Watchdog Report Vol.11 No.22 October 10, 2010 Est. 05.05.00 – I go when you cannot
Argus Report: Rubio on 23-day victory glide path to U.S. Senate, rumors fly Meek might drop out to allow Crist to soar, but unlikely
Florida: The big three of education, M-D College, Miami-Dade Public Schools, and the Children’s Movement leaders kick off Chamber luncheon; kids and education determine the community’s future decades to come
Miami-Dade County: Mayor Alvarez says Braman “sore loser,” not so says billionaire, but Democracy is getting a spin around the block with recall initiative of mayor
Broward County: There he goes again; Gov. Crist removal of Kraft by suspension, number 44, she had net worth of $637,211 through 2009
Palm Beach County: PAST WDR: JAN. 2008: Former Palm Beach Commissioner Newell gets 60 months on Honest Services Fraud conspiracy
Okaloosa County: Governor Charlie Crist taps Bowers & Neilson for Mid-Bay Bridge Authority of Okaloosa County
Charlotte County: Gov. Crist taps Sifrit and Simpson for Children’s Services Council
Jackson County: Gov. Crist names Carrel and Duell to Jackson County Hospital Corporation
Clay County: Governor Crist taps Van Zant for county school board, but temporary post
Monroe County: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen says BP can do more to settle keys resident’s business claims
Miami-Dade Public Schools: Supt. Carvalho wants to get district its fair share of state funding, if it got same rate as Duval, would be an extra $96 million
Public Health Trust: BCC Chair Moss, others on body dropping the oversight hammer, trustees must follow party line of governance or expect to be off the board
City of Miami: Three CRAs expected to be the hot topic; county defers 1009-2010 budgets, what will the blow back be to city?
City of Miami Gardens: Check out where the new red light cameras will be in the future
City of North Miami: Community meeting on Biscayne Landing project status and banks
City of Miami Beach: Mayor Bower travels to Brampton Canada for Sister Cities, pushes “balmy” Beach weather with a song about sunshine
Coral Gables: Get your tickets for opening night of Gables Art Cinema, a few still left!
Community Events: Elephant Forum luncheon features Cardenas – Human Capital Research Collaborative Fall Conference -Health and Early Childhood Development — Don’t Just See Art ~ Be It ~ at the 6th Annual Heart Happening Fall Fundraiser at the Margulies Warehouse Benefiting Lotus House Artists
Editorials: What kind of press access will Sink or Scott give, both uncomfortable with fielding pesky questions on the fly? — PAST WDR: APRIL 2008: Inflation of goods and services hammers middle and lower class, every public tax dollar is critical for community good
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.)
>>> If you wish to be deleted, just e-mail me with that message and you are free to e-mail this on to friends.
>>> 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. I almost did not write this week because of my financial condition. And while I as so many others are facing tough times. I hope you or your organization will consider helping in a small or larger way and help keep another voice on line and in the media. 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.
>>> I will be doing election campaign analysis and discuss the issues on the Nov. 2 ballot along with Miami Herald political Reporter Beth Reinhard www.miamiherald.com on Topical Currents hosted by Joseph Cooper and heard on WLRN/NPR 91.3 FM – Nov.1 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. www.wlrn.org
>>> Corrections: It is state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, and in fact, there was a vigorous commission discussion regarding the cost of elections for the strong county mayor and property appraiser, that once approved, had to occur within a set period specified by the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter.
ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street
>>> Rubio on 23-day victory glide path to U.S. Senate, rumors fly Meek might drop out to allow Crist to soar, but unlikely
Republican Marco Rubio (Net worth in 08 of $8,357) is in a 23-day glide path to victory to the U.S. Senate as his lead in the polls continues to widen as Gov. Charlie Crist (Net worth $461,000) and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami (Net worth roughly $62,000 in 02) continue to politically fight back but they are trailing in the second and third spot and time is running out. A debate this week had Rubio staying on message and making no gaffs, with Crist and Meek taking verbal pot shots at the young former Florida House Speaker that seems to have a Teflon skin when it comes to questionable charges on a state Republican Party credit card, and a local house deal that in some ways seems to good to be true.
Crist has been dogged by his contradictory positions and has tacked to the center, but also has Jim Greer to deal with, his former Republican state party chair now charged with felonies, but after years of being the upbeat candidate. He continues, now as an independent to follow that path as the campaign evolves and is running fairly sunny side up ads on television, but of course also with the obligatory attack ad. However, in the polls he is not breaking as he hoped with Democratic Party voters and independents and with absentee voting already taking place and early voting starting Oct. 18. He is in a political foot race with Meek to get as many of these voters. If either man is to prevail at the polls over Rubio. And rumors and articles are appearing that Meek may be asked to withdraw from the race to give Crist a boost, but I see no evidence that Meek will withdraw from the campaign and expect him to go the final mile to Nov. 2.
>>> The Watchdog Report had an incident last week with someone I wrote a few stories about years ago and the intensity caught me by surprise. “I hope you choke on your food,” the person publicly said at a restaurant and it reminds me of the variety of people found in our local society.
>>> Press release: Ros-Lehtinen, Bachus, King, McKeon Send Letter to Geithner
Opposing Russian Takeover of U.S. Uranium Processing Facility Say national security interests jeopardized by sale
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter yesterday to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner calling on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to block the sale of a U.S. uranium processing facility to a subsidiary of the Russian government-owned nuclear agency Rosatom. Ros-Lehtinen was joined in the letter by U.S. Reps. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Peter T. King (R-NY), and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the Ranking Members of the House Committees on Financial Services, Homeland Security, and Armed Services, respectively. Full text of the letter is included below. Joint statement by Ros-Lehtinen, Bachus, King, and McKeon:
“Signing over control of this U.S. uranium processing facility to the Russian government unnecessarily jeopardizes U.S. security interests. The transaction could give Moscow control of up to 20 percent of the U.S. national uranium extraction capability and a controlling interest in one of the country’s largest uranium mining sites. “Russia’s record of transferring dangerous materials and technologies to rogue regimes, such as those in Iran and Syria, is very troubling. Its willingness to provide nuclear assistance to any regime with cash and its repeated attempts to undermine U.S. nonproliferation efforts disqualifies Russia from being regarded as a reliable partner. “We believe that this potential takeover of U.S. nuclear resources by a Russian government-owned agency would pose great potential harm to the national security of the United States, and we urge the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to block the sale.” >> NOTE: ARMZ Uranium Holding Co., the mining arm of Rosatom, bought a 51 percent share of Uranium One, Inc. on August 31. Uranium One USA, the American subsidiary of Uranium One, Inc., operates a uranium processing facility in Wyoming.
>>> Zogby press release: I am proud to announce, that on October 12, Palgrave-Macmillan will release a new book “Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us and Why It Matters” by my brother Dr. James Zogby, based on his lifetime of work in the Arab world and highlighting polling conducted by Zogby International.
Relying on more than a decade of polling both in the United States and across the Arab World, “Arab Voices” provides readers with hard data about what Americans really think about Arabs. Our polling also allows Arabs to describe themselves – their attitudes toward their current situation, their values and aspirations, and their top political concerns. In country by country comparisons, the differences that define the unique characteristics of Arabs from Morocco to the UAE emerge, as well as the points of consensus that unify the people of this vast region.
