Watchdog Report Vol.15 No.50 Mar.15, 2015 EST.05.05.00 -I go when you cannot – Celebrating 15 Years

>>> The Watchdog Report publisher would like to thank the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation www.knightfoundation.org for funding by the Knight Foundation with technical support from the Knight Center www.knightfoundation.org to maintain my webpage. The Watchdog Report webpage is free, has no pops-up and is just the news in a mainstream reporting manner.

>>>> The Watchdog Report publisher needs help and I hope you will consider supporting me allowing me to stay out in the field so that I can keep at this and report back how your billions of public dollars in government are being spent on a weekly basis. And how to do that is at the end of the WDR. Thank You.

ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street

>>> M-DC officials hear mixed bag of ideas when it comes to incorporation of new cities, people claim extra layer of government, maybe more corruption, county services considered okay by many

The issue of incorporation of parts of Miami-Dade County is causing a lively conversation at County Hall and while it brings local government closer to the residents. Many people object to a new layer of government and are happy with current County Services said many speakers last week at a Commission Committee discussing a new city in North Miami-Dade since the legislation had lapsed allowing these discussions to continue and the issue has been contentious over the years but any new incorporation has been stalled over the years after commissioners put a moratorium on them and many people believe incorporation will only bring higher taxes and more corruption with speakers noting the arrests of the local mayors of some of the small cities and critics firmly believe they want to stay under the umbrella of Miami-Dade County when it comes to services like fire and policing. And the attendant lower millage rates by being unincorporated versus being one of the County’s 34 municipalities.

>>> Press release: Zogby Report Card: Obama has ‘lost public trust in his leadership’

John Zogby’s Obama Weekly Report Card is Featured in Paul Bedard’s “Washington Secrets” Published weekly in The Washington Examiner – Pollster John Zogby reports in our weekly White House report card that President Obama is sinking in the polls as the public is giving up on his leadership at home and overseas. “The president’s polling numbers are down again overall and majorities are negative on his ability to handle foreign policy, the economy, and health care. Please click on the link below to view this week’s grade: http://zogbyanalytics.com/news/469-zogby-report-card-obama-has-lost-public-trust-in-his-leadership

Ros-Lehtinen, Diaz-Balart, Curbelo, Sires, Duncan and Smith Call On OAS Secretary General To Withdraw Diplomatic Credentials of Venezuela’s Ambassador to the OAS

“The OAS is an institution founded on the principles of promoting democracy and defending human rights, but neither principle has yet to be invoked to help the people of Venezuela”

Press release: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, was joined today by her Congressional colleagues, U.S.  Reps. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Albio Sires (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights Subcommittee, Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Member of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), in sending a letter to Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza, requesting the withdrawal of Ambassador Roy Chaderton’s diplomatic credentials in wake of his comments against the Venezuelan people. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen: “The OAS is an institution founded on the principles of promoting democracy and defending human rights, but neither principle has yet to be invoked to help the people of Venezuela. As Members of Congress who represent taxpayers who fund the majority of the budget of the OAS, it’s time for the countries that constitute the OAS to stand up to Maduro and they can begin by immediately revoking the credentials of Venezuela’s Ambassador to the OAS, Roy Chaderton, for his reprehensible statements making light of the use of deadly force against peaceful demonstrators. Chaderton’s words are contrary to the principles embodied in the Inter-American Democratic Charter and he must be held accountable, as it is yet another despicable display of the indifference in which the Maduro regime treats democratic freedoms and human rights in Venezuela.” NOTE: Ambassador Chaderton, speaking on Venezuelan State television, made the following remark, translated from the original Spanish: “There comes a time when an opposition supporter’s head can’t be differentiated from a government supporter’s head except for its contents…The sound produced [by a bullet] in an opposition supporter head is like a click because the skull is empty.” He has now made a feeble attempt to backtrack from this odious and violent rhetoric that is an incitement to violence by claiming that it was ‘black humor’.

FLORIDA

>>> Law makers enter political minefield when it comes to being against transparent government, many appreciate it after out of office

While the media is celebrating Sunshine Week this week and open and strong policies allowing  the press access to documents and employees involved in spending public money and there is a big push is going on in Tallahassee trying too carve out more exceptions in the state’s very liberal Open records laws and politicians are taking a big chance. Since the public finds it comforting knowing someone is keeping an eye on how they’re public tax dollars are being spent and ironically when these elected officials go back to the private sector and away from government. They many times miss not knowing the details of some state or legislative deal and actually grow to appreciate the openness and transparency of their public institutions, and while Gov. Scott has found the issue of open government and transparency a new trait. One of the great things for the general public is this open government results in greater confidence in our lawmakers, something in short supply and can be radioactive for a long lasting political career. And for another take on this issue go to: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/static/features/sunshine/Sunshine-Players.html?brand=mia

