Watchdog Report Vol.13 No.6 June 17, 2012 Est. 05.05.00 – I go when you cannot

In the world of South Florida media, CBS4 Anchor Eliott Rodriguez is ending his show News and Views, former Miami New Times, and former Miami Herald featured news columnist Jim DeFede, now with the station for the last few years. He will take up the timeslot slack left by veteran anchor Rodriguez and DeFede can skewer an interviewee like few others if they deserve it and he is expected to flourish in this new face paced high profile role. His time slot is 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and the show takes dead aim at Senior Political Reporter Michael Putney’s weekly show This Week in South Florida on www.local10.com also at the same time slot.

And readers should plan to record one of the dueling shows because I suspect DeFede with his sharp cutting wit and humor, wallowing in the “muck and mire” of South Florida politics will also be another must watch show for local political junkies. Here is what the station says on the www.cbs4.com webpage about the show: Welcome to “Facing South Florida with Jim DeFede” « CBS Miami Welcome to Facing South Fl0rida with Jim DeFede. It’s the successor to News and Views, and will take a cutting-edge look at politics in South…

Michael Lewis, the publisher, editor and editorial columnist for Miami Today www.miamitoday.com is celebrating the weekly paper’s 30th Anniversary and it is a must read periodical. If one wants to keep abreast of what is going on in business and government in South Florida.  Lewis more recently has kept his finger on the cost of the new Miami Marlins baseball stadium railing about the bad deal the public was getting over the past four years and its overall cost with interest coming at over $2.5 billion during the life of the loans. He started the paper after Miami became a one-paper town in the 1980s and his wife Carmen Betancourt-Lewis is the Vice President of the paper founded Jun. 2, 1983.

Miami New Times www.miaminewtimes.com  is also celebrating its 25th Anniversary as well since it morphed from The Wave into its current name in 1987. And the hard-hitting alternative weekly has only grown in readership since then, pushing investigative news stories with a strong dose of the arts and music articles filling the pages.  And it fills an important void in the local news world, many times missed by the local general circulation daily, The Miami Herald www.miamiherald.com. Chuck Strouse is the editor; Tim Elfrink is the managing editor of the paper, that had this week’s issue bestowing its coveted Best of Miami Awards, done every year, and in this cycle. The paper had the highest vote participation of readers in the Best of Miami’s history. >>> The Watchdog Report gives all of them a Tip of The Hat for all their efforts to keep the public informed across a cross section of news that affects South Florida residents and may they continue to flourish in the decades to come.

White House press release: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced that effective immediately, certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children,  do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings. Those who demonstrate that they meet the criteria will be eligible to receive deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and will be eligible to apply for work authorization. “Our nation’s immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner,” said Secretary Napolitano. “But they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case. Nor are they designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. Discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here.”

DHS continues to focus its enforcement resources on the removal of individuals who pose a national security or public safety risk, including immigrants convicted of crimes, violent criminals, felons, and repeat immigration law offenders. Today’s action further enhances the Department’s ability to focus on these priority removals. Under this directive, individuals who demonstrate that they meet the following criteria will be eligible for an exercise of discretion, specifically deferred action, on a case-by-case basis: Came to the United States under the age of sixteen; Have continuously resided in the United States for a least five years preceding the date of this memorandum and are present in the United States on the date of this memorandum; Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;

Only those individuals who can prove through verifiable documentation that they meet these criteria will be eligible for deferred action.

Individuals will not be eligible if they are not currently in the United States and cannot prove that they have been physically present in the United States for a period of not less than 5 years immediately preceding today’s date.  Deferred action requests are decided on a case-by-case basis.  DHS cannot provide any assurance that all such requests will be granted. The use of prosecutorial discretion confers no substantive right, immigration status, or pathway to citizenship. Only the Congress, acting through its legislative authority, can confer these rights.

While this guidance takes effect immediately, USCIS and ICE expect to begin implementation of the application processes within sixty days.  In the meantime, individuals seeking more information on the new policy should visit USCIS’s website (at www.uscis.gov), ICE’s website (at www.ice.gov), or DHS’s website (at www.dhs.gov).  Beginning Monday, individuals can also call USCIS’ hotline at 1-800-375-5283 or ICE’s hotline at 1-888-351-4024 during business hours with questions or to request more information on the forthcoming process.

For individuals who are in removal proceedings and have already been identified as meeting the eligibility criteria and have been offered an exercise of discretion as part of ICE’s ongoing case-by-case review, ICE will immediately begin to offer them deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. For more information on the Administration policy reforms to date, please see this fact sheet.

>>> Press release: President Obama announced an executive order on deportations. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) issued the following statement on the President’s remarks: “More than three and a half years ago, President Obama made a promise to the Hispanic community for comprehensive immigration reform. Today, he offered an executive order that smacks as a desperate and blatant political move. Instead on delivering comprehensive immigration reform, the President’s order barely touches on his promise. My office has continually reached out to the White House over the years, and the Administration is nowhere to be found. Once again, he ignored working on the issues in a bi-partisan fashion. This executive order is only a small part of what he promised. His intention to sway Hispanic voters within the last few months before the election is a transparent and politically calculated move.”

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and David W. Bourne, Special Agent in Charge, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Criminal Investigation, Miami Field Office, announced the unsealing of an indictment charging defendant Andrew J. Strempler, 38, a Canadian citizen, with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and two counts of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341.   The government is also seeking forfeiture of $95 million.

Strempler made his initial appearance in federal court today before United States Magistrate Judge John O’Sullivan. If convicted, Stempler faces a possible maximum statutory sentence of up to 20 years in prison on each count.  According to the indictment, Strempler was the founder, owner and president of Mediplan Health Consulting, Inc., a Canadian company that also operated under the name RxNorth.com (RxNorth).  RxNorth was an internet, mail and telephone order pharmacy, through which Strempler and others marketed and sold prescription drugs to residents of the United States. The indictment alleges that the FDA advised Strempler in a 2001 letter that his prescription drug sales would be illegal in the United States if the drugs were not FDA approved. The FDA letter explained that the FDA approves drugs based on evidence that they are safe and effective, and that the quality of drugs from foreign sources could not be assured… >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FDA-Office of Criminal Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez, and Roger Gural, Trial Attorney of the Department of Justice Consumer Protection Branch. An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL auto biography, called An American Son was released last week and Miami Herald Political Reporter Marc Caputo did a piece on the book Saturday http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/16/2852760/american-son-autobiography-tells.html and the work seems to be a candid tale of his rise up the political food chain, but he also seems to brush off critical press accounts and criticism about how he handled the money in some associated Political Action Committees. Rubio, the darling of the Cuban Exile community, and has become locally within the Cuban community everyone’s son. Since he was first elected to the commission of West Miami in 1998. He then used that platform to run for the state house winning a seat in 2000 after defeating Angel Zayon (Now the director of media for the City of Miami) for the race, where his friend, now U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami helped the fledgling politician get elected. Rubio would then rise to become the first Cuban American as the Speaker of the Florida House and was given a sword at his investiture by then fellow Republican and political mentor Gov. Jeb Bush.

