Watchdog Report Vol.13 No.17 September 2, 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 and is just the news in a mainstream reporting manner.

>>> CLARRIFICATION: In last week’s Watchdog Report I put a story on some local Medicare fraud arrests in the Public Health Trust section that some how could construe the PHT was involved in the story and that is not the case. I ran that story since T.S. Isaac was about to take out my electricity and while the fraud was not related to Jackson Health System. However, all Medicare and Medicaid fraud indirectly affects all the hospitals in South Florida because these public tax dollars are in short supply and Jackson could possible benefit if these dollars were directed where it was intended. I apologize for any confusion from the story.

>>> May you and your family have a great and safe Labor Day Holiday Monday and may we reflect on what the Labor Movement has done for the country and its role in making the United States, and the middle class, what it has been over the past decades since it first emerged in the 1930s.

ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street

>>> With the death of star voyager and fighter pilot Neil Armstrong, a star that twinkled in the night sky has gone dark

The death last week of astronaut Neil Armstrong was a sad event and every person that grew up in the 1950s and 60s used to look at the moon in a different way dreaming that you could actually see the space voyager’s encampment in the clear air of the night. The Apollo 11 mission was mankind’s first leap out of our planet to land on another celestial body and it captured the world’s imagination and it projected a new image of America. A country that was more than just fighting an endless war in Vietnam, but moving the world forward in a way never before seen or accomplished. And Armstrong’s unflappable coolness while on the job became the goal many people later tried to emulate, but many times failed. The United States has lost a Great One, a person who was a navy fighter pilot in the Korean War and a sad nation says good-bye and God Speed NASA astronaut and have a peaceful voyage. For you moved the bar of the world to new heights and your spirit will be missed.

>>> Press release: NASA News: FAMILY STATEMENT REGARDING THE DEATH OF NEIL ARMSTRONG

The following is a statement from the Armstrong family regarding the death of former test pilot and NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong. He was 82. “We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job. He served his Nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. He also found success back home in his native Ohio in business and academia, and became a community leader in Cincinnati. He remained an advocate of aviation and exploration throughout his life and never lost his boyhood wonder of these pursuits.  As much as Neil cherished his privacy, he always appreciated the
expressions of good will from people around the world and from all walks of life.

While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves. For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.” Additional information about Armstrong is available on the Web at: http://www.nasa.gov

>>> White House press release: Statement by the President on the Passing of Neil Armstrong

Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Neil Armstrong. Neil was among the greatest of American heroes – not just of his time, but of all time. When he and his fellow crew members lifted off aboard Apollo 11 in 1969, they carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation. They set out to show the world that the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable – that with enough drive and ingenuity, anything is possible. And when Neil stepped foot on the surface of the moon for the first time, he delivered a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten. Today, Neil’s spirit of discovery lives on in all the men and women who have devoted their lives to exploring the unknown – including those who are ensuring that we reach higher and go further in space. That legacy will endure – sparked by a man who taught us the enormous power of one small step.

>>> Press release: As Evidence of Chinese Banks Assistance to Iranian Regime Grows, Ros-Lehtinen Says Sanctions Must Be Enforced, Violators Held Accountable

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today commented on reports that Chinese banks may have routed money on behalf of Iranian banks in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen: “Sanctions will do nothing to stop Iran’s nuclear program if they are not strictly enforced.  Recent reports indicate that several Chinese banks may have intentionally flouted sanctions measures against Iran, and the Administration must hold these violators accountable and impose severe penalties. “Allowing these transgressions to go un-scrutinized and unpunished gives the green light for other rogue regimes to disregard sanctions imposed against Tehran, and weakens efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”

>>> Press release on an event that occurred yesterday: Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture on Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

A “pop up performance” featuring 200 singers, musicians, drummers, and dancers will showcase a new arrangement of Beethoven’s recognized melody “Ode to Joy” on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach this Saturday, September 1st. Afternoon. The 8-minute performance is a celebration to mark the 1,000th performances of Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture. In the past two years, communities in 8 cities around the country experienced Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture as part of the Knight Foundation’s initiative to introduce new ways the arts are presented. The foundation hired local artists and produced events that succeeded in bringing music and dance out of the symphony halls, into the streets and into everyday lives. Past performance venues include airports, lobbies, department stores, farmers’ markets and trains, surprising people as they go about everyday living. Miami Beach and Philadelphia are the last two Random Acts of Culture.

Coordinated by the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, these 200 singers, musicians, drummers and dancers from all over Miami-Dade County will gather together for a pop up performance of drumming and dance set to a new arrangement of “Ode to Joy” by Miami-based conductor and arranger Sam Hyken of the Miami Music Project. Integrating classical, vocal, jazz, gospel and Afro-Cuban rhythms, artists include musicians from the Miami Music Project and the Frost School of Music, singers from the Miami Mass Choir and Master Chorale, drummers and dancers from Ife-Ile Afro-Cuban dance company, and dance students from the 2012 Ailey Camp and the Edwin Holland Dance Ensemble.

CLICK HERE to watch a Random Acts of Culture Video Random Acts of Culture
www.randomactsofculture.org >>> for more go to www.miamiherald.com

>>> 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 91.3 FM 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 and The Florida Roundup on www.wlrn.org

FLORIDA

>>> Incoming Senate President Gaetz in the spotlight says he is “a proud red neck,” had $24.8 million net worth through Apr. 2012

State Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville is in the spotlight this week and he is headed to be the next Florida Senate president in November, and he is considered one of the smartest people in the 40 member upper body. Gaetz, whose son Matt is also a state representative elected in 2010 is the only father son team in the Florida Legislature. Gaetz, a former Okaloosa County school board member and superintendent has followed in his father’s footsteps as an elected official. Gaetz has a broad range of interests, sits on a host of senate committees and he chaired the legislature’s 2012-reapportionment committee redrawing the state’s legislative and congressional districts after the 2010 Census this year. His Senate District 4 is located in the Florida panhandle and at a reapportioned hearing here in Miami-Dade; he once referred to himself as a “proud redneck,” during the deliberations and passionate public hearings at the downtown Miami campus of Miami-Dade College in the early spring.

Gaetz Bio: http://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s4 >>> http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2012/08/don-gaetz-on-senate-republican-primaries.html

What do we know about his finances?

