Watchdog Report Vol.12 No.16 August 21, 2011 Est.05.05.00 I go when you cannot!

>>> The Watchdog Report publisher would like to thank the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation www.knightfoundation.org for funding by the Knight Foundation with technical support from the Knight Center for International Media http://knight.miami.edu within the University of Miami’s School of Communication www.miami.edu to maintain my webpage.

>>> 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 and I hope you or your organization will consider helping in a small or larger way and help keep another voice on line 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 is celebrated its 12th Anniversary May 5, 2011.

ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street

>>> For the first time since 1971, historians and media will not have all of Gov. Scott’s & staffs transition emails, blow to transparency in government

The revelation last week that Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s (Net worth $103 million) transition email records were wiped out after his election in November, an information treasure trove as a new administration evolves, that goes back to governors elect since 1971 is a tragedy and loss for all Floridians. Scott has said his staff has tried to retrieve as many of the past emails as possible and said he essentially rarely used emails back then and used his phone instead. He is now calling for an investigation of what happened and the story only broke in www.miamiherald.com recently even though the transition data was destroyed in the spring. Florida has some of the most open public record laws in the nation and when Scott’s team, many from outside the state say they were unaware of the retention records guidelines, what kind of answer is that? The residents and historians of Florida now have a historical gap and while past governors were not wild about the public record laws. They understood it was the Law of the Land in the Sunshine State and Gov. Charlie Crist embraced the open records laws, as did Gov. Jeb Bush though perhaps more reluctantly.

Scott who continues on his media blitz and continues to meet with the media and state’s papers editorial boards must move quickly to resolve this past matter and pledge to ensure his administration will play by the book. For he is indicating he will seek another term in 2014 and not being transparent in record retention will come back to haunt him, and cast another shadow on the former healthcare executive. A man who is already haunted by his former company he ran for years paying a $1.7 billion Medicare fine after he left, the largest such penalty in the nation’s history.

>>> Press release: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE: The State Department Releases “Country Reports on Terrorism 2010”

Country Reports on Terrorism 2010 is an annual Congressionally mandated report that provides an assessment of trends and events in international terrorism that transpired from January 1 to December 31, 2010. Besides filling a Congressional requirement, this publication aims to enhance the public’s understanding of the international terrorist threat. The report focuses on policy-related assessments, country-by-country breakdowns of foreign government counterterrorism cooperation, and contains chapters on WMD terrorism, State Sponsors of Terrorism, Terrorist Safe Havens, and Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The report also includes a statistical annex prepared by the National Counterterrorism Center. The statistics show more than 11,500 terrorist attacks occurred in 72 countries during 2010, resulting in more than 13,200 deaths. Although the number of attacks rose by almost 5 percent from the previous year, the number of deaths declined for a third consecutive year, dropping 12 percent from 2009. For the second consecutive year, the largest number of reported attacks occurred in South Asia and the Near East, with more than 75 percent of the world’s attacks and deaths occurring in these regions. The report can be found on the State Department website at http://paei.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2010/index.htm.

>>> Repeat of national Tribune paper profile, a blast from the past of Watchdog’s life back in Jan. 2003, and not all that much has changed financially

The Watchdog Report is going down memory lane again and here is a national profile and story done by Maya Bell in the Orlando-Sentinel, but ran in all the Tribune papers around the nation on Martin Luther King’s Birthday back in Jan. 20, 2003. After she spent about six weeks, off and on, experiencing the world I was living in back then, and she nicely captured the reality of my life, that in many ways continues to today, which I wish was otherwise after now 12-years. >>> `I Go When You Cannot’ – January 20, 2003|By Maya Bell – Orlando Sentinel – Miami Bureau Chief — Sometimes Dan Ricker lives in the dark so others may live in the light. It’s not by choice. Miami’s self-anointed citizen watchdog depends on the people he writes for and about to finance his quixotic quest to attend nearly every government meeting in Miami-Dade County. That’s a lot of mind-numbing meetings — as many as 2,500 a year — but not a lot of income. So Ricker teeters on bankruptcy. He dashes to his post office box daily, hoping subscribers to his weekly Watchdog Report have finally mailed their checks. Among them are managers with Florida Power & Light, the utility that regularly cuts power to Ricker’s Coconut Grove home, most recently while he was attending a legislative delegation meeting last month. But what Ricker, once a successful international sales executive, lacks in financial stability, he makes up for in credibility. When he walks into Miami-Dade’s government center, the county manager salutes him. When he runs into Miami’s first Cuban-American congresswoman, she greets him with a kiss. “He knows where the bodies are buried,” said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami. “He knows the people behind the curtain. He knows the real wizard of Oz.” >>> To read the section’s large front page story, but without the photos and smart box graphics, go to: `I Go When You Cannot’ – Sun Sentinel 20 Jan 2003 … Sometimes Dan Ricker lives in the dark so others may live in the light. … to his weekly Watchdog Report have finally mailed their checks. … http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190341_1_ricker-school-board-president-miami-s-first-cuban-american

>>> All photos in the Watchdog Report are taken from public government sites, and the Report goes on line at www.watchdogreport.net on Monday sometime during the day usually. >>> If you believe it is important to have someone watching your public institutions consider supporting the Watchdog Report for I am a low cost news service yet 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 numerous times over the past decade.

FLORIDA

>>> State Rep. Weatherford says legislature will “follow to the tee,” Amendments 5 & 6, says no “pot of [public] money” to fight “this activity”

State Sen. Don Gaetz, (R-Niceville) (Net worth $25.4 million) and state Rep. Will Weatherford, (R-Wesley Chapel) (Net worth $324,314) got a South Florida demographics introduction Wednesday when they held two public Florida Legislature Redistricting hearings in Miami and to say the crowd of speakers was diverse is an understatement. Gaetz the state Senate’s chair on the committee after trying to say a Haitian man’s name apologized saying. “I am just a redneck from the Panhandle,” and Weatherford was the ranking state representative from the other legislative body, and he is slated to be the next incoming Speaker of the House in 2013. Roughly 35 to 40 state legislators from around the state attended the morning event held at Miami-Dade College at the Wolfson Campus downtown and they go an ear full. In some cases speakers asked for less partisan districts be drawn, others wanted Amendments 5 and 6, passed by over 60 percent of state voters in 2010, be adhered too, while others reminded the lawmakers to keep minority community of interests together, and the consideration of a Haitian congressional seat since Florida after the 2010 Census will pick up two seats in the U.S. House. But the population data shows these new districts will be situated in the central part of the state.