However, Rubio took his biggest gamble when he decided to run for the Senate in 2010 at a time Gov. Charlie Crist looked like a sure winner up to the point Crist hugged newly elected President Barack Obama at an event and that hug sent Crist’s political future into a tailspin with the GOB state voters. Forcing the once popular governeor to change tact and ultimately run as an independent candidate in what became a three-man race. Rubio prevailed in that race against Crist and Democratic Party challenger U. S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami. Rubio came in with 49 percent of the vote back then, Crist followed with 30 percent and Meek had 20 percent. Since then Rubio has rocketed on the national scene and he is the only Republican Hispanic in the world’s most exclusive club. He is also seen as a possible vice presidential running mate for Republican Mitt Romney, but while the buzz is flattering. He is likely to do what President John Kennedy did back in 1956 and Obama in 2004 when they gave rousing key note speeches at the party’s conventions, but demurring for the moment, keeping their political powder dry, for a future presidential or vice presidential campaign.

>>> AG Pam Bondi press release: Human trafficking is a $32 billion industry that exploits men, women and children. These victims are forced into labor and sex trafficking. They deserve to be protected, and they need our help. This past Tuesday, I joined Governor Rick Scott, legislators and other leaders at Kristi House in Miami for the ceremonial signing of two bills intended to stop human trafficking in Florida and to protect the victims of this horrific crime. During the 2012 legislative session, I worked closely with Senator Anitere Flores and Representative William Snyder on House Bill 7049, which significantly increases penalties for human trafficking and provides the Office of Statewide Prosecution with jurisdiction to pursue these cases.

I also supported the Florida Safe Harbor Act, House Bill 99, which increases the civil penalty for specified violations of prostitution from $500 to $5,000 and requires $500 of the civil penalty to be used for treatment-based drug court programs. The remaining $4,500 is to be paid to the Department of Children and Families to fund safe houses and short-term safe houses. I am grateful for such strong leadership at all levels in making Florida a zero-tolerance state for human trafficking. These new laws are a significant step in moving Florida closer to stopping this exploitative and debased industry that preys upon men, women and children.

Press release: Following the latest proposal by Citizens Property Insurance to increase rates, Senator Oscar Braynon (D- Miami Gardens) and Representative Frank Artiles (R- Miami) will host an insurance roundtable discussion in Miami.  The Miami lawmakers intend to facilitate an outlet for residents, lawmakers, and insurance professionals to discuss how rate increases will impact Floridians and our insurance market.   As increases in premiums remain at the top of the list for constituent complaints, the lawmakers aim to discuss Citizen’s cost drivers and ways to minimize costs without minimizing coverage and increasing premiums.

“Our Property insurance crisis is not something that should wait until next March to discuss,” said Rep. Frank Artiles. “It’s affecting Floridians now and I think we need to sit the parties down and come up with real solutions.”  The Florida Legislature formed Citizens Property Insurance following a surge of hurricane strikes to Florida.  Part of the statute created for Citizens includes a cap on the amount the state run company can raise rates.  However, Citizens has now began discussions of lifting the cap for new policies, interpreting the Citizens statute as only applicable to current policies.  The Citizens Board of Directors is set to meet in July to vote on the possible rate increase. “This discussion is about pealing back politics and getting to the core of cost drivers with Citizens,” Rep. Artiles commented.  “I’m not convinced raising premiums on struggling Floridians is the sole answer to our troubled property insurance market.”

The Citizens Property Insurance Round-Table will be held on June 18, 2012 from 6:30pm until 9:00pm.  The discussion will be held at Florida International University Graham Center Ballroom East at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus located at 11200 SW 8th Street GC 1215, Miami, Florida 33199.  The discussion is open to the public and will include a question and answer period at the end. List of Panel Speakers: Rep. Frank Artiles, Sen. Oscar Braynon, II, Monte Stevens, Don Brown, Robin Smith Westcott, Esq., Christine Ashburn, Sen. Mike Fasano, Rep. Mack Bernard, Rep. Evan Jenne, Rep. Ron Saunders, Sen. Rene Garcia, Jay Neal, Judge David C. Miller and Judge Ana M. Pando.

>>> Press release: When we polled 1,515 “likely” voters a year before The Children’s Movement was launched, the single highest-polling item – for both Republicans and Democrats – was this: Every child in our state ought to have access to health insurance. To this moment, despite all that support, more than a half-million children in our state don’t even have that basic. Surely we are a better people than this. What could possibly be more “American” than caring about the future of children? That’s why The Children’s Movement’s Nick Duran – in partnership with Florida Covering Kids and Families and other willing partners from across the state — is working full time to sign up more children for health insurance through Florida KidCare. The Movement’s 17 regional committees are pursuing how best to do health-care outreach locally. Many already have started to meet with superintendents and school board members and also to identify high-risk schools and populations, locate supportive doctors and nurses and develop strategies to reach hundreds of thousands of eligible children and families – and enroll them. How might you help? We need volunteers – people who can give some time – even just an hour or two. If you think you can do that, and would like to be involved, please click here. Thanks for caring. Dave Lawrence, Jr.

Commissioners Jean Monestime and Xavier Suarez are trying to help local taxi cab drivers, where owning your own taxi medallion costs $430,000 said Suarez about a medallion auction price recently. Suarez said the idea that it costs this much “is absolutely preposterous.” He believes the taxicab companies “have a stranglehold” and a “monopoly” on the drivers and said county regulations for cabs should “be friendlier to drivers.” The private attorney railed that it was “time to protect taxi cab drivers,” from the big medallion owning companies and he thought “having 2,000 taxis” was too little and “a lot less than Washington, D.C., had.” He also intoned that the cost of a medallion was prohibitive for a driver to own his own cab and for him to “have the ability to drive a taxi.” And he suggested this state of affairs could be construed as a “violation of anti-trust laws,” and the commission is trying to come up with a fair way to deal with this vexing and contentious issue.

