Watchdog Report Vol.12 No.49 April 8, 2012 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. The Watchdog Report webpage is free, has no ads, pops-up quickly and is just the news in a mainstream reporting manner.

>>> HELP: I NEED FINANCIAL HELP IF THIS IS TOO CONTINUE AFTER 12-YEARS AND HEADING INTO 13-YEARS IN MAY:  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.

>>> May you and your family have a happy, safe and reflective Passover and Easter Holiday.

>>> The Watchdog Report will be on Joseph Cooper’s show Topical Currents on Monday, Apr. 9, from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., and readers should listen in if you get a chance. www.wlrn.org

>>> Correction: The City of Lake Wales is in Polk County, FL.

ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street

>>> FBI Dir. Mueller asks business community to rise up and help fight fraud and public corruption across S. FL

Robert S. Mueller III, the Director of the FBI since September 4, 2001 when he was appointed to the post by President George W. Bush a week before 9/11 took a road trip to Miami Wednesday and asked the local business community to rise up in arms and help federal authorities tamp down the rampant fraud and abuse of public taxpayer dollars that has Florida ranking number one or two around the nation when it comes to fraud. Mueller, a veteran Vietnam Marine officer with a host of medals including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, went to Princeton, before going to Southeast Asia, later got a Masters from New York University and his law degree is from the University of Virginia. He has served in a number of federal positions under a number of different president’s administrations and prior to being tapped for this top FBI post. He was the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco.

Mueller, attending the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Jungle Island joked at first he was “intrigued” by the location that featured animals that were predators. He said half jokingly that when he testifies in front of Congress he is in a similar environment and “predators are not just here,” but the man then shifted his talk to the War on Terrorism and the “economic predators” in our nation’s midst. He said some “of the most prominent frauds” the FBI is investigating have been spawned in South Florida, which had the first FBI Healthcare Task Force detail established in the nation in 2002-2003. And since Medicare represents 18 percent of America’s budget going to healthcare, these frauds cost “tens of billions of dollars a year,” he said. The man cited a case of healthcare fraud that involved a company called American Therapeutic Corp where they “preyed on people with mental disorders” and a host of people getting “Kickbacks” helped perpetuate the fraudulent acts. He said one person got 50-years and another person is “serving 35 years in prison.”

Mueller said the FBI is beefing up the fraud and intelligence staff involved with healthcare, mortgage, identity theft, or cyber-terrorism and in the case of Medicare fraud. “All of us are victims and the money is to be used to care for the sick, not line someone’s pocket,” he said. He also noted there were 2,600 active mortgage fraud cases each over $1 million, where buyers lied about their income, or the “appraiser inflated the homes price.” He also said people running “rescue services for people in mortgage default or underwater with their properties” are being scammed as well and “charged thousands of dollars in fees” and it is a “false hope” and the federal bureau “recognizes the impact [vacant homes] have on a family and community.” And when it came to SEC fraud and “self dealing insider trading,” they are committed too root it out and he cited the fact Raj Rajaratnam the CEO of the Galleon Group is now serving 11 years for $17 million in insider trading and the sentence is “the longest time in SEC history,” said the long serving director.

The Director set to retire in Sept. 2011 was asked by President Barack Obama in May 2011 to stay on for another two-years and the U.S. Senate approved that request on July 2011 since the office has a mandatory ten-year retirement clause that in this case was overridden. He said here in South Flroida we had are own poster child of fraud in the Scott Rothstein’s $1.6 billion Ponzi scheme with the former Broward attorney now serving 50-years in the federal Big House. The case had Rothstein and a host of associates “forging federal judge’s signatures” and it is these types of cases that had the FBI adding “250 forensic accountants,” that he likened to “SWAT teams of accountants” with their calculators and computers “but without the body armor,” he said. The attorney also said the FBI has “special agents imbedded within the SEC that helps the organization “identify fraud early on” before these scams “bilk investors of their lifetime savings.” He carped in the movies like The Sting, with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The con artists are portrayed as good guys and charming. However, “in real life these people are not so charming” and when people are “putting trust in others like buying a home and healthcare” and then they are scammed it impacts “are whole way of life since it [the American economy] is built on trust.” And when we find these “Big cons” we all lose and why he said to the business community “your help is so vital” and that includes “protecting yourself and your company because it really is a jungle out there,” he closed before taking a variety of questions from the 350 people or so attending the affair.

>>> FBI website bio: Robert S. Mueller, III Director September 4, 2001- Present Robert Mueller was nominated by President George W. Bush and became the sixth Director of the FBI on September 4, 2001. Born in New York City, Mr. Mueller grew up outside of Philadelphia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1966 and later earned a master’s degree in International Relations at New York University. After college, he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served as an officer for three years, leading a rifle platoon of the Third Marine Division in Vietnam. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Following his military service, Mr. Mueller earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1973 and served on the Law Review. After completing his education, Mr. Mueller worked as a litigator in San Francisco until 1976. He then served for 12 years in United States Attorney’s Offices, first in the Northern District of California in San Francisco, where he rose to be chief of its criminal division. In 1982, he moved to Boston as an Assistant United States Attorney, where he investigated and prosecuted major financial fraud, terrorist, and public corruption cases, as well as narcotics conspiracies and international money launderers.

After serving as a partner at the Boston law firm of Hill and Barlow, Mr. Mueller returned to public service. In 1989 he served in the United States Department of Justice as an assistant to Attorney General Richard L. Thornburgh. The following year he took charge of its Criminal Division. In 1991, he was elected Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In 1993, Mr. Mueller became a partner at Boston’s Hale and Dorr, specializing in complex white collar crime litigation. He again returned to public service in 1995 as senior litigator in the Homicide Section of the District of Columbia United States Attorney’s Office. In 1998, Mr. Mueller was named United States Attorney in San Francisco and held that position until 2001. Mr. Mueller and his wife, Ann, have two daughters.  http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/directors Mueller below

>>> What about Special Interest Aliens (SIA), known terrorists using drug lanes to get into America?

John V. Gillies, the Special-Agent-In-Charge of the U.S. Southern District of Florida for the Bureau in South Florida, who arrived in South Florida the fall of 2009, gave the Watchdog Report an exclusive interview Wednesday on the issue of SIAs. These people and the countries they come from are known terrorists committed to doing harm in anyway they can to the United States of America and its friends and allies. Gillies with over 450 other special agents under his charge alone with support staff has a huge area to cover that includes Mexico, Caribbean, and Central and South America as well as South Florida from Fort Pierce to Key West. The veteran agent when I asked him about terrorists using the drug trafficking lanes to get into the nation or to bring in material for bombs or deadly Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). He said it was a real problem and when it comes to these drug lords. It’s all about the money and if the terrorists will pay up, nothing is a logistical problem for the drug cartels. “Certainly the potential exists for those routes being used by the drug trafficors could be used for other nefarious means, i.e., bringing in terrorists and the drug dealers will do anything for a dollar, they don’t care,” said the federal agent.

