Watchdog Report Vol.11 No.19 Est.05.05.00 – I go when you cannot!
Argus Report: Crist, Meek, and Rubio verbally duke it out in debate, Crist gets caught from both sides, now has to deal with Republican Party audit he calls a “sham”
Florida: Scott & Sink making their case with state voters, Republicans energized, Democratic voter turnout key to any victory
Miami-Dade County: Burgess takes on county’s city managers on $5 million raid on their CITT allocated revenues; conversations were “animated”
Broward County: State Sen. Ring in the spotlight, elected in 2006, had $18.6 million net worth through 2006
Palm Beach County: State PD Haughwout in the spotlight, first elected in 2000, had $1.7 million net worth through March
Leon County: Gov. Crist taps Dr. W. Ross Ellington of Tallahassee as this week’s Governor’s Point of Light.
Escambia County: Gov. Crist’s appointments to the First Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
Indian River County: Gov. Crist’s appointments to Nineteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
Monroe County: U.S. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen wants to know where BP money is for the Keys
Miami-Dade Public Schools: Community oversight firewall elects Thornburg & McKee as audit committee chair, vice chair, orderly transition not always the case
Public Health Trust: PHT retreat cancelled, BCC budget discussion Monday, elected leaders should realize running hospital, not doing reports, #1 task
City of Miami: Red light cameras will cause court log jam, up to 50,000 new cases says, Chief Judge Brown, where is money to support new program?
City of Miami Beach: Ethics Commission questions Beach conflict of interest ruling with Galbut, broad interpretation could have ‘chilling effect’
City of Coral Gables: Budget passes 3-2 says Slesnick, but hates to predict the future at final public hearing
Community Events: Citizens Crime Watch event –- Elephant Forum luncheon features Cardenas – Upcoming Margolis Collection 12th season
Editorials: Elected leaders should not denigrate people who rent, they are voters and taxpayers too — PAST May 2005 – WDR: Hail elected leaders; you all finally bring $11.2 billion in public institutions together to discuss mutual issues
Letters: Former police officer on cuts to children’s programs and cost to community
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.
ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street
>>> Crist, Meek, and Rubio verbally duke it out in debate, Crist gets caught from both sides, now has to deal with Republican Party audit he calls a “sham”
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, former state Rep. Marco Rubio, R-Miami and independent Gov. Charlie Crist had their first debate Friday at Univision in Doral and Crist is in the crosshairs of both political parties candidates. Rubio came out in support for a stronger immigration policy including an English only law, while Meek thought a more moderate immigration policy was called for and Crist was essentially in the middle with the congressman believing such tough laws are not right for Florida. A spot that for months has worked well with the governor as he battled the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, but with the well now capped. He has dropping television exposure that is also reflected with a drop in statewide polls giving the energetic Rubio a lead in the race. However, with only 43-days left until the election, all the candidates have put their campaigns after burners on and readers should expect a barrage of attack ads in the weeks ahead. To see the debate go to Meek, Rubio, Crist debate Friday night on Univision 16 Sep 2010 … The first debate between Florida’s three US Senate candidates during the general election campaign occurs Friday at the WLTV Univision 23 …
>>> Americas Conference at Biltmore highlights Gables as consulate central
The Americas Conference at the Biltmore Hotel last week highlights the international and gateway aspect of Miami. Coral Gables, where the Biltmore is located has the highest number of consulates in the county and the historic Miami hotel is the venue of choice. The conference, hosted and sponsored by The Miami Herald www.miamiherald.com along with other companies and organizations has evolved over the years and I first started going to them back in 1999.
>>> The Miami Herald cuts back again; veteran reporters concerned with story trends, BCC commissioner calls Marquez on her own property taxes
The Miami Herald www.miamiherald.com last week downsized another 49 people at the community daily newspaper and one photographer is included in the group. The paper also closed the news wire service after decades and Bob Norman in Broward has posted a letter written by 23 award winning and veteran Herald journalists concerned about the direction of where the paper has been going, some of the stories being run, and the use of information from some unknown blogs. Broward Palm Beach News – The Daily Pulp: Bob Norman’s Blog … The reporters that signed the document cut a wide swath in the newsroom and is the reporting cream of the crop.
>>> Veteran political reporter Reinhard says sayonara to Miami, going to D.C.
Further, Beth Reinhard, The Herald’s political reporter is saying sayonara in the days ahead to go to the nation’s capital and she and Leslie Clark. The paper’s Washington reporter have made a good team over the years bringing the news and how it relates to South Florida from the state capital to Washington, D.C. I also have done numerous television and radio shows with Reinhard and she brought insightful and thoughtful analysis to many political issues, candidates or races that were the topic of the day over the years.
>>> Commissioner Seijas chides Herald editor Marquez on her property taxes that went down on the Beach
A column done by Myriam Marquez on Sept. 5 www.miamherald.com with the headline Union demands hurt taxpayers got the attention of County Commissioner Natacha Seijas last week and The Miami Herald editorial board editor was disingenuous when it came to her own property taxes that went down thought the commissioner. Seijas said the journalist owned two properties on Miami Beach and her total taxes went down to the tune of “$509.00 less,” she said. However, Marquez corrected the record on Seijas Sunday in her column and the commissioner got the wrong person, wrote the journalist. She says in her case, she only owns one house, not two as Seijas suggested and the journalist spelled her first name differently from the other homeowner.
>>> Watchdog Report publisher renews with The Herald last week
The Watchdog Report publisher last week renewed my Herald subscription at around $150.00 per year and the woman on the phone was nice and appreciative during the transaction. Over the past decade, when I was a featured news columnist with the paper and paid $5,000 for roughly 50 columns a year. I did get the paper free as part of the deal from 2003-2007 but in the present climate. I am happy to pay to keep the paper in business in a small way helping to keep my reporter and photographer friends out in the field. For in total, The Herald is a critical component to this community’s political health and our understanding and tolerance of each other.
.
>>> Press release: Senate appropriators approve military spending bill – $300 million included for Florida projects
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has passed the Department of Defense Appropriations bill which, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, includes several major defense-related projects in Florida. “In addition to providing our troops with critical military equipment and training, these projects will also help Florida’s economy,” said Nelson. The bill, which overall provides $670 billion for the military, now heads to the full Senate.
For Florida, the bill provides more than $300 million for defense-related projects, including funding for the Florida National Guard’s counter-narcotics program. It also provides money for upgrades to surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft in Melbourne. Among other significant projects is funding for the Navy to purchase four E-2D aircraft, which is used to detect missile threats and built in St. Augustine. The University of Central Florida will also be able to expand its high-powered laser technology program and help retired shuttle workers find new employment. The spending bill also includes money for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which will fund the development of a hypothermia treatment to limit paralysis.
Below are further details on the above-mentioned measures.
>>> Miami Project to Cure Paralysis: $5.6 million to continue development of a moderate hypothermia treatment to limit paralysis resulting from acute brain and spinal cord injuries which can result from acute brain and spinal cord injuries which often occur as a result of combat injuries to soldiers on the battlefield.
>>> University of Central Florida: $2 million for a high-powered laser and optical technology program that will develop dual-use laser technologies and re-train displaced Space Coast workers who wish to transition to the laser and photonics industry.