The Lion King production at the Arsht Center set a new high of 70,000 tickets sold and “it was the highest turnout in the Center’s History,” said Valarie Riles last week at a county commission committee meeting. Commissioner Dennis Moss brought up the recent show and he is apparently a huge fan of the production asking when it would return. Riles said that was unknown for the moment but the Arts Center’s attendance levels have taken off after a somewhat rocky start back in 2006, and this production set the attendance bar to a new high.

>>> Further, the Arsht Center has settled a suit for one of its subscription programs called The Broadway in Miami Broadway Elite program http://www.arshtcenter.org/broadway1213/ and the Watchdog Report asked Riles, a vice-president last week about the issue. In an email back, an associate wrote, “In response to your request to Valerie Riles, please find below the Arsht Center statement on the recent settlement regarding the Broadway in Miami Broadway Elite program.”

“The Adrienne Arsht Center was involved in a recently-settled lawsuit involving the Broadway Elite program of the Broadway in Miami series. The matter involved disclosures about the benefits of Elite subscription packages. The parties have taken action to reach a settlement that preserves the Broadway Elite ticket plan and introduces new disclosures. The Arsht Center will also donate free show tickets to nonprofit groups over the next three years. The 2012-2013 Broadway in Miami season will be presented as planned beginning this fall and subscriptions are now on sale through the Arsht Center box office at 305.949.6722 and online at www.arshtcenter.org ,” wrote Suzette Espinosa Fuentes, Assistant Vice President, Public Relations, The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

The Historic Vizcaya Mansion and Gardens is estimated to generate $50 million in collateral economic activity a recent report that studied the issue states, said Joel Hoffman, Vizcaya’s curator and director. However, the mansion is undergoing the replacement of a glass roof in part of main house and that has reduced income-generating activities like weddings and private parties, and further aggravates the need for funding to maintain the structure considered a unique jewel in the western hemisphere.

The Watchdog Report recently suggested that Alice Pena (Net worth $255,000), one of the candidates running against incumbent Miami-Dade Commissioner Dennis Moss (Net worth $239,000) for Commission District 9 this August was close politically with Commissioner Lynda Bell (Net worth $308,000). However, people close to Bell last week say that is not the case, and because Bell gave Pena a county proclamation a while ago, that does not mean she is backing the candidate who has since resigned from being director of the Farm Bureau while she is running for office. Further, Bell likes Moss and works well with him on mutual district issues, the person said.

Miami-Dade Commissioners honored Odis Mesa, the county employee of the quarter for the Parks and Recreation Department after he rescued a women in distress about 60 feet from a county beach’s shoreline. The man’s job was picking up litter on the beach, when he saw the woman’s head bobbing in the water and he rushed into the surf with his steel-toed boots still on and was able to bring her back to the shore. “This is a heck of a person,” said Jack Kardys, the head of the Parks and Recreation Department who was also given his 30-year award at the same ceremony. However, Commissioner Dennis Moss groused that you will never see this type of story in The Miami Herald but he did note that at least the Watchdog Report was in the commission chambers.

>>> Press release: The Miami-Dade County Charter Review Task Force is conducting a Public Hearing on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, at 6:00 p.m., at the Stephen P. Clark Center, located at 111 NW 1st Street, 2nd Floor Commission Chambers, which will allow for public input on the Task Force Recommendations Report (http://www.miamidade.gov/charter/library/2012-charter-review-task-force-recommendations.pdf).  The Public Hearing will begin following the conclusion of the scheduled Charter Review Task Force meeting. Residents are encouraged to comment on the Task Force Recommendations in person at the Public Hearing, or at http://www.miamidade.gov/charter/contact.asp.  Participants will also be able to email their input to Charter@miamidade.gov or call 305-375-1400 during the Public Hearing, if they are unable to attend.  The Public Hearing will be broadcast on cable on Miami-Dade TV and also available via webcast at http://miamidade.gov/wps/portal/Main/webcasting. >>> The Cultural Center Garage located at 50 NW 2nd Avenue will be open for those attending the public hearing. On March 8, 2012, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution R-253-12 creating a Charter Review Task Force.  The Task Force is charged with reviewing the Home Rule Charter of Miami-Dade County; studying the final report of the 2008 Charter Review Task Force; reviewing amendments submitted to the voters since 2008; inviting knowledgeable members of the community to appear; conducting public hearings; hosting regional public meetings; and providing written recommendations to be presented to the Board of County Commissioners at their July 17, 2012 meeting. The Task Force consists of 20 members, 13 of the members are appointed by each County Commissioner, one by the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, four by each of the four largest cities in the County, and two by the Miami-Dade League of Cities. For more information about the Charter Review Task Force, visit www.miamidade.gov/charter/task-force-2012.asp.

The two opposing forces of Key Biscayne residents wanting M.A.S.T. Academy to expand and alumni fighting against ripping the educational fabric of the South Florida Harvard of high schools with the increase in student size. The dissenters will not get all they want. Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of the nation’s fourth largest public school district told his board that the proposed expansion that will include qualified Key Biscayne kids who will not participate in a countywide lottery attending has to be done and resolves the problem of no high school on the Key and residents public school students going to Coral Gables High School.

The Village of Key Biscayne is further sweetening the deal with the District by offering to split the $18 million, plus another $2 million in costs, of creating a new 6 to 12 grade “permanent facility at the M.A.S.T. Academy Campus.” The new plan is to create “approximately 1,100 student stations, to provide relief for the current overcrowding, and overall student enrollment growth,” wrote Chief Facilities Officer Jaime G. Torrens in a Jun. 13 memo. Carvalho noted that a “democracy is noisy but it must allow for compromise,” and he understands the fact people will have “different perspectives and opinions.” He noted earlier in the morning the board had voted on 22 new school attendance boundaries, where there was controversy when it came to school board District 2. And he said the issue with “MAST is nothing more than number 23.”

Carvalho, in the post since September 2008 said the status-quo was unacceptable, the increased students would broaden and “create a larger selection of courses.” He also noted, “There is an equity issue,” since class sizes are so much smaller, five or six students in some cases versus, a traditional high school where dozens of people are in the classes. He also said, “Minority representation is not what it should be,” and believed it was improper to change the minimum GPA from 2.5 to a 3.0 because it artificially limited the minority pool.