When I asked about the large territory his office is in charge of, he said, “it was a huge area we have to cover and we are very busy dealing with kidnapping and murder of U.S. citizens because of the drug trade.” He said that also includes being in the top tier for healthcare fraud in the nation and we are in the “top two in mortgage and security fraud.” He said about the volume of cases and prosecutions being handled in this office, one of 56 FBI Field offices. The veteran FBI agent at the end concluded by saying, “If this was a business venture today, unfortunately, business is very good for us,” he closed.

>>> Press release: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to discuss several policies of the Brazilian government, which run counter to U.S. interests.  For a signed copy of the letter, please click here.  Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

“As Brazil continues to emerge as a global power, it is important that its actions and policies reflect those of a responsible nation.  I am concerned about a number of foreign policy stances by Brazil, which run counter to U.S. interests and the interests of global security and human rights, and aid repressors and extremists. “It is disappointing that Brazil has not shown leadership in standing up for basic rights for the Cuban people, and instead is expanding business with the Castro regime. Similarly, rather than standing with Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, Brazil has backed unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, which threatens any chance at true peace between Israel and the Palestinians. “Further, Brazil’s unwillingness to harshly penalize the Iranian and Syrian regimes for their dangerous policies and human rights abuses is deeply disappointing. “I urge President Obama to raise these issues when he meets with President Rousseff next week, and hope that Brazil revisits these policies.”

>>> White House press release: The Employment Situation in March Posted by Alan B. Krueger on April 6, 2012 at 9:30AM

There is more work to be done, but today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It is critical that we continue to make smart investments that strengthen our economy and lay a foundation for long-term middle class job growth so we can continue to dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the severe recession that began at the end of 2007. Employer payrolls increased by 121,000 jobs in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ establishment survey. The unemployment rate ticked down to 8.2% in March, according to the household survey.  However, employment was virtually unchanged in the household survey.

Both surveys indicate the continuing challenges facing construction workers, as a result of the collapse in homebuilding following the bursting of the housing bubble.  The unemployment rate for construction workers stands at 17.2%, more than double the national average.  Because of weak private sector demand for construction investment and the nation’s continuing need for improved infrastructure, including maintenance of existing highways, bridges, and ports, the President’s Budget proposal to increase and modernize the nation’s infrastructure is well targeted to support the economy today and in the future. Despite adverse shocks that have created headwinds for economic growth, including weak construction investment, the economy has added private sector jobs for 25 straight months, for a total of 4.1 million jobs over that period.

Manufacturing continues to be a bright spot and added 37,000 jobs in March.  After losing millions of good manufacturing jobs in the years before and during the recession, the economy has added 466,000 manufacturing jobs in the past 25 months—the strongest growth for any 25 month period since September 1995.  To continue the revival in manufacturing jobs and output, the President has proposed tax incentives for manufacturers, enhanced training for the workforce, and measures to create manufacturing hubs. Other sectors with net job increases included leisure and hospitality (+39,000), professional and business services (+31,000), and financial activities (+15,000).  Retail trade lost 33,800 jobs, construction lost 7,000 jobs, and government lost 1,000 jobs.  State and local government job losses have moderated in recent months.  Almost three-quarters of the slower job growth in March relative to February was due to slower growth in temporary help services and health care and day care services. As the Administration stresses every month, the monthly employment and unemployment figures can be volatile, and employment estimates can be subject to substantial revision. Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, and it is helpful to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.

>>> Press release: FORMER EXECUTIVE OF MIAMI-BASED OCEAN BANK SENTENCED TO SERVE 37 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR PARTICIPATING IN BRIBERY SCHEME AND FILING FALSE TAX RETURNS

A former executive of Ocean Bank, a financial institution headquartered in Miami, was sentenced today for participating in a scheme to accept bribes and for failing to report income on federal income tax returns, the Department of Justice announced. Danilo P. Perez, a former vice president of Ocean Bank, was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court in Miami by District Judge Donald L. Graham to serve 37 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release.

On Jan. 25, 2012, Perez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit or demand money and other things of value to influence an employee of a financial institution and three counts of tax offenses. The charges against Perez stemmed from his accepting nearly $500,000 in cash and other items from co-conspirators in connection with his supervision of certain customer business with the bank. As vice president, Perez generally oversaw Ocean Bank’s lending relationships with corporate customers of the bank.

Perez admitted to accepting bribes, including payments for expensive watches, Super Bowl tickets and other items for his personal use, as well as substantial amounts of cash. Perez accepted the payments intending to be rewarded and influenced in connection with his role in approving Ocean Bank’s issuance of letters of credit, loans and overdraft privileges to his co-conspirators. Perez also admitted that he failed to report income from those bribes for tax years 2005, 2006 and 2007, resulting in lost tax revenue of approximately $91,000 to the federal government. >>> The investigation was conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Atlanta Field Office and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation in Atlanta and Miami, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Anyone with information concerning anticompetitive conduct in the banking industry is urged to call the Antitrust Division’s Atlanta Field Office at 404-331-7100 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm.

>>> Knight Center for International Media newsletter: One Water Continues to Reach Audiences Globally with Eight Screenings this World Water Day
The film continues to cross borders, physical and cultural, by showing at a variety of settings this World Water Day 2012.  With screenings spanning the globe, from British Columbia to Hungary, One Water continues to be a popular choice in media for discussing the world’s water crisis.  All screenings of the film are free.  If you are interested in organizing or holding a screening, large or small, please contact Lauren Janetos. For more about the film and related educational projects, visit http://onewater.org/education. www.knightfoundation.org

>>> 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 and was Best Citizen in the 2003 Best of Miami of The Miami New Times, profiled twice in The Miami Herald, and the Orlando Sentinel ran a nationwide story on me in the Tribune papers on Jan. 2003, and UNC Chapel Hill named 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. Further, I am a frequent guest on WWW.WPBT2.ORG on Helen Ferre’s show Issues, and have also appeared on  Eliott Rodriguez’s show News & Views on www.CBS4.com .

FLORIDA

>>> Eleventh Circuit Clerk of the Courts Ruvin loses opposition candidate for countywide office, will he coast to victory in August?

Long serving Miami-Dade Clerk of the Courts Harvey Ruvin, (Net worth $1.45 million), 74, just got a political break when challenger Ruvin Young dropped out of the race in August 14^th leaving Ruvin running unopposed for his countywide elected office to date. The attorney and former county commissioner has $45,650 in his campaign war chest and he was easily reelected in 2008. He is a big proponent of the environment and using IT to make the office more efficient and user friendly, but critics wonder if after Ruvin being in office for decades. They question if it is time for new blood in the office, though it has been fairly scandal free over these years.

Ruvin last year was in the political hot seat when County Mayor Carlos Alvarez (Net worth $1.74 million) faced a recall after Norman Braman, a billionaire auto magnate, funded getting over 100,000 county voters to sign a recall petition that triggered a recall election and had Alvarez and County Commissioner Natacha Seijas (Net worth $617,000) being tossed out of office by 85 percent of the around 16 percent of the county’s voters that participated in the special election. Braman charged that Ruvin could not be trusted to certify the petitions at the time since the county funds some of the Constitutional office but Ruvin countered that was not the case and he followed the law and ultimately signed off on the recall initiative.

