Watchdog Report Vol.12 No.15 August 14, 2011 Est.05.05.00 I go when you cannot!
CONTENTS
Argus Report: Huntsman calls PRC debt not a “foreign policy problem,” but U.S. must “fix our core in America,” to have “leverage with Chinese”
Florida: Gov. Rick Scott continues his foray into the editorial and news reporters’ world, finally talks to Miami Herald reporters
Florida Supreme Court: Judge Quince in the spotlight, tapped first by Gov. Chiles, had $713,000 net worth through 2010
Miami-Dade County: Commission redistricting 101 the name of the game, citizens meet with county staff in advisory role to draw up proposed maps for commissioners after hearing future citizen input
Miami-Dade Public Schools: School Board member Curbelo in the spotlight, elected in 2010, runs again in 2012, had $226,700 net worth through June, no filing yet for Regalado
Public Health Trust: Migoya tells Miami-Dade legislative delegation challenges ahead but working on plan to make JMH “sustainable” with health system growth coming from “the private sector”
City of Miami: FDLE reviewing Mayor Regalado’s campaign checks, he asks law enforcement agency to ‘speed up the investigation’
City of Miami Beach: Commissioner Weithorn facing public at TMBC, elected in 2007, no challenger yet and has raised $28,600 for campaign
City of Homestead: Former City Manager Shehadeh and City of Homestead reach friendly agreement on lawsuits
City of Hialeah Gardens: Nine indicted in $1.9 million theft of laptop computers, local cop among those charged
>>> Other stories around Florida
Broward County: Second shoe drops with school board member Gottlieb’s sudden resignation Friday, and Thomas’ just days earlier
Palm Beach County: Commissioner Abrams in the spotlight, first elected in 2009, had $323,000 net worth through 2010
Gulf County: Governor Rick Scott today announced the appointment of James P. Norton of Port St. Joe as the Gulf County Superintendent of Schools.
Okaloosa County: Gov. Scott taps Anderson to the position of Okaloosa County Tax Collector
Washington County: Gov. Scott taps Carter to the Washington County Board of County Commissioners
Monroe County: Gov. Scott picks Dr. Jara as Monroe County Superintendent of Schools & Sheriff Peryam elected in 2009, had $240,000 net worth through 2010
Community Events: Kristi House luncheon cruise event — State legislature redistricting meetings — Downtown Bay Forum luncheon Aug. 24, Are Unions Doomed? — Margulies Collection openings
Editorials: PAST WDR: APRIL 2008: Note to South Florida elected leaders and administration, now is the time to lift your game if public trust is important —
>>> PAST WDR: OCTOBER 2005: Dade Home Rule Charter created to “protect the governed, not the governing” and the media has a role in that mission
Letters: Reader on Grove anchorage resident’s arrest by feds
Sponsors – Publisher’s mission statement & Subscription information is at the bottom of this issue
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>>> I was on Topical Currents, hosted by Joseph Cooper Tuesday and to listen to the show go to http://www.wlrn.org/radio/programs/topical-currents/archive/
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ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street
>>> Huntsman calls PRC debt not a “foreign policy problem,” but U.S. must “fix our core in America,” to have “leverage with Chinese”
Jon Huntsman, the former Ambassador to China, former Republican Gov. of Utah and 2012 presidential candidate took a civic lesson in Miami-Dade Wednesday when he stopped by during a local state legislative delegation hearing, before making a major announcement at Scotty’s Landing next door to Miami City Hall that Jeb Bush Jr., and Ana Navarro would be heading up his Hispanic outreach program in the months ahead. State Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami (Net worth $330,000) did the introductory honors of Huntsman to the crowd and he called “Florida the epicenter” in this national race and “Miami-Dade is the real epicenter” and no surprise that a high profile candidate would pick “Miami and Florida as ground zero and where he wants to get across his message,” said the local GOP chairman. Huntsman, the son of a billionaire, a Mormon, whose wife is from Orlando opened his national office in the state and it is the first time a Republican presidential candidate gave a nod to the importance of Florida and its rich electoral voters. He is a fiscal conservative but a social moderate in regards to the other field of candidates and there is a thoughtful deliberate manner about the man, and while he might be competitive against President Barack Obama. His chances within the GOP are considered a long shot and had reporters asking if his campaign is viable, especially after a recent staff shake-up, but he believes the “campaign is in the right place” and “getting support on the ground” and he will have a strong showing in the future he asserted.
He told the crowd of media gathered that the nation for “the first time has become less productive and competitive” and when it came to the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt. Huntsman said this “Cancer called debt,” cannot be sustained and believes Obama “has failed us with the first credit downgrade in our history of the United States” that has investors “401ks trashed and pleading for leadership,” he said. He also showed his moderate side by saying the political divide in the nation “was unnatural” and says he is the one that could change that environment if he was the party’s champion in the race.
What about China?
Huntsman, a China Hand, University of Pennsylvania foreign affairs graduate is uniquely qualified to discuss the emergence of the Middle Kingdom onto the world scene. He and his family speak Mandarin at home and among themselves and the Watchdog Report asked the man what he thought of China criticizing America when it came to the country’s debt and downgrade to AA+ by S&P. The past Ambassador said the debt with the PRC is “our fault” and we cannot deal with the Chinese until we “fix our core here in America.” He said our “core is weak and crumbling” and because of this. We have little leverage with other countries. He said China was “not a foreign policy problem” but a strong economy problem and when you have a “strong economy, you have leverage with the Chinese and other nations,” and the nation must get “out of the hole we dug for ourselves,” because when it comes to China. We will be dealing with the world’s largest communist country throughout this Century and why he believes it is time to “engage in nation building here at home,” he closed.
What about the Iowa Ames poll?
