Watchdog Report Vol. 11 No. 7 June 20, 2010 Celebrating My 11th Anniversary
CONTENTS
Argus Report: Elected officials at all levels must be compliant with property tax obligations, documents are public, wayward officials with problem are in a political minefield
Florida: Gov. Crist on the march for tourists, visits Miami Beach leaders at Loews, and what a Beach it is!
Miami-Dade County: Commissioners Heyman & Sosa coast to reelection, Sorenson in November says sayonara, Commissioners Rolle, Souto, Diaz get challengers
Broward County: Will ethics legislation go down in flames after commission Atty. Newton’s memo on its unconstitutionality?
Palm Beach County: West Palm Beach contractors plead guilty to hiring illegal workers: tax fraud
Brevard County: Gov. Crist taps two for District Board of Trustees, Brevard Community College
Volusia County: Gov. Crist appoints three trustees, Daytona State College
Monroe County: State Rep. Saunders draws opposition; top dog challenger is former Key West Mayor McPherson
Miami-Dade Public Schools: Board Chair Stinson to retire, 50-years with district & Member Perez wins new term, unopposed by deadline
Public Health Trust: Local state attorney’s Grand Jury should look at politicians asking for special medical treatment over the years
City of Miami: Chair Sarnoff swears in new leadership on Grove Chamber, he is up for reelection in 2011; Sessions steps down as CGVC chair
City of Miami Beach: Mayor Bower and tourism industry gets pledge of no violent convicts in county Corrections hazmat suits will clean tourist beaches
City of Coral Gables: Architect Heisenbottle to begin design & engineering work on new international high school on Madruga
City of Miami Lakes: Mayor Pizzi may be small town attorney, but gets big legal fee of $500.00 an hour on Beach garbage deal
Community Events: Everglades DEIS draft on bridging Tamiami Trail up coming meeting — Downtown Bay Forum of Miami to offer debate between major congressional District 25 candidates on June 30th
Editorials: When it comes to delayed FCAT results, Fair’s comment ‘It could have happened to anyone’ is unbelievable, lets not raise bar to high — Qualifying period is over, candidates fan out, will the ones elected be the best of the best?
Letters: Julia Tuttle statue to be unveiled July 28 at Bayfront Park, founder of Miami finally recognized this way – Reader on 11th Anniversary
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.)
>>> Correction & Clarification: Miami-Dade County — Section 4.04B of the county charter allows commissioners to “transmit constituent inquiries to the administration,” wrote Victoria Mallette, Director of Communications, Miami-Dade County. However, Commissioner Joe Martinez said his proposed legislation would make this activity easier for commissioners to contact department heads directly, as was reported in the WDR last week. >>> Former state Rep. Miguel de Grandy, R-Miami lost his first race for office by one vote, not his last as was reported last week.
>>> I will be on Topical Currents heard on WLRN/NPR 91.3 FM on July 1 from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., and readers should listen in, and it is on line at www.wlrn.org
>>> 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 newsletter and news service that started its 11th Anniversary on May 5.
ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street
>>> Elected officials at all levels must be compliant with property tax obligations, documents are public, wayward officials with problem are in a mine-field
Elected officials at the municipal and county level should be sure their own property taxes have been paid, before they set the millage levels for those they govern. It also applies with state lawmakers that has former House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-Miami (Net worth $8,351) and state Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami almost losing a joint property they own in the state capital for unpaid taxes and was reported in www.wfor4.com Friday night. For all these property tax records are public and with all the elections in August and November. Candidates beware when it comes to running for public office when you have not complied with all the laws and obligations one might have in your personal or public life. I write about this as a heads-up to leaders for there are people across the political spectrum that are looking at these documents, breaking the news themselves or passing it on to the Watchdog Report or other media, and some of the documents coming in are not pretty, and I wonder why some people think they should be running for public office.
>>> For children with special issues, check out The Learning Experience School
With the national media reporting there are 400,000 Americans with Down syndrome, I had an opportunity to discuss the challenges these kids and adults face with some parents whose children attended The Learning Experience School www.learningexperience.org and www.miamiherald.com did an extensive story on the kids there. However, one of the challenges these children face as adults is getting a job, allowing them to fully participate in society and it provides not only money for the individual but also self-esteem. The parents of the children are a broad range of people, the way they spoke about the school was impressive, and why I give the school a plug. >>> http://www.greatschools.org/florida/miami/5574-The-Learning-Experience-School/
>>> Lunch to feature District 26 congressional candidates from both parties; will it be a tame debate?
All the major U.S. Congress candidates for District 25, now held by Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami but is moving to his brother Lincoln’s congressional seat in January, after the qualifying period passed and he was elected unopposed, created the vacancy. All the candidates will attend the upcoming Downtown Bay Forum luncheon (information is in the community events section) said the forum’s founder Annette Eisenberg, Wednesday night. The race has state Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami facing Mariana “Marili” Cancio and Marine veteran Paul Crespo on the Republican side and for the Democrat’s champions there is Joe Garcia, currently working in the Obama administration and Luis Meurice. The other candidates are Roly Arrojo registered as a Tea Party candidate and Craig Porter is registered as a FWP candidate. Rivera, the Miami-Dade Party chair originally was given the edge but the sprawling congressional district is politically diverse and Crespo or Cancio, an attorney and member of the county’s community relations board are running aggressive campaigns as well.
Garcia, is a fixture on the local political scene, though he has lost twice, once in the early 1990s when he ran for county commissioner and then in 2008 losing to Mario for the congressional seat. He later accepted an offer to work in the Obama administration and has been there the last two years. When it comes to Meurice or the other candidates, I have no idea who they are.
>>> Scribe Polansky says sayonara to Miami Today, her stories found there mark
Risa Polansky, a dedicated scribe for Miami Today www.miamitodaynews.com is leaving her post after four-years of hands on reporting and coverage of Miami and Miami-Dade County. Her significant other, a physician is taking a job in Boca Raton and she will be working at a local university, while continuing her studies. Polansky, an exceptionally hard worker over the past four-years could crank out excellent stories on a regular basis for the weekly paper and the community and press will miss her in the news trenches. To Risa, the Watchdog Report gives you a Tip of the Hat for a job well done, and friend and reader alike will notice your departure in the weeks ahead.
>>> If you believe it is important to have someone watching your public institutions consider supporting the Watchdog Report for no money came in over the last week and I do have to live, thank you! 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. >>> Further, I have been honored over the years by being named a WFOR-4 Hometown Hero in 2000, being profiled in a major way by The Miami New Times, The Miami Herald, and the Orlando Sentinel which ran as a nationwide story on me in the Tribune papers on Jan. 2003 and UNC Chapel Hill naming me one of the top columnists in Florida in a multi-state study of the media back in 2004. I also thank Joseph Cooper for the opportunity to be on Topical Currents on www.wlrn.org since 2000, including yearly election coverage since then and also the opportunity to be on Helen Ferre’s show Issues on issues@wpbt.org numerous times over the past decade.