>>> Clerk’s webpage bio:  Harvey Ruvin is a graduate Industrial Engineer (University of Florida 1959).  He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami Law School, 1962.  He is an avid exercise, fitness and health devotee, having been ranked as high as 16th in the nation by the American Amateur Racquetball Association.      He was first elected to public office in 1968 at the age of 30.  Serving as Mayor of the City of North Bay Village, he became one of the youngest mayors in Miami-Dade County history.  In 1972, Ruvin was elected to the Metro Dade County Commission where he served till 1992, becoming the only person ever to serve five consecutive 4-year terms on the Commission…

In 1992, he was elected to the Office of Miami-Dade County Clerk, was re-elected without opposition in 1996, 2000 and 2004.  In 2008 was again re-elected with a countywide 76+% majority, leading the total Ballot with 542,469 votes, the most ever for any office or issue in the history of Miami-Dade County… In 2008, he received the “Defender of the Everglades Award” by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Friends of the Everglades.  In 2009, he was named the Inaugural Recipient of the “Reitmeister-Abess Award” for environmental advocacy by the University of Miami Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy.

Full bio: http://www.miami-dadeclerk.com/clerk_biography.asp

>>> AG Pam Bondi press release: Florida Recovers More Than $54 Million From WellCare in Medicaid Fraud Settlement

Attorney General Pam Bondi (Net worth $472,000) announced that Florida has recovered more than $54 million in an agreement with WellCare that resolves allegations of accounting fraud and the falsification of records. A National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Unit team, led by the Florida Attorney General’s Office, investigated the allegations and negotiated with WellCare on behalf of the settling states. Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and the federal government also joined the total $137.5 million settlement. This settlement is in addition to an $80 million deferred prosecution agreement that the Florida Attorney General’s Office and the federal government entered into with WellCare in May 2009. The DPA required WellCare to pay $40 million in civil forfeiture and $40 million in restitution for damages to Florida Medicaid and the Florida Healthy Kids program. Click here to read more.

>>> Press release: In the spirit of a weekend so sacred to so many, you might like to see just 60 words from what I said at a prayer breakfast this morning before 500 people in Homestead on Good Friday and the first evening of Passover: “I do not wanted to be reminded that everyone loves children. I already know that. But what does such ‘love’ really mean? If everyone really loved children, loved everyone’s child in God’s world, we would do so much better and so much more…. We see in Psalm 127: ‘Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.’ Let us never forget that.” The Movement is growing because of so many. Last week contributions came in ranging from $5 to $2,000. I would hope everyone would find a way to give something. It’s easy. Just click here. I wish for you a blessed weekend. Dave Lawrence Jr., Chair, The Children’s Movement

>>> Press release: Gov. Scott taps Kathryn E. Starkey to the Florida Humanities Council.

Starkey, 54, of New Port Richey, is the director of the Starkey Land Company.  She succeeds Ellen Vinson and is appointed for a term beginning April 6, 2012, and ending January 1, 2015.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

>>> It’s beginning 1.1 million residents in UMSA will debate future incorporation, to be or not to be

It is beginning after five-years of dormancy; Miami-Dade Commissioners Tuesday approved 11 to 0 to lift the incorporation moratorium for the 1.1 million residents living in the Unincorporated Municipal Service Area (UMSA) that has been in effect since 2007. The county commissioners had a protracted debate on the legislation pushed by Commissioners Esteban Bovo, (Net worth $25,898) Sally Heyman (Net worth $425,000) and Jean Monestine, but when it came to the final vote. The new legislation sailed through the legislative body. Bovo said municipalities service residents better, and the issue will be “how much it will cost?” If people form cities and he believed that financial issue “will be the driver” and “we need to at least have the conversation.” He also believes the commission is better served if they focus in the future on “regional issues.”

Commissioner Javier Souto (Net worth $658,000) said when it came to incorporation the “thing is to let the people vote and represent themselves” and this “is what this country is all about” and “Justice delayed is justice denied,” he said. Monestine noted some “people may be happy,” while others disagree and “could have higher taxes” but it must at least be looked at, he thought. He said when it came to “leaders” one of the goals is to “build independence” and “not dependency” to “build a better community” and let the people make the decision. Jose “Pepe” Diaz, (Net worth $64,200) on the dais since 2002 said the commission has “dealt many years with incorporation and annexation” but he was concerned he “does not have all the information to move forward” and noted “county cops have major problems” if incorporation expands and reduces the countywide police presence. He also objected to “certain municipalities getting together” to discuss what areas “they will take or not,” he said. Commissioner Xavier Suarez (Net worth $328,500) said, “The cherry pie [the wealthy UMSA areas] is a lot bigger than we tell people and there are areas that don’t want to be incorporated,” he said. The attorney believes the word “subsidiarity” sums up his feelings and philosophy about how people should be represented by their government. Editor’s note, here is an explanation of the word: (Subsidiarity (Catholicism) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Subsidiarity is an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Political decisions should … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidiarity_(Catholicism) ) But his comment also took the tone of Suarez reminding everybody how smart he is, something that is getting old on the dais and that was compounded when he left the dais before the vote was taken.

Commissioner Dennis Moss (Net worth $342,000) questioned “how do we fund these regional activities?” And he expected the new municipalities “to come back and ask where is mine, where is mine,” when it comes to their share of the countywide half cents sales tax for transportation for example where 20 percent of the money is allocated for those cities in existence in 2002, and the new cities would be expected to get money from the county’s 80 percent share, he thought. He said in his district’s case, “I have a large area in my district” and if incorporation was to occur. I want “to create one huge new city.”

Esteban

Monestine

Heyman

Moss

Souto

Diaz

What about Suarez?

Suarez seems to believe he has “special status” when it comes to public office as one long time veteran Republican said to me last week. He does not seem to realize what he has done in the past is not particularly relevant in the here and now and when it comes to his voting record. He apparently wants to keep it to a minimum, and in the past. He did not vote on a range of items including a controversial taxicab issue to others like the incorporation vote last week. And he just gets up from the dais and does not vote, though he often says his vote was not needed, but it is odd behavior to his colleagues and is being noticed.

What about his fundraiser on May 11?

Suarez has reported raising no money for his campaign war chest that had around $250,000 in it when he ran for the commission District 7 seat in the spring of 2011 and he is pinning his hopes on racking in the money next month, and if he does well. This funding may prompt the man to decide to run for Miami-Dade mayor, though to date, he has no challenger for a full four-year term on the 13-member commission. But insiders are speculating the commission is not providing enough of a challenge for the man, one of 14 children, where he is ninth born, and a former city of Miami mayor. However, his past history with elections since 1997 when he was briefly Miami mayor again but that election would later be nullified by the courts after widespread voter fraud was found to have taken place, including Manuel Yip continuing to vote, even though the man had died years earlier. Suarez was cleared in that election but it has been a cloud over his head politically since then and he lost another attempt to be the Magic City’s mayor in 2001, lost to now Mayor Carlos Gimenez (Net worth $923,000) in 2004 for the county commission seat before winning the seat in 2011 in a low voter turnout special election. After Gimenez decided to run for mayor and the seat became vacant. His son Francis (Net worth $81,131), now the Miami Commission Chair and an up and comer has helped the father get back into the political fray but the father needs to be careful that in his come from the past career. He does not hurt his son’s nascent political career.

