Watchdog Report Vol. 15 No. 23 September 28, 2014 EST. 05.05.00 – I go when you cannot- Celebrating 15 Years

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 www.miami.edu to maintain my webpage. The Watchdog Report webpage is free, has no pops-up and is just the news in a mainstream reporting manner.

ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street

>>> Sen. Nelson to give DC update at Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce luncheon, will try to fire up Democratic Party base with General Election Nov. 4
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. Is the featured speaker this Wednesday at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce of luncheon at Jungle Island and he is likely to try to fire up his party’s base running up to the Nov. 4 General Election. The hopes of the Democratic Party are beginning to fade as statewide voters get more conservative and candidate Charlie Crist gets more liberal though he is not exciting his base of voters given his past political track record and now a neophyte Democrat. Nelson the highest ranking Democrat elected to office was once considered as a possible candidate to run against Gov. Rick Scott but he demurred taking on that challenge earlier in the year since he had just won another six year term in office back in 2010 and his seniority in the world’s most exclusive club is rising since he was first elected to the office back in 2000. Nelson also was in the House and was a payload specialist on a Space Shuttle Mission and he loves to reminiscence about space flight and the importance of the Space Program to the Florida economy.

Nelson
>>> Sen Thrasher gets tapped for top FSU job, critics cry foul, but he did help get the medical School and is a leader though connection with Koch brothers bothers many

>>>State Sen. John Thrasher, R-St Augustine, has generated controversy since he was chosen to be the next president of Florida State University and critics say his appointment is political in nature and that he is not qualified http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-john-thrasher-fsu-president-201a40923-story.html and just looking for a golden parachute when his political career is over and the man is part of the Gov. Crick Scott campaign team and he has said he will resign that post but that has not mollified critics and the former Vietnam Veteran got his law degree from FSU but his ties to Scott and the Koch brothers has created this controversy and in the past Thrasher had supported legislation limiting politicians getting such plum posts when they left the body after a number of controversies occurred in the past. However the selection committee noted that the senator would be an able fund raiser and that should not be discounted and makes up for his lack of academic credentials and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez Cantera told the Watchdog Report Saturday that he thought Thrasher was “qualified” and that the whole controversy was “political” running up to the general election for governor in November. Further, Thrasher is a former Speaker of the House.
What do we know about Thrasher’s finances?
Thrasher is a wealthy man and through June 2013 he had a net worth of $6.4 million and he only has two loans and in June, 2014 his net worth was $6.620 million.

Grieco

CITY OF CORAL GABLES

>>> The search for a new manger goes on, but Gables Mayor Cason demurs on whether he will seek reelection, waiting to see who new manager is before throwing his hat into the ring

The Coral Gables Commission Friday evening voted to pick Bud Parks to be the new search firm to find a new city manager after the previous one James Beard withdrew his name after controversy surfaced about his past that included some lawsuits and a a personal bankruptcy that made the commissioners uncomfortable with his selection and he claimed it was because he could not get the long-term assurances in any contract that was being proposed by the city. Parks will be paid some $50,000 for the search that should take no longer than 60days and he will provide three viable candidates by then he is proposing. For more on the commission meeting attended by six citizens go to http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/coral-gables/article2273196.html

What about Mayor Cason’s reelection?

The Watchdog Report last Friday night asked Mayor Jim Cason if he was planning to run again in April when his term is up and the two term mayor demurred on the subject saying he would wait and see who the new manager was before he made any decision he suggested from the dais. And he originally had to defeat former Mayor Donald Slesniick,II to win the office in a tough race and Slesnick since then seems to have missed not being in the office and did not run again when former Gables Commissioner Ralph Cabrera ran a few years back and was defeated by Cason in that race. Further, Slesnick’s wife attended the commission meeting sitting in the back and she continues to be very active in the community since her husband Don. Did not take losing the race very well. The labor union attorney now may just try to win office again and readers should stay tuned to see how this political drama plays out.

Beard photo www.miamiherald.com

>>>>Three Patient Recruiters Sentenced in $20 Million Miami Health Care Fraud Scheme

Press release: Three patient recruiters were sentenced to prison today for their participation in a $20 million health care fraud scheme involving defunct home health care company Trust Care Health Services Inc. (Trust Care). U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Derrick Jackson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.  U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles of the Southern District of Florida imposed the sentences.

