Watchdog Report Vol.16 No.7, July 19, 2015 EST. 05.05.00 – I go when you cannot – Celebrating 16 Years of weekly publishing

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

>>>> The Watchdog Report publisher needs fiscal help and new Supporters and I have for16 years now, reported back how your billions of public dollars in government are being spent on a weekly basis. And how to do that is at the end of the WDR. Thank You.

>>> The Watchdog Report publisher was on Topical Currents WLRN 91.3 FM and readers can listen in to the show as we discuss the hot topics in the community today. And to listen to the show go to: http://wlrn.drupal.publicbroadcasting.net/post/watchdog-report-publisher-dan-ricker-june-2015-edition

And to watch an Investigational Story done by Tony Pipitone a featured investigative reporter with NBC 6.com  on waste at Miami-Dade County go to http://www.nbcmiami.com/investigations/Sloppy-Oversight-Missed-Deadlines-Plague-208-Million-Miami-Dade-County-Contract-309888921.html

>>> CORRECTION: The Miami-Dade County Public Schools District opens

on Aug.  24^{th .} And I incorrectly reported that the Cuban government owned land in Little Havana, The land is in fact in Little Haiti in the City of Miami said Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado last week.

>>> And to my Supporters and Sponsors I thank you for your confidence over the past 16 Years.

ARGUS REPORT: Heard and Seen on the streets

>>> New Horizon space probe phones home, first photo of little planet brother Pluto

With the New Horizon interplanetary probe to the dwarf planet Pluto phoning home recently mankind has finished the reconnaissance of our solar system and it further validates the economics of such spacecraft that now incorporate new technologies never before imagined when America under President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to go to the moon and began mankind’s journey through the heavens above that got another boost in the Hubble Telescope that has peered deep into space and some of the photographs are beyond belief,  and below is the White House press release on the achievement and is the first photos of our cold little brother planet so far away from us but shares our sun. And other probes from the U.S. have now have scanned all the other planets in our Solar System and we are learning things that have perplexed the modern world for Centuries and Americans should not just focus on manned probes but these new interplanetary probes give quite a bang for the buck and should be supported for there is still much to learn and the new technologies give us scanning options never before dreamed of.

This morning, the United States became the first country to reach Pluto — and the first country to explore the entire classical solar system: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

NASA’s New Horizons interplanetary probe has been making its way to Pluto since January 19, 2006, and has been providing the world with the sharpest photos ever seen of our Solar Systems most prominent “dwarf planet.” Today, it made its closest approach to Pluto yet — about 8,000 miles — at around 07:49:57 EDT.

Here’s the photo they took — which, despite traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second), took four and a half hours to reach us here on Earth as it crossed the 3 billion miles between here and Pluto:

White House press release: That we were able to get so close to Pluto today is a feat whose probability scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson likened to “a hole-in-one on a two-mile golf shot.” He’s right.

Every once in a while, a photo comes along that has the ability to shift not just how we see our place in the universe, but how we see ourselves — not just as Americans, but as citizens of Earth. This is one of those photos, and I hope you’ll share it with someone today.

John

Dr. John P. Holdren
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
the White House
@whitehouseostp

>>> Press release: Possible Upgrade of Cuba in State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report is Indefensible Concession to Castro Regime, Says Ros-Lehtinen

“If true, this upgrade in Cuba’s status in the annual report is nothing short of appeasement and it is a disgrace unbecoming of an administration that claims to hold human rights as one of its top priorities.”

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, made the following statement after reports stated that the State Department is considering upgrading Cuba to the Tier 2 Watch List from Tier 3 of the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen: “In 2014, the same TIP report cited that child prostitution and child sex tourism runs rampant in Cuba, with children as young as 13 being the most vulnerable to human trafficking. Yet, the Obama administration has chosen to once again discard the hard facts to continue the President’s legacy shopping. Furthermore, the Castro regime not only fails to prevent sex trafficking of adults and children, but it actively supports and sponsors the sex tourism industry on the island in order to reap the financial benefits. If true, this upgrade in Cuba’s status in the annual TIP report is nothing short of appeasement and it is a disgrace unbecoming of an administration that claims to hold human rights as one of its top priorities.”

STATE OF FLORIDA

>>> The Children’s Trust is being asked to contribute $5 million to Miami-Dade for jobs program, Trust cannot supplant County’s fiscal needs

The Children’s Trust an organization that provides a host of services to the County’s children through program services and at Monday’s board meeting set-to discuss the new budget. A couple of Miami-Dade County Commissioners showed up including Commissioner Xavier Suarez, and Daniella Levine Cava and Suarez was acting as the “emcee,” made a presentation and request for the Trust to fund “some $5 million” to add to the $2.5 million budgeted by the County for summer jobs for young people. “The Youth Enrichment Employment Program and the “Youth employment initiative,” are a key component of the Trust’s direct services,” said CEO Charles Auslander. He noted “older youth,” are key to these programs and the Trust has $6.5 million in funds for programs,” this school year. The Children’s advocate said there are “17 funded youth employment programs,” After the Trust board told staff it “was a priority of yours,” and there are “58 sites,” around the County for “at risk youth,” said Auslander and others said t jobs were “an important element,” in the effort to “reduce youth violence crime,” and this is a “very important element.” And the Trust will have its public budget hearings on Sept. 10 and 21 and for more go tohttps://www.thechildrnstrust.org/

What did Commissioner Suarez want?

