Watchdog Report Vol.20 No.23 May 15, 2022 – I go when you cannot – A community education resource free to all
May 5th was the WDR’s 22-year anniversary, and I never thought back then that I would reach such a milestone, and thanks to community support, I achieved that, and I thank my supporters from the bottom of my heart.
WATCHDOG REPORT
Miami-Dade, Fla.
Vol.22 No.23, May15, 2022, Soon Celebrating 22 -years of weekly publishing! www.watchdgreport.net & Former Miami Herald news & editorial columnist. 05.05.00, I go when you cannot, for almost 22-years & a trusted community education resource & news service, without the attitude
>>> Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics will not take an interest in you. –Pericles (430 B.C.)
>>>> I have been sick the last few weeks with a persistent cold, and fatigue and why no WDR recently. And I thank my supporters for the continued confidence in me keeping the community informed.
What about Lotus Village?
The nation’s premier social service agency that assists families and women with children is doing an expansion called The Children’s Village. The organization founded by Constance Collin’s with her own money after she saw a need for women’s social services that were being unmet in Miami-Dade and it has been a huge success, for the women. She is also on the county’s Homeless Trust and is a solid provider of these important social services allowing women and children to get back on their feet. For more on the expansion and a look at the project click the link. https://lotushouse.org/lotus-village-a-miami-homeless-shelter-that-feels-like-home-set-for-ambitious-expansion/?msclkid=12ae3ebeceee11ec89415ac1e34cd820
What about the city of Miami’s mid-year budget?
The city’s budget director said the municipality had a $18 million surplus, but only $1.7 million in the fund balance. The city has been riding high given all the federal funding after Covid and its economic impact, to fill budget gaps, for a host of services during the pandemic.
>>> What about the county commission’s discussion on creating a new constitutional Sheriff’s office like the 57 others in Florida, and the problems it can create are showcased in Broward County where Tony Gregory is facing strong criticism of his office with the nine county commissioners.
Creating a constitutional Sheriff’s office approved statewide by voters in the constitution, which was abolished when corrupt sheriff Jim Sullivan was dissolved, by a senate investigation on racketeering in south Florida, is extremely complex, and is called “the ultimate incorporation,” said Jennifer Moon, the former county budget director now working for the commission. The very competent women is a budget guru and understands. The very competent woman understands. The 84 different revenue streams that make up the county’s $1billion budget, and what challenges these new offices bring like the county’s debt, and interest payments.
>>>What about The Miami Herald’s 23rd Pulitzer Prize for Champlain Towers South condo collapse coverage and 97 deaths.?
The Pulitzer Prize, the top journalistic award was given to The Herald’s newsroom for all the in-depth coverage and revelations and should remind the public how the paper informs the community as a whole and is a critical center board, to public institutions doing the right thing. Further, the reporters with Joey Fleches’, being the first on the scene, should get a tip of hat, along with the dedicated newsroom that needs the community’s support in the tough printed media market.
>>>> Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins has announced she will leave the body and is now running for congress, says her email.
EDITORIAL
I was deeply disturbed by someone at the U.S. Supreme Court, leaking a draft paper on the controversial Roe. v.. Wade decision. The court was the last public institution, versus the house and senate that have both suffered, confidence by the nation.
The court draft while igniting a firestorm with the public protesting even in front of the jurists’ homes, is a scary state of affairs. The court has been the touchstone of the nation, as it deliberates the nations laws, non-political, in its long history and landmark cases. But this leak is corrosive to justice being blind and has tainted the court’s reputation by the very divided public.
>>> Now another hate crime shooting in Buffalo, kills 10
And now the hate crime shooting in Buffalo leaving 10-blacks dead and others wounded. The nation has never been more divided, yet it never diminishes, and appears to be threatening the nation, a sad commentary.
>>>> What about the new Florida Education Secretary state Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr., appointed by the governor last week?
For some reason, the senator’s financial disclosure is not online at the Florida ethics commission which is very odd given his years in office( and the webpage is not showing disclosures for others and may be worked on; Here is the webpage to search financial disclosure forms with the state. http://public.ethics.state.fl.us/results.cfm
Diaz is a big supporter of charter schools and Gov. Ron De Santos. The former educator has had an extensive political career and once ran for the Miami-Dade public schools board losing to board chair Perla Tabares Hantman years ago and may be why she is not seeking reelection in 2022.
What about Jackson Health, system?
The public health trust board met Wednesday and the figures for March were below what was budgeted but it is hoped to be made up with the increasing billings and sales tax revenues, which has the employees of the public system exhausted.