>>> University of Central Florida: $2 million to further develop advanced lightweight vehicle protection materials for U.S. Army personnel fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, thereby increasing efficiency and also saving soldiers’ lives.
>>> Florida National Guard: $2.9 million to ensure continued successful execution of the President’s counter-narcotics initiatives and operationally posture the program to meet evolving threats.
>>> Florida State University: $2 million to investigate energy delivery technologies and to provide modeling and simulation for the Navy’s next-generation integrated power system for its future warships.
>>> Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS): $220 million to upgrade the JSTARS aircraft, which provides critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage for American troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.
>>> E2-D Hawkeye: $171.1 million for the Navy to purchase four additional E2-D Advanced Hawkeye Aircraft that will greatly enhance the Navy’s ability to defend against enemy air and missile threats.
>>> Press release: FORMER GUATEMALAN SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS ON NATURALIZATION FORMS REGARDING 1982 MASSACRE OF GUATEMALAN VILLAGERS 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.
>>> 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 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
>>> Scott & Sink making their case with state voters, Republicans energized, Democratic voter turnout key to any victory
Alex Sink and Rick Scott, the Democratic and Republican Party champions to be the next governor of Florida continue to battle it out on the airwaves and Scott got a extensive investigative report in The Miami Herald www.miamiherald.com today, and the healthcare executive continues to be dogged by his past company, Columbia/HCA, that after he left the helm. The hospital chain paid a record $1.7 billion fine for bilking Medicare. People from his past business dealings are stepping forward with new information but for many of the party faithful. His candidacy is posing a real dilemma given their concern with Scott’s past business dealings and former gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum has yet to endorse Scott and his insurgent campaign. McCollum, who made Medicaid fraud while attorney general a major initiative, in his last campaign press release this week does not mention Scott at all. And for a party known for closing ranks once the champion has been anointed. The attorney general’s omission shows how shocked he still is of losing to the man with this past, that also effectively ended his own political career.
Sink is campaigning around the state and her fundraising is picking up but Scott is framing her as a President Barack Obama supporter, another tax and spend liberal and Scott says that is something the Sunshine State cannot live with. She is responding that after four years as the state chief financial officer, she has seen it all and wants to bring a more pragmatic approach to governance and will not raise taxes. In an interview with Michael Putney Sink referred to Scott as a “cheat” when it came to fraudulent Medicare billings. She also believes the voters of Florida will support her after they review “the character of any future governor.” And Sink wants to change that clubby atmosphere at the state capital while getting Floridians back to work and the state economically growing again, a refrain Scott echoes with his tag line, “Let’s get to work,” his ads, intone.
It remains to be seen how they match up when the former banker and the healthcare executive have their two debates but their performance and answers in such a forum could be a major factor with state voters as the days click by until the Nov. 2 general election. And once again, voter turnout could be key that currently has Republicans more energized in getting to the polls, and unless Democrats blunt that political ground game with their own party faithful turnout. In a squeaker, Scott could take the day, as the economic doldrums around the state continues and unemployment continues to climb higher. Editor’s note: Check out Sink’s interview with WPLG 10 senior political reporter Michael Putney at www.justnews.com today.
>>> McCollum campaign sayonara note last week: To my Friends and Supporters, although the primary election did not give us the results we worked so hard to achieve, your constant confidence and support throughout the campaign was greatly appreciated. Post election analysis shows we won the Election Day vote, but it was not enough to overcome the lead my opponent amassed in absentee and early votes (46% of the votes were cast before Election Day). This campaign was never about me, but about making Florida great again for our kids and grandkids. I’m proud of the campaign we ran and of our focus on addressing the state’s most challenging issues in the toughest of economic times. Serving as a Navy JAG officer, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and now as your Attorney General has been a privilege for which I am indebted beyond measure to the people of Florida.
This Tuesday, September 14th, in Pensacola, my office will be in court to defend our healthcare lawsuit against the Obama Administration’s motion to dismiss our constitutional challenge. I will appear on Fox News Channel’s “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” program at 10:00 pm EST this evening to discuss this issue, as well as on “Fox and Friends” tomorrow morning at 8:20 a.m. EST, among other programs. I hope you will tune in and continue to follow this critically important lawsuit as it progresses through the courts. Although I will complete my term as your Attorney General in January, I will work hard to fulfill these and other important obligations for the people of Florida over the coming months. >>>I hope you will stay in touch through email and through my website, www.BillMccollum.com, as well as through Facebook and on Twitter. It is my intent to remain active in public policy effecting our state and nation even after leaving office in January and hope you will remain engaged with me. We will use these tools to help rally support for Republicans in November and to advance the conservative causes I know will return prosperity to our state for generations to come. Again, Ingrid and I truly appreciate your support and look forward to keeping in touch. Warm regards always,
>>> Florida Tax Watch is reporting that the budget shortfall for the coming year might be $5 to $6 billion has been reduced to $2.5 billion.
Press release: New Estimate Cuts Next Year’s Projected Budget Shortfall by More than Half: Government Cost Savings Task Force can more than eliminate the shortfall without raising taxes – As anticipated by Florida TaxWatch in a series of Budget Watches released last month, the projected state budget shortfall for next year has been reduced considerably. The Legislative Budget Commission met today to adopt the annual State of Florida Long-Range Financial Outlook report. This report forecasts a budget shortfall of $2.5 billion for FY 2011-12, less than half of the previous estimate of $5.5 billion. The estimated shortfall is the difference between available general revenue and projected spending – which is current recurring appropriations plus additional funding for “critical needs” and “high priority needs.” Critical needs are the minimum the state must spend unless significant law or structural changes are made, and high priority needs are other historically funded issues. When only critical needs are considered, the projected shortfall is $828 million.
The change in the shortfall estimate comes from a combination of increased revenues and decreased spending pressures. The Legislature will have $1.26 billion more in general revenue (GR) than it expected when last year’s estimate was developed. This comes from both the recent increase in the GR estimates and some revenue increases passed by the 2010 Legislature (primarily the Gaming Compact and Tax Amnesty). There was also a $1.7 billion decrease in the needed expenditure estimate. This resulted from about $800 million in recurring budget reductions by the 2010 Legislature and $900 in reduced “needs.” For the 2011-12 budget, Florida will have $2.6 billion more in general revenue than it spent in 2010-11. But the critical and high priority needs are estimated at $4.9 billion. In addition, $214.5 million is needed to beginning paying back the money the legislature borrowed from the Budget Stabilization Fund. This results in the $2.5 billion shortfall…
School Districts Set to Get $550 Million in Federal Aid; Legislators Caution to Not Treat it Like a Windfall
The Legislative Budget Commission also today approved a budget amendment to allow the Department of Education to “pass-through” $554.8 million in federal funds to the state’s school districts. This money was part of the legislation Congress passed in August to extend stimulus funding to the states. While this money is going directly to the districts, it was made clear at the Commission meeting that the Legislature wants to use it to help balance next year’s budget. Senate budget chief JD Alexander stated that while he knew that the federal government did not want the money to be used to shore up reserves, he advised the districts to set aside a similar amount of other funds for next year. He said the Legislature will consider the federal money received by the districts when determining its per student funding level. >>> Thank You for your continued support and interest in Florida TaxWatch, without which the above work would not be possible. You are helping us “get the job done” for the taxpayers of Florida. Please visit our website at www.floridataxwatch.org.