And Suarez said “I come to you asking for $5 million for summer jobs,” and the county commission “vested in me,” through a “resolution,” that calls for $2.5 million “From the county budget.” “This my mandate,” and I ask you to match our $2 million,” geared at summer jobs. Suarez then introduced Chris Norwood who said in Miami-Dade “Child poverty is at 27 percent,” and eight of the “Top ten schools,” have in unlikely neighborhoods have violence,” and it’s not just the “inner city schools and nothing stops a bullet like a job.” Norwood said. “To the trustees.

Further, Suarez bought along his staffer a “Vassar College,” graduate to talk about her first assignment which was a Commissioner summer jobs program and how proud and grateful the students were when they got their first checks that were hand delivered by her, and Suarez noted the woman was leaving his office to go to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for a graduate degree ‘in some esoteric,” subject he lamented and he also introduced Chris Norwood, a Cornell University graduate and a non-practicing attorney to talk about the value of summer jobs programs for at risk youth and Suarez noted he got his start and his “first job as a painters helper,” he said when he was growing up and would later take him to earning an engineering degree and a law school degree from Harvard University and these summer jobs give these young folk a “opportunity” to get “experience” when they have none and later helps propel them to success Suarez said to the Trust board. And while the county has a “internship program,” that has become very successful more needs to be done to offer opportunities to 2,000 to 3,000 kids in Miami-Dade and this requested funding has shown to reduce violent crime by some 43 percent,”  said Norwood saying a “simple summer job can have a big aggregate affect in violent crime reduction and these jobs bring “confidence,” and pride to the recipients that make some “$3,100,” in salary while they are in these summer jobs said Norwood who was working with Suarez on a “pro bono basis,” just in case he submits a “invoice,” said Suarez in jest.

And the Trust is considering the request for funding but the large board has resisted funding requests from County elected officials in the past not wanting the entity to become a funding source for programs the county should be supporting and has had commissioners trying to tap into the Trust, especially when Commissioner Natacha Seijas was in office and made a big stink back in 2006 when property values tanked and she wanted to raid some of the Trust’s reserves for County programs but was resisted at the time and the Trusts stuck to its guns and process and I suspect they will review this request.

What about the Trust leadership?

The 32 member Children’s Trust board has a new Chair and it is long time children’s advocate Laurie Weiss Nuell, who over the years was a long serving member of the Public Health Trust that watches over the Jackson Health System and she is a solid community leader.

Suarez

Nuell

>>> Lopez-Cantera throws his hat into the ring for the U.S. senate race in 2016

Former state representative Carlos Lopez Cantera now the LT. governor announced last week that he is throwing his hat into the race for the Florida U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Miami since he is running for president and Lopez- Cantera is portraying himself politically of the same mold as Rubio but past Lt. governors have had mixed success climbing from the second role to a higher elected office and the man is married and lost his first race for office, back in 2004 like Rubio did when he also ran for the House and would later became the Florida House Speaker.

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, Jr., Chair the Children’s Movement. >>> Update: Two encouraging meetings… The first, a visit from the Governor to the Rainbow Intergenerational Child Care center in Little Havana where he discussed his early learning priorities. That includes his support for “Help Me Grow,” a statewide parent resource system where parents would be able — via phone and online — to get and she thought answers to questions about their child’s development and connected with the proper resources. The second, a meeting with future House Speaker, Rep. Jose Oliva from Hialeah. He’s a father of three, a real reader of history and student of policy, and committed to better understanding early learning. Dave Lawrence, Chair The Children’s Movement. The shortest message you might see this week:

Click here to read a meaningful piece that ran in The Miami Herald this morning. It’s by Vance Aloupis, The Movement’s splendid state director. Have a nice weekend…
Dave Lawrence
Chair

Miami-Dade County

>>> PTP Transit funding formula “flawed,” and elected leaders need to learn to “dismount,” when one plan does not pan out, said past Transit Dir. Llort

On Tuesday the Miami-Dade County Commission honored Transit Director Ysela Llort for her time in the office after she took over the department after a scandal with the previous director and she is being replaced with Alice Bravo a former County employee and past Secretary for FDOT and she was heading up the City of Miami’s Capital Budget department and she starts in the new position before the end of the month.

The issue of mass transportation is on the lips of all of the County’s 2.6 million residents and dealing with the issue is becoming a top priority at the County but lack of matching federal and state funding that was projected and “flawed,” has slowed projects down over the years since County voters in 2002 approved taxing themselves for improved mass transit a countywide half cent sales tax that experts say should have been a full cent but skeptical voters shot that plan down in 1999. After the item was put on a July ballot when government leaders thought most voters would be out of town and it would pass after a flash public relations campaign was organized by County leaders. But it failed overwhelmingly with voters who were fed up with all the scandals back then and this is why there is a Citizen’s Independent Transportation Trust (CITT) that oversees how the roughly $220 million in monthly half cent sales tax raised for transportation is spent but also must be approved by the Commission.