“Arab Voices” is the only book of its kind, measuring public attitudes toward our relationship with the Arab world and the views expressed by both Americans, Arabs in the Middle East, and Arab Americans. It brings a wealth of information and is a must read for policy makers, academics, historians, and the public with an interest in our relationship with the Middle East. It has already received a number of positive endorsements from former President Jimmy Carter, Queen Noor, former Prime Minister John Bruton, Chris Matthews, Arianna Huffington and Ralph Nader. For more information, I encourage you to visit the web site for “Arab Voices” (http://www.aaiusa.org/pages/arab-voices/) where you can learn more about this timely and important book. To order your own copy, please visit: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Arab-Voices/James-Zogby/e/9780230102996.
>>> Press release: TWO INDIVIDUALS PLEAD GUILTY TO ILLEGAL ARMS TRAFFICKING
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, Miami Field Office, and John F. Khin, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), announced the October 5, 2010 guilty pleas of defendants Joseph O’Toole, 79, and Chanoch Miller, 53, to charges of knowingly and willfully conspiring to export AK-47 assault rifles from the U.S. to Somalia, without first having registered with and obtained a license from the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, Title 22, United States Code, Section 2778, and the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations, Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 120-130.
According to the indictment and statements made during the plea hearing, beginning in April 2010, Chanoch Miller, an Israeli national, contacted Joseph O’Toole, a former U.S. Air Force Colonel F-4 Fighter pilot and U.S. citizen, to arrange for the transportation of approximately 6000 fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles from Bosnia to Somalia. The defendants used false End User Certificates to conceal the fact that the weapons were ultimately destined for Somalia. To further facilitate the transportation of the AK-47 assault rifles, Joseph O’Toole contacted an individual who, unbeknownst to Toole, was working undercover for ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the DCIS. As the investigation progressed, Miller agreed to purchase 700 fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles from the undercover. These assault rifles were to be shipped from the U.S. through Panama and then to Somalia. Miller paid $116,000 to the undercover as partial payment of the transportation costs and commissions to O’Toole for the shipment of the 700 assault rifles. O’Toole and Miller each face a term of up to 5 years in prison, followed by a term of three years of supervised release, the forfeiture of $116,000.00, and a possible fine. Sentencing has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 14 in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale. >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations in Ft. Lauderdale and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Walleisa. 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 on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
>>> Press release: Project Vote Smart: Last week we mailed you an advance copy of a new publication by Project Vote Smart titled the U.S. Government Owner’s Manual. This 97-page guide is free upon request to Florida citizens who want to keep an eagle eye on the behavior of their representatives and candidates. Click here to read news release: “U.S. Government Owner’s Manual Exposes Candidates” The Manual also introduces the most intriguing tool in Vote Smart’s arsenal to date: VoteEasy (www.voteeasy.org). VoteEasy is an exciting, interactive application that instantly compares voters’ positions on the major issues facing the nation with those of the congressional candidates who want their vote. Florida voters may simply enter their zip code, answer the same questions Vote Smart asked candidates on the 2010 Political Courage Test, and receive a unique visual confirmation on which congressional candidates agree with them on the issues. VoteEasy is currently being released state-by-state and will be available in all fifty states by early October. We will notify you when Florida candidates are available in VoteEasy, but we encourage you to try VoteEasy now to preview what’s coming soon, and to urge people in your community to use it before the November 2nd elections. For more information on the 2010 U.S. Government Owner’s Manual or VoteEasy please contact media@votesmart.org.
>>> 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! 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 the WLRN/NPR showTopical 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
>>> The big two of education, M-D College, Miami-Dade Public Schools, and the Children’s Movement leaders kick off Chamber luncheon, kids and education determine the community’s future decades to come
Education in Miami-Dade was the topic of the day Wednesday at the monthly luncheon of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce that featured Miami-Dade College President Eduardo Pedron, public school district Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and closed with David Lawrence, Jr. firing up the crowd with the Milk Party Movement promoting the state’s political leaders to direct the proper financial resources for the state’s most vulnerable and greatest assets. Florida’s children. Pedron has the largest public College in the country serving over 170,000 students who come from all over the world and is an education incubator for further graduate work for tens of thousands of students over the school’s 50 years. The president tried to get a countywide half-cent sales tax and it was passed in Miami in 2008 but was shot down around the state where the concept died for the present time.
Carvalho, taking over the nation’s fourth largest public district in Sept. 2008 has done a solid job and noted, “59 percent of people that were downtown [in the district headquarters] are now at schools,” he told the hundreds attending the event. He also noted the district through fiscal efforts started a few years ago did not have to fire educators versus “ 6,000 teachers in Los Angeles” losing their jobs and in New York City “10,000 teachers lost their jobs” but that was not he case down here, despite major funding cuts from the state.
Lawrence, who almost has a messianic attitude when he talks about the importance of pre and early childhood care and development said through out the state people are rising up for kids and demanding greater financial support for the state’s children, to maximize their potential in the 21st Century where they have to compete on a global basis. For more information go to: Miami Dade College – Home Page State-sponsored community college offering two-year associate’s degrees through courses at several campuses as well as over the Internet. http://www.mdc.edu/ – 16k – Cached & Miami-Dade Public Schools go to www.dadeschools.net & The Children’s Movement of Florida…
The first in a series of Florida gubernatorial debates is scheduled to occur on Friday. We urge you to watch all of the debates and determine to what extent each candidate supports our goals — and your goals — when it comes to making children the state’s highest priority.
Hosted by WLTV Univision 23 Miami, this first debate will be taped from 1-2 p.m. EDT Friday and will be broadcast, commercial free, at 11 p.m. EDT Friday on Univision stations in Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers/Naples. Immediately following the broadcast, the debate will be available in English and Spanish on www.Univision23.com. We hope, even expect, that a children-related question suggested by the work of The Children’s Movement of Florida will be asked during this debate. And we hope, even expect, that candidates Rick Scott and Alex Sink will make plain their determination to make children their No. 1 priority if elected governor. Martin Merzer, Director of Communications.
>>> Mayor Alvarez says Braman “sore loser,” not so says billionaire, but Democracy is getting a spin around the block with recall initiative of mayor
With the rules of engagement set, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez (Net worth $1.74 million) and Norman Braman (Net worth $1.3 billion), set on getting a recall petition approved and county voters to vote on whether the mayor should be retained in office, have launched another round of verbal salvos last week. Braman held an afternoon news conference Friday at his second floor office in his car dealership showroom following Alvarez’s speech Thursday at a luncheon blasting the billionaire auto magnate. Alvarez called Braman “a sore loser” after his legal challenge to stop the new Marlins Stadium was unsuccessful and the auto executive said that was nonsense and it is not about him at all. “The mayor is trying to make the campaign about Norman Braman” and that is not the case, said Braman. He said it was about “empowering the people and the type of government they desire, and if they are happy, vote to retain Alvarez.” However, if that is not the case vote that he “should be recalled,” said Braman. He then railed about the $178 million property tax increase hitting some homeowners and the $132 million in salary increases for county union employees, including fire fighters and police. He said given the economy this “is not the time” for such payments and believes the “economic crisis will be around for sometime” and with actions like this past vote. “Commissioners and the mayor are placing a burden on the people,” he thought. Braman also notes a “Blue Ribbon” Charter Review Committee created by the county commission back in 2008 had made almost a dozen recommendations and the bulk of them were shot down, except the part of raising the commissioner salary from currently $6,000 to around $92,000 but voters killed that since there were no term limits attached to the pay raise, first set back in 1957.