With just over 16,000 Republicans casting straw votes Saturday, Michelle Bachman, the Minnesota Congresswoman swept the field of nine other presidential candidates by garnering 28.5 percent of the vote with fellow Congressman Ron Paul from Texas right behind with 27.6 percent. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty also from Minnesota whose campaign was on life support came in third with 13.5 percent and on Sunday, he announced he was dropping out. Huntsman came in with a .4 percent vote along with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney who got 3.3 percent, but they did not campaign extensively in the state. But both men need to rev up their campaigns and intensity with the electorate, especially if Huntsman wishes to prevail in a race that now includes 11-year Texas Gov. Rick Perry joining the pack of GOP presidential hopefuls.
>>> Circuit Court judge Gelber turns 92, could be oldest sitting judge in the state
Circuit Court Judge Seymour Gelber, may be the oldest sitting judge in the state of Florida on Sept. 1 when he turns 92 years old. The judge is a former Miami Beach Mayor, was a member of the school board’s ethics committee back in 2005 and is currently a Miami-Dade Ethics and Public Trust Commissioner. Gelber in that capacity has been a vocal critic of some people’s actions and he speaks his mind frankly and openly at the public commission meetings. The Watchdog Report gives the long serving jurist a Tip of the Hat for a job and a career well done, with integrity and professionalism, and may you have many more years on the bench.
>>>Ethics Commission Bio: Judge Seymour Gelber was appointed to the Commission on Ethics in 2005 by the Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Currently he sits as a Senior Judge with the Circuit Court Juvenile Division, where prior to retirement he served as Administrative Judge of that court. He has held office with the Dade county State Attorney, the Florida Attorney General’s Office and as Mayor of the City of Miami Beach (1991-1997). Judge Gelber is a graduate of the University of Miami Law School (1953) and holds a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice and a Ph D., in Higher Education from Florida State University. He has held teaching positions at four Florida Universities (FSU, FIU, Nova, and U of M.)
>>> 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
>>> Gov. Rick Scott continues his foray into the editorial and news reporters world, finally talks to Miami Herald reporters
Gov. Rick Scott after a initial reconnaissance of the situation recently, was interviewed by Miami Herald reporters and the editorial board on Wednesday www.miamiherald.com after stopping by briefly a few weeks ago that had only the top paper’s leadership talking to the press shy governor and reported in a past Watchdog Report. Scott has learned a bitter political lesson that as Herald Tallahassee Bureau chief Mary Ellen Klas observed on The Herald’s/WLRN Friday show Florida Round-up recently. She said on the show that he “was able to win bypassing the press, but has found he needed the press to govern,” she observed and it was right on point. Over the past few months, his daily schedule reflects this new attempt to engage with news outlets and is going on talk show radio plus his own weekly radio address that has him rising in the state polls slightly after having the worst approval rating, around 29 percent, in the nation.
Scott also continues to appoint around 4,000 people to a variety of state boards, commissions, and judges Florida Tax Watch estimates in his first four year term and some of his choices have been good while others have critics howling and a few of the recommended people have had to back out after the media and public backlash. He is also doing a brisk business when it comes to appointing elected leaders or judges to the judicial benches and below is one such case. Further, Scott is trying to take a little of the edge off his persona of a rich healthcare executive (whose company after he left paid a $1.7 billion Medicare fraud fine, but Scott was never charges and walked away with a golden parachute in stock worth almost $300 million) by recently working at a donut shop and he will be doing other odd jobs throughout the state his office states. But for many Floridians, they are still skeptical about what Scott is up to and they are watching his political and legislative moves carefully, after a host of state regulations were rescinded ranging from the environmental protections to protecting consumers from illegal business practices, trying to get the state “back to work.”
What about state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera?
State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami is in the spotlight this week and he chaired the two local public hearings with the local delegation at Miami City Hall over the past two weeks. Lopez-Cantera, first elected in 2004 after losing his first attempt in 2002 facing an incumbent has since gone on to become the majority party leader in the House. He is married, has a child and he is considered a possible candidate for the Miami-Dade County Commission District 7 seat now held by Commissioner Xavier Suarez next year. Lopez-Cantera, a real estate investor and property manager has a BA from the University of Miami and he represents House District 113. In his last race in 2010, he beat two other challengers in Nov. to retain his seat and he garnered 63 percent of the vote in the race.
What about his financials?
Lopez-Cantera through Jan. 2011 had a net worth of $1.85 million (up from $1.75 million) and he has $20,000 in household goods. His listed assets are in total worth $2.21 million and the lawmaker’s total liabilities are $361,000 for the year. His assets include his Coconut Grove condominium valued at $330,000, another apartment in the state capital is worth $40,000, and there is roughly $450,000 in money market accounts. A 15 percent interest in Cantelop Properties is worth $605,000 and a 30 percent interest in Lopez-Cantera Holdings is valued at $545,000, states his financial disclosure form for the year. His salaries for the year were $29,600 from the state of Florida, Cantelop Properties kicked in $28,000 and another $10,400 came in from the Pan American Group.
Lopez-Cantera
>>> Press release: Gov. Scott taps Judge Ivan F. Fernandez to the Third District Court of Appeal.
Judge Fernandez was elected to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in 2002. Prior to that, he was an assistant state attorney for the Office of the State Attorney, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, from 1999 to 2002. He was a sole practitioner from 1993 to 1999. Before beginning his legal career, Judge Fernandez served as a law enforcement officer for 14 years, including four years as a military policeman in the United States Army and eight years as an officer with the Miami Police Department. He received his bachelor’s degree from Barry University and his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. “Judge Fernandez’s 18-year legal career is enhanced by his service as a law enforcement officer, where he gained valuable experience interacting with the people of his community,” Governor Scott said. “As a Circuit Judge, he has shown knowledge of the law, as well as an appreciation of the role of the judiciary in our government’s system of checks and balances.” Judge Fernandez will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge David M. Gersten.
What about the other candidates?
Scott chose Fernandez over two other short-listed candidates, Tom Logue, a long serving Miami-Dade County assistant county attorney with a law degree from Duke University and Ed Scales, an attorney in private practice from Key West who once before has applied for the appeals court, and a appeals court judge has never come from the nation’s most southern county.
What do we know about Fernandez’s finances?
