Watchdog Report Vol.23 No.2 February 5, 2023 – EST; 05.05.00 – A free community education resource, I watch & go when you cannot
WATCHDOG REPORT
Miami-Dade, Fla.
Vol.23 No.2, February 5, Celebrating 23 -years of free weekly publishing! www.watchdogreport.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.)
ARGUS REPORT: HEARD SEEN ON THE STREET
>>> “Friends & Family plan,” discussed at Miami Civil Service meeting Tuesday, after Lt reclassified in whistle blower hearing first time in public., nepotism, and friends has been persistent problem multiple administrations. The city of Miami for years has had a culture of friends and families getting city jobs or promotions but it came up when chair Troy Sutton said those words while hearing the case as a lowly firefighter and he is excluded from such closed door closed discussions, he put on the record. The practice is endemic in the city, but first time said in public.
FLORIDA: The Florida Ethics Commission has $799,569.in ethics fines unpaid and the list is a cross section of people on state boards.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: DeSantis appointments to county school board changing boards culture, will it impact his potential presidential run?- >>> Will Home Rule Charter & Septic to Sewer? Be top legislative county lobbying issues in Tallahassee, Regalado asks.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Cardiac EKG screening should be required by state, number one killer of young athletes in schools, highlighted at school board Wednesday.
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST: Oct. JHS financial dashboard: https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/jacksonhealth/b071ed27-6113-11ed-95a3-0050569183fa-6872cee3-98a7-4865-85f1-4b68344022ed-1669154377.pdf,receivables at $265 million& other not-for -profit-systems, under employee cost strains & state cuts to Medicaid matching funds of concern
CITY OF MIAMI: District 2, campaign hit pieces hitting mailboxes, Zilber’s mother says he is a good kid, Covo gets backing from Russell. Poll asks about all 13 candidates adds Sarnoff, mayor, commissioners…(Zilber with & $88,000, Torres checks in at $ 28,000 for race), how low will candidates go for Dist.2 seat?
EDITORIAL: Carollo, wrong to limit public speakers to Miami residents, such diverse county all interrelated public should be able to speak.
Community Events: https://historymiami.org/ The ART Warehouse https://www.margulieswarehouse.com/
>>> The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust is bursting at the seams said staff Friday and with two cold weather events The Chapman Partnership is full, and Camillus House has had to put clients in the board room, said CEO Hilda Hernandez.
The trust is being hammered by recent immigration issues. Further, the second gentleman Douglas Emhoff toured Chapman and said it should be a national model with its continuum of care. Also, housing costs are rising as families are becoming more often with immigrants. Further, this is taxing are healthcare systems still reeling from Covid costs in staffing rising costs in the competitive healthcare market.
>>> Past WDR: Cardiac EKG screening should be required by state, number one killer of young athletes in schools, highlighted at school board Wednesday, after Bills player cardiac arrest should ACDs? be included on the field?
Student Athletes dying from sudden cardiac death, was highlighted at Wednesday’s school board meeting. Sudden death is common with athletes and the need for a EKG screening is important. And advocates say screening should be mandatory. And Florida has nine districts that have this screening requirement before entering school. Further, some parents are hesitant to screen, and just have to be notified, said advocates including a girl with an implantable defibrillator. For more go to: A national story on early years of WDR https: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-01-20-0301190341-story.html
FLORIDA
>>> The Florida Ethics Commission has $799,569.in ethics fines unpaid and the list is a cross section of people on state boards and to see the list go to:
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>>
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Charter schools have expanded to 155 schools and receive $797 million from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The schools do not have to follow the same procedures as public districts, and many are managed by private for-profit companies. The district does audits of these schools.
What about students’ threat assessment teams?
The board’s student advisor Ms. Cori Anna White with a unique perspective made some saliant comments recently when the schools code of conduct was being discussed. With all the mass shootings she noted “student safety was paramount regardless of zip codes. She inquired about the role of “threat assessment teams,” and “reporting lines,” and their role “in identifying patterns of behavior,’ of students.