However, Carvalho in a compromise at the last minute added that the pool of countywide children eligible in the lottery and must maintain a 3.5 GPA while attending, would be expanded by 25 percent from the roughly 160 students accepted to the schools ninth grade out of some 1,000 yearly applicants he said. He reinforced the fact that all 1,000 students were qualified; there “is no difference.” They all met the criteria and it is the luck [of the draw] that the 160 were selected,” to go to the school. For more go to http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/13/2848320/mast-academy-about-to-be-expanded.html

However, opponents to the new configuration would have none of this argument and passionate speakers argued that once this national brand is lost or “diluted” it could never be returned to its former education glory. Further, after the Mayor of Key Biscayne Franklin Caplan spoke saying the lack of a public school on the tony key since it was incorporated in 1992 (Partially done to push for a public school on the Key) was making some residents become “radicalized.” And he was “not here to advocate for the destruction of MAST.” The mayor was there because a solution might be possible to this vexing problem for them and “the stars were aligning,” with this Interlocal agreement between the public schools after they “came to the district in February.” The situation he said was “untenable” yet had not “reached a tipping point,” but this cooperation between the two public institutions “may ever happen again,” he intoned.

However, an email after the meeting sent to school board Member Renier Diaz de la Portilla seems to sum up the oppositions gripes on the matter and here it is edited: “Yesterday you asked a very important question and stated that you would vote No to F7 if this caused that educational standards to be lowered.  You asked the proponents of this plan for an answer…and they gave you their rehearsed answer in favor of the plan. (that was obvious even to the students in audience). Had you asked our teachers (anonymously) because they were warned not to speak – you would know that MAST standards have  already been diluted.  The reality is that this year-for the first time in 21 years – the teachers were unable to complete some of scheduled lessons – because the students could not keep up.  This was a direct result of the lowering of the standards that we fought so hard to maintain.

Ms. Raquel Regalado stated yesterday “we thought we were better than the Key Biscayne kids”.  Nothing could be further from the truth.   We love Key Biscayne.  There are many Key Biscayne kids that attend our school…those of us who grew up in Miami have friends that live there.  We have co-existed harmoniously for 21 years…so that statement is just false… The truth of the matter is that we – the parents of alumni and students in the 2012-2014 graduating classes–most of the parents that were there yesterday- will not be directly affected by this change…so why are we so passionate about this?  Because we want to preserve MAST for all.  As it stands, – the class of 2014 – will be the last graduating class of the “Harvard of Dade”. This year 53 out of its 120 students were inducted into the National Honor Society….A National Honor Society that has raised its entrance requirements to be the highest in the nation.  Many more qualified and will be inducted in the beginning of the year…More than half of the graduating class…are members of this prestigious organization.

Had I been heard yesterday, I would have told you that we are not opposed to change – we welcome change.   But it has to be the right change…a change that will propel us forward and not bring us to a spiraling downfall.  F7 as it stands will destroy MAST.  We are coming together to propose alternative suggestions that will keep MAST intact while providing a school for the Key Biscayne.  Yesterday – we proposed to study an alternative that could work- a school within a school. The magnet program could remain intact and the Key Biscayne could have their much-needed school. Nine million dollars is a hefty sum to turn away – We get that.  If we could use those funds to better education – we welcome that…Mr. Carvalho’s unwillingness to amend the proposal to include other ideas clearly shows (actions speak louder than words) that he wants to move forward with F7 and only F7.

The Village of Key Biscayne has also been fooled and betrayed.  They think they are getting a right to be a part of MAST.  The truth of the matter is that while they will have physical entrance to the school- the school will be no more…Not by the Village kids that attend but by the decisions that were made that began the downward spiral.  We have no doubt that ‘Key Biscayne High School with the MAST name will be a good school but as proposed by F7 will never be the Harvard of Dade.  I tried to voice this to some of the villagers yesterday – some listened and agreed to work together – others were too angry to understand blinded by the thought that we did not want their kids at MAST.  Again we love the Village kids –as we do ALL kids.   I urge all of you to look at MAST and analyze what makes it what it is –We know – Listen to us –  make the changes necessary to undo the harm that has been done –and keep it intact.  Together let’s build a high school for Key Biscayne.  That will be a Win/ Win.

In closing, I would urge you and the other Board members to analyze what I have stated here and to vote NO to F7.   Let’s look at other options to make this work. Two amazing forces came head to head yesterday – can you imagine what we can do if we unite? Let’s work together to save MAST for ALL… The legacy that Mr. Carvalho and Raquel Regalado will leave with F7 is the destruction of the “Harvard of MDPS”.   Neither side wants that. Ms. Regalado expressed that MAST was ‘expensive’….but look at the results. Gems are precious and expensive, Ms. Regalado…but they are definitely worth the price,” wrote dissenter Diana Fernandez Millan.

The nine-member school board’s student advisor Hope Wilcox said sayonara to her duties Wednesday and the young woman in the Posse Program is heading off to Syracuse University in upstate New York and the northern location will be a first for her. Dr. Lawrence Feldman, the board vice chair told her at the dais “you led us well,” and board Member Carlos Curbelo noted she had a certain “elegance” in the “way you conduct yourself.” The school board’s student advisors since 1998 when I met my first one, a post that rotates yearly. These young people have many times been the voice of reason on a board that over the years had been sharply divided. And these high school seniors have a certain ability to cut through some of the noise and fray of elected leader’s personality clashes with each other and they sometimes have acted almost like a referee on some hotly contentious issues. The Watchdog Report gives Wilcox a Tip of the Hat for a job well done while serving and good luck with your new upper level learning adventure.

The seven member Financial Recovery Board (FRB) is flying on governance fumes since there are only 10 months left on the two-year county commission legislation creating the more nimble board before it dissolves. And while Jackson Health System has had three months in a row in the black recently after over $400 million in losses the last three years. This unnecessary governance instability is adding to the woes JHS is dealing with, and the Watchdog Report believes the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners should settle this matter and the FRB’s existence should be extended. The Watchdog Report contacted Commission Chair Joe Martinez on Thursday about this subject and he wrote back that he was aware of the problem as well. “I am working on legislation to transfer the FRB into the Public Health Trust. The name [of the board] is inconsequential but [the goal] is to make the board permanent. My legislation proposes a 7-member board as is currently comprised. [And] County Attorney [Robert Cuevas, Jr.] and my staff are working on the details. Hopefully my colleagues [on the county commission] will support it,” wrote the chair and county mayoral candidate.