Francis Suarez

Xavier Suarez

>>> With over $6 billion in water & sewer infrastructure needed, Beach pipe least of worries in the future

At the Miami-Dade County internal budget meetings, the Department of Water and Sewer has more than just the problem of replacing a large underwater pipe that takes sewage from Miami Beach and other communities to a plant on Virginia Key and is dangerously weak. John Redfern the director told attendees that there is actually over 100 miles of defective pipes throughout Miami-Dade that was installed in the go-go years of the 1970s when South Florida was in a building boom that later went bust to a great extent in 1979. The director and staff estimate about $6 billion would be necessary to fix the ageing system and he was suggesting up to a nine percent increase in water and sewer rates would be necessary to pay for the bonds to finance the infrastructure, but that is seen as a non starter, when it came to the commission approving such a rate hike in the current economic climate.

>>> M-DPD requesting $22.7 million in new budget for ageing police cruisers, whole engines and transmissions are being changed out

The county police department is asking for $22.7 million for new police cars since the ageing fleet has 30 percent (1,018 cars) of its vehicles with “well over 100,000 miles,” and another 731 vehicles will pass that millage figure in the coming year. The department notes the repairs alone are beginning to be not worth it. Since there are also 150 police cruisers with 180,000 miles, the life of the car’s frame is 150,000 miles, and the issue is a “point of grave importance,” state police budget documents.

Police Department Director James Loftus called the old high millage cars “dogs with fleas,” and he said about eight vehicles are in accidents or retired a month. He also made clear the cost of gasoline was becoming a major issue for the police and noted the new Dodge Chargers do not have a large block Hemi engine like many in the public believe, but are the more fuel frugal V6. The current budget for the county’s largest department for the year is $548.5 million, but is projecting coming in at $581 million and this $32.5 million, or 5.9 percent negative variance is because “some employee concessions per Collective Bargaining Agreements,” were delayed in implementation and is causing this overrun.

>>> Press release: Ethics Commission supplements guidelines on free event tickets

As a follow up to guidelines it issued earlier this month for the official use of complimentary tickets by public officials, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust (COE) today adopted internal guidelines that clarify when a politician appears at a function in an “official capacity.”  The list of recommended public purposes for attending ticketed events includes hosting dignitaries, visitors and certain residents or groups and performing actions related to the official’s position, such as introductions, presentations, ribbon cuttings and speech making.

The addendum to the guidelines* also suggests how public officials should distribute tickets that are received through a contractual agreement with a private entity in order to avoid possible misuse of public resources and bolster confidence in the integrity of government.   Distribution may be first-come, first-serve or by a lottery.  The tickets could be sold, with the proceeds designated to a public purpose.   They could be allocated to non-profit agencies, schools, children’s groups or community organizations.  The tickets also could be used as rewards for citizens or employees making substantial contributions to the community or local government.  The COE will continue to provide opinions to inquiring officials regarding whether other uses are ethically acceptable.

>>> Ethics Commission press release: In other action at today’s meeting, probable cause was found that a bus maintenance technician for the Miami-Dade Transit Department violated the “prohibition on outside employment” provision of the Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance.  An investigation by the Inspector General’s Office had found that Niranjan Seepersaud also worked for American Coach Lines from March 2007 through June of 2010, but failed to obtain authorization for outside employment and did not file financial disclosure forms each year as required by the Code.  After the case was turned over to the Ethics Commission, Seepersaud was told that if he complied with the filing requirement by the end of 2011, no action would be taken. He has failed to do so, and the complaint (C 12-08) will proceed.

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

>>> Press release: UM Seeking High School Students for Free Journalism & New Media Summer Workshop

The University of Miami School of Communication is seeking high school juniors and senior to apply for the 2012 Peace Sullivan/James Ansin High School Workshop in Journalism and New Media, July 8 – 28, 2012, a free summer workshop at the University of Miami. For three weeks during the workshop, students live on campus and produce a tabloid newspaper called the Miami Montage, along with a news web site featuring student-produced videos and blogs. Meals are provided throughout the workshop.

Now in its 28th year at UM, the workshop, underwritten through the generosity of Peace Sullivan and James Ansin/Ansin Family Foundation, attracts students from across South Florida who get a taste of college life, while learning advanced skills in news and new media production.    Students also take field trips to The Miami Herald, the Sun Sentinel and WSVN-Channel 7 to see first-hand how news is produced. To apply, students should fill out an application; provide a personal essay, copies of their journalistic work and a letter of recommendation. The application is available at http://workshop.com.miami.edu/2012/application.pdf. *The deadline for applications is May 4, 2012.  To learn more, visit the workshop’s 2011 website, http://thestatus.org or call 305-284-3694.

>>> Press release: Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) honored its finest principals and assistant principals at an awards ceremony on April 5 at Jungle Island. Dr. Pablo G. Ortiz, provost of Miami Edison Senior High School, won top honors as the District’s Principal of the Year.

Ortiz has led the most dramatic two-year turnaround of any school in Florida, successfully maintaining the school’s “C” rating for two consecutive years.  He has served for 15 years as an assistant principal and principal in schools throughout Miami-Dade.  This is his second win for Principal of the Year, earning him the distinction of being the District’s first double winner. He is an M-DCPS alumnus, having graduated from Southwest Miami Senior High School.

Denise P. Barrett-Johnson of Lake Stevens Middle School was recognized as Assistant Principal of the Year.  Barrett-Johnson is also a distinguished M-DCPS alumna, having graduated from Miami Norland Senior High School. Also recognized at the ceremony were Agenoria T. Powell of Linda Lentin K-8 Center, named Principal of the Year runner-up, and Dr. Contessa S. Bryant of Homestead Senior High, was named Assistant Principal of the Year runner-up.

>>> Press release: Miami-Dade County School Board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman recognized the lifetime achievements of her longtime friend and Florida’s statesman, former U.S. Senator. Bob Graham at the dedication of a permanent collection featuring important objects from his 38 years of distinguished public service. The Bob Graham Living Educational Exhibit will be located at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, 15901 NW 79 Ave., Miami Lakes, FL 33016.

“At a time when our youth needs to be inspired by those in the public limelight, Bob Graham serves as a prime example of outstanding service and dedication combined with a solid character and a strong sense and adherence to personal and public ethics,” said Ms. Hantman. Additionally, two new endeavors were unveiled: the creation of an Academy for Citizenship Studies and Public Service, and the inception of the Bob Graham Excellence in Civic Engagement Award to honor exceptional eighth-grade students from the school.

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

>>> FRB Lapciuc on JHS challenges, $1.1 billion in charity and bad debt makes balanced budget difficult

Marcos Lapciuc, the chair of the seven member Financial Recovery Board (FRB) and involved with the Public Health Trust board since 2005, before the oversight board was reduced in number to seven members last year spoke to the Elephant Forum last month and he detailed what Jackson Health System is trying to do to become a sustainable public hospital system. He said the health system has “taught me about healthcare in America, there are competing views on healthcare and Jackson Health System is the epicenter of the healthcare debate,” he said.

