Watchdog Report Vol.18 No.16 Sept 2, 2017 EST: 05.05.00 – I go when you cannot – Celebrating almost 18 Years of reliable Weekly publishing free

 Description

The Nile monitor is a large, nonnative lizard that has been introduced to Florida. A typical adult Nile monitor can grow over 5 feet in length and weigh close to 15 pounds. Nile monitors are light yellow to dark olive or brown in color. They have a pattern of light yellow chevron markings on the back, which appear as bands or stripes closer to the head and tail. The top side of the tail tapers up in the shape of a rudder to assist in Swimming. Nile monitors are semi-aquatic and are often found basking or foraging for food along canals.

 

Tupinambis merianae

 Description

The Argentine black and white tegu is a large, nonnative lizard that has been introduced to Florida. Tegus are black and white in color with banding along the tail. They can reach up to four feet in Length. In Florida, tegus can be seen on roadsides or other disturbed areas. They spend most of their time on land, though they can swim and may submerge themselves for long periods of time. Like many reptiles, they are primarily active during the day and will burrow or hide overnight.

Native range

South America, specifically Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

 

>>>> PAST WDR: With the summer break the Children’s Trust of Miami –Dade has a host of summer activities including getting one free book for a young person and helps with a child’s reading ability. https://www.thechildrenstrust.org/parents/initiatives/read-to-learn-book-club

Further, check out the Health Connect program.

 

Health Connect

 

>> PASTWDR: Further the Children’s Trust also has health connect a program ensuring wellness of children and for more go to https://www.thechildrenstrust.org/providers/health-connect

 

Health Connect is a comprehensive, three-tier, quality-driven health initiative, spearheaded by The Children’s Trust, with the goal of having the healthiest children possible in Miami-Dade County. Health Connect: Connects children and families to low cost medical insurance options and health services with the help of health navigators.

Provides information and support through home visitations by family coaches to all new and teen mothers. Provides a team of nurses/nurse practitioners, social workers and health aides to public schools to provide needed health and mental health services. Please visit the FORMS section for provider forms. Agencies funded by The Trust for Health Connect, Borinquen Health Care Center, Inc. Catalyst Miami, Citrus Health Network, Inc., Community Health of South Florida, Inc. Jessie Trice Community Health Center, Inc. Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Nova South-eastern University, University of Miami, to download a brochure, please visit the Publications section.

 

 

>>>Further to search for any Florida Constitution officers net worth go to http://public.ethics.state.fl.us/reshttp://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article159147759.htmlhttp://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article159147759.html isults.cfm

 

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

 

>>> Some Charter Review Task force members concerned about lack of public input in the process, also ask if commission needs to produce counter county budget that gets reconciled. PBA union representative Rivera, says current form of strong mayor makes Gimenez more powerful than the other 13 commissioners

 

The Miami-Dade County Charter Review Task Force had a healthy discussion on whether the strong executive form of government should stay in place or go back to the previous form of government that had a county manager in the past. But was changed by county voters in 2007 and one issue was how the commission draws up its budget and whether the commission’s auditor should do “a competing budget.” And maybe the commission should be reconciling the mayor’s budget with the one the commission creates. Further, John Rivera told the task force members that when there was a manger regarding labor negations. There were tough times but the current structure has the mayor Carlos Gimenez pretty much saying, “MY way or the highway and he believes there are “14 commissioners,” with one being a stronger member, the PBA union president   told charter review members,. Further former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Leaner said she thought a professional manager was a good thing and others wanted to know what the skills set should be and in Gimenez you have an administrator with experience but other candidates might not. However that would be up to voters if they felt someone was not qualified and the idea of going back to the past structure was because of all the “scandals,” at the County and “there was no one who could be held accountable and why voters voted for that strong mayor structure pushed by recalled Mayor Carlos Alvarez and would later be inherited by Mayor Gimenez. Further attorney Marlon Hill said the task force needs to generate more interest with the public and need to hear from residents and Robert Cuevas, said if the task force wanted to they could “poll the public, “but he also said the task force and the former county attorney said since this was the “fourth meeting,” and during that time the attorney, said we have only agreed on “one issue, he closed. http://www.miamidade.gov/charter/library/charter.pdf

 

Clerk Ruvin gets stop gap funding after finding savings for six more months

 

What about the Miami-Dade County Clerk’s office and needing at least $2 million in funding after the Florida legislature cut funding to clerks offices around the state and had Clerk Harvey Ruvin, telling commissioners that through savings in his office he had found $2 million in savings and the county has given the office enough to operate for the next six-months, said the long serving clerk, after discussions with Mayor Gimenez’s budget office.

 

Ruvin also wants to get more funding from the state abut commission Chair Estephan Bovo, Jr., a former state representative said they have to be careful when state costs are born by a county and becomes a repeated scenario when it comes to budgeting. Ruvin in frustration said Tallahassee, “treats Miami-Dade County like a step son,” and does not appreciate the volume of court work that is being done in such a diverse community.

>>> Metro Rail is getting “136 new train cars,” in the coming months said Mayor Gimenez and they are needed since metro rail‘s polder cars are not as reliable as they should be.