Alvarez in defense has lawyered up, hiring Bruce Rogow, a veteran government attorney to fight the issue legally, he has started a political action committee, and he will vigorously fight back the challenge that will include some county commissioners trying to tamp down this effort as well. Including Commission Chair Dennis Moss (Net worth $342,000) and Commissioner Natacha Seijas (Net worth $617,000), who faced a recall of her own a few years ago but beat back that effort. Further, there is another group trying to recall the commissioners that voted for the passed tax level, though Commissioner Dorrin Rolle (seeking re-election) and Commissioner Sally Heyman (Net worth $425,000) re-elected without opposition and voted yes, and neither if Rolle (Net worth $1.19 million) wins, can be recalled by county voters until 2012.
>>> What about the new recall supporters?
Braman as was reported in last week’s Watchdog Report had already lined up some local Republican state leaders as supporters but he ticked off many others now at the press conference. He said termed out state Sen. Rudy Garcia, R-Hialeah, (Net worth $192,000) the Hialeah Council Chair Carlos Hernandez and Commissioner Luis Gonzalez had signed on along with Beach Commissioner Jonah Wolfson, former Commissioner Nancy Liebman, and an expanding field of other supporters including some past chairs of the Latin Builders Association. He also said he was getting strong community support now and has felt no backlash yet from this initiative.
>>> Check out the Braman interview on Issues This Week on Issues – 10/08 & 10/10 : Miami-Dade County Mayor Recall – Philanthropist and auto magnate Norman Braman is undergoing a petition drive asking for the recall of Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. He joins us on the program to discuss his reasons for initiating the recall. Guest: Norman Braman, Braman Management Association
What is the down side of the recall?
I have been thinking about the downside of this recall effort and there are three scenarios that could play out in the future. First, what if Braman is unsuccessful in getting the 52,000 signatures that if done wrong could land the person getting the forms signed and notarized up to 60-days in jail, though I believe that number will be achieved since a professional organization is doing the signature gathering. The second is what if Alvarez prevails and is not recalled after this Herculean effort that will likely never occur again in South Florida, given the cost and risks in such a maneuver. And third is if Alvarez is removed, the county commission has 60-days to call an election or appoint someone by commission vote, and that appointment, would probable take place using the argument of avoiding another $5 million election cost, since the term ends in 2012 anyway. But an appointment opens a whole new bag of political issues and insider moves on the commission that I almost cannot contemplate at this time.
Further, a failed recall would eliminate any sort of citizen governor on keeping their elected officials in line since they run district wide, not countywide and that structure has successfully kept incumbents in office since 1994, unless they were arrested or just keeping the seat warm until new elections were held. Commissioners correctly note that elections every four–years do occur but the threat of a recall is the only emergency parachute voters have otherwise in case some politician really goes rogue, and the general public and county voters should watch this process play out very closely. For it could effect the political landscape for decades to come as Democracy in action unfolds in Miami-Dade in the months ahead.
>>> Miami CRA budgets for 2009-2010 are deferred by wide variety of county commissioners
The county commission Tuesday deferred voting on some CRA budgets for the past year within the city of Miami and the entities are getting a lot of scrutiny after years of flying under the radar in many ways. A wide variety of county commissioners (nine of them pulled at least one of the resolutions and that is a majority) pulled the five items and that suggests what had pretty much been a perfunctory procedure could this year be anything but. Miami is planning to use $10.4 million of the $80 million in all the city CRAs budget for the year to plug a city budget hole and it may be this activity that is drawing attention to the matter.
>>> County Periodical Program funding pushed by Barreiro, gets spiked by Sorenson temporarily
The county’s Periodical Program that funds around 50 small local free newspapers but is not getting the funding from the past has an ally in Commissioner Bruno Barreiro (Net worth $728,000) and last week the official tried to get the commission to reinstate the almost $1 million budgeted for the papers but his effort was to naught, even as ten paper representatives anxiously awaited a decision in the commission chambers. However, Commissioner Katy Sorenson (Net worth $1.7 million) took the air out of the effort when she invoked the commission’s four-day-rule, which tables an item to the future for discussion and a vote. The Watchdog Report over the years has written extensively about these periodicals after a 2003 county audit found six papers had gotten around $20,000 each but there existence could not be validated by auditors. Yet, last year I received $1,500 from Miami-Dade and I actually produce something every week, unless I am sick or totally broke.
>>> Candidates for Miami-Dade Commission District 8 duke it out on Issues hosted by Helen Ferre over the weekend and with the election looming readers if in the district should watch the show. They are replacing Commissioner Katy Sorenson who is stepping down since elected in 1994. >>> Miami-Dade County Commission District 8 Runoff – We invited the two candidates for the Miami-Dade County Commission District 8 runoff election to discuss topics such as the new county budget, Jackson Health’s fiscal woes, and their thoughts on amendment 4. Guests: Lynda Bell, Candidate, Miami-Dade County Commission, District 8
Eugene Flinn, Candidate, Miami-Dade County Commission, District 8: Watch This Week’s Issues
>>> Press release: More than 169,000 Miami-Dade Voters TO Receive Absentee Ballots BY Mail EARLY NEXT Week
The Miami-Dade County Elections Department will begin mailing absentee ballots to more than 169,000 voters for the November 2, 2010 General Election this Friday, October 8, 2010. The Election Department will continue mailing absentee ballots to voters upon request as long as the request is received by the deadline – Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by 5:00 p.m. Absentee voting continues to gain popularity year after year. It has never been easier or more convenient to vote absentee,” said Supervisor of Elections Lester Sola. “Why not vote from the comfort of your home?”
An absentee ballot can be requested several ways – online via the Elections Department website, by phone at (305) 499-8444, in writing or in person. Written requests MUST include all of the following: Printed Name of the Voter, Date of Birth, Current Residence address. Address where the ballot is to be mailed. If the ballot is to be sent to an address other than the residence, voter must include the reason why. Date of the election or elections for which an absentee ballot is needed. Signature of voter Ballot should send it to Miami-Dade Elections Department, P.O. Box 521550, Miami, Florida 33152. If requesting an absentee ballot in person, voters must bring a picture ID to: Election Department Main Office at 2700 NW 87th Ave., Miami, FL Voter Information Center (VIC) at the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street, Suite #112, Miami, FL (located on the 1st Floor, West Lobby) -Voters are reminded the following: Submit your request by the deadline – October 27, 2010 by 5:00 p.m., Ensure your ballot is received by the Elections Department by Election Day, November 2, 2010 no later than 7:00 p.m. Ensure you sign the voter certificate on the outside of the absentee ballot envelope. It is important that the signature on the absentee ballot envelope match the signature the Elections Department has on record. Since it is common for signatures to change throughout the years, voters are encouraged to update their signature by submitting a voter registration application, which can be printed from the Elections Department website under “registration” or by calling the County’s Answer Center 3-1-1 and requesting a voter registration application. Be sure to check the “signature update” box. For more information, please call 3-1-1 or visit www.miamidade.gov/elections
>>> Press release: MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ACCELERATES $579 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS – Thousands of Jobs Generated
Miami-Dade County has successfully awarded approximately $579 million in capital improvement projects as part of a local economic stimulus effort which began more than two years ago. Since its inception in July 2008, the Economic Stimulus Plan (ESP) has been instrumental in getting projects out on the street faster and creating jobs in the construction, engineering and architectural industries, while at the same time taking advantage of the lower costs of labor and materials. ESP identified certain administrative and legislative actions that if taken together would expedite the capital development process. The ESP Program has shaved an average of three to four months off the capital development process.