The Watchdog Report has a unique advantage concerning the PHT because I have been going to their board and committee meetings relentlessly since 1998 and the board originally had 21 members back then, but was reduced to 17 trustees around late 2003 including two voting Miami-Dade Commissioners, and a voting representative from the University of Miami Miller Medical School, that has had a affiliation agreement with JHS since 1952. And the current FRB seven-member board was established around March of 2011. The PHT established in 1973 was supposed to govern over Jackson Memorial, the community public hospital, and later to provide oversight of the countywide half-cent-sales tax levied to help fund the community medical jewel after voters approved the item in 1991.

Past Trust Chairs have been Arthur Hertz, Amadeo Lopez-Castro, Michael Kosnitzky, Larry Handfield, Ernesto de la Fe, and John Copeland, III, before this new governance incarnation that has Marcos Lapciuc at the helm of the FRB. Moreover, top hospital management when the sales tax was approved was Ira Clark, followed by Gerald Kaiser, M.D. in early 2003 briefly, and then Marvin O’ Quinn after a national search was done in July 2003 and left at the end of 2008. Eneida Roldan, M.D., MBA for two years starting in 2009, followed him and former banker Carlos Migoya, now celebrating his first year in the office that includes almost a completely different management team from 18 months ago, has followed her.

The Watchdog Report writes about these past management changes because while there are tough negotiations going on right now with the University of Miami concerning the details of the Annual Operateing Agreement (AOA), all this management turnover has been difficult for them as well. And Miller Medical School Dean Pascal Goldschmidt, M.D. has carped in the past that since his arrival.

He has dealt with three CEOs and this is not conducive to building long-term strategies with the public health system, and after UM bought the old Cedars Hospital across the street from Jackson’s main campus in 2007. The relationship between the two hospitals has drawn attention and sharp words during the AOA negotiations. And part of the problem between the two organizations said Lapciuc is that “about 600 beds in total” are empty every night [between the two hospitals], and they are dealing with a “mature market.” And Jackson is just looking for a small percentage in market share growth as is UM and both Clark and O’Quinn were essentially only worried about the hospital across the street when it came to patient market share, said Lapciuc.

On Friday the FRB is holding a retreat to discuss the next three-year strategy and in a warm up to this meeting.  Lapciuc spoke to board members about some of the past decades administration at the health trust. He said the new administration in a study estimated “some $1.5 billion” was not collected over the past decade. In addition, under Migoya, those collections have increased by $100 million over the previous year, he noted. Lapciuc, an attorney and international businessman born in Columbia said the plight of Jackson over the years was like “A Greek Tragedy” where Jackson “12-years ago had $600 million in cash in the bank.” But that cash position, partially because of unfunded new mandates established back in 2000 by the county commission costing now around $85 million, has eroded this balance drastically and there is now roughly ten days of cash on hand. Though another over $83 million from the June balance sheet is being parked with the state to draw down federal Medicare matching funds, but readers get the idea of the situation JHS is dealing with in a community where politics is a blood sport and that fact was something that caught O’Quinn by surprise. After he had been here about six-months, he said to me that the situation down here “was so political,” and I replied, “No kidding.”

>>> A PHT FRB Strategic Planning Retreat is scheduled for Friday, June 22, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Residence Inn by Marriot-Miami Airport, located at 1201 N. W. Le Jeune Road, Miami, FL 33136.

When it comes to Jungle Island, the City of Miami is caught between a rock and a hard place and Miami Manager Johnny Martinez says he will not reward failure to pay rent to the city and county for the $25 million initial HUD loan that has been reduced down to $15.8 million by new concessions beneficial to the facilities owners. Martinez in a June 14 memo to the mayor and commissioners writes that the organization’s Term Sheet sent June 8 to the city states the owners want to increase the attraction’s acreage by 13.45 acres, extend the lease to 99 years, the city and Miami-Dade pay the August $2.03 million HUD loan payment until a public referendum could be done, and if the public approved by a citywide vote, the expanded land use and lease. Jungle Island would then payoff the $800,000 interest free county property tax loan the city made a few years ago and the “$15.8 million HUD loan balance,” wrote the manager. He also said Jungle Island is asking that past payments made by the city, $16. 3 million and Miami-Dade County, $11.3 million would be exchanged “for a profit participation in Jungle Island with a buy-out provision.” However, Martinez cannot agree with these requests and suggests commissioners consider his alternative (including foreclosure he told the Watchdog Report Friday).

He wants JI to make the Aug. 1 HUD payment, and wants to exchange profit net participation that JI is suggesting to a “permanent gross of revenues/receipts participation in JI” in lieu of any suggested, “profit participation.”

The project initially opened to high expectations in the early 2000s but it has been plagued by poor attraction attendance and only the large number of catering events for business, or public organizations and weddings has kept JI going over the years, and sources suggest it could be losing around $1 million a year. Martinez when the Watchdog Report mentioned that yearly loss number pooh poohed it saying “who knows” what they are losing since it is a private company. But he did note that a $10 million loan owed to a bank is being “kept current” and only the city and county have been kept holding the HUD loan payments bag which he felt did not show good faith as business partners with its public partners.

The attraction owned by Bern Levine DVM, age 71 and Ron Krongold is estimated to have sales around $20 million a year and over 600 employees and Levine became involved back in 1988. When he and another investor bought Parrot Jungle, then located in Pinecrest, it later moved to the Watson Island site, and now is branded as Jungle Island. However, since then excessive near by construction has hampered its success, including the building of the Miami Children’s Museum and currently there is the $1 billion port of Miami tunnel now under construction. Levine is a University of Florida veterinary school graduate and is also chair, CEO of a pet food company called Pet Food LTD., located in Tampa, and he is generally the public face of the organization and was spotted after meeting with Miami officials Friday at Miami city hall.