 

>>> Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust dealing with new sexual predatory colony on county property

 

The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust board approved the trust’s new $61,9 million budget for the upcoming year beginning Oct.1and the document includes $18 million for emergency housing and the organization gives out some 140 grants to providers and one priority is “rapid rehousing,” and trust Chair Ron Book said the trust “cannot meet its needs without more money and is looking to Miami-Beach which has a beverage tax exemption that helps fund the trust and more money will only come if “Miami Beach comes to the table,” he told trustees. Further in discussions with a trust past trust director Hilda Fernandez. She is suggesting some facility on the beach like Camillus House in Miami and the trust’s administrative costs is 2 percent of the Budget. Further the Chapman Partnership to end homeless contributed $200,000 to the trust something the organization does almost every year and helps cover the increasing homeless population and a colony off sexual predators is starting at first on private property but now it is county owned property and Book said all levels at the county are working on this problem that at night brings some “120 to 140 predators to the location and is also a pressing health safety issue and the Watchdog Report asked Book what some of the other pressing issues were and he emailed back.   However, “there is a growing problem with the sexual predator colony that has been growing for well over a year on 71^st Street and NW 35^th and 36^th Avenues,” wrote the chair.

 

GMCVB press release: RECORD LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY JOBS IN GREATER MIAMI AND THE BEACHES REPORTED FOR JULY 2017
Greater Miami’s Leisure and Hospitality jobs increased +5.4 percent in July 2017 compared to the same period in 2016, showing the continued strength of the destination’s travel and tourism industry in generating jobs for the community.

HOSPITALITY JOBS, JOBS, JOBS…

Record Greater Miami Leisure & Hospitality Jobs July 2017 July 2016 % Change 146,000 138,500 +5.4%

 

>>> When it comes to Hurricane Andrew Commissioner Moss wondered “where was the cavalry?” first arrived in the form of Miami-Dade County police officer Lt. Robert parker who (would later become the first African American County Police Director now deceased).

 

Long serving Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis Moss was honored with a Commission proclamation “calling for Moss month from the mayor” and his peers for his work after hurricane Andrew in helping to rebuild south Dade. Flattened by the Cat 5 storm and Moss with his friends and a past commissioner talked about the effective “Moss Plan”. He noted then Commission Chair Arthur Teele, Jr. “assigned,” him to the “rebuild effort,” that Moss over the years has never flagged on the effort and south Miami-Dade looks much better after the storm caused billions and for more on the storm go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/20-facts-hurricane-andrew-anniversary_n_1819405.html

Moss noted he was wondering “where is the Calvary?” was and the first such person was Miami-Dade County police officer Lt. Robert Parker and Moss said he got to know a host of community leaders, including Adolpho Henriques and Alvah Chapman, Jr., and Miguel Diaz de la Portilla a past commissioner worked on this rebuilding of south Dade and the program was called “we will rebuild.”

 

What about enhanced security cameras at MIA and the Port of Miami?

 

Commissioner Rebecca Sosa at a committee meeting last week asked the administration to look at the use of cameras at MIA especially in the baggage loading area given the attacks around the world and she noted both facilities are “our gateway,” to the world and must have enhanced protection. Further at MIA commissioner Dennis Moss wondered why with all the heavy rains at MIA “there are a lot of buckets,” catching water at MIA, “and is odd given the $6.5 billion spent to upgrade the airport over the past decade.

 

>>> Animal Activist are getting some attention after the Miami-Dade County inspector General released a report on how successful the county’s Animal Services no kill rate was especially with cats and I had heard that some thousands of cats were killed because they were considered aggressive. Further the IG report puts more pressure on the Mayor Gimenez’ administration to get these numbers further lowered.

http://www.miamidadeig.org/Reports2017/1.%20IG14-39%20Transmittal%20&%20Executive%20Summary%206.26.17.pdf Further I have learned that many animals adopted are not checked on and some dogs are said to be “bait dogs” used in dog fights that can be held apparently easy in any empty pool and is still occurring in south Dade.

 

>>> PASTWDR: After five years of a surplus, Jackson Health this year with budget cuts only “breaks even, “has become the “hospital paying patients want to go too, not because they have to,” said PHT board chair Arriola in joint trust BCC meeting

 

The joint meeting of the public Health Trust board on Wednesday was a smooth affair but the trust warned there was fiscal choppy waters depending on what the new Trump administration pushes in the way of cuts ranging to a potential block grant system (versus LIFT) that has the state determining how it would be distributed among the public healthcare facilities in the state. Further after five years of a surplus, this year Jackson will close out break even, said Jackson CEO Carlos Migoya and he has signed on for two more years as the hospital president. He noted one of the big ongoing projects is the new $175 million UM Jackson rehab center and will be a “landmark facility,” said Migoya to commissioners. The president said things are moving quickly when it comes to the five urgent care centers and being staffed with UM physicians. Further a number of wellness programs “like cribs for kids,” that teaches new parents how a child “can sleep safely and while births have been going up with the new concierge service it also includes teaching mothers the benefits of breast feeding for a child in the early years and Jackson is celebrating its 99the birthday in the summer. Further JHS has sixth year in a row in the black through Sept 30^th

 

What about FIUs fifth year medical school students?

 

The FIU Herbert Wertheim Medical school graduated 114 new physicians, the universities 5^th class and many are staying in the community and some 30 percent are going into primary care said Medical school Dean John Rock, M.D. and the medical school is working to “create a primary care program as well,” and is one of the prime reason FIU got the medical school since these doctors were hoped to go into primary care medicine and these students are seen at a number of hospitals including the Baptist Health System and are a welcome addition to patients with chronic diseases and getting the appropriate treatment before it gets worse and is saving “Jackson\n Health System money.” Said Rock

 

What about Jackson first?