>>> Commissioner Moss wants “sit down with MDX board members because of “public relations nightmare,” commissioner’s face with general public because of toll hikes

County Commissioner Dennis Moss wants a “sit down,” with some of the board of the Miami Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) to try to get a solution to the “public relations nightmare,” the authority has caused with the public given a rise in tolls on the expressways that crisscross through Miami-Dade but the commissioners get the calls from angry constiuents on not just the tolls but also the County’s transit system where people are tweeting Commissioner Estephan Bovo, Jr.,  the chair of the Commission’s Transit and Mobility Committee and has been the public face. He joked some of the complaints range “from people who think I am driving the bus,” to other complaints like people who leave “dentures” on the mass transit, and Bovo particularly dislikes hearing about encounters with “cockroaches,” “Which would freak me out,” and he said this is just another example of what riders face in the “maze” of the public transit system, he said at a commission committee last week. Bovo also said when it came to MDX the organization has become “such a toxic,” issue with South and West Dade residents he agreed with Moss’ suggestion that a public relations program should be considered since ultimately the finger will point to them and “Commissioners’” will get the “blame” with the public and the public needs to now it is not them, even though the commission appoints some of the MDX board members the commissioners echoed.

Press release: About MDX

MDX operates and maintains five user-supported expressways in Miami-Dade County – SR 112/Airport Expressway, SR 836/Dolphin Expressway, SR 874/Don Shula Expressway, SR 878/Snapper Creek Expressway, and SR 924/Gratigny Parkway. MDX expressways are funded by toll revenue, which is reinvested back into the community and funds the construction of projects that alleviate traffic congestion, create thousands of local jobs and provide new opportunities to small and local businesses. The agency also gives back a portion of its annual revenue to drivers through the MDX Advantage cash back program. Miami-Dade Expressway Authority is a public entity subject to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes concerning public records. E-mail messages and addresses created in connection with the Authority’s official business are public records and are subject to disclosure. If you no longer wish to receive messages! From MDX, please unsubscribe and let us know.

>>> Commissioner Jordan asks Mayor Gimenez to consider dash cams in police cars, especially in the new 1,000 police vehicles the County plans to buy this budget year.

Commissioner Barbara Jordan during the commission discussions last week recommended the Mayor consider “dash cams,” in the new 1,000 police cars that Miami-Dade County is planning to buy and she noted the “body cameras for police,” was a good start but the other device might give a more complete story of a police stop. Though she acknowledged funding could be an issue but asked Gimenez to consider the cameras in police cars, she said.

>>> Rental agreement with Miami causes debate since many properties are shared by government

And a $72,000 rental agreement with the City of Miami for an office got a vigorous debate between County Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Bruno Barreiro and Daniel Levine Cava about the cost of the deal given services are being given to city residents and are needed and while it passed. Elected leaders called for a notification of the Commissioner if such a deal is in their District, said Barreiro.

>>> Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava’s Statement on 2015-2016 Budget Priorities

Press release: “I thank the Mayor and Budget Director for the numerous discussions we’ve had about the budget and concerns I have raised about county services. Our community has weathered difficult economic times, but thankfully, the intense economic recession has finally loosened its grip and the outlook is bright for Miami-Dade’s future. This is a rebuilding year, so I hope we can find a way to build back services and public infrastructure to improve our quality of life and increase economic wellbeing for all our residents.  I have heard from my constituents and will advocate for restoring the vital county programs that our residents need:

Our parks have lost so much funding that we can’t keep the lawns mowed, much less provide great outdoor experiences for our families or programming for our children. I am grateful for the Mayor’s proposal to restore basic maintenance and some programs, but I will continue to seek a long-term sustainable funding source for our parks.

Miami-Dade County faces serious challenges caring for stray and abandoned animals; our shelters and spay and neuter teams are overloaded, even with recent investments. We must find the significant resources required to end the pet overpopulation problem and reach our “no kill” goals.

A dwindling police force is losing ground to a growing population. I am pleased that the Mayor is increasing our police force, but we still have a long way to go to resolve our public safety challenges. In addition to officers on the street, we need to bolster our specialized units such as the Agriculture Patrol and Economic Crimes Unit, to combat our alarming rates of fraud and identity theft. And we need to focus more on crime prevention and mediation programs that reduce violence and enhance community-police relations.

Our agricultural community – the second largest industry in the County and integral part of South Dade culture – needs serious support and protection.

Traffic congestion is our Achilles’ heel. We must do more to prioritize investments in Transit – including improvements to the South Miami-Dade Busway.

I believe, thanks to the economic forecast, that we can do more to restore these services and look forward to working with the Mayor and my fellow Commissioners to see what we can do to accelerate the rebuilding. This is why I am supporting the recommended millage rates, with no rate increase, and look forward to continued dialogue with the public about the investment choices they believe should be reflected in this budget.”

>>> Commission will get reports on what was accomplished on trade junkets, leaders “work like heck,” says Commissioner Moss

Moss also brought up the need to get a report on what is accomplished on International Trade shows like the recent Paris Air Show trip by Mayor Carlos Gimenez because Commissioners’ work “Like heck,” on the missions and he thought it was unfair when the media jumped on the trips and what was accomplished and Commissioner Xavier Suarez went after new  ITC director Manny Gonzalez when he could not come up with a name of one person, he had met  on the Paris trip with except for “Sylvia,” but he had no last name and Suarez was not impressed with the staffer. Commissioner Rebeca Sosa noted the Miami Herald in past stories suggested “there were no results,” from the trip she said at the Tourism committee meeting. And we need the reports so we can tell the “story” of what was accomplished she said. Moss who took his first trip to the Paris Air Show back when he was first elected in 1992. He said it was his idea to bring such an event to Miami and that was where the idea of the Air show was first brought up, he said at a committee meeting last week. He also noted people in other countries want to meet the elected leaders and if we don’t go other leaders, from competitive areas will met with them, he believes when discussing the trips.