Gaetz through Apr. 2012 had a net worth of $24.8 million and he lists $400,000 in household goods. There is $6.2 million in securities, $8.1 million in certificates of deposit and in money markets and he lists $9.8 million in real estate. He owes $19,400 to a credit card and his income for the year was $754,900.

>>> Children’s Movement of Florida  Voices of Florida – We all have a story, a story that defines us. It is our collective story, our challenges and our triumphs that inspire a movement. Floridians from all walks of life have joined together with an understanding that the future of our state rests on the well-being of our children.

Visit The Children’s Movement website to read their stories and share your own. >>> I find it unacceptable, as all of us should, that at least a half-million children in Florida – all citizens — have no health insurance. How could this be in our beloved country that seeks to be a beacon to the world? Health insurance for all children is one of the five major planks of The Children’s Movement. With the support of Florida Covering Kids and Families, The Children’s Movement is working with dozens of local partners to help build a meaningful signing-up initiative in more than a dozen Florida communities. Already we have: Completed 18 KidCare trainings around the state. Signed up, trained and deployed more than a hundred volunteers. Begun to build a growing collaboration between local school districts and KidCare outreach coalitions. It’s a good start, but only the start. If you’d like to become a volunteer, just click here. Another way to help is to make a contribution – of any size – to help support this work. It is easy. Just click here. A real movement isn’t possible without your helping in some meaningful way. Dave Lawrence, Chair The Children’s Movement.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

>>> Mayor Gimenez election win goes to court, tells Rotarians more changes coming at county, he is eating “the elephant one bite at a time.”

Mayor Carlos Gimenez, while winning reelection on Aug. 14, that vote is still being contested by his losing challenger County Commission Chair Joe Martinez after the absentee voter scandal erupted early last month that has three other losing candidates going to the courts to overturn the results as well. Gimenez, the former Miami Fire Rescue Chief, Miami manager and county commissioner since 2004 who ran for mayor in June 2011 was considered “a long shot,” when he beat Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina in a runoff. And he has maintained a hectic political pace since then. Gimenez since becoming the top administrator cut the number of county departments from 42 to 25; has along with a majority of the county commissioners kept property taxes flat for county residents, and he drives himself to meetings and other events. The county now has around 26,000 employees down from a high of 29,000 and an over $6 billion yearly budget. >>> Here is the link to next year’s budget: http://www.miamidade.gov/budget/fy12-13-first-hearing.asp

On Tuesday last week he met with city of Miami officials including Mayor Tomas Regalado and Manager Johnny Martinez concerning a garbage deal that the city has been disputing with Miami-Dade and has kept the county from releasing $46 million in 2004 GOB funds passed by county voters for Virginia Key dump site’s clean-up. But the release of the money has been stalled over the years because past garbage negotiations between the two entities have not panned out successfully between Miami and Miami-Dade, though Gimenez said progress was made at this meeting, and told the Watchdog Report that “some of the numbers” Miami officials were using “were wrong.” Here is a past story on the matter:

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2011-12-22/news/virginia-key-landfill-remains-a-hellish-hazard-while-bureaucrats-bicker/

And on Thursday, Gimenez was the featured speaker at the Miami Rotary Club weekly luncheon at the Bayside Hard Rock Café  and he wooed the crowd with his talk and was received like a rock star. Tim Ryan the director of the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department did the introductory honors for the mayor but only after the Club’s president referred to having the mayor at the event was like having Brad Pitt as a speaker and people lined up after lunch to get photos with Gimenez. The mayor gave his usual stump speech about how he left the City of Miami in 2003 with its highest reserves ever, $140 million and contrasted that with the county’s paltry $60 to $70 million for a rainy day it currently has. And the mayor detailed past changes that have been made at the county in the past year and noted he is not finished. And Gimenez once told the Watchdog Report when I asked how he would change the bureaucratic culture at the county? He replied asking, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” he responded and he now has another four years to finish that cultural change meal, but it is no easy task as he has also found out.

He also said, “I do want to increase voter participation,” noting on the Aug. 14 primary only about 20 percent of the county’s voters turned out and he considered that unacceptable low. Gimenez said the low voter turnout has always surprised him because “Local officials have more impact on residents [services, like police and the picking up of garbage] everyday,” than many national or state elections and these races bringing out more voters.

Gimenez

Martinez

What about the local Rotary Clubs in Miami-Dade?

The Watchdog Report was a speaker at the Coral Gables Rotary Club in July, the people that attend these weekly meetings are a solid group of civic-minded people, and I have been impressed with their dedication and the club’s motto “Service above Self.” And to see photos of the event and more information on the Rotary Club go to http://www.miamirotary.org/

>>> President of Miami Medical Clinic Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud Charges

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael B. Steinbach, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Christopher B. Dennis, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), announce that defendant Arbilio Yanes pled guilty today to Medicare fraud and related offenses before U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. More specifically, Yanes pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and to pay health care kickbacks (count 1); two counts of health care fraud (counts 2 and 3); four counts of payment of health care kickbacks (counts 4 through 7); four counts of money laundering (counts 8 through 11); and two counts of money laundering (counts 12 and 13).  Sentencing is scheduled for November 5, 2012.  At sentencing, Yanes faces a statutory maximum sentence of up to five years in prison on counts 1 and 4 through 7, up to ten years in prison on counts 2, 3, 12, and 13, and up to twenty years in prison on counts 8 through 11.

According to statements made in court at the plea hearing, Yanes was the president of Research Center of Florida, Inc., a purported medical clinic located in Miami-Dade County, Florida.  Between October 13, 2003 and November 5, 2004, Research Center submitted claims to Medicare for $21,043,982, almost exclusively for purported treatment of HIV+ Medicare beneficiaries by administration of prescription drugs.  Based on these claims, Medicare paid Research Center $11,098,388.93.  In fact, Research Center personnel generally administered smaller doses of the medications than the clinic billed in its claims, or no treatment at all.  Yanes paid more than $1.6 million to shell companies controlled by outside patient recruiters.  Those shell companies did no business with Research Center, but the recruiters located Medicare beneficiaries who were willing to attend Research Center as purported patients and paid the beneficiaries to do so.  Yanes also paid himself over $1.3 million in profits from the scheme. Of that sum, Yanes paid more than $650,000 to two shell companies he controlled, which did no business with Research Center.