Jack Lowell, a respected businessman and chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, a economic organization devoted to bringing companies to South Florida speaking as a local citizen and not the Council called for a change in the political tone believing it was “imperative that this process get more balance” and said “ideology runs the state now and that is not rational,” he thought. The Harvard graduate asked the legislators to consider to “follow the intent of more balanced districts” and base it “not on ideology but reason,” he closed. Attorney Lida Rodriguez Taseff, a highly respected civil rights attorney when she spoke argued that lawmakers should keep in mind the “importance of Fair District Amendments 5 and 6” and they should keep “our racial and ethnic minorities together” because “protection of minorities” is important to the fairness of the process since these people have “common issues like schools and churches,” she said. The attorney also thought it was wrong for Kendall, with about 400,000 residents to have so many congress people and these “people of Kendall don’t need three representatives but just one,” she pleaded.

What did Weatherford say about $20 of public money being allocated to fight amendments 5 &6?

Weatherford after hearing multiple speakers over the hours chastise the Republican majority legislature for their slow acceptance of the new redistricting laws and that tens of millions of public money was being used to fight it in the courts. He said that was a fallacy incorrectly reported and the issue has taken on a life of its own among the public. “I can assure you” that all the legislators are “sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America and the State of Florida” and everyone understands the two redistricting amendments are the “Law of the Land and will follow [Amendments] 5 and 6 to the tee,” the veteran lawmaker said. He also put to rest a “rumor” that public “money is being spent and I have heard numbers like $20 million to $30 million and that is simple not true,” he said. The businessman asked the public to see for themselves that “there is not a pot of money for this activity,” and told people in the room to go to www.transparencyflorida.gov and see for themselves. >>> For more information about the redistricting process and watch public hearings go to the Florida Channel at www.myfloridahouse.gov and to review maps in the future go to www.floridaredistricting.org

Gaetz

Weatherford

What did state Sen. Rich say about the 2002 redistricting maps?

State Sen. Nan Rich, (D-Sunrise) (Net worth $1.16 million) when she was given the opportunity to speak after hearing the public input carped that she and a couple of other state lawmakers had gone through this process before back in 2001 and 2002 and she claimed the process was done “behind closed doors.” Back then, she said, “I had absolutely nothing to do with how the district was drawn.” She claimed “there was no transparency” in the process and she ended getting a completely different district then the one she represented before and suggested legislators “need to work on this” and “try to have a different” outcome this time around. The veteran legislator who represents parts of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties also said the elected leaders in the room are “not all of one mind,” and she was especially concerned with the proposed timelines that have election officials from the largest counties howling in protest, noting the redistricting “time line was devastating for election officials in the big counties,” she closed.

Rich

>>> Former state Rep. Barreiro will run again for District 107 in 2012

Former state Rep. Gus Barreiro, (R-Miami) is planning to run again for the state house District 107 now held by state Rep. Luis Garcia, Jr., (D-Miami) since Garcia has announced he will take on U. S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami in the 2012 congressional race. Barreiro lost to Garcia in 2010 and believes after the redistricting process is over, that the legislative seat will lean more Republican that had him losing a tight race in 2010 by just two percent of the vote. He has been an advocate of children and juvenile justice and a few years ago, but after a verbally ugly racial incident that had state Rep. Ralph Arza, (R-Hialeah) resigning from office. He was criticized in some parts of the community for telling on Arza when the legislator used the N word to describe Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew in a heated telephone call to Barreiro.

>>> Press release from David Lawrence Jr., These days can be frightening for so many of us. Homes worth less — or lost. So many without a job. Threatened by the gridlock in Washington and by the financial turmoil at home and overseas.
But the children, who had nothing to do with this mess, have it worse.  The Kids Count data, just released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, shows 600,000 Florida children affected by those foreclosures and almost a half-million children in our state with an unemployed parent at home. We are No. 36 among the states in child health and well-being. Surely this is unacceptable in a state of decency and fairness and wisdom. This is why building a movement for children — making them the No. 1 priority for how we spend the people’s money — is so necessary. Don’t let anyone tell us that doing right by children can be put off for some other day.

FLORIDA SUPREME COURT

>>> Justice Polston in the spotlight, had $311,000 net worth through June 2011

>>> Court webpage: Court Justice Polston Bio: Justice Ricky Polston – Hometown – Graceville, Florida Spouse – Deborah Ehler Polston Children – Ten (Adoptive parents of sibling group of 6) Degrees – J.D. with High Honors, Florida State University, 1986; B.S., Summa Cum Laude, Florida State University, 1977; A.A., Chipola Jr. College, 1975. Offices and Positions – Justice, Florida Supreme Court, October 2, 2008-present; Judge, First District Court of Appeal, January 2, 2001-October 1, 2008; Private Law Practice 1987- 2000; Adjunct Law Professor, Florida State University 2003-present; Certified Public Accountant 1978-present; Public Accounting Practice 1977-1984. Legal Activities – Member, The Florida Bar. Admitted to practice before United States District Court, Northern District of Florida; United States District Court, Middle District of Florida; United States District Court, Southern District of Florida; United States Tax Court; United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; United States Court of Federal Claims; United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; United States Supreme Court. Certified Circuit Court Mediator (1997-2003). Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee (2003 – 2006). Other Honors and Awards – Valedictorian of Graceville High School, 1973; Florida State University Most Outstanding Accounting Student, 1977; Beta Alpha Psi Honorary Accounting Society, 1977; Florida State University College of Law, Law Review 1985-86; Order of Coif. Legal Recognitions and Associations – Martindale-Hubbell AV rating and Bar Register Preeminent Attorneys; Tallahassee Bar Association; Tallahassee Inn of Court (alumni, former Treasurer); Florida Conference of District Court of Appeal Judges, Treasurer (2006 – 2008)… Other Activities – Church leadership, including being an elder, deacon and Chairman of Deacons, teacher of various student and adult classes; member, Florida Institute of C.P.A.’s; American Institute of C.P.A.’s. >> Office Information Justice Polston’s phone number is (850) 488-2361. His judicial assistant is Tamara L. Adkins, and his staff attorneys are Diane Cashin West, Denise Mayo, and David Osborne. The mailing address is 500 South Duval Street, Tallahassee FL 32399-1925. Attorneys or law students interested in clerkships in this office should check our Law Clerk Recruitment Page. There also is information on Internships.