Lapciuc, an attorney, with an undergraduate degree in business both from the University of Miami said when it came to politics and the issue. “Democrats and liberals seem to have a lock on compassion, and Republicans are always portrayed as uncaring and cold,” and when it comes to this subject. “The [political] party’s are not the issue because the healthcare system is totally broken and represents 14 percent of the nation’s GDP.” He said that percentage is expected to explode to 25 percent when the rest of the baby boomers enter retirement. He says the current model is “uncompetitive” and is disappointed that the Republicans had not taken a lead to this crisis, especially what are the good and bad points of the [President Barack] Obama plan, saying the “government is already involved with healthcare,” though supports the states suing the federal government at the Supreme Court, he said.

Lapciuc said patients must have a “medical home” and the only way to drive down costs is by more primary care trying to mitigate more severe illnesses and keeping patients out of the emergency room where the costs are almost ten times higher for these patients presenting. He also said Jackson gives the same level of medical care to all patients “irrespective of ability to pay,” but that is a financial drain as well. The Financial Recovery Board chair said he would “have liked to see a competing plan by Republicans but he noted that has not jelled out, and in the case of Jackson that gets $380 million in public funding and its sustainability. He said the “people of Miami want a hospital operation that’s independent and given the current situation at the health system. The recent employee reductions of over 1,140 members have to be done. For “if we don’t take these steps, the health of the community and jobs will be imperiled,” as JHS fights to fiscally break even after over $400 million in loses over the past three years.

Lapciuc

>>> Press release: The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners voted today to approve the labor agreement between AFSCME Local 1363 and Jackson Health System. This agreement immediately puts an end to the system’s furlough initiative with no additional furlough days required this year for employees. The BCC approval of the three-year labor contract agreement coincides with the announcement that the overwhelming majority of AFSCME members approved the new contract that runs through September 20, 2014. AFSCME represents about half of the workers at the public health system. The Public Health Trust Financial Recovery Board voted to approve the agreement during a special meeting on Thursday, March 29. The agreement includes more than $27.3 million a year in salary and benefit concessions.

The terms of the agreement include: AFSCME employees will keep half of their prior cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), AFSCME employees will begin contributing 3 percent of their salary toward their pension plan for retirement benefits, AFSCME employees will not receive automatic raises during the contract period, AFSCME employees will not receive flex payments during the contract period, AFSCME employees will receive six fewer days of personal leave (PL) per year, AFSCME employees’ guaranteed 40-hour work week will continue, AFSCME employees work schedules and  rest periods will continue, AFSCME employees will no longer be required to take furlough days this year.

CITY OF MIAMI

>>> Former Mayor Diaz takes snarkey shot at old commission, loved to have “disappear” though mayor never vetoed any of the body’s legislation

Manny Diaz (net worth $1.8 million), the former Miami mayor is feeling his oats and he crowed that during his eight years in office from 2001 to 2009 the number of new buildings that went up was ‘Ninety-nine! Not bad, right?’ he said under his watch and he was quoted saying this in a Gossip Extra in www.miamiherald.com last week. Diaz also took a whack at his Miami commission during his time in office after a magician at the event made a stack of cards disappear into thin air. He said he wished he had met the man earlier in his political career because he ‘Could have made the whole City Commission disappear,’ which was odd since he never vetoed any legislation the body passed during his eight years in office. Diaz was elected in 2001 after beating Maurice Ferre in a runoff election started out his political career with high hopes from many Miamians. Since he brought a new calm face to the quirky Miami political landscape that had the community in many ways split along ethnic lines and tensions were high.

The attorney broke his political public persona chops after being one of Elian Gonzalez’s legal team headed up by former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffee in 2000, and from that event. He would later jump into the local political world of Miami politics offering a calm hand on the leadership tiller while he had a smoke and a Pinch on the rocks on the balcony of the mayor’s office overlooking the Dinner Key Marina over the years. The Watchdog Report back then when I was asked how Diaz was doing after being elected? I would say he puts a sentence together, the city’s bond rating was going up and he did not scare children, as I saw with the past mayor. He would later bring on Miami Police Chief John Timoney in Jan. 2003 and the controversial department at the time went over 20 months after that without an officer discharging their weapon and was hailed at the time. However, Diaz did not criticize Timoney when he received a free Lexus SUV to drive that become known as Timoney Gate for over 18 months, though Timoney finally admitted it was a “bonehead” thing to have done.

But Diaz also had his own ethical bypass when he bought a house in the south Coconut Grove area with three other men. The local street was to get some infrastructure improvements for flooding by the city in the future but the real conflict was the real estate deal involved what was dubbed in the media as “The three Amigos.”  Diaz along with Miami Manager Joe Arriola and Commissioner Johnny Winton, all friends at the time, bought the house on Badersea but Arriola put up the over $400,000 cash down payment, and that created the conflict since Diaz appointed the manager and the commission confirmed the appointment.

The Miami-Dade County Ethics and Public Trust Committee investigated the issue and the body issued a stinging reprimand of Diaz saying from the moment the deal was consummated. He was in conflict though his attorney during the closed ethics hearing said Diaz had given up so much to be in the office, deprived his wife and family of his time, and essentially the city’s residents were lucky to have him in office, the attorney asserted. However, senior Judge Seymour Gelber, an ethics commissioner upon hearing this heartbreaking argument about the trials Diaz has had to endure by attorney Richard Lydecker. Gelber had a different take to the former prosecutor’s tact. “This is outrageous,” said Gelber who was also a former Miami Beach mayor. The ethics commission then issued the multi-page public reprimand of Diaz and along with that document and not responding to the Watchdog Report for over a year where he got over $400,000 on his 2008 financial disclosure for the year. These two items along with others were some of the significant reasons he was not tapped by the new President Barack Obama administration to come to Washington back in January 2009.

Diaz with Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho

>>> Commissioner Carollo to negotiate with potential Auditor Guba

Ted Guba, the Miami Commission Auditor is meeting with Commissioner Frank Carollo (Net worth $707,000) this week to discuss his four-year contract after commissioners tentatively nominated him for the voter created post. Guba was doing a good job at the City of Doral said Doral Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez to the Watchdog Report last week at county hall. However, Guba was the only candidate that did not list his salary range on the application and Carollo, a CPA himself, is considered tight fisted when it comes to public money. And the public will get to see if the two men will strike a deal on the auditor’s new salary.

Carollo

>>> Ethics commission press release: In a related matter, Ethics Commissioners found No Probable Cause to a complaint (C 12-07) that officials in the City of Miami violated County and City Ethics Ordinances by failing to report tickets they had received to events at the Knight Center, Bayfront Park and the Mayor’s Ball, but also approved the drafting of a general Letter of Instruction for future reference.   That letter will cite the clarification of “public purpose” and emphasize that officials are not entitled to the use of public benefit tickets as a matter of right.  Public officials will be reminded they have an obligation to report gifts (which include tickets to events) and that when an official receives two tickets for use with a spouse or partner, they must be disclosed as the total value of the gift.

>>> Royal West Owner Cantens Sentenced To Five Years’ Imprisonment

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce that Gaston E. Cantens, 73, of Miami, was sentenced today to five years’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, in connection with a fraud committed at Royal West Properties, Inc. (Royal West).  United States District Judge Kathleen M. Williams imposed the statutory maximum term of imprisonment.