Now Mayor Tomas Regalado and the commission now have to weigh in on this issue and a Special Commission meeting called by Miami Commission Chair Francis Suarez is scheduled this Tuesday to discuss the JI and their proposed Term Sheet. However, the commission will not take any action since Commissioner Frank Carollo cannot attend after the upcoming meeting was discussed at the commission dais on Thursday. And this fiscal issue that includes for six years not having a singed deal between the three parties is why the Watchdog Report has been writing about JI over the past decade. For more go to http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/16/2853278/miamis-parrot-jungle-cant-make.html

Commissioner Marc Sarnoff continued Thursday on his jag for more Miami police officers and he grilled Police Chief Manny Orosa if retiring cops could not be brought back temporarily under the state’s DROP program, but that had Manager Johnny Martinez shaking his head no from the dais. Sarnoff said there were 94 vacancies in the force, funding was in the budget, but the actual replacement recruits are scarce. He said in conversations with police officials who are “trying to hire 30 cops” to make a dent on the openings. That the police leadership was “comfortable with 40 officers down,” but this much larger number is straining the beat cop’s ability to provide public safety he suggested. The police administration has been trying to hire new officers for years, the force competes with other municipalities that sometimes pay more for law enforcement personnel and hire new recruits away from the local police force, but Sarnoff continues to put pressure on the Chief to get these new officers on the streets of Miami.

Miami Clerk Priscilla Thompson is saying sayonara to her post Sept. 28 after decades with the city of Miami and the commission will do a search for replacement in the coming weeks. The Clerk when asked about the need for a replacement in her office when it came to the upcoming two elections. She said “everyone is cross trained” and “staff won’t skip a beat,” when it comes to doing elections or any other duty once, she is gone. She noted there are specific people in place to handle this function; they are experienced and can handle the primary and general elections as the office has done over the past decade. Since she took office after then Miami Clerk Walter Foeman left to be the number two in the new Broward Supervisor of Elections Office run by Miriam Oliphant and he is now the Clerk for Coral Gables.

Miami Commission Chair Francis Suarez with his wife took a road trip after Thursday’s commission meeting to Spain. It was in that country where the young attorney proposed to her and the two of them make a striking couple. He is expected to be back for the Tuesday special commission he called to discuss the city’s exposure regarding Jungle Island, but no vote or decision will be made on the matter at the meeting, especially since Commissioner Frank Carollo is unable to attend the meeting because of a conflict.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) for Scotty’s Landing, the Grove Marina and the Chart House redevelopment were submitted on Friday to the Miami Clerk’s office and only one submission is locally represented, and that is Scotty’s owner’s proposal. The city is looking for a major bump in the income from the prime waterfront location next to city Hall and Dinner Key Marina over the last 20 years since it inked a deal with the Grove Marina, which subleased the other restaurant locations. Scotty’s along with the Chart House and current marina have been fixtures of the old Grove and these two restaurants have been solid revenue generators. And given the city’s history in such deals, locals are concerned that a major expansion of facilities, like at Bayside Market will be the last stake in the old Grove feel.  But people forget Miami is a cash vacuum when it comes to any new revenues in today’s fiscal world and the city is expected to go with the proposal with the highest revenue payments, if the past is any indication.

>>> Press release: Pursuant to Section 2-33 (I) of the Code of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended, Chair Francis Suarez has scheduled a special meeting of the City of Miami Commission on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 9:00 AM, at Miami City Hall located at 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida. The purpose of this special meeting is to discuss the future of Jungle Island. No other business will be conducted outside of that indicated above. All interested persons may appear at the meeting. At the discretion of the Chair, public input may be heard with respect to this matter. Should any person desire to appeal any decision of the City Commission with respect to any matter considered at this meeting, that person shall ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made including all testimony and evidence upon which any appeal may be based (F.S. 286.0105). >> In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons needing special accommodations to participate in this proceeding may contact the Office of the City Clerk at (305) 250-5361 (Voice) no later than two (2) business days prior to the proceeding or at (305) 250-5472 (TTY) no later than three (3) business days prior to the proceeding.

“Dear Commissioner Tobin, First and foremost, I want to apologize for any incorrect information that I provided.  The initial investigation concerning the Sunshine Law matter involving Commissioners Deede Weithorn and Jonah Wolfson initially arose in somewhat of a confused manner and, in retrospect, this confusion seems to have carried over into my telephone conversation with Miami Herald reporter David Smiley.  Mr. Smiley had contacted me regarding issues related to the public release of the State Attorney’s Office close out memo.  The memo did not address the origin of the original complaint and the reporter inquired specifically about that.  Upon reviewing our recollections, we incorrectly believed that the information came from you. I have since learned, both through your communication and from far more detailed conversations with others that it did not.  For my error, I owe you my deepest apology.

I am making a copy of this apology available to your fellow commissioners as well as to any member of the media who expresses an interest in this matter.  I also wish to apologize, not just for my mistake but for any negative repercussions or uncomfortable situations that this error may have created for you.  In what I do every day, I have always striven for accuracy.  In this case, I failed.  Hopefully, my apology will act to undo any damage that this erroneous bit of information may have caused you. I regret that I have not been able to communicate this apology personally.  However, your staff has indicated that you are presently out of town,” wrote Edward Griffith, Spokesperson, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office

When the Watchdog Report sat down in a city hall conference room with some of the commissioners recently and we discussed the Miami-Dade Charter Review Task Force deliberations. They asked me how their appointee, Victor M. Diaz was doing and I told them I had not seen him at the meetings. I contacted Diaz about the absence, and he emailed back, “Because my appointment was delayed and I have been in trial for the last 2 weeks,” the veteran attorney and former county charter review chair back in 2007-2008 wrote back.

>>> Press release: Mark Weithorn, candidate for House District 113 (Miami Beach and portions of Miami), will be the Breakfast Club speaker Tuesday, June 19, 8:30AM – 10:00AM, David’s Cafe II, 1654 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach. Four candidates qualified for the race: House District 113.  Election August 14, 2012   Faura , Waldo (DEM) Qualified Kravitz, Adam Marc (DEM) Qualified Richardson, David (DEM) Qualified  Weithorn, Mark (DEM) Qualified Candidate filing information may be found at the State Election website: https://doe.dos.state.fl.us/candidate/CanList.asp On the above web site click on to “View List” for the 2012 general election and scroll down to State Representative, District 113 >>> 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. www.MBTMBC.com

Fano, 61, of Coral Gables, is the director of the hospitality management program at Miami Dade College and has been an administrator with the school since 2001. From 1996 to 2004, she was a financial consultant with Young, Stovall and Company, as well as a mortgage broker with Turnberry Bank from 2001 to 2005. Previously, she was a manager for Noga Contractors Corporation from 1982 to 1991 and for Lopez-Cantera and Associates from 1969 to 1977.  Between 1977 and 1982, she taught, first at the Atlantis Academy, and later at Alexander Montessori School.  Fano received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida International University. She is reappointed for a term beginning June 15, 2012, and ending April 6, 2016.