>>> 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
>>> Gov. Crist on the march for tourists, visits Miami Beach leaders at Loews, and what a Beach it is!
Gov. Charlie Crist (Net worth $466,000) stopped bye Miami Beach Monday to discuss with elected officials, community leaders and tourist officials the potential impact of the Deepwater Horizon ongoing oil spill and how to mitigate any damage it might cause to the state’s $60 billion tourism industry. Crist met in a hotel room at the Loews Hotel with Beach Mayor Mattie Herrera Bower, state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, (Net worth $973,000) state Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach, state Rep. Louis Garcia, D-Miami, (net worth $100,000) state Rep. Yolly Roberson, D-North Miami, Miami Beach Commissioner Jerry Libbin and local tourism officials and hotel representatives to discuss the matter around the table.
Crist after listening to the concerns said the state was preparing since unlike other Gulf States, we have the time. “Florida is a big place,” he said and while there is oil washing-up in Pensacola in the form of “a few tar balls.” The governor reiterated that while this is terrible it must be made clear statewide that is not the case noting the impact is “not here on the Beach,” where “the restaurants are open and eager for business.” Crist explained why early on he declared a state of emergency for the shoreline counties allowing for the “standing up of our assets” that includes positioning the National Guard in the field and county Emergency Operation Centers are at the ready. The governor also took a few shots at British Petroleum saying they spent $50 million on “ads to clean-up their image” but when you also have “a $10 billion dividend”, it shows the profit a company of this magnitude can have. He also noted there are 1,300 miles of Florida coastline but it is the “marshes, wetlands and estuaries that are the hardest to clean-up” and while “no one knows if it is coming here when [you are] dealing with Mother Nature.” He said there is already 331,000 feet of boom deployed in Florida as a precaution.
What about the potential $7 billion hole in the state budget?
The Watchdog Report asked Crist in an exclusive interview after the beach tour about the financial damage the oil spill could have on the state budget, that some suggest is at least $1 billion so far. The governor, now an independent said “ were not sure yet, Jerry McDaniel heads up our budget office and we are trying to get a sense [of the Deepwater Horizon’s impact to the general fund] obliviously it is going to have significant impact, hopefully not as much as some estimate but only time will tell,” said Crist. With Florida’s budget next year anticipated to be $6 billion short, the extra billion or more will only add to the challenges legislators will face in the months and year ahead.
What about the media scrum?
After the first indoor meeting, the officials along with a large scrum of media creating almost a 20 foot diameter of people moved in mass down the steps to the hotel’s pool in the afternoon and sunbathers were startled to see the moving media pod and when the group came over the hill of sand going down onto the beach. Tourists on the beach almost gave a gasp, given what their attire was and that for many of them very little was left to the imagination as the press horde walked with Crist to the water.
>>> State Legislators Rich and Steinberg are going back to Tallahasee, no opposition
A couple of local politicians were reelected after they went unchallenged at the end of the qualifying period. State Sen. Nan Rich, D-Sunrise and state Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach are heading back to the state capital in 2011.
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist today attended the 12th annual Family Café to sign two bills benefiting persons with disabilities. The Governor signed the bills ceremonially, surrounded by individuals with disabilities, their families and advocates. The new legislation helps protect persons with disabilities from abuse and increases residential opportunities. “The Family Café is an excellent forum for Floridians to learn more about the services available for persons with disabilities and their families,” said Governor Crist. “The bills I signed today continue my deep commitment to increasing opportunities for persons with disabilities to live independently and achieve their dreams.” The Family Café focuses on providing information and resources to people with disabilities. Governor Crist provided the conference’s opening remarks, applauding the efforts of all advocates of persons with disabilities, including Family Café participants, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and members of the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities. In addition to their vocal support for today’s legislation, the Governor highlighted attendees’ commitment and support for iBudget Florida, an individualized budget tool that enables persons with disabilities to prioritize allocated money. Joining Governor Crist for the bill signings was Senate Bill 1166 sponsor Senator Thad Altman.
Sponsored by Representatives Marcelo Llorente and Dorothy Hukill, House Bill 1073 specifies that persons with developmental disabilities have the right to be free of abuse, neglect and exploitation. The legislation requires staff of facilities licensed by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities be trained in detecting and reporting client abuse, neglect, exploitation and abandonment. The bill also includes provisions to protect children with disabilities, such as providing guidelines for the safe use of seclusion and restraint of students. Additionally, the bill requires school districts to collect information on incidents of restraint and seclusion and to provide such information to parents and the Florida Department of Education. Sponsored by Senator Thad Atlman and Representative Kelli Stargel, Senate Bill 1166 increases opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities to choose where they want to live. The bill alleviates restrictions for people with disabilities to allow them to live next to each other in residential communities, exempting them from the 1,000-foot rule if no more than three centers are located within a radius of 1,000 feet. >> About the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities >> On July 26, 2007, the 17th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Governor Crist signed Executive Order 07-148, creating the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities. He charged them with the mission to advance public policy for Floridians with disabilities and to provide a forum for advocates representing the disabilities community to develop and voice unified concerns and recommendations for improvements. For more information regarding the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities, please visit http://dms.myflorida.com/other_programs/governor_s_commission_on_disabilities.
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist today unveiled Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs, a Web site that allows job seekers to locate and apply for positions created in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs, found at www.floridagulfrecoveryjobs.com, is a dedicated portal through Florida’s official online job bank, the Employ Florida Marketplace, currently listing more than 3,500 positions related to response and recovery efforts, with additional positions posted regularly. “Immediate access to recovery-related job openings provides Floridians the opportunity to help our state while supporting their families and communities,” said Governor Crist. “Our beautiful Sunshine State remains open for business, and Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs is the latest example of our coordinated efforts to ensure preparedness and strengthen our economy.” Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs is a joint venture of the Agency for Workforce Innovation and Workforce Florida Inc., in partnership with the state’s 24 Regional Workforce Boards. Designed as an online “one-stop shop” for job seekers and employers, the Web site allows job seekers to access available positions, which are verified by the local Regional Workforce Boards, as employers post them. Floridians can also call 1-877-362-5034 to learn more about available jobs related to response and recovery efforts. “Under Governor Crist’s leadership, we are pursuing all options for maximizing assistance to the people and businesses of Florida who have been affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Agency for Workforce Innovation Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo. “Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs is a great resource for employers and job seekers with the skills and desire to help minimize the spill’s impact and ensure a complete recovery.” “Our top priority is getting Floridians back to work and ensuring Florida’s business climate continues to flourish,” said Chris Hart IV, president/CEO of Workforce Florida Inc. and interim director of the Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development. “Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs is a key component of the state’s response to the oil spill, providing Florida’s job seekers access to a wide array of employment opportunities and its businesses with a ready and willing talent pool.”
