Watchdog Report Vol.24 No.74 October 13, 2024 EST:05.05.00 – Celebrating 34 years of free weekly publishing- A community education resource
WATCHDOG REPORT
Miami-Dade, Fla.
Vol.24 No 74, October 13, 2024, Celebrating May 5th,2000: 24 -years of free weekly publishing! www.watchdogreport.net & Former Miami Herald news & editorial 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
>>> Tough times if you can support thank you to my supporters who did: 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. I feel hypocritical when compared to the devastation and human misery after Hurricane Milton asking for help during these challenging times.
BREAKING NEWS
>>> May South Florida pray for those victims of Hurricane Milton and its devastation and loss of life, and flooding storm surge at a new height and severe damage, and to help try www.redcross.org in any way you can. Further president Biden announces $612 million in federal aid today.
Editor’s note: Double whammy hits Florida after the storm insurance rates will go up but citrus revenue to state will go down as well as tourism with resorts in shambles.
Further, I have been asked many times why I wrote so much about the county public Jackson Health System, it is because so important to everyone regardless of income and of course the community crown jewel Ryder Trama Center, created in 1992 when local hospital administrators agreed to one great Trauma Center versus smaller less specialized ER’s, and staffing.
The center has trained hundreds of military surgeons in America and Israel, and anyone in a bad car crash, or gunshot wound and survives will thank Ryder, and once when I was with Cordis Corp. here in Miami I had to wait for a certified check (because of their bad finances) in the OR suite before I could give Dr. Richard Thurer a pacing electrode, to the nurse, and that always stayed with me and why a healthy JHS had a major impact on the community but wasn’t getting the attention it deserved at the time under community icon Ira Clark, who had failing health in 2002.
But JHS was in financial trouble after rebuffing an offer to share indigent care costs I think $12 million in Homestead with Baptist Health after executives made the offer that was rejected at the time and began JHS losing money when the county had some 500,00 residents without health insurance and JHS by 2004 was giving $500 million in charity care and the countywide half-cent sales tax going to JHS could not keep up to the vast number of patients.
>>> The Miami Commission Tuesday is receiving $3.5 million in HUD funds for a housing project in Allapattah, from U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Miami, facing off in November against school member Lucia Biaz Geller, a democrat. The race is seen as competitive for the former reporter that took her to victory years ago.
>>> Miami commission Tuesday discussing pension & retirement for a commissioner with “seven ears in office,” also powers of IG office on agenda, could be Reye’s legacy, in run for mayor
The commission is also considering pension and retirement for commissioners after “seven years in office,” and has been controversial in the community. Commissioner Damian Pardo wants language that would disqualify Somone for questionable acts, like corruption. Pardo suggested but got blowback from Carollo who has had a variety of court cases himself and costing city millions in legal fees.
>>> Another hot topic is the powers of the new Inspector General’s office, that voters overwhelming approved after years of scandals in the city. Carollo wants all investigations begun be sworn statements to limit bogus claims, but IG has own decision to make on credibility of accuser.
Miami commissioner Carollo is demanding all investigations be a “sworn complaint,” by the IG too reduce frivolous complaints and ultimately the IG at the county can initiate investigations own their own and the system and inspector at the county has worked well.
The voters overwhelmingly voted for the IG., but given Miami’s history with creating voter IG legislation but many are skeptical how they will create this new oversight office.
>>> Here’s AI’s take on me and the WDR: I assume you are asking about the Watchdog Report by Daniel A. Ricker. The Watchdog Report is a weekly e-mail newsletter that covers government news from the nation, Florida, Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade Public Schools, the Public Health Trust, Miami and other municipalities in the county 1. Daniel A. Ricker is the publisher and editor of the Watchdog Report 1. The Watchdog Report is widely read by government insiders and a veritable who’s who of Miami 2. It is a compilation of the tidbits and observations he synthesizes from his tireless rounds 2. The Watchdog Report is estimated to bring in about $30,000 a year 2.
>>> Are Watson Island projects cursed as decades go by and none are completed, Voters being asked again, as so many others have deal wording promises never fulfilled, was supposed to be a public park, past city ads have suggested wheels on meals would be cut back if not approved other scare tactics, always works in past
>>> Is Watson Island cursed in the city of Miami as voters vote on another supposed project bringing free money to the general fund and other future gifts for residents at of course no cost and is one of a long list of deals that never came about like Watson Island, and now Flagstone and of course the troubled Jungle Island, that taxpayers bailed out with taxes, under the Regalado administration almost a decade ago. A campaign brochure paid for the “residents of Miami for Watson Island Inc. hit my mailbox calling the project “This our moment, to make the most of Watson Island,” at of course no cost to residents says the campaign piece. Almost word for word to past Watson Island wording on projects, if you believe in the fantasies look at the old Scott’s Landing deal and what we got
A Sunshine meeting of the Miami commission Monday, was concerning creating a CRA for Allapattah in Miami and little progress was made with Commissioners not optimistic of the funding potential, given the other commitments baked into the Omni CRA, said Joe Carollo. Commissioner Carollo noted, they may be losing some bonding capacity, “but you can’t have both CRA’S,” he thought. And Allapattah Will “Only get a bone,” regarding funding he speculated at the sparsely attended meeting, missed by most media.