Efren Mendez, the vice-president of Research Center; Damian Beltran, a medical assistant at the clinic, and Barbara Perez and Caridad Perez, patient recruiters for the clinic, have all previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in related cases. >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and HHS-OIG.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Osborne. 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.

>>> New M-DC Inspector General investigation: OIG Final Report Re: Fortress Builders, Inc., County Contract RPQARRA-018-38567-30-OS092611, IG12-21, August 15, 2012.

>>> Press release: Commissioner Rebeca Sosa to present a resolution urging the reinstatement of prior absentee ballot requirements

In order to restore integrity to the absentee ballot process, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa will introduce a resolution at the Board of County Commissioners meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 6, urging the Florida Legislature to reinstate “for cause” absentee ballot requirements that were in place prior to 1997. Previously, in order to request an absentee ballot, a voter had to indicate that he or she qualified under needed circumstances. Effective January 1, 1997, the Florida Legislature eliminated the “for cause” absentee ballot requirements allowing anyone, “who is unable to attend the polls on election day” pursuant to Chapter 96-57, Laws of Florida to place an absentee ballot request.

Commissioner Sosa sponsored an ordinance passed by the Board of County Commissioners in December 2011 that amended the County Code to make violators of current absentee ballot laws pay fines and/or serve jail time. “It is our responsibility to preserve the most precious right of a Democracy, the right to vote,” said Commissioner Sosa. “I firmly believe in the people of this County and trust that they want to make a difference. I will continue to work on legislation that will preserve a citizen’s right to vote and restore integrity to the absentee ballot process.” For more information on this resolution, please contact Commissioner Sosa’s office at 305-267-6377.

>>> September 6^th, the First Miami-Dade County Budget Hearing, Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street, Commission Chambers, 5:01pm

>>>  September 11^th, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Elections Forum, 11:30am, 1601 Biscayne Blvd, Ballroom Level

>>> September 20^th, the Second Miami-Dade County Budget Hearing, Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street, Commission Chambers, 5:01pm

>>> GMCVB press release: RECORD ARRIVALS AT “THE NEW MIA” (MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) FOR THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF 2012
Passenger arrivals at MIAMI International Airport (MIA) increased in the first seven months of 2012 with international passenger arrivals up +7.3% and domestic arrivals up +4.5% when compared to the same time period last year. Total arrivals increased in the first seven months of 2012 by +5.9%.

INTERNATIONAL MIA Passenger Arrivals

January – July 2012	January – July 2011	% Change
5,763,799	5,372,053	+7.3%

DOMESTIC MIA Passenger Arrivals

January – July 2012	January – July 2011	% Change
6,140,696	5,873,736	+4.5%

TOTAL MIA Passenger Arrivals

January – July 2012	January – July  2011	% Change
11,904,495	11,245,789	+5.9%

>>> CAR RAFFLE AT MIA BENEFITS FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER

Press release: For a $50 donation, you may be the winner of a new 2012 Honda Accord LX 4-Door Sedan and join the fight against breast cancer as well. Employees from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department are holding a raffle for the car, and the drawing will be held on Saturday, October 13, during the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Tropical Park. The purchase of three raffle tickets entitles the buyer to one free ticket and only 500 tickets will be sold. The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk raises money to help the American Cancer Society fight the disease with breast cancer research, information and services, and access to mammograms. Many Aviation Department employees are relatives or friends of breast cancer survivors or are survivors themselves. To purchase tickets or for more information, contact Marcia Fernandez-Morin at mfernandez-morin@miami-airport.com or 305.876.0242.

>>> The Beacon Council attends White House Economic Development Forum

Press release: The Beacon Council joined top economic development leaders in a forum at the White House on Tuesday aimed at providing feedback on how best the White House Administration can partner with organizations to help grow the U.S. economy and create jobs. Holly Wiedman, The Beacon Council’s Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning and Market Development, attended the forum in Washington, D.C. to connect with key White House Administration economic policy makers, learn about the Administration’s initiatives and provide input. Out of 50 participating groups, The Beacon Council was the only Florida economic development organization attending this invitation-only forum.

“This prestigious invitation afforded The Beacon Council the opportunity to voice Miami-Dade County’s top priorities in international promotion and workforce,” Wiedman said. “We were able to discuss increasing many more partnerships with the Administration.” The one-day forum, hosted by the White House Business Council, the International Economic Development Council and SelectUSA, included speakers such as Rebecca Blank, Acting Secretary, Department of Commerce; Cecilia Muñoz, Director, Domestic Policy Council, The White House; and Mark Doms, Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Commerce. Topics discussed included: Economic development programs, Foreign direct investment, Education and workforce, Macroeconomic overviews, and Brookings Institute Studies and Services. >>> About The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partnership, is a not-for-profit, public-private organization that focuses on job creation and economic growth by coordinating community-wide programs; promoting minority business and urban economic revitalization; providing assistance to local businesses in their expansion efforts; and marketing Greater Miami throughout the world. For more information, visit www.beaconcouncil.com .

>>> Press release: Miami-Dade Transit wants its customers to be aware that on Labor Day, Monday, September 3, 2012, Metrobus, Metrorail and Metromover will operate on a Sunday schedule. Therefore, routes that regularly run only on weekdays, such as the Dade-Broward I-95 Express and the Kendall Cruiser, will not be providing service on Monday, September 3. Transit users are encouraged to plan ahead to ensure their timely arrival to their destinations. For more information regarding Monday’s schedule, transit customers can call 3-1-1, or 305-891-3131, weekdays, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. TTY users can call 305-499-8971. Closed during County-observed holidays, such as Labor Day. Transit customers also can visit MDT’s website: www.miamidade.gov/transit ; on mobile devices, www.miamidade.gov/transit/mobile.