Estrella Perez, 57, of Coral Gables, Florida, was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,172,162 in restitution.  Solchys Perez, 34, of Miami, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $746,600 in restitution.  Abigail Aguila, 40, of Miami, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $491,438 in restitution.  On July 10, 2014, Estrella Perez and Solchys Perez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and Aguila pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks.

According to court documents, Estrella Perez, Solchys Perez, and Aguila recruited patients for Trust Care, a Miami home health care agency, in exchange for kickbacks paid in cash or by check to the defendants or their shell companies.  In turn, Trust Care billed the Medicare program for home health care and therapy services that were not medically necessary or were not provided. Estrella Perez and Solchys Perez also paid kickbacks and bribes to co-conspirators in doctors’ offices and clinics in exchange for home health and therapy prescriptions, plans of care and medical certifications for their recruited patients.  Co-conspirators at Trust Care then used these documents to fraudulently bill the Medicare program for services. From March 2007 through January 2010, Trust Care submitted approximately $20 million in false claims for home health services.  Medicare paid Trust Care approximately $15 million for these fraudulent claims.

On Sept. 16, 2014, another patient recruiter, Monica Macias, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison for her participation in the same scheme.

The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.  This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys A. Brendan Stewart and Anne P. McNamara of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 2,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

CITY OF HOMESTEAD

>>> Five Defendants Sentenced to Prison Terms for Multi-Million Dollar Theft of Pre-Retail Medical Products

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and David W. Bourne, Special Agent in Charge, Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigation (FDA-OCI), Miami Field Office, announce that five Miami-area residents were recently sentenced to prison terms in connection with violations of the Safe Doses Act, which prohibits theft of “pre-retail” medical products. Ivan Manuel Valle, 34, of Miami, Daniel Martinez Zamora, 45, of Homestead, Raul Nick Garcia, 52, of Surfside, Ali Saleh, 35, of Miramar, and Jesus Mariano Gutierrez, 51, of Miami, were all sentenced to prison terms by U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard in connection with a scheme to steal more than $2.2 million worth of Mucinex cough medicine and $550,000 worth of Similac baby formula. According to the indictment and documents filed in court, as part of an organized theft ring, 44 pallets of Similac were stolen by the conspirators from a distribution site in Forth Worth, Texas, and more than 131,000 cases of Mucinex were pilfered from a tractor-trailer truck in Mississippi. These pre-retail medical products were then transported by members of the theft ring to South Florida, stored in various locations, and offered for sale to brokers and retailers in and around Miami-Dade County. The defendants worked together to sell and distribute the stolen cargo. Valle and Zamora were brokers who obtained stolen product from others and sold portions of the stolen cargo. Garcia was a co-owner of Tadeo Supermarket in Miami where stolen cargo was sold, and he acted as a buyer and re-seller of stolen cargo using his family business, National Pallet, in Miami, where stolen product was stored. Saleh operated a beauty supply business in Broward County, where he stored stolen product and offered it for sale, and Gutierrez was a broker of the stolen cargo. The stolen products were originally intended for sale at Wal-Mart and Walgreens stores and other retailers in the Southeastern United States.

Garcia and Zamora were each sentenced to 48 months in prison on September 22, 2014; Valle was sentenced to 60 months in prison and Gutierrez was sentenced to 30 months in prison on August 28, 2014; and, Saleh was sentenced to 34 months in prison on September 4, 2014.  The defendants all previously pleaded guilty before Judge Lenard. A sixth defendant, Jorge Nimer Rolo, 47, of Miami, is currently in federal custody in Indiana and is awaiting trial on separate federal charges in the Southern District of Indiana.

The Safe Doses Act, passed by Congress in November, 2012, created a new offense, 18 U.S.C. § 670, which prohibits 1) stealing, or obtaining by fraud or deception, any pre-retail medical product; 2) knowingly and falsely making, altering, forging, or counterfeiting the labeling or documentation of a pre-retail medical product; 3) knowingly possessing or transporting a stolen or fraudulently-obtained pre-retail medical product; and, 4) buying or otherwise obtaining an expired or stolen pre-retail medical product with intent to defraud. Pre-retail medical products such as baby formula and cold medicine are covered by the Act. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and FDA-OCI, as part of the Miami Major Theft Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerrob Duffy. 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.

