Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez was spotted meeting 
with former Miami-Dade Aviation Director Jose Abreu and chauffuer-turned-lobbyist Rafael Garcia Toledo at Greenstreet in Coconut Grove Friday morning.
At least that is how several people in the know, including the new aviation director, identified the folks in the photo.
What was that coffee chat about? Inquiring minds would love to know.
It wasn’t on the mayor’s official calendar. Ladra asked for it and was directed to his online calendar, which only showed afternoon meetings with Deputy Mayors Jack Osterholt and Russell Benford. No mention of any breakfast in the Grove.
Could it be that it was just three old amigos meeting and not official county business? Maybe. But Ladra doubts it.
Abreu, who was FDOT regional director before joining the county, left in 203 and joined Gannett Fleming as a senior vice president and member of its executive leadership team in just two months later. According to the engineering and architectural firm’s own website, he is responsible for “strategic growth and business 
development initiatives related to transportation and other infrastructure in Florida, as well as in national and international markets.
“In this capacity, he works closely with Gannett Fleming’s board of directors to identify key business opportunities that align with the firm’s growth plan, which provides for expanding markets and services. Abreu is charged with developing strategic programs for penetrating these new markets and cultivating dynamic client relationships,” it says.
Ladra can’t help but wonder if the county is one of those markets and the mayor is one of those clients.
Maybe Abreu, who oversaw $6.4 billion worth of capital improvements at MIA and other county airports, and his firm want a piece of that multi-billion dollar BayLink project that will connect Miami Beach to the mainland and beyond.
In any case, it seems like Friday would have been a good day to be a fly on the wall at Greenstreet.
Mayor’s morning café with former aviation chief Jose Abreu added by Ladra on
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