 

PAST WDR: Jackson First is a program to serve the county’s 26,000 employees health needs and is doing well and in the past few years have served employees medical needs and has grown to 1,431 at the beginning and is now heading up to 2,981 paying county employees and since the county is self-insured and if this population continues to increase the savings to the county is significant and all the PHT new facilities take into consideration “resilience,” and the perception among Miami- Dade residents is Jackson health System “is the hospital you want to go to,” rather “than the hospital you have to go to,” said PHT board Chair Joe Arriola and Migoya and Arriola told commissioners UM Miller Medical School “relationship has never been better nd is helping to provide cutting edge medical care, and Jackson just completed a three year contract with the institutions nurses and it is “maintaining the nursing ratio,” said Migoya and the nurses leadership is working well with the administration and SEIU Union Local 1991,said the CEO Carlos Migoya. Further, the JHS has reduced the “length of stay,” a major cost saving and while the health system had a $830 million GOB, the trust still has a $1.2 billion capital plan and the institution is “stretched thin,’ and with the “squabble,” in Washington “we are heading for some very tough times,” said Migoya to commissioners that had a number of trustees at the dais and Arriola stressed the point that “Carlos is one of the lowest paid presidents of large healthcare systems, and had Migoya saying his work at Jackson is “one of the proudest chapters in my career,” he closed.

 

County employees raise $ 1.million for Miami-Dade United Way yearly fund drive, helps fill in “some gaps,” the county can’t cover, says CEO Mogul

 

The county workers that were loaned to the United Ways yearly fundraising, raised over $1 million and includes the mayoral ball and a host of other events and the organization helps fill in gaps that the county can’t, said united Way CEO Harve Mogul

 

>>> County’s affordable housing program under fire in federal probe, Related Group chair Jorge Perez says company is highly ethical on all housing built in letter to Miami Herald

 

A new investigation on affordable housing projects and if some projects were inflated by The Carlisle Group, Pinnacle and the issue concerns the profit of these public funded projects generally low cost housing, and were the numbers inflated and includes Related Group projects that chair and founder Jorge Perez says in a letter to the Miami Herald that the deals and projects done were on the up and up and the organization prides itself on the companies ethics but it remains to be seen how this all plays out in

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article156697314.html

 

>>> The Miami-Dade Office of the Inspector General is making some recommendations on an $11.852 million no bid waiver to modernization of the traffic control services at MIA and it is a great read with some suggestions and recommendations being made for the administration to consider and to read the report go to:

http://www.miamidadeig.org/Reports2017/TrafficControlModernizationServicesBidWaiver06.12.17.pdf

 

What is going in at the County’s Charter Review committee?

 

>>>Past WDR update: Ferre asks why the charter review body has no money wants two elections with finalist running countywide and believes the task force needs better media coverage of the important review of the County’s constitution. Further Ferre and Neisen Kasdin both believe a commissioner pay increase should be included but not the first item on the charter ballot in 2018

 

And at their next meeting members are going to have a discussion on commissioners pay currently $7,000 a year and one charter member Neisen Kasdin a former Miami Beach mayor said he has always supported “a pay raise,” that has been shot down by voters nine times since 1957 when the county was first established

 

Further at the taskforce’s most recent metting in the commission chambers and televised the members noted there were some “21 issues,” that will be further, refined and a discussion on where to hold the required three community meetings had Maurice Ferrer saying there was no way he was going to one held in “Aventura and Homestead,” and suggested maybe some smaller committees or even the MDX conference room and is televised could be another location for community meetings and some residents did speak. Ferre the former mayor of Miami suggested the body might consider hearing from past people involved with the past charter reviews (held every five years) and Ferre believes one or two commissioners should be elected countywide in an attempt to reduce commissioners voting for thing’s good only for the 13 districts they represent and it bogs down decisions when it comes to regional projects like transportation.

 

Chair Bovo gives “diatribe,” at transportation meeting, says Suarez

 

What happened at the last MPO meeting now called TPO and at the last meeting commission chair Estephan Bovo, JR., voiced his frustration at the slow pace and which corridor would be funded first and his comments were called a “diatribe” and had commissioner Barbara Jordon speaking in favor of a north south transit route and she made it clear her top priority was her commission district that was told there would be a rail link but has not materialized.

 

>>> PAST WDR: Americans died last year, 3,000 alone in Florida, opiate addiction different treatment than heroin addiction, but death toll nationally huge

 

PAST WDR because our Youth are dying at a terrible rate: because this is killing our kids and caused the creation of The Miami-Dade County Opioid Task force met and heard some of the committee recommendation on how to end this scourge that kills 33,000 people in the nation of overdoses and last year. Where Florida saw 3,000 deaths from overdoses and it cuts across all ethnic lines an even physicians are saying they were guilty as well after medical reviews indicated treating someone for pain was beneficial and the clinicians were told many of these drugs were less addictive than in the past which turned out not to be true and many users in pain shifted to cheap Mexican yellow heroin mixed with very toxic fentanyl mainly from China and is highly toxic and a drop can easily kill. Further, in New Hampshire they are arresting dealers as killers when one of their doses kills someone and here in Miami-Dade government leaders were warned about this scourge about three years ago when former addict now clean, Jon Schmidt told some commission staff the county was not prepared for the onslaught coming. And discussions are going on to increase the availability of NarCan, a drug that reverse the overdose but also has some addicts getting an immunity to the dose that may have to be given twice to the slumped over person. And the task Force will be presenting their recommendations in the coming weeks to Mayor Carlos Gimenez. Editor’s note: I keep running this story because it is such a scourge that kills across all ethnic lines. Further to read the county task force’s report go to http://www.miamidade.gov/mayor/opioid-addiction-task-force-group.asphttp://www.miamidade.gov/mayor/opioid-addiction-task-force-group.asp