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOL

>>> WLRN to build new newsroom studio for WLRN/Miami Herald News operation since paper saying sayonara to Biscayne Bay site next year

WLRN is in the design phase for a new studio and newsroom at the FM radio and television station’s main headquarters next to the Miami-Dade Public Schools administrative building and it will replace the current one in The Miami Herald’s fifth floor newsroom. Since the paper is moving its location to Doral next year. WLRN and The Herald hammered out an agreement around 2003 and they produce shows under the banner WLRN/ Miami Herald News and The Watchdog Report contacted John Labonia, the station’s general manager last week to ask about the new facilities. And last week Labonia in an email exchange said they are “In the design phase now, [and we are] looking at November to begin construction, with completion in February/March,” he wrote. And when I inquired about the anticipated costs the general manager replied, Don’t know yet, still putting costs together,” wrote the General Manager of WLRN Public Radio and Television.

The Watchdog Report over the years has kept an eye on WLRN and Friends of WLRN the fundraising arm for the station for the last 13 years because not only am I a contributor guest on Topical Currents and The Florida Roundup, but because public money is involved and when The Herald agreement occurred. There were critics in the community worried about the paper having undue influence on the public radio station. However, since then it has gone fairly well and since the paper next year is headed to the old SOUTHCOM headquarters in Doral. This new satellite studio operation will be a blessing for not only the station, but for Herald reporters in the field as well.

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

>>> $35 million for capital improvements a start, but “a drop in the bucket,” up to “$600 million,” needed says vice chair Sharpton

The Financial Recovery Board is holding a closed session on Tuesday afternoon and will then have a public board meeting afterwards at 3:00 p.m. The closed FRB session concerns the discussion and perhaps the hiring of certain medical groups and physicians around the community trying to expand the referral net of patients coming to the Jackson Health System. The expansion of the referring physicians pool is important in today’s medical world where patient volume and quality outcomes is a key ingredient to a successful health system, but at JHS patient volumes are down and the health trust is trying to jump start and increase its admission levels in the months ahead by bringing on new medical specialists.

What about the PHT’s public hearing in the BCC chambers?

A public hearing on the PHT’s budget for next year was a quite affair and only Martha Baker, R.N. spoke to the seven FRB members at the dais. The FRB meeting was chaired by Marcos Lapciuc and he noted this coming year’s budget was a “aligned budget that was tied to the strategic plan,” and warned if it is not executed, “God Help us,” he observed because of the precarious finances at the public hospital system. Daryl Sharpton, the vice chair noted that while there is some money for capital improvements in next year’s budget, “it is a drop in the bucket.”  He noted that the unfunded capital needs was more like $400 to $600 million and he believes that “total is a reflection of the past neglect Jackson has received,” he thought. Michael Bileca, a state representative on the FRB also observed that the $35 million in the capital plan was good but regarding the overall budget, “I feel more comfortable [with it] this year than last year,” but the challenge is “how to have revenue growth,” and they must stop the “steep [patient] census drops. If the “strategic plan” is to be successful and we have to “hit on all cylinders,” he noted at the end. And Joe Arriola, the FRB treasurer and a “liberal Democrat” agreed with much of the sentiment concerning the viability of new budget versus the current year’s budget. A current budget that without draconian cuts and adjustments across a wide array of initiatives including significant staffing cuts could have had JHS lose up to $400 million for the year.

>>> PAST WDR: JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM BOARD APPROVES REALISTIC AND BALANCED BUDGET WITH A $35 MILLION SURPLUS FOR FY 2012-13

Press release: The transformation of Jackson Health System into a thriving organization took a giant leap forward with the approval of a realistic and balanced $1.6 billion budget that includes excess revenue over expenses of approximately $35 million next year. Adopted unanimously by the seven-member Public Health Trust Financial Recovery Board (FRB) during a public hearing Thursday, August 16, the budget now moves to the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) for consideration in September.

“We have to thank all of the Jackson team for their hard work and sacrifices that were made this year, which have made our aggressive plans to grow services next year possible,” said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “Our entire community should be proud of the progress.” The $35 million surplus, for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, represents a world-class turnaround for a system that lost hundreds of millions of dollars over the last few years, including $81 million last year, and could have lost as much as $400 million this year. The turnaround provides Jackson with numerous opportunities to move forward with its restructuring plans including: Improving our facilities and paying vendors more quickly. Recruiting more community physicians to bring patients to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Building up the Special Care Unit at Jackson North Medical Center. Expanding surgery, cardiac service and maternity at Jackson South Community Hospital. Improving the efficiency of our clinics and emergency rooms. Attracting more patients with the fast-growing reputation of Jackson Mental Health Hospital and mental-health programs across the system. In addition, as the current fiscal year winds down, “we expect to come within a whisper of breaking even when the fiscal year ends on September 30,” Migoya predicted.

CITY OF MIAMI

>>> Will shaky municipal bond market inhibit Miami CRA from selling new bonds to cover the $45 million Port of Miami tunnel obligation due in Jan.?

Mayor Tomas Regalado on Friday said when it came to the city’s commitment for the $45 million contribution to the $1 billion Port of Miami’s new tunnel. He said the payment was part of a $2.9 billion Global Agreement with Miami-Dade County that included the new Miami Marlins stadium negotiated by then Mayor Manny Diaz and that fact is not included in the www.miamiherald.com story last week he said. Regalado elected mayor in 2009 said the payment was agreed to back around 2006 that also included the Omni CRA being the vehicle to pay for the needed bonds, and that action is being reviewed. But the mayor acknowledged the SEC investigation of other past Miami bond sales is also a factor. And he believes the city through the CRA will be able to handle the obligation coming due January but it adds another wrinkle to the city’s fiscal situation and the need to have a new budget by Oct.1 where there already is a $40 million budget hole for the coming year that has to be closed.

