are a news outlet and would like to learn more about, the Watchdog Report and this offer contact me at watchdogreport1@earthlink.net for further information.
>>> Here is what past newspapers have written about the Watchdog Report publisher including a survey and regional study done by the U. North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the media in the southeast United States.
>>> The Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel & Sun-Sentinel articles on the Watchdog Report publisher over the years.
Published on September 9, 1999, Page 1EA, Miami Herald, The (FL)
CITIZEN ADVOCATE’ KEEPS TABS ON POLITICIANS
Published on January 3, 2000, Page 1B, Miami Herald, The (FL)
MIAMI-DADE WATCHDOG WILL BE MISSED
Published on January 20, 2003, Page 1E, Orlando Sentinel, PAPERWORK TIGER, Miami’s citizen watchdog piles up government files in his quest to keep the “little people” informed.
>>>Watchdog Report publisher named ‘Best Citizen’ 2003 by the Miami New Times —The publisher would like to thank the weekly alternative paper Miami New Times for bestowing their 2003 Best of Miami, ‘Best Citizen’ award to me and I am honored. Thank you. To read the full story go to http://www.miaminewtimes.com/issues/2003-05-15/citylife2.html/1/index.html
From the spring of 2003: U. North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Southeast U.S. Media Report lists Watchdog Report publisher as leading Florida commentator >>> Selected excerpts from the report on Florida’s media sources
Those who do read the newspaper in Florida have a bevy of options for state government and political coverage. The dominant newspapers in the state are Knight-Ridder’s The Miami Herald (Acquired by The McClatchy Company in 2006) and the Poynter Institute’s St. Petersburg Times. Both papers endorsed Gore in 2000 but split on the 2002 gubernatorial race, with the Herald endorsing Republican incumbent Jeb Bush and the Times backing Democratic challenger Bill McBride.
Daniel Ricker of The Miami Herald also writes an influential column as well as an email newsletter called the Watchdog Report that goes out to more than 100,000 subscribers. FEBRUARY 2004 – Florida: Columnists in Abundance —ERIC GAUTSCHI, graduate student, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, UNC-Chapel Hill – D) LEADING COMMENTATORS – Resource Commentator Organization Type Web site –Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times Column www.sptimes.com/columns/bousquet.shtml -“First Friday” WPBT TV (Miami) TV Show www.channel2.org/firstfriday/issues.html –Lucy Morgan St. Petersburg Times Column www.sptimes.com/columns/morgan.shtml –Daniel Ricker Miami Herald/Watchdog Report Newsletter –www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/dan_ricker/ >>> Readers who would like to read the complete University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Southeast United States Media Report go to view the complete report or download all the data used in this study. >>> Watchdog Report Editor’s note to the NCU/CH study: The subscriber number referenced is incorrect and applies to readership.
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