Gov. Rick Scott cannot seem to get a break after it was alleged that state workers were not allowed to use the words Climate Change and Global Warming http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/florida-rick-scott-global-warming-talk-115910.html and the comment is being disputed since Florida is a peninsula surrounded by water and here in South Florida there is still concern if Florida will be able to get billions in federal dollars if Medicaid is not expanded in the state and affects federal dollars in the Lower Income Pool (LIP) used to help fund public hospitals giving charity care and will cost Jackson Health System some $300 to $400 million in lost federal funding and some lawmakers suggest the Florida Legislature is “Playing chicken” with the federal government but there has been little resolution to this vexing problem that will impact a host of local hospitals in some way and some $50 billion in federal funding over a decade could be lost and is  a battle royal in the state Capital.

>>>> PAST WDR:  FDLE Dir. Bailey firing still dogging Scott and FL Cabinet, will Ag. Commissioner Putney suffer from FDLE Bailey scandal?

Gov. Rick Scott is now admitting the termination of FDLE Dir. Jerry Bailey could have been handled better after a firestorm erupted when he was fired or resigned (depending on who you believe Bailey or Scott) suddenly and the incident put the Florida Cabinet in the hot seat and the governor has been dealing with the controversy for weeks now with little abatement and a “independent investigation” of the matter is being considered by the Cabinet and Cabinet members are demanding minutes be kept in the future, but calls for an investigation continue.

>>> Will FDLE’s continued Dir. Bailey’s resigning or firing dog Gov. Scott in controversy over FDLE the months ahead? Tries to dispel it with a press release but will Ag. Commissioner Putnam buy into it?

With The Shake-Up at FDLE, the new Gov. Rick Scott administration is getting off to a shaky start when it comes to transparency and good governance and conflicting charges are flying about what exactly went down with the termination of the long serving Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Director Gerald Bailey and whether he was fired or resigned as the governor said. But the controversy continues in the media and is becoming a major distraction for Scott, “who is quoted saying Bailey did a great job [and is being petty,” and a further news story in the Herald shows the debate will not be going away. Since the law enforcement agency has a rich history of being apolitical and not getting involved in political matters.

And while Gov. Rick Scott is still being hammered over the firing, of Florida department of Law Enforcement Director Gerald Bailey. Some of the Cabinet members are calling for an independent investigator be used to investigate the matter. That caught Florida Cabinet members, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CFO Jeff Atwater taken unaware when asked by the press about the firing. Further, Adam Putnam a former congressman for a decade prior to taking state wide office in 2010 is considered to have a bright political future and potentially a gubernatorial candidate in the next cycle in 2020 and he is starting to take the lead in the matter and Putnam knows how serious the ramifications could be of the possible political intrusion with the FDLE that has a long storied history of being a nonpartisan state law enforcement arm but the controversy whether Bailey was fired by Scott and his contradictory statement by the governor that Bailey quite, which the special agent denies since Bailey was set to retire in just a few months which also puzzles critics. And for Putnam the political stakes are the highest and he needs to be the point of the spear in getting this matter cleared up for the longer it festers and lingers it will be corrosive not only to Scott but how the Florid Cabinet is viewed as a whole  and that dark cloud may well infect Putman’s future political career if not resolved for he is in a position to do something about getting to the root of the story and while below is a press release from the governor’s office on the controversy trying to end the debate and it remains to be seen if this explanation will tamp down the controversy, especially since Putnam is a longtime Floridian and he has the reputation of being a straight shooter.

Putnam

What do we know about Putnam’s finances?

Putnam through Dec. 2013 had a $7.8 million net worth and to read his full disclosure form go to http://public.ethics.state.fl.us/Forms/2013/234671-Form6.pdf

On the well-being of our children. Visit The Children’s Movement website to read their stories and share your own. >>> I find it unacceptable, as all of us should, that at least a half-million children in Florida – all citizens — have no health insurance. How could this be in our beloved country that seeks to be a beacon to the world? Health insurance for all children is one of the five major planks of The Children’s Movement. With the support of Florida Covering Kids and Families, The Children’s Movement is working with dozens of local partners to help build a meaningful signing-up initiative in more than a dozen Florida communities. Already we have: Completed 18 KidCare trainings around the state. Signed up, trained and deployed more than a hundred volunteers. Begun to build a growing collaboration between local school districts and KidCare outreach coalitions. It’s a good start, but only the start. If you’d like to become a volunteer, just click here. Another way to help is to make a contribution – of any size – to help support this work. It is easy. Just click here. A real movement isn’t possible without your helping in some meaningful way. Dave Lawrence, Jr., Chair the Children’s Movement. >>> Update: Two encouraging meetings… The first, a visit from the Governor to the Rainbow Intergenerational Child Care center in Little Havana where he discussed his early learning priorities. That includes his support for “Help Me Grow,” a statewide parent resource system where parents would be able — via phone and online — to get and she thought answers to questions about their child’s development and connected with the proper resources. The second, a meeting with future House Speaker, Rep. Jose Oliva from Hialeah. He’s a father of three, a real reader of history and student of policy, and committed to better understanding early learning. Dave Lawrence, Chair The Children’s Movement.