Further, critics are wondering why this has not been addressed a couple of years earlier when the interest bearing loan was consummated with Wells Fargo under the Manager Carlos Migoya administration and everyone on the dais back then knew the payment was coming due. However, no one banked the future funds back then and there is a real question if the CRA has the revenue capacity to support a new bond. A municipal financial instrument that is causing concerns with investors now that the City of San Bernardino, a $1 billion budget municipality has gone into bankruptcy and is having Warren Buffet’s investment company Berkshire Hathaway getting out of the business of insuring these municipal and county bonds that used to be considered as a safe sure thing when it came to them paying off these long term notes, but that is no longer the case in today’s New Normal.  http://americancityandcounty.com/municipal-bonds/warren-buffett-ends-bet-cities-financial-health?NL=AMC-04&Issue=AMC-04_20120830_AMC-04_195&YM_RID

>>> Retirement bash for Clerk Thompson raising eyebrows, send cash for dinner to Clerk’s office for the tony event

Priscilla Thompson, the Miami Clerk is retiring after 32 years with the City of Miami at the end of September and given the “step”, pay system the city has had over the decades. At her peak, she was making just over $300,000 in salary, benefits and 45 days of paid vacation time, but that was cut back a few years ago. And when she retires, it will be the beginning of the end of the era of such high public service compensation for these positions. On Friday, Mayor Tomas Regalado said her replacement would make “nowhere near that number” and possible $150,000 could be high, he thought. There is a planned sayonara party for Thompson at the Double Tree Hilton on Sept. 29^th and she is going North to take care of her ailing mother. However, the party is raising eyebrows because a city clerk employee is coordinating the private event and the $60.00 cost is to be paid for with cash or checks made out to cash by a Sept. 14 deadline and sent to “the City Clerk’s Office.” The Watchdog Report discussed this issue with a number of ethics mavens last week, and while it is legal, they did raise their eyes on using a city employee. However, it was the request the payments be made in cash that caused the biggest concern given the city’s past and the many decades of misuse of public money and cash, not that will be the case in this gala but it might have been handled differently without using city employees in the office.

>>> Press release:  Please find attached invitation to the press conference of this years Art Live Fair benefiting the Lotus House. The Mayor of the City of Miami, Tomas Regalado and the president of the Lotus House Constance Collins will be officially announcing exciting news about the art fair. We are very much looking forward to welcome you on Wednesday September 12th at 10 am at the Coconut Grove Expo Center. Please let us know if you are available and RSVP to our Fair Coordinator Ciara Jones at: www.coordinator@artlivefair.org

CITY OF MIAMI BEACH

>>> TMBC features Navarro, director of emergency management on the Beach

Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club Meeting Date: Tuesday, September 4^th, 2012 Meeting Time: 8:30 AM Meeting Place: New Location: David’s Café One, Corner of Collins Ave. and 11^th Street, South Beach. George Navarro, Director of Emergency Management for Miami Beach, will be our guest speaker at the September 4^th meeting of the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club. Hurricane season is here again, as we were reminded this week, but fortunately for us the storm passed us by without incident.  Having the City prepared if a storm does hit us, or some other calamity occurs, is the job of Mr. Navarro’s Emergency Management Department.  Learn what to do if a storm threatens, and an evacuation is ordered. >>> There is no charge for attending and everyone is welcome. David Kelsey, Moderator Please Note the New Location for the Breakfast Club: We are now meeting at our new location: the recently renovated David’s Café One, at the corner of Collins Ave. and 11^th Street. Visit our web site at www.MBTMBC.com

CITY OF CORAL GABLES

>>> Changing first public budget hearing causes dustup between Commissioner Anderson and Mgr. Salerno, she will use teleconference to attend from Boston

The changing of the date for the first budget hearing for the new Coral Gables budget starting Oct. 1 had Commissioner Maria Anderson carping that she would have appreciated a “courtesy” call from the administration of Manager Pat Salerno. Since for the last three years she is out of town at a seminary school to become a minister Wednesday through Friday. She said she had never missed the yearly public budget meeting since being elected in 2001 and she insisted she be able to participate if there was a way. Craig Leen, the commission’s attorney noted it could be done through a variety of telecommunications and he had friends in law firms in Boston that might let them borrow the firm’s facilities. Further, Anderson after George Volsky of the public spoke on the issue and he wondered who would be bearing the costs and chastised Anderson for spending so much time outside the city since the commissioner was being paid a salary.

However, after Volsky’s comments Anderson defended her years of time serving the city and when she was away. She was always in contact with the city administration and the lawmaker was not shirking her elected duties in the least. The long serving commissioner also said she would pick up the tab for the teleconference to happen and that setteled the matter, but it was clear there is still tension between Salerno and Anderson who along with Comissioner Ralph Cabrera Jr., had called for the managers firing, but lost that maneuver after a 3 to 2 vote on the dais. >>> Here is a past story on Volsky: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2008-08-28/news/coral-gables-muckraker-george-volsky-busts-city-manager-david-brown/

>>> M-DC Ethics Commission 2008 study on municipality pay and benefits: The City of Coral Gables’ Mayor receives a salary of $32,000, the Vice Mayor a salary of $28,000 and each of the City Commissioners a salary of $26,000.  All increases in compensation for elected officials are tied to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers from the preceding July, and shall be ratified by the Commission at a public hearing, with such increase retroactive to the beginning of the fiscal year.

Each Commissioner receives an expense allowance of $400 per month ($4,800 per annum), and the Mayor receives an expense allowance of $500 per month ($6,000 per annum). The travel allowance for each Commissioner is fixed at $1,200 per annum, and travel expenses for the Mayor are fixed at $1,800 per annum.  In 2007, the Mayor incurred and was reimbursed for $1,591.48 in travel expenses.  The Mayor was the only elected official who received reimbursement for travel. The Mayor’s office allowance for secretarial, telephone, postage and like expenses is fixed at $100 per month.

>>> Gables webpage: Coral Gables residents will have a chance to buy one ticket (per resident) and receive two free tickets for the “Coral Gables Day” football game between the Canes and North Carolina State scheduled for Saturday, September 29 (Time is TBA). The football showdown will take place at Sun Life Stadium, 2269 N.W. 199 Street in Miami Gardens. This offer is made possible thanks to the 20-year Development Agreement between the City of Coral Gables and the University of Miami. Coral Gables residents must show proof of residency at the time of purchase. This promotion is good for all available seating excluding suites and club seating. Tickets are now on sale and must be purchased in person at the Hurricane Ticket Office, which has now moved to the BankUnited Center, 1245 Dauer Drive. The Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. This promotion is not available for online or phone ticket purchases. For more information, call 305-284-2263.