Bovo

Moss

Suarez

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/traffic/article27039589.html

>>> MPO gets a shake-up

And the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) a county regional transportation planning organization is hiring a new director and the usually staid organization is getting a major shakeup as transit issues percolates into the spotlight with the public and a more aggressive attitude to get transit done is taking center stage at county hall.

Where did all the PTP money go?

The half-cent sales tax for new County transit projects,(passed by voters in 2002) but later “unified” to supplant the County’s General Fund by the County Commission has largely gone to servicing existing mass transit including $400 million for new Metro Rail cars and another $75 million for the new downtown People Mover cars that needed to be replaced said Charles Scurr, the executive director of the Citizens Independent Trust (where the executive  director makes $200,000) that is supposed to watch over how this new public money is spent but also falls under the thumb of the County Commission.) Further, the new Metro Rail Orange Line to MIA received $500 million of the roughly $220 million in monthly sales tax proceeds going to transit projects and ageing infrastructure and the tax proceeds for new mass transit is not keeping up partially because around “80 percent” is picked up by local government and not the 50 percent of the cost thought to come from federal funding.

With Ysela Llort leaving as the director of Miami-Dade Transit and being replaced by Alice Bravo she noted funding was the main issue when it came to expansion of the mass transit system and Llort said she learned something from a former Florida Department of Transportation Secretary years ago, and that was “when the horse is dead, it is time to dismount,” and try another route to get something done when it comes to transit that is facing funding resistance.

What about outside employment?

PAST WDR: Commissioner Juan Zapata at a committee meeting asked what the County policy was for “outside employment” and how many county employees had outside employment. Zapata asked. Staff said some 1,000 employees file the required outside income forms to the Miami-Dade Elections Department. However, Zapata said he was concerned about the “distraction” of an outside job and if you own a business there are “emergencies,” he considered. Zapata noted the commissioner’s job was part time and they needed outside income and his concern was tax payers are not getting their money worth since the County pays “fair wages and salaries,’ he considered and working for the county “ was a privilege,” he said.

However, Joe Centorino the Executive Director of the Miami-Dade County Ethics and Public Trust Commission noted the commission does review some conflict of interest cases, but only after first the employee gets approval from his department director but the former state prosecutor said “there is a disconnect,” and it is “unknown” how many employees might have outside employment but just don’t notify the administration.

Centorino said there is “no countywide standard,” for how outside employment is treated and he believes there should be a “uniform standard. “Zapata gave one example saying he had a “meeting with a Chinese Delegation,” and he was “given two cards.” One was for a local real estate company and the other was the “card of a county employee,” and the lawmaker did not know what the man’s relationship was with the delegation.

Centorino

Zapata also later said in the week that County Libraries should be located near “public schools” and the County should think “strategically,” about how these things can complement each other he suggested.

County food service at food court going to Juvenile Court House?

What about the new contract for food services won by JM Foods at the new Children’s Juvenile Justice Courthouse and what did Commissioner Juan C. Zapata say about it? When he learned only “seven firms” bid on the food court at the Stephen P. Clark government Center and the contract is with the same company that runs the Food Court in the government Center. The commissioner was not “impressed” with the food there and he wondered why so few companies submitted bids and he just wanted to maximize the revenue the county would get since it “is a captive audience,” of people working in the building having to eat he suggested.

>>> GMCVB press release: RECORD ACCOMMODATIONS AND FOOD SERVICE JOBS IN GREATER MIAMI AND THE BEACHES REPORTED FOR JUNE 2015 MARKING 5 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS OF CONSECUTIVE JOB INCREASES Greater Miami’s Accommodations and Food Service jobs increased 4.4% in June 2015 compared to the same period in 2014. This marks 5 years and 6 months of consecutive increased employment in Greater Miami’s Accommodations and Food Service Industry.

Record Greater Miami Accommodations and Food Service Jobs June 2015 June 2014 % Change 120,7000 115,600 +4.4%

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Aug. 24 kicks off 355,900 students going to public schools, causes traffic congestion to double

>>> The nation’s fourth largest public schools System is opening Aug.24^th and 355,900 students will be going to one of the almost 400 public schools around Dade County and the opening of schools impacts traffic by almost double when it comes to getting around the County.

And while the District has a $2.9 billion budget, the District’s debt load is not for the Faint of heart,” said Dr. Richard Hines the now retired District CFO and has done an amazing job saving the district money by refinancing and his replacement will be filling some large shoes and to read the schools budget go to http://financialaffairs.dadeschools.net/ES15-16/ES15_16.pdf

>>> Press release: M-DCPS’ 2015-2016 ‘BACK-TO-SCHOOL TOOL KIT’ NOW ONLINE

Miami-Dade County Public Schools will open its doors on Monday, August 24, 2015, to approximately 355,900 students to begin the 2015-2016 school year.

In order to help parents and students have a smooth transition back to school, a tool kit has been created with information regarding registration, vaccination requirements, school hours, important dates, and school safety. The kit is available online at www.dadeschools.net in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. Students can benefit from the tool kit’s information about various Choice schools and diploma options, and parents may use it to find out about important dates; the school district’s free app for phone or mobile device; free lunch service; and policies regarding their child’s education.