Some response and recovery jobs will require special training, for which job seekers may receive a stipend. More than 2,400 workers have already been trained and are eligible to begin filling these positions, including 302 who are already participating in Florida’s recovery efforts. Information about required training is also available at www.floridagulfrecoveryjobs.com. Additionally, job seekers are encouraged to visit one of the 93 local One-Stop Career Centers for information about these and other employment opportunities in their communities. Job seekers can locate their nearest One-Stop Center by visiting www.floridajobs.org/onestop/onestopdir/index.htm. Launched in 2005, the Employ Florida Marketplace, www.employflorida.com, connects Florida businesses and job seekers, from entry-level to executive-level talent. More than four million jobs have been listed on www.employflorida.com since the website’s inception, and more than 30,000 visitors use the site daily to search for jobs, screen applicant resumes and research the latest labor market statistics.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>> Commissioners Heyman & Sosa coast to reelection, Sorenson in November says sayonara, Commissioners Rolle, Souto, Diaz get challengers
County Commissioners Sally Heyman (Net worth $426,000) and Rebeca Sosa (Net worth $628,000) cruised to reelection Tuesday after no one challenged them by the qualifying date. Heyman a former state legislator and attorney was first elected to commission District 4, northeast Miami-Dade that includes Aventura, Miami Beach and North Miami Beach in 2002, and she won again in 2006 when she did face an opponent she easily dispatched. Sosa, a former mayor of West Miami came to the body in June 2001 after a special election was held after Commissioner Pedro Reboredo, The Reboredo Files – Page 1 – News – Miami – Miami New Times , was busted by the state attorney’s office and had to step down from elected office. Last week she told me she was “not afraid of elections” but this is one she gets to skip. She works for the public schools district and she represents commission District 6 that includes Miami, Miami Springs, Coral Gables, and West Miami.
Heyman had $81,000 in her campaign war chest and Sosa raised $102,000 if she drew a challenger but they are home free now and have drawn another four-year term in the office that pays commissioners $6,000 but another $52,000 in benefits. Heyman has been a strong supporter of the arts and Sosa has been a guru when it came to procurement, the process and a minimization of lobbyist or elected leaders influence when it comes to contracts approved by the commission.
>>> Commissioners Souto & Diaz draw challengers
Javier Souto, (Net worth $856,000) the long serving commissioner for District 10 drew a challenger this cycle and it is Miriam “Mimi” Planas. Souto a former state legislator has been a fixture on the body, is adamant when it comes to constituent services for the district, but can ramble on during commission meetings. He has raised $95,000 for the race and Planas has $12,400 in her campaign war chest and she is knocking on voters doors, doing a grassroots campaign.
Jose “Pepe” Diaz, (Net worth $226,000) the commission vice chair who represents District 12 drew a challenger in Heather Pernas but with his $111,000 campaign war chest that dwarfs the challengers $100.00 in her account. He is expected to cruise easily to victory Aug. 24.
In commission District 8 now held by Commissioner Katy Sorenson, (Net worth $1.34 million) with her decision not to run again, seven candidates have qualified and in the future, the Watchdog Report will investigate these candidates as well as the candidates running against Commissioner Dorrin Rolle who represents District 2.
What about Sorenson?
Katy Sorenson, the veteran county commissioner and the first to beat an incumbent commissioner in the last two decades was roasted Wednesday night and investigative reporter Jim DeFede presided over the affair. She told the Watchdog Report that she is not endorsing any of the numerous candidates running for her District 8 seat, but might change that after the primary and the race heads into the run-off likely to occur given the size of the candidate field.
>>> Commissioner Edmonson leads BCC delegation to Haiti July 9
Commissioner Audrey Edmonson is leading a delegation of county commissioners to Haiti July 9th she said last week. Edmonson and Jose “Pepe” Diaz first went to the devastated country right after the Jan 12 catastrophic earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands and the country has not changed all that much, except the “streets have been cleaned” from all the rubble and debris after the event, she told her peers. This will be her third trip to the country since the earthquake.
>>> Press release: Seasonally Unadjusted Numbers – Miami-Dade County’s unemployment rate for May 2010 was 12.3 percent. This was an increase of 0.9 percent compared to April 2010 (11.4%) and an increase of 1.6 percent compared to May 2009. This increase can be attributed to the slower summer season, the increase in the labor force after students graduated from high schools, colleges and universities, as well as people reentering the workforce who might have previously given up on finding a job. The May 2010 unemployment rate for the State of Florida was 11.2 percent. This was the same as April 2010. The United States unemployment rate was 9.3 percent in May 2010 and decreased by 0.2 percent from April 2010. For neighboring Broward County, the unemployment rate in May 2010 was 9.8 percent. This was a decrease of 0.2 percent compared to April 2010 and an increase of 0.9 percent compared to May 2009. For Palm Beach County, it was 11.3 percent. This was a decrease of 0.2 percent compared to April 2010 and an increase of 1.1 percent compared to May 2009. The overall unemployment rate for the tri-county area in May 2010 was 11.2 percent. The South Florida region (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach MSA) experienced a loss of 29,000 non-agricultural jobs between May 2009 and May 2010, or a decrease of 1.3 percent. At the same time, between April 2010 and May 2010, South Florida created 5,600 new jobs. Non-agricultural companies in Miami-Dade County lost 9,900 jobs between May 2009 and May 2010, a decrease of 1.0 percent. Despite the loss year over year, the absolute number has dramatically been reduced from a high of 50,000 jobs in March 2009. At the same time, between April 2010 and May 2010, 3,100 new jobs were created or an increase of 0.2 percent. Most sectors lost jobs between May 2009 and May 2010.