>>> Press release: What a week for The Children’s Movement of Florida…
Five days and five cities: Daytona Beach, Orlando, Fort Pierce, Tampa and Lakeland. The week before: Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee and Gainesville. We have been thus far with 6,000 energized and enthusiastic citizens of Florida.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>> Burgess takes on county’s city managers on $5 million raid on their allocated revenues; conversations were “animated”
County Manager George Burgess held a summit with all the other city and village managers throughout Miami-Dade County Friday morning at government center and to say the conversation was frank and heated is an understatement. Burgess is trying to get some transportation money for the three community’s that were not incorporated in 2002 when county voters passed a countywide half-cent-sales tax to be used for public transportation and the 32 municipalities in existence back then were to get a 20 percent cut of the revenues that comes in total at about $175 million. Burgess, a long time county employee was appointed to the job in June of 2003 and wants to divert $5 million of these funds to the left out cities but the other municipal managers are crying foul. Burgess argued that the unincorporated area of the county had longer bus runs as an example for why there is not money he could substitute with, but the managers would have none of that. And Miami Beach Manager Jorge Gonzalez had an “animated” exchange said one source at the meeting in an 18th floor conference room.
And the manager of Pinecrest also had some tough words and many challenged why the county manager gave out pay raises in the coming year. Burgess is said to have responded that he has not had a raise for three-years, but that was not what Pinecrest Manager Peter Lombardi was talking about. He was challenging the over $100 million in raises given to the county employees while cities were holding the line. The participants also questioned if Burgess would find the money if the county commission had requested it. To help move this issue along, a committee has been established to try to work out some of the differences between the county and the cities and it includes City of Miami senior executive Alice Bravo, a former FDOT regional secretary and Miami Beach assistant manager Hilda Fernandez, a former county employee and past executive director of the county’s Homeless Trust.
>>> Mayor Regalado says Miami & Hialeah filed suit today on the issue
Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado on Friday told the Watchdog Report that the city has filed suit on this raid of money along with Hialeah today. Hialeah, was under Mayor Raul Martinez in 2002 when the tax passed and he was a big proponent of getting the tax approved, that originally included an independent oversight board, and he started the bonding procedures even before the tax passed, to give the county’s second largest city a head start in the process. At the time the county commission knew they had to bring in the community’s cities to get the tax passed after a first attempt in July of 1999 went down in flames, even though the vote was held on a obscure late July voting day back then and commissioners thought it would fly under voters radar, but that was not the case.
>>> Village web-page: Peter G. Lombardi was appointed by the Mayor and Village Council as Pinecrest’s first Village Manager and assumed his office on September 3, 1996. Mr. Lombardi served as the City Manager/City Clerk of the City of Treasure Island, Florida for seventeen years prior to his appointment as Pinecrest’s chief administrative officer. He was also the Town Manager of Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, City Manager of Claremont, New Hampshire and Assistant Town Manager of Plainville, Connecticut. Mr. Lombardi is a native of Hartford, Connecticut and is a graduate of the University of Hartford with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration. He has been a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) since 1968. He is also a member of the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) where he served as District V Director on the Board of Directors for the 2005-2007 term.
At public budget meetings at the county, people that get up to speak should realize that commission staff is pulling up your property tax bill while you are speaking and a number of speakers, that got a lot of press after Monday’s late night meeting, were not accurate in some of their statements. A woman who cried at the beginning of the public hearing actually sold her home for a small sum to her daughter but was now underwater in the property value, and a rental house she also owned had reduced taxes. (Editor’s note: I first got this story Wednesday from Glenna Milberg www.justnews.com but a number of other people mentioned it later, so I did the story.) Commissioner Natacha Seijas also said she had her own solution. She told fellow commissioners from the dais she has gathered the names on Spanish media outlets reporters and guests that have criticized their property tax bills and plans to go release their property tax information that is public, and go on other media shows to state her case. Staff was also reviewing other speakers, with wireless internet connections, this data is available with a blink of the eye, and property owners should keep this fact in mind when speaking at the Sept. 23 final public budget hearing.
>>> Commissioner Souto outraged at cut periodical program funding started in 93, but gets bumped to $850,000 in 98
Commissioner Javier Souto is outraged that the county Periodicals Program is not being funded in the county’s coming year’s budget recommended by Mayor Carlos Alvarez and believes it could lead to “tyranny,” he said Tuesday morning at the county’s first public budget hearing. The commissioner thought reducing the media outlets would create a “monopoly” when it came to the press and these small free newspapers provide a service to the local residents. The former state senator noted that Miami-Dade “is a democracy” and “for the people” noting the “more open we are the better it functions.” He thought not only was the printed press affected but said the cutbacks in the county’s cable station will only result “in more secrecy here and more control” and it is “totally wrong,” he thought.
The Periodical Program was first created by the county commission in Dec. 1993 when $150,000 was shifted out of the $3.4 million set aside in the advertising budget of the county. The justification back then was to get county government affairs known in the diverse community that makes up South Florida, “including informing the impoverished, elderly, and minority communities,” states a July 10, 2003 memo written by County Auditor Cathy Jackson on the subject. Since then the amount given to the over 50 papers in the program has risen since 98 when the amount was bumped to $850,000. And in 2002, that number rose to $1.16 million, and later settles in at around $973,000 in 2006 and currently is around the $1 million mark I believe.
What was unusual in 2003?
The referenced audit back then found that six of these papers were unable to be found and the county program back then paid about $20,000 each to these apparently fictitious small community papers. The county after this report tightened up the qualifying criteria but it is unknown if it is being complied with at this time.
>>> Commissioner Jordan is keeping upcoming budget vote “close to the vest”
During the budget hearing Commissioner Barbara Jordon noted that during the budget discussions going on. She was going to “Keep everything close to the vest” on how she might vote at the Sept. 23 final public hearing, unless some of her concerns are resolved. Commission Chair Dennis Moss noted her comments were “a continued theme” on the dais, as the clock ticks and the next Committee of the Whole budget meeting is planned on Monday at 10: 00 a.m., at the Commission Chambers in downtown government center. www.miamidade.gov
>>> Farm Share food for poor shoots up to 469,000 households, a 69 % increase from year before!
Representatives of Farm Share Inc. made an impressive case at Monday’s public budget hearing for Miami-Dade County. The small in dollar size organization cobbles together impressive results when it comes to providing a basic need, food. The organization collects food from around the state and even Georgia at certain times of the year and the number of families served in the free food distribution program for the year ending June 30 was 469,332 household families a 69 percent increase from the 192,192 served in the previous year. For more information go to www.farmshare.org.
>>> Ethics Commission press release: Lobbyists cited for not reporting expenses
A lobbyist who registered with Miami-Dade County in 2007, but failed to file a Lobbyist Expenditure Statement as required by July first of the following year, has settled the complaint against him. Peter Gonzalez, who represented Maefield Holdings, LLC., will pay $250 in administrative costs. In exchange, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust will dismiss the pending complaint (C 10-27).