Fernandez is widely respected as a trial judge, almost became the 11th Circuit Courts Chief Judge but lost by one vote to Judge Joel Brown (Net worth $1.6 million) a few years ago and he has been of interest to the Watchdog Report since then and over the last three years, and I have reviewed his filed financial disclosure forms. In 2008, the jurist had a net worth of $141,000 but that fell to $50,000 in 2009 and in 2010, he listed his net worth as $60,000 through December. For this current year he lists $25,000 in household goods, his home is valued at $500,000, there is $8,000 in a bank account, ING financial has $61,163 and he lists one liability owed $385,000. His income for the year was $142,000 as a judge and $63,500 came in from his pension as a Miami police officer major in the 1990s. He lists receiving no gifts over $100.00 for the year.
Fernandez
>>> Press release: Governor Rick Scott today announced the reappointment of Wogan “Wogie” Badcock III and the appointment of Jefferson P. Knight to the Statewide Nominating Commission.
Badcock, 52, of Lakeland, is the executive vice president of public affairs for W.S. Badcock Corporation. He is reappointed for a term beginning August 5, 2011, and ending July 1, 2015. Executive Vice President since 1982, Badcock is also president of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Lakeland and Mulberry. He has held executive positions with the National Home Furniture Association and the Florida Retail Federation. He received an associate degree from Polk Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University.
Knight, 55, of Miami, is a sole practitioner. He succeeds Daniel Fridman and is appointed for a term beginning August 8, 2011, and ending July 1, 2013. Knight practices in the areas of business law; aviation law; international law; bankruptcy; corporate law; commercial litigation; and lemon law, relating to luxury vehicles and RVs. Before founding his own firm in 1991, he practiced with Blackwell Walker and Walton Lantaff. He received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from University of Miami.
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT
>>> Judge Quince in the spotlight, tapped first by Gov. Chiles, had $713,000 net worth through 2010
Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quinn is in the spotlight this week and she was appointed to the top bench by the late Gov. Lawton Chiles and later by past Gov. Jeb Bush. She is highly respected and has been spotted over the years at Miami-Dade County Commission meetings or other affairs in South Florida and she has an easygoing manner and a certain grace with people.
What do we know about her finances?
Quince through Dec. 2010 had a net worth of $713,000 and she lists $60,000 in household goods. There is $277,000 in deferred income, a credit union has $43,300 in it and her checking account has $5,700, and Equitable Corp has $64,000. The jurist’s home is valued at $300,000, there is $125,000 in the state’s DROP program and her only liability is a mortgage owed $161,900. Her salary as a top judge was $156,400 and she received three benign gifts with a listed value of over $100.00 states her financial disclosure for the year.
>>> Court’s web page bio: Justice Peggy A. Quince was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1948. She is married to Fred L. Buckine, attorney at law, and they have two daughters, Peggy LaVerne, a graduate of Florida A & M University, and Laura LaVerne, a graduate of the University of Central Florida. Justice Quince graduated in 1970 from Howard University with a B.S. Degree in Zoology; she received her J.D. Degree from the Catholic University of America in 1975. While a law student she was active in Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and the Black American Law Students Association; she received an award for her work with Catholic’s Neighborhood Legal Services Clinic. In 1999, she received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the Stetson University College of Law. In 2004, she received an honorary doctor of laws degree from St. Thomas University School of Law. Justice Quince began her legal career in Washington, D.C. as a hearing officer with the Rental Accommodations Office administering that city’s new rent control law. In 1977, she entered private practice in Norfolk, Virginia, with special emphasis in real estate and domestic relations.
She moved to Florida in 1978 and opened a law office in Bradenton, Florida, where she practiced general civil law until 1980. In February, 1980, Justice Quince began her tenure with the Attorney General’s Office, Criminal Division. As an assistant attorney general she handled numerous appeals in the Second District Court of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, including death penalty cases, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Her thirteen and a half year tenure at that office included five years as the Tampa Bureau Chief… In 1993 Justice Quince became the first African-American female to be appointed to one of the district courts of appeal with her appointment by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Second District Court of Appeal to a term effective January 4, 1994. She was retained in office by the electorate in November 1996. On December 8, 1998, Justice Quince was appointed by the late Governor Lawton Chiles and Governor-elect Jeb Bush to the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Quince is a member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. Her civic and community activities include membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Jack and Jill of America, Inc., the Urban League, the NAACP, and The Links, Inc… >>> Office Information: Justice Quince’s office may be reached in Tallahassee by phone at (850) 922-5624. Her judicial assistant is Glenda Larry and staff attorneys are Susan O’Halloran, Zainabu Rumala, and Jonathan Tannen. 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.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>> Redistricting 101 the name of the game, citizens meet with county staff in advisory role to draw up proposed maps after hearing citizen input
The first commission redistricting committee meeting, made up of eight citizens was held Wednesday and with a surge of Miami-Dade’s population to almost 2.5 million residents after the 2010 Census, there is much to change for some of the commission districts where resident population went up while others lost people causing a voter imbalance. The group of residents on the Miami-Dade Citizens Advisory Board met in a 18th floor conference room at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center and the group is charged to come up with potential commission districts and the county’s planning and zoning department along with the county attorney’s office are staffing the essentially political and legislative activity. The redistricting process has certain guidelines, but in many ways since the courts have ruled it is a political activity in nature. One has to do gross “gerrymandering” to a commission district for it not to probable be acceptable, said assistant county attorney Randy Duval. The attorney along with another lawyer from the office are offering the legal advice to the group picked by county commissioners to draw and get public input and for Duval, this will be the third time he is involved in commission redistricting that in the past have also brought legal challenges to the federal courts over past decades.