“Even before economic stimulus was a household word, Miami-Dade County began accelerating the contracting process for capital projects,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. “Our own local stimulus plan is spurring jobs – thousands of them – and positioning us to emerge from the economic downturn better and stronger.” Based on the dollars awarded to date, the County’s Chief Economist estimates that the ESP Program is projected to have generated approximately 5,500 jobs. “ESP has also produced much needed infrastructure and quality of life projects at lower than anticipated costs,” said George Navarrete, Director, Miami-Dade County Office of Capital Improvements.” Among the projects are the new West Miami and Sunny Isles Fire Rescue Stations, the Northside Police Station and the new Pelican Harbor Marina. The ESP has also expedited the construction of the Arcola Lakes Library and upgrades to our Airport and Seaport. To learn more about other capital projects, visit www.miamdade.gov/oci.
BROWARD COUNTY
>>> There he goes again; Gov. Crist removal of Kraft by suspension, number 44, she had net worth of $637,211 through 2009
There he goes again, Gov. Charlie Crist suspended his 44th elected leader last week since taking office in Jan. 2007 and the rate of removals of wayward officials is tracking at almost one a month statewide. This week it was Stephanie Kraft, a Broward school board member representing District 4 and her husband Mitchell for taking unlawful compensation from a developer and his son. Kraft, an attorney elected over a decade ago as a reformer says she is innocent and is fighting the charges but the case looks like a slam-dunk for prosecutors. She was the board chair from 2004 to 2005 was elected in 1998 and she has been re-elected since then with a four year term. >>> For more go to Bob Norman at http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/
What do we know about Kraft’s finances?
Kraft through 2009 had a net worth of $637,000 and she lists $55,000 in household goods. Her home is valued at $236,000, a tax shelter has $137,000, an IRA has $100,790, and there is $76,000 in stocks and bonds. Her life insurance is worth $31,752, in two checking accounts there is $30,120 and a 2001 Lexis is worth $6,875. Her only listed liability is a mortgage owed $107,683 and reported income was $11,269 as a school board member, investment interest was $2,550 and $1,636 came in from savings interest.
>>> Political scandals and investigations are taking a life of there own
Broward has been rocked over the past year with political scandals that now seem to have a life of their own when it comes to new prosecutions of elected officials that already includes county commissioners, school board members and local municipal officials being removed, prosecuted and then sent to jail. The sleepy county with 31 municipalities has flown for years under the corruption radar of prosecutors similar to Palm Beach County that has had its own political blood letting with a majority of past county commissioners going to federal prison over the last three years. Now it is Broward’s turn and given how closed the political process has been in the state’s second largest county over the past years. Now that it is unraveling, investigations are continuing, elected leaders should keep their heads down and be on the up and up. If they don’t want a similar fate in the months ahead.
>>> 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.
>>> Press release: FORMER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF FT. LAUDERDALE LAW FIRM SENTENCED IN CONNECTION WITH MONEY LAUNDERING CONSPIRACY IN OPERATION OF PONZI SCHEME
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Daniel W. Auer, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID), announced that Debra Villegas, 43, formerly the Chief Operating officer of the Ft. Lauderdale law firm of Rothstein, Rosenfeldt & Adler, was sentenced today in Ft. Lauderdale by U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch to 120 months’ incarceration. In addition, the court found the defendant jointly liable for $363 million in restitution, and ordered the forfeiture of certain assets. On June 11, 2010, Villegas pled guilty to a criminal Information charging that she and co-conspirators participated in an investment scheme, commonly known as a “Ponzi” scheme. The Ponzi scheme involved the sale of purported confidential settlement agreements in sexual harassment and/or whistle blower cases that were purportedly handled by attorneys at Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler, PA.
According to the charges and statements made in court during her plea, Villegas participated in the scheme by assisting with the fabrication of names for fictitious plaintiffs and defendants who were purportedly parties in the confidential settlements. In addition, Villegas assisted in the preparation of documents relating to the purported confidential settlements. Pursuant to the scheme, funds would be sent from investors by interstate wire transfer to financial institutions. Criminally derived proceeds from the scheme, in excess of $10,000, were transferred between and among accounts at financial institutions. U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “One by one, the dominos in this billion dollar Ponzi scheme are falling. This is not the last to fall.” “It is unfortunate that Debra Villegas did not report Rothstein’s schemes to law enforcement. Instead, she chose to facilitate and become an accomplice to his scheme,” said Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies of the FBI’s Miami Division. “She could have been a hero, not a convicted felon. It is a message to all that if you choose greed over integrity, you will have to pay the price.” “The message we are sending is loud and clear: those who assist others in swindling investors out of their hard-earned money will be aggressively investigated, prosecuted and brought to justice,” said IRS Special Agent in Charge Daniel W. Auer. >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio, Paul F. Schwartz and Jeffrey N. Kaplan and Forfeiture Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alison Lehr, Michelle Alvarez, and Evelyn Sheehan. 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.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
>>> PAST WDR: JAN. 2008: Former Palm Beach Commissioner Newell gets 60 months on Honest Services Fraud conspiracy
Press release: R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office (“FBI”), and Michael E. Yasofsky, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (“IRS-CI”), announced that defendant Warren H. Newell, 52, of Boynton Beach, Florida, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra in West Palm Beach to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by 2 years of supervised release. The defendant was ordered to self-surrender by February 15, 2008, at 2:00p.m. He had previously pled guilty to an Information charging him with a conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.
According to court records and statements made in open court, Newell defrauded the public of his honest services as an elected official, and misused his position as a Commissioner on the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners (“BCC”) to personally enrich himself, his business partners and other associates in a series of transactions and ventures in Palm Beach County. Newell advocated and voted on matters while he concealed his true financial interests, and engaged in a deceptive practice of filing incomplete, false and misleading disclosures designed to misdirect the public and conceal his true financial interests.
During his guilty plea, Newell admitted to having an undisclosed financial interest in a water storage project located on property owned by Palm Beach Aggregates (“Aggregates”), a land holding and mining company in Palm Beach County. The Aggregates water storage project involved the potential sale of a tract of land to the South Florida Water Management District (“SFWMD”) for future regional water storage. In this transaction, Newell allegedly misused his position by voting for funding of the water storage project without disclosing that he stood to personally profit through a secret “success fee” contract between one of Newell’s business partners at his engineering firm, SFRN, and Aggregates if the sale of the property to SFWMD was consummated.
According to the Information and the plea, to conceal his hidden financial interest in the success fee contract, Newell’s share of the success fee profits was funneled through SFRN and disguised as “bonus payments,” or in one instance as a $200,000 personal loan from his partner. Newell further concealed his financial interest in this transaction by filing false and misleading disclosure forms with the BCC that materially omitted his financial connection to the water storage project. Newell received approximately $366,000 in proceeds from the undisclosed success fee contract.
In addition, Newell misused his elected position to advocate an expenditure of $14 million of taxpayer monies for the purchase of the working waterfront preservation easement and restrictive covenants for Palm Beach Yacht Center (“PBYC”) without disclosing a material financial debt he owed to PBYC and his financial partnership with one its owners. At several BCC meetings, Newell failed to disclose that he docked his boat at PBYC, and that he owed PBYC significant boat dockage fees. Newell further failed to reveal that he had been, and continued to be, a partner with the owner of PBYC in two different financial institutions in Palm Beach County. The Information also alleges that Newell later attempted to cover up this conflict of interest by creating the appearance that he had paid his $40,000 outstanding debt to PBYC. To accomplish this subterfuge, Newell caused a bogus SFRN invoice to be issued to PBYC, which was paid by PBYC. PBYC’s payment was immediately disbursed to Newell, and Newell in turn subsequently used that money to make a payment on his PBYC debt. Therefore, in actuality, Newell paid PBYC with PBYC’s own monies, and essentially received a $40,000 kickback in the form of debt forgiveness of his dockage fees.