Three of the basics of building a real movement for all children: • Nothing is more important than a caring and knowledgeable parent. (Know that 71 percent of American mothers with children between birth and age 5 work outside the home, meaning high-quality, brain-stimulating child care is a major necessity.) • 85 percent of brain growth occurs by age 3. • Early learning is a continuum between before birth and age 8. (“Families are the ultimate pre-pre-school,” wrote Clare Huntington in The New York Times last September, adding, “I don’t want to rain on the pre-K parade, but we can’t pretend that school preparation begins at age 4. Four is better than 5, but zero is better than 4.”) All that brings to me to a Miami-Dade Public Schools initiative focused on the transition from child care to kindergarten. This week I spent time at the superb YMCA in Allapattah, a bit north of downtown Miami. I spoke with Drs. Maggie Abrahante and Marisel Elias-Miranda, two key people responsible for early childhood programs that the superintendent has made a priority in this nationally honored school system. They’ve put together an excellent handbook for parents of children headed for kindergarten, and also: • Five retired school administrators with a special interest in early childhood already have met with 400 child care center directors to give them a sense of what school is all about and the expectations for children. • Principals are meeting with center directors. • Parents are offered superb neighborhood workshops, one of which I attended. Wouldn’t that be smart to do in every school system? Dave Lawrence Chair The Children’s Movement of Florida

>>>>And if you would like to see you’re County or state elected leaders financial

Disclosures forms on file go to website (www.et hics.state.fl.us):

MIIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Raquel Regalado pulled the trigger last week and filed her papers to take on Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez in his reelection race in 2016 and she is saying she has better ideas of what the County should be noting that since he is a longtime public employee he does not know any better way to run government and to be sensitive to community needs. Regalado a twice elected County school board member is a journalist and comes off well in the media but people wonder about her ability to manage 25,0000 employees, though her father the Miami Mayor said last week he was confident  of her ability and success in the race and the long time Miami mayor intends to campaign on her behalf but  with this announcement the daughter will get increased scrutiny on her past and she is getting a financial lift from auto magnate Norman Braman and she expects to raise some $2.5 million for her campaign war chest to be competitive. http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2015/03/raquel-regalado-on-the-verge-of-announcing-run-for-county-mayor.html And she is against a state law that would allow principles to authorize certain teachers to carry handguns into schools and she is staking out a number of policy areas including an expanded teaching program for coding of computers that many people don’t  see as a curriculum but is becoming a must have skill for the decade as devices get more complex and part of our society. And Gimenez has raised a whopping $171,750 for his campaign through Feb. and was added to the $500,000 already in his campaign war chest during his time in office and the money has raised eyebrows. For the Mayor is  known for supporting local candidates in municipal elections, where in every case these mayoral candidates lost one in Coral Gables and another in Homestead and this involvement in local election s has not won him many fans with local politicians.

And here is a press release from Regalado: Board Member Regalado is in Tallahassee lobbying against Florida House Bill 19, which would allow Florida school superintendents to designate teachers or other school employees to carry concealed weapons on campus. Board Member Regalado is available for interviews about this legislative proposal.

Regalado

Gimenez

  

What about a Veterinarian Medical School in Miami-Dade?

County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz wants FIU to work to get a school of veterinary Medicine since the University of Florida  is the only one in the state and Commissioner Javier Souto joined Diaz is supporting the matter and the need for vets especially when it comes to cows and bulls and horses is critical, said Souto. Since most of the vets tend to deal only with cats and dogs and not large animals, the former state Senator said last week at a committee meeting and he thought FIU might be the vehicle to get such a school he said.

What about any other challengers?

Further, So far no one has officially announced they will be challenging Gimenez for the office but former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez is with School Board Member Raquel Regalado and the mayor’s dynamics with voters has changed since he first ran for the office back in 2011 and he is seen as being overly sensitive if anyone criticizes him and there is some media footage that does make him seem angry when he is criticized and not a warm and cuddly mayor and that imperious attitude is getting old for some voters. And the discontent started with voters when he paid numerous vice mayors significant salaries and benefits that he says is necessary to get top people into government, but critics argue maybe these people should not be in public service. Since it might be for the wrong reasons, since government positions traditionally pay less than the private sector but also comes with a number of perks not found in the private sector.