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

>>> PHT Trustee Khaghan tapped again by Mayor Carlos Gimenez, she is solid member on seven member oversight board

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has reappointed Mojdeh Khaghan, Esq. to the seven member PHT board where the attorney is the Treasurer. She is a Columbia University graduate and is very diligent on the Trust and she has caused no controversy since her appointment by the mayor back in 2011. And the Trust Nominating Council will be interviewing Kareem Brantley in the future, who works with the Bravis Group http://www.bravisadvisors.com/ as a possible recommended candidate to the County Commission to be selected to be on the PHT board in the future and there will be a vacancy at the end of June, and the financial advisor could be replacing former PHT Chair Marcos Lapciuc,Esq. The Dean of the oversight board since he joined the board almost a decade earlier and did a straight up job during some very tough times that included changing the leadership at the Trust when PHT President Carlos Migoya was brought in Sept 2010 to rescue the health trust hemorrhaging red ink in the hundreds of millions in charity and uncompensated care. And Trust monthly board meetings are televised at the end of the month on the County’s cable channel. And The public has an opportunity to see how the Jackson Health System is managed every month and the seven member Public Health Trust board and the $1 billion plus medical facility delivers Miracles Every day to the public regardless of their ability to pay and JHS gets only some $350 million of public funding but yet gives over $500 million in charity and uncompensated care, and this level of charity care is also spread out among other hospitals in South Florida and JHS management under CEO Carlos Migoya has done a remarkable job keeping the health trust in the black over the three years he has been CEO and with county residents approving a $830 million bond the administration is charting a new course and there is an independent oversight board created to watch over the new bond money.

CITY OF MIAMI

>>> MLS consortium says Orange Bowl site, not “spiritually tainted” after all, wants to build $200 million soccer stadium west of Miami Marlins Stadium, says Miami Mayor Regalado

Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado on Friday afternoon told the press after a Skype conversation with Major League Soccer superstar David Beckham and other representatives that a general deal had been struck to put a new MLS stadium west of the new Miami Marlins baseball stadium a site that was said to be “spiritually tainted,” given the public mood regarding the financing of the baseball stadium that comes to over $2.5 billion through the life of the loans. And The proposed privately funded $200 million stadium is expected to have some 28,000 seats but any participation with the University of Miami using the facility was not discussed and with the change of the University’s presidents. It is unknown what Miami might want to do when it comes to sharing any new stadium that is at least a couple of years away. And the mayor said “no public money would be involved,” and he also supported having a “referendum,” on the matter he told reporters. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article27520885.html

However, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has been trying to broker a deal with MLS but has been unsuccessful so far so this announcement has preempted his past efforts with Regalado stealing the media spotlight that had a large media gaggle gathered in front of Miami City Hall last Friday, and not County Hall as Gimenez would have liked when it came to the stadium since he is up for reelection in 2016 and will likely face the Mayor’s daughter Raquel Regalado a member of the Miami-Dade school board who is getting the moniker with her peers on the board of “Hurricane Raquel,” with her two victories one concerning the audit of the County’s Value Adjustment Board (VAB) and a District Audit that found some deficiencies and the District is also getting a $2.5 million settlement from BP for the Deepwater Horizon spill. A suit Regalado pushed for years ago and board members were skeptical at the time regarding the success of any law suits for the massive oil spill. And that got her another “Hurricane,” reference at Wednesday’s board meeting and in a Miami Herald poll she is trailing Gimenez, but he is finding he is running ahead with the undecided vote, but with the election a year away he has time to gain higher poll reconition with county voters and former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez continues to tease he might run as well, but has yet to make a decision he says in the paper’s article on the poll results.  http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article27553270.html

>>> When it comes to seaplanes and helicopters coming to Watson Island, “We have this mess now,” says Mayor Tomas Regalado

“We have this mess now,” said Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado at the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority (MESA) meeting a few weeks ago referring to the fact the license for Helicopters and seaplanes “are both in the city of Miami’s name,” he told authority members. The city for years have been negotiating with two companies to bring the amenities back to the City. However, a Jun.15 letter from the Florida Department of Transportation says the Miami Heliport license was “revoked, due to abandonment,” of the site and the “airport license and Airport site location was included in that revoking, and MESA has to meet again to resolve the issue with FDOT because “This could mean the end of two projects that we want,” said the mayor. Further any reestablishment of the air services also includes electrical infrastructure needs and MESA may have to pay $348,273 to FPL, and this funding has yet to be approved given the limited funding the organization has in in bank accounts. And the body will meet again and see if any resolution to the issues have been resolved but the clock is ticking for the reestablishment of these air services, that made Caulk’s Mallard Seaplanes an iconic part of Miami but ended after a tragic crash a few years ago.

>>> Sarnoff’s wife deflects closeness to developers by noting she has been “sued by them” over Mercy condominium Towers, but with $300,000 in her campaign war chest, can she be trusted?

A question and answer session with the Miami Commission District 2 candidates brought them all together at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club on Wednesday at an event organized by the Village of Center Grove  and a video of the event was done by Al Crespo of the Crespogram and the link to see the candidate’s comments is online on at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-350jUkVHs and the www.coconutgrovegrapecine.com as well and the video is an effective way to see what these neophyte candidates believe in.  The candidates are William Armbrister, Javier Gonzalez, Seth Sklarey, Rosa Palomino, Mike Simpson, Grace Solares, Ken Russell, Lorry Woods, Teresa Sarnoff, The candidate forum was moderated by  Nathan Kurland who is also on a variety of City of Miami boards and he is well known at City Hall and he ran a smooth civil meeting, and people got to see how Teresa Sarnoff handles herself in such settings and she was asked why she was not beholden to developers given the $300,000 she has raised for her campaign war chest with the help of her Miami Commission husband. Who is termed out and cannot run and he is hoping she will carry his torch but the man who is also an attorney is acerbic, makes fun of people at their expense and has a large swath of people that don’t like or trust the man after his years in office, where he was an early President Barack Obama supporter but later would support GOP gov. Rick Scott last year and helped him fundraise.