Howard Finkelstein, the Broward County Public Defender is in the spotlight this week after I saw a snippet of his ‘Help Me Howard’ show while walking through the lobby of Jackson Memorial Hospital on Thursday. The Watchdog Report had forgotten about the colorful television commentator, attorney and now the elected public defender since 2004. He was just reelected unopposed and will get to serve another four year term defending the indigent people brought into the state’s 17th Judicial Circuit system in Florida’s second largest county. Finkelstein has been a figure in local legal circles for decades, had a brush with notoriety in 1987 when he was busted for DUI and cocaine possession, went through rehab and later was admitted back to the Florida Bar in 1992 after a host of supporters testified in his behalf.

He did nonstop commentary during the O J Simpson murder trial in the mid 1990s and now has a show on WSVN Channel 7 and when he first ran for office. The Watchdog Report gave him a pass doing this double duty since voters knew what they were getting, and he did not start the television gig after winning office. However, it is an odd arrangement to see this public official doing this television gig but apparently, Broward voters are comfortable with this for he failed to draw an opponent. He raised $19,000 for his campaign through Mar. 31 and spent $10,000 state campaign finance reports.

Finkelstein through Dec. 2011 had a net worth of $730,436 and there is $80,000 in household goods. He lists total assets of $852,413 and he owes $201,974 on a bank loan. His home is worth $298,000, there is $160,000 in a state deferred compensation account and he has $89,000 in cash. The attorney’s income was $150,076 as the Broward Public Defender and Sunbeam Television kicked in $45,377. For more on Finkelstein go to: http://www.browarddefender.org/about/about.htm

>>> 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.

Elizabeth Webster, 39, of Weston, has been the regional vice president of health services for Arcadian Health Plan since 2008. Previously, she was director of case management and admissions for Cornerstone Hospital from 2006 to 2008 and executive director of case management for Kindred Hospital from 2002 to 2005. She received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the State University of New York Health Services Center and a master’s degree in health administration and policy from the University of Miami. She is appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Christopher Corr for a term beginning June 14, 2012, and ending January 6, 2019. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Paula Reid, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, Miami Field Office, and Linda Charity, Interim Commissioner, State of Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation, announced the sentencing of defendant Michelle Austin-Wilks, 38, of Parkland, Florida, for her participation in two separate mortgage fraud schemes in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

At this morning’s hearing, U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn sentenced Austin-Wilks to 63 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Austin-Wilks was also ordered to pay $6,269,547 in restitution to the victims of her fraud.  Austin-Wilks previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and four counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, for her participation in the mortgage fraud schemes. Austin-Wilks participated in two schemes.  The first scheme was charged in U.S. v. Gaith Al Nahar et. al, Case No 11-60183-CR-COHN.  In that case, from February to November 2007, Ghaith Al Nahar, 40, a mortgage broker, formerly of Boynton Beach, identified residential properties and paid individuals to act as straw buyers for the properties.  These straw buyers submitted false loan applications and supporting documents containing false information to various mortgage lenders across the United States.  After the lenders approved the loans based on the false information provided, defendant Austin-Wilks, then President and Director of Direct Title & Escrow Services, Inc., prepared false HUD-1 Settlement Statements that contained false information.  For example, the forms falsely represented to the lenders that the straw buyers were bringing their own money to closing. Austin-Wilks also falsely represented to the lenders that she had disbursed the loan proceeds in accordance with the lenders’ instructions.  Instead, Austin-Wilks made unauthorized disbursements from the loan proceeds to one of her companies as “processing fees.”  Based on these false statements and documents, the mortgage lenders issued more than $9 million in loans.

Ghaith Al Nahar pled guilty and was sentenced on January 27, 2012 to 63 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1,863,109.30 in restitution.  An employee at Al Nahar’s office, Romy Defay, 28 of West Palm Beach, also pled guilty and was sentenced on January 27, 2012 to 33 months in prison and was ordered to pay $441,747 in restitution.  The straw buyers, Jeffery Gilbert and Philip Jay Newman, pled guilty.  Gilbert was sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered to pay $441,747 in restitution.  Newman was sentenced to 21 months in prison and was ordered to pay $662,051.42 in restitution… >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation.  Mr. Ferrer noted the assistance of the U.S. Marshal’s Service for their substantial efforts in locating defendant Austin-Wilks in Jamaica and returning her to United States.  These cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Katz and Armando Rosquete.  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.

George M. McClure, 60, of St. Augustine, has been an attorney and partner with McClure Bloodworth P.L. since 2006. Previously, he practiced with Rogers Towers P.A. and was as assistant state attorney with the Seventh Judicial Circuit from 1976 to 1978. He was elected in 1980 to a four-year term as a Commissioner for the City of St. Augustine Beach McClure is conversant in American Sign Language and helped found the Deaf and Hearing Impaired Service Center of St. Johns County.  He also serves as a board member for Flagler Hospital Inc. and is on the advisory board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida. He received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a law degree from the University of Florida. He succeeds Edgar M. Turner and is appointed for a term beginning June 15, 2012 and ending February 7, 2015.

Thomas M. Zavelson, 70, of Gainesville, is a retired pediatrician and a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Previously, he was a founding and senior partner with Pediatric Associates of Gainesville from 1975 to 2004, as well as a pediatric consultant for Children’s Medical Services from 1974 to 2004, chairman of the North Florida Regional Medical Center Department of Pediatrics from 1990 to 1997, and a member of the North Florida Regional Hospital Board of Trustees from 1991 to 2004.  He served in the United States Army at the 56th General Hospital in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, from 1972 to 1974. Zavelson received bachelor’s and medical degrees from Duke University and completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of Florida. He is reappointed for a term beginning June 15, 2012, and ending November 7, 2015. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Hart, 56, of Fort Myers, has been the assistant tax collector for the Lee County Tax Collector’s Office since 2001. Previously, he was a law enforcement officer with the Fort Myers Police Department from 1979 to 2001, including serving five years as Chief of Police. His community involvement includes serving on the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2012, as well as serving on the boards of Hope Hospice and Southwest Florida Addiction Services. Hart served in the United States Air Force from 1973 to 1977.  He received an associate degree from Edison College, a bachelor’s degree from Barry University and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. He will fill the vacancy created by the death of Catherine M. Curtis and is appointed for a term beginning June 13, 2012, and ending January 8, 2013.