Duval said the mission of advisory board was to have “every person’s vote to have equal weight” and “each district essentially have the same number of people” though there is some “population latitude [that can be] up to a 10 percent deviation,” he said. The veteran attorney said there are “legal ground rules in place” and essentially “redistricting is a legislative and political process,” and that has been validated by federal courts. He said the process takes into account the nation’s Voting Rights Act passed in the 1960s and modified in the 1980s and this is “an interactive process” and includes “voting behavior” that can be based on race. The creation of these new 13 commission districts must be “compact” and “shared interests” are important and the body “must listen to cities,” and in the case of Hialeah. The city residents have four county commissioners that represent part of the municipality, and is that the right thing or is there a difference between “urban and rural areas,” and what about people living in condominiums” are issues and “political considerations” that must be considered. Duval also said they “don’t want to pit one incumbent against another,” and while that may seem odd in some cases. The county attorney said the “court’s say it is a legitimate,” consideration in the overall redistricting process.
The plan is to have the new proposed districts ready by the end of the year, County Commissioner vice Chair Audrey Edmonson (Net worth $378,000, up from $281,000) is the point of the spear in this process, and she has been meeting on the issue as well. Further, the county’s Planning Director Marc LaFerrier along with demographer consultant Guillermo Olmedillo are part of the staff and in Olmedillo’s case. This is his second time doing this redistricting process for the county commission, he did the one back in 2001, and he also is doing the same thing for the Miami-Dade Public School board districts this year.
What have county Commissioners Sosa and Suarez said on the subject?
Xavier Suarez (Net worth $328,000) in a discussion on the subject last month at a county commission meeting, thought the redrawing might be better done by a computer program application. And Rebeca Sosa (Net worth $439,000) on Friday said she was flexible with whatever the maps looked like and for her this is the second time doing the process and for Suarez, at the county level this is his first time.
 Sosa |
 Suarez |
 Edmonson |
>>> 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.
>>> Press release: Gov. Scott taps Judge Rosa C. Figarola and Thomas J. Rebull, both of Miami, to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court.
Judge Figarola, 52, was appointed as a Miami-Dade County Judge in 2001 by Governor Jeb Bush. She has also been a faculty advisor at St. Thomas University School of Law since August 2010. From 1982 to 2000, she was an assistant public defender for the Eleventh Circuit Office of the Public Defender, in the appellate division. She received both her bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Miami. “With a background as an appellate lawyer and a county judge, Judge Figarola possesses the experience necessary for the circuit and has demonstrated a deep respect for hard work and personal responsibility,” Governor Scott said. “Born in Cuba, she brings with her to the circuit court bench respect and appreciation toward those like her who left behind everything familiar and came to America in search of the freedoms and opportunities our country offers.” Judge Figarola will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Mary Barzee Flores.
A partner with Broad and Cassel since 2001, Rebull also has been a member of, and currently chairs, the City of Miami Civilian Investigative Panel since 2003. The panel was created and empowered by voters to conduct independent and impartial oversight of the Miami Police Department. Previously, he practiced with Hector and Harke LLP in 1999. From 1998 to 1999, he was general counsel for Total Quality Management Group Inc. and practiced with Muller Mintz et al from 1997 to 1998. He received his bachelor’s degree from Boston University and his law degree from Washington College of Law. “During his eight years on the City of Miami Civilian Investigative Panel, Thomas has had experience in exercising impartiality and fairness which will help him do the same as a circuit judge,” Governor Scott said. “He is hardworking and conscientious and recognizes that the sole and solemn obligation facing a judge is to enforce the rule of law.” Rebull will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Israel U. Reyes. Governor
>>> Press release: Gov. Scott taps William Altfield of Miami and Spencer Multack of Aventura to the Miami-Dade County Court.
Altfield, 51, has had a distinguished and long career as a prosecutor. He currently serves as a senior prosecutor with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and is primarily responsible for the investigation and prosecution of public corruption. For much of his career he has been designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and his law degree from the University of Florida. “William’s extensive community involvement and 24 years of public service indicate his strong ties to the people of Miami-Dade County,” Governor Scott said. “As a prosecutor in the public corruption unit, he understands the importance of maintaining the public trust. He also knows how to efficiently manage caseloads while also demanding justice.”
Since 2001, Multack, 35, has served as an assistant state attorney with the Office of the State Attorney, Seventeenth Circuit, in the special prosecution unit. The unit is responsible for investigating and prosecuting public corruption offenses by elected officials, city employees, police officers and members of the Florida Bar. He received his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and his law degree from the University of Miami. “As a lifelong resident of Miami-Dade County and experienced prosecutor, Spencer brings to the bench well-developed courtroom skills and a strong work ethic,” Governor Scott said. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated his ability to make sound decisions and treat people with fairness and respect.” >>> Altfield and Multack will fill the vacancies created by the appointments of Judge Victoria Brennan and Judge Lisa Walsh, respectively, to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court.
>>> Press release by Commissioner Lynda Bell (Net worth $308,000): Possible Public Transit Slowdown Early Next Week – Slowdown may affect service on Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16, 2011
It has come to the attention of Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) that on Monday, August 15, and Tuesday, August 16, 2011, some transit employees who are bargaining unit members of the Transport Workers Union, Local 291, are planning an illegal work slowdown. The slowdown entails employees not coming in to work, which will result in a delay of Metrobus and Metrorail service. Since Metromover is an automated service, delays are not expected. All transit services will be operational. If the slowdown occurs, all customers will experience delays in Metrobus and Metrorail service. Since Special Transportation Service (STS) is a contracted service, MDT does not expect this service to be impacted. This work slowdown, which is not endorsed by the TWU, could affect service on Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16, 2011. Miami-Dade Transit is ready to implement a contingency plan to continue providing transit service in case the work slowdown occurs. As always, MDT will do its best to meet the needs of its customers. However, we ask that those who have pressing appointments to meet on those days make alternate transportation arrangements, if possible, in case of delays or service disruption. Miami-Dade Transit will be communicating with the public via the County’s website at www.miamidade.gov, MDT’s website at www.miamidade.gov/transit , and the County’s 3-1-1 Answer Center at 311 or (305) 891-3131, where agents can provide transit information in three languages. In addition, riders alerts will be sent to subscribers and supervisors will be at major bus transfer points to provide service information. To subscribe to rider alerts, the public can register at www.miamidade.gov/transit/rider_alerts.asp .