After two years of the pandemic and has Chief medical officer Dr. Peter Paige leaving for New England after five years in the position. The man preferred the “clinical side to the board room,” said trustee chair William Heffernan in his remarks. Further, the trust raised $4 million at its yearly gala and included $500,000 donated by tech maven Manny Medina. CEO Carlos Migoya also highlighted the effective use of a protégé program to train minority contractors, that more evenly divided the bond revenue throughout the county firms over the past 10-years that projects were being built including the incredible Jackson West hospital in Doral.
>>>> County public schools, facing under-enrollment crisis, and FTE funding that comes with full enrollment,117 charter schools make it a bigger challenge, board members may “knock on doors,” if they have to.
The Miami-Dade County Public Schools have an enrollment problem after the years of Covid and the 490-public schools dealing with the pandemic, when federal funding is coming to an end. But the under-enrollment district wide will have devastating results and the board discussed this little publicized fact. A district with no F schools but 117charter schools will see funding gaps at the present enrollment rate that may have some board members knocking on “people’s doors,” trying to recruit students to the newly refurbished public schools after a massive bond program is coming to an end.
>>> Miami mayor genuflects to Crypto currency, Mayor Suarez, takes city salary in the currency a Fox interviewer states in interview with the young possible wunderkind mayor, as currency meeting held on Miami Beach that includes a replica of the Wall
Street Bull, but is all the hype for real the million-dollar question, on the get quick rich boom or bust technology,
And includes a host of high-profile investors bullish on the currency that has critiques suggesting it could all be a scam and people need to see the video “Chasing Madoff,” for government is usually late when it comes to new technologies and enforcement even after a whistleblower testified for years about the convicted fraudster.
>>> Jackson hit with $71 million in state funding cut, despite improved performance of the healthcare system, opens 5 new pediatric emergency rooms including Jackson South
The state was not kind to a reformed Jackson Health System when it came to funding public hospitals and JHS is facing a $71 million hit in reduced state funding. Despite the public health facility working better than 1997 and was under severe criticism by skeptical state legislators, and has since turned around having some 11-years of operating in the black and finishing a 2013 bond offering coming to an end that has transformed the public health system, that had a reputation that Jackson was “where the poor would go to die,” and that is no longer the case with the new facilities and a strong relationship with the University of Miami Miller Medical School for advanced medical services.
At Wednesdays trust board meeting CEO Carlos Migoya said that while sales tax revenues recently down have come back “strong,” that revenue is offset by higher staff costs, noting that PPP funding that covered some of the pandemics increased costs that funding is ending and why the cut in state funding is so harmful to the public hospitals mission of equal medical care for all. The trust also produced internally a 30-second ad, at no cost),spot thanking the community for approving the bond and the transformation is seen around Miami-Dade County, on time and on budget which is remarkable for the public institution that many have seen major overruns of such bond projects and was a pleasant surprise and Migoya and his team deserves a tip of the hat for the accomplishment
>>> Past WDR: Mysterious Crypto Currency task Force, at county approves draft report to county commissioners, is this speculative technology a moral hazard to speculators looking for quick riches, with Miami becoming the crypto capital as well as Medicare fraud capital of nation as well, with are history where will this technology take all of us.
The Miami-Dade County crypto task force has issued its draft report when it passed Wednesday. The task force created by county commissioner Eileen Higgins has been hard at work to explain the role of the currency in Miami known as the “crypto capital,” in the world. But most people do not understand it and the worry is people investing are taking a gamble not knowing the odds. I have been wondering what the moral hazard is regarding investing in NFT’s.
Further task force members said 7 adult school sites in the public school system
are teaching a primer course at a cost of $5.00 using educators and volunteers as advisors on the curriculum.
The group also wants to get sponsors to reduce the cost of going to Miami Tech Week month in Miami and www.blockchain.com is expected to come to Miami in “mid-April,” said chair Elijah Bowdre. The volunteer group also wants media to create special sections for crypto currency news. The board’s draft plan is now set to go to the county commission for their review, and the board sunsets May 5th and the commission must reauthorize it.
That had Commissioner Manolo Reyes trying to tamp down the divisiveness of the discussion.
I first came to Miami in 1975 when I joined Cordis Corp. in a new executive program that sent me to California, Tokyo, and later to Sydney for five-years, before returning to Miami in 1990. I mention this because ethnic tensions in Miami have always simmered below the surface, with some Grovites believing a sense of entitlement versus other residents and in 2000 had the county push the Mosaic initiative trying to bring the community together after the explosive Elian Gonzalez affair. That had rednecks with confederate flags and Black people shouting “F…” the Cubans,” and was caught by The Miami Herald in a photo back then.