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/20-facts-hurricane-andrew-anniversary_n_1819405.html has saved millions by refinancing the extensive bond holdings

 

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

 

>>> WLRN’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) is meeting Sept. 7^th @ noon at the stations min office and the WDR will be there

 

Since I have not been to such a meeting in years and to read some minutes of past meetings go to http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wlrn/files/Minutes_March_9_2017.pdf and for more on the Advisory board go to http://wlrn.org/wlrns-community-advisory-board

 

>> Florida House bill 7069 is fiscal “Armageddon,” to nation’s fourth largest public school says, Carvalho district credit rating drops to “credit negative,” by Moody’s credit agency

 

Supt Alberto Carvalho slammed the Florid legislature HB 7069 omnibus bill that is “Armageddon,” to the nation’s fourth largest public school district and while during the great Recession the district had to make “adjustments,’ but in the legislation, this catastrophe is “man made.” He told the audit committee and Moody’s Credit Agency has already reacted dropping the schools credit rating to “credit negative,” and will make borrowing money much more expensive than in the past years bonds were getting zero percent interest but that is changing and in the past the district has refinanced many bond and have saved millions the superintendent said to audit committee members Tuesday. Further back in 2008 the district had only $9 million in reserves and was almost “bankrupt,’ back then but through efficiencies the reserve has risen dramatically, but is in the capital improvement area that the district comes way short with millions going to charter schools rather than the public districts around the state and in the omnibus bill were 22 separate bills that were not fully vetted the legislators.

 

>>>> Board’s Audit and Budget Review committee meets Tuesday and a verbal report will be given on the Friends of WLRN federal audit is expected at the meeting according to the agenda and the fund raising arm of Worn is undergoing a federal audit and previously reported in the WDR and the audit is being done briskly but until the conclusion the audit committee is essentially monitoring the overall process after the station for number of years did not submit audits to the school district. To read the agenda go to: http://mca.dadeschools.net/AuditCommittee/AC_July_18_2017/Agenda.pdf

 

>>> OIG report looks at minority owned firms getting contracts under GOB and is a priority with Supt. Carvalho

 

At the $1.2 billion GOB oversight board recently there was a discussion on how many minority contracts have been given to minority firms and primes since the school board let out contracts and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has made this a crusade in that was promised when the bond was first voted on and the schools IG did a study of these minority contracts and to read the IG report go to:: http://www.miamidadeig.org/Reports2017/GOBIG0013FinalReport6.15.17.pdf

 

The final OIG report on a high school coach recruiting baseball players from foreign countries and “ a gross violation,” of state statutes is completed and to read the report go to: http://www.miamidadeig.org/2016MDCPS/SB.1213.1005.pdf

>> Past WDR: FIU Golden Scholarship program helps 1,131 students needing fiscal resources to graduate in four years, great opportunity for Miami-Dade students wanting a higher education

 

>>> FIU Golden Scholar program funds for the economically distressed in Miami-Dade and is a new initiative started by the FIU Foundation

 

Florida international university President Marc Rosenberg, Ph.D spoke to the Miami-Dade Schoolboard about a new scholarship program called Golden Scholars and the FIU foundation is guaranteeing anyone that wants to work hard and qualifies will be able to get a degree in four years if the student economically cannot pay and it is a great program and school board members were enthusiastic in their support of FIU Foundation and its 54,000 students and for more on the program go to https://give.fiu.edu/tag/golden-scholars/

And for more go to http://sas.fiu.edu/golden-scholars/

FIU’s promise to 2017 freshmen: As good as gold

FIU Foundation News, Inspiration and Impact, Student | No Comments

FIU is making a promise to the 2017 freshman class: If your family cannot help you pay for college, FIU will. Call it a Golden Promise. FIU’s Golden Promise guarantees…

Read More   >> Further The Irma and Norman Brahman Foundation donated $1 million for needy students at MDC and FIU and is a great boon for those residents lacking the financial resources to continue their education and the WDR gives the foundation a Tip of The Hat for this very needed donation

 

>>>>> PAST WDR: Friends of WLRN and District at impasse little progress in getting new operating agreement with the district an entity that owns the WLRN license and Supt Alberto Carvalho says he has “no interest,” in selling the station or “determine content”

 

>>> What about the federal IG audit and investigation of Friends of WLRN?

 

PAST WDR: WLRN on Wednesday at the school board received some federal grants for the station that are normal and generally occur every year said Supt. Alberto Carvalho in the press room while the meeting ws going on and the grant amounts are $1,031,346 for the grant period from Oct.1 through Sept.30, 2018. Further the Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants the funding under the Radio Community Service grant in the approximate amount of $655,416 for that duration.