>>> GMCVB press release: RECORD ARRIVALS AT THE ‘NEW MIA’ (MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) FOR FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2011
Passenger arrivals at the “New MIA’ (Miami International Airport) increased for the first six months of 2011 with international passenger arrivals up +7.9% and domestic arrivals up +5.4% when compared to the same five months last year. Total arrivals increased in the first five months of 2011 by +6.6%.
INTERNATIONAL MIA Passenger Arrivals
| January – June 2011 | January – June 2010 | % Change |
| 4,447,741 | 4,122,070 | +7.9% |
DOMESTIC MIA Passenger Arrivals
| January – June 2011 | January – June 2010 | % Change |
| 4,972,512 | 4,718,690 | +5.4% |
TOTAL MIA Passenger Arrivals
| January – June 2011 | January – June 2010 | % Change |
| 9,420,253 | 8,840,760 | +6.6% |
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCOOLS
>>> School Board member Curbelo in the spotlight, elected in 2010, runs again in 2012, had $226,700 net worth through June, no filing yet for Regalado
Newly elected school board Member Carlos Curbelo is in the spotlight this week and the former Republican Senate aide to Republican Senator George LeMieux also ran for the chair of the local GOP before arriving to the nine member school board where he has gotten a couple of initiatives passed since being sworn in. He beat back challenger Libby Perez in Nov. 2010 and garnered 53 percent of the vote back then and he has fit in well on the many times contentious school board, that since Sept. 2008. After superintendent Alberto Carvalho was picked has quieted down considerable from the past decade, when board meetings sometimes went early into the mornings. He took over a partial term for the District 7 seat and he is up again in 2012 when he will run for a full four-year term.
What do we know about his finances?
Curbelo through June 2011 had a net worth of $226,700 and he lists $42,000 in household goods. His home is worth $226,000, a Fidelity Investment is valued at $47,000, there is $36,000 in a Roth IRA, a retirement account has $15,000 and there is $50,000 in savings. His liabilities for the year are a mortgage owed $299,800 and he owes a line of credit $20,000. He lists a variety of other investments, has a portfolio of 14 stocks and income for the year was $129,290 as a Senate aide, the school board kicked in $4,150 and another $1,643 came in as interest from the federal government. >>> Editor’s note: I also wanted to review new board Member Raquel Regalado’s financial disclosures but she has yet to submit them to the state ethics commission and she has a grace period until September to get them in as required.
 Curbelo |
 Regalado |
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST
>>> Migoya tells legislative delegation challenges ahead but working on plan to make JMH “sustainable” with system growth coming from “the private sector”
PHT President Carlos Migoya spoke to the Miami-Dade Legislative delegation on Wednesday at Miami City Hall and he outlined the challenges facing the public hospital system, but pledged to make the system “sustainable” and to grow not using “public money but from the private sector,” said the new health system CEO. Migoya at the helm of the 11,100 employee health trust since June 1 told the 15 legislators of the delegation that the new smaller Financial Recovery Board (of seven members) is working at a faster pace and actually includes one of their peers, state Rep. Michael Bileca, R-Miami and a committee meeting was why he was not attending the public hearings.
Migoya, a former banker said the past help from the delegation needs to continues to occur this year because the “goal right now is to have a balanced [2011-2012] budget” that has to be presented to the county administration this coming week, and has to include factoring in “$175 million reduction in compensation.” He said key to any financial turnaround involved new “bargaining agreements with the unions” and they are working together “to come up with new strategies” and the institution was not “planning any new initiatives,” he said. Migoya noted in the recent days the health trust took another unplanned hit with the “major Medicaid reform” in Florida and there is a “new additional impact of $50 to $60 million to Jackson and it came up at the last minute.” He said this fiscal environment was “making it very challenging for all of us” but he pledged to lawmakers he would “present to the state a new Jackson plan’ detailing “how to make the hospital self-sustaining, not looking to grow with public money, but from the private sector,” he closed.
>>> Press release: Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz organizes public meetings on Jackson Hospital Governance Task Force recommendations
Miami-Dade residents are invited to voice their opinions on recommendations made by the Hospital Governance Task Force to manage the County’s major public hospital, Jackson Health System. The Hospital Governance Task Force was created by the Board of County Commissioners to study and present recommendations on the governance structure of Jackson. A series of public meetings will be held throughout Miami-Dade County in which residents can learn more about the recommendations and state their opinions on the future management of Jackson Memorial Hospital. The current recommendations made by the Task Force touch on a number of topics, including the structure of Jackson’s Board of Directors, ethics standards, legal structure and governance, and responsibilities to be held by both the Miami-Dade County Commission and the Jackson Health System Governing Board. The meetings were coordinated by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who chairs the County’s Public Safety & Healthcare Administration Committee. All county commissioners were invited to submit dates, times, and locations for meetings within their respective districts.
>>> Wednesday, August 17, 2011 – 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Hispanic Branch Library 1398 SW 1 Street Miami, FL 33135 (Commissioner Barreiro’s District 5) >>> A copy of the recommendations can be viewed online at http://www.miamidade.gov/auditor/library/11-07-14_Outline_of_HGT_Recommendations.pdf. For more information, please contact Commissioner Diaz’s office at 305-599-1200.
CITY OF MIAMI
>>> FDLE reviewing Mayor Regalado’s campaign checks, he asks law enforcement agency to ‘speed up the investigation’
Mayor Tomas Regalado (Net worth $7,500) and his daughter school board member Raquel Regalado and his 2009 campaign treasurer are scrambling to bring together financial documents requested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) after the campaign accepted and amended campaign reports to the tune of $40,000 and another $8,500 from contributors in the Dominican Republic brought to the campaign by architect and prominent business man Willy Bermillo. The story of the discrepancy has been in local blogs for months but hit www.miamiherald.com after FDLE confirmed they were looking at the issues. Regalado’s daughter, an attorney, says it is a bookkeeping error and any incorrectly accepted campaign contributions would be returned said the mayor. During his run for mayor, Regalado raised $848,000 to his challengers much smaller campaign war chest and was elected overwhelmingly in Nov.2009 when he ran against former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez (Net worth $319,000).