In addition, Newell failed to disclose his true financial interest in a business venture involving two vacant adjacent parcels of real estate situated in Newell’s district, in Lake Worth. Newell and two other partners contracted to purchase vacant property, and formed three separate limited liability companies to develop and build medical office buildings. A contingency in the contract eventually required that the owners obtain an abandonment of a right-of-way easement owned by Palm Beach County that split the two parcels and obtain extensions in the time limitations to develop the property. Although Newell assigned his contract interests and resigned, in the same month as his resignation, he twice voted on those contract contingencies at the BCC without disclosing his previous financial relationship with the project. According to the Information, Newell used his resignation to justify his public action, but fully expected to be compensated at the time of the success of the project. To further conceal his hidden financial interest in a successful outcome of the property investment, Newell once again caused a false and fraudulent invoice to be issued by SFRN as a means by which he obtained monies for his sole and exclusive use from the profitable sale of the property. Newell also filed false and misleading disclosure forms relating to the land deal. U.S. Attorney Acosta stated, “The lengthy sentence imposed by Judge Marra reflects the seriousness of Mr. Newell’s offense.” >>> Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the IRS and FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Kastrenakes, Julia A. Paylor, Stephen Carlton, and Antonia Barnes. http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
OKALOOSA COUNTY
>>> Press release: Governor Charlie Crist taps Bowers & Neilson for Mid-Bay Bridge Authority of Okaloosa County
Daniel A. Bowers Jr., 44, of Crestview, certified public accountant with Lundy and Bowers CPA, reappointed for a term beginning October 6, 2010, and ending June 30, 2013.
James D. Neilson Jr., 72, of Destin, retired president of Sandpipe Cove Condo Association, reappointed for a term beginning October 6, 2010, and ending June 30, 2013.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist taps Sifrit and Simpson for Children’s Services Council of Charlotte County
Sue H. Sifrit, 62, of Port Charlotte, Charlotte County School Board Member, succeeding Theresa Heinis, appointed for a term beginning October 6, 2010, and ending May 17, 2014.
Richard T. Simpson, 52, of Port Charlotte, assistant state attorney for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, succeeding Paula Wilman, appointed for a term beginning October 6, 2010, and ending May 17, 2012.
JACKSON COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist names Carrel and Duell to Jackson County Hospital Corporation
David R. Carrel, 39, of Marianna, financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments, succeeding Lawrence Strickland, appointed for a term beginning October 4, 2010, and ending July 19, 2014.
Ronald E. Duell, 66, of Alford, financial advisor with Sun Trust Investment Services, succeeding John Milton, appointed for a term beginning October 4, 2010, and ending July 31, 2014.
CLAY COUNTY
>>> Governor Crist taps Van Zant for county school board, but temporary
Stephanie T. Van Zant, 39, of Keystone Heights, draftsman for Robert Hanselman AIA Architect, appointed for a term beginning October 5, 2010, and will serve during the leave of absence of Charles Van Zant Jr.
MONROE COUNTY
>>> U.S. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen press release: Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives this week approved the Audit the BP Fund Act, which calls on the General Accounting Office to investigate an audit the $20 billion fund.
“BP has made many promises, yet there are scores of my constituents in the Florida Keys who have not been compensated,” said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, citing “countless small businesses who are suffering economic hardship because of BP’s false promises.” Ros-Lehtinen represents the Keys.
Keys BP claims paid out top $3.5 million >>> E-Mail this story By KEVIN WADLOW kwadlow@keynoter.com Posted – Saturday, October 02, 2010 06:05 AM EDT – More than $3.5 million has been paid to Monroe County residents harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. A spokeswoman for the facility said Wednesday that the 133 claims paid to Florida Keys businesses or individuals so far have totaled $3,500,900.
The facility is the independent claims office handling applications for financial help from the BP Relief Fund. Facility staff could not break out the number of claims filed by Monroe County residents that are still in the review process, the spokeswoman said. However, in July, BP officials in the Keys reported that 820 claims had been filed from Keys residents and businesses.
As of this week, the Gulf facility had received 30,084 claims from Florida: 19,008 from individuals, and 11,076 from businesses. So far, 17,178 have been paid for a total of $258.2 million. In Monroe County, most claims are for loss of revenue from the tourist industry, which was affected by concern over the Deepwater Horizon spill reaching Keys waters. Charter captains, dive operators and resort managers reported people canceling reservations because of the spill threat.
To date, no oil from the spill has been detected in Keys waters. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives this week approved the Audit the BP Fund Act, which calls on the General Accounting Office to investigate an audit the $20 billion fund. “BP has made many promises, yet there are scores of my constituents in the Florida Keys who have not been compensated,” said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, citing “countless small businesses who are suffering economic hardship because of BP’s false promises.” Ros-Lehtinen represents the Keys. A Lower Keys property manager complained to the Keynoter this week that the Gulf facility has been unable to provide him with a status report on his claim, filed five months ago.
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
>>> Supt. Carvalho wants to get district its fair share of state funding, if it got same rate as Duval, would be an extra $96 million
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told hundreds of business leaders that despite the tough economic climate the district has to deal with. He believes it is unfair that certain of the state’s 66 counties get more state funding because of politics and in the case of Hillsborough County, if the same rate was paid per pupil here. He said that would be a $48 million increase and overall the district has lost $450 million in reduced state funding. And in another example, he said if the nation’s fourth largest public school district, if it received the same state funding as Duval County. That number would jump to $96 million in more money he told a crowd of business executives Wednesday and that is not right, he believed.
The district’s budget has been hammered with the collapsed economy and property tax receipts plummeting and the schools operating budget back in 2007-2008 was roughly $3.1 billion but that figure will have dropped to $2.6 billion for 2011-2012 said the superintendent, that also includes the creation of well over 80 charter schools that are funded by the public district’s funds.
What about the school board?
The school board is having its monthly board meeting Wednesday at the downtown headquarters and the proceedings can be seen on Comcast Channel 17, on www.wlrn.org 91.3 FM and on line at www.dadeschools.net
>>> Press release: EXPERIENCED TEACHERS WANTED — Are you an experienced teacher? Do you want to work in a profession where the rewards are priceless? Miami-Dade County Public Schools has just the opportunity for you. Biology, chemistry, physics, and science teachers are needed at schools across the District. You must be highly qualified and have a valid State of Florida teaching certificate. Other requirements may apply. To learn more about how you can teach in Miami-Dade County Public schools, visit www.jobs.dadeschools.net and select Recruitment Information.
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST
>>> BCC Chair Moss, others on body dropping the oversight hammer, trustees must follow party line of governance or expect to be off the board
Dennis Moss, the Miami-Dade County Commission chair threw down the gauntlet Tuesday when it came to continued discussion by PHT trustees of their governance model and trying to be more independent of the commission. Moss said he had tried “to tamp down the temperature” and the heated rhetoric but was disturbed by what he had read about a recent retreat discussions in a story done by the www.mimaiherald.com . He asked the county attorney’s office to see how to proceed to interview the current trustees, even though they are not up reappointment yet. However, the commission already addressed this issue of re- interviewing any trustee in the spring and there should be no problem for the board members to be re-interviewed by the PHT Nominating Council that Moss currently chairs.