 

The Watchdog Report asked Carvalho and the district’s Chief Auditor if there was any news on the federal IGs audit of Friends of WLRN the fundraising arm for the WLRN but is facing an IG inquiry since the organization has not been able to produce a certified audit after the organizations CFO was fired and he had used an inappropriate formula that may have ginned up the federal draw down from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. And for more go to https://townhall.com/watchdog/florida/2017/03/14/290811-n10467

 

>>> And here is the audit report done by the District and what has been going on at Friends and the school board’s options and it is a great read.

http://mca.dadeschools.net/AuditCommittee/AC_May_9_2017/item13.pdf

 

When it comes to the District’s relationship with WLRN there has been little progress and the item will not be discussed again until the School Audit and Budget review Committee has a signed actual agreement to review after a four hour meeting with much of the discussion on WLRN and Friends of WLRN.

 

And under former Superintendent Rudy Cruz the organization Friends of WLRN made a number of changes in their bylaws that currently has Superintendent Alberto Carvalho trying to clarify the relationship including another entity SFMC that pays for the News Director’s high-end salary of $200,000 after news director Tom Hudson left from PBS a few years ago.

 

And the station did not want staff and employees to be Miami-Dade District employees because then WLRN would have to pay union wages and does not have to know since the employees are not district employees. Further there is said to be other inequities in pay funded by an organization called South Florida Media Company (SFMC). Further an auditor’s memo states “SFPM is not subject to public disclosures of significant information that is typically included in Form 990 tax returns,” wrote the chief auditor. And during the audit committee there were no representatives of Friends or WLRN present.

 

Further, the issue of Friends audits has dominated the headlines but previous years certified audits are on line at the friends of WLRN web page an there office is on Flagler Street versus the school district and i wanted to attend one of WLRN and friends board meetings but I found no information how I could attend a meeting .

 

The odd thing is that one or two board members are on the Friends Board including Dr. Michael Karp and other board members over the tears but some board members have spotty attendance record and at past audit committee meetings Perla Tabares Hantmen has asked for a Friends update every three months but that has not been forth coming. And Hantman reminded the board she has been on this for years and I have reporter audit packets from 20009 and WLRN and Friends are peppered with references in the minutes including 2015 packets. Further, in Hantman’s case she had a good attendance.

 

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

 

>>> PHT gets a $20 million bump as a result of settlement with ACHA, County attorney’s office praised for their work

 

At a past trustee meeting last month the body approved the $1.2 billion budget and got some good news from the county attorney’s office that got a settlement with ACHA on billing issues and that settlement brought in $20 million to the trust and it won’t be booked until the end of September, said, CFO Mark Knight and JHS now has 40 days of cash on hand and had no receivables which historically had been a major issue further the

 

>>> JHS ends sixth fiscal year in the black but challenges remain –JHS will have its sixth year in a row of being in the black at the end of the fiscal year in September and to read the latest financial quarterly report go to: file:///C:/Users/DAN%RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Mayor-BCC-PHT%20-%20Quarterly%20Financial%20Update%20-%20FY%202017%20Q3.pdf

 

Past WDR: Ryder Trauma Center created in 1992 at a time when many emergency rooms were shutting down and many hospital administrators were seeking just one incredible Level1 Trauma Center that is expensive to run given a complete complement of surgeons and physicians on site 24/7 verses other Level 1I Trauma Centers where a surgeon is less than an hour away and when it comes to Trauma time is of the essence.

 

However a number of private hospital trauma centers have been opened at Kendall Regional, Aventura and these trauma Centers are all owned by the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) and these centers tend to get the car crashes where there may be $10,000 in car insurance but Ryder is getting the gunshot wounds and knife blades ( and generally have no insurance and the U.S. Army surgeons before they deploy have rotated through Ryder since 20001 and this training hones the surgeons skill and the professionals also give free medical care to the health system.

 

And a few years back Ryder because of these other trauma centers (Ryder was losing some $28 million one year) an is why. I have always kept an eye on the facility because it is a county crown jewel that other counties around the nation (would kill for) given the incredible success rate that included telemedicine with surgeons in Iraq and Afghanistan over the years and more recently Ryder has been in the news after a wounded Florida State Trooper Carlos Rosario was hit on a freeway by a texting driver and received serious injuries but he was helicoptered to Ryder and is slowly recovering after almost dying a number times while being treated.

 

How did Ryder come about?

 

On the 10^th Anniversary of Ryder there was a big celebration and Jackson benefactor Jay Weiss took me aside and told me the history and how he had called the Ryder CEO and asked them to pony up some serious money to get the fundraising started for the public facility filled with UM physicians and surgeons of the first order. Further, Weiss, a philanthropist made a significant contribution at the time and Ryder is what it is today celebrating its silver anniversary and the public thanks all the staff and physicians for saving so many lives over the decades. And for more: go to http://www.jacksonhealth.org/ryder.asp

 

CITY OF MIAMI

 

>>> Miami Commission keeps Mayor Regalado’s final reach with deferral of a $50 million marina complex on Virginia Key, won’t be on municipal ballot in Nov. City still has bonding capacity for 45 million Marine Stadium restoration

 

The Miami Commission deferred a vote e on putting on the municipal ballot in November, a theme hotel on Jungle Island and a Marina development on Virginia Key and a lease extension for Monty’s Raw Bar and Marina managed by Regalado confidante Steve Kneapler, whose corporation is registered as “Hocus Pocus,” and the man had issues with the SEC but he sits in a number of key city boards like Miami Exhibition Sports Authority (MESE) that the city uses to bend deals generally for Miami waterfront property. Further the mayor made a tactical mistake in calling commissioners” s (no show Monday) trying to suppress voter participation rather than the commissioners just not believing the administration’s proposals and wanted them more fleshed out. Further the mayor’s family are all jumping into politics with his son Tomas Regalado, Jr., running for a commission spot and his daughter Raquel Regalado running for vacated congressional seat 27 district an is facing a host of challengers and the father has blended his radio show host with politics as has the daughter and while she won a school board seat. She lost a bid for County mayor and many wondered why she did not run for mayor but past issues have dogged her political life and had to pay a fine when she was treasurer of her father’s campaign. And for more on the mayor go to: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article170804042.html  Editor’s note: My criticism of the Regalado family and the way they govern has cost me a long time sponsor, but I will bounce back.