BROWARD COUNTY

>>>> Lighting Contractor Charged with Agreeing to Bribe Broward Public Official

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce the filing of a one-count information charging William E. Pino, 60, of Miami, with offering and agreeing to give something of value to a public official with the intent to influence or reward said public official in connection with a transaction or series of transactions and thereby committing bribery in programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666. Pino will make his initial appearance on September 30, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick M. Hunt in Fort Lauderdale.

According to the information, Pino was involved in a number of companies in South Florida that were in the business of installing, repairing and maintaining street lights, traffic signals, and traffic systems and the sale of products needed to make such installations and repairs, such as light poles. From in or about April 2012 through on or about June 27, 2012, Pino met with a confidential informant who advised Pino that there were upcoming public works projects in Broward County for traffic systems, traffic signs, street lights and light poles. The informant advised Pino that the informant had a contact in Broward County, but that Pino would need to “take care of” the public official. Pino agreed to “take care of” the public official.

On or about May 24, 2012, Pino was told that the public official had a purchase order for $100,000 in light poles for Pino’s company. Pino agreed to pay the public official $5,000 in exchange for the purchase order containing $100,000 of his light poles. On or about June 27, 2012, there was a meeting between Pino, the informant, and the public official in Plantation.  Pino was handed a purchase order for his company to provide Broward County with $100,000 worth of light poles and Pino then handed the public official an envelope containing $5,000 in U.S. currency. If convicted, Pino faces a statutory maximum term of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan.An information is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and 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.

CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE

>>>> Fort Lauderdale Jury Convicts Hollywood Man of Kidnapping and Sex Trafficking By Force

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), Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and Frank Fernandez, Chief, Hollywood Police Department, announce the conviction of Shaun Eric McKinley, 35, on charges of kidnapping, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a) and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591(a).

Sentencing for McKinley has been scheduled for November 25, 2014, before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas. At sentencing, McKinley faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison for the sex trafficking charge and a possible maximum sentence of life in prison for both charges.

According to records filed in this case and statements made in court, McKinley met a 28 year old female outside his home in Hollywood in December of 2013. Within three days of meeting her, McKinley was acting as her pimp and physically assaulting her for what he saw as minor infractions, such as returning home late from a prostitution date. Thereafter, the victim was required to meet all customers at McKinley’s home where he could keep an eye on her. The victim averaged approximately 5-7 dates a day, seven days a week, with all the earnings going to McKinley. The victim first attempted to leave McKinley in February but he quickly found her. When he got her home, by dragging her for blocks by the hair, McKinley punished her by making her strip naked, covering her head with a pillow case, hog-tying her with extension cords and beating her with a board. The victim waited until April to get the courage to attempt another escape, this one successful. Unfortunately, on May 18, 2014, McKinley lured her out of hiding using a ruse to get her into a dark alley, where he physically assaulted her, threw her into a car and drove away with her. The kidnapping was captured on a surveillance video from a nearby business and was played for the jury. The victim was able to escape only when McKinley stopped at a convenience store for a cigar, and left his friend in charge of watching her. That friend, a government witness, testified that after McKinley was out of sight, he unlocked the car door so the victim could run. After flagging down a passing ambulance, the victim was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital where she was treated for her injuries, which included a fractured front tooth, a lip laceration and head contusions. Still undeterred, and fearing the victim would talk to police, McKinley showed up at the hospital looking for her, dressed in blood covered clothes. A concerned nurse and an alert Hollywood Police Officer working a detail kept McKinley from reaching the victim, and McKinley was placed under arrest.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the Hollywood Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey Steinberg and Paul Schwartz. 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

>>> Palm Beach County Couple Charged with Bankruptcy Fraud

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce that husband and wife Richard S. Krugman, 61, and Tamara B. Giordano, 53, of Palm Beach County, were charged today with bankruptcy fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 152(1).

According to an information filed today, Krugman and Giordano filed for bankruptcy on August 27, 2008, in United States Bankruptcy Court in Palm Beach County before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Erik P. Kimball. At the time of filing, the defendants claimed they owed approximately $2.9 million to creditors, and had available assets worth less than $13,000. The information charges that the defendants concealed from their creditors, the trustee, and the Bankruptcy Court a number of valuable items including a women’s gold and diamond Rolex watch, a gold ring with two carats of diamonds, diamond earrings, Royal Dalton china, Waterford crystal, silver, and two George Rodrigue “Blue Dog” lithographs, signed and numbered.