George Burgess, the county manager also chimed in with his peoples observations of what occurred at the retreat since members of his senior staff attended the two-day meeting last Sunday night and Monday. He said the conversation is “getting a little old” and believes in the future the consideration of a new governance model might be discussed, but right now, there “was a need to get your house in order.” Commissioner Carlos Gimenez (Net worth $871,000) agreed with the manager’s comments and wondered if “the pendulum is going the other way” regarding things financially getting better at the PHT. “Drastic action” may be called for if we start heading into “another crisis and the abyss” financially and he admits while it is hard. The trust must “at least break even” even though over $700 million in charity care was given last year. Commissioner Sally Heyman the chair of the committee that has oversight said, “We need to get past the point of survival and get to sustainability” and urged the county to keep pressure on the state legislature to “protect the state Medicaid program” that is so vital to Jackson’s survival, she said. She also noted the expansion of facilities at the University of Miami Miller Medical School and wondered what the “consequences will be to Jackson” now that Coral Gables has approved a Life Science Center on the main campus and “feels it will be adverse,” to the health trust, said Heyman.
Moss at the end summed up the general feeling of the commission saying in fact the commission “over the years has had very little discussion of the PHT budget” during his 17-years on the dais and when it comes to the “interference cr…” and this body’s involvement. He believed the facts did not sustain that conclusion. The veteran commissioner in his last weeks as chair said the “temperature needs to be lowered down there” and “one way to address the issue is to look at the individuals that are so focused on governance, versus turning the hospital around,” he closed. Current trustees should plan to be interviewed and it is clear you had better follow the commission’s party line if you wish to stay on the voluntary board.
>>> Betty Amos, the expected University of Miami appointment to the Public Health Trust Board has had to withdraw her name for personal reasons she wrote in an e-mail last week. Amos has been the chair of the school district audit committee and I have written about her expected appointment in the past in a very positive way. It is unknown who university President Donna Shalala, Ph.D. will proffer in the future.
CITY OF MIAMI
>>> Three CRAs expected to be the hot topic; county defers 1009-2010 budgets, what will the blow back be to city?
The CRA 2009-2010 budget and its deferral by the Miami-Dade County commission last week will be the elephant in the room as the Miami Commission meets in the body’s Chambers on Thursday and OMNI/Midtown/SEOPW Community Redevelopment Agencies legislation will be discussed and the $80 million in the organizations coffers starting at 3:00 p.m.. The agencies have had a shake-up with a new executive director and staff and commissioners, especially vice Chair Frank Carollo are asking a lot of questions about executive pay and perks for the around 12 employees involved with the organizations. Commissioner Francis Suarez chairs the Midtown agency, Commissioner Richard Dunn, II is chair of the SEOPW and Commission Chair Marc Sarnoff is chair of the OMNI CRA and much of this attention on the organizations started after the transfer of $10.4 million to the city to fill a budget hole for the current year and county Manager George Burgess told county commissioners when asked about this maneuver. He would wait until the action occurred, which it now has, and the county administration and commission’s response is unknown, but some response will be forthcoming. Further, in the past, Dunn and Sarnoff tried to get the CRA to pay over $100,000 each to cover the cost of office staffers, but that fiscal blending of responsibility created a problem. Since CRA has its own employees, and two of Sarnoff’s staff have since joined the redevelopment organizations. Here are the links to the SEOPW Agenda Omni Agenda Midtown Agenda
>>> Security cameras coming to city Hall, Dinner Key marina needs them too
New security cameras are coming to City Hall because of a grant for enhanced government building security and the work started last week. One insider remarked while there was a need for it in the building, a bigger need was in the Dinner Key Marina area where people are living on their boats and with water access. People can come and go without much notice, leading to more of a need to monitor the area.
>>> 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 GARDENS
>>> City installing red light cameras at sites throughout Miami Gardens, motorists beware if you run a red light
Press release: New red light camera locations planned: Please be advised that the City of Miami Gardens will install new photo enforced (including right turn) Red Light Cameras at the following intersections: NW 27th Avenue at NW 183rd Street (Miami Gardens Drive) • NW 199th Street at NW 2nd Avenue • NW 2nd Avenue at NW 215th Street (County Line Road) • NW 7th Avenue at NW 183rd Street (Miami Gardens Drive) • NW 27th Avenue at NW 199 Street • NW 183rd Street at NW 37th Avenue • NW 27th Avenue at NW 175th Street • NW 2nd Avenue at NW 7th Ave Extension • NW 27th Avenue (North Side) at NW 167th Street • NW 167th Street at NW 27th Ave (South Side) • NW 17th Avenue at NW 183rd Street (Miami Gardens Drive) -This is a public safety program. The City’s goal is to prevent serious injuries or deaths as a result of motorists running red lights in the City of Miami Gardens. Cameras operate 24 hours a day and capture images of every vehicle running a red light (including right turns) at the intersection. The program is administered by American Traffic Solutions, Inc. (ATS) with each violation reviewed and approved by the Miami Gardens Police Department prior to issuance. For more information call 305-474-1568 or visit www.miamigardenspolice.org
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
>>> Mayor Bower travels to Brampton Canada for sister cities, pushes “balmy” Miami Beach weather with a song about sunshine
Mayor’s Web page: Sister Cities together -On Oct. 2, I had the opportunity to plug our balmy winter weather and cultural offerings to the residents of our sister city, Brampton, Ontario. Of course, they made me work for it — by singing! I flew up with two of our Sister Cities Committee members, chairman George Neary and Brampton representative Ray Breslin, to take part in the Brampton Symphony Orchestra season opening night at the Rose Theatre. Mayor Susan Fennell and I each took turns singing, but we couldn’t match the performance of Angel Perez, a talented 12-year-old pianist from the SoBe Institute of the Arts, who wowed them with a little Mozart. I stuck with a contemporary classic — my own version of “You are My Sunshine” where some of the verses got changed — “Don’t wait for your Miami Beach sunshine ’til May…” I can’t say I got a standing ovation, but our fellow citizens in Canada felt the warmth of our appreciation and got a taste of Miami Beach. That’s what our sister cities program is all about, friendly exchanges of culture and business. Thank you to Maestro Robert Raines, Brampton’s Symphony Conductor and CEO, and to Mayor Fennell, for the gracious invitation.
>>> Finance & Citywide Projects Committee – Oct. 14, 3:30 p.m., City Manager’s Conference Room -1700 Convention Center Drive, 4th Floor
>>> Land Use & Development Committee Oct. 25, 4 p.m., City Manager’s Conference Room – 1700 Convention Center Drive, 4th Floor
>>> City Commission Meeting Oct. 27, 9 a.m. Commission Chambers – 1700 Convention Center Drive, 3rd Floor
>>> Press release: MIAMI BEACH HOTEL DEVELOPERS CONVICTED OF TAX FRAUD -Father, Son Concealed More than $150 Million in Assets; Failed to Report $49 Million in Income
Mauricio Cohen Assor, 77, and his son, Leon Cohen-Levy, 46, each with residences in Miami Beach, Fla., have been convicted of conspiring to defraud the United States and filing false tax returns. After a month-long trial, a Fort Lauderdale jury found the defendants guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States and filing false tax returns. The defendants concealed more than $150 million in assets, including Miami Beach mansions, yachts, luxury automobiles, and bank accounts containing tens of millions of dollars. The defendants also failed to report more than $49 million in income to the Internal Revenue Service.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “Tax cheats are on notice that they can’t hide assets offshore and expect to get away with it. Honest Americans who pay their fair share of taxes deserve nothing less.” “Those who still think they can hide their assets offshore, need to rethink their strategy. They will be found out and prosecuted. U.S. taxpayers who honestly report their income and pay their taxes can rest assured that those who conceal their assets offshore to avoid paying their fair share will be investigated and prosecuted by the IRS and Department of Justice,” said John A. DiCicco, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Tax Division.