 

>>>> When the Watchdog report reviewed Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado’s financial disclosure forms I noticed, he did not list the income paid to him by Coral Gables Hospital as a board member and the hospital appears to pay these board members some $4,200.

 

>>>Past WDR Mayor Regalado writes letter in support of disgraced Panamanian leader Martinelli, who embezzled $45 million from school lunch program, claims it was because the man has a ‘heart condition,’ seems odd for such a diehard critic of the Castro brothers

 

The Watchdog Report almost fell out of my chair when I read Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado had written a letter in support of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli now being held in federal provision for crimes when he was in power including embezzling 45 million from a children’s school lunch program. This show of support demonstrates. The secret in Miami is who do you know and the acceptable bar is not that high since some 90 people wrote letters to federal U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz’s before the sentencing hearing for Jorge and Carlos de Céspedes brothers for Medicare fraud and the hearing produced one of the best lines about Miami, “where stopping at a red light and paying all your taxes was a aspirational act,” the jurist said from the bench. Further the mayor tells the Miami Herald that he wrote the letter because a media friend told him the disgraced leader had a heart condition but Regalado who is a hard liner when it comes to the Castro regime must somehow have softened his view since Martinelli has some of the same traits as the Castro regime and the $45 million embezzlement. And for more go to: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article165469042.html

 

>>>> The Saturday night air in Coconut Grove had the smell of smoke in the air, and it was two sailboats at Ransom Everglades School on the bay and had Main highway closed for an awhile after Miami Fire rescue responded to the blaze that had one person injured last night.

 

What about his filling

 

>>> With the sands of time running Mayor Regalado makes the big push, for a host of deals, some still being fleshed out. The Bond strategy will follow a Miami tried and true fear campaign as done in the past, politicians will say if $250 million (now bumped to $500 million) bond and if it doesn’t pass elderly could lose social services like meals on wheels, something badly needed for the elderly in Miami and that tactic was used in 2002 when a similar general obligation bond was on the ballot back then and passed.

 

However, tax payers have gotten their property appraisal county TRIM notices and there are already a host of bond charges, from the public schools, Jackson Health System, The Children’s Trust a special taxing district, and the WDR believes taxpayers have had enough of these bonds that also provide a host of services and I believe the Future Miami bond may run into turbulent waters with the Miami electorate.

 

A discussion of Museum Park set on Bicentennial Park caused a brisk discussion on whether the Omni CRA owed the city $2 million a year for 30 years and was included in the Global Agreement the county came up with and for the parks maintenance and completing the expensive master plan that lacks funding and Commissioner Frank Carollo chair of the Bayfront Park Trust has stated in the past that the trust wants that money since a new playground is being considered and involves a $2 million German design.

 

However, Commissioner vice Chair Ken Russell and chair of the CRA in a policy dispute wants to use the money for affordable housing and rehabbing structures in the CRA not for financing Museum Park and Carollo   and Russel are trying to hash out their differences.

 

“I was embarrassed” at the pathway to the Perez Art Museum and people on the July 4^th had to use flashlights since the anticipated solar lighting has not been completed, said Carollo. And he wants the money rehab the path to fit the enormous investment in the Perez Museum of Art PAMM.

 

What about the city’s new proposed budget?

 

The city of Miami with its booming real-estate market is looking at a $1 billion budget total budget and includes a host of projects that may or not pass and while Regalado says these deals are not about his legacy and tells the media “it either passes or it doesn’t’ he says in an extensive story in The Miami Herald on the last few months of the administration that ends in November. To read the budget go to: http://www.miamigov.com/Budget/docs/FY18/fy18proposedoperating.pdf and her is the long story on the Regalado administration: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article161030464.html

 

 

>>> Will Miami’s upcoming elections be a celebrity event? Or will it keep the old political order in place?

 

Since both Francis Suarez (17 net worth $245,000.) and Raquel Regalado have lived their lives in the public eye and many suggest they led a charmed life and Suarez ran his first file:///C:/Users/DAN%20RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Regalado%20Tomas.pdf Suarez was a past Miami mayor. Further he has a $3 Million campaign war chest with his PAC and he and his father take every opportunity to promote the son who is vice chair of the County’s Transportation Policy organization (TPO) but used to be known as the MPO. Further his wife Gloria on a tube video is campaigning for him and she did a good campaign video that you can see at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgbFKxeTo6M . Further Suarez has a young son and the family is part of the package and since his father’s nemesis former Miami Mayor Joe Carollo is running for his open Dist. 3 seat. He will have to later deal with the mercurial Carollo. And his new campaign piece in the Herald is now in English and he is touting the $3 million he has in his campaign war chest and it reads like he has already won the post, which is a very risky maneuver and to see the ad go to:

 

>>> And here are the July 1 financial disclosure forms for ‘Miami commissioners and the mayor Tomas Regalado