The case will be heard by Senior U.S. District Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp in West Palm Beach. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Bell. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

MONROE COUNTY

>>> Former Cay Clubs Executives Charged in Connection with $300 Million Ponzi scheme Involving Sales of Vacation Rental Units

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Donnell Young, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), and Michael Stephens, Acting Inspector General, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG), announce that Fred Davis Clark, Jr., a/k/a Dave Clark, 56, and Cristal R. Clark, a/k/a Cristal R. Coleman, 41, both formerly of Monroe County, were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and multiple counts of bank fraud, in connection with a $300 million fraud scheme involving the sale of vacation rental units to approximately 1,400 investors in the Florida Keys and elsewhere.  According to the superseding indictment, Fred Davis Clark and Cristal Clark were executives of Cay Clubs Resorts and Marinas (Cay Clubs), which operated from 2004 through 2008 from offices in the Florida Keys and Clearwater. Cay Clubs marketed vacation rental units for 17 locations in Florida, Las Vegas and the Caribbean, to investors throughout the United States. Cay Clubs would promise to develop dilapidated properties into luxury resorts, and would promise investors an upfront “leaseback” payment of 15 to 20% of the sales price of the unit at the time of closing. Once an investor agreed to purchase a unit, Cay Clubs would arrange for a real estate closing and lender financing, but would not disclose the leaseback payment and other financial inducements to the investors on paperwork submitted to lending institutions. Cay Clubs would also use fraudulent representations in marketing the investments, including using insider sales to increase the price of the units and reporting these sales on marketing materials. Cay Clubs never made the improvements that were promised to investors.

By at least 2006, Cay Clubs did not have sufficient funds to make improvements to properties or to make the leaseback payments that had been promised to earlier investors. Cay Clubs would use the proceeds of sales to new investors to make incremental leaseback payments to earlier investors. Without obtaining more loan proceeds from new investor sales, Cay Clubs would have collapsed. In this way, Cay Clubs came to operate as a Ponzi scheme.

After the collapse of Cay Clubs, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began an investigation into alleged securities fraud at Cay Clubs. According to the indictment, Fred Davis Clark and Cristal Clark thereafter engaged in conduct aimed at concealing the location of assets under their control, and Fred Davis Clark gave false and misleading testimony to the SEC.

Through a previous indictment unsealed in June 2014, Fred Davis Clark and Cristal Clark were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and mail fraud, in connection with a scheme to steal money from CMZ Group, Ltd., a Cayman Islands company that operated pawn shops in the Caribbean. According to the initial indictment, after the collapse of Cay Clubs, Fred Davis Clark and Cristal Clark used bank accounts and shell companies based in Key Largo that they had used during their Cay Clubs activities, to siphon off funds from the business operations of CMZ Group, so that they could lead a lavish lifestyle in the Caribbean.Furthermore, in or around January 2013, shortly before an action was brought by the SEC alleging that they committed securities fraud, the indictment alleges, Fred Davis Clark and Cristal Clark caused the transfer of more than $2 million to a bank account they controlled in Honduras for the purpose of preventing the SEC from learning the location and control of these monies. These funds have since been frozen by the government of Honduras.Fred Davis Clark and Cristal Clark were expelled from Panama and Honduras, respectively, in June 2014, and were ordered detained pretrial by U.S. Magistrate Judge Lurana S. Snow. They currently await trial on these charges in Key West before U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI, ICE-HSI and FHFA-OIG, and the assistance of the SEC Miami Regional Office in this matter. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerrob Duffy. An indictment is only an accusation and the 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.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

