Among the revenue that federal prosecutors say former Mayor Julio Robaina did not declare on his income taxes is an 
$800,000 lobbying fee in 2006 for a project in Hialeah Gardens.
The Vicenza at Hialeah Gardens multi-unit development proposed by 84A Holdings LLC was never developed as presented. Maybe it was because of the real estate crash.
Eventually the Miami-Dade School Board took the land through eminent domain proceedings and at least part of the land is now the location of West Hialeah Gardens Elementary, Hialeah Gardens Middle School and Hialeah Gardens High School.
But before the school board got a hold of it, the plans for a multi-family, mixed use project with a water park were approved 3-2. The file is no longer kept, because the city is not required to retain records on plans that are approved but never followed through on, said City Clerk Maria Joffe, confirming that Robaina had, indeed, registered as a lobbyist. But the most probable scenario is that Robaina was hired to get the property “upzoned” from agricultural or single family to multi-family mixed use, which would significantly increase the density allowed — and the value quite a bit.
The company 84A Holdings LLC, at 3857 West 16th Ave. in Hialeah, is owned by Maurice Cayon, whose family was a big supporter of Robaina’s 2011 county mayoral campaign, bundling at least $65,000 in gifts to his campaign, possibly more.
Cayon was not in the office when Ladra called Monday to find out what services Robaina — who was the mayor of Hialeah at the time — was to perform for close to a million dollars. The receptionist told me he would call me back Tuesday. Wanna bet?
In court, Cayon testified that the fee — which was transferred into one of the couple’s business accounts — was for Robaina to help the company develop 84 acres in Hialeah Gardens. Both Maurice and his late father Roberto were in business with Robaina and his partner, Martin Caparros, for years.
But Ladra spoke to several lobbyists she knows — some well known, others not so much — who said that $800,000 seemed high. Way high. And even more so in 2006.
“From one client? That doesn’t sound right,” said one longtime county and municipal lobbyist.
“Astronomically high. Especially for 2006,” said another lobbyist.
“I thought it was a payoff when I first heard about it. That’s gotta be a record,” said yet another.
“That’s insane,” said another man who lobbies at the county and in Tallahassee. “Was that a flat fee?”
Most lobbyists are paid $10,000 or even up to $20,000 a month on retainer. That means the pricy ones would get a typical maximum of $240,000 a year from a single client. And even that is not very common.
For comparison, Ladra surfed the Florida State website where lobbyists must declare their compensation:
- Former State Rep. Marcelo Llorente got up to $50,000 last year for lobbying on behalf of the Miami Dolphins’ scam to get renovations paid for by tourist taxes and between $20,00 and $30,000 from Miami Children’s Hospital.
- Former State Rep. Manny Prieguez billed up to $80,000 for three clients so far this year.
- Ron Book, one of the most prolific lobbyists, billed more than $1 million for work in Tallahassee just in the first quarter of 2013 — but that was for 85 clients. Not one. The University of Miami and Miami-Dade County each paid him under $40,000. Jackson Heath Trust paid Book $30,000 for his services and Mt. Sinai Medical Center paid him $20,000. His biggest clients were SunLife stadium (the Dolphins stadium scam) and utility giant Florida Power and Light, which each paid between $40,000 and $50,000 for the three months.
The reporting is done in categories — fom $1 to $9,999, $10,000 to 19,999 and so on — so you that’s why Ladra says up to and between and can’t give you a certain figure.
Regardless, Robaina’s huge fee smells like payola and has led some observers to believe that the $800,000 was for more than just lobbying. Not his wife, of course. She thought it was so normal that she didn’t even ask Robaina about what the payment was for, she testified in court.
When he told her to look out for the transfer of close to a million bucks and use it for the down payment on their Miami Beach condo and poolside cabana, she didn’t ask a peep about it, she said from the stand in the courtroom.
Which begs the question: How many other $800,000 transfers did he get?
And another: When did he know that the school board would be interested in the land?
It’s all speculation, but the majority’s theory right now is that (1) Robaina was paid off for some favor he granted as mayor of Hialeah, but through the development application in the neighboring town so as to not raise suspicion or (2) kickbacks would have to come out of that fee to inflate the worth of the property for the school board sale.
That might be why he didn’t declare it on his taxes either.
What was that $800K fee paid to Julio Robaina really for? added by Ladra on
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