Dr. Steven Gallon, III, a former principal overseeing 3,200 students said the goal was not “to suffer situations that take away opportunities to educate. He said, “parents send the best students they have, and the district policy was going to be applied with “firmness and equity.” Noting a large public school “is one of the most challenging education jobs there is said the veteran teacher
>>> The Miami-Dade County Homeless trust is bursting at the seams with the Chapman Partnership is full & Camillus House putting overflow clients in their board room after two Cold weather events over holidays at Friday’s trust meeting, said Camillus CEO Hilda Fernandez, a long-time homeless advocate, second husband Douglas Emhoff toured Chapman & thought program should be model for nation
>>> 13 candidates vie, Two caught my eye, disgraced county circuit court judge Martin Zilber and Eddy Leal mayor’s muse dodges the press. City clerk’s webpage difficult to find candidates.
The mayors muse Leal and he does many proclamations for the mayor. The attorney paid $90,000 is an advisor to Suarez in his national political ambitions that had the mayor on FOX last Thursday, carping about the federal response in helping Miami deal with all the refugees and homeless refugees and students in the city l taxing the system.
The WDR has been critical of Zilber,(net worth $13 million years ago raised $88,000, Torres has $28,0000 in war chest) and I know him from the Public Health Trust where one time I got up at 5:30 a.m. to do attendance at the trust and Zilber was chair of purchasing and he strolled in late, a persistent problem that had county commissioner Sally Heyman a family friend criticizing Zilber’s attendance record at the trust. Further, when you apply to the trust you sign a notarized application stating you must resign from being on any county boards. Zilber never did that and stayed on the Cultural Affair board. And friends have been covering for his subpar performance over the years culminating in resigning his circuit court judge position after a scathing investigation and abuse of employees for private matters and a scrapbook of his achievements by his judicial assistant. This says Zilber as a commissioner will love the benefits but he has a different moral and ethical compass than I do and I returned his support check years ago because I could see he was going to be a problem.
Further, His latest misuse of staff for personal items(including his bailiff going to the DMV is shocking). Zilber a republican and had a letter recommendation to the trust from past Gov. Jeb Bush where he told the nominating council “he had the 30-hours of time to commit being a trustee,” which turned out to be untrue.
>>> Past WDR: Cardiac EKG screening should be required by state, number one killer of young athletes in schools, highlighted at school board Wednesday, after Bills player cardiac arrest should ACDs? be included on the field?
Student Athletes dying from sudden cardiac death, was highlighted at Wednesday’s school board meeting. Sudden death is common with athletes and the need for a EKG screening is important. And advocates say screening should be mandatory. And Florida has nine districts that have this screening requirement before entering school. Further, some parents are hesitant to screen, and just have to be notified, said advocates including a girl with an implantable defibrillator. For more go to: https://nzdsos.com/2022/09/09/unexplained-coincidental-collateral-damage/
>>> Cardiac EKG screening should be required by state, number one killer of young athletes in schools, highlighted at school board Wednesday, maybe defibrillators should be on sports fields.
Student Athletes dying from sudden cardiac death, was highlighted at Wednesday’s school board meeting. Sudden death is common with athletes and the need for a EKG screening is important. And advocates say screening should be mandatory. And Florida has nine districts that have this screening requirement before entering school. Further, some parents are hesitant to screen, and just have to be notified, said advocates including a girl with an implantable defibrillator. For more go to: https://nzdsos.com/2022/09/09/unexplained-coincidental-collateral-damage/
FLORIDA
>>> The Florida Ethics Commission has $799,569.in ethics fines unpaid and the list is a cross section of people on state boards and to see the list go to:
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>> Will Home Rule Charter & Septic to Sewer? Be top legislative county lobbying issues in Tallahassee, Regalado asks.
The county’s legislative agenda was the talk of the commission body with commissioner Raquel Regalado leading the challenge on using ballots to determine what they will be. Protecting Home Rule Charter, she recommended should be number one, along with septic to sewer given the 120,000 septic systems polluting Biscayne Bay.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
New school & county board members picked by DeSantis, changing board, culture, at county as well, as governor takes big November victory for a spin. Will it backfire in presidential run?
Charter schools have expanded to 155 schools and receive $797 million from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The schools do not have to follow the same procedures as public districts, and many are managed by private for-profit companies. The district does audits of these schools.
What about students’ threat assessment teams?
The board’s student advisor Ms. Cori Anna White with a unique perspective made some saliant comments recently when the schools code of conduct was being discussed. With all the mass shootings she noted “student safety was paramount regardless of zip codes. She inquired about the role of “threat assessment teams,” and “reporting lines,” and their role “in identifying patterns of behavior,’ of students.