>>> The Ethics Commission today also issued findings of probable cause against two lobbyists who failed to file the required Lobbyist Expenditure Statement. Complaints were filed against Eric Jackson (C 10-28), who registered to represent Telefax Medical in August of 2007, and Domenic Massari (C 10-32), who registered in March of 2007 as a lobbyist for SolarDiesel Corporation. Despite repeated reminders and notices, neither has completed the required form. >>> The Ethics Commission was created in 1996 as an independent agency with advisory and quasi-judicial powers. It is composed of five members, serving staggered terms of four years each. Through a program of education, outreach and enforcement, the Commission seeks to empower the community and bolster public trust.
>>> Press release: Miami-Dade’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increases to 12.7 percent in August 2010, up from 12.4 percent in July 2010
Miami-Dade County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August 2010 was 12.7 percent. This was an increase of 0.3 percent compared to July 2010 (12.4%) and an increase of 1.8 percent compared to August 2009. The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 14.4 percent in August 2010 and 13.3 percent in July 2010 (not taking in consideration seasonal fluctuations in the labor force). One of the reasons for the increase in the unemployment rate is the growth in the labor force. Between August 2009 and August 2010 more than 51,000 people entered the labor force. Resulting from the increased confidence that the recession is slowly coming to an end, more people who had given up on finding a job decided to enter the search and thus the labor force again. The August 2010 unemployment rate for the State of Florida was 12.4 percent. This was an increase of 0.4 percent compared to July 2010. The United States unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in August 2010 a decrease of 0.2 percent from July 2010.
For neighboring Broward County, the unemployment rate in August 2010 was 10.7 percent. This was an increase of 0.2 percent compared to July 2010 and an increase of 0.8 percent compared to August 2009. For Palm Beach County, it was 12.5 percent. This was an increase of 0.2 percent compared to July 2010 and an increase of 0.8 percent compared to August 2009. The overall unemployment rate for the tri-county area in August 2010 was 12.8 percent (12.1 percent in July 2010). The South Florida region (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach MSA) experienced a loss of 6,200 non-agricultural jobs between August 2009 and August 2010. Non-agricultural companies in Miami-Dade County lost 1,400 jobs between August 2009 and August 2010, a decrease of 0.1 percent. However, between July 2010 and August 2010 10,000 new jobs were created. Despite this increase in new non-agricultural payroll jobs, it was not enough to offset the increase in the labor force. The construction sector experienced a decrease in employment of 1,700 jobs or 4.8 percent decrease between August 2009 and August 2010, but stabilized between July 2010 and August 2010 with no increase or decrease. During the same period, manufacturing lost 1,800 jobs (-4.9%), and financial activities lost 3,100 jobs (-4.8 %). Other industries grew over the year. Wholesale trade (2,200 jobs or 3.3%), retail trade (1,000 jobs or 0.9%), air transportation (300 jobs or 2.1%) professional and business services (1,500 jobs or 1.2%), and leisure and hospitality (1,100 jobs or 1.1%) gained new jobs year over year. At the same time, there are a few sectors, as detailed below, that have gained jobs between July 2010 and August 2010. This indicates companies have begun hiring, albeit cautiously. The large increase in local government is due to the start of the new school year and this increase occurs annually.
| Sector | July 2010 – August 2010 Job Change
(% Change) |
| Local Government | 13,000 (13.0%) |
| Retail trade | 400 (0.3%) |
| Wholesale Trade | 300 (0.4%) |
| Financial Activities | 200 (0.3%) |
| Nondurable Goods Manufacturing | 100 (0.7%) |
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. Visit www.beaconcouncil.com for more information.
>>> Press release: Animal Services invites you to celebrate its 5th Anniversary with a Pet Adoption Party on Sunday, September 26th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The adoption celebration will be held at the Animal Services Shelter located at 7401 NW 74 Street, Miami, FL 33166. This Pet Adoption Party will give residents the opportunity to adopt dogs and cats who are in need of a loving home and find true unconditional love. Anyone who adopts a pet at the event will receive a complimentary picture with their new family member. WHAT: Happy 5th Anniversary Pet Adoption Party -WHO: Miami-Dade Animal Services Department
WHEN: Sunday, September 26th, 2010 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. -WHERE: Miami-Dade Animal Services Shelter – 7401 NW 74 ST – Miami, FL 33166 –Adoption Requirements: Interested adopters must be at least 18 years old. Adoption fees apply, including a $50 refundable deposit if pet is not yet spayed or neutered. Only Miami-Dade County residents may adopt pets under the spay/neuter agreement. Attendance is free and open to the public. Donations of dog and/or cat toys are appreciated. It is the policy of Miami-Dade County to comply with all of the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The facility is accessible. For sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices or materials in accessible format, please call 305 884-1102, ext 255, at least five days in advance. Adoption Gift Certificates are also available. If you are thinking about giving a pet to someone as a present, you may purchase an Adoption Gift Certificate so they choose the pet best for their lifestyle. Donation Gift Certificates are ideal presents for any occasion. It’s the perfect gift for everyone and a gift that will help the shelter animals.
>>> GMCVB press release: TIME RUNNING OUT! GMCVB’S MIAMI SPICE RESTAURANT MONTH RUNS THROUGH SEPTEMBER -GMCVB’s annual Miami Spice Restaurant Month is a mouth-watering summer restaurant promotion showcasing the very best of Miami cuisine. Through September, Miami’s top restaurants offer three-course meals (Lunch $22, Dinner $35) excluding tax and gratuity. This is the time to enjoy signature dishes created by world-renowned chefs. For participating restaurants, menus and reservations, visit www.iLoveMiamiSpice.com.
BROWARD COUNTY
>>> State Sen. Ring in the spotlight, elected in 2006, had $18.6 million net worth through 2006
State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate is in the spotlight this week and he represents senate District 32. The entrepreneur, 40, was first elected to the office in 2006 and he has numerous committee assignments in the body. He attended Syracuse University and has a variety of interests including being a history buff.
What do we know about his finances?
Ring through 2009 had a net worth of $18.6 million and he lists $860,000 in household goods. His home is valued at $1.7 million and a condominium is worth $124,000. There is $13.8 million in securities, other investments and a partnership is valued at 2.8 million, and there is $10,000 in cash. His only listed liabilities are a mortgage owed $750,000 and another margin loan is owed $45,659. The lawmaker’s income was $729,000 from interest, dividends, the state kicked in $48,070, and he had investment losses of $7,060 and $360,000.
>>> 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
>>> State PD Haughwout in the spotlight, first elected in 2000, had $1.7 million net worth through March
Carey S. Haughwout, the Palm Beach Public Defender is in the spotlight this week and the former private defense attorney was first elected to the office in 2000. She has been an assistant public defender in her legal career and she is highly respected say sources that know her.
What do we know about her finances?
Through March 2010, the public defender had a net worth of $1.7 million and she lists $35,000 in household goods. Her home is valued at $850,000, there is $182,000 in an IRA, she has $549,000 in cash reserves, and a retirement fund has $159,000 in it. She has no debt listed and the only income for the year was $151,000 in her official capacity.
She has been board certified in criminal trials since 1992. http://www.pbcgov.com/criminaljustice/members/careyhaughwout.htm
>>> Governor Charlie Crist taps Judge James Martz II to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court.
“Judge Martz’s experience as a law enforcement officer has given him an advantageous legal perspective, which has allowed him to serve the people of Palm Beach County impartially and fairly,” said Governor Crist. “I am confident he will continue to demonstrate an ethical and honest commitment to public service.”