 

Commissioner Francis Suarez: file:///C:/Users/DAN%20RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Suarez%20Francis.pdf

 

Commissioner Wilfredo Gort file:///C:/Users/DAN%20RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Gort%20Wifredo.pdf

 

Ken Russell: file:///C:/Users/DAN%20RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Russell%20Ken.pdf

 

Frank Carollo: file:///C:/Users/DAN%20RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Carollo%20Frank.pdf

 

Keon Hardeman: file:///C:/Users/DAN%20RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Hardemon%20Keon.pdf

 

Tomas Regalado: file:///C:/Users/DAN%20RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Regalado%20Tomas.pdf

 

So here in Miami politics. The family that runs together apparently wins together and that is the case with the Diaz de la Portilla family where one brother Alex is running for the Florida senate. But had a very messy divorce that even included who would get the dog and will make him a prime target for attack ads in the future and his campaign ads are popping up in the media. Further Suarez is proposing a multimodal Transportation impact fee that would be just enough to fund a new tunnel across the Miami River on Brickell and he believes with these funds the city would pay for “45 percent of the cost,” and believed the state might kick” in 45 percent.” However his colleague Wilfredo Gort saw it differently saying such a fee “would kill businesses opening,” and a further discussion on the fees around the city will continue and one commissioner asked what the area should be through the city. However, the county will have to agree and commissioners will consider hash out the details in the future if it turns out to be a possible solution.

 

>>>>And next week I will run all the Miami commissioners July 1 financial disclosures and on the whole there is nothing to exciting about them except that Regalado is a paid board member on the HCA Coral Gables Hospital board where county commissioner Rebeca Sosa is the chair of the for profit board located in Sosa’s commission district. However in Regalado’s financial disclosure form he fails to list the $42,00 he is paid from Coral Gables Hospital as a board member too the for profit hospital. And I got this number from County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa who is also a board member and she lists the income but the mayor just lists being on the board but no income is listed. And to see the disclosure go to file:///C:/Users/DAN% 20RICKER/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/8UMCRP67/Regalado%20Tomas.pdf Editor’s note I emailed Mayor Regalado and asked him about the unreported income but he did not respond by my deadline.

 

Miami residents warning!

 

The city is rushing a deadline to get a proposed development on Virginia Key in front of voters to approve and this has been a past tactic for years and the Flagstone development had this same urgency back in 2002 and voters should wake up because the city has a long history of voters getting suckered in these “terrible deals,” said Commissioner Frank Carollo in the past and the matter is being rushed so that it can be on the Nov. 7 ballot that will also likely include a $250 million GOB bond called ‘Forever Miami,” and city leaders use this urgency to many times pull a fast one and frankly it is about the money, that in a number of cases never materializes. And for more go to http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article159278724.html

 

>>> Former Miami Mayor Joe Carollo made an appearance in city Hall and he suggested to commissioners that when doing leases there should be “penalty,” if they don’t begin the development after three years, the commission candidate said. However people are wondering if Carollo might jump into the mayoral race that has Francis Suarez with a $2 million campaign war chest

 

What about mayoral candidate Francis Suarez and the 1,000 petitions he submitted to the Miami Clerk’s office and he would avoid paying the $100.00 candidate fee for qualification and is a nice   gesture and shows the young man is willing to do the work necessary to earn the job of mayor no small achievement given his age.

 

>>>> What about Miami City Manager Daniel J. Alfonso who is looking at other opportunities?

 

Manger Alphonso is said to be shopping around his resume since he was a Regalado appointee and the Gulf War veteran has serious financial skills and came out of the pressure cooker county budget department and during his time the city was able to hire a number CPAS who a few years back would not come to the city and currently the city’s reserves are around $120 million. However, he has also crossed swords with a number of commissioners and if Suarez is elected mayor people think this manager is gone despite the management skills and fiscal understanding, but has been accused of not talking to commissioners enough about issues facing the city.

 

However, Miami at one point in the 1990s went through ten managers ( and later two managers went to jail) and the city since then has had to defend two bond offerings after the SEC found irregularities and Alphonso and his CFO Chris Rose also a budget guru, will be very helpful if the city’s voters approve a $250 million to $400 million GOB and requires fiscal transparency if the city is to not run afoul of the SEC again, And the Watchdog Report believes they have a gem in the manager and the city is on solid fiscal ground. But Miami has a history of appointing political managers and not based on their skill set and taxpayers should realize after the Great Recession the administration under Regalado has bounced back partially because of the rising tax base given the development of Brickell

However, past Miami Mayor Carollo may decide to challenge Suarez the younger

>>>>When it comes to hiring outside Atty’s, Commissioner Russell wants to be sure the city “is not out gunned,” in court after testy exchange with city attorney Méndez

 

When it comes to hiring attorneys, “I want a knockout punch, “believing the commission’s decision to call Flagstone in “default,” of the agreement had with the city and Flagstone now suing Miami for $120 million on damages for breaking the agreement first created back in 2002 when the city’s voters approved a massive project on Virginia Key and has yet to really get anything done except a mega yacht Marina

 

What about the exchange between Commissioner Ken Russell and Miami attorney Victoria Méndez?

 

Russell and Méndez got into an exchange where she said he did not “understand the law,” since he was not an attorney and after the exchange the city attorney kind of rubbed it in saying “she could lose her Florida Bar License and highlights the strain between Russell who a few months ago wanted to have her fired because of a past performance but it did not occur and just simmers in the background

 

What about the Chart House and the Marina development?