Dr.Steven Gallon, III, a former principal overseeing 3,200 students said the goal was not “to suffer situations that take away opportunities to educate. He said, “parents send the best students they have, and the district policy was going to be applied with “firmness and equity.” Noting a large public school “is one of the most challenging education jobs there is said the veteran teacher
>>> Chair Hantman & Perez saying sayonara, after decades helped to stabilize rocky public district plagued by scandals
Two iconic board members are leaving after serving since 1996. Perla Tabares Hantman and Dr. Marta Perez, also an attorney since joining the board and was an advocate for an ethics committee chaired at one time by judge Kogan. She also pushed for the inspector general at the district. Hantman the chair most of her years was calm did things by the book after scandals rocked the district. Further, there was a state oversight board. Both women were very supportive of the WDR over the years, and they will be missed on the nine-member school board.
Retired Florida Supreme Court Judge Gerald Kogan was honored posthumously by the school board Wednesday. The jurist was the point of the spear after the Miami-Dade Chamber created the Alliance for ethical government after scandals and arrests at the county and bogus land deals at the public district, where matchbox degrees were prevalent, and the community outrage was palpable and confidence in government was abysmal. Editor’s note: I was at many meetings with Kogan, and he helped convince me that I should keep at my efforts and had a card, which read “Citizen Advocate for Ethical Government.”
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST
>>> Oct financial dashboard: https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/jacksonhealth/b071ed27-6113-11ed-95a3-0050569183fa-6872cee3-98a7-4865-85f1-4b68344022ed-1669154377.pdf
CITY OF MIAMI
Editorial
>>> Carollo, wrong to limit public speakers to Miami residents, such diverse county all interrelated should be able to speak.
City of Miami limiting public time to non-city residents, is a bad policy being pushed by commissioner Joe Carollo and despite his insistence of democracy in the chamber. He is off mark, and all citizens given how inter connected Miami-Dade is should have the right to speak about issues and not just limited to Miami residents, because they vote, is a slap in the face to the general public and should be repudiated by the commission. But likely will not.
SPONSORS:
>>> 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.
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
Daniel A. Ricker
Publisher & Editor
Watchdog Report
Est. 05.05.00
Copyright © of original material, 2023, Daniel A. Ricker
>>> The Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel & Sun-Sentinel articles on the Watchdog Report publisher over the years. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-01-20-0301190341-story.html
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. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-01-20-0301190341-story.html
>>> 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
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
>>> 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. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2003-01-20-0301190045-story.html
>>> 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 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.
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
Daniel A. Ricker
Publisher & Editor
Watchdog Report
Est. 05.05.00
Copyright © of original material, 2023, Daniel A. Ricker
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. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-01-20-0301190341-story.html
>>> 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
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
>>> 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. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2003-01-20-0301190045-story.html
>>>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
Sponsors
***** LIFETIME FOUNDING MEMBERS & Initial sponsors since 2000
Mr. ANGEL ESPINOSA – (Deceased) owner COCONUT GROVE DRY CLEANER’S
HUGH CULVERHOUSE, Jr (The first contributor)
FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT www.fpl.com .
THE MIAMI HERALD www.miamiherald.com (2000-2007)
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
>>> Watchdog Report supporters – $1,000 to $5,000 a year
BADIA SPICES www.badiaspices.com
BERKOWITZ POLLACK BRANT Advisors and Accountants www.bpbcpa.com
JEFFREY L. BERKOWITZ TRUST
BERCOW RADELL FERNANDEZ & LARKIN & Tapanes www.brzoninglaw.com
RON BOOK
BENEDICT P. KUEHNE http://www.kuehnelaw.com/
LINDA MURPHY: Gave a new laptop in Oct. 2001 to keep me going.
Rbb www.rbbcommmunications.com
SHUBIN & BASS www.shubinbass.com
WILLIAMSOM AUTOMOTIVE GROUP http://williamsonautomotivegroup.com/
>>> Public, Educational & Social institutions – subscribers at $1,000 or less
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 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/
>>> Public, Educational & Social institutions – subscribers at $1,000 or less
CITY OF MIAMI www.miamigov.com.
CITY OF CORAL GABLES www.coralgables.com
CHAPMAN PARTNERSHIP FOR HOMELESS www.chapmanpartnership.org
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY www.fiu.edu
THE STATE OF FLORIDA www.myflorida.gov
To contribute to the WDR send and make it payable to Daniel A. Ricker
Daniel A. Ricker
3109 Grand Ave.#125
Miami,Fla.33133