CITY OF HOMESTEAD

>>> Homestead Husband and Wife Sentenced in Case Involving Fraud in Connection with Disaster Relief Fund

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Karen Citizen-Wilcox, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Inspector General Investigations Division, Southeast Region, announced that defendant Yaima Perez, 28, and her husband Sergio Perez, 49, both of Homestead, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga for their participation in a fraud in connection with a federal disaster relief fund. The defendants had previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, four counts of filing false claims, four counts of wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.  Today, Judge Altonaga sentenced Sergio Perez to 57 months’ in prison and sentenced Yaima Perez to 52 months in prison, both sentences to be followed by three years of supervised release.  In addition, the defendants were each ordered to pay $802,490 in restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture, which was the U.S. government agency that was defrauded.

In June 2006, in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina, Ophelia, Rita and Wilma, the Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act (the Act) was enacted.  Pursuant to the provisions of the Act, the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation was established to provide up to $95 million in benefits through various programs to producers.  One such program was the 2005 Hurricanes Nursery Program (Nursery Program).  The Nursery Program was to be administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) within the USDA and was to provide financial assistance to qualifying commercial ornamental nursery and fernery producers who suffered inventory losses and incurred clean-up costs as a result of the above-listed hurricanes.  Certain counties in Florida, including Miami-Dade County, participated in the Nursery Program.

According to statements made in court and documents filed in the case, on March 7, 2007, Yaima Perez was elected to the FSA County Office Committee (COC) in Homestead, and became a part-time federal employee.  Her husband Sergio Perez owned a nursery business, Plantas Ornamentales, and both owned and operated Perez Pizza & Bread in Homestead.  In 2007, the Perezes, using the identities of others, filed numerous claims under the Nursery Program falsely claiming that the nurseries purportedly owned by these producers had sustained damage from Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina. The claims were fraudulent and the application contained fraudulent supporting documentation, including false certificates of nursery registrations from the Florida Department of Agriculture, direct deposit forms, and powers of attorney.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, the USDA paid these false claims, and the payments were deposited into accounts opened and controlled by Yaima Perez.  From these accounts, more than $500,000 was subsequently wire transferred to a Costa Rican company, Sunshine Bay, which Sergio Perez formed in Costa Rica.  Sergio Perez also admitted that he transferred approximately $700,000 that he received from various farmers who had received benefits from the Nursery Program to Costa Rica to purchase land.  Approximately another $100,000 was transferred between these accounts and also to accounts for Perez Pizza & Bread and Plantas Ornamentales. >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the USDA Office of Inspector General-Investigations Division.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lois Foster-Steers. 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.

BAY HARBOUR ISLANDS

>>> Is future development going to change sleepy burg? Mayor Salver believes it will “bring luster to a gem in need of a little TLC”

The tiny burg of Bay Harbour Islands is considering a major development and residents are split apparently on how much growth the sleepy island muncicpality should have. Critics say some vacant property and other homes are being kept in bad shape to facilitate the argument for new development. But others say that is not the case and the concern is the town will become like Sunny Isles Beach with its lines of condominiums that transformed the strip that faced the ocean into condo canyons.

The Watchdog Report contacted the Mayor of Bay Harbour Islands after I heard about this debate last week and Mayor Isaac Salver wrote back by email about the new development and he wrote back. “Since 2002 the Council has worked on revising our land development regulations to reflect the type of development most compatible with our surrounding density, intensity, architecture and style. The result has been the addition of about a dozen developments in the past decade. [However,] There is renewed interest in development in Bay Harbor Islands because of our wonderful school and our proximity to the beach. I personally applaud the developers who are willing to invest in our town, and appreciate their adherence to our fairly restrictive building code. These new projects can bring luster to a gem in need of a little TLC,” wrote Salver. And when I asked if any of the council members had any conflicts of interest with any of these future developments? He replied, “I do not have information in order to comment on that. I can only say…I have no conflict!.”  https://www.bayharborislands.org/newsite/index2.asp >>> Salver is also the Treasurer of The Children’s Trust and he is a member of the School Board Audit and Budget Advisory Committee.

Salver

>>> M-DC Ethics commission 2008 study: Bay Harbor Island’s Mayor receives a salary of $1 per year, which is donated in a ceremonious gesture.  Each Council Member receives a salary of $1.00 as well.  It is also donated in a ceremonious gesture.  They do not have any allowances or expense accounts. Council members and staff are reimbursed only when traveling on behalf of the town, as follows: The maximum reimbursement for meals is $50 per day; Mileage is paid pursuant to the rate established by the IRS for the calendar year in which travel occurs; The maximum reimbursement for rental cars, if necessary, shall be no more than the standard mid-size car rate; The maximum reimbursement for lodging is no more than the group rate set by the conference or other organizers.  If no group rate exists, lodging shall be no more than the standard room rate at a moderately priced hotel; and All incidental travel expenses such as bridge, road tolls, taxi fares, parking fees, etc., shall be reimbursed at full cost. Requests for travel shall be submitted in advance, whenever possible, for Council approval.  All of the aforementioned expenses shall be submitted to the town in writing and each expense shall be separately enumerated.  Said writing shall contain the following sworn statement:  “The Expenses were actually incurred by the traveler as necessary travel expenses in the performance of official duties and are true and correct as to every material matter.”  The writing must also have attached to it a receipt for each expense item.  This section must be fully complied with as a condition precedent to reimbursement for travel expenses.

>>> OTHER STORIES AROUND FLORIDA

BROWARD COUNTY

>>> PD Finkelstein cruises to reelection, has Help Me Howard TV show, had $730,000 net worth through 2011

Howard Finkelstein is in the spotlight this week and the Broward County Public Defender first gained notoriety when he gave commentary on the O.J. Simpson murder trail in the mid 1990s and he still has a twice-weekly Fox WSVN Channel 7 television show called “Help Me Howard.” The attorney has been in private practice and was an assistant public defender prior to being elected to the countywide office in 2004 and at the time. Journalists and media pundits questioned if the television show gave him an unfair leg up against any challengers for the office. However, the general consensus was the Broward voters knew what they were getting, he won the election, and he has not looked back. Since then, he has sparred with the Broward Commission on a number of issues, and he was the lone holdout for a while when he was asked to make an appointment to a 2010 selection committee to choose a new inspector general for the county (Now John Scott) and wanted his appointee to be outside of the county. And the attorney picked a University of Miami law professor who he believed would not be tainted by the lobbyist culture that he believes dominates the nine member county commission. >>>  http://www.law.com/jsp/law/article.jsp?id=1202477729764

Further, Finkelstein also has been a strong advocate for defendants getting a speedy public defender and he is considered a strong voice for the public and was reelected unopposed in August. And he had $19,000 in his campaign war chest for the 17^th Judicial Circuit office of the public defender race that turned out to be a bust when no one challenged him for the office.