What about his financials?

Polston through June 2011 had a net worth of $311,000 (Up from $297,000) and he lists $203,000 in household goods. His home is worth $625,000, there is $4,800 in a 401K, a mortgage is owed $489,000, and Regions Bank wants $18,500. The jurist’s income for the year was $13,500 from FSU, his pay as a judge was $159,234 and he lists receiving no gifts over $100.00 for the year.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

>>> Next year’s budget clock ticking to Aug. 25 BCC meeting, Mayor Gimenez likely to make presentation given time line

Mayor Carlos Gimenez (Net worth $923,000) told the Watchdog Report last week that while the deadline of having a budget for county commissioners to have for their planned First Budget of the Whole meeting on Aug. 25 is tight. He believes his administration will have the framework done and he will probable do a presentation of his budget that contracts county departments from 45 to 25, and calls for major concessions from the county’s over ten unions. The mayor’s staff later in the week said besides the probable presentation that they will also have meetings with commissioners leading up to the meeting but may not be able to brief them all given the time frame and the fact some commissioners are on vacation in August. The new administration installed after the June 28 runoff election that had Gimenez victorious has been struggling to make around $406 million in cuts since a majority of the commission agreed to the reduced property tax rate proposed by the mayor. It is for this reason the showdown with the unions is occurring, and with over 20,000 of the county’s 27,000 employees in these organizations, the negations are tense to say the least. http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/17/2363973/the-future-for-miami-dade-county.html

>>> Commissioner Suarez holds mini transportation summit with other commissioners and local municipal leaders

County Commissioner Xavier Suarez (Net worth $328,000) scheduled a Sunshine meeting Monday with a host of other county commissioners and municipal elected leaders including his son Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez and Mayor Tomas Regalado (Net worth $7,500). The topic is “to discuss Various Rail Initiatives, FDOT Transit Projects, Capital and Streetscape Improvement Projects, further cooperation between the County and Municipalities [and] on upcoming joint projects and other projects,” states the public announcement. The elder Suarez has been talking transportation since being elected in late June to the commission District 7 seat after Mayor Carlos Gimenez resigned to run for county mayor. The former Miami mayor is reintroducing a transportation plan he conceived a decade ago that would use trains that ran on wheels and also on FEC railroad tracks for the northeast corridor of the city of Miami. He and his son are both on the Miami-Dade County Metropolitan Planning Organization and the two cannot discuss transportation issues if they are not at a public meeting, and the son says his father is very “strict” and very aware of that fact he told the Watchdog Report recently.

Further, Commission Chair Joe Martinez (net worth $238,000) has been an avid advocate for using the existing FEC rail lines to connect with the southwest part of the county and to harden the tracks is estimated to cost around $300 million but a proposal he pushed in the mid 2000s went nowhere when he presented it to the commission because some Commissioners did not want the noise associated with a train passing in their community’s at the time, he has said in the past. The Watchdog Report also contacted Coral Gables Mayor Jim Cason and asked if he planned to attend the meeting and on Friday he wrote back, “Our Assistant City Manager will attend as I have a conflict,” and part of the meeting has to do “with beautification initiatives that cross jurisdictions,” he wrote back. >>> August 22, 2011 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., 111 NW 1st Street – 2nd Floor Press Room, Miami, FL 33128 http://www.miamidade.gov/COB/downloadsandlinks.asp >>> A Sunshine Mtg between the BCC; MPO, Miami City Commission including but not limited to Hon. Commissioners Xavier L. Suarez, Audrey M. Edmonson, Bruno A. Barreiro, Javier D. Souto, Hon. Mayor Regalado, Hon. Francis X. Suarez and Marc Sarnoff, has been scheduled to discuss Various Rail Initiatives, FDOT Transit Projects, Capital and Streetscape Improvement Projects, further cooperation between the County and Municipalities on upcoming joint projects and other projects.

>>> County Redistricting webpage information: http://www.miamidade.gov/redistricting/

County Commission Redistricting Following the release of the 2010 Census data, Miami-Dade County is in the process of updating the Commission District boundaries to comply with Federal, State and local requirements. >>> Re-apportionment: There was a double-digit population growth in eight commission districts with District 9 leading the list at 33.1 percent, District 12 following at 20.4 percent, and District 8 is third at 18.0 percent. These changes in commission district population will have ramifications on the boundaries of future commission districts. In particular, Figure 3 shows that over half of the current districts, assuming near equal apportionment, will be significantly different than those based on the 2000 Census data.

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCOOLS

>>> Supt. Carvalho cranks up the mission, kids education and teachers first priority in tough budget environment, ‘draws line in sand’ regarding more concessions

With public school beginning Aug. 22 district Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is gearing up his 40,000 plus army of teachers, administrators, and other workers as the 347,000-student onslaught hits the nation’s fourth largest public school district. Carvalho has been negotiating a financial minefield since taking over in Sept. 2008 and while he made major cuts in the district’s operations since then. He says now when it comes to teachers and other employees making further concessions he has ‘drawn a line in the sand’ when it comes to further teacher financial cuts. For more go to www.miamiherald.com .

What about Dr. Karp?

Martin Karp, Ph.D. is in the spotlight this week and the educator was first elected in 2004 after a bruising race and seemed ill suited to be on the contentious board at the time. He has a family and lives on Miami Beach but over the years he has settled into the position and he has been voted by his peers to be the nine-member board’s vice-chair a few years back. He is up for reelection in 2012 and has raised $123,968 for the upcoming race. He has no challengers to date.