However, this latest news only adds to the drama going on at City Hall that has the Police Chief Miguel Exposito battling it out with Regalado and now City Manager Johnny Martinez who has blocked some demotions of high-ranking officers that Exposito wanted to make. Further, the police union is calling for the mayor’s recall. Regalado has shot back that this is all “about money” when it comes to the city’s unions and since the municipality has to make $60 million in cuts in the coming budget year. Modifications of union contracts are a necessary factor unless hundreds of employees are not to be let go, says the administration that has the city in a “financial urgency,” mode. Further, the daughter elected to the school board in 2010 after beating out a crowded field of challengers shows the political dangers of a family member being involved in a campaign, especially when it comes to being the campaign’s treasurer. And now we have not one, but two elected leaders being scanned by law enforcement and hopefully the Regalado’s can resolve this issue quickly, and includes the mayor asking the FDLE to ‘speed up the investigation,’ said his spokesman Pat Santangelo, a former Florida state trooper to The Herald last week.
 Regalado |
 Martinez |
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
>>> Commissioner Weithorn facing public at TMBC, elected in 2007, no challenger yet and has raised $28,600 for campaign
Commissioner Deede Weithorn is facing the public at the Tuesday Morning breakfast Club this week and the Certified Public Accountant has settled into office since she was first elected in 2007 to her first term on the commission dais. She has raised $28,600 for her upcoming campaign and has spent $11,585 through the end of June and she has no challenger to date in the race.
>>> Press release: Budget expert, Miami Beach commissioner Deede Weithorn, will give her annual presentation on the Miami Beach budget to the Breakfast Club Tuesday, Aug. 16, 8:30AM-10:00AM, David’s Cafe II, 1654 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach. Here is her bio: http://www.bdpb.com/directors/directors_associate.asp?bios=28 >> 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 HOMESTEAD
>>> Press release: Former City Manager Mike A. Shehadeh and City of Homestead Reach an Amicable Settlement Agreement on Lawsuits
The lawsuits filed by Mike A. Shehadeh, former City Manager for the City of Homestead, in excess of $1.3 million against the City of Homestead for breach of contract has been settled. This comes after Shehadeh was suspended and then terminated alleging conduct unbecoming a public official. “I have never seen a case with such raw abuse of power and waste of taxpayer money by elected officials,” stated Alfonso J. Perez with Rasco Klock Reininger Perez Esquenazi Vigil & Nieto, attorney for Shehadeh. As part of the settlement, all parties denied any liability or wrongful acts. Parties settled for an undisclosed amount. In addition, the settlement cleared his work record of any wrongdoings.
“I’m pleased with the settlement. My family and I were forced to endure extreme duress. I knew justice would prevail and truth would be exposed. When my reputation is at the heart of what I stand for, I thank God, and all the people who always believed in me and were there to offer their support. I also thank the great citizens of Homestead who believed in me and for allowing me to serve them for over sixteen years,” stated Shehadeh. Shehadeh, who worked for the City of Homestead from 1994 to 2010, was very instrumental in rebuilding the city and its finances after Hurricane Andrew. He headed the city’s financial task force and brought it out of financial urgency. Shehadeh left the city in its best financial conditions, as evident by the several awards it received. He is a graduate of the University of New Haven, CT and is a licensed Florida Professional Engineer with more than 29 years of experience in the private and public sectors. Prior to joining the city of Homestead, he worked for the City of New York. Shehadeh is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Florida Engineering Society, National Society of Professional Engineers, American Public Works Association and American Water Works Association and several other professional organizations. He is currently the president and owner of Mastic Consulting, Inc., an engineering firm based in Miami, FL.
CITY OF HIALEAH GARDENS
>>>.Press release: Nine indicted in $1.9 million theft of laptop computers, local cop among those charged
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John V. Gilles, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce the indictment of nine defendants for their participation in the theft of 5,250 Toshiba laptop computers, valued at approximately $1.9 million, which were being shipped from Forest Park, Georgia, to Miami, Florida, in July 2010. Charged in the four-count indictment are Jose S. Garcia, 37, of Miami, Jose Ramon Garcia, 57, of Miami, Jorge Raul Romero, 42, of Hialeah, Ulises Torres Creagh, 36, of Miami, Ramon Concepcion, 31, of Hialeah, Erving Enrique Ortega, 33, of Miami, and Edwin Antonio Ortega, 30, of Miami. Also charged were Alexeis Jimenez-Gonzalez, 42, of Homestead, and Edilberto R. Fernandez, 48, of Hialeah, who remain at large.