The construction sector experienced a decrease in employment of 3,800 jobs or 10.1 percent decrease between May 2009 and May 2010. During the same period, manufacturing lost 2,600 jobs (-6.9%), retail trade lost 1,700 jobs (-1.4%), transportation, warehousing and utilities lost 1,100 jobs (-1.9%), financial activities lost 4,400 jobs (-6.7 %), professional and business services lost 1,600 jobs (-1.2%) and leisure and hospitality lost 1,400 jobs (-1.1%). Only ambulatory health care services (2,000 jobs or 4.0%), federal government (5,700 jobs or 28.8%) and state government (300 jobs or 1.8%) gained new jobs year over year. The federal government jobs increase included temporary census takers. At the same time, there are a few sectors, as detailed below, including wholesale trade and retail trade that have gained jobs between April 2010 and May 2010. This indicates companies have begun hiring, albeit cautiously.
| Sector | April 2010 – May 2010 Job Change
(% Change) |
| Federal Government | 4,100 (19.2%) |
| Retail trade | 900 (0.8%) |
| Wholesale Trade | 800 (1.2%) |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 500 (1.4%) |
| Administrative and Waste Services | 500 (0.8%) |
The Beacon Council continues to aggressively work on attracting new companies to our community and working on the expansion and retention of existing business. We promote Miami-Dade County as a global business center through our “Miami: Where Worlds Meet” campaign. >>> About The Beacon Council: The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partnership, is a not-for-profit, public-private organization that focuses on job creation and economic growth by coordinating community-wide programs; promoting minority business and urban economic revitalization; providing assistance to local businesses in their expansion efforts; and marketing Greater Miami throughout the world. Visit www.beaconcouncil.com for more information.
BROWARD COUNTY
>>> Will ethics legislation go down in flames after commission Atty. Newton’s memo on its constitutionality?
The Watchdog Report was unable to attend an ethics commission meeting held on Friday at the Broward County government center, but fireworks followed during the meeting and is well documented in Bob Norman’s http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/. The gist of the story is apparently some county commissioners are trying to spike the idea, with the help of the commission attorney Jeff Newton, who released a controversial memo questioning the constitutionality of some of the proposed legislation. Commissioners Ilene Lieberman (Net worth $1.33 million), John Rodstrom (Net worth $2.4 million) who are paid in their official capacity roughly $92,000 but they also are lobbyists in their day job, and some of these new ethics guidelines would affect some of their future activities. The Watchdog Report has written extensively about the need for an ethics and inspector general’s office in the state’s second largest county, but it has been slow going for residents seeking reform. Over the past years, I have been told repeatedly that everything was fine in Broward when it came to ethics and public corruption but that party line was mangled after three elected officials got busted by the feds and only a former municipal commissioner is awaiting sentencing after a county commissioner and school board member when down, and the two have been sentenced to federal prison. I call on leaders, when it comes to this subject to look once again at what Miami-Dade County voters and commission have created when to comes to the Ethics and Public Trust Commission and the county’s Inspector General Office. In Broward, critics cite the costs of these offices but it is actually very cheap in the scheme of things and inhibiting corruption does have value and when it comes to the IG. Many times, they kill things before it gets off the ground and that act many times can save millions of dollars of public tax dollars.
>>> Press release: Broward resident charges with Hurricane Wilma Fraud
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Aaron Collins, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, Investigations Division, Eastern Regional Office, announced that Ronald Jansson, 59, of Miramar, was charged in an Information filed in federal court today with making false statements to the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) in order to obtain a disaster loan for real estate repair and replacement based on alleged disaster damage from Hurricane Wilma. The defendant is scheduled to make his initial appearance next week. Hurricane Wilma made landfall in the South Florida area on or about October 24, 2005. According to court documents, Jansson sought a loan for $143,700 for his property in Miramar, Florida, to include a major overhaul of his home based on Hurricane Wilma disaster related damages. Investigation revealed that Jansson’s home was already in considerable disrepair before Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida and that the condition of his home was not a result of the hurricane. Jansson subsequently fabricated and altered expense invoices/receipts, work estimates, proposals and contracts to falsely substantiate his expenditure of disaster funds to the SBA.>>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the SBA, Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy D. Katz. An Information 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 http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
>>> Press release: Southeast Florida Counties Call for Action on Oil Disaster –What: Press Conference -When: Thursday, June 24, 2010, 12:00 pm -Where: John U Lloyd State Park, 6503 N. Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL -Contact: 954-357-8053, Kimberly Maroe, Public Information Manager, Broward County Board of County Commissioners
As the environmental and economic consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster continue to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico, representatives from the four coastal counties of Southeast Florida; Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, are joining forces at a press conference on June 24th to speak out on perhaps the worst environmental disaster of its kind in our nation’s history. Monroe County Commissioner and Keys climate change spokesman, George Neugent, said that “While our beaches are open and remain unaffected, we are all concerned about the potential long-term environmental and economic consequences…thinking about the future, we must ensure that South Florida’s world famous beaches, unique life style and economy are protected and leaders must lead the way.”
Elected leaders who recently adopted the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact are calling for Congress and the Florida Legislature to immediately move forward on a comprehensive national and state strategy that deals with the overarching problem…America’s dependence on oil. “The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has galvanized our joint commitment to lead Southeast Florida forward in reducing our dependence on foreign and domestic oil,” said Broward County Commissioner and Chair of the Broward County Climate Change Task Force, Kristin Jacobs. “We’re doing our part through the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, but others must act as well.” Leaders from the Compact Counties will demand that Congress immediately consider pending federal energy/climate legislation that is stalled in Washington. Compact County leaders will also appeal to state legislators to not lift the ban on oil drilling in Florida’s territorial waters…and call on President Obama to lead the way for a clean-energy future. “The ecological tragedy unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico is our wake-up call, yet we cannot seem to wake up from this nightmare,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson. “This cannot be the future we wish for our children and our community. We need partners in the Federal government that will work with us to chart a new course toward a green economy.” “The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has shown us the havoc that an oil spill almost 50 miles offshore can have on the economy and environment, it is time to have the political will to ensure that we never again experience such a disaster.” Palm Beach County Commissioner Shelley Vana said, “We must not let the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill fade from our memories without real action from Washington and Tallahassee.” The collaboration between the Compact Counties dates to the Regional Climate Leadership Summit held in October 2009. Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe County Commissioners approved a Compact that supports a regional approach to the impacts of Climate Change.
>>> 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: West Palm Beach contractors plead guilty to hiring illegal workers: tax fraud
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Daniel W. Auer, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, announced today that John M. David and Juan A. Gonzalez have pled guilty to conspiracy charges related to their participation in a scheme to employ illegal aliens and thereby avoid the payment of employment taxes and workers’ compensation premiums for these workers. The charges involve Sun Deck Concrete, Inc. (“Sun Deck”), a Florida corporation located in Palm Beach County, which provides concrete services to residential and commercial contractors. John M. David is the President of Sun Deck and Juan A. Gonzalez was a supervisor at the business. According to court documents, in the early 2000s, Sun Deck’s business began to grow and the company needed to hire additional laborers. To meet this need and to remain profitable, Sun Deck turned to undocumented workers, many of whom were Honduran and Mexican nationals who were living in the United States illegally. In order to conceal the fact that Sun Deck was hiring and paying illegal aliens, John David and Juan A. Gonzalez devised a scheme to pay these workers through a series of shell companies.