What do we know about his finances?

Karp through Dec. 2010 had a net worth of $1.28 million and he lists $103,000 in household goods. His home on the Beach is valued at $718,000 a rental apartment is worth $165,000, there is $110,000 in bank accounts, stocks are worth $5,200 and an IRA has $189,000. His only income for the year was his $35,000 salary from the school board and $12,600 came in as rental income.

Karp

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

>>> Holtz’s Children’s Hospital tops in the nation medically in many ways, but facilities need major upgrade; CEO Migoya wants to start major community fund raising effort

At a Strategic Committee at the Public Health Trust recently the six member Financial Recovery Board heard a presentation on Holtz’z Children’s Hospital and while the medical care is first class, there are “a large number of complaints by parents about the facilities,” said Daniel Armstrong, Ph.D., the organization’s vice president of Holtz Children’s Hospital & Women’s Hospital Center. He said parents “loved the doctors and nurses and the medical care” their children were getting but they are “critical of the facilities.” The PHT for years has been trying to upgrade the facilitates but have not had the money for the improvements. The Holtz Children’s Hospital has 254 licensed beds, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit open for the past 35 years has 126 beds, and about 140 physicians practice at the facility, which is a similar number of doctors at other programs like Duke, Columbia, UCLA and Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Armstrong said University of Miami Miller Medical School specialists and Jackson staff have worked closely over the years and meet “weekly” and this has resulted in “very integrated” medical care for the community’s most vulnerable, our children. “UM/Jackson work together seamlessly,” because of this collaboration with other staff doctors but the challenge is “how to reimburse physicians” since “94 percent of the [pediatric] patients that come to Holtz are on Medicaid which has very low reimbursable rates. He noted at anyone time about 400 patients are in Holtz and it is ranked one of the “top five children’s Hospitals in the United States” and is “not your typical community hospital,” he said.

What about the transplant program?

Armstrong said when it comes to organ (top three in the U.S.) and multiple organ transplants the hospital is “number six in all organ transplant programs” and when it comes to multiple transplants done for kids. “Sixty percent of all multiple transplants in the world are being done at Holtz,” he said.

What about funding for a updated Holtz Hospital?

PHT President Carlos Migoya in the position since June 1 during the presentation said the Jackson Memorial Foundation “wants us to rally around the children’s hospital,” and “to make this a big focus,” he told the FRB members. Migoya, a former banker and manager of the city of Miami believes it is time to kick in the afterburner when it comes to community fundraising for Holtz, that had the local community in St. Petersburg Florida raising $400 million for their All Children’s Hospital and Miami Children’s Hospital, a competitor to Holtz just opened a new outpatient facility. Migoya believes Miami-Dade residents can do the same thing, but the PHT will start with some baby steps for now. Armstrong said they were working on a “$80 million plan” that is now a $40 million” upgrade of the facilities and the initial start-up cost would be around $20 to $22 million to begin and for the build out,” he estimated. Migoya is clearly bullish about kicking in more local philanthropy to help Jackson, he has been a formidable fundraised in his own right, and he was cochairmen of that activity once for the United Way of Miami-Dade.

What about the cash on hand?

Jackson Hospital System with 11,100 employees goes through about $4.3 million in cash a day and in August the PHT is expected to report about 9.8 days and September is trending to around 13.8 days of cash on hand and is a key barometer on how the health system is doing fiscally while delivering well over $600 million in charity care. Part of the cost of this charity care hit is mitigated by a half cent countywide sales tax expected to bring in $185 million and a $137.9 million contribution by Miami-Dade County known as a Maintenance of Effort contribution, but since 2000 the system has been plagued by losses that ballooned to around $337 million over the past two-years.

Migoya

>>> Press release: Holtz Ranked Among Nation’s Elite — Holtz Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center is among the country’s elite, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals rankings published today online. The rankings recognize the top 50 children’s hospitals in 10 specialties. For more information click here.

>>> Public meeting: A PHT Financial Recovery Board Public Budget Hearing has been scheduled for Monday, August 29, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. in the Board of County Commission Chambers, located on the second floor of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 N. W. First Street, Miami, Florida 333128.

CITY OF MIAMI

>>> Congresswoman Wilson, Mayor Regalado, Commissioner Dunn team up for job fair

Press release: City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, Commissioner Richard Dunn II and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson have come together to host a Job Fair scheduled for Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at the James L. Knight Center, 400 SE 2nd Avenue, from 9:00am – 6:00pm. Mayor Tomas Regalado will be offering the opening remarks from 9:00am – 10am. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) recently introduced the “For the People” Jobs Initiative (H. Res. 348) to directly address the lack of jobs in underserved communities. Miami’s unemployment rate as of August has been set at 13%. To adequately implement this initiative, Mayor Regalado, Commissioner Dunn and Congresswoman Wilson thought it necessary to engage members of the national and local business community, in addition to public and nonprofit supporters, to participate in a job fair.

The event will include Job Readiness, Restoration of Rights, Seal and Expungement and Mortgage Modification Workshops; Public and Private Sector Employers; and Technical Assistance Seminars in Resume Writing, Interview Skills and Salary Negotiations. So far, 110 employers have confirmed their presence, among them AT& T, Care Plus, Carnival Cruise Lines, Coca-Cola, Macy’s, Home Depot, Florida Marlins, University of Miami, Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo, and many others. Participants can apply among an estimated 1933 positions being offered. To register online or for additional information, visit: www.wilson.house.gov or call (305) 690-5905. Registration on the day of the event starts at 8:00am. Check attached flyer for details. WHAT: Job Fair at Downtown’s James L. Knight Center WHEN: Tuesday, August, 23, 2011, 9am – 6pm. Mayor Regalado, opening remarks, 9am – 10am Registration starts at 8:00am WHERE: 400 SE Second Avenue

>>> Miami Commission Candidate forum – Brickell Homeowners Association – September l4 – CITY OF MIAMI candidates at Miami Science Museum – 3280 S Miami Avenue for November election. Francis Suarez, Willy Gort and Marc Sarnoff on the ballot – jointly done with the South Miami Avenue Homeowners Assn, Miami Roads Neighborhood Civic Association and Brickell Area Association.