OPINION
>>>> “The lesser of two evils,” is the refrain I hear from young voters, and their role in the election as the first batch of voting on up children with iPhones introduced in 2007, and will they vote, many want competent efficient government, and honest leaders with no insider stock trades, insider gripe with these voters. Now what you didn’t run ourself will you at least vote?
>>>> Miami-Dade County starting new era, 5 new constitutional offices, each will have a public information officer, maybe sgt. -of-arms, political conflict on budgets expected, if history a predicter of behavior.
With five new constitutional offices’ being voted on Nov.5., Miami-Dade County joins the other 57 counties after a statewide vote created the new offices, currently under the county administration and are now political offices with a standalone budget funded by the county and if Broward County is an example the clash of these two political offices can be a spectacle, look at Sheriff Gregory Tony and past supervisor of elections Miriam Oliphant, who sent her self-flowers ever week on her office budget. Both had a contested time with their county counterparts. Further, the new Sheriff’s office in Miami-Dade County will take over all the municipal police service provided to the smaller communities.
>>> Jackson Health System (JHS) kicks off “culture & safety,” survey, last one done in 2022 reduced “harm incidents by 35%,” said CEO Migoya, too the public health trust board, passes 2025 $3. 471.billion budget and capital budget for 2026 to, 2034, jumps to $2.7 billion in future state fiscal documents.
Jackson Health System Tuesday kicked off a survey of “culture &safety” and involves a wide array of questions that are confidential and employees are encouraged to speak up. The last such survey in 2022 “reduced harm events by “35 percent,” said CEO Carlos Migoya at Tuesday’s Public Health Trust meeting
>>> What about the county property appraiser race that Tomas Regaldo is running on Nov.5 election?
The PA post, is usually ministerial in nature, will under his guidance become political and he already is calling for the state Homestead Exemption to be increased from $25,000 decades ago to $50,000. However, the former mayor of Miami has never been an administrator or detail person and his claim to becoming mayor was his opposition to the Marlins stadium deal a $6.2 billion financing boondoggle. He has also hired friends and will his family members. If the past is a clue.
He has raised $146,000 for his campaign but has two bounced checks expenses and his daughter Raquel contributed $250.
>>> Will Miami billionaires help keep good government oversight by supporting media of all kinds with $20 billion in public tax dollars in play?
With early voting ending the money is rolling in for the candidates and people sometimes billionaires should consider helping the community by having a vibrant diverse media and the blogs and I say this having spent some $365,000 of my own money and why I have worked so hard to try to keep the community informed and these billionaires have cut a wide swath in medical and education endeavors but oversight of government is slowly passing regarding historical knowledge and the thousands of financial disclosure forms I have. I write this since these very successful people are also making political donations to some local races including $500.000 to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, from philanthropist Ken Griffin, and people who financially can should consider stepping up to the local level for there is almost $20 billion in public government funded by your tax dollars.
>>> History Miami needs to archive the digital data from all the investigative blogs including the WDR for residents will not have access to the past and for reporters’ citizens need to go to the lower-level public meetings and see the lobbyists there.>>For Miami is like a giant tapestry getting additions constantly. The public schools audit committee is a key one as well as Miami’s finance committee etc. In my case I did this like a job that I self- financed, which at my age was a disaster since not living this long but someone had to do it back in 2000. Here’s more on early year’s national story: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2003-01-20-0301190045-story.html
>>> History Miami needs to archive the digital data from all the investigative blogs including the WDR for residents will not have access to the past and for reporters’ citizens need to go to the lower-level public meetings and see the lobbyists there.>>For Miami is like a giant tapestry getting additions constantly. The public schools audit committee is a key one as well as Miami’s finance committee etc. In my case I did this like a job that I self- financed, which at my age was a disaster since not living this long but someone had to do it back in 2000. Here’s more on early year’s national story: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2003-01-20-0301190045-story.html
But I also have to move after ten years with a benevolent hand lord who kept rent same, but taxes pushed him over and is selling the property and I am looking for an efficiency, and also selling Chinese Art from feudal age to 1977 after artists were over the cultural revolution. The Miami Commissioners are all millionaires from small to large and most are in property value increase except Joe Carollo with a million negative net worth disclosure forms show
>>> The Watchdog Report celebrated its 24th anniversary, May 5, 2024, and much has changed since then when I saw our public institutions employees treating residents like only a nuisance and “working there was a right, not a privilege,” and savings could be seen, but ignored especially at MIA where director Gary De Lappa, kept saying regarding overruns “it’s not county money,” only challenged by Raul Martinez, “ who said “its someone’s money,” and you better find out whose,” the Hialeah mayor suggested. And why no low-cost carriers are at MIA because landing fees are so high.