Press release: Miami-Dade County to Host First Charter Amendment Town Hall Meeting

(MIAMI, June 16, 2014) – Miami-Dade County is hosting a series of town hall meetings, where residents can provide input and ask County staff about the proposed amendment to the Home Rule Charter  to permit additional uses and facilities at Parks, Legistar 141370, sponsored by Commissioner Esteban Bovo, Jr. On July 7, 2011, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners adopted Ordinance 11-44, which states “the County shall hold six public meetings regarding any resolution calling an election on a proposed Home Rule Charter amendment.”

Amended proposal

When and where:

Tuesday, June 17, 6:00 p.m.

West Kendall Regional Library

10201 Hammocks Blvd.

Miami, FL 33196

305-385-7135

Wednesday, June 18, 6:00 p.m.

North Dade Regional Library

2455 NW 183 Street

Miami , FL 33056

305-625-6424

Wednesday, June 18, 6:00 p.m.

South Dade Regional Library

10750 SW 211 Street

Miami, FL 33189

305-233-8140

Thursday, June 19, 6:00 p.m.

Arcola Lakes Library

8240 NW 7^th Avenue

Miami, FL 33150

305-694-2707

Monday, June 23, 6:00 p.m.

Miami Beach Regional Library

227 22^nd Street

Miami Beach, FL 33139

305-535-4219

Tuesday, June 24, 6:00 p.m.

Kendall Library

9101 SW 97^th Avenue

Miami , FL 33176

305-279-0520

Wednesday, June 25, 6:00 p.m.

Miami Lakes Library

6699 Windmill Gate Road

Miami Lakes, FL 33014

305-822-6520

Thursday, June 26, 6:00 p.m.

West Dade Regional Library

9445 Coral Way

Miami Beach, FL 33165

305-553-1134

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

>>> Public Schools District OIG busts Math Coach at school

Mary T. Cagle the Inspector General of Miami-Dade County has a new investigation on a Math tutor that did not fulfill all the requirements and to read the March. 10 investigation go to

http://www.miamidadeig.org/2015MDCPS/SB1314.1006MathCoach.pdf

>>>> Long awaited audit of the County’s Value Adjustment Board is out with some recommendations, County OIG copied The long awaited audit by the Miami-Dade County School Board of the Miami-Dade County Value Adjustment Board (VAB) has been released and the report makes a number of recommendations and the County’s Office of Inspector General is copied on the document that has become a political hot potato since legal suits are in play and the roughly $40 million funding impact it is having on the District because of taxpayer appeals and the length of processing these filings. To read the audit go to http://mca.dadeschools.net/AuditCommittee/AC_March_10_2015/item3.pdf.

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

>>> $38.5 million 27 acres land acquisition in West Dade moves ahead, going to BCC for final approval

PAST WDR: Jackson Health System is now “a non-risk auditee,” said PHT Treasurer Mojdeh L. Khaghan, Esq. at the board’s monthly meeting and that’s is a major leap from 2004 when the audits were not accurate and the health Trust back then took a $84 million charge and the fiscal adjustments went as far back as the 1990s at the time and since

What about Jackson West?

PHT CEO Carlos Migoya on Feb. 27  sent the paperwork to Jose Luis Gomez, PE the chair of the Jackson Health System $830 million GOB oversight board and the land acquisition is going to the Board of County Commissioners for the final approval to buy 27 acres of land in West Dade for  $38.5 million and is allowing the health system to expand its medical services in the western edge of the county and Migoya writes in the memo that “beyond  the immediate plans of Jackson West,” the Trust might ‘Later” be considering if appropriate “a medical Mall project,” that would include enhanced medical services such as ambulatory surgery, cardiac Cath lab and dialysis etc.” wrote Migoya and this new campus is part of the expansion of the public hospital’s system to include neighborhoods presently without medical facilities and was announced a few weeks ago after the oversightbooard reviewed and approved the acquisition of the land

And under Migoya’ s leadership the public hospital system has clawed its way back into the black for the past three years and it has a $830 million bond that will finance clinics and upgrade the ageing infrastructure in need of improvement but the organization is reporting 36 days of cash on hand which is a major improvement when there was only some 13 days of cash on hand a few years ago and accounts payable are a respectful 40 days said the Trust’s fiscal staff at the televised board meeting last month. And for more on the improvements go to http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/11/06/dade-voters-approve-tax-increase-for-jackson-health-improvements/ . And Miami-Dade County Commission Chair Jean Monestime gave a shout out to Jackson Health System’s CEO Carlos Migoya at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce luncheon saying, “Migoya’s, Jackson’s turnaround has saved A gem in  our community,” said Monestime in praise of the turnaround.