“These verdicts send a strong message to Americans who think they can hide their money or assets offshore in order to dodge their income tax obligations,” said Daniel W. Auer, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS, Criminal Investigation Division. “With the advancement of the global markets and compliance in the banking industry, the world is becoming a smaller place in which to hide money or assets. The IRS is actively working with foreign governments to share information and will continue to bring justice to those who do not comply with the tax laws.” Specifically, Mauricio Cohen was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States and two substantive counts of filing a false tax return. Leon Cohen was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States and two substantive counts of filing a false tax return. He was acquitted of one additional substantive count charging the same. Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2010 before U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At sentencing, both defendants face a maximum of eleven years’ imprisonment. Each defendant will also be liable to the IRS for unpaid taxes, penalties, and interest. Both defendants have been detained since their arrest on April 15, 2010.
According to court documents and trial testimony, the two men and their co-conspirators used nominees and shell companies formed in so-called tax haven jurisdictions, including the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Panama, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, to conceal their assets and income from the IRS. To further conceal their assets and income from the IRS, evidence produced during trial showed the men also provided false and forged documents to banks, opened bank accounts in the name of nominees, titled their personal residences and luxury vehicles in the name of shell companies, filed fraudulent tax returns, failed to file other tax returns, suborned perjury in a civil matter pending before the New York Supreme Court, and induced other individuals to make false statements to federal law enforcement agents. Among the nominees used by the defendants were their personal secretary and their limousine driver. According to court documents and trial testimony, Mauricio Cohen Assor and Leon Cohen-Levy were the developers and owners of several residential hotels known by the trade name Flatotel International. Flatotel had locations in France, Spain, Brussels, and New York City. In 2000, the defendants sold their New York hotel and generated proceeds of $33 million. The defendants directed that the sale proceeds be transferred to a bank account at HSBC in Switzerland, which account was opened in the name of a Panamanian bearer share company. The income earned from the sale of the hotel was never reported on U.S. tax returns by the Cohens or by any of their related entities.
According to court documents and trial testimony, among the assets and income the Cohens concealed from the IRS are a $45 million investment portfolio, a condominium at Trump World Tower in New York City valued as much as $10 million, the personal residence of Mauricio Cohen Assor on Fisher Island in Miami Beach worth approximately $20 million, the personal residence of Leon Cohen Levy in Miami Beach worth approximately $26 million, the personal residence of the daughter of Mauricio Cohen Assor in Bal Harbor, Fla., commercial properties valued in excess of $55 million in Miami Beach, luxury vehicles, including a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Porsche Carrera GT, a Bentley, a Ferrari Testarossa, a BMW Z8, a Dodge Viper, a limousine and a $1.2 million helicopter. >>> Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Assistant Attorney General John DiCicco, and Internal Revenue Service Special Agent in Charge Daniel W. Auer commended the investigative efforts of the IRS agents involved in this case, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Neiman, Trial Attorney Mark F. Daly and Senior Litigation Counsel Kevin M. Downing of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case. More information about the Justice Department’s Tax Division and its enforcement efforts is available at www.usdoj.gov/tax/. 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.
CITY OF NORTH MIAMI
>>> Councilman Scott Galvin e-mail: Biscayne Landing Town Hall Monday, October 25 6:00 pm
The Receiver at Biscayne Landing will hold a Public Town Hall Meeting on Monday, October 25, 2010, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is for the Receiver to discuss the status of Biscayne Landing. The meeting shall be held at Biscayne Landing Sales Center, 15055 Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami, FL 33181. It is free and open to the public. Please attend! As of this moment, I have nothing new I can tell you about what’s happening on the site, nor do I have any insight into what they will tell us. But I know that you would probably like to attend. Questions from the audience will be taken.
CITY OF CORAL GABLES
>>> Get your tickets for opening night of Art Cinema, a few still left!
Still Some “Red Carpet” Tickets Left for Opening Night Fundraising Event October 15! Come out and support South Florida’s new state-of-the-art alternative movie theater
The Coral Gables Art Cinema will at long-last open to the public on Friday, October 15 for year-round operations with the Florida theatrical premiere of Freakonomics, the funny and insightful feature film based on the bestselling book that explores “the hidden side of everything.” The movie examines human behavior with provocative and sometimes hilarious case studies, bringing together a dream team of filmmakers responsible for some of the most acclaimed and entertaining documentaries in recent years. Visit the Freakonomics’ website for more on this great movie including the online trailer! That night will be a special red carpet fundraising event for the Cinema, with screenings of Freakonomics at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm, and a reception at 9:00 pm that those with tickets for either show can attend. EARLY SCREENING TICKETS ALMOST SOLD OUT. Tickets will be on sale at the door the night of event as available. All tickets for these screenings cost $100 ($90 of which is a tax-deductible donation) and can be purchased in advance through the Cinema website or by calling the Cinema at (786) 385-9689.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
>>> Elephant Forum luncheon: We are pleased and excited to announce that Al Cardenas, the Past Chairman of the Republican Party of the State of Florida, will be our Speaker at the next Elephant Forum meeting to be held on Monday, October 11, 2010, at 12:00 Noon, at The Rusty Pelican Restaurant on Key Biscayne. With the Elections on November 4th, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear our most informed, Al Cardenas, talk about Florida politics. Make your reservations early, and invite guests. Contact Mary Ellen Miller at 305.377.9187. or email at memil@comcast.net
>>> Human Capital Research Collaborative Fall Conference -Health and Early Childhood Development: The Impact of Health on School Readiness and Other Education Outcomes Live video stream, agenda and speaker information at http://www.humancapitalrc.org/events/2010/hcrcconf_2010.cfm October 14 and 15, 2010 Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis — Summary: The HCRC’s second national conference will focus on the impact of health and early childhood development on school readiness and other educational outcomes. The conference will provide a deeper understanding of scientific data relevant to current models of prevention and intervention in early childhood and the significance of their impact on the well-being of young children as they grow to adulthood. It is divided into three topic areas: 1. Determinants of health disparities 2. Effects of health interventions on child development 3. Effects of national health policy on child development Full agenda: http://www.humancapitalrc.org/events/2010/hcrcconf_2010_agenda.cfm
While the conference is by invitation only, video coverage will stream live via the Internet during the conference. The video will also be available after the conference. Those attending via video conference will be able to view speakers and slide presentations and ask questions via MediaSite’s video stream technology. Follow this link to test your computer and Internet connection: http://mediasite.uvs.umn.edu/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=c1748f2d1da8467aa8b415e79b94b020 To access the live video stream on Oct. 14 & 15 and the archived videos following the conference, visit the HCRC Web site, www.humancapitalrc.org. The HCRC is a partnership of the University of Minnesota and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis to advance multidisciplinary research on child development and social policy. The HCRC’s approach is integrative and representative of the cross-college and university-wide interest in advancing research and scholarship on the identification and dissemination of cost-effective interventions, programs, and policies from birth to the transition to adulthood. “Opinions expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of the Federal Reserve.”