According to documents filed with the court and statements made during the sentencing hearing, Royal West was a Miami-Dade corporation that promised to pay investors a fixed rate of return on investments made with the company.  Gaston E. Cantens was the president of Royal West Properties, Inc.  In this capacity, Cantens allegedly recruited individuals to invest in Royal West by promising investors that their investments would be guaranteed by properties or mortgages that acted as collateral. Cantens used his extensive ties to the South Florida community, including his ties to Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, to recruit investors to the fraud.

Cantens misappropriated money from investors by making materially false representations and concealing and omitting to state material facts concerning, among other things, the financial condition of Royal West, the manner in which mortgages and properties were assigned as collateral to investors, the assignment of non-performing mortgages, the assignment of mortgages that were paid in full, the proper recording of mortgages, and the recording of investors’ interests in properties and mortgages.  Specifically, Cantens told investors that their moneys were collateralized by individual properties but failed to inform them that the collateralized properties had previously been assigned to other investors.  Cantens received moneys from investors based on these misrepresentations, and used the moneys for his personal benefit and to further the fraud scheme.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “The defendant abused his friends and his ties to the South Florida community to enrich himself.  When, as in this case, greed becomes the primary business motivator, corruption is sure to follow.”

“Gaston E. Cantens has 5 years to think about how he violated the trust of unsuspecting investors,” said John V. Gillies, FBI Special Agent in Charge.  “Our business environment flourishes on a foundation of trust and those who violate that trust must be held accountable for their unscrupulous actions.” >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI.  Mr. Ferrer also commended the efforts of SEC for their contributions to this investigation and its successful prosecution.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Ron Davidson. 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

>>> Sen. Margolis makes her case with constituents, faces three challengers including former Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla

State Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Miami is speaking at a Beach breakfast club on Tuesday and the first women Florida Senate President is facing three challengers in her bid to keep representing Senate District 35 she currently holds after being elected back into the seat in 2010. Margolis is facing former state Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami (Net worth $31,643) who was termed out in 2010 and Stephen Starr Jr., another Republican and Samuel Berthram who has no party affiliation are challenging her for the office. Margolis a former Miami-Dade Commission chair when Mayor Alex Penelas was in office before she went back to the upper house in 2003 and later stepped down in 2008 to allow State Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach to run for the office. After he was termed out in the Florida House. When Gelber ran for the Florida attorney general post in 2010, Margolis came back to the seat.

However, the Florida Supreme Court has yet to certify new Senate District maps required after redistricting based on the 2010 Census numbers and that final map could benefit or possible hurt Margolis. Though jurists noted the first reiteration of the map was one of the better examples of what the Fair Districts amendments was calling for. She has $39,800 in her campaign war chest to date and Diaz de la Portilla and the others have yet to report any contributions.

>>> Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club – PRESS RELEASE Meeting Date: Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 – Meeting Time: 8:30 AM Meeting Place: David’s Café II, 1654 Meridian Ave., South Beach

State Senator Gwen Margolis, a Democrat, will be this week’s guest speaker at the April 10 meeting of the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club.  Senator Margolis was elected to fill the unexpired term of Dan Gelber in 2010 and is running for reelection in 2012.  She has two Republican challengers. Senator Margolis has had a long and distinguished career in Florida politics, starting with her election to the Florida House of Representatives in 1974.  She was subsequently re-elected to three additional terms.  Her career in the Florida Senate started in 1980 and in 1990 she became the first woman in the United States to serve as President of any state Senate.

In 1994, she was elected to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners, where she served six of her eight years as its Chairman.  In 2002, she returned to the Florida Senate, serving until 2008.  In 2010, she was elected to fill the unexpired term of Dan Gelber and is running for reelection in 2012. There is no charge and everyone is welcome to attend. David Kelsey, Moderator for the Breakfast Club. Visit our web site at www.MBTMBC.com (Miami Beach Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club). For more information contact David Kelsey.  To be placed on the Breakfast Club’s mailing list, contact Harry Cherry.  Both can be reached at www.TuesdayMorningBreakfastClub.com

CITY OF NORTH MIAMI

>>> Council Member Galvin press release: Biscayne Landing:  What the Heck is Goin’ On?

Swerdlow

At two separate City Council meetings in March, we voted to end negotiations with Michael Swerdlow’s Oleta Partners group. Swerdlow had long been the only bidder for the land, and approval of his contract was assumed to be a slam-dunk.

On March 13, the Council voted 3-1 to reject a Swerdlow contract. I opposed it on many levels, the greatest of which was a $500,000 set-aside for a non-existent City non-profit.  Without parameters, I felt it could become a slush fund.

That same night, we directed City Staff to re-bid the land. But on March 27, an attempt to again move forward with Swerdlow was put forward. Councilman Blynn motioned that we finalize a lease with Oleta Partners and Mayor Pierre offered a second.  But that motion failed in a 2-2 vote, with myself and Councilman Marcellus opposing. Councilwoman Steril has voluntarily recused herself from votes involving Swerdlow’s proposal. At this point, we’re officially planning to re-bid the project.  Staff is putting together new development parameters.  Will Swerdlow’s Oleta Partners still make a play at the next Council meeting?  In North Miami, almost anything seems possible.

CITY OF CORAL GABLES

>>> Habitat for Humanity CEO Artecona at Gables luncheon Apr. 16

Press release: Keeping you abreast of the pressing issues affecting Coral Gables.” We meet the first and third Mondays of the month at JohnMartins restaurant (253 Miracle Mile – 2nd floor) at noon.  Lunch is $20 for members and $25 for non-members >>> Mario Artecona – CEO for Habitat for Humanity Miami Everyone: Please join us for lunch on Monday, April 16th.  Our guest speaker will be Mario Artecona, CEO for Habitat for Humanity Miami.  We meet at noon at JohnMartin’s restaurant (253 Miracle Mile – 2nd floor).

Habitat for Humanity Miami transforms lives and communities by providing low-income families with affordable homeownership opportunities.  They build and renovate decent homes, with the family’s assistance, which said families than purchase at cost, with a 0% interest loan. The Miami affiliate started in 1989.  With a small but dedicated workforce, the new Miami Habitat completed four homes in West Perrine its first year.  Over the next few years, the addition of volunteers and partners enabled the new organization to build more extensive bonds within select communities in Miami-Dade County.  Habitat communities now exist in Liberty City, Little Haiti, Overtown, Highland Park, South Miami, Homestead and Florida City.  Over 800 low-income families have been able to fulfill their dreams of becoming first-time homeowners. Artecona, the current CEO for Habitat Miami, will be discussing the current and future goals of this organization.

CITY OF HOMESTEAD

>>> Mayor Bateman ethics complaints dropped & Council Members Shelly & Waldman cleared of ethics charges or under state law

Ethics commission press release: Two complaints (C 12-09 and C 12-13) accusing Homestead Mayor Steven Bateman of misspending campaign funds at a liquor store were found “not legally sufficient.”  The charges are based on state law, which is outside the Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction.

The same citizen accused Homestead Councilman Stephen Shelley of “exploitation of official position” by using a photo of himself on the city website for his business website.  The city did pay for the original photograph.  However, works of government are excluded from copyright protection, are considered in the public domain and can be used by anyone.  For that reason, the complaint (C 12-16) was deemed “not legally sufficient.”