>>>> U.S. Senator bill nelson to address the october trustee luncheon

Please make plans to join us for the October Trustee Luncheon on Wednesday, October 1 at Jungle Island. We are honored that U.S. Senator Bill Nelson will be our keynote speaker. And, to elaborate on the Flag of Gratitude project, you will want to hear a presentation and a video by Community Leader Mike Fernandez, Chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners. Contact: Signature Events, 305-577-5433 | spevents@miamichamber.com Register Online Kristi House Lands Federal Grant and Global Honor for Project GOLD Child Sexual Exploitation Program >>>> MIAMI – Kristi House was one of four organizations in the country awarded a U.S. Department of Justice grant for its program for commercially sexually exploited children, Project GOLD. The three-year, $450,000 grant awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will add a community mentoring component to Project GOLD, and expand services to boys, transgender and questioning  youth. In separate news also related to the organization’s work on behalf of child sex trafficking victims, Kristi House’s Executive Director Trudy Novicki was named one of 10 recipients of the international C-10 Award. The C10 Award recognizes 10 global leaders and their fight against the trafficking of children. Sophie Stenbeck Family Foundation, World Childhood Foundation and Reach for Change co-founded the award to support and acknowledge entrepreneurial leaders of the child rights field. The C10 Award Forum will be held November 3, 2014, in Stockholm, Sweden. “Trudy has made a lasting and profound impact not just for Kristi House, but for all children exposed to commercial sexual exploitation throughout our state,” Kristi House President Juan Trescastro said. “Trudy truly cares about this community and these child victims,” said State Representative Jeanette Nunez, co-sponsor of the Florida Safe Harbor Act.  To continue reading click here. Join us for the 15th Anniversary Touch a Heart Dinner on Nov. 14! Visit the Dinner website o r for more details contact Bianca Fernandez at bfernandez@kristihouse.org or 305-547-6802 We are pleased to share with you exciting news! Eliza and Hugh Culverhouse will be the 15th Anniversary Touch a Heart Challenge Grant Sponsors! You’ll be hearing more about the Challenge as we get closer to the big evening. Thank you, Culverhouses, dear friends of Kristi House. Badia Spices and Buddha Mama Jewelry have teamed together to be our Platinum Heart Sponsors for the evening. Thank you to these major and other major sponsors for your generosity: Gold Heart: Swanee & Paul DiMare * Frank Fawzi Silver Heart: Emma & Sia Afra * Katie & Eddy Arriola – Apollo Bank * Zaba & Edgar Castro * Rachelle & A.J. de Moya – The de Moya Group * Lisette & Nelson Diaz * Eller-ITO Stevedoring Company * Marlene Fernandez-Karavetsos & George Karavestos * Honorable Anitere Flores & Dustin Anderson * Lauren & John Genovese – Genovese Joblove & Battista, P.A. * Cindy & Jeff Gomez * Greene Kleen of South Florida, Inc. * Marta & Rick Hasty, MD * Jeff Herman – Herman Law * Lourdes Leon-Vega & Otto Vega, MD * Betty Lopez-Castro * Maria & Al Maloof * Judy & George McCleary * Loretta & Miguel Nido * Ed McCluskey – Northwestern Mutual * Honorable Jeanette & Adrian Nuñez * Casey & Dennis Rodriguez * Tatiana & Alex Ruiz * Judy & Juan Trescastro * Royal Caribbean International * Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP * Tutti Bambini * Kara Zeder & Rick Rosen

>>>The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County

And the University of Miami Present the Regional Premiere of

A grownup’s prequel to Peter Pan! Five-time Tony Award-winning play by Jersey Boys writer Rick Elice based on the best-selling novel by Miami native Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. For the fourth consecutive season, bridge program offers UM students an opportunity to work alongside theater experts on a professional production at the Arsht Center ”Miraculous! Spectacle, wit, and joy spill out of this production like treasure from a magic pocket.” – New York Magazine Opens the Arsht Center’s 2014-2015 Theater Up Close Season, October 9, 2014 – Preview, October 10, 2014 – Opening Night

Through October 26, 2014, Tickets: $45*, Carnival Studio Theater in the Ziff Ballet Opera House. MIAMI, FL September 10, 2014 – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and the University of Miami are proud to present the regional premiere of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, a five-time Tony Award-winning play about how Peter Pan became “The Boy Who Never Grew Up”. Kicking off the Arsht Center’s critically-acclaimed Theater Up Close Season, playing October 9-26, 2014 in the intimate Carnival Studio Theater (Ziff Ballet Opera House), PETER AND THE STARCATCHER continues the Center’s partnership with UM’s Department of Theatre Arts for a fourth consecutive season.

The Arsht Center’s 2014-2015 Theater Up Close Season is supported by Alan and Diane Lieberman and the Riviera South Beach Hotel. Tickets to PETER AND THE STARCATCHER are $45* and may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722 or online at www.arshtcenter.org.