CITY OF MIAMI

>> Miami Commissioner Sarnoff continues to hammer County’s Homeless Trust for lack of beds, $6 million in reserves are being kept for a rainy day and other obligations for this vexing countywide problem that has Miami in center of debate

A major discussion at the Miami Commission meeting Thursday on banning homeless people setting up tents and creating small communities on the city streets had Commissioner Marc Sarnoff aggressively arguing why is there not more beds in the Miami-DADE County Homeless Trust service facilities? The commissioner says the issue for him is the need “for a public right of way,” and Sarnoff has butted heads with the Trust in the past and Miami has funded some 100 matts at Camillus House but Sarnoff kept mentioning that the Trust was sitting on some $6 million in ‘excess funds,” in reserves and I contacted officials at the Trust including the long serving chair Ron Book. And in an email the Trust explained why this money is being saved and that information is being transmitted to Sarnoff. “This is a follow-up email per Ron Book and Vicki Mallette re: the Homeless Trust’s mandated Reserve. The Trust maintains two specific restricted reserves: a capital reserve and a tax equalization reserve. Combined they are approximately $7 million and exist as backups for emergencies, such as covering budgeted costs when tax collections are lower than expected or severe economic downturns.  These reserves were established by our board to accomplish two goals – 1) to have a specifically designated amount of funding available in order to meet our contractual obligation for any and all needed capital repairs at both the North and South Homeless Assistance Centers. 2)  The tax equalization reserve was established in order to have funds set aside as a backstop in case the proceeds from the Food and Beverage Tax were to suffer significant decreases due to a downturn in economic conditions or as a result of a natural or man-made disasters such as a hurricane or terrorist act.  The purpose of these funds is to allow the Trust to continue to provide services at current funding levels even if the tax proceeds were to significantly drop[ like back in 2008],over a given period of time and not have to cut services. I hope this is helpful.  The Trust team is reiterating these facts to Commissioner Sarnoff., wrote Trust CEO Vicky Mallette and Book responded with, “let me be clear. These are the same reserves that we’ve had that are all obligated for various purposes including contingencies that allow us to do things like we just did by adding hundreds of additional evidenced based emergency beds,” wrote Book. And he believes this is just more B.S. rhetoric from Sarnoff. Period! End of Story!” the longtime Time Trust chair wrote last week to the WDR. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/miami-homeless/

What about the other candidates for the Dist.2 seat becoming open?

When it comes to the Miami Commission District 2 race things are very quiet and the Watchdog Report has yet to see any of the candidates in my neighborhood or down at Miami Commission meetings but campaign reports show candidate Grace Solaris has raised some $77,210, (up from 57,680) to her likely challenger’s Teresa Sarnoff who has increased her war chest to $172,149 through February,  

(up from $82, 875,). And in the District 4 race incumbent Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez is reporting $23,125 for his campaign and the younger Suarez is facing long time perennial candidate Manolo Reyes who has raised $70,710 and another challenger Antonio J. Diaz has $23,125 for his own campaign but Reyes has been trying to get elected for years. And there are gaps on who contributed this money and the only listed expense was $3,360 paid to Dark Horse Strategies and for more on the company go to  and to review all the candidates campaign contributions go to: http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/City_Clerk/Pages/Elections/CampaignReports15.asp and for more on Dark Horse go to  http://www.darkhorsestrategies.org/meetus.html

Village of Coconut Grove

>>> With the potential resurrection of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, has a new star been born? One theater goer says County Commissioner Suarez is “hilarious!”

The Discussion on the proposed agreement for the Coconut Grove playhouse plan had county commissioner Xavier Suarez Thursday at the commission Chambers starring in the lead role. As Gables Stage, run by Joe Adler was picked to be the artistic arm of the planned renovation that will have a 300 seat intimate theater and possible an 11,000 seat larger stage. If there is funding (though arts maven Mike Eidson said he and a foundation are looking to raise some $40 million for the effort If there is space to put the larger theater in the Historic Building and is vital to the Grove’s prosperity given the number of theater goers prior to its sudden closing in 2006 and Suarez chaired the County Commission committee meeting that discussed a host of issues to the bored audience of theater supporters in the audience for a couple (while commissioners discussed low cost and affordable housing issues) for  hours before taking up the Playhouse discussions that had a good turnout of theater activists who came to the Chambers in strength and Suarez  just asked the potentially hostile crowds to be “civil,” and brief in their comments  and everyone was given two minutes each to speak on the iconic heater, but Suarez seemed a little rusty on the dais and he made  numerous little quips including saying he felt like “Rodney Dangerfield,” and noted one of his staff members “a Vassar College” grad was capable of cleaning up his spilled coffee and it was an odd comment and after “Waiting for Godot was brought up a number of times, He joked about the Samuel Beckett play asking rhetorically “did Godot” every show up? He wondered but his fascination with how many seconds the speakers did not use just extended the meeting even longer and the economic prosperity committee passed the agreement and the full BCC will vote on it again on April 21.