What do we know about his finances?

Finkelstein through Dec. 2011 had a net worth of $730,400 and he lists $80,000 in household goods and total assets of $852,000. His home is valued at $298,000, there is $99,000 in stocks and bonds, there is $160,000 in deferred compensation and roughly $89,500 in cash in banks. His only liability is a home loan owed $201,900, and his income for the year was $150,000 as the state public defender and Sunbeam Television Corp kicked in $45,377.

Finkelstein

http://www.browarddefender.org/about/about.htm >>> Conversation with Finkelstein: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/sfl-opqa12dec11,0,3513464.story?page=2&track=rss-topicgallery

>>> 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.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

>>> BrowardBulldog.org hosts 9/11 conversation with former Senator Bob Graham on September 11

Questions about Saudi Arabia’s possible involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have lingered for more than a decade. Over the past year, BrowardBulldog.org has reported how Congress and the 9/11 Commission were kept in the dark about a secret FBI investigation that found troubling ties between the 9/11 hijackers and Saudis then living in Sarasota.

Former Florida U.S. senator and two-term governor Bob Graham, co-chair of Congress’s Joint Inquiry into the attacks, was privy to top-secret information on suspected foreign support for the hijackers. He believes events in Sarasota offer important clues about what happened, and has called on President Obama to reopen the investigation. Join us at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 11 for a special evening with Sen. Graham on the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks for our program, “Unanswered Questions of 9/11: A Conversation With Bob Graham.”  Sen. Graham will answer questions and be available afterward to sign copies of his latest book, “Keys to the Kingdom.” >>> Ticket Options: Tickets are available at http://browardbulldog.eventbrite.com/ Meet Sen. Graham at the 5:30 p.m. VIP Cocktail Reception. $75 ticket includes drinks and hors d’oeuvres, lecture, upfront seating and priority access at the book signing. Pre-sale general admission tickets to the 6:30 p.m. lecture are available for $20 through Aug. 31; $30 on Sept. 1-11. Proceeds benefit Broward Bulldog.org, an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit providing local watchdog reporting in the public interest.

CITY OF PLANTATION

>>> Plantation Man Pleads Guilty to Voter-Fraud and Firearms-Related False Statements Charges

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), and Addy M. Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), announce that Josef Sever, 52, of Plantation, Florida, pled guilty today in federal court to charges of illegally voting in a federal election and knowingly and falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen when he purchased firearms from a federally licensed dealer, renewed a Florida concealed weapon license, and registered to vote, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 611, 924(a)(1)(A), 911, and 1015(f). Sever pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro earlier today.  At sentencing, scheduled for November 9, 2012, the defendant faces a possible statutory maximum sentence of up to 5 years in prison.

According to statements made in court, Sever admitted that he was born in Austria, is a naturalized citizen of Canada, and has never been a U.S. citizen.  Nevertheless, on four occasions in 2007, 2008, and 2010, he purchased firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Miami-Dade County and stated on a required Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form that he was a U.S. citizen.  He also stated on an application to renew his Florida concealed weapons and firearm license in 2010 that he was a U.S. citizen. In early 2008, Sever registered to vote in Broward County, again stating that he was a U.S. citizen.  Then, he actually voted in the November 4, 2008 presidential election. >>> Mr. Ferrer commended the joint efforts of FDLE, which initiated and spearheaded the investigation, and ICE-HSI.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Watson. 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.

PALM BEACH COUNTY

>>> PA Nikolits gets another notch in election belt, since 1992 only person in countywide office, had $1.45 million net worth through Jun. 2012

Gary Nikolits, the long serving Palm Beach County Property Appraiser is in the spotlight this week and since 1992 he has won reelection six times and includes 2012. He has kept a low profile over the years, originally ran as a Republican in the now non-partisan office, and soundly fended off Robert Weinroth in the most recent primary where the challenger loaned his campaign $150,000 of his own money. Weinroth questioned whether the office was running efficiently, needed stronger management, and was weak on homestead exemption fraud. However, voters stuck with the person they knew in Nikolits and they gave him the nod one more time for another four year term, though he was out spent by three to one by Weinroth. >>> http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/nikolits-soundly-defeats-weinroth-to-win-sixth-ter/nRBnB/

What do we know about his finances?

Nikolits through Jun. 2012 had a net worth of $1.45 million and he lists $88,700 in household goods. He has $464,000 in deferred income, another $225,000 in deferred income, a home is worth $225,000 and a condominium in Jupiter is valued at $260,000. His only liability is a mortgage owed $161,700 and his only income was his $154,500 salary as the property appraiser.

Webpage bio: Gary R. Nikolits, CFA, is a professional real estate appraiser with more than 38 years experience in appraising property in Palm Beach County.

He holds the Certified Florida Appraiser (CFA) designation, awarded by the Florida Department of Revenue. He serves as Past-President of the Florida Association of Property Appraisers, and is a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers. He is certified by the 15th Judicial Circuit as an expert witness in real estate appraisal. He served as a Commissioner on the Health Care District of Palm Beach County board of directors from 2000-2004. He also served on the Riviera Beach City Council for eight years in the 1970s. Mr. Nikolits was elected to his first term as Property Appraiser in 1992 and was re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012.

Nikolits http://www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/papa/Garybio.htm

MONROE COUNTY

>>> PA Borglum says sayonara to office, had $141,000 net worth through Jun. 2012, will be replaced by Russell

Karl Borglum, the Monroe Property Appraiser is in the spotlight this week and he did not seek reelection after drawing challenger Scott Russell, a fellow Republican in the race. And Russell, the insurgent in the August 14 primary was elected unopposed since there were no Democratic Party candidates. The tony Keys with around 73,000 residents has a large real estate base that includes the massive Ocean Reef Club complex and overall Monroe is a donor community when it comes to revenue going to Tallahassee but the county also has to deal with major environmental concerns since the area is ecologically fragile.

What do we know about his finances?