Seven complaints were filed against Homestead Councilwoman Judy Waldman relating to her re-election campaign last fall.  Four of them (C 12-17, C 12-18, C 12-19 and C 12-23) were deemed “not legally sufficient” because they don’t violate any laws.  Two complaints (C 12-20 and C 12-21) were found “not legally sufficient” because they allege violations of state election laws, which is outside of the jurisdiction of the COE.  The final one (C 12-22) does not allege an action that violates the Ethics Code.

CITY OF DORAL

>>> Press release:  Miami-Dade County, in partnership with the City of Doral and Dream in Green, is holding a Home Energy Savings Workshop on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm (registration begins at 6:00pm) at the City of Doral Council Chambers. The workshop is being held to educate residents on energy efficiency and conservation and provide homeowners with information, resources and incentives to reduce their utility costs. Participants will receive a free energy savings toolkit valued at over $100 and learn to track household energy consumption/reduction. More importantly, residents will save money by learning how to reduce energy use in their homes by 20-30 percent. “This is a great opportunity for our residents to save money in the long run,” said JC Bermudez, Mayor of the City of Doral, “and a great example of how the Federal, County and Municipal governments can work hand in hand to benefit the community at large and protect our environment.” The free energy savings toolkit includes items such as a programmable thermostat, hot water gauge, LED sensor nightlight and compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). According to ENERGY STAR, if every American home replaced just one light with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, we would save enough energy to light more than three million homes for a year, save about $700 million in annual energy costs, and prevent nine billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions of about 800,000 cars.

To register and for additional information, residents can call 3-1-1 or visit http://green.miamidade.gov. The workshop has limited space, and is open to the first 50 registered residents. Each participant will receive the free energy savings toolkit, limit one per household. The Home Energy Savings Workshops are part of the County’s award-winning Communitywide Energy Efficiency Campaign, an education program managed by the Office of Sustainability that engages residents to gain support for energy conservation, renewable energy, recycling, and waste reduction, and serve as a catalyst for long-term behavior changes resulting in reduced energy usage. To date, the campaign has resulted in a reduction of 4,041 metric tons of CO2e or $742,000 a year in energy savings. Other elements of the campaign include: showerhead and light bulb exchanges, $750 Savings Challenge, residential appliance rebate program and commercial rebate program. Learn more at http://green.miamidade.gov. On September 14, 2009, Miami-Dade County was awarded $12,523,700 through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and administered through the Department of Energy. The Countywide Energy Efficiency Campaign is one of 12 projects funded through EECBG. A complete project list is available at http://green.miamidade.gov.

TOWN OF MIAMI LAKES

>>> Ethics charge dismissed regarding Councilman Pulido, no probable cause found

Ethics Commission ruling press release: No Probable Cause was found to a complaint (C 12-06) accusing a Miami Lakes Council member of exploitation of official position.   A resident of the city alleged that Richard Pulido demanded that, as a part of a municipal beautification project, trees be planted in front of his home first, and that he pressured the Town’s park staff to provide free use of public land to a flag football league.  The investigation found no substance to the charges, and the complaint was dismissed.

>>> OTHER STORIES AROUND FLORIDA

BROWARD COUNTY

>>> Operators of Check Cashing Store Plead Guilty in Treasury Check Tax Refund Scheme

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Paula Reid, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Miami Field Office, and Jose A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID), announced that defendants Wilson Lau, 75, and his wife, Kate Yuee Lau, 54, formerly of Coral Springs, FL, pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §371.  In addition, Wilson Lau pled guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1028A. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in Miami, before U.S. District Judge Robert Scola.  At sentencing, both defendants face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and, with respect to the aggravated identity theft conviction, Wilson Lau faces an additional two years in prison consecutive to any sentence imposed on the conspiracy charge.  The defendants also agreed to the forfeiture allegation in the Information, which seeks, among other things, a money judgment against both defendants in the amount of $5,262,297.

According to court documents filed in connection with today’s guilty plea, Wilson Lau was the operator of a check cashing store called American Quick Cash Depot, located in Oakland Park, FL, where his wife Kate Yuee Lau also worked.  From January 1, 2009 until approximately June 22, 2011, the defendants conspired to buy, sell and receive U.S. Treasury checks bearing forged endorsements and to receive and conceal U.S. Treasury tax refund checks and tax refund anticipation loan checks, knowing that the checks had been embezzled or stolen.  In addition, on June 22, 2011, Wilson Lau transferred, possessed and used the social security number belonging to the rightful payee of a tax refund check cashed at American Quick Cash Depot. According to court documents, Wilson Lau participated in a recorded conversation during which he cashed three U.S. Treasury tax refund checks knowing that they bore forged endorsements.  In addition, the Laus are heard to instruct the individual who brought them the checks with forged endorsements to obtain fraudulent Florida drivers licenses in the names of the purported payees so that the defendants could falsely document the transactions.

In all, the defendants cashed approximately 4,000 U.S. Treasury tax refund checks and tax refund anticipation loan checks from January 1, 2009 through June 22, 2011, each of which was issued based upon fraud or bore forged endorsements, and each of which was accompanied by a false Florida drivers license.  The face value of these checks was $5,262,297. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Secret Service and IRS-CID.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard P. Murad. >>> 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.

>>> 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.

UNION COUNTY

>>> Two arsonists arrested for three fires in Lake Butler

Press release: Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater today announced the arrest of Davario Watkins and Michael Stitt of Lake Butler, after investigations led by the State Fire Marshal’s Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations (BFAI) working with the Union County Sheriff’s office (UCSO), and the Lake Butler Volunteer Fire Department (LBVFD) determined that they were responsible for three intentionally set fires in Union County. “Arson terrorizes communities and puts innocent lives in harm’s way,” CFO Atwater said.  “I applaud the work of the arson investigators in my State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Union County Sheriff’s office, and the Lake Butler Volunteer Fire Department for putting a stop to this string of crimes.”

Between November 17, 2011 and November 30, 2011, there were fires at a storage building at the City of Lake Butler Water Treatment Facility at 410 SW 11th St., a vacant residential structure at 110 SE 5th Ave. and a public restroom within a community park at 155 N. W. 3rd St. all located in Lake Butler. Investigations revealed that all three fires were arson. On March 23, 2012, the UCSO arrested Watkins for armed robbery. Watkins confessed to involvement in setting the 2011 fires. Watkins was booked into the Union County Jail and charged with three counts of first-degree arsons, armed robbery, and two counts of petty theft, aggravated battery, armed burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted on all charges, Watkins could face up to 171 years in prison. On April 4, 2012, Stitt was arrested and booked into the Union County Jail. Stitt was charged with first-degree arson, armed robbery, two counts of petty theft and armed burglary. If convicted on all charges, Stitt could face up to 91 years in prison. To report arson, call 1-877-No-Arson (1-877-662-7766).  A reward of up to $5,000 may be paid for a tip that leads directly to an arrest and conviction.