What is Teresa like as a candidate?

You either have it or you don’t, I tell people when it comes to political charisma and Teresa Sarnoff does not have it and she is a very similar candidate, to Linda Haskins who her husband first beat back in 2006 by two to one votes despite her raising almost $700,000 with the help of then Mayor Manny Diaz’s campaign fundraising machine. But Haskin’s was portrayed as being under the thumb of the mayor who was losing popularity, by Sarnoff and Haskins was appointed to the body after Commissioner Johnny Winton was suspended from office after a scuffle at a bar at MIA and that opened up the seat and Haskins was picked by the commission to fill the vacant seat that disappointed many voters.

Further, the wife gets to carry all the political baggage her husband has generated during his eight years in office, where his first year in office was significantly different then when he won a full four year term and he first showed his new political personality that was remarkable different (And he seems to believe voters should be thankful he is in office)  from the past and she has to deal with these drawbacks with the public while she campaigns and Teresa in a big ad in Neighbors is saying she has gotten support from the Fraternal Order of Police and that type of endorsement is similar to what Haskins got back at the time and she has yet to define herself with voters. (And she does not seem to appreciate how odd it is for her to try to follow her husband in office, given city voters approved term limits of eight years, and has yet to explain why he embellished his family “lineage,” that turned out to be untrue but gave him early status when he first ran for office, and he extensively referred to his supposed grandfather Gen David Sarnoff who founded NBC at his first inauguration, which was not true) and Former Mayor Matti Bower on Miami Beach tried such a political maneuver when she ran for a commission seat, and lost and she had been termed out, but voters thought enough is enough on the Beach.

She is also finding there is voter fatigue of her husband in office and his imperious attitude.  She responded when asked about the fundraising money by saying “she was sued by developers,” regarding the Mercy Tower condominiums pushed by the Related Group and mega developer Jorge Perez and she believes that shows her independent chops when it comes to these people. Russell said in this regard that under Commissioner Sarnoff, the Grove has changed and there is a “changing façade of the Grove,” he believed though many people believe it is too late and the face of the Grove has forever been changed under Sarnoff’s watch.  She also noted she and her husband fought the Home Depot project that ultimately was built but others are asking where she has been since then. And Commissioner Sarnoff might consider putting his assets into a blind trust if his wife wins the election since controversy seems to follow the man in or out of office. And Russel was grilled about his lack of voting in municipal elections and only presidential races. He said he was busy raising a family and starting a business like many other people and only recently began to engage but that could apply to many of the candidates regarding their past spotty civic engagement history.

>>> Press release:  The City of Miami Needs More Police Officers – Please Support Adding 100 More Police to The City Budget I am a relentless advocate for the addition of police officers to improve public safety in the City of Miami. Our population is growing and we need to meet and exceed the demand our City is facing for qualified police officers within our city’s boundaries. The past two years have represented victories for our City in terms of police hiring. We have budgeted 105 more police officers and are now at the all-time high for our City, hired and budgeted. However, we are heading into a serious hiring crisis. Over the next couple of years the police department is slated to lose almost 20% of the police department due to forced retirements. We must hire at a faster rate than we are hiring now to make up the difference and meet our intended goal of 3 officers per 1,000 residents. The public is invited to City Hall on June 30th at 6 p.m., to discuss the upcoming crisis the police department will face regarding maintaining adequate police staffing levels. As I have stated time and time again, our goal should be to create a paradigm shift where the City of Miami ranks as a top 10 city in the nation for safety. Our residents and visitors deserve that level of protection. It is, and always will be, our contention if we achieved this result the City would attract new business and job creators, strengthening and diversifying the economy of South Florida, creating a more sustainable and predictable tax base. Joe Biden once said, “Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” Adding 100 more police officers to our budget sends a clear message to our residents and visitors that we share their values. Protecting our residents is our top priority. I hope you will stand with me and push for the addition of more police officers as it will help our city become more sustainable by enhancing our quality of life. Please support our efforts to make this City a safer place to live, work and play. As always, if you have questions or concerns you’d like to share, you can always call our office at (305) 250-5333 or email me at msarnoff@miamigov.com.

Copyright © 2015 City of Miami, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because of your interest in the City of Miami, District 2 and its Commissioner, Marc D. Sarnoff. Our mailing address is: City of Miami 3500 Pan American Drive Office of Comm. Marc D. Sarnoff – District 2 Miami, FL 33133

>>> Sarnoff carps for six months County administrator has not dealt with transit interlocal agreement, wants new transit Dir. Bravo to help with issue

Commissioner Marc Sarnoff railed at a commission meeting recently that a interlocal agreement with Miami-Dade County has been sitting on administrators desk for some “six months,” and he asked the potential new transit department Director Alice Bravo to resolve this issue when she takes the post, that is frustrating the use of traffic calming devices in Miami such as traffic circles and now take forever to approve if the city wants to do it after residents’ complaints.