Borglum through Jun. 2012 had a net worth of $141,000 and he lists no personal affects. His home is worth $90,000, there is $45,000 in cash and a variety of vehicles are valued at $35,000. He has three liabilities owed $25,000, $10,000 and $9,000 and income for the year was $91,500 as the property appraiser and another $24,000 came from a retirement fund along with $260,000 from Harford Insurance.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

>>> The Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe will hold its monthly Board of Directors meeting at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 4 2012 at 2555 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Fifth Floor, in Coral Gables. The guest speaker will be Lillian Rivera, R.N., M.S.N., Ph.D., administrator of the Miami-Dade County Health Department.

Rivera will discuss the Communities Putting Prevention to Work program and the interventions performed in the community. During the discussion, Rivera will focus on healthy lifestyles, such as where we live, work, learn and play; and on childcare centers with regards to increased access to healthy food, physical activity, menu revisions, and the guidelines incorporated into the Quality Counts star-rating system. If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, you may join via teleconference by dialing (786) 389-5135 or (866) 502-2994, followed by the code 8 0 4 #.

>>> FLAMENCO FESTIVAL MIAMI 2013 featuring Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía -March 14 – 17, 2013, Tickets: $25 – $90 John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall. Flamenco Festival Miami returns for a sixth glorious season of world-class flamenco dance and music with Spain’s massively popular Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, coming to Miami for the first time, direct from the land where flamenco was born! This renowned company includes 18 dancers, singers and musicians, directed by the award-winning flamenco star, Ruben Olmo. The company presents the Miami premiere of a new evening-length work, Metáfora, a dazzling kaleidoscope of castanets, fans, traditional flamenco “bata de cola” dresses, effervescent heel-and-toe step combinations, demanding technique and jaw-dropping athleticism. Flamenco Festival Miami 2013 is sponsored in part by TotalBank. PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES: Thursday, March 14 @ 8 p.m.

Friday, March 15 @ 8 p.m. Saturday, March 16 @ 8 p.m. Sunday, March 17 @ 5 p.m. TICKETS: Tickets range from $25 to $90. Tickets will be available to Arsht Center Members beginning on August 31 and to the general public on September 8. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (305) 949-6722 For further information, the public may visit www.arshtcenter.org.

>>> 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

EDITORIALS

>>> PAST WDR JUN. 2004: Perks, especially free parking given to residents on boards should not be abused

The Watchdog Report has written before about simulated city and county employees who are actually residents that serve on local and county boards.  Since September 11, 2001, these people’s numbers have increased dramatically and almost all of them are issued city or county identification cards or perhaps dashboard plates saying they are on city or county business. However, they are not county or municipal employees and that is the problem.  If these people have, identification plates that say they are on state, county or municipal business when they are parking somewhere.  They should be on real official business and not just having lunch at some local restaurant.

This issue becomes of more concern when they actually illegally park, or abuse their official identification while they are on a personal item and it can actually create a liability if authorized first responders cannot access an area in response to a public crisis. People serving on these boards should be applauded for taking the time from their busy schedules to participate in civic matters but it cannot mean they are above the laws that the average citizen has to abide by and any abuse of these perks can cost a government millions if the right incident occurs.

The Watchdog Report has been watching this issue for years and in the future, I will be naming the offenders abusing this perk and if you do not want to be embarrassed publicly, take the plate off your dashboard and deal with parking and other issues as a regular citizen would, which is the way it should be.

>>> PAST WDR JUN. 2004: Open meetings with county officials with lobbyists is bogus, an army of residents must start getting involved

Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Jose Cancela’s recent idea of publicly noticing any meeting regarding the county manager or elected leaders with a lobbyist allowing the press to attend sounds like a good idea but it is totally unrealistic, especially since 80% of the time only the Watchdog Report is currently attending the bulk of the county’s public government meetings.  As it is the county commission committee meetings have become a work program for the publisher and the belief that people and press would attend these new meetings will achieve nothing.

The county mayoral candidate may have his heart in the right place but this is not the solution.  If the public wants more effective and transparent government, the Watchdog Report would suggest that more people get involved, study issues and actually go to the meetings.  For in many ways your government is on autopilot and nothing replaces citizen input and monitoring. What is ironic is the Watchdog Report in a small way fulfills this function, though I do not speak at meetings. Yet support by the community overall for this activity over the last five years has been nil and it suggests a bigger problem is at work in Miami-Dade County.

I notice this over and over again when I attend community forums and listen to residents claims of corruption, government incompetence and their public institutions not listening to the will of the people.  After, such public events residents get into their fancy cars, drive off, and are rarely seen again and that is ultimately the problem. It will take all of us to change and make your public institutions more transparent, more responsive, but it takes continuous participation, by knowledgeable voters and unfortunately, that seems in short supply.  The publisher once again challenges residents to go into the political trenches, get involved over the long haul if they want real change.  For anything less is just a band-aide when you are dealing with the over $12 billion in total public institutions in Miami-Dade County.

LETTERS

>>> As a community, we have the second-highest inequality of incomes in the country (only New York is higher). http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acs-16.pdf There is ample research pointing to a strong relationship between inequality and various health indicators.  Mental health in particular, I think, may be a sort of canary in the mineshaft or, to use the language of the finance people, a leading indicator, for the social effects of economic inequality.  For example, our county’s extreme inequality goes along with an extremely high level of depression.  In a 2006 survey of the county, 35.5 percent were chronically depressed. http://www.healthcouncil.org/documents/Report_Card.pdf Despite these extreme statistics, to the best of my knowledge, there has been no community effort focused specifically on the problem of mental health in our community or the social forces which may be affecting it.  The report linked to below is very interesting, and could serve as a background document for one or more events, which in turn might lead to a long-term commitment to address both cause and effect. >>> Using policy to promote mental health and wellbeing: a guide for policy makers From Australia FREE PDF. http://bit.ly/TYv2UT

Sandy

>>> Working during a storm…true dedication.   Thx Dan.   Stay safe.

>>> 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

BADIA SPICES    www.badiaspices.com

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 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.

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 www.watchdogreport.net

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.

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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)

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Name & Address

Please make checks payable to: Daniel A. Ricker

Send to: 3109 Grand Avenue, #125

Miami, FL 33133 To contact the Publisher please e-mail watchdogreport1@earthlink.net