Lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez, who is a close friend of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and spends a lot of time at 
County Hall, has been on the defensive in the past week or so for one of his clients, Lyft, which provides a ride sharing program that is operating in the county illegally. And he seems downright proud of that outlaw rep.
Lopez went on WPLG Local 10’s This Week in South Florida on Sunday and defended the company’s illegal activity, saying that they’ve been meeting with county officials and researching the market since the Fall. Guess he is not used to waiting this long to get what he wants.
He also told and Glenna Milberg that the citations the company is getting are just a “cost of doing business.”
A cost of doing business? That’s what he called a fine for a violation of the law? The cost of doing business?
Friday, Lopez went to County Hall after three of the Lyft vehicles were impounded — to cry about it to his travel bud, we suppose — and told other journalists that he thought it was too “aggressive” an enforcement tactic. Wait. Did they not work out those tow truck and storage fees into the cost of doing business? Ooooops, their bad.
He also promoted a petition to Gimenez and the county commissioners urging them to “support ride sharing in Miami-Dade” and he tweeted about a story in Colorado after the governor there passed regulations that allow them to operate. He highlighted this quote from the guv: “Consumer protection is a worthy goal that we endorse, but rules designed to protect consumers should not burden businesses with unnecessary red tape or stifle competition by creating barriers to entry.”
Lyft knows they are operating illegally. They are thrilled with the publicity they their illegal operations –
– and the three cars that were impounded last week — are getting them.
But the problem here is that Lopez, who has a solid reputation for his philanthropic work, also likes to present himself as a pillar of our community.
He’s not just the mayor’s BFF and his one-time appointee to the Beacon Council, the man who went with Gimenez to meet the Pope last year and just helped sponsor a Mayor’s Ball to benefit United Way, where he once served as chair of the governmental affairs committee. He is also founding chairman of the Miami-Dade Parks Foundation and a board member or member of several important local organizations, including the Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Miami. He’s a past member of the Historical Museum of South Florida, the Vizcaya Museum Trust, Miami Dade College Foundation, Mercy Hospital Foundation and Camillus House, among others.
There’s more. Please press this “continue reading” button to “turn the page.”
Pages: 1 2
Lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez: Civic leader? Or rogue scofflaw? added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →
