We’ve always said that Miami-Dade Commission Vice Chair Lynda Bell has some big ones.
In July, Bell had to drop the proposal that monies be transferred from the Building Better Communities general obligation bond to a series of economic development projects — including $5 million for a mixed use parking lot project in Palmetto Bay, somehow connected to a charter school,
planned by developer Wayne Rosen, her longtime political sugar daddy with multiple contributions to her campaigns.
Now, because she knows she can’t possibly get anything like that passed since she was defeated at the polls and is pretty much a lame duck — and will draw attention to herself if she tries to give millions away again — she’s shopped around for a colleague to put this forward.
And she found herself a patsy in Commissioner Xavier “Mayor Sir” Suarez.
Ladra told him it was probably a bad idea when he mentioned last week that he was considering it.
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Suarez said he would only do it temporarily because he believes the people of Palmetto Bay may want it. “My 
sponsorship is provisional in nature, as a way to fill in the gap between an outgoing commissioner and an incoming one,” Suarez said. He does want to have an announced Sunshine meeting with Commissioner-elect Daniella Levine Cava next week to see what she thinks of the proposal and his office has sought input from Palmetto Bay Mayor Shelley Stanczyk before he commits to keeping the item on the Sept. 19 workshop.
“Failing agreement from the city leaders, I will withdraw my sponsorship before the commission takes action,” Suarez instructed his staff to put in the memo to Stanczyk.
The usually guarded Stanczyk told Ladra she didn’t want to say too much about the project, likely because it is going through a city process as well, but she did say that she has not advocated the use of public funds for a private development. “That is a private developer building that and he would have to seek funds on his own. The village would not ask on his behalf,” she said.
Back in July, Bell was visibly flustered as she tried to separate herself from her sugar daddy Rosen’s application.
“These dollars that are funded are under the direction, the purview of the mayor. There are certain amount of economic 
development dollars and re-allocations by the mayor. The mayor selects them and the reason that we commissioners sponsor them is because they are in our district,” Bell said.
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Still, she was peeved that people were only opposing one of the 14 proposed grants: Hers. The item to benefit Rosen came up time and time again in public comments.
Ladra suspects they will again even under X’s hand. And he may also try to separate himself from the developer but, truth is, he’s already been talking to Rosen about it.
In a text message X sent Ladra, he said “Have made clear to Wayne that it will ultimately have to be modified to be 1 acceptable to mayor Stanczyk and 2 consistent with economic development criteia for EDFs or I withdraw my sponsorship.”
Who wants to bet he withdraws?
Lynda Bell resurrects $5 mil for builder pal via Xavier Suarez added by Ladra on
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