CITY OF HIALEAH

>>> Mother sentenced to federal prison for $12. 3 million in healthcare fraud

Press release: 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 Christopher B. Dennis, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations, announced yesterday’s sentencing of Isabel Torres, 48, of Hialeah, Florida, on health care fraud charges. In May 2011, Torres pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, for her role in leading a $12.3 million health care fraud ring involving four Miami-based fraudulent durable medical equipment companies. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham sentenced Torres to 8 and a half years in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. According to in-court statements during the sentencing hearing, Isabel Torres used her under-aged daughter to steal from Medicare, she manipulated a relative to hide her own involvement in the fraud, and she claimed that her company provided medical aid to an HIV-positive beneficiary. In fact, however, she stole from Medicare to pay for her cosmetic liposuction and used part of the money to construct a backyard hut. Torres’ co-conspirators, including several family members, were previously prosecuted. Milena Castellanos, the owner on paper of Brightstar Pharmacy and Torres’ relative, was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment in United States v. Milena Castellanos, Case No. 10-Cr-20332. Barbara Martinez, the paper owner of Miami Pharmacy and Torres’ husband’s daughter, was sentenced to 26 months’ imprisonment in United States v. Barbara Martinez, Case No. 10-Cr-20395. Brazny Sotolongo, the paper owner of Ozain Pharmacy, was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment in United States v. Brazny Sotolongo, Case No. 09-Cr-20831. Maria Alvarez, the paper owner of Drugville Pharmacy and Torres’ husband’s sister, was acquitted after Alvarez testified that Isabel Torres recruited Maria Alvarez and assured Alvarez that the company was legitimate, in United States v. Maria Alvarez, Case No. 10-Cr-20292. Torres’ two daughters, Samantha Carta and Natasha Miranda, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to law enforcement after they lied about Torres’ involvement in the companies submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare. Each daughter received a sentence of probation in United States v. Torres et al., Case No. 11-Cr-20212.

Torres’ husband, Roberto Alvarez, was previously sentenced in the Southern District of Florida to 33 months’ imprisonment in United States v. Roberto Alvarez, Case No. 08-Cr-20492, for his role in laundering the proceeds of health care fraud. In a separate case brought in the District of South Carolina, Torres pleaded guilty to making a false statement relating to a health care matter, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1035, in United States v. Torres, Case No. 09-Cr-137. Torres received a sentence of probation for her role in a Miami-based company called United Fera. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and HHS-OIG. These case are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys H. Ron Davidson and Alicia Shick. >> 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.

CITY OF MIAMI BEACH

>>> Miami Commission Candidate Milo takes road trip to the Beach to drum up support

Miami Commission District 2 Candidate Donna Milo is taking a road trip to a Miami Beach breakfast event Tuesday and she is facing incumbent Marc Sarnoff elected in 2006 and seeking a second term. Milo is one of three other candidates that include two professional women Kate Callahan and Michelle Niemeyer, and Williams Armbrister is also in the mix but Milo lives in the Morningside area of the district versus the other challengers who come from Coconut Grove. The Watchdog Report has seen her campaign car in my neighborhood on the weekend a few weeks back and she attended the Miami-Dade Delegation public hearings at Miami city hall recently.

>>> Press release: City of Miami Commission District 2 candidate Donna Milo will be the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club speaker Aug. 23, 8:30AM – 10:00AM, David’s Cafe II, 1654 Meridian Ave. http://www.donnamilo.com/ >>> Since 1996, the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club has been gathering every Tuesday at 8:30AM at a local Miami Beach restaurant for informal, non-partisan discussions of issues – political, governmental, etc. It is not affiliated with any other organization. We are currently meeting at David’s Cafe II, 1654 Meridian Ave.,Miami Beach, between Lincoln Road Mall and Macy’s (formerly Burdine’s). There is plenty of parking at that hour in the adjacent municipal parking lot. One orders from the menu or simply has coffee. Guest speakers range across the political, governmental, business, and social issues spectrum. Sessions are open to everyone. Simply show up.

CITY OF CORAL GABLES

>>> Gables webpage: Mayor Cason & Commissioner Quesada Volunteer To Paint Coral Gables High

Last Saturday, Coral Gables Mayor Jim Cason and Commissioner Frank C. Quesada rolled up their sleeves and joined Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado and approximately 100 school volunteers to give a much needed coat of paint to Coral Gables High School. The City leaders showed their support to this important academic institution by participating in the Paint-a-thon made possible by the generous donations of paint and materials from alumni, parents, volunteers and the School Board’s District 6. The Coral Gables Cavaliers took pride in painting the surrounding walls of the gym and other areas, getting their school in tiptop shape for the start of the new school year this upcoming Monday.

(L-R) Commissioner Frank C. Quesada, School Board Member Raquel Regalado, Assistant Principal Joseph Evans, Coral Gables Community Foundation Executive Director Andria Hanley, Coral Gables Mayor Jim Cason, Foundation Members John Allen & Michael Harris.

>>>City webpage: School’s Back In Session: Drive Safely Around School Zones – Schools are back in session on Monday, August 22 and it’s time to remember to drive safely around our local schools. When driving around our busy schools, please obey all the school zone speed limits and follow these safety procedures: Stay alert. Don’t rush into and out of driveways. Remember that pedestrians will be on sidewalks, around schools and in your neighborhoods. Stop at stop signs. Research shows that more than one-third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones and residential neighborhoods. Watch for bikes. Children on bicycles are often unpredictable; expect the unexpected. Brake for buses. Don’t drive around a stopped school bus, it’s against the law. Plan ahead. Leave early for your destination and build in extra time. Re-route yourself. Avoid driving by or near schools. You’ll save time and reduce the risk to kids.