Rick Elice’s PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is the innovative and imaginative play with music based on the best-selling novel by Miami native Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. In this high-flying adventure, twelve actors play more than 100 unforgettable characters – plus most of the scenery and furniture – in an exhilarating journey to answer the century-old question: How did Peter Pan become “The Boy Who Never Grew Up”? This epic origin story proves that one’s own imagination is the most captivating place in the world!

“We’re thrilled to launch our 2014-2015 Theater Up Close Season with PETER AND THE STARCATCHER – a fantastical, award-winning play that provides a humorous backstory for the beloved character of Peter Pan,” said Scott Shiller, executive vice president of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “This play is bound to inspire the audience and trigger their imagination with the use of inventive props, lighting and talent from an incredible cast of local actors. We can’t wait to transport theatergoers to the land of make believe!”

Under the direction of Henry Fonte, producing artistic director of The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, the cast of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER features two incredible Carbonell Award-winning local actors, Nick Richberg as Black Stache and Tom Wahl as Lord Astor, as well as fresh-faced professionals from UM (Timothy Bell, Abigail Berkowitz, Timothy Boehm-Manion, Robert Fritz, Alejandro Gonzalez Del Pino, Joshua Jacobson, Thomas Jansen, Michael Mancini, Liam Merkle and Matt Sawalski).

The multi-faceted collaboration between the University of Miami’s Department of Theatre Arts and the Adrienne Arsht Center continues to serve as a professional learning experience that offers the theater majors at the University an opportunity to work with seasoned professionals in creating a professional production. Miami’s hottest regional theater actors join UM’s talented student actors to create more than 100 characters. Students majoring in technical theater and design will work side-by-side with the Adrienne Arsht Center/UM production and creative team to develop a professional set, costumes and lighting design and will assist the production manager, stage manager and other key production staff members.

After a premiere in California, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER transferred to Off-Broadway in 2011 and opened on Broadway in April 2012. The show ended its Broadway run in January 2013, and reopened Off-Broadway once again at New World Stages in March 2013, ending in January 2014

>>> The Margulies Warehouse will be reopen at the end of October   and all adult admission charges $10.00 will go to Lotus House Women’s and Children’s Shelter in Overtown and students are free. For more go to http://www.margulieswarehouse.com/ and the Lotus House Gala will be Oct. 25^{th For more information go to} http://lotushouse.org/

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Editorial

>>> If you are an elected leader & or municipal attorney and don’t like the Florida Sunshine Law, get another job in the private sector for that is the way it is

When it comes to the Florida Sunshine Law and passed by the state’s voters the governor’s office and local municipalities need to lift their game when it comes to the compliance issue in a reasonable time for it is the law and if you don’t like it don’t run for office and go to the private sector where you don’t have to worry about such pesky details for that is the way it is, and stonewalling or denying emails exist are the wrong answer especially when elected leaders are always harping about “transparency” and open government but do everything they can to prevent this and it is wrong and just further creates more distrust of their public institutions and how people are governed and some politicians from both parties hate this law but then don’t run for office for that is the way it is and whining about public access to documents and emails is not unreasonable when public dollars are involved and local municipal attorneys do no one a favor when they fight these requests by citizens and it just makes the whole institution they represent look bad, petty and incompetent and that reflects on the elected leaders as well, which many of them fail to realize to their detriment.   

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

The Watchdog Report is sent to thousands free and while readers have been prodded to subscribe the results have been mixed. Over 250 reports and Extra’s have been sent since May 5, 2000 and over one million words have been written on our community’s governments and events.  The report is an original work based on information gathered at public meetings, interviews and from documents in the public domain.

LETTER POLICY

I welcome letters via e-mail, fax, or snail mail. Letters may be edited for length or clarity and must refer to material published in the Watchdog Report.  Please see address and contact information. Please send any additions and corrections by e-mail, fax or snail mail. All corrections will be published in the next Watchdog Report. If you or your organization would like to publish the contents of this newsletter, please contact me. Please send your request to watchdogreport1@earthlink.net

Daniel A. Ricker

Publisher & Editor

Watchdog Report

Est. 05.05.00

Copyright © of original material, 2008, Daniel A. Ricker

>>> Watchdog Report is expanding as a new service and this content is now available to other news media, no longer exclusive to The Miami Herald

The Watchdog Report is no longer exclusively with The Miami Herald, and excluding the one story a week that is printed in the paper on Monday in the Metro & State section by me. The rest of the 20 or so news stories weekly sent out Sunday in 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 choose 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.

>>> 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

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