According to court documents, the shell companies, which had been set up by co-conspirators, purportedly provided labor services to construction companies like Sun Deck. In truth, the companies provided no legitimate services and were set up for the sole purpose of funneling wages from the construction companies to the illegal workers. To make the shell companies appear legitimate, the co-conspirators opened corporate bank accounts, obtained federal tax identification numbers, and purchased fraudulent workers’ compensation insurance policies for the companies. According to court documents, between 2005 and 2006, Gonzalez and other Sun Deck supervisors recruited more than twenty illegal aliens to work at Sun Deck work sites. Sun Deck controlled all aspects of the illegal workers’ employment. Specifically, Gonzalez and the other Sun Deck supervisors, in consultation with David, hired and fired the illegal workers, determined their work assignments and schedules, supervised their work at the job site, and set their hourly wages. At the end of each week, Gonzalez and the other Sun Deck supervisors calculated the wages due to each illegal alien and reported these wages to David, who would approve the issuance of checks payable to the shell companies for the amount of the wages, as well as additional monies to cover kickbacks to the co-conspirators and supervisors and fees to the check cashing store.
According to court documents, during 2005 and 2006, David caused Sun Deck to pay more than $2 million in cash wages through the shell companies in order to conceal the fact that Sun Deck was employing illegal workers and to avoid the payment of employment taxes and workers’ compensation premiums for these workers. As a result of this scheme, David defrauded the Internal Revenue Service out of $316,254.60 in employment taxes which were due and owing on these wages. In addition, Sun Deck failed to disclose in its monthly audit reports which were sent via the United States mail to Bridgefield Employers Insurance Company, Sun Deck’s insurance carrier, that it had paid approximately $2 million in wages to the illegal aliens. Consequently, Sun Deck avoided the payment of approximately $163,652 in workers’ compensation premiums due and owing to Bridgefield for these employees. >>> David and Gonzalez each face a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment, followed by three years’ supervised release, fines and restitution. Mr. Ferrer commended the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, for their investigation of this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Rabinowitz. 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 District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
BREVARD COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist taps two women: District Board of Trustees, Brevard Community College (Senate confirmation required)
Dixie N. Sansom, 61, of Rockledge, self-employed consultant, reappointed for a term beginning June 15, 2010, and ending May 31, 2014.
Dedra “Dee” Sibley, 46, of Melbourne, self-employed attorney, reappointed for a term beginning June 15, 2010, and ending May 31, 2013.
VOLUSIA CUONTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist appoints three to District Board of Trustees, Daytona State College (Senate confirmation required)
Robert C. Davidson, 73, of Port Orange, chief executive officer and president of Hotel & Lodging Association of Volusia County, succeeding Mary Bennett, appointed for a term beginning June 15, 2010, and ending May 31, 2013.
Dr. Christina Frederick-Recascino, 45, of Ormond Beach, vice president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, succeeding John Graham, appointed for a term beginning June 15, 2010, and ending May 31, 2014.
John W. Tanner, 70, of Flagler Beach, self-employed attorney, succeeding Edward Schatz, appointed for a term beginning June 15, 2010, and ending May 31, 2014.
MONROE COUNTY
>>> State Rep. Saunders draws opposition, expected top dog challenger is former Key West Mayor McPherson
State Rep. Ron Saunders, D- Monroe County has gotten some challengers this year for his elected office, three to be precise. He has drawn opposition from Republicans Matt Gardi, Morgan McPherson and the Tea Party candidate is Henry Llorella. Saunders, the minority leader in the House was a former state senator representing South Miami-Dade and the Keys before his election to the lower house. I do not know the other candidates but McPherson is a former Key West mayor.
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
>>> Board Chair Stinson to retire, 50-years with district & Member Perez wins new term, unopposed by deadline
Solomon Stinson, Ph.D., (Net worth $1.09 million) the long serving school board leader, past and current board chair is retiring after a 14-year term on the elected oversight board and concludes 50-years with the nation’s fourth largest public school district. Stinson, a teacher, senior district administrator and now elected official runs a tight ship when it comes to running the board’s meeting. A recent story in www.miamiherald.com gave a nice balanced profile of the man that once hoped to be the district’s superintendent, which did not happen, but rebounded by being elected to the school board in 1996. The Watchdog Report remembers a time in the 1990s when county Commissioner Katy Sorenson came in front of the body to discuss a matter. Stinson, the chair at the time told her “you have two minutes” to speak but the commissioner protested saying she represented over 160,000 people but he cut her off saying “a minute and a half,” he intoned. Sorenson at that point just left the podium and the relationship between the county and school board during that time was not that great, and only when the Metropolitan Planning Organization was created later, did the two significant public institutions really begin to work together on certain mutual challenges.
>>> Board member Perez wins again, unopposed
Long serving School Board member Marta Perez (Net worth $2.4 million) won her office again after not getting an opponent by the qualifying period closing date. Perez, a fixture on the board has coasted to victory over the years and her only setback was when she tried to run for Miami-Dade mayor in 2004, but later withdrew her candidacy for the countywide office. She had $122,000 in her campaign war chest, had a challenger emerged for the board seat.
>>> Board member Barrera “withdraws” from District 6 race
Augustine “Gus” Barrera, the school board District 6 board member has withdrawn from his reelection race to the nine-member board. Raquel Regalado, the daughter and attorney of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado (Net worth $5,000) is the best-known candidate running that has four other candidates in the race. Barrera first won the office in 2002 and he has been the board chair during the time Superintendent Rudy Crew was directing the district but all the turmoil at the end of Crew’s tenure that had him leaving, took a toll on the board member.
>>> With School Board member Ana Rivas Logan running for the state house, there are five candidates running to replace her on the board. A late entry to the District 7 race is Carlos Curbelo, now a director in a field office with U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-FL locally and he is a member of the Miami-Dade County MPO.
>>> IG budget of $1.1 million is approved by school board
The school board Wednesday passed the proposed $1.1 million budget for the school district’s inspector general for the coming year. The IG brought on a couple of years ago is Miami-Dade County Inspector General Christopher Mazzella, and late last year his contract with the county was extended to another four-year term. His office has been essentially hired by the nation’s fourth largest public district to cut waste, abuse and mismanagement. To see the most recent IG report go to
Three arrests made in connection with the Southside Elementary School Modular Classroom Addition Construction Project, Ref. IG09-10SB, June 10, 2010 (click to link to the U.S. Attorney’s Press Release).