Judge Martz, 53, of Delray Beach, has been a Palm Beach County Court Judge since 2006. Previously, he was an assistant state attorney at the Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office from 1995 to 1996, and from 1997 to 2006, and was managing partner of Martz-Curie, PA from 1996 to 1997. Before receiving his law degree, Judge Martz served as a law enforcement officer in Clarkstown, New York, from 1979 to 1992, and Santa Monica, California, from 1977 to 1979. Judge Martz earned his bachelor’s degree from Empire State College in New York and his law degree from Nova Southeastern Law School. Judge Martz will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Edward A. Garrison.
LEON COUNTY
>>> Press release: Governor Charlie Crist today recognized Dr. W. Ross Ellington of Tallahassee as this week’s Governor’s Point of Light.
“Dr. Ellington’s commitment to serve and lead other academic and scientific professionals during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill plays a vital role in the Sunshine State’s recovery,” said Governor Crist. “His leadership, professionalism and wisdom as chair of the State University System’s Oil Spill Academic Task Force is a tremendous asset during this unprecedented environmental disaster.”
As chair of the State University System’s Oil Spill Academic Task Force, Dr. Ellington devoted countless hours beyond his typical research duties leading other professionals in assisting Florida and the Gulf region in responding to the oil spill. Under his leadership, the task force quickly became a leader in scientific research of all potential impacts from the oil spill. Dr. Ellington eagerly accepted his role as chair of the task force while maintaining his leadership roles at Florida State University. While serving as chair of the task force, Dr. Ellington continued as a professor and research scientist of biological sciences.
In addition, Dr. Ellington is an associate vice president for research at Florida State University, vice president of the FSU Research Foundation, and vice president of the FSU Magnet & Research Development Corporation. “Within days of the oil spill, Dr. Ellington and many of his colleagues stepped up to collaborate and start what they knew would be a challenging and necessary long-term process. I am proud of the work of both the task force and the Florida Institute of Oceanography in coordinating and leading Florida academia’s participation in support of the State’s overall response and recovery,” said Chancellor Frank T. Brogan of the State University System of Florida. >>> AAA Auto Club South is the supporting sponsor of the Governor’s Points of Light Award. Walt Disney World is an in-kind supporter. This program recognizes Florida residents who demonstrate exemplary service to the community. Award recipients are announced weekly. A panel of judges comprised of leaders in the areas of volunteerism and service evaluate all nominations and make recommendations to the Governor. Florida’s Foundation manages the program.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist made appointments to the First Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
James F. Anders II, 59, of Seacrest Beach, owner of Anders Real Estate and Timber Company, succeeding Jackie Bytell, appointed for a term beginning September 16, 2010, and ending July 1, 2014.
Michael J. Griffith, 62, of Pensacola, self-employed attorney, succeeding Pamela Moine, appointed for a term beginning September 16, 2010, and ending July 1, 2014.
Joseph A. Zarzaur Jr., 39, of Pensacola Beach, attorney and partner with Taylor Martino Zarzaur P.C., succeeding Wanda Clapp, appointed for a term beginning September 16, 2010, and ending July 1, 2014.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Crist’s appointments to Nineteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
Thomas R. Bakkedahl, 44, of Palm City, Chief Assistant State Attorney for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, succeeding Alan Polackwich, appointed for a term beginning September 16, 2010, and ending July 1, 2014.
Canda B. Brown, 56, of Vero Beach, partner and attorney with Jackson Barkett and Brown, succeeding Cynthia Angelos, appointed for a term beginning September 16, 2010, and ending July 1, 2014.
Shaun T. Plymale, 37, of Palm City, managing shareholder of Chapman and Plymale Law P.A., succeeding Nita Denton, appointed for a term beginning September 16, 2010, and ending July 1, 2014.
MONROE COUNTY
>>> U.S. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen wants to know where BP money is for the Keys
Press release: Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen sent a missive yesterday, Wednesday, to Kenneth Feinberg, Administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility overseeing the BP claims process, requesting a detailed brief regarding the claims of Florida Keys affected small businesses who have yet to be paid by BP. The Congresswoman also sent a detailed listing of the many constituents she represents who have met delays after delays with the BP claims process. Ileana requested a full accounting of the number of outstanding claims for our area, as well as a listing of the average processing times for all other completed claims. She also requested an update on the Keys based pending claims.
Statement by Ros-Lehtinen: “BP has repeatedly informed my staff and I that BP will not walk away from its financial responsibility to the Florida Keys, yet countless claims from affected small businesses in the Keys continue to go unpaid. This is simply unacceptable and unfair for all the small mom and pop businesses that have seen their economic livelihood decimated simply because tourists are under the wrong impression that oil reached our pristine Keys shores.
The Florida Keys are wholly dependent on tourism dollars and the Gulf oil spill has basically hampered economic activity throughout the island chain with many cancellations due to the spill. I have a responsibility to my constituents to make sure that all legitimate claims are paid and BP has a responsibility to right this terrible wrong. I will not allow BP to walk away from these affected businesses, economic harm has been done and these claims must be paid as soon as possible.”
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
>>> Community oversight firewall elects Thornburg & McKee as audit committee chair, vice chair, orderly transition not always the case
Another year goes by with a smooth and routine vote for the officers of the school board audit committee Tuesday and that was always not the case for this important board that is a community fire wall of how the over $4.3 billion in public tax dollars is spent. A decade ago, there was no turnover of the chair until around 2004 and it led to a less than effective deliberate oversight board. Since the change, the audit committee made up of tax attorneys, CPAs, a school board member and a citizen currently has functioned much better and is more probing in their questions. The committee reelected Frederick F. Thornburg as the chair and in a e-mail after the meeting he wrote, “In reply to your inquiry, I remain as the AC Chair for the coming year, nominated by School Board Vice Chair Perla Tabares Hantman and Rayfield McKee, Esq. was elected as the new Vice Chair, nominated by Peter Lagonowicz, Esq.,” wrote the veteran audit committee member.
What about one of the audits and the 20 wayward elmployees?
A forensic audit done by the district auditor’s office found a number of employees were taking off from their jobs even though they were still clocked in and getting a paycheck for the free time. The issue involved 20 electricians in the facilities and maintenance operation and they had “improperly left their work sites” and subsequently were “claiming a full day on their time sheets, states the Sept. 3 district auditor memo. The people were disciplined with a suspension of “eight days (80 hours) and required to pay the District restitution equal to two days (20 hours).” >>> Editor’s note: This may seem small but the fact they were caught is what is important, because it sends a message throughout the nation’s fourth largest public school district that one has to be on the job, if they want to get paid.
>>> School district quote of the week
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho discussed the recent approved federal funding that is coming the district to the tune of $140 million and he plans to “book” that money over a two-year period he told audit committee members Tuesday. The audit chair said that was a lot of “Manna from heaven,” especially since the budget was balanced before the money was approved. Asked how Richard Hines, Ph.D., the district CFO felt about the newfound money. Carvalho said, “Hines has never met money he did not like,” when it comes to the cash strapped school system.
