The power at Miami-Dade County Hall is going to shift over the next few weeks as commissioners play musical chairs. Not only because they are expected on Monday to name the next chair, and all eyes are on Commissioner Jean Monestime for that. But also because in January, Monestime will dole out the committee leadership […]
Oooops. Ladra doesn’t know if it was the worst case scenario budget or the best case scenario budget, but the annual budget passed by the Miami-Dade Commission in September and under which the county has been operating for almost two months since Oct. 1 is invalid. So says the Florida Department of Revenue, which is […]
UPDATED: Miami-Dade School Board Member Carlos “One Term” Curbelo, who was elected to Congress two weeks ago, isn’t expected to resign from his current seat until January. He has said that the December meeting will be his last. But there are several people either jostling or being jostled for the position before Gov. Rick Scott, who […]
Two weeks after State Rep. Erik Fresen was re-elected to the State House with a much larger margin than expected, his seat has already become a contested one for the Republican primary 21 months away. Jose Pazos, a condo association manager who is partners with former State Rep. Julio “The Good One” Robaina and Miami-Dade Commissioner […]
Who’s going to run against Ralph Cabrera for mayor of Coral Gables? Nobody knows yet. It’s like they’re drawing straws. We’re pretty sure it ain’t gonna be incumbent Mayor Jim Cason. For months, folks have been hearing of his switcheroo plan, the one by which he steps down to let Commissioner William “Billy” Kerdyk, who […]
So, the common thinking is that Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine could be a contender for the Miami-Dade mayoral race in 2016. But maybe he’s got his eyes set on a higher power: The governor’s mansion? Perhaps a race for U.S. Senate if Sen. Bill Nelson retires or Sen. Marco Rubio heads for the White […]
Sure, there was some big football game, I hear. But this week was marked mostly by races — a runoff in Palmetto Bay and the NASCAR races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a three-day speed fest that ended with the championship Sunday night. Both are very competitive sports. In Palmetto Bay, where the former founding Mayor Eugene […]
Trading Places II: Former Congressman David “Nine Lives” Rivera, who has had an infamous and adversarial relationship with most of the local media, turned the tables Friday on a CBS4 cameraman who was following him and, we assume, filming the former legislator as he went about his daily routine. Rivera called the police in Doral, […]
Really? Really? Ladra’s jaw is still hurting from how hard it hit the floor when it dropped during Wednesday’s county committee consideration of an amendment to our human rights ordinance so that it includes transgendered people. You know, guys who like to look like girls and girls who like to look like guys. Not because […]
The crumbling courthouse crisis has now become a blame game. Echoing lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez — who said on the radio during the campaign for the bond tax for a new courthouse that Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado was at fault for letting the building deteriorate so much — Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman pointed the finger […]