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST
>>> Local state attorney’s Grand Jury should look at politicians asking for special medical treatment over the years
With a Miami-Dade County state attorney grand jury hearing testimony on the Public Health Trust, I thought it might be helpful to write about what these citizens might consider looking at, and one of them is elected leaders or their families, relatives or friends getting special treatment when they present at the health trust. In the first few years of the Watchdog Report. I wrote about this issue because back then the PHT was much more political and why regardless of what then CEO Ira Clark did, even at the county commission level. He was immune from criticism and back then Clark even skipped the 2000 public budget meeting where commissioners for the first time were shifting unfunded mandates into the Trust (though I have since found out Clark was in the county government center). At the time, I thought the senior administrator and community icon would be gone after such a no show, but nothing happened at all, and showed to me how ingrained and impervious to removal Clark was at the time. It also helps explain why community leaders, the county administration and commissioners overlooked his failing health in the coming years that had Clark calling Gov. Jeb Bush the governor of New York, when Bush was trying to present a $37 million enlarged state check to the trust.
I don’t write about these issues to embarrass people at any level, but we as a community must be sure something like this can never happen again. For Jackson Health System is a jewel, that cities and counties around the nation can only dream about, with its countywide half-cent-sales-tax that brings in around $175 million, down from a peak of over $190 million a few years ago but is now, fighting for its financial life. After the health trust gives almost $600 million in charity and uncompensated medical care yearly, which is unsustainable given the limited public funding available.
>>> Press release: Spanish Interview with Commissioner Souto/Dr. Tejada -On Demand with Grisell Marino — Marino www.miamidade.gov introduced Commissioner Souto and Dr. Francisco Tejada, Professor of University of Miami to talk about the PHT Board situation.
Commissioner Souto: Jackson Hospital is one of the best hospitals in the country. It is a jewel for our community. This is everybody’s hospital. The County has a Chapter book. That book explains the power of the County Commissioners. On Chapter 6 explains the creation of a hospital to serve our community. The power is on the Commission because it is written on Chapter 6. The Commission recently voted for a new level to oversee the PHT. I believe that the Commission needs to look closely at the PHT Board, but I don’t believe it should be eliminated. There are good people serving as volunteers there.
Dr. Tejada was introduced as a retired physician and professor at the University of Miami by Commissioner Souto. Dr. Tejada: 10 years ago, I read Chapter 6 very closely because I was selected as a Board Member for the PHT and the chapter is very clear. The PHT needs to look at Jackson as a health system not only as a hospital. Jackson is a very complex health system with unique services provided to this community. The PHT has been very weak, maybe because there are members not very involved with health issues. The PHT has a history of having members like attorneys, business leaders but they need to understand everything related to health issues. Maybe in the next 12 months things will be better with the Universal Insurance and the community will decide where to go for their health care.
Commissioner Souto: We need people to care for Jackson, we need the system to go back to preventive medicine, we need primary physicians to follow the care. People think Jackson is only for health crisis. Jackson is a great hospital available to all and we need to keep it like that. I was a patient at Jackson and that is why I want to offer myself as a tour guide to this community. Call my office and I will take you personally for a tour at Jackson to show the community the wonderful things people do at Jackson and the wonderful and unique services they provide to this community. www.miamidade.gov/commissioners
>>> This is why I have been doing the Watchdog Report for 11-years — 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.
CITY OF MIAMI
>>> Chair Sarnoff swears in new leadership on Grove Chamber, he is up for reelection in 2011; Sessions steps down as CGVC chair
Marc Sarnoff, (Net worth $2.38 million) the Miami commission chair swore in the new members of the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce www.coconutgrovechamber.com at the swearing in luncheon Friday at Calamari Restaurant in Coconut Grove. The keynote speaker at the event was William Talbert, III the president of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and former county manager and school superintendent Merrett Stierheim, a former boss of Talbert’s at the county did the opening introduction. Talbert first came to the Grove in 1969, “stopped at the Taurus Restaurant” and he has been in South Florida ever since and has a home in the north Grove. The Bureau markets globally all of Miami and there are eight regional offices in other countries to promote and monitor the image of Miami as a whole and all the cities and communities that involves. Sarnoff at a recent meeting said Talbert was one of the best promoters there was in the industry and his comments were well received by the local business community.
Any funny comments about Stierheim?
One of the classic lines the tourist and promotion guru said was about Stierheim’s tenure as county manager in the 1970s and later from the late 1990s ending in early 2001. He said one of the U.S. Air Force veteran and county manager’s duties during this time was “saving the community from itself” through some very trying social times that had riots, ethnic tensions, and in the spring of 2000. A showdown with the federal government over the young Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez, taken in by relatives and removed on Easter Weekend back then by federal authorities, and the community erupted in demonstrations along ethnic lines.
What about Sarnoff?
Sarnoff represents District 2 and was first elected to the body in 2006 after a bitter race against Commissioner Linda Haskins, who was appointed to the five-member commission by Miami commissioners after Commissioner Johnny Winton, was suspended by Gov. Charlie Crist after an incident at MIA, the elected official had with airport police. Sarnoff a former chair of the Coconut Grove Village Council before he ran for public office is a maritime attorney, lives in the Central Grove with his wife and dogs, and will not face the local electorate again until November 2011.
What about the CG Village Council?
Patrick Sessions, a local developer who lives on the water in the north Grove has stepped down as the organization’s chair since his presence in that capacity seemed to strain the relationship with Sarnoff, who has thought Sessions (Who in the past has told me he had no interest in running against Sarnoff) might be a political rival in the future, and seemed to hinder the Council from getting the commissioner’s attention.
What happened at the Ransom Pool planning & zoning hearing last week?
After a heated exchange among people for or against Ransom Everglades, building a new pool that has many of the neighbors in an uproar. The chair of the zoning board asked if there “was a sergeant-in-arms in the building,” after one woman would not leave the podium after the mike had been turned off. I have seen incidents in the past at meetings and I discussed the issue with a number of people that are veterans at policing citizens at public meetings that has had Sarnoff remove two people from the chamber. The commission Chair told me Friday he is “liberal” when it comes to allowing people to speak at public meetings, but there had been two that warranted the activity, that is better done if it is a plain-clothes officer versus one in uniform, which changes the dynamics of this public situation.
>>> City commission to vote on HUD funding for community funding requests
The Miami Commission is having a special committee meeting Monday to vote on federal HUD funding for a wide range of community services and the funding levels have never met the community funding requests. For more information go to www.miamigov.com and the meeting kicks off at 9:00 a.m.
>>> Press release: Miami, FL – Former City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz has been named Chair of FairDistrictsFlorida.org. As Chair, Mayor Diaz will lead the statewide effort to pass Amendments 5 and 6, which establish rules to stop Tallahassee politicians from drawing districts to protect themselves and their parties. “I am honored to lead the charge to stop self-interested line drawing in our State,” said Mayor Diaz. “Without these critical reforms, state politicians will continue to draw district lines that put their interests ahead of the people of Florida. It is time for the voters to have a real chance to select their representatives rather than allowing politicians to pick their voters.” A force in local, state and national politics for nearly three decades, Manny Diaz was City of Miami Mayor 2001 through 2009. During his tenure, he was named President of the United States Conference of Mayors, and one of America’s Best Leaders by US News and World Report. “We are thrilled to have him on our team,” said Ellen Freidin, Campaign Chair of FairDistrictsFlorida. “As a former mayor, he knows firsthand how devastating it is to have cities splintered when politicians draw districts to perpetuate their own power.”