Poppell, 67, of Madison, has been the owner of Poppell Land Surveyors since 1976. Previously, he served on the Madison County Planning and Zoning Board from 2008 to 2011 and on the Madison County Board of County Commissioners from 1988 to 1992. Poppell served in the Florida National Guard from 1963 to 1970 and received an associate degree from North Florida Community College.

He will fill the vacancy created by the suspension of Abra Hill Johnson and is appointed for a term beginning June 13, 2012, and extending for the period of suspension, not to extend beyond the term.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) is urging Keys and Miami-Dade residents to attend free one day training classes that will prepare volunteers for any possible pollution incident such as an oil spill. The classes are being sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Monroe County Emergency Management department. Classes are offered on Saturday and run from 9:00 am through 4:00 pm. The following three classes will be offered throughout Monroe County: Saturday, June 23 at the Emergency Operations Center in Marathon, FL  Saturday, July 21st at the Murray Nelson Center in Key Largo, FL Saturday, August 18th at the Harvey Government Center in Key West, FL – To register for this FREE training or to get more information, call toll free 1-888-470-5566, EXT 4 OR email at keys.volunteers@yahoo.com THESE FREE CLASSES ARE AVAILABLE FOR BOTH KEYS AND MIAMI-DADE RESIDENTS. Said Ros-Lehtinen, “I urge South Florida residents to take advantage of these FREE classes sponsored by our friends in the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Keys Emergency Ops Center. By taking the one day classes, residents will learn how to best help in the worst case scenario of a possible oil spill or other pollution event occurring in our community. It is always a good thing to be prepared and these classes will help us be ready.”

Orchid Awards: Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Leadership to Hold the UDB Line; Laura Reynolds, Excellence in Advocacy for the Environment; Brad Knoefler & Mark Lesniak, Creative Approach to Public Space; Susan Markley, Persistence and Commitment to Manatee Protection; Mayor Cindy Lerner, Civic Leadership in Promoting A Green Miami-Dade County; Carolyn Lewis, Promoting Environmental Literacy & Civic Engagement with Our Youth, Mayor Shirley Gibson; A Legacy of Leadership; Ken Llewellyn (Posthumous), Outstanding Environmental Volunteer; Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, Tropical Audubon Society, Sierra Club & Dan Kipnis Advocacy to Protect & Preserve Biscayne Bay. >>> Onion Award Presentations 2012: Governor Rick Scott Consistently Undermining both Environmental Protection and Good Planning -The Genting Group and their Gaggle of Lobbyists for Insulting and Underestimating Miami Dade County. >>> Hors d’oeuvres & Wine – $15 at the Door More information and to RSVP: at uelinfo@bellsouth.net

>>> Kristi House press release: Please mark your calendars! We hope you will join us for the 13th Annual Touch A Heart Dinner on Friday, November 2, 2012 at the Four Seasons Hotel 7:00 p.m. Reception 8:00 p.m. Dinner For more information, please visit www.kristihouse.org or call: Bianca Fernandez – 305-547-6802 Mary Faraldo – 786-218-9748

>>> Press release:  Registration Now Open for Miami-Dade Parks’ Summer Camps! Exciting Summer Camps are being offered by the Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, June 11-August 17, 2012, at its parks around the County.

>>> Press release:  Adrienne Arsht Center AileyCamp Miami 2012 AileyCamp Miami is a summer day camp where middle school students are “turned on” to dance and come to respect the discipline of dance as a physical activity that requires athletic ability comparable to skills demanded by any sport.

A painful verbal exchange by one Miami-Dade Commissioner last week on the topic of what they can ask of administrative staff under Mayor Carlos Gimenez to a assistant county attorney, highlights how quickly people seem to forget when it comes to changes in the county charter. For on the Nov. 2010 election ballot, the county had a charter question that asked voters to “Allow commissioners to communicate directly with county staffers,” and that language seems pretty clear and voters passed it by 63 percent of the countywide vote. However, despite this fact, Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz kept pressing the point and while he was just trying to find the boundaries when talking or asking staff about constituent services and issues. Someone should have clearly stated early on that there had been charter modifications done by voters in 2010 and much of this back and fourth with tempers rising could have been avoided.

Diaz said after the strong mayor vote was approved by voters in Jan. 2007 that county administrative staff after some harsh exchanges with commissioners got up and left the dais, something that was never done before, and the Watchdog Report at the time put out an Extra out on this fact. Then assistant county Manager Suzy Torriente at the time made the decision at the dais to split with the other staff but that was then, and with this more recent charter change. Commissioners cannot order county employees to do something. But they can communicate directly with them, the county ethics ordinance says these employees must answer honestly their question but this verbally restrictive landscape has changed from decades past. And that fact should clearly have been explained up front rather than a protracted conversation based on an old charter governance model that seemed to go for an hour.

>>> According to an article published in today’s Sun Sentinel http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-pompano-pain-clinic-guns-money-20120613,0,3218849.story officers of the Broward Sheriff’s Office raided the office and home of the  Pompano Beach pain clinic owners Frank and Bernice Turturo and discovered, among other items, $250,000 in cash, gold coins and nuggets, two short-barreled assault rifles, a portable rocket launcher case and a tiny .22-caliber pistol that would fit in a brassiere. During a news conference at BSO’s Fort Lauderdale headquarters today, Sheriff Al Lamberti called the firearms array “scary” and “sophisticated” and “not the day-to-day, target practice weapons you’d normally see.”

It does not surprise me that pain clinics in South Florida are operating in the criminal underworld of racketeering and drug trafficking. Guns are the necessary accessories required to intimidate anyone probing these shady businesses.

Our law enforcement officers need more resources to crack down on drug traffickers and drug dealers in white coats.

Bernd Wollschlaeger, MD, FAAFP, FASAM

North Miami Beach

>>> I am glad that you have kept me on your distribution list for the Watchdog Report. I hope the issue of restructuring JHS’ legal and governance structure continues to get your attention. The granting of greater flexibility and independence from Miami-Dade County is not per se a panacea, but is a part of the changes necessary to give the health system a better opportunity to improve its operational and financial performance, and greater community accountability.

I am back in Michigan, where my permanent home is, however, I enjoy keeping up with coverage of Jackson Health System.

B J

D M

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 600 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.

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

>>> 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.

>>> 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

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.