TOWN OF MIAMI LAKES

>>> Mayor Pizzi pleas with state legislators to not split up the town, in Congress and state redistricting process

Mayor Michael Pizzi spoke last week at the Florida Legislature Redistricting hearing and the attorney pleaded to have just one state senator and Congressperson and not divide the small town up making it “irrelevant.” Pizzi said all the squiggly lines do not make sense,” and he carped the small town “always ends up with two state representatives and two Congressional Districts and while they do an outstanding job our town is making a plea,” for just one of each, he said passionately. He likened the town to being similar to “Mayberry” and its most famous person is former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-FL. He believes this is a fair request and “if it does not make sense, anything less is a failure of the process,” he thought. State lawmakers took his plea in advisement but it remains to be seen if it is incorporated on future legislative redistricting maps.

>>> OTHER STORIES AROUND FLORIDA

BROWARD COUNTY

>>> Commissioner Ritter in the spotlight, elected in 2006, later mayor, had $329,000 net worth through Dec.

County Commissioner Stacy Ritter is in the spotlight and she has had a colorful political career over the years. She was a former Democratic Party state representative from 1996 to 2004 and she was elected to the nine-member Broward County commission District 3 in November 2006. She served as the county mayor in 2008, graduated from Rollins College, and got her law degree from Nova Southeast University and she is married.

Ritter

http://www.broward.org/Commission/District3/Pages/About.aspx

What do we know about her finances?

Ritter through Dec. 2010 had a net worth of $150,000 (down from $329,000) and she lists $50,000 in household goods. The commissioner’s home is valued at $875,000 and there is $79,000 with UBS. Her liabilities are a mortgage owed $675,000, a second home in Kentucky has $179,000 owed on it, and her only income for the year listed was $87,150 as a commissioner.

>>> 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 Atty. McAuliffe in the spotlight, former federal prosecutor elected in 2008, had $4.3 million net worth through June

State Attorney Michael McAuliffe representing the 15th Judicial Circuit is in the spotlight this week and the avid mountain climber and former assistant U.S. Attorney with the Southern District of Florida was first elected to the state office in 2008. He is married with three children, and his office has 120 prosecutors and another 200 in support staff. His wife is a circuit court judge and he got his law degree from the College of William & Mary in 1989.

http://www.sa15.state.fl.us/stateattorney/OurOffice/indexSAbio.htm

What do we know about his finances?

McAuliffe through June 2011 had a net worth of $4.3 million (Up from $4.1 million) and he lists $315,000 in household goods. His home is worth $2.1 million, an investment property is valued at $550,000, there is $476,000 in equities and a retirement account has $902,000 in it. He lists no debt except for a tuition account of $39,900 and he filed his IRS 1040 for 2010 joint tax return, the Gold Standard of disclosure forms. His total income listed on the tax form was $286,000 for the reporting year.

PINNELAS COUNTY

>>> Sea food company and Vela charged with conspiracy for selling mislabeled shrimp

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Tracy Dunn, Acting Special Agent in Charge, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Law Enforcement (OLE), announced the filing of a nine-count Information charging Tampa, Florida resident Adrian Vela, 76, and Sea Food Center, LLC., also of Tampa, Florida, with conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act by selling mislabeled shrimp. According to the Information, Adrian Vela, who is the President, sole shareholder, and owner of Sea Food Center, in concert with Florida residents, Richard Stowell and United Seafood, INC., whose majority shareholder is Stowell, conspired to violate the Lacey Act by mislabeling and selling approximately five hundred thousand pounds of shrimp. The shrimp, valued in excess of $400,000, was ultimately sold to supermarkets in the northeastern United States. Stowell and United Seafood pled guilty and were sentenced for their role in the conspiracy on April 27, 2011, before United States District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro.

The mislabeling of foods such as fish and shrimp is prohibited by the federal Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(d)(2) and 3373(d)(3), and the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), 21 U.S.C. § 331. The Lacey Act, in pertinent part, makes it unlawful for a person to falsely identify any fish that has been, or is intended to be, imported, sold, purchased, or received from any foreign country or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. The FDCA, in pertinent part, prohibits the alteration or removal of the whole or any part of the labeling of food, if such act is done while such article is held for sale after shipment in interstate commerce. If convicted, Vela would face up to 5 years incarceration and fines of up to $250,000.00 on each of the criminal counts in the Information. Sea Food Center would face fines of up to $500,000.00 per count. A trial date has not yet been set in this matter. >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of NOAA OLE. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman O. Hemming, III. An information is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

>>> Press release: Gov. Scott taps Robert Watkins to the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. Watkins, 60, of Tampa, is the owner of Robert Watkins & Company PA. He succeeds Alfred S. Austin and is appointed for a term beginning August 19, 2011, and ending June 30, 2015.

VOLUSIA COUNTY

>>> Press release: Gov. Scott taps Judge David B. Beck of Ormond Beach to the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court.

Beck, 63, has been a Volusia County Judge since 2003, after practicing as a sole practitioner, principally as a mediator and arbitrator, from 1998 to 2003. Previously, he practiced with Upchurch, Watson, White and Fraxades from 1997 to 1998, and with Tindell, Beck and Davis from 1992 to 1997. He also was a sole practitioner from 1991 to 1992, in addition to practicing in California from 1988 to 1989 and in Colorado from 1979 to 1980. Between 1981 and 1988, Beck provided legal counsel for ComputerLand Corporation, ITEL Corporation and Investment Mortgage International. His experience as a prosecutor includes serving as an assistant state attorney with Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit from 1989 to 1991. In addition, he was the chief deputy district attorney for Colorado’s Fourteenth Judicial District from 1976 to 1979 and an assistant state attorney for Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit from 1975 to 1976. He received both his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Florida. “As a sitting judge, David is well acquainted with the humility, as well as the depth of legal knowledge judges need,” Governor Scott said. “His previous practice as a mediator and as a prosecutor also plays an important part in qualifying him to serve on the circuit court bench.” Beck will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge John W. Watson III.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY

>>> Press release: Local man charged with impersonating ICE agent, and providing false immigration documents

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael Shea, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and Ken J. Mascara, Sheriff, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, announced that defendant, Rubin Puspi, a/k/a Imilciades, Alexis Wittgreen, 47, was charged in a criminal complaint with impersonating an officer of the United States, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C., § 912, and fraud relating to identification documents, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. § 1028. The defendant appeared in federal court yesterday for his initial appearance, and was detained without bond pending a bond hearing next week. His arraignment is scheduled for August 27, 2011. According to the criminal complaint filed in Court, this joint investigation commenced on July 22, 2011, after the St. Lucie Sheriff;’s Office received a complaint from a confidential source (CS). The CS advised the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office that an individual named Wittgreen had provided the CS with employment knowing that the CS was illegally in the United States. According to the CS. Wittgreen provided the fraudulent work documents the CS needed to get the job. Moreover, Wittgreen purportedly represented himself to be an ICE Agent and threatened to have the CS deported if the CS did not secure him a date.