EDITORIALS

>>> Watchdog Report reaching 13^th Anniversary milestone in May, I thank all who have helped me over the years

With only a few weeks to go to May 5, 2012 and the Watchdog Report’s 13^th Anniversary. I would like to thank all the people who have supported me financially over all these years, been a mentor in the many areas of government and the community as a whole, for without that help. I would not be here today. Back in 2000, right after the young boy Elian Gonzalez was extracted by federal agents over the Easter Holiday and Miami blew apart in protests and outrage and split us a mile deep in how we were ethnically divided as a whole. I realized that someone had to try to make sense of the extensive government and public institutions that seemed to have no idea what the other large public institutions were doing or how the roughly $8 or $9 billion in public monies were being spent after this traumatic community event. The aggregate fiscal number when it came to taxes and public funding for all of Miami-Dade’s public institutions is now around $13 billion. And is down from a high in 2006, but it is still a considerable sum and anything I can do to stop waste, fraud, abuse and public corruption gets thrown into the Watchdog Report’s weekly reporting mix.

Readers and others ask me all the time why I put elected officials net worth next to their names most weeks and it is to remind these people that there are people looking at these required financial disclosure forms due on July 1 of every year and one gets to see and review a variety of financial factors. I look for people with large debts, a low-income stream but seem to live the high life, or the sudden listing of a large amount of cash. For these indications are many times a tip off that all may not be right and when it comes to fighting public corruption. Unpaid bills and other pressing obligations can push a once straight arrow politician into being tempted to go to the dark side for fiscal relief. Another is the presence of a woman or man in the picture, and the draw of someone when it comes to elected officials to someone else was once described as stronger than gravity, when it came to taking them to a place where they know they should not go too.

Further, during these years, I hate to say it, but I have seen pretty much everything when it comes to bizarre or unlawful acts by people in public positions. It ranges from being so self absorbed in ones own self importance though not illegal, to selling out and stealing clients money, to maintaining a false opulent life style, while wiping out elderly of all their worldly savings and these people are of all types in our community. Further, many people ask how much staff I have and it is just me every week writing on my laptop. But I am very efficient in the scheme of things and for the first time ever since I started back then. I expect to publish 52 weekly issues by my anniversary and I have never been able to do that physically before, but this year there have been no breaks, vacation or down time over the year while I also try to raise money at the same time. And this has been no easy task for me. However, with a little luck, I will reach the 13-year milestone and I want to thank all that have helped me achieve that landmark over the years, and I pledge for as long as I can, to keep going when you cannot and report back the local, state and national news in a straightforward and generally unbiased way.

>>> Check out the past national story in the Tribune papers:  Paperwork Tiger

By Maya Bell, Miami Bureau, January 20, 2003 — MIAMI – 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 is always teetering on bankruptcy. He dashes to his post-office box daily, hoping subscribers to his weekly Watchdog Report have finally mailed their checks.

LETTERS

>>>linkhttp://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20120405_Is_public_option_the_last_one_.html to an interesting article titled “Is public option the last one?”

The article emphasizes that IF the Supreme Court decides to strike down the entire health care law it might create a predicament for our legislators to resolve the healthcare quandary: Congress wouldn’t be able to rely on the private market, because that would require a mechanism to force healthy people into the risk pool. And it would have trouble relying on a federal-state partnership, because that might be considered coercive. Ironically, striking down the individual mandate, or the entire law, would create an inevitable choice: a federal insurance program that would clearly pass constitutional muster. Medicare represents such a model, which currently covers the elderly and is run entirely by the federal government. Medicare gives no role to the states and therefore does not coerce them into anything. An expansion of this program to all Americans funded by a payroll tax would be a  workable solution. In my opinion, it would be fiscally and morally irresponsible to continue the status quo. Happy Passover and Happy Easter

Bernd Wollschlaeger, MD,FAAFP,FASAM

Web Site: www.miamihealth.com

>>> Thank you for your very nice write up. I appreciate the comments.

Mayor Jim Cason

City of Coral Gables

>>> LIFETIME FOUNDING MEMBERS & INITIAL SPONSORS IN 2000

ANGEL ESPINOSA – (Deceased) owner COCONUT GROVE DRY CLEANER’S

HUGH CULVERHOUSE, Jr.

THE MIAMI HERALD     www.miamiherald.com (2000-2008)

ARTHUR HERTZ

WILLIAM HUGGETT, Seamen Attorney (Deceased)

ALFRED NOVAK

LINDA E. RICKER (Deceased)

JOHN S. and JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION  www.knightfoundation.org

THE HONORABLE STANLEY G. TATE

>>> Watchdog Report supporters – $2,000 a year

FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT www.fpl.com

RONALD HALL

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY  www.miamidade.gov

UNITED WAY OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY www.unitedwaymiamidade.org

>>> Watchdog Report supporters – $1,000 a year

AKERMAN SENTERFITT   www.akerman.com

RON BOOK

LINDA MURPHY: Gave a new laptop in Oct. 2001 to keep me going.

WILLIAM PALMER

SHUBIN & BASS     www.shubinbass.com

>>> Public, Educational & Social institutions – subscribers at $1,000 or less

CAMILLUS HOUSE, INC.   www.camillushouse.org

CITY OF MIAMI  www.miamigov.com.

CITY OF CORAL GABLES www.coralgables.com

CITY OF MIAMI BEACH www.miamibeachfl.gov

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR HOMELESS www.cph.org

THE STATE OF FLORIDA    www.myflorida.gov

GREATOR MIAMI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE www.miamichamber.com

GREATER MIAMI CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU www.miamiandbeaches.com

HEALTH FOUNDATION OF SOUTH FLORIDA  www.hfsf.org

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY  www.miamidade.gov

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ETHICS & PUBLIC TRUST COMMISSION www.miamidade.gov/ethics

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INSPECTOR GENERAL www.miamidade.gov/ig

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD www.dadeschools.net

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST & JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM   www.jhsmiami.org

THE BEACON COUNCIL   www.beaconcouncil.com

THE CHILDREN’S TRUST www.thechildrenstrust.org

THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY LEAGUE OF CITIES www.mdclc.org

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA    http://www.firstgov.gov/

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI             www.miami.edu

The Watchdog Report covers a few of the meetings attended weekly. It remains my belief that an informed public will make better decisions. Therefore, I go to meetings, make the presence of an informed citizen known, and bring the information to you.   The Watchdog Report is in the fourth year of publication and it has been an honor to be able to send this information to you. It is sent to readers in Miami-Dade, Florida, the U.S. and the world. The Watchdog Report is sent to thousands free and while readers have been prodded to subscribe the results have been mixed. Over 550 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, 2012, 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.

********************************************************************

Watchdog Report Supporters Invoice-Form

NOTE: Invoice is for Yearly supporter/sponsorship Rates: Thank you.

Supporting Sponsors $5,000

Sustaining Sponsors $2,000

Corporate Sponsors $1,000 (All levels above will be listed in the report with web-site link if desired)

Large Business Supporters $500

Small Business Supporters $250

Individual Supporter $150

Student Supporter $ 75

Any amount $

Name & Address

Please make checks payable to: Daniel A. Ricker

Send to: 3109 Grand Avenue, #125

Miami, FL 33133

Fax 305-668-4784 -To contact the Publisher please e-mail watchdogreport1@earthlink.net