Watchdog Report Vol.24 No.92 February 2, 2025 EST:05.05.00: A free community education resource for soon 25-years
WATCHDOG REPORT
Miami-Dade, Fla.
Vol.24 No 92, February 2, 2025, Celebrating May 5th,2000: 25 -years of free weekly publishing! www.watchdogreport.net & Former Miami Herald featured, news reporter & 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 STREETS
I got some good medical news and the report will be different this week after I find results Tuesday, and I lived in Australia for five-years the skin cancer capital in the world.
After being told I had cancer last week. I got a reprieve, that it was basal cell skin cancer after having a major blow to my mindset and now know what people feel when told they have a fatal cancer, versus mine that is readily treatable thank God. But the days of not knowing was a major stress for me or anybody. Thank God it was an early diagnosis and the cancer is very prevalent in Florida and people should get checked early, if you were a sun worshiper.
On a separate note: President Trump fired a host of federal Inspectors Generals and thankfully it is being challenged for waste fraud abuse, and corruption is not just Miami where we are the “graduate school for fraud,” said a Southern District Attorney General Alex Acosta in Miami years ago and the FBI office has two Medicare fraud task forces, though fraud still flourishes around the nation.
Let Zero Child Drown is a program with the city of Miami, and the Miami-Dade County Children’s Trust. The program has taught 20,000 children age 4-5 how to swim where children drowning in all the water bodies is a parental nightmare. The program is a county program. For more go to: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/initiatives/zero-drownings/home.page
I will be back next week and hope to be in better writing shape, wish me luck and some financial support this week, thank you Dan Ricker.
STATE of FLORIDA
>>> The Florida Attorney General’s Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit secured more than $2.2 million for the Florida Medicaid program from Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. Acadia, a health care provider based in Tennessee, alleged to have violated the Federal False
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>> Will new constitutional officers hamper mayor Cava’s cost cutting in falling tax dollars after federal funds gone?
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The school board Audit and Budget review committee is holding a meeting April 4, at the district’s school administration building. This committee made up of accountants CPA’s is the community firewall but that was always not the case with political appointees and was not a good watchdog for the community but that changed after I hammered the board members back then and is a solid committee for the community. To see the agenda go to: http://api.dadeschools.net/WMSFiles/23/pdfs/24-25/AC_February_4_2025/Agenda.pdf
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST
>>> Jackson Health System seeking $250 million revenue bond, for “neglected infrastructure,” roofing air handling needed upgrades, said CEO Migoya
CITY OF MIAMI
>>> The city of Miami has moved to change recycling and bulky waste pickup and is expected to be vigorously challenged by the public this Thursday. Miami also has a need to watch building sites doing work on Saturday’s. I have lived cross such activity where workers put non-trash items in my garbage can and the workers are quick to tell you don’t want trouble as they take over the street, saying they know your schedule
STATE OF FLORIDA
PRESS RELEASE: —The Florida Attorney General’s Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit secured more than $2.2 million for the Florida Medicaid program from Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. Acadia, a health care provider based in Tennessee, alleged to have violated the Federal False Claims Act and the Florida False Claims Act by submitting false or fraudulent claims for inpatient behavioral health care to Medicaid and Medicare.
Acting Attorney General John Guard said, “Our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, along with its colleagues in several states, has yet again done terrific work, holding accountable a health care company that sought to receive funds from the public fisc that it was not entitled. As they do every day, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will investigate, prosecute and recover public funds from those that engage in waste, fraud or abuse.”
The agreement resolves allegations that the defendant’s facilities admitted patients who were not eligible for inpatient treatment. It also resolved claims that Acadia failed to discharge patients who no longer needed inpatient care, leading to longer than needed inpatient stays. In addition, the settlement resolves allegations that the company provided inadequate staffing and failed to adequately train or supervise staff, resulting in patient harm.
The investigation and settlement started from two qui tam, or whistleblower actions, originally filed in April 2017 in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the Middle District of Florida under the federal False Claims Act and various state false claims statutes. The states of Georgia, Michigan and Nevada also conducted investigations of Acadia.
As part of the overall settlement, the State of Florida will receive $2,289,565.53 in restitution and other recoveries.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>> Will new constitutional officers hamper mayor Cava’s cost cutting in falling tax dollars after federal funds gone?
County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava in her State of the County speech recently stated with revenues tight after federal dollars were being depleted that she is pushing efficiencies in the county administration even though hiring many employees in her first term.
THE WDR has watched county government for 24-years, and while fire and police do a good job with the new constitutional offices and consolidations millions can be saved by not changing the seals of the new officers’ that when Ken Jenne in Broward was elected it cost $7 million to change all the police cars that all had his name on them and these new officers’ they must be cost effective in creating their new officers and the money.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC DCHOOLS
The school board Audit and Budget review committee is holding a meeting April 4, at the district’s school administration building. This committee made up of accountants CPA’s is the community firewall but that was always not the case with political appointees and was not a good watchdog for the community but that changed after I hammered the board members back then and is a solid committee for the community. To see the agenda go to: http://api.dadeschools.net/WMSFiles/23/pdfs/24-25/AC_February_4_2025/Agenda.pdf
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST
>>> Jackson Health System seeking $250 million revenue bond, for “neglected infrastructure,” roofing air handling needed upgrades, said CEO Migoya
Wednesday’s Trust board meeting was an eventful event. CEO Carlos Migoya announced the appointment of a new COO David Zambrana, R.N., MBA., Ph.D., and the man a nurse with an MBA and Ph.D. is a trusted member of Jackson’s management team said, Migoya to the board.
He also announced that the health system was requesting the county commission to support a new revenue bond. Of $250 million for the Jackson campus and the last revenue bond was in 2005. The public health care system was approved a $830 million GOB. The new funding will integrate the Cerner technology critical to patient safety, and other dated technology, said Migoya.
Migoya said for every one dollar of the bond by leveraging revenues $2.00 was returned to the trust he said. The new revenue bond is because of “capital neglect,” over the years. The trust in 2005 had some $500 million in capital needs and could not finance such needs. Migoya a former banker was reviewed by the trust chair Amadeo Lopez-Castro, III, whose father was a past chair of the health trust in 2002.
What about the CEO’s review?
Lopez-Castro did the review with others of Migoya and said he received the “highest rating,” for Migoya who not only turned around the beleaguered institution but worker closely with nursing and physician staff.
He also partnered with medical staff and nurses and uplifted public healthcare for the institution that had the reputation of where “the poor went to die,” was the popular perception for years and that has changed with the voters passing the bond years ago and created new updated facilities including a much-needed rehabilitation facility. If one went into the basement in Jackson before the bond it was frozen in turn of the previous century technology.
CITY OF MIAMI
>>> The city of Miami has moved to change recycling and bulky waste pickup and is expected to be vigorously challenged by the public this Thursday. Miami also has a need to watch building sites doing work on Saturday’s. I have lived cross such activity where workers put non-trash items in my garbage can and the workers are quick to tell you don’t want trouble as they take over the street, saying they know your schedule
SPONSERS:
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 of 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
Sponsors
***** LIFETIME FOUNDING MEMBERS & Initial sponsors since 2000
Mr. ANGEL ESPINOSA – (Deceased) owner COCONUT GROVE DRY CLEANER’S
HUGH CULVERHOUSE, Jr (The first contributor to the WDR)
FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT www.fpl.com .
THE MIAMI HERALD www.miamiherald.com (2000-2007)
ARTHUR HERTZ, deceased one of the first supporters
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, Esq. https://rlbookpa.com/team/
BENEDICT P. KUEHNE, Esq. 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/
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