Under our present system, there are no rules that limit legislators from drawing districts to favor themselves or their parties. Districts in Florida are bizarrely shaped, often meandering for hundreds of miles or from coast to coast. Communities are carved up so that voters living in the same neighborhood are often represented by different members of Congress or state representatives. The result is that only three incumbent legislators (out of 140 up for election each cycle) were defeated in the last six years. With voter approval, Amendments 5 and 6 will establish constitutional rules that will: • Prohibit politicians from designing districts to favor themselves or their parties; • Require them to make the districts compact and community based; and • Provide stricter protections for minority voters to have the ability to elect representatives >>> For more information on amendments 5 and 6, please visit www.FairDistrictsFlorida.org pd.pol.adv. Paid for by FairDistrictsFlorida.org, 2665 South Bayshore Drive, Suite M-103, Miami, FL 33133 – >>> Editor’s note: This is not a paid ad, just information for the community on what Diaz is doing these days.
>>> 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. It currently goes to his new e-mail address.>>> “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
>>> Mayor Bower and tourism industry gets pledge of no violent convicts in county Corrections hazzemet suits will clean tourist beaches
Mattie Bower, the Miami Beach mayor is not happy when it comes to county prisoners possible being part of a clean-up crew if tar and oil hits the local beaches. Last week she called county Commissioner Sally Heyman who chaired the county committee and proposed the legislation asking the mayor to “prepare a plan” that would require anyone “eligible” doing the activity to wear a hazmat suit states a county memo on the subject. The idea has since been modified to include only people that owe fines, or are required to do public service in their sentence and would not involve violent prisoners incarcerated. The Beach mayor, like many others in the community when they heard about the proposal believed international tourists would only hear in the media that criminals are on the beaches and that was the last thing South Florida tourism needed at the time.
Tourism officials at a county commission meeting that approved the amended legislation noted prisoners would not be mobilized for the tourist beaches clean-up activity and the legislative body’s members understood the concerns, while noting the high unemployment rate warranted local residents get the jobs rather than people incarcerated. Tourism official William Talbert, III said during the commission discussion that if he heard it right. “There would not be any circumstances where county prisoners would be on our beaches with the tourists,” and the attended perception that would have on international tourists and the media, he said. Further, even with the changes county commission Chair Dennis Moss and Vice Chair Jose “Pepe” Diaz voted no on the legislation along with two other commissioners believing it was a good opportunity to employ the unemployed in the county.
What did Mgr. Burgess’ June 15 memo say?
George Burgess in a memo to the commissioners on this subject writes BP has already “arranged for over 500 contractors” that have the “proper credentials” and while residents are urged not to pick the oil up, they can become “beach spotters” pointing out where oil and tar has come on shore. He also notes there could be up to 15,000 volunteers from Hands on Miami that could be mobilized. However, he writes finding and using “Eligible inmates” is no easy task, with many of the less dangerous inmates working in the kitchens, sanitation, laundry etc., sates the document. There are further challenges as well when it comes to gear, anyone involved in this will have to take “four hours” of hazmat training, and it is unknown at the time where the hazmat suits and other equipment will come from. The manager concludes that DERM “is working on a solid mitigation plan” and if it is necessary, any use of inmates will be “in concert” with DERM and Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department.
CITY OF CORAL GABLES
>>> Heisenbottle to begin design & engineering work on new international high school on Madruga
It has begun, a new reliever school for Coral Gables High is coming to life after the school board Wednesday approved a contract of $554,000 with R. J. Heisenbottle, P.A., as “the Architect/Engineer” of a new school located at 1570 Madruga Avenue in Coral Gables. The “new senior high school for international studies” is known as State School ‘LLL-1’ state district documents and is supposed to relieve crowding at Coral Gables High. The new school is part of the nation’s fourth largest school district’s five-year plan. I contacted Mayor Donald Slesnick, II, last week about the matter and he said he would like to coordinate his response with Superintendent Alberto Carvalho in the future.
>>> Press release: Monitoring The Oil Spill In Gables Shoreline -At the request of City Manager Pat Salerno, city workers were sent last week to film and photograph our shoreline to document current conditions prior to any potential impact of the oil spill, currently affecting the Florida Panhandle. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been designated the lead state agency for responding to potential impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill along Florida’s shoreline. While Florida so far has been mostly spared from direct impacts of the oil spill in its coastal waters, Florida fishermen and coastal communities are already experiencing a significant loss of current and future income because of a mistaken public notion that all of Florida’s waters have been tainted by the oil spill. There are no projected oil impacts to the Coral Gables shoreline at this time, but it is important to be prepared and informed about what to look for and what impacts maybe associated. If you witness tar balls, tar patches or oil sheen in coastal waters, report it to the State Warning Point at 1-877-2-SAVE-FL (1-877-272-8335) or by dialing #DEP from most cell phones. To learn more about the oil spill response latest updates, click here.