Sarnoff who is termed out is promoting his wife Teresa at City of Miami press events and there was a photo of her in The Miami Herald front and center of the photo and she is also getting free air time when the City of Miami runs tapes of City events, especially at St. Albans Child Enrichment Center in the West Grove and the city’s television station should consider letting the other eight District 2 candidates have some airtime to state their platforms as well. The commissioner’s wife has raised some $300,000 for her campaign war chest and she will likely do an air war campaign since candidates cannot get into the critical Brickell condominiums to talk to voters as one Congresswomen found out a few years ago, and the block of Brickell voters is considerable in Miami Commission District 2, that snakes along the Miami coast and has the largest property tax base of any city commission district, hence the large amount of campaign contributions from developers who also want to curry favor with the commission.

And Commissioner Marc Sarnoff railed at a commission meeting Thursday that a interlocal agreement with Miami-Dade County is sitting on administrators desk for some “six months,” and he asked the new transit department Director Alice Bravo to resolve this issue that is frustrating the use of traffic calming devices such as traffic circles and take forever to approve if the city wants to do it after residents’ complaints.

What did Russel say about LED media towers?

When it came to a request by residents to remove the language in Miami 21 for a “media Tower,” District 2 commission candidate Ken Russell said the city was placed in a “real pickle, with this one [and] what happens to the developer if you pull the plug, what is he left to do but sue the city,” the candidate said. If commissioners torpedoed plans for such a Tower that includes two acres of LED lights on a building and would help commercialize the structure that is some 633 feet high and is raising howls in the local community believing it is too much and the designation should be removed from the Miami 21 zoning legislation. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article19292724.html

CITY OF MIAMI BEACH

>>> Voters need to engage and see what crop of new commission candidates are like, civic forums one great way to see neophyte candidates in action with policy bark on

Beach Voters need to get engaged and see what your new commission candidates believe in and if they should be supported and the TMBC is an excellent way to see potential elected leaders unvarnished and with the policy bark on concerning how they handle themselves with the public and there is a wide array of candidates to choose from and the list is below the announcement but voter turnout on the Beach is always a problem and while the municipality only has 90,000 residents it acts like a much bigger city, said Manager Jimmy Morales one time when I asked what it was like to be manager but the city is the tourist mecca flagship for Miami-Dade and keeps the Miami brand on people’s lips around the globe.

Press release: TUESDAY MORNING BREAKFAST CLUB 2015 CANDIDATE FORUM

PROCEDURES AND SOME EXPECTED QUESTIONS AND ISSUES

PROCEDURES: Candidates will be invited to participate by Group seat designation, one Group per week, starting on July 21st with Group 4, followed by Group 5 on July 28th, and Group 6th on August 4th.Candidates will be given the opportunity to make an opening statement of two or three minutes, to be determined by the Moderator.

Questions will come from the audience, as selected by the Moderator. Questions can be directed to a particular candidate, or if open to all candidates, will be assigned by Moderator. Questions or statements will be limited to one minute, and answers should be appropriately limited. Any candidate may speak to a question or take issue with an answer, at the discretion of the Moderator. Candidates shall refrain from attempting to embarrass competitors. Candidates agree to abide by these rules as a condition of participating. SOME EXPECTED QUESTIONS AND ISSUES: The $600 million Convention Center renovation. The 99 year lease of city land for a proposed convention center hotel (will be a yes or no Referendum issue). The location of the proposed hotel (behind the Gleason or across from the Convention Center). The 30 story height of the proposed hotel (needed for the Gleason site). Should Commission elections by Group seats be abolished? If group seats are abolished, should District elections (two Commissioners each elected from South Beach, Mid Beach, and North Beach) be instituted”?  Casino gambling for Miami Beach. Bay Link light rail to connect Miami Beach with Miami. There are some basic issues or needs that continue to come up in city surveys and candidate speeches; they are traffic, parking, sanitation, and security. Do you have any solutions to propose? Candidates, please confirm your intention to participate by email at <sbhotels@bellsouth.net> Thank you.  David Kelsey

Candidates (as of July 10th):

Group 4:

Kristen Rosen Gonzalez

Isaiah Mosley

Elizabeth “Betsy” Perez

G. Scott Diffenderfer

Michael DiFilippi

Group 5:

Mark Weithorn

Jose Rickey Arriola

Josef Jorzak

Group 6:

Jeff Cynamon

Mark Samuelian

John Elizabeth Aleman

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Editorials

>>> Lawmakers need to address the issue of affordable housing, there will be employee shortage if not addressed

At public meetings like the Miami-Dade County Commission last week many speakers were objecting to the “gentrification” of Miami that once was considered affordable with many Cuban families just settling in decades ago but that is no longer the case and with going “vertical,” the new watchword of the day said Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff a few months ago. There must be some accommodation for some low cost housing something in very short supply in Miami and the future shortage of workers will make this issue even more pressing in the years to come. And elected leaders need to address this situation that cuts across all ethnic lines and ages for besides work. Housing is an essential element for a healthy Miami and should be addressed before employers find they do not have workers on their salary. Since they cannot afford to live here in the Magic City.

>>> Elected leaders do the public a favor and get to the point at public budget hearings rather than drone on, for audience as much fun as a root canal

With public budget meetings being held will these be a vocal marathons where elected leaders just drone on and repeat themselves and for the public listening to this dialogue, it is quite painful and voters would really appreciate if they got to the point for repetition by the public or the leaders gets old fast and lawmakers should spare the public some of their monologue that is as popular as a root canal.

