At first blush, it may seem like a difficult decision. But it’s really a no brainer.
Because the the circuit court race that pits former School Board Member and State Rep. Renier Diaz de la Portilla against 
Assistant City of Miami Attorney Veronica Xiques Diaz is really a choice between a promise and a puppet.
Sure, Baby DLP can be hurtful with his sarcastic tongue and mean if he thinks you’ve hurt his family. And a stubborn pain in the ass when he thinks he’s right, which is all the time. And, yeah, he can be a little hard headed. And he doesn’t deserve to be as cocky as his older brothers can be by rights.
But you can’t say anything really bad about him.
Even Diaz knows that — which is why she and her people are talking about red light cameras and campaign finance late reporting fines, issues that haunt Baby DLP’s big brothers, not him.
There’s nothing negative for her to use against Renier. Just wait and see.
I’m not so sure that we can say the same thing about Diaz, however.
She might have told the Miami Herald editorial board that she’s never been investigated for ethical breaches, but that’s not true. And there isn’t just one but two investigations, both with a central theme allegation — that Diaz used her official position as assistant attorney in the city of Miami to benefit herself and her friends.
That’s not something we want near the bench.
Diaz is accused of snagging pricey VIP Ultra Music Festival tickets for herself, plus one, while she was negotiating what some argue is the worst agreement ever signed with the city of Miami. She’s not the only one. A total of 14 comp tickets were given — two to her and 
12 more, under her watch, to Bayside Trust members. But none of those people are running for judge.
The report from Independent Auditor General Theodore Guba asks City Attorney Victoria Mendez — who gave a $175 in-kind contribution to the Diaz campaign — and the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust to render an opinion “as to whether the distribution of comp tickets as described above was lawful.” It also recommends that the Office of the City Attorney ensure that all its employees attend mandatory training programs every three years — principally because Diaz, who has worked in the city since 2007, has not attended mandatory ethics training.
But in the same report, Guba notes that, according to city policy, “every officer, official or employee of the city, including every member of the board, commission or agency of the city is expressly prohibited from accepting, directly or indirectly, from any person, company, firm or corporation to which any purchase order or contact is or might e awarded, any rebate, gift, money or anything of value whatsoever, except where given for the use and benefit of the city.”
That sounds like it was an illegal gift to me. Except for those key words: Benefit of the city. Diaz told Ladra that she took the tickets so she could go to the event and monitor activities to ensure that the city’s controversial agreement was being upheld. But couldn’t she just go for a bit and be let in with her city id, check on everything and leave? And why would she then need two VIP tickets, at $850 a piece?
Read related story on Al Crespo’s CrespoGram Report: Veronica Diaz wants to be a judge
As an attorney, she can argue all she wants on the benefit angle or mince words like contract and agreement. But as a candidate for judge, she should understand that she is violating the spirit of the policy.
Now she gets a different kind of gift from Ultra Enterprises, the people who put on the party that draws tens of thousands to Bayfront Park every year: Three $500 donations to her campaign. What are they buying with those $1,500?
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For judge: Renier DLP vs Veronica D = promise vs. puppet added by Ladra on
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[…] his then girlfriend, Veronica Diaz, who was an assistant city attorney in Miami. And, in 2012, a judge ruled against his firm in a fraud case involving forged documents requiring more than $82,000 in […]
[…] de la Portilla ran for judge in 2014, and lost against Veronica Diaz, a former assistant city of Miami attorney. He also lost his bid […]
Renier DLP advocated for advancing prayers in the public schools. That was way back when he was first on the School Board and I believe it was voted down. That makes him qualified to be a church pastor, or catholic priest, not holder of any political office and worst of all a Circuit Court Judge.
Veronica Diaz is prettier. She gets my vote.
Sam
People, check this out!!!
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/07/ethics-probe-ast-miami-city-attorney-steered-jobs-to-fiances-firm.html
Nice try Rich, but the guy at the 7/11 isn’t the lawyer representing the other side. Do you want your lawyer in a divorce action asking your wife for gifts or money? Either way, whether you understand it or not, it’s a violation of Florida Bar rules.
I’ve gotten free tickets to Ultra… The family gives those tickets freely.. I know them closely… They also gave free tickets to the guy at the 7/11 across the street from one of the owners apartments… To be honest, either way, she seems to be showing more of a presence in this campaign….
Fredo DLP vs a chick whose claim to fame is dating the biggest scumbag in the entire SoFla legal community.
Awesome.
Great cortadito. I met Veronica at an event last week. She goes around bragging that she has integrity and ethics and she is far from it. There is an old saying in Spanish “dime de lo que presumes y te dire de lo que careces.” I think Mrs. Xiques-Diaz needs to be before a judge and not wanting to be one.
Please take a look at the countless Legal Opinions proffered by Veronica Xiques over at the City of Miami and its instrumentality agencies. They are worthless and baseless, written to satisfy the politicians at hand and not to protect the public at large.
Furthermore, Veronica changed her last name to strategically garner the Cuban vote. Veronica you are pathetic! You will suck on a tit of a cow if you have to get voted in as judge. After all, you have sucked on other things that are worse to get you ways.
thank you for enlightening me… you do a bang up job with this blog.
You have your tongue so far up Baby DLP’s ass it’s obvious. I don’t know Veronica Diaz but I know Renier and he’s a scumbag with no trial or true legal experience.
Ewwww, Mr. Arthur. Everyone knows that Baby DLP is the one I like the least. If my tongue is going anywhere near them, it ain’t there.
Are you one of those friends of Veronica’s that got free Ultra tickets? Because I have heard since this post that she got far more than just two. There is still an investigation ongoing about it.
And even if you’re not, is this really what you want for a judge?
Love, Ladra
Great BLOG. This is just awful. She admittedly steered City business to her live-in boyfriend, and then had the odasity to claim that because they aren’t married, its ok? Incredible. He is a part of her household. She is directly benefitting from the business she sent him. Of course it’s not ok. Shame on her. I can’t imagine having her as a judge. In fact, she needs to be disbarred.
And I would rather have the DLP’s in goverment any time, they are smart and sometimes tricky but they are honest and up front, you always know were you stand with them. That is a refreshing attitude today;)