>>> Inflation impact impacting healthcare not just JHS, & after Steward Medical declares bankruptcy with $9 billion debt and going higher, many owners’ equity firm over the years. Update: Company looking for buyers, for profit system.
Lotus House Village is full of 240 families and children as Miami reels from economic homeless residents with rents through the roof as well as food etc. And the city of Miami approved some shelter funding for this important service not-for-profit founded by CEO Constance Collins and is a great community asset.
>>> Community periodicals running campaign stories on candidates receive roughly $1 million in county funding in periodical contributions found 18 periodicals got funding and six could not be found wrote the IG back in 2000 following an audit of the program that can be helpful to candidates in a host of languages.
Community Event the Miami Warehouse has a new exhibit open to the public and for more go to: https://thewarehousemia.com/
>>> With the upcoming election on everyone’s lips and many noting the recount of 2000 in Miami That I attended including the first recount in the glass room on the election department’s floor, along with Republican Sue Cobb and a Democrat Joe Geller, both glued to their phones.
The election night earlier I was on WLRN’s Topical Currents, with host Joe Cooper, Robert Steinbeck, Tony Doris, and independent candidate John Anderson. And at the time predictions where Gore had won Florida, but I “disagreed saying it was too soon,” and I was criticized because super computers were projecting Gore in the polls, and they teased me while getting phone calls from Palm Beach County asking about “butterfly ballots,” up there. They would later say “good call” and to many voters the candidates were two Ivy League white guys with a trust fund, and the political passion would only erupt later. Days later the election outcome really heated up and hanging chads left people wanting to know how this could happen.
At the county level elections were the stepchild of government (where reluctantly they had to hold them) but keep funding to a minimum i.e… would you maintain the machines or spend money on vaccinating the children of Miami.
And they should read the 1999, two volume Miami-Dade County “Empowerment Zone books” to get a real sense of what the challenges to the community really are, including all the polluted super fund sites, yet to be addressed etc. It is a must read and I still have some since I was giving them out to leaders, including Katherine Harris, and later too Tom Fiedler in county commission chambers for the Miami circle debate that is still festering and not open to the public.
Financial support critical now if you can help. Thank you, Dan., I want to thank the recent supporters for helping me keep at this after the cost to the community after Covid, and inflation decimated many of our healthcare systems and ER diversions were widespread with healthcare stretched to the max and have yet to recover, still facing “head winds,” like Jackson Health System, said CEO Migoya recently at a board meeting.
The United Way of Miami celebrated its one hundred anniversaries, and the organization is a frequent pass through for funding of CBOs by the county has evolved over the years and is where The Children’s Trust holds its board meetings. THE WDR gives it a Tip OF The Hat for all it does in our community.
>>> You need real proof to convict corruption, but fundraising while legal is part of it for politicians. A woman on Miami Beach once told me “I don’t mind we are corrupt, but what bothers me is we are so cheap,” the older women said (Further it was so blatant and obvious, that prompted the WDR.
Since I was single with “no children, or wife when someone asked if my wife had a scar on her face?” Or “did I know where my children we’re.” back in the early days. Good governance has been elusive but may come yet from a federal judge hearing the city’s redistricting case.
>>> NO progress on synchronizing traffic lights county wide 2027 deadline in question, sold to public back in 2002, vote.
In 2002 Miami-Dade County passed a one-half cent sales tax to upgrade the transportation system and one of the big hooks to its passage was synchronizing the traffic lights county-wide, that has yet to be achieved by the county and these monies have been siphoned off over the years for a variety of uses, and last Tuesday the county once again was still sending millions to a politically connected vender for the conversion and Commissioner Raquel Regalado when the issue of software problems that she has been working on this when a school board member and their performance gives her heart burn, she said.
>>> Homeless deaths on Miami streets down for year, was 189, last year over 200, says Trust chair Book: >>>New version next week with my computer finally back thank you supporters.
The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust did its annual somber ceremony remembering the people passing on the streets. This past year. This year it was 189 and down from last year when over 200 passed last year. The trust a national model has helped transform the homeless issue facing so many American cities. The county decades ago had over 6,000 homeless with even a mayor, and through community efforts and tourist sales tax funding has created a continuum of care capability.
with a sergeant-of-arms standing by.
EDITORIAL
>>> Anniversary of life saving procedure when I was septic at South Miami Hospital, Baptist Health, hospital in 2009, and I thank you Dr. Jorge Rabaza for saving my life, back then.
The next few days is the anniversary of my almost passing in 2009. I was septic and operated on at 2;00 p.m., “because I could not wait,” not something you don’t want to hear from a surgeon, said Jorge Rabaza, M.D. at South Miami Hospital back ’then and he said, “I was a flip of the coin,” that I survived, he said and since then every day is a free day.,
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
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/
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