 

The demolition the waterfront Chart House will be happening in the near future and will begin the creation of a new development on the site.

 

>>>> CIP discussion gets testy over “heroics,” police chief Rudy Llanes wishes CIP would remember the “heroics” of officers, exchange ends civility earlier supported by ethics omission Director Joe Centorino

 

The funding for the Civilian Investigative Panel (CIP) was a hot topic at a past commission meeting and Chair Keon Hardeman in the discussion noted his appointment Was not accepted because the slot was not for Dist. 5 since the bylaws were modified years ago to have people on the CIP who live in the five commission districts because years ago many of them lived in Dist. 2 with many of the members living in Grove Isle. Further, funding was dramatically cut during the Great Recession and the body financially with a new director has shaped up and is running much smoother said the board’s chair Horatio Aguirre a close confident to Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado

 

What about the civility program?

 

The County Ethics Commission has a new civility program and Miami-Beach and Coral Gables have all signed on including Miami and to see the program go to:

http://ethics.miamidade.gov/library/2017-meetings/summary_jan_17.pdf

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article154960954.html

 

What about The Bay front Park Trust?

 

The Trust met Wednesday and negotiations are going on if the Omni CRA has to pay the Trust $2 million a year for 15 years (some $30 million) for the maintenance of the park and includes a proposed playground in Museum Park where the playgrounds facilities will cost some $2 million in a no bid contract for playground equipment that is made in Germany, and the deal was part of the County’s Global Agreement, with Miami. However the Omni CRA would like to use the $30 million for new affordable housing in the CRA area and negotiations are going on between Miami Commission Vice Chair Ken Russell and Commissioner Frank Carollo who chairs the Bayfront Park trust board and readers will have to see how this all pans out.

 

Further, Bayfront Park Trust is considering building a playground in Miami Museum Park and the Omni CRA in a past agreement has agreed to pay $2 million a year in park maintenance that Russell wants to go affordable housing in the CRA district.

>>> Virginia Key Advisory Board, still upset with not knowing about city’s plan with developer to have tony Cabana Club, some say it disrespects Historic Black Beach

 

The Virginia Key Advisor Board is bristling with a city plan to let a developer put a tony Beach cabana club on the Historic Black Beach and the Miami Commission is reviewing the matter given the sensitivity of the historic beach relegated to only Blacks back in the late 1950s And at one ceremony back in 1999 then Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek and Althea Range planted a tree in memorial of the sacred beach. However the developer has apparently bought a part of the beach and environmentalists are concerned it will be a concrete jungle that also must be open to the public and it remains to be seen what the final development will be that must be approved by the Miami Commission.

 

CITY OF MIAMI BEACH

 

>>> Mayoral campaign heats up how low will Gelber & Grieco go to win the top spot, suspicious PAC will be dissolved and money returned pro rata

 

Defense Attorney Michael Grieco has been fighting back after the Miami Herald did an investigation of a PAC that the commissioner said did not involve him and since the reporting the PAC has been dissolved and money returned to donors in a pro rata basis but the Kerfuffle has amped up the intensity of the race for mayor and pits Gelber a former federal prosecutor against his opponent a former state representative and senator and historically there have many tough mayoral races over the years and the beach has some of the tightest campaign finance rules in the county and why this became a major political issue in the race and Grieco suggests the paper of record is doing a hatchet job on him in

And for more go to: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/ this matter but many wonder if these type of issues will impact on the election in November and voters will make the decision.

 

>>>Mayor Levine, calls for 2:00 a.m. drinking curfew at bars & restaurants on Ocean Drive, which draws a rowdy crowd late at night

 

>>> When to end drinking on Ocean Drive splits city leadership, after incidents during packed Memorial Day celebrations and has Mayor Phillip Levine calling for a 2:00 a.m. curfew though he notes (people could continue to drink in hotels) but it can’t be at the bars and restaurants on Ocean Drive and has restaurant owners up in arms but the Drive has changed over the years and is not drawing the family crowds like years past. Further Kristen Rosen Gonzalez sent a memo to City Manager Jimmy Morales questioning if the police body cams is keeping the officers from policing. However, Morales notes how the police were reacting prior to Chief Dan Oates taking the helm and the commissioner is a congressional candidate could be looking for a little press. For more on the story go to

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article153870244.html

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article153813234.html

>>> A man from Syracuse NY has been arrested for stealing some $3.6 million from the city’s coffers and the man is already in custody and authorities are working getting the money back and the city has beefed up its finance department that in the past missed the transfers from a Sun trust bank account.

 

>>> Further, The Miami-Dade Ethics and Public Trust commission released a survey after city workers all went through extensive ethics classes and the survey found some employees are still being asked if they want a bribe. Further these training sessions have been done in the city of Miami and across the county and like the county’s Inspector general it is another watchful watchdog. For more go to: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article141609749.html

 

What about zoning plan expediters’?

 

Builders across the county still use a practice of using attractive women to get building plans approved on a timely basis. And the beach is known to be a tough nut to crack and I have followed them and they get off on the building department floor. The Miami-Dade Ethics and Public Trust Commission issued a survey of Miami Beach employees and even after extensive ethics training they still were offered a bribe and to see the press release on the matter go to below.

 

Community EVENTS & Public Service announcements

Photo credit: Leslie Harris