>>> Don’t Just See Art ~ Be It ~ at the 6th Annual Heart Happening Fall Fundraiser at the Margulies Warehouse Benefiting Lotus House Artists from around the Country in Live Performances Sotheby’s to conduct live art auction during VIP reception
On Friday, October 22, more than 30 internationally-renowned performance artists will sing, dance, paint, write, video, photograph, play, weave and sew their way throughout the night, at the Margulies Art Warehouse in Wynwood, for Sixth Annual Fall Fundraiser benefiting the Lotus House Women’s Shelter. This year’s Heart Happening invites artists in every form of artistic medium to engage the audience in live performances, and includes a VIP champagne preview with live auction by Sothebys, silent auction and Chef’s tastings from Miami’s finest. Now in its sixth year, the benefit will take place both in and outside the 45,000-square foot Margulies Art Warehouse in Miami (591 Northwest 27th Street), with all proceeds to benefit Lotus House. At Heart Happening, artists, dancers, musicians, performers and the audience will engage in a rare occurrence known as an “art happening,” creating “live works of art that explore the ways in which we see, hear, speak and act from our hearts. Participants will experience, first hand, weather balloons that sing, interactive videos in which they are the stars, street art painting, tapestry making, roaming poets, dancers and musicians, and a never before seen, meditation float truck (we never heard of it before either!), just to name a few of the performances that will touch mind, heart, body and soul over the course of the evening. It’s a unique style of art that has prompted the slogan, “Don’t just see art — be it,” by event organizers. Adding an exclusive element to this year’s lineup will be a live auction by Sotheby’s, one of the world’s preeminent auction houses (its auctioneer flying in from NYC for the festivities), during the VIP champagne reception (7-8:30PM). The doors open for the main event at 8:30 PM.
“Heart Happening is a critical component of Lotus House’s success, raising awareness through the arts and providing much needed resources for the shelter’s holistic programming and operations,” said Constance Collins Margulies, president of the Sundari Foundation, which operates Lotus House. “We are so grateful for the incredible support from artists and community alike that make this art event a ‘must experience for art enthusiasts and supporters,” added Collins Margulies. “We invite participants to discover what it means to be part of an art happening, and history in the making in the art world in Miami.”
“The Lotus House/Margulies art happenings are unprecedented, and Sotheby’s live art auction and the silent auction are the best we have ever showcased,” said Martin Margulies, art collector and fundraiser co-host. “The artists went all out for us this year, and both established and budding art collectors alike are going to love the art. There is something for everyone.” Contemporary performance artists at this year’s event will include Gema Alava, Ben Fain, Roberto Lange, David Ellis, Steve Johnson, Trajal Harrell, The Minsky Sisters, Jen Zakrezewski, Marina Rosenfeld, Jason Schmidt and Lee Walton. Local artists include Baby B Strings, Natasha Duwin, Miami Poetry Collective, Ruben Millares, Primary Flight, Antonia Wright, the TM Sisters, Agustina Woodgate, and the Wet Heat Project.
Chef’s tastings will be served gallery-style, courtesy of local restaurants, including Buena Vista French Bakery, Cafeina Wynwood, Latin Café on the Beach, Lido at the Standard, Lost and Found, Mercadito, Senora Martinez, and Yuga, among many others. A focused silent auction, benefiting Lotus House, will feature both the works of art created “live” that evening as well as art works from artists in South Florida and around the country. >> Tickets are $100 from the main event ($500 for VIP reception and live auction) and can be purchased by calling 305.365.2478 or online at www.lotushouseshelter.org. Current sponsors include: Audre Carlin, Art Miami, Irma and Norman Braman, Podhurst Orseck, P.A, Evelyn and Bruce Greer, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Pat and Larry Stewart, Sol Taplin Charitable Foundation, Richard B. Bermont, Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod, Diane Walder M.D., Angela W. Whitman, Carol and Vincent Damian, J.J. Segal Foundation, Debi and Jeff Wechsler, Miami Dolphins Foundation, Evelyn Aimis and Phyllis and Allan Wesler, among others. Limited sponsorship opportunities are still available. To learn about the Sundari Foundation, Inc. or how you can help, visit the Lotus House website at www.lotushouseshelter.org or call 305.365.2478.
EDITORIALS
>>> What kind of press access will Sink or Scott give, both uncomfortable with fielding pesky questions on the fly?
There has been an under current among the media about the access gubernatorial candidates Alex Sink (Net worth $9.22 million) and Rick Scott (Net worth $218 million) will give the press after the Nov. 2 election and from empirical observation it will be a tense relationship, trying to minimize the information released in the Sunshine state with one of the most liberal open record laws. Sink, a former banker was much more open and comfortable with the press back in 2002 when her husband, Bill McBride ran against Gov. Jeb Bush and I told her back then she was the candidate, and you either had charisma or you didn’t as a candidate, and she did back then. Now, she is much more modulated and careful in her spoken words off the cuff and almost seems to be uncomfortable in front of the live cameras and digital recorders, even after four-years as the state chief financial officer.
In Scott’s case, given his business background and his company’s history in the 1990s when he ran Columbia/HCA, a 400 plus hospital chain that ended up paying a record $1.7 billion Medicare settlement after Scott skated out the door with a golden parachute worth hundreds of millions, yet kept a low profile since coming to Palm Beach about seven years ago with his family. He has saturated the airways and the campaign is expected to spend over $50 million, the bulk his own money but he too is shy when it comes to fielding questions and I thought of this after the Univision debate last week when Scott did not talk to reporters after the event. Instead, former Gov. Jeb Bush talked to the media about the candidate and in Bush’s case when he was governor. While he had a love/hate relationship with journalists, and could play hardball politics with the best of them. Bush still understood the role of the press, and the need to be able to articulate his or the party’s ideas to the general public, and is one of the roles of the media plays but Scott is new at this and it is unknown on what side he will fall on and if he will try to keep pesky reporters in the dark.
One of these two candidates will win in 23 days and normally the public and media has a better understanding of these people, but because much of the campaign is seen in the airwaves and voters are not seeing the candidates except for fairly scripted events. It is unknown how they will be with the media when they are in office, which is not a small job, though only paying about $132,000 and given the state’s size and role in the nation. Voters can only hope that whoever wins keeps past governors’ tradition to keep public documents public and accessible in keeping with the states Sunshine public records law, and that they embrace the press for what it is. A vehicle to advance ideas they might have, challenge other plans floated, and yes, another watchdog over how public dollars will be spent but that is what makes America the nation that it is today.
>>> PAST WDR: APRIL 2008: Inflation of goods and services hammers middle and lower class, every public tax dollar is critical for community good
The explosion in food prices, gas, energy etc. is slamming small business and people at almost all levels are being hammered, as their income remains relatively flat in the face of this daily inflation of goods and services. The Watchdog Report feels it everyday, I am single, and not having to feed a family and even this is no easy task sometimes. The nation has been hollowing itself out over the last decade with easy credit, rapidly rising real estate values and now it is all coming home to roost for those in the middle class and lower income levels.
It is for this reason that protecting public tax dollars is so important because these dollars are no longer flowing or increasing at double digit rates and all public institutions must go back to there core mission be it education, fighting crime and protecting the public or treating patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Collectively, the three major public institutions in Miami-Dade have to cut around $700 million with the health trust facing the worse financial challenge that is potentially coming in at a $300 million reduction in overall funding from a number of different revenue streams and when you give $535 million in charity care. This is no easy task.
The nation’s fourth largest public school district must consolidate some of its 370 schools and while it will wrench communities around the county, there is no alternative on the horizon and the economy is expected not to pick up for years to come. Leaders at the county and municipalities must keep their eye on the ball, stop some of the political posturing and payback and figure out how to make public institutions work at a higher level, and while this is no easy task. It must be done for every tax dollar is scarce and must go to where it is supposed to during these tough times that will not get better anytime soon.
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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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