>>> 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
>>> PHT retreat cancelled, BCC budget discussion Monday, elected leaders should realize running hospital, not doing reports, #1 task
Dennis Moss, the chair of the Miami-Dade commission telegraphed a message to the Public Health Trust about the Sept. 20 morning county commission budget meeting that caused the trust to cancel a planned retreat Sunday and Monday, and Moss is looking at the PHT’s “Medicaid contract” and the Jackson Memorial Foundation’s international marketing arm (which gets about $7 million) from the trust to possible fill some budget holes. Moss on the dais well after midnight, said he would try to replace the money to CHI in south Dade, perhaps through these other appropriations in the health trust budget. The PHT had its day long committee meetings Tuesday and the staff is trying to make all the deadlines that the PHT board and county commission is asking for and the candles are burning late into the night these days. The health system has been trying to right itself over the past year but seems to never get a break and now the most disturbing trend is the precipitous drop in Medicaid patients, about half the number than seen in the past.
What about the PHT staff?
The county commission should realize there are so many hours in the day when they demand analysis and other requests from the PHT staff. For they are working overtime and elected leaders should realize that the number one task should be keeping the hospital running and providing the world class medical care the system delivers.
>>> PAST WDR: Who were the chosen trustee candidates for interviews?
After extending the application deadline, 69 people applied and 23 of them were selected to be interviewed Sept 29 and 30th. The people making the selection cut are Rene Alvarez, Gladys Ayala*, Sal Barbera, Hugo Castro, Mary Coombs, Marvin Diaz-Lacayo, Alan Erzin, Charles Fultz, Morrie Hollander, Saif Yamani Ishoof*, Clifford Kolber, Angel Medina*, Noelia Moreno, Stephen Nuell, Kamlesh Oza, Robin Reiter-Faragalli, Manny Alejandro Rodriguez, Mark Rogers, Jonathan Rose, Roberto Saco, Kenneth Sellers, Frederick Thornburg, and Raul Valdes-Fauli. Editor’s note: A * indicates a trustee incumbent.
What should they do now?
Candidates should read as much as possible about what is going on at Jackson Memorial Hospital system including www.miamiherald.com & www.watchdogreport.net & Jackson Health System Purpose of the Public Health Trust … About Public Relations & Marketing … It is also home to the Ryder Trauma Center, Miami-Dade County’s only Level 1 …
http://www.jhsmiami.org/ >>> Public Health Trust In 2003, the Board of County Commissioners amended Chapter 25A of the Miami-Dade County Code that governs the Public Health Trust. http://www.jhsmiami.org/body.cfm?id=45
>>> Here are two reports that should be read. >>> >>> To read the Grand Jury report go to Miami Dade Office of the State Attorney, 11th Judicial Circuit …
>>> County IG Report: Final Report on OIG Review of the Jackson Health System Business Plan for Civica Tower, Prepared January 2010, Ref. IG09-89, August 26, 2010. The Business Plan or see the story in www.miamiherald.com
>>> Upcoming PHT Council meetings — Sept 22, 2010 11:30am-1:30pm – Nominating Council convenes – Review interview questionnaire and select questions in preparation for interviews
>>> Sept 29, 2010 – 9am-5pm Sept 30, 2010 – 9am-5pm Nominating Council Convenes: Interview Finalists Select slate of nominees for presentation to Board
>>> October 19, 2010 – Final nominees presented to the Board for approval
***Request Waiver to BCC
>>> County Ethics commission ruling: The Florida Ethics Commission asked (RQO 10-25) whether non-voting members of the Public Health Trust (PHT) are required to file financial disclosure statements. The Ethics Commission ruled that the section of the Conflict of Interest Ordinance that requires annual income reports [2-11.1 (i) (2)] does NOT apply to non-voting ex-officio members of the PHT. They include the Deans of the University of Miami and Florida International University Medical Schools, UM’s Dean of Nursing, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer of the PHT, and a labor union representative.
CITY OF MIAMI
>>> Red light cameras will cause court log jam, up to 50,000 new cases says, Chief Judge Brown, where is money to support new program?
While the city of Miami is planning to fill a budget hole with the use of traffic cameras at intersections to the tune of $8 million in next year’s budget with the fines costing $75 an infraction. The use of red light cameras has been a boon to cash strapped governments facing collapsed property values and there use has sprouted up throughout Miami-Dade and Miami is just the most recent. However, municipalities working under the direction of the new state law may find there is an issue when it comes to actually getting the money. At a Thursday Miami-Dade County Committee meeting Chief Circuit Court Judge Joel Brown told the committee this is an unfunded mandate and if people getting tickets appealed the fine, it could create a massive backlog since there is no funding for this activity.
The jurist said up to “50,000 cases” could work through the system and there was a need for 7 to 12 magistrates to hear the cases, and the unbudgeted cost was $75,000 to $100,000 he estimated. He also said that did not include where the hearings would be held, perhaps in the municipalities City Halls or police stations where the tickets are generated, like the courts did decades ago. He said, “We do not have the court officers” for such an expansive new program. “They came and we have to build it,” which is the reverse of the film “Field of Dreams” taking off a movie title involving a ballpark as a contrast. Commissioner Rebeca Sosa chimed in saying the Florida legislature “created this monster, they should pay for it [the increased local county court costs],”she thought. This beef came up because the way the state legislation is written, the money is divided between the state and the municipalities but the county gets none. The Watchdog Report has been watching this red light camera push for the last year and it brings together a bevy of major lobbyists pushing their company over another with likely new state Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami leading the charge for the company that was successful in Miami’s case.
What did Mayor Regalado say about waste contracts and the county?
Mayor Tomas Regalado told the Watchdog Report Friday that county manager George Burgess sent a memo to the Miami manager requesting a multi-decade solid waste contract with the city. If the county was to consider some $45 million in water and sewer funding designated for dumps to be used for the Virginia Key dump clean up that was closed in the 1970s. The relations with the county and the cities is at a all time low, with the tough budgets, and these public institutions are all playing hardball politics.
>>> Mgr. always on top of the issue, Sarnoff questions his “smug[ness].”
At Thursday’s commission meeting as the affair dragged on, the commissioners got more expansive in their verbal comments. Manager Carlos Migoya when asked if he had an appointment to name on a city board. He said of course he does and “I am always prepared,” he shot back to Chair Marc Sarnoff. The commission chair responded that the manager looked very “smug” and the elected official mused how the manager might have been in school as an adolescent given his now confident manner. The manager’s brainpower also came up again when Frank Carollo said Migoya had a “good memory” and the manager shot back “yes I do,” said the retired banker.
>>> Miami Jewish Health Systems will get a new generator for the nursing facility after the Miami Housing and Commercial Loan Committee on Friday passed an item authorizing $990,550 for the job. The facility is on a 28-acre site in Douglas Gardens in Little Haiti and around 5,679 people get served there said a volunteer responding to questions on the issue.
>>> A request for $2 million from Carrfour Supportive Housing Inc. was also approved by the HCL committee but with amendments to the deal on Friday.