Why was Suarez “hilarious?”

A woman new to the County Commission Chamber said she was a constituent of Suarez’s but had never met him before, and she told him in her remarks, that “he was hilarious,” as the Harvard trained attorney kept thanking speakers for saving “6 seconds,” for example while  clearly his many side remarks slowed the proceedings going but his many side remarks just lengthened the length of the committee meeting but proponents for some kind of action got their wish and the full county Commission will hear the item and vote on April, 21 on the final contract with Gables Stage that also has an affiliation with FIU to provide training for a graduate degree in acting. And a host of high profile people spoke in support of Adler with one person calling him “a god” who seems to have limitless energy said many people and Adler seems to be considered a community treasure. And here is what Playhouse activists are saying about the proceedings last week http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/coconut-grove/article13911635.html and see what is being said on the Save the Coconut Grove Playhouse web page and you can see he passions the theater generates. And a video of the proceedings. SAVE THE COCONUT GROVE PLAYHOUSE | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/saveourplayhouse SAVE THE COCONUT GROVE PLAYHOUSE, Miami, Florida. 9656 likes · 827 talking about this. This is dedicated to the efforts of preserving the Playhouse from.

Suarez

>>>> Commissioner Suarez asks supporters of Grove Playhouse to attend a March 12 committee meeting

PAST WDER: With Architectonica winng the $2.4 million contract to create the conceptual plan for the Coconut Grove Playhouse contract that has yet to be approved by the County Commission to draw up possible plans for the iconic Grove Theater. The choice of the firm brings together some strange bedfellows since the architect will likely be Jorge Hernandez who was caught up in controversy regarding the Miami Marine Stadium deal with Miami and The man has close ties to controversial Grove businessman Manny Alonso Poch and his past controversy and conflicts had Marine Stadium proponents withdrawing and removing Poch from the stadium’s not for profit board. And any role Poch might have with Playhouse is unknown but local advocates on https://www.facebook.com/saveourplayhouse

What about the Miami Dinner Key Marina parking?

At a Coconut Grove Waterfront Advisory Board meeting recently Michelle Niemeyer a long time waterfront advocate brought up the issue of the lack of Parking for boat owners and the Marina is one of the largest public facilities in the nation and with the Regatta Park construction going on the City needs to let the public know what is going on and the former Miami District 2 candidate said the City’s Capital Improvement’s Projects department is out of control and doing things with minimal public input and discussion. And she suggested an urged the committee members along with another male speaker to keep a close eye on what is going on with the Miami waterfront.

CITY OF MIAMI BEACH

>>> City warming up to its 100^th Anniversary bash March. 26, will it be the party of the Century?

With Miami Beach warming up for its 100^th Anniversary March 26 and the bash of the year is expected to take place during the celebrations that will highlight the past years changes and how the sleepy retirement community morphed into a tourist Mecca and the place to be and the Watchdog Report gives the Beach a Tip of the Hat for reaching this benchmark and in many ways is the tourist crown jewel for Miami-Dade that depends so much on tourist tax dollars. And for more http://www.local10.com/news/free-concert-to-o to: feature-andrea-bocelli-kymani-marley-barry-gibb/31298890 And officials will be hosting a major party the Beach is throwing and will feature the Bee Gees and a host of other performer’s, in a free signature concert.

What about the Watson Island project the City of Miami wants to allow?

Beach residents are gearing up to fight the large project proposed by a local developer for Watson Island and has been delayed since voters approved it back in 1999 and was selected because they agreed to pay the highest fees back to the city back then but since then traffic on the MacArthur Causeway has ben horrendous and is becoming a nightmare that this new development would only make worse and the lawsuits are flying.

TUESDAY MORNING BREAKFAST CLUB

>>> Meeting Date: Tuesday March 17^th, Meeting Time: 8:30 AM, Meeting Place: Abuela’s Cuban Kitchen, 1654 Meridian Ave., South Beach. Roger Craver and Stephen Herbits of the Coalition against Causeway Chaos, the moving force behind the challenge to the Watson Island Flagstone project, will be the guest speakers at the March 17th meeting of the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club. The Watson Island project is a major mixed-use development (hotels, condos, shopping, and a mega yacht marina) approved by voters about ten years ago but never built.  Flagstone is now seeking approval to enlarge the scope of the project which could cause major traffic problems for the McArthur Causeway and Miami Beach. There is no charge for attending and everyone is welcome.

Visit our web site at www.MBTMBC.com (Miami Beach Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club).