The commission is trying to keep the Grove a tight knit community with very vocal residents in one district instead of three separate districts. The appointed redistricting attorney Miguel De Grandy was told to try to accommodate keeping the Grove together. That has commissioner Joe Carollo’s home in north Grove on Morris Lane in his current district 3, rather than rent a home in Little Havana with his wife. De Grandy is a major lobbyist at the county lost a state house seat by one vote, years ago. He noted district -2 that includes the “Grove is 48.7 percent Hispanic,” after the most recent 2020 Census stated the attorney based on the census data.
Carollo bought his home in 2001 for $574,000 and that was a surprise for the WDR, because after his divorce, where he threw an object at his wife and was charged, and after the divorce hearings and settlement which I attended. He remarked he was “worth more dead, than alive,” he told the press. Which makes me wonder how he afforded the property especially after his subsequent numerous divorces. Further, while Carollo made wild accusations about where Russell lives and his personal finances, being interpreted wrong and had Russell saying he has lived in his home for decades and there was nothing “nefarious,” about the deal since his family had expanded and more room was needed for his family
Thanks to my initial founding sponsors, and all my others the WDR will continue for another year, with your help, but I still need your help, thank you!
I am pleased and thankful to announce the WDR will be here another year after founding sponsors came through this year and I thank all the people who have kept me going over the last 22-years, despite some medical issues, like last year after I broke my hip and was repaired and I have no pain thank God and can walk after physical therapy.
>>> The Miami-Dade County commission needs to keep an eye-on the Omni community redevelopment authority, (one of 11 in the county) and controversial Miami commissioner Alex dela Portilla becoming chair of $66 million annual budget agency helping to pay for the Adrienne Arsht Center debt, some $5 million yearly, needs to be watched closely
Miami-Dade County commissioners need to keep A close eye on Miami’s Omni CRA, an important $66 million budget entity that helps fund the Adrianne Arsht Performing Arts Center. Since a purge is taking place for political reasons. This began after Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla (DDLP) was appointed chair of the Omni board, replacing commissioner Ken Russell as chair by the commission.
The alert goes up after the long-time director Jason Walker was fired by DLP recently and replaced by Bert Gonzalez. The entity’s mission is to fight slum and blight, but of the 11 CRAs the county helped create some have become a political tool to hire people for no show jobs. And one felonies employee Jenni Nillo, was hired by DDLP as his outreach employee after she was fired by Walker at the CRA for being a ghost employee. She further did three years in prison after pleading guilty to mortgage fraud and money laundering .And for more go to :https://www.floridabulldog.org/2022/03/troubled-alex-diaz-de-la-portillla-takes-control-66-million-omni-cra/ Also Felon fired amid investigation, then quickly re-hired by Miami commissioner (local10.com)
What do we know of DDLP’s finances?
The man’s net worth on 12/31/21 was $1.3 million and owes Hm holdings. A snack food manufacturer a revocable loan of $600,000 and owes Wells Fargo $630,000.and the WDR is doing more research on Hm that received $253,860, in PPP loans and has a local Miami address.
The middle brother Alex of the prominent Cuban family that had two of them being a Florida senator Alex and his lobbyist brother Miguel.
What about the annual Miami-Dade Domestic Violence Annual Board report?
The domestic violence trust has opened a new 60-bed shelter in South Miami and with Covid domestic violence cases have been on the rise. Further, there is new software that allows a caller to use facetime if approved and is great for prosecuting domestic violence.
>>> Clean-up efforts of Biscayne Bay kick into high gear with “120,000,” homes on septic tanks countywide, county commissioners “want to see specifics, one by one,’ since the first Bay study in 2015.
On a different note: than above. The county’s Biscayne Bay task force is revving up its efforts since the first study of the bay in 2015. Funding finally has been surging from the state and federal government. The one main polluter of Biscayne Bay is the est. 120,000 septic tanks countywide and converting septic to sewer can cost up to $20,000, and the desire is to reduce that amount to around $1,000, and there is new septic tank technology, that uses baffles in the interior of the tanks but the bay is at a tipping point say environmentalists and chair Commissioner Daniele Cohens Higgins, wants to see “specifics,” and true goals and time lines. Further, one of the first conversion areas is Schenley Park area in commissioner Rebeca Sosa’s district next year, after years of delays.
Past WDR: What about the issue of homeless children in Miami-Dade?