On July 27, 2011, ICE agents, with the assistance of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, introduced an undercover agent (UCA) to Wittgreen. The UCA posed as an illegal alien looking for employment. During this meeting, “Wittgreen” showed the UCA what appeared to be a small Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge and identified himself as an ICE Agent. Wittgreen offered the undercover detective a job at the same McDonald’s where the CS worked, and also provided the UCA with the necessary immigration paperwork. Wittgreen also agreed to assist the undercover to obtain a Florida Driver’s License. >> Mr. Ferrer would like to thank ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations in Fort Pierce and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana M. Acosta. 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.

ORANGE COUNTY

>>> Press release: CFO Jeff Atwater Announces Arrest of Central Florida Contractor in Sinkhole Repair Billing Scam

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the arrest of an Oviedo business owner for over billing State Farm Insurance Company for fraudulent sinkhole claim repairs. Michael Hodge, owner of A&M Contracting Company, is charged with multiple counts of racketeering and insurance fraud involving billings of materials he never used to repair properties in Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties. “This case is a perfect example of the type of insurance fraud that drives up insurance rates across the state for hard-working Floridians,” said CFO Atwater. “We must remain diligent in rooting out these fraudsters to protect Florida homeowners and the honest businesses operating in our state.”

An investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, revealed that, from 2004 to 2009, A&M Contracting over billed State Farm for grout that was never used to repair sinkhole damage to properties in the Central Florida area. It was later discovered that Hodge received nearly $182,000 in compensation for materials which he never purchased or used to repair the properties. Hodge was arrested by fraud detectives Friday and released after posting bail. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison. >>>
Anyone with information regarding suspected insurance fraud is asked to call 1-800-378-0445. Individuals who provide tips can remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward of up to $25,000 for information that directly leads to an arrest and conviction in an insurance fraud scheme. The Department of Financial Services to date has awarded almost $250,000 to approximately 40 citizens as part of its Anti-Fraud Reward Program.

MONROE COUNTY

>>> State Atty. Ward in the spotlight, former Beach cop, had $275,000 net worth through June 2011

Dennis Ward the state attorney for the 16th Judicial Circuit located in Monroe County is in the spotlight this week. The former Miami Beach police officer lives in Tavernier and has the task of enforcing state laws in the funky county that once had residents trying to secede from the nation when they declared the Conch Republic in the 1980s. The county, the southern most in the nation has only around 65,000 residents but tourists are the lifeblood of the Keys. He was elected in 2008.

Ward

What do we know about his finances?

Ward through June 2011 had a net worth of $275,000 (Down from $284,000) and he lists $20,000 in household goods. His home is worth $300,000 and a Beach condominium is valued at $143,000, he owns some raw land worth $10,000, and the state DROP account has $165,000 in it. He lists two bank liabilities owed $278,000 and $20,000, a mortgage is owed $31,000, and a credit union wants $14,000. His salary as the state attorney was $150,000 and his Miami Beach retirement fund kicked in $60,000.

>>> Press release: Gov Scott taps Dr. Eugene H. Scheuerman, 63, of Marathon, as the District 16 Medical Examiner, serving Monroe County. He is reappointed for a term beginning August 18, 2011, and ending July 1, 2014.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

>>> Kristi House announcement and Oasis of the Sea boat trip luncheon

Matching Grant Opportunity! Kristi House has been awarded the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) grant in support of its program for girls who have been sexually exploited and trafficked in the sex trade. Kristi House’s Project GOLD was one of 10 projects chosen in the country in the highly competitive 2011 RWJF Local Funding Partnerships program. The Foundation awarded Kristi House a half million dollars for 1:1 matching by local private funders. These funds will go toward supporting services for girls ages 11 to 18 who are being bought and sold in the commercial sex industry. Most are living dangerous lives on the streets and are under the control of pimps and traffickers. Support will enable Kristi House to open a drop-in center and emergency shelter, planned for an early 2012 opening. You can still be part of this unique South Florida opportunity. Reserve your spot with us on Saturday, August 27, 2011 aboard the Oasis of the Seas at Port Everglades from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm. You will have the opportunity to meet Board Members, Funders and public officials to learn more about our innovative program. Don’t miss it! Seating is limited. Reserve today. For more information please call: Mary Faraldo at 786-218-9748 or email at mfaraldo@kristihouse.org Or Bianca Fernandez at 305-547-6802 or email at bfernandez@kristihouse.org

>>> The Downtown Bay Forum www.downtownbayforum.org is holding its monthly Luncheon Aug. 24 (Wednesday) and the topic is Are Unions Doomed? The panel moderated by Dr. Sean Foreman includes Martha Baker, RN president of the SEIU Local 1991, Andy Madtes, President of the AFL-CIO and Glenn Garvin, a featured columnist with The Miami Herald, and Dan Ricker, publisher of the Watchdog Report. Go to the web page to register for the event and reservations are requested.