>>> Is saving of Gusman just a few weeks away, Commissioner Sarnoff says so
Friends of Gusman Center have a friend in Mayor Tomas Regalado said Commission Chair Marc Sarnoff at Thursday’s public budget hearing and alluded to a bailout plan by an unknown benefactor, that “would make the performing arts center” representatives “jealous,” said the commissioner to Arva Moore Park, a decades long historic rights preservationist. He suggested in a few weeks the details would emerge but suggested no more of the theater’s speakers should have to come before the commissioners. Sarnoff also noted he is learning the meaning of “faith” from Commissioner Francis Suarez when it comes to things working out. For more information about the historic theater go to www.gusmancenter.org
>>> Press release: The Civilian Investigative Panel (CIP), an agency of the City of Miami providing independent citizens’ oversight of the Miami Police Department, seeks qualified applicants to fill two vacancies on its Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee interviews applicants for CIP membership and makes recommendations regarding persons who should be appointed to the CIP. The vacant seats on the Committee are for City of Miami Commission Districts 1 and 3. Members must be either permanent residents of the Commission District, own real property, work or maintain a business in the district, have a good reputation for integrity and community service and shall not have a record of a felony conviction, nor be a current or former City of Miami police officer. Interested persons must submit a completed application and a biography or resume. Applications may be downloaded at www.miamigov.com/cip, obtained from the CIP office at 970 SW 1 St., Suite 305 or by calling 305-960-4950/fax 305-960-4959. Completed applications are to be mailed or delivered to the CIP address listed above. Recruitment will remain open until a sufficient number of applications are received.
>>> 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
>>> Ethics Commission questions Beach conflict of interest ruling with Galbut, broad interpretation could have ‘chilling effect’
County Ethics commission ruling: The Commission was asked through a Request for Opinion (RQO 10-24) to opine on a ruling by a Miami Beach city attorney who determined there is a business relationship between a lobbyist and an advisory board member, which, under that municipality’s stringent ordinance, would prohibit the lobbyist’s activities. Seth Frohlich, who serves on the city’s Planning Board, has a seven percent share of a company that owns half of the Mondrian Condominium Hotel. Russell Galbut, who is registered to represent many entities in Miami Beach, is the Asset Manager of the company that owns the other half of the property. The city determined that since both men have a common business interest, Mr. Galbut should be barred from lobbying any government entity in Miami Beach. Ethics Commissioners expressed concern that broad ban could have a “chilling effect” and requested staff to meet with the Miami Beach city attorney to reconsider his interpretation of the law.
>>> Press release: Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club – Meeting Date: Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 -Meeting Time: 8:30 AM Meeting Place: David’s Café II, 1654 Meridian Ave., South Beach
Miami Beach civic activist Gabrielle Redfern, speaks out against the city’s proposed fifty million dollars in Parking Bonds (debt), as this week’s guest speaker at the September 21st meeting of the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club.
Gabrielle has been investigating the finances of the city Parking Department, which brings in some thirty million dollars a year, and has formed some strong opinions as to the benefits (or harm) to taxpayers of taking on so much new debt, especially with our difficult financial situation. Her objective is to further the development of an integrated and managed high-tech transportation and parking system, which she believes the terms of the new bonds might hinder.
Gabrielle is county commissioner Sally Heyman’s appointee to the Citizen’s Transportation Advisory Committee and a member of the Mayor’s Miami Beach Blue Ribbon Committee on Bikeways. She also served as vice-chair of the MPO’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and is a member of the city’s Design Review Board. Everyone is welcome to attend. David Kelsey, Moderator for the Breakfast Club.
CITY OF CORAL GABLES
>>> Budget passes 3-2 says Slesnick, but hates to predict the future at final public hearing
The Watchdog Report contacted city elected leaders last week after the Tuesday first public budget hearing and Mayor Donald Slesnick, II and Commissioner Maria Anderson responded back by deadline. The mayor wrote, “We adopted a budget at a lower tax rate than advertised. It means cutting out more costs and involves the elimination of some of our cultural programming. It also appears to mean the elimination of the Christmas tree celebration and the operation of the Santa Village across from City Hall. Those are some small “quality of life” elements that I hate to see go away. Everyone misses the 4th of July celebration and I wanted to reinstate it – but that will also be impossible (at least with City funding). The budget depends on more layoffs, wage freezes, reduced employee benefits and the recent diminishment of the general employees’ pension benefits. The proposal passed 3 to 2 – with Slesnick, Withers and Anderson forming the majority. I hate to predict anything about the future (vis-à-vis the next budget hearing),” wrote the retired veteran Army officer.
Anderson’s take was “I thought it went well. Last year we had a lot of people there and they were angry. This year, it was about a handful of people, pleading their case for us to hold the line. In the end, we voted the roll back rate, which was less than the advertised millage. The Manager presented a budget that had less expenses than last year; proof that we are working to build a more solid long-range plan that takes into account the realities of the “new normal economy,” wrote the commissioner first elected to the dais in 2001.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
>>> Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade – 35th Anniversary Awards Ceremony – recognizing law enforcement and crime watch volunteers. Friday, October 1, 2010 – Doubletree – Miami Mart Airport Hotel – 777 NW 72 Avenue – Miami, Fl
Reception: 6:00 pm -Awards: 7:00 pm – Dinner: 8:00 pm -Tickets: $50.00 per person -Keynote Speaker: Director James K. Loftus – Miami-Dade Police Department Master of Ceremony: Eliott Rodriguez – Anchor CBS 4 News
For more information call 305-470-1670 for more information: www.citizenscrimewatch.org
>>> 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
>>> Press release: the margulies collection at the WAREhOUSE – Wynwood Art District, Miami, Fl – This November 10, 2010, the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse will open its 12th season of exhibitions to the public with the following : AFRICA Photography and Video JENE HIGHSTEIN Large Stone Carvings MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO Broken Mirror Painting CONTERMPORARY PAINTING Selections from the Margulies Collection including William Beckman, Vincent Desiderio, Oliver Dorfer, Jonathan Meese, Chris Ofili and Tal R BRIAN ALFRED Digital Animation PERMANENT LARGE SCALE SCULPTURE Abakanowicz, de Kooning, Eliasson, Gormley, Heizer, Judd, LeWitt, Miro, Noguchi, Segal, Serra and Tony Smith
About the 2010-2011 Exhibition:
AFRICA: Photography and video -This exhibition will present over 250 works of art by African artists as well as non-African artists whose subject is Africa. Produced over the past 60 years the works in the exhibition explore the complexities of daily life across the vast continent of Africa. Artists in the exhibition include: Roger Ballen, Peter Friedl, David Goldblat, Subodh Gupta, Pieter Hugo, Alfredo Jaar, Seydou Keita, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Arnold Newman, Jackie Nickerson, George Osodi, Robin Rhode, Viviane Sassen, Malick Sidibe, Montsikelelo Veleko, George Rodger, and Lyle Owerko.
EDITORIALS
>>> Elected leaders should not denigrate people who rent, they are voters and taxpayers too
A long serving elected leader last week made a snarkey remark that since the Watchdog Report rented, I did not pay property taxes and frankly that I was not in the debate when it came to the issue of property taxes since I am just a tenet. The comment for a number of reasons, caught me off guard since indirectly I am helping one property tax payer cover his obligation but it was the fact I was seen as an inferior in the scheme of things that annoyed me the most after the discussion. In the 1990s when I owned a home but sold it. I planned to leave South Florida but the community’s collective problems back then tugged at me and I really started to get involved with the community and government.