CITY OF CORAL GABLES

>>>> The Coral Gables upcoming elections got a surprise when Jeanette Slesnick filed candidate papers recently to run for the open commission seat when Commissioner Bill Kerdyk Jr. steps down in the spring. Slesnick is the wife of former three term Gables Mayor Don Slesnick, II and the candidates will have further forums in the weeks ahead. And Slesnick’s wife may get some blowback from voters for things her husband Don did when he was mayor. In a surprise move Gables realtor Jeanette Slesnick has filed running for the slot on the dais and other candidates are Tony Newell, Sandra Murado and P.J. Mitchell. And Rip Holmes rounds out the field of candidates and to review the candidate list go to http://www.coralgables.com/index.aspx?page=292 and the low key election is April 14 and the elections are a winner take all race. Since his time as mayor Slesnick’s wife has continued to be active in Gables issues and her entry could make the race a little more exciting.

>>> Press release: The Coral Gables Forum will hold its bi-annual Candidates Forum for the upcoming city elections.  Our first forum will be for Group IV and V on March 2nd.  Our second forum will be for the Mayor’s race (Group I) on March 9th.  Both events will be held at the Coral Gables Congregational Church (3010 DeSoto Boulevard) from 7:00pm to 8:30pm.The doors will be open at 6:45pm so audience members can submit questions to ask the candidates.  Our moderator will be Eliott Rodriguez of CBS WFOR-TV.  If you have any questions please contact us at coralgablesforum@gmail.com.For more information on the Candidates Forum and future events please visit our website at www.coralgablesforum.com and here are other planned debates:

The Coral Gables Forum, Inc. “Keeping you abreast of the pressing issues affecting Coral Gables.” We meet the first and third Mondays of the month at JohnMartin’s restaurant (253 Miracle Mile – 2nd floor) at noon.  Lunch is $20 for members and $25 for non-members

>>>> The Coral Gables Forum will hold three debates for the upcoming City of Coral Gables biennial election on April 14, 2015.

The third debate will be Group IV, at the Coral Gables Congregational Church (3010 De Soto Boulevard) this Monday March 16, 2015.  This event will be held in the Church’s main chamber.  The candidates for this Seat are:

1.)  Frank C. Quesada (Incumbent)

2.)  Enrique Lopez

Mr. Eliott Rodriguez of CBS-WFOR television will be the moderator.  The doors will be open to the public at 6:45pm.  Entry will be through Fellowship Hall where cards will be distributed to the audience to submit questions to the candidates.

The forum will begin at 7:00pm.  You may RSVP at coralgablesforum@gmail.com.  The final debate will be on March 16th for Group IV.

For more information please visit our website at www.coralgablesforum.com

MONROE COUNTY

>>> Miami-Dade OIG finds irregularities with classifications of children after investigation

The Miami-Dade Office of the Inspector General found some irregularities with how children were being classified at the Early Learning Coalition of Monroe County and the IG report is a good read at http://www.miamidadeig.org/newsreleases2015/IG13.06CHSarrests.pdf

OMMUNITY EVENTS

>>> KITTEN SEASON IS HERE! MIAMI-DADE ANIMAL SERVICES OFFERS RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENSURE THE BEST CHANCES OF SURVIVAL FOR KITTENS TOO YOUNG TO FEED THEMSELVES

Press release: Spring is near and as the weather gets warmer unaltered stray cats begin to reproduce prolifically. As a result, it is not uncommon to find nests of what appear to be unattended or abandoned newborn kittens. Before jumping to the rescue, Miami-Dade County Animal Services (Animal Services) advises residents to consider the following recommendations to ensure the best chances of survival for the kittens.

WHAT TO DO SHOULD YOU FIND A LITTER OF KITTENS

Resist the urge to immediately touch them or move them. Instead, observe the kittens quietly from a distance for 12 to 24 hours as the mother may simply be out looking for food or a better place to move them to and is likely to return to care for them. Very young kittens cannot fully feed themselves and need their mother’s milk to survive until they are fully able to eat on their own or weaned off the mother.

You can put out cat food for the mom and a box that the mother could use to keep her kittens in (don’t put the kittens inside it, just put it near them). Don’t disturb the kittens as this may discourage the mother from returning to them, or she may move them away from you.

If you sense the kittens are in immediate danger or a dangerous area, such as underneath a car, in an area that is flooding due to rain, etc., look for the nearest safe area to which you can move them—close enough to the original spot— that will still allow the mother to find them. Place them in a sheltered area, away from direct sun, rain or traffic and continue to watch for the mother.