Specifically, Count 1 of the indictment charges all the defendants with conspiring to receive and possess goods valued at more than $5,000, which have crossed state lines after having been stolen, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2315, and conspiring to commit cargo theft of goods valued at $1,000 or more, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 659, all in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Count 2 charges the defendants with receiving and possessing stolen goods, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2315. Count 3 charges the defendants with committing cargo theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 659. Finally, Count 4 charges defendant Jorge Raul Romero, a thirteen-year veteran of the Hialeah Gardens Police Department, with obstructing justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3). According to the indictment, from July 7 through July 12, 2010, the defendants conspired to enrich themselves by stealing 5,250 Toshiba laptop computers valued at more than $1.9 million, and then reselling these goods for profit. During this time, the defendants unloaded and stored the stolen laptop computers at warehouses that belonged to Leading Edge Custom and Illusion Auto Design in Hialeah Gardens, Florida. Thereafter, the defendants, among other things, stored, concealed, transferred, and sold the stolen laptop computers. Additionally, defendant Romero is alleged to have made misleading statements related to this investigation. >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI’s Cargo Theft Task Force in Miami. Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI thank the Hialeah Gardens Police Department for their full cooperation throughout this investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamie M. McCall and Karen Gilbert. An indictment is only an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. >>> A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
>>> OTHER STORIES AROUND FLORIDA
BROWARD COUNTY
>>> Second shoe drops with school board member Gottlieb’s sudden resignation Friday, and Thomas’ just days earlier
The sudden resignation of a second Broward school member in just days does not bode well for the state’s second largest public school district that has been rocked by scandals, arrests and is looking for a new superintendent to replace Jim Notter who exited a few months ago. The District faced with laying off 1,400 teachers now has two vacancies on the nine member board after board Member Dave Thomas resigned suddenly just days ago because his wife is fighting cancer, and a second shoe dropped Friday night when Jennifer Gottlieb (Net worth $1.7 million) announced she was saying sayonara to the board after five years as well. The seasoned educator was criticized by a state grand jury report for supporting the building of a $25 million K-8 school in Hollywood and the grand jury dubbed the new school a ‘beachside boondoggle,’ states www.miamiherald.com . She is married to former state Rep. Ken Gottlieb, D- Hollywood, now a county judge and the two of them were the toast of the town at their political peak a few years ago. The school board over the past 18 months has seen other political turmoil besides the critical grand jury report and ex board member Beverly Gallagher is serving three years in jail and another Stephanie Kraft (Net worth $637,000), who says she is innocent of bribery charges is waiting for her trial. For more on this go to Bob Norman’s blog at http://www.local10.com/bobnorman/28822830/detail.html
>>> 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
>>> Commissioner Abrams in the spotlight, first elected in 2009, had $323,000 net worth through 2010
Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven Abrams is in the spotlight this week and the commissioner was first elected in 2009 and reelected to a full four-year term in 2010. He filled an opening on the commission after his predecessor went to federal prison and was part of a political blood bath that had multiple openings at the dais over a few months back then. The Harvard University graduate got his law degree from George Washington University and he represents Commission District 4. He was a long time mayor of Boca Raton before he was termed out in 2008 and also served on the city commission before that.
Abrams http://www.pbcgov.com/countycommissioners/district4/biography.htm
What do we know about his finances?
Abrams through Dec. 2010 had a net worth of $323,000 (down from $329,000 last year) and he lists no household goods of value. His home is worth $175,000, there is $40,500 in bank accounts, savings bonds are worth $30,000, there is $55,000 in CDs, and cars are valued at $42,610. His only liabilities are $9,776 owed to U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo wants $17,246. His only listed income was his $92,096 salary as a county commissioner.
GULF COUNTY
>>> Press release: Governor Rick Scott names James P. Norton of Port St. Joe as the Gulf County Superintendent of Schools.
Norton, 45, has been the senior vice president and senior trust officer at Vision Bank since 2007. Previously, he was the senior vice president and director of business development for the Coastal Community Bank from 2002 to 2007. He is past president of the Gulf County Chamber of Commerce and of the Port St. Joe Lions Club. “As a third-generation Gulf County resident who attended Gulf County schools from elementary through high school, Jim possesses strong connections to his community and the public schools of his home county,” Governor Scott said. “In addition, his valuable administrative experience in private business has provided him the leadership skills necessary to effectively operate Gulf County’s public schools.” Norton received a bachelor’s degree, as well as a master’s degree in education, from Troy State University and a law degree from Faulkner University Jones School of Law. He is appointed for a term beginning August 11, 2011, and ending November 19, 2012.
OKALOOSA COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Scott picks Benjamin F. Anderson for the position of Okaloosa County Tax Collector.
Anderson, 60, of Fort Walton Beach, is a real estate broker and appraiser with Anderson Realty USA. He will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Chris Hughes and is appointed for a term beginning August 8, 2011, and ending January 7, 2013. A native of Northwest Florida and a professional realtor for 37 years, Anderson is also a real estate appraiser with Emerald Coast Appraisers and Equivalue Inc. He has served on numerous committees of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, including a term as president in 2005. On the state level, in 2006 he served as district vice president of the Florida Association of Realtors and is a current member of the Board of Directors. He is also currently serving as a director for the National Association of Realtors and chairman of the Presidential Advisory Group on Auctions. Anderson served four years on the Public Service Commission Nominating Council. After graduating from Florida State University, Anderson served as a legislative aide in the Florida Senate from 1973 to 1974.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Scott taps Hulan S. Carter to the Washington County Board of County Commissioners.
Carter, 71, of Chipley, is a retired project manager with Deltona Corp. He will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Bill Howell and is appointed for a term beginning August 8, 2011, and ending November 19, 2012. Carter served in the U.S. Army for two years and worked in Washington County as a project manager for Deltona Corporation in Sunny Hills for 35 years. He served as an elected Washington County Commissioner from 1992 to 2000 and was on the Northwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board. Additionally, Carter has served on the Northwest Florida Community Hospital Board for more than 20 years and currently serves as the board’s chairman. “As a lifelong resident of Washington County who has witnessed and been involved in much community growth, Hulan will be able to provide insightful leadership on the Board of County Commissioners,” said Governor Scott.
MONROE COUNTY
>>> Press release: Gov. Scott picks Dr. Jesus Jara of Key West as Monroe County Superintendent of Schools.
Currently serving as interim superintendent, Jara, 41, has been the chief operating officer for the Monroe County School District since February 2010. Previously, was executive director of the College Board Florida Office from 2005 to 2010. While at the College Board, he also served as senior director of the Florida Partnership, a joint effort with the Florida Department of Education to provide professional development for teachers and increased access to rigorous Advanced Placement coursework that promotes equity and achievement among all Florida students. Jara was principal of Springfield Public School in Massachusetts from 2003 to 2005 and taught in Miami-Dade County Public Schools from 1996 to 2001. He received an associate degree from Miami-Dade College, a bachelor’s degree from Barry University, a master’s degree in science education from Nova Southeastern University and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He succeeds Joseph Burke and is appointed for a term beginning August 8, 2011, and ending January 7, 2013.