I then proceeded to use hundreds of thousands of dollars of my own money to continue to watchdog public institutions and when I started the Watchdog Report in May of 2000. I was at the end of the financial rope, yet through community support I have some how survived to this day, but it has been no cakewalk, and why I sometimes flinch when elected leaders say the most insensitive things like this past remark. Being a renter is not unique to many Americans that do pay their taxes and try to contribute to our society and also are voters and elected leaders should realize they represent all of us, whether one owns a home or not and this lack of sensitivity regarding this issue by some elected leaders is a sad commentary. Yet they wonder why they get so little respect with the public and arrogant attitudes of our leaders like this example are just the tip of the iceberg, a sad but true fact concerning many politicians today.
>>> PAST May 2005 – WDR: Hail elected leaders; you all finally bring $11.2 billion in public institutions together to discuss mutual issues
A historic event occurred Thursday when the Miami-Dade County Commissioners met for the first time together with the Miami-Dade Public Schools board in the commission chamber. The two entities combined represent $11.2 billion in public funds. The county is larger than 17 states, and the school district is the fourth largest in the nation. However, they had not had joint meetings over the past decades, even though the public institutions are intertwined throughout our community. The two institutions reached there separate independent peak in the late 1990’s when the two public institutions were practically working against each other, with development approved by the county out pacing the construction of schools. Dialogue between the two was practically nil and some of the traffic and sprawl in west Dade that everyone hates got a major adrenaline injection because of this lack of inter-governmental communication.
The publisher wrote his first column that ran in The Herald in the spring of 2000 about this disconnect between these public institutions, and referred to them as giant ships passing in the night with barely a recognition of each others presence.
However, some progress has been made and new school board member Martin Karp suggested the joint meeting and Commission Chair Joe Martinez bought into the idea. So finally, these leaders spoke one on one with each other on the community’s many issues that involve education, development impact fees and the delivery of countywide services for our 2.3 million residents.
I hope that these two groups of elected leaders will continue to meet and build on this warming of inter-government communication for the community’s needs are great, the challenges many, with limited public dollars that in the coming year will be stretched like never before.
LETTERS
>>> Long time retired police officer says to invest in children, or they will come back to haunt us in other ways
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 30 YEARS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT – As a young policeman patrolling the streets of my community, a considered success would be an eight hour shift without crimes perpetrated in my given patrol area (yet the crime rate rose). As a supervisor, likewise success would be based on how little criminal activity in my city during our shift (yet the crime rate rose). This simple approach is how crime is viewed by each of the following: Over 14,000 Municipal Police Departments, 3,140 County Sheriff’s Department, State, Federal, Parole and Probation Officers, Prosecutors, Public Defenders, Judges, Courts and Prisons -Over 800,000 U.S. Law Enforcement Personnel, …OK you’re getting it!
We as a nation are spending more money on law enforcement then we are spending on the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and our total Defense Budget combined. Well…if we’re spending this much, what are we getting? We’re getting the highest documented incarceration rate in the world – one in every 18 men in the United States is behind bars or being monitored. There are 2,304,115 people in prisons and jails and 92,855 held in juvenile facilities.
The Current System is a Bottom Loading System
Where are all these incarcerated citizens coming from? As soon as children in elementary school realize that they are not equipped to keep up with their peers, (usually in the first or second grade, 6 or 7 years old), they (consciously or otherwise) decide their future. If children feel they compete and stay with their peers, they will mentally remain attuned to the classroom’s curricula and prosper. It is at this point that these children subconsciously decide their own future. For the next 10 or eleven years those children, having already decided that can’t compete will remain in the school system and cope the best way they can. When they are old enough they will drop out of school as soon as they can. Without a functional education, they will be ill equipped to handle a meaningful vocation. 70 percent of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate or read below a fourth grade level, and this illiteracy reinforces prisoners’ captivity. Imprisonment rates in the U.S. are 6 to 10 times greater than most industrialized nations, spending over $49 billion a year on incarceration alone.
So as a Nation what are we going to do about it?
As a nation we spend more on law enforcement, prosecution and confinement then we do on education. If it is already too late to intervene once the child is old enough to enter the “system”, then we had better intervene at the beginning. If a child cannot compete with other kindergartners or first graders, it is at this point when intervention is most effective (2, 3 & 4 years of age). President Kennedy realized this phenomena and the correlation and established the Head Start Program. The program has been an overwhelming success, where and when it has been available.
Politicians or Statesmen?
The most popular refrain during the election season is, “Elect me and I will make our communities safer.” Well, we have elected them for many years and our communities are not safer and we keep building more prisons. Most Politicians are concerned with reelection in 2, 4 or 6 years, not 10 years into the future, when children make a decision determining the rest of their lives. If those adolescents cannot write a brief letter explaining a billing error, read a map or understand a bus schedule, they are going to turn to some other means to support themselves. Either we invest in these young lives and the future of our nation now, or we are doomed to repeat this cycle of poverty, illiteracy, crime, and incarceration – placing a drain on our country’s prosperity.
Robert H. Horowitz, Major
North Miami Beach Police Department (Retired)
>>> Publisher’s Statement on the mission of the Watchdog Report and the special people and organizations that make it possible: Government Subscribers/Corporate Subscribers/Sustaining Sponsors/Supporting Sponsors
***** LIFETIME FOUNDING MEMBERS & Initial sponsors since 2000
ANGEL ESPINOSA – (Deceased) owner COCONUT GROVE DRY CLEANER’S
HUGH CULVERHOUSE, Jr.
THE MIAMI HERALD www.miamiherald.com (Not current)
ARTHUR HERTZ
WILLIAM HUGGETT, Seamen Attorney (Deceased)
ALFRED NOVAK
LINDA E. RICKER (Deceased)
JOHN S. and JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION www.knightfoundation.org
THE HONORABLE STANLEY TATE
***** Watchdog Report supporters – $2,000 a year
FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT www.fpl.com
RONALD HALL
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY www.miamidade.gov
UNITED WAY OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY www.unitedwaymiamidade.org
***** Watchdog Report supporters – $1,000 a year
RON BOOK
LEWIS TEIN www.lewistein.com
LINDA MURPHY: Gave a new laptop in Oct. 2001 to keep me going.
WILLIAM PALMER
ROBERT L. PARKS www.rlplegal.com
SHUBIN & BASS www.shubinbass.com
***** Public & Educational institutions – subscribers at $1,000 or less
CITY OF MIAMI www.miamigov.com.
CITY OF CORAL GABLES www.coralgables.com
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH www.miamibeachfl.gov
GREATER MIAMI CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU www.miamiandbeaches.com
THE STATE OF FLORIDA www.myflorida.gov
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY www.miamidade.gov
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD www.dadeschoolsnews.net
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST & JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM www.jhsmiami.org
THE BEACON COUNCIL www.beaconcouncil.com
THE CHILDREN’S TRUST www.thechildrenstrust.org
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA http://www.firstgov.gov/
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI www.miami.edu
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.
Watchdog Report Supporters Invoice-Form
NOTE: Invoice is for Yearly supporter/sponsorship Rates: Thank you.
Large Business Supporters $500
Small Business Supporters $250
Please make checks payable to: Daniel A. Ricker
Fax 305-668-4784 -To contact the Publisher please e-mail watchdogreport1@earthlink.net