The point count recently was 947 kids on streets since this most recent count? “The count found 49 percent were ’homeless the first time,” 65 percent were non-Hispanic, and 180 people were moved into new homes and the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust participated in the 100 Day challenge and above is some of the results I asked trust chair Ron book about the program discussed at the trust meeting Friday and he responded: “The 100 Day Challenge relates to ending youth homelessness, and we were 1 of 5 Communities identified nationally. We accepted the challenge, and there are now 15 Communities in the Country that have accepted it. We are considered probably if not the most successful to complete the one hundred Day Challenge ranking in the top 2 or 3.”
We did things to create new best practices, and if you had the opportunity, which you may already have seen the video from the Chicago Summit, you would see that the other four that participated in this 100 Day Challenge were truly taken by our efforts, commitment, and our success. We blew our goals out of the water, and we will continue to push, and pursue every youth that are on our streets until we have everyone out, and taken care of,” wrote the long-time chair.https://www.wesh.com/article/desmond-meade-on-time-100-speaks-to-what-this-country-is-all-about/27185500
>>> Further today is my Vol.23, No.22 and 22-years of weekly editions since 05.05.00 of publishing the Watchdog Report and while I have had a variety of health issues over the past years, I thank my supporters again for the confidence and privilege of doing this free news service along with the internet. Further, during that time I have had no scandals or personal controversies and sometimes returned money like I did with ex-judge Martin Zilber, who resigned after abusing his judicial staff.
>>> And to support the WDR go to my Pay Pal account that is easy to use and right now would be a great time: http://paypal.me/WatchdogReport Further, if you would rather send a check send it made out to Daniel Ricker and mail it to 3109 Grand Ave., #125 Miami, Fla. 33133. Thank you, Dan
>>> And having a member of the press at public meetings gives teeth to the Florida Sunshine Law (and why you get a Flu Shot) and open meetings tape recorded keeps good governance in place and reduces waste fraud and abuse, and public corruption, and is why you don’t speed in front of a state trooper for example. And hope you can support the WDR efforts to have informed residents to public institutions issues, in our community.
>>> Further the www.watchdogreport.net in South Florida is an established news service presence, because most people are too busy to go to these important meetings., and all the information comes through me as a central point allowing me to see things at a 100-mile altitude and being an early warning system when projects have overruns or other issues. But my job is to sound the alarm and I have done so many times over the past years in a host of ways.
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Daniel A. Ricker
Publisher & Editor
Watchdog Report
Est. 05.05.00
Copyright © of original material, 2022, Daniel A. Ricker
>>> The Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel & Sun-Sentinel articles on the Watchdog Report publisher over the years.
Published on September 9, 1999, Page 1EA, Miami Herald, the (FL)
CITIZEN ADVOCATE’ KEEPS TABS ON POLITICIANS
Published on January 3, 2000, Page 1B, Miami Herald, the (FL)
MIAMI-DADE WATCHDOG WILL BE MISSED
Published on January 20, 2003, Page 1E, Orlando Sentinel, PAPERWORK TIGER, Miami’s citizen watchdog piles up government files in his quest to keep the “little people” informed. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190045_1_ricker-miami-watchdog
>>>Watchdog Report publisher named ‘Best Citizen’ 2003 by the Miami New Times
The publisher would like to thank the weekly alternative paper Miami New Times for bestowing their 2003 Best of Miami, ‘Best Citizen’ award to me and I am honored. Thank you. To read the full story go to http://www.miaminewtimes.com/best-of/2003/people-and-places/best-citizen-6399517
And to support the WDR go to my Pay Pal account http://paypal.me/WatchdogReport Further, if you would rather send a check send it made out to Daniel Ricker and mail it to 3109 Grand Ave., #125 Miami, Fla. 33133. Thank you, Dan.
And I thank my supporters over the last 17 years. And to read a national story and profile of the WDR publisher in the early years and background back in 2003 go to: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190341_1_ricker-school-board-president-miami-s-first-cuban-american
Daniel A. Ricker
Publisher & Editor
Watchdog Report
Est. 05.05.00
Copyright © of original material, 2019, Daniel A. Ricker
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>>> The Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel & Sun-Sentinel articles on the Watchdog Report publisher over the years.
Published on September 9, 1999, Page 1EA, Miami Herald, the (FL)
CITIZEN ADVOCATE’ KEEPS TABS ON POLITICIANS
Published on January 3, 2000, Page 1B, Miami Herald, the (FL)
>>> Readers who would like to read the complete University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Southeast United States Media Report go to view the complete report or download
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