LETTERS

>>> Good morning, Dan, from Bucksport, Maine:

You perform a valuable service by focusing attention on taxation – but you need to emphasize that there is no such thing as found money in the budget – the number to keep your eye on is the amount of spending, not the assessed values, and not the tax rate. Too often over the years, politicians have brayed that they “held the line on taxes,” when what they should have said is that when assessed values went up, they extracted more tax dollars by keeping the rate the same. TRIM is supposed to make this clear, but there is only one notice and two ads.  Keep the pressure up!

Jay

>>> County Commission to take up LED billboards throughout Miami-Dade County

On Tuesday, June 30th, Miami-Dade County Commissioners are being asked to allow legislation, Agenda Item 4(D) that will

Approve many dozens of LED billboards throughout Miami-Dade County!

Please ask COUNTY Commissioners and the COUNTY Mayor to deny Agenda Item 4(D), legislation that would legalize LED billboards. Take Action TELL them to vote NO on this. We’ve made it easy for you to email your elected officials by going here:  http://scenicdade.org/take-action.html

Agenda Item 4(D) can be read at the county site here:

http://www.miamidade.gov/govaction/matter.asp?matter=151453&file=true&yearFolder=Y2015  The agenda of the meeting is here: http://www.miamidade.gov/govaction/commagenda.asp?cmbmeetdate=3678&file=true&changes=false

>>> The Watchdog Report is going to hit 16 years of weekly publishing and while I have taken a licking over the years including some medical issues I have kept at thanks to my supporters who I thank so very much over the many years.

The Watchdog Report is Celebrating 16 years of weekly publishing since May 5^th 2000 and when I started back then I never thought I would be doing this so

either gotten better or worse and here is a national story done on why I started to watch government back in 2000  http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190045_1_ricker-miami-watchdog and to all the people along the way that have helped me I thank you from the bottom of  my heart.

Publisher’s Statement on the mission of the Watchdog Report and the special people and organizations that make it possible:  Government Subscribers/Corporate Subscribers/Sustaining Sponsors/Supporting Sponsors

***** LIFETIME FOUNDING MEMBERS & Initial sponsors since 2000

>>> LIFETIME FOUNDING MEMBERS & INITIAL SPONSORS IN 2000

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

HUGH CULVERHOUSE, Jr

FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT www.fpl.com .

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

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

BERKOWITZ POLLACK BRANT Advisors and Accountants www.bpbcpa.com

JEFFREY L. BERKOWITZ TRUST

RON BOOK

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

WILLIAM PALMER www.shutts.com

Rbb PUBLIC RELATIONS www.rbbpr.com

ROYAL MEDIA PARTNERS www.royalmp.com

SHUBIN & BASS www.shubinbass.com

WILLIAMSOM AUTOMOTIVE GROUP http://williamsonautomotivegroup.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

CHAPMAN PARTNERSHIP FOR HOMELESS www.chapmanpartnership.org

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY www.fiu.edu

THE STATE OF FLORIDA www.myflorida.gov

GREATER 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 COMMISSION www.miamidade.gov

MIAMI-DADE COMMISSION OFFICE OF THE CHAIR www.miamidade.gov

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ETHICS & PUBLIC TRUST COMMISSION

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY HOMELESS TRUST: www.miamidade.gov/homeless/

MIAMI-DADE COLLEGE www.mdc.edu

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

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD www.dadeschools.net

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPT. http://superintendent.dadeschools.net/

MIAMI DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY www.miamidda.com

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

THE BEACON COUNCIL www.beaconcouncil.com

THE CHILDREN’S TRUST www.thechildrenstrust.org

THE GOOD GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE http://goodgov.net/

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

THE MIAMI FOUNDATION www.miamifoundation.org

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

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI www.miami.edu

>>> LIFETIME FOUNDING MEMBERS & INITIAL SPONSORS IN 2000

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

HUGH CULVERHOUSE, Jr

FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT www.fpl.com .

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

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

BERKOWITZ POLLACK BRANT Advisors and Accountants www.bpbcpa.com

JEFFREY L. BERKOWITZ TRUST

RON BOOK

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

WILLIAM PALMER www.shutts.com

Rbb PUBLIC RELATIONS www.rbbpr.com

ROYAL MEDIA PARTNERS www.royalmp.com

SHUBIN & BASS www.shubinbass.com

WILLIAMSOM AUTOMOTIVE GROUP http://williamsonautomotivegroup.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

CHAPMAN PARTNERSHIP FOR HOMELESS www.chapmanpartnership.org

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY www.fiu.edu

THE STATE OF FLORIDA www.myflorida.gov

GREATER 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 COMMISSION www.miamidade.gov

MIAMI-DADE COMMISSION OFFICE OF THE CHAIR www.miamidade.gov

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY HOMELESS TRUST: www.miamidade.gov/homeless/

MIAMI-DADE COLLEGE www.mdc.edu

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSION ON ETHICS and PUBLIC TRUST www.ethics.miamidade.gov

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

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD www.dadeschools.net

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPT. http://superintendent.dadeschools.net/

MIAMI DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY www.miamidda.com

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

THE BEACON COUNCIL www.beaconcouncil.com

THE CHILDREN’S TRUST www.thechildrenstrust.org

THE GOOD GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE http://goodgov.net/

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

THE MIAMI FOUNDATION www.miamifoundation.org

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

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI www.miami.edu

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