CITY OF MIAMI LAKES
>>> Mayor Pizzi may be small town attorney, but gets big legal fee of $500.00 an hour on Beach garbage deal
Michael Pizzi, the Miami Lake’s mayor recently took a road trip for his day job as an attorney to the Miami Beach Commission. Pizzi had been hired by a waste hauling company and he was representing the firm at the municipal commission meeting. Pizzi when he spoke described himself as a small time, small town attorney and he was warmly welcomed by the elected body with Mayor Mattie Herrera Bower welcoming him to the chambers, in reference to his elected position. However, the Beach has an ordinance that requires lobbyist to file what they are paid and in the case of this small town attorney. He gets $500.00 an hour for this legal gig; state’s Miami Beach agenda support documentation.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
>>> Everglades DEIS draft on bridging Tamiami Trail up coming meeting
Press release: Join us at the upcoming public meeting to discuss the National Park Service’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)and its proposed plans for bridging Tamiami Trail to restore America’s Everglades. The meeting will include a detailed presentation for bridging Tamiami Trail and will serve as a forum for the public to comment. Local residents and Everglades advocates are encouraged to attend and participate in this discussion this Thursday, June 24. I’m happy to put you in touch with Kahlil Kettering with the National Parks Conservation Association to further discuss the DEIS and what this means for Everglades restoration. Alison Zemanski, Media Relations, Manager, National Parks Conservation Association – Protecting Our National Parks for Future Generations Email: azemanski@npca.org Cell: 202.384.8762
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>>> Downtown Bay Forum of Miami to offer debate between major congressional District 25 candidates on June 30th
The Downtown Bay Forum of Miami is planning a debate among candidates running for Congressional District 25 and it could be the first verbal debate from the candidates. People vying for their party’s nod are state Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami and Paul Crespo trying to represent the Republican Party and Joe Garcia, a member in the Obama administration is expected to be the Democratic Party’s challenger. Rivera, also Chair of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade is skilled at running campaigns and Crespo is a veteran Marine officer with a wide range of skills and is a good orator. Garcia tried for the district in 2008 against incumbent U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami but was beaten back though the race was closer than two other congressional races taking place back then between his older brother Lincoln who bested former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez and Congresswomen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami beat off Democratic candidate Annette Taddeo, who is now running for the county commission. The luncheon event is now scheduled for June 30. For more information go to www.downtownbayforum.com
EDITORIALS
>>> When it comes to delayed FCAT results, Fair’s comment ‘It could have happened to anyone’ is unbelievable, lets not raise bar to high
The story in the Miami Herald www.miamiherald.com written by reporters Kathleen McGrory and Hannah Sampson June 16 on the delay in the FCAT results affecting around 1.8 million students in Florida by Pearson Assessment paid $254 million with the contract ending in 2013 is appalling at a number of levels. First, these students lives are in scholastic limbo until June 28, second what should the expectations be for the members on the state oversight Board of Education. That one pops up after the board’s Chair T. Willard Fair is quoted saying ‘It could have happened to anyone who got the contract.’ Fair the president of the Urban League of Greater Miami comments are shocking and unacceptable and let’s not set the performance bar to high for a company providing such a key role to the future of our state’s residents, the education of our youth. Further, the delay is costing the 67 public school districts big money in the millions of dollars, and while the company may have to pay a fine estimated at around $3 million right now says the paper. The contract first awarded in 2009 to Pearson should be reviewed immediately. For if, this is the kind of performance the 18.5 million Floridians should expect from this firm and its designated oversight board then we have a much bigger problem. Because Mr. Fair there is a higher expectation than what you thought, that it could have happened to anyone, and with the tough budgets, all the states are facing. Taxpayers must believe that public money is being spent wisely and based on a company’s performance, something totally lacking in this case, and such performance should never become acceptable.
>>> Qualifying period is over, candidates fan out; will the ones elected be the best of the best?
With the qualifying period over for candidates for the elected office at all levels, county, state, and federal. The state’s voters have their future elected leaders and champions, but are they the best that is found in our community. Many people shake off off being an elected leader because they may not want to introduce past events, or thrust their family into the public eye that comes with political office. Plus there are those pesky financial disclosure forms everyone must file, and also are public in nature. Many people entering public service do it because it is almost a calling, after some event, tragedy or issue dragged them, many times reluctantly into the political process. Years ago, I was talking with a respected woman attorney I know, now in a prestigious lifetime job and she said from her experience. People that get involved had something that crystallized their activism and from my own experience, I have found it to be true as well.
However, now the challenge is to get the best candidates for the political job elected, and when you talk with these people, ask yourself if they will become self absorbed officials after being elected and what will they do for a living for most of these jobs are not paying big paychecks. The county commission pays $6,000 but $52,000 in benefits, at the state level, representatives make about $30,000 and senators get a little more than that. The point is these people get to deal with a double edged sword, the good that comes with being a solid, informed public official and the good you might be able to do for your constituents, or a elected leader that over times morphs into something that does not make a parent or average taxpayer proud.
From the electorates’ standpoint, it is very clear, if you do not vote Aug. 24 and Nov. 2 you have only yourself to blame and when it comes to whining about your elected leaders. Your lack of participation at the ballot box makes that carping sound hollow and false. Now what, you did not run yourself, will you at least participate as an informed voter? For if you don’t, you get the type of leaders we deserve, and let us hope they get the new reality, that the party is over, and all tax payers want is real performance and public services when it comes to tax dollars, not the usual baloney, that has like a corrosive, taken over the political process and many of the associated elected leaders over the past decades.
LETTERS
>>> Julia Tuttle statue to be unveiled July 28 at Bayfront Park, founder of Miami finally recognized this way
The Miami-Dade County Commission for Women is partnering with the City of Miami Commission on the Status of Women on a project to erect a statue of the founder of Miami, Julia Tuttle. Julia Tuttle was the pioneer and visionary who was the first to recognize Miami’s potential as a great city. She is widely recognized as the only woman founder of a major American city, and her achievements are all the more remarkable given the limitations placed on women at the time in 1896. The idea for a statue of Tuttle was first promoted in 1996 during the Centennial of the City of Miami, but it gained momentum in late 2004 when the two women’s commissions began collaborating on the project.
The Related Group and Mr. Jorge Perez helped us tremendously in the beginning with a monetary donation and with technical assistance. With their support, a national “call to artists” competition was conducted during the summer and fall of 2006. The winning design was submitted by Daub Firmin Hendrickson Sculpture Group, a noted firm with extensive experience in monumental sculpture and the creation of art for public spaces. The statue is a 10-foot bronze statue, and the skirt depicts scenes typical of Miami in 1896. In her right hand she is holding the famous orange blossoms. Historian Arva Parks worked closely with the sculptors to make sure that those depictions were historically accurate. An Oversight Committee of experts and members of the women’s commissions have supervised the entire process. The Oversight Committee raised $201,000 for the statue from both public and private sources. All the money raised has been deposited in a special trust fund with the City of Miami and all bills are being paid from this trust fund. The City of Miami has signed all the contacts required for this project. The statue will be located in Bayfront Park, in the playground area in the southern part of the Park, near the Claude Pepper statue. We are grateful to the Bayfront Park Trust and its Chairman, Miami Commissioner Frank Carollo, for approving the site.
As we speak, the sculptors are putting the finishing touches on the statue. The concrete base for the statue should be in place during the first week of July and the statue itself should be installed in mid-July to give it some time to settle in before the unveiling. The unveiling ceremony will be held on Wednesday, July 28 at 10 a.m., which is the 114th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Miami. The Downtown Development Authority is providing extensive assistance with the planning of the unveiling ceremony. The ceremony will include a program with remarks from elected officials and others, the actual unveiling, and some refreshments. The invitations should be going out at the end of June.
Laura Morilla, Executive Director
Miami-Dade County Commission for Women
>>> Congratulations on 11 years! I hope there are many more to come!
Charlene
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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
Daniel A. Ricker
Publisher & Editor
Watchdog Report
Est. 05.05.00
Copyright © of original material, 2010, 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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