>>> Sheriff Peryam elected in 2009, had $240,000 net worth through 2010
Monroe Sheriff Bob Peryam is in the spotlight this week and the top cop of Monroe County first took office in 2009. He was born in Hancock Michigan in 1955 and has been a long time resident of South Florida over the decades since. He looks after a county with about 65,000 residents, a armada of tourists and his office is a blend of law enforcement and diplomacy when it comes to a community that dubbed itself the Conch Republic in the 1980s and trying to in spirit, succeed from the United States.
What do we know about his finances?
Peryam through Dec. 2010 had a net worth of $240,000 (down from $292,000 last year) and he lists $85,000 in household goods. He has property in Tennessee worth $13,000, one raw property on Big Pine Tree where he lives is worth $10,000, and his residence is valued at $250,000, states his financial disclosure form for the year. He has $105,000 in deferred income, an IRA has $6,500, a savings account has $4,000 and in the Florida DROP program has $250,000. His liabilities for the year are $360,000 on a mortgage and he owes $50,000 on a student loan. His only listed income for the year was his salary of $141,000.
Peryam Bio on webpage: http://www.keysso.net/aboutsheriff/biograph.htm
>>> Press release: Gov. Scott taps Brian L. Barroso and Melva G. Wagner to the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority.
Barroso, 38, of Key West, is the assistant vice president for First State Bank of the Florida Keys. He succeeds Elena Z. Herrera-George and is appointed for a term beginning August 11, 2011, and ending December 30, 2014.
Wagner, 52, of Key West, is the owner of Sellstate Island Properties. She succeeds Rose M. Dell and is appointed for a term beginning August 11, 2011, and ending December 30, 2014.
>>> Editor’s note: I have written about the Aqueduct Authority over the years and actually put two stories on the FKAA in the Miami Herald back in 2005 and 2006 and the organization that controls most of the water infrastructure in Monroe was first created in the mid 1930s and has never gotten the scrutiny it deserved. Back then, a critical state audit found senior executives were given outrageous salary and benefit packages that even extended to family members, major reforms occurred later after some of this critical scrutiny by state lawmakers, and the press became known.
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
>>> State Redistricting Town Hall Meetings with State Senators and Representatives on August 17th August 17. Miami Dade Wolfson Campus 10AM-2PM. FIU College of Law 6-9PM. There will be two town hall meetings featuring state senators and representatives discussing the plans for redrawing Florida’s political boundary lines. Here you will be able to voice your concerns about how redistricting will affect you and express how you feel our districts should be drawn. Both town hall meetings will be on August 17th; the first will be held at the Miami-Dade Wolfson Campus from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and the second will be held at the FIU College of Law from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Click here for more information.
>>> 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. 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.
EDITORIALS
>>> PAST WDR: APRIL 2008: Note to South Florida elected leaders and administration, now is the time to lift your game if public trust is important
The public continues to get the run around when it comes to some public servants and there has to be tighter control of government employees and their overall performance. It should not be acceptable to have people miss critical facts like the substitution of a front-page cover sheet referencing a state not national corporate entity on a contract for the Orange Bowl a few years ago after then Attorney Jorge Fernandez missed it. A city commissioner had a staff member that signed a U.S. HUD document even though she is legally blind he has said in her defense and she did not read the fine print. Moreover, one of the wildest examples was when Michael Hardy, the past Arsht Performing Arts Center CEO was in front of a county commission committee meeting last August. He said with a straight face the reason the cost of electricity for air conditioning was through the roof at the two giant halls was that they had done the power use calculation using the centers square footage not cubic feet. This was a performance of a lifetime.
Further, being a public servant is not a right, but a privilege and people involved in this activity need to crank down the ego and self-importance. But beef up the performance for this just continues to go on with only the players changing as we lurch from one scandal to another and it must be reduced if taxpayers are ever going to regain any kind of faith in their public institutions.
>>> PAST WDR: OCTOBER 2005: Dade Home Rule Charter created to “protect the governed, not the governing” and the media has a role in that mission
The role of the press and the media in our society has been debated for centuries here in the United States but the rules have never changed so much since after 9/11 giving government a real edge in controlling what is, or is not reported on. Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami are two local empirical examples of governments’ reactions to the press. There are some elected leaders that embrace the role of the media, accept it as part of the territory coming with public office, versus other elected leaders and public servants, that disdain the role and oversight the profession plays in our Republic.
Government has numerous methods at there disposal to get their side of the story out ranging from local free community periodicals to the public institutions dedicated cable station. However, when it comes investigative news stories that might keep some independent oversight of the $14 billion of public government or the $2.9 billion that will come with the county’s general obligation bond the local media resources are scant. Government understands that they actually have the advantage in the current wartime environment and as seasoned reporters with community history leave the field. A large information and oversight void is being created giving public institutions a much looser political environment in which to govern the community’s 2.3 million residents.
The framers of The Miami-Dade Home Rule Charter adopted by the county in May 21, 1957 understood the edge that government has over the people they rule and the very first sentence of the Citizens’ Bill of Rights section of the charter got it right. “This government has been created to protect the governed, not the governing.” Residents need to start focusing on the rapidly depleting media resources in Miami-Dade that are being directed at their public institutions because these assets are slowly being picked off, especially when you consider the financial size of the public entities.
Throughout the nation’s history, there has always been tension between the press and government and the nation’s founders understood that and embraced the idea because they knew they would not always be in power themselves. Moreover, the last thing they wanted was to feel the pain of an arrogant government in their lives after leaving office, something many of our current public servants should reflect on.
LETTERS
>>> Reader on Grove anchorage resident’s arrest by feds
Where did you get the information that Andrew Marshall was a Dinner Key Marina resident? He lived in the Anchorage outside the marina, and was an outspoken critic of the installation of the City’s mooring field. I knew he had been arrested for something related to guns … it looks like the charges were for more than that. Wow!
Michelle Niemeyer
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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.
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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
Send to: 3109 Grand Avenue, #125
Fax 305-668-4784 -To contact the Publisher please e-mail watchdogreport1@earthlink.net