Only take them in if you have observed the kittens for 12 to 24 hours and are SURE the mother is not likely to return. Get tips on how to care for them at home by visiting www.alleycat.org or www.peggyadams.org

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

The best way to reduce the overwhelming number of unwanted cats is to spay or neuter your cats starting at 4 months old. Miami-Dade Animal Service offers low cost spay/neuter surgeries as well as free a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for community cats. For information on low-cost spay/neuter surgeries or free TNR call 3-1-1 or visit animals.miamidade.gov. Become a foster parent or volunteer at Animal Services. Volunteers and foster parents receive training and supplies and the joy that comes from saving a precious little animal’s life. For information on becoming a pet foster parent or volunteer email: pets@miamidade.gov

GMCVB press release: In the month of January 2015, the City of Miami Beach reported collections for the 2% Food and Beverage Tax collections for the City of Miami Beach showed an increase of 19.3% compared to 2014. The 3% Room Tax increased 12.3% compared to the same time last year.

Record Miami Beach Tax Collections 2% Hotel Food & Beverage Tax January 2015 January 2014 % Change vs. 2014 $2,896,128 $2,428,542 19.3% 3% Room Tax January 2015 January 2014 % Change vs. 2014 $4,114,686 $3,663,725 +12.3%

For more information click here or visit: http://www.brucesilverstein.com/

Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), The Fish, c. 1924, gelatin silver print, printed c. 1924, 7 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches

Auxiliary gallery at the warehouse

Photographs by Miami artist Annette Bonnier
India’s Elephants

The photographs of South Florida artist Annette Bonnier capture the many facets of elephant’s lives and their interaction with humanity. This collection of photographs is a cultural documentation of elephants in Indian society. The elephant’s role is changing as wildlife conservation and concerns for the health and safety of domesticated elephants are growing. This complex and majestic animal, with its intelligence, intricate social hierarchy, and highly evolved communication skills, is caught in a changing world between the past and the future.

For more information visit: http://www.annettebonnier.com

EDITORIAL

>>>> Convoluted discussion on 40’ articulated buses costing $9, 00,000 does not bode well for solving transit issues anytime soon

A discussion at a Miami-Dade County Commission meeting that involved a discussion of articulated buses turned painful Tuesday when staff took forever to answer questions clearly like how much did a 40 foot articulated bus cost? $900,000 and this lack of clear goals and determination by staff has the county drifting when it comes  to a thoughtful mass transit system and a half cent sales tax dedicated to helping to alleviate that historically that  has had numerous carve outs and what this funding would resolve was over sold  to the public back in 20002 and there is now a transit bureaucracy and while there is a Citizens Independent Transit Trust (CITT) these people can only approve items after the county commission has weighed in and the body is not truly independent  and it has spawned the need for county staff  and its CEO Charles Scurr is the poster child of why so little progress has been made and he is not cheap, getting some $200,0000 in salary that should be measured by what he has gotten accomplished  for no one seems to have a handle on transit  yet the CITT still rakes in millions that come in with the half cent sales tax, and only passed after a 20009 effort for a full cent sales tax failed after numerous scandals and no oversight on how this money was going to be spent but the tax went down in flames in a late July vote back then that commissioners thought they could sneak through the sales tax, since many voters were out of town, but that was not the case and it went down and the second effort in 2002 was much more transparent and was on the ballot of a general election day and it passed but  little progress has been made since then and plans lurch forward after one study after another and this legislative grid lock needs to end and the department needs to pick up the pace for voters want solutions now and in keeping what they were promised.

>>>> New Commission Chairs shaking up the House at County Hall

A revolution is  occurring at County Hall and Miami-Dade County Commissioners are leading it as they continue to challenge the strong Mayor (Form of government) and the Carlos Gimenez administration and commissioners are pushing county staff to explain more fully how the County’s 25 Departments are running and what they are trying to do versus other things they have not been done but were requested  in the past by commissioners and one of the challenges is to actually create a new mass transit corridor that has been discussed and studied to death but has yielded no real results and Gimenez up for reelection in 2016 is going to have to deal with the new found independent voice of the commission that seems to relish challenging the administrative assumptions and the way things have been done in the past and given the new budget cycle in September, Readers should expect commissioners to have framed the overall budget to their liking much more than in the past for the 13 member legislative body is feeling more empowered in their deliberations and this past week’s County Commission Committee meetings. Could be just a taste of this new found freedom With the Gimenez administration and the Commission now being Chaired by Jean Monestime who is pushing a “prosperity initiative” and the role of the body under this new legislative relationship the strong mayor form of government created and resulted in ex-Mayor Carlos Alvarez getting recalled by voters overwhelmingly in 2011 and he was succeeded by Gimenez in the office.

LETTERS

>>> Grove attorney gives update on HEP board hearing on St. Gaudens home

Good afternoon. Please note that the City of Miami’s Preservation Officer, Megan Schmitt, has advised us that the hearing before the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board on the 3529 St. Gaudens Road Historic Resource Nomination application will not take place on March 3, 2015. Instead, it will take place on April 7, 2015. We will keep you informed and hope that all of you can attend.

Regards,

Richard M. Zelman, Esq.

Sacher, Zelman, Hartman,

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