>>> THE MARGULIES COLLECTION AT THE WAREHOUSE PRESENTS NEW EXHIBITIONS

Sculpture: Nancy Rubins, Bruce Nauman, Yuichi Higashionna, Kaz Oshiro, Izaak Zwartjes Photography: Mary Ellen Mark, John Baldessari, Jonathan Monk, Ed Ruscha, Isaac Julien Video: Hiraki Sawa, David Claerbout, Antonia Wright & Ruben Millares Painting: Gregor Hildebrandt, Lawrence Carroll, Lydia Gifford, Frank Stella, Justin Beal – Opens NOVEMBER 11, 2011 through APRIL 28, 2012- This November 11th, 2011 The Margulies Collection will open its 13th season of exhibitions. The exhibition will include new works of sculpture, photography, video and painting as well as the collection’s PERMANENT INSTALLATIONS of work by Ernesto Neto, Olafur Eliasson, Donald Judd, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Willem De Kooning, George Segal, Michael Heizer, Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt, Isamu Noguchi, Tony Smith, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Will Ryman, Joel Perlman, Franz West and John Chamberlain.

>>> Looking for a few good Mangoheads

King Mango is starting his 30th birthday celebration early at the 3rd Annual Great Grove Bed Race on Sunday, September 4, 2011. The races begin at 2 pm on Grand Avenue and Commodore Plaza. Beds will line-up on Commodore Plaza starting at 11 am. The Great Grove Bed Race is an annual Grove tradition that raises money for a local organization. This year proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami. Our Team name is King Mango Strut and we are registered for the Co-ed division which means we need at least two females for our team. We don’t race for speed but for maximum exposure! It’s all about the show, right? We do, however, want to win for the most hilarious team. We want to show ’em that the King Mango Strut “Puts the NUT back in CocoNUT Grove”!

To see pictures of the last race the Mangoheads entered click http://www.magicalphotos.com/thegreatgrovebedrace/index2..html. They were Team Woomba: When 8 is Not Enough! The Team won most creative, came in dead last at 2 minutes and 17 seconds, got on the front page of the Herald and even delivered over 40 babies during the race! We need a total of five (5) racers including the person on the bed and at least five (5) pit crew members. We have Mr. Peer Everett in the regal role as King Mango riding on the bed and returning racer, AJ Nichols, of “Bringing Chubby Back” fame. We are actively seeking your participation in the race and your hilarious ideas for our team. We need a place for the bed in the Grove for the next 2 weeks. We also need help decorating King Mango’s royal bed, material, signage, racers, pit crew, and all the Mangoheads on earth to cheer on our team. In other words, King Mango needs an entourage of nutty proportions! If you are interested in joining King Mango for an early start of his 30th birthday bash email Len Scinto at scintol@fiu.edu or King Mango at kingmangostrut@gmail.com.

EDITORIALS

>>> “It is what it is,” say most elected leaders when the Watchdog Report runs their financial disclosure forms,

A reader last week asked why I was obsessed with running elected leaders net worth and their yearly financial disclosure reports and I am not obsessed about these documents but I do want to see what our leaders and judges are up to when it comes to their personal finances. Over the years two things have jumped out on why officials go bad and it is either women or men and money and that is not in dispute. In the Watchdog Report’s case, the issue of looking at a elected leader’s financial condition is something I have traditionally done during the summer when frankly, other news is slow and many public institutions almost go into hibernation and only start to come alive at the end of August and peaks in September when all the public budget hearings are held.

When it comes to the people I financially scan, at least 98 percent have no problem with this activity, and “it is what it is,” is the general refrain from these public officials and that is the right answer. Elected leaders constantly say they want to restore public trust and one of the ways to achieve that goal is to be open with their financial life. For the public is not asking for nuclear launch codes here, rather just a fair opportunity to see what makes their lawmakers financially tick as they pass legislation that affects all of us from the nation on down the political food chain. And when it comes to actually being able to review these required financial disclosure forms, most in the public don’t get that opportunity and is why the Watchdog Report runs them on a weekly basis and many leaders are not looked at because they are what I call “normal” elected leaders and try to live by the rules. But to those leaders that push the ethics and financial envelope or try to skirt the nation’s laws, you will be immediately be flagged and that is not a resume builder, when your are trying to be a respected leader with a legacy your family can be proud of. Versus being on the political junk heap with other politicians that have broken the law and probable have gone to jail, which is definitely not a good thing.

LETTERS

>>> Parks advocate asks public to speak at Biscayne Bay and Everglades National Park hearings in Sept.

We hope you have been enjoying your summer. We just returned from our summer family vacation at Yosemite National Park. While lodging near the giant Sequoia trees and taking in the breathtaking views, we were reminded of Yosemite’s history and importance. Concerned with the effects of commercial interest, prominent citizens advocated for the protection of the area and secured adoption of a bill to preserve this area. On June 30th 1864 President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill creating the Yosemite Grant; creating the first instance of park land being set aside specifically for preservation and public use by the Federal Government. Yosemite set the precedent for the creation of Yellowstone as the first national park.

Back home we are uniquely fortunate to have Biscayne Bay and Everglades National Parks. As you may have read in yesterday’s Miami Herald Park proposes changes for Biscayne Bay, The Park’s Superintendent, Mark Lewis said “serious steps are necessary to protect the character of the park and its threatened marine life.” Please join Marile and me in speaking out on the proposed changes for Biscayne Bay which holds the world’s third largest living underwater coral reef. Hearings are scheduled for September 13, 14 and 15 in order for the public to comment on Biscayne National Park’s Management Plans. Comments will be accepted until October 31st by attending one of the scheduled hearings or through the National Parks Service website. For more information email: bisc_planning@nps.gov Additionally, The South Florida National Parks Trust develops and funds projects that promote, preserve, and enhance South Florida’s national parks in ways that enrich the experience of park visitors, connect diverse communities to these unique resources, and build a legacy of park stewardship. For more information or if you wish to join the Trust please contact Don Finefrock.

Jorge Luis Lopez, Esq.
Founding Chairman
The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade

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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, 2011, Daniel A. Ricker

>>> 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 >>> >>> To read the full section large two page front page story, but without the photos and smart box graphics, go to: `I Go When You Cannot’ – Sun Sentinel 20 Jan 2003 … Sometimes Dan Ricker lives in the dark so others may live in the light. … to his weekly Watchdog Report have finally mailed their checks. … http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190341_1_ricker-school-board-president-miami-s-first-cuban-american >>>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 >>> 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.

General subscriber’s names will not be published in the Report. To subscribe to the Watchdog Report please use the form below as a subscription invoice.
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