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assistance, economic development (including micro-lending and business incubators), public facilities, capital improvements, rental housing rehabilitation.
And all that is very worthwhile. But Ladra hopes the commission has some sort of tracking system to ensure that the monies are used as intended. A better tracking system than an identification process, which is obviously flawed.
Read related story: Carlos Gimenez admits overtaxing special taxing districts: ‘So sorry’
Because guess who gets $342,589? The city of Sweetwater, where we have seen monies mismanaged before. Remember those funds that were supposed to go to elderly services but
instead went to pay for SUVs driven by the mayor’s wife and her friend? I wonder what $340,000 will get the mayor’s mama this year.
And the woefully outdated website (think 2007) says the non-profit St. John Community Development Corp uses state grant monies to provide local Overtown businesses managerial and technical assistance, loan packaging and access to capital and facade improvement. The group also built a 35-unit affordable rental housing complex — in 1992. What’s it going to do with $636,000?
And did commissioners know that $1.2 million was going to go to the same address on Northwest 62nd Avenue? Or that the $177,591 for ARCoponics is for a division of the Opa-Locka Community Development Corp that’s already getting $520,180 separately? That’s almost $800,000 for that one group.
And why does BeeFree get $175,000? This is a for-profit company that provides free transportation, mostly in Miami Beach, in electric cars that serve as rolling billboards, making money, supposedly, by selling the advertising. How does this help low-to-moderate-income or underserved community? Doesn’t this just help the owners of BeeFree stay afloat another year or two?
Here is a list, provided by the county, of all the agencies and the funds they are set to receive:
- 79th Street Corridor Neighborhood Initiative, Inc. $49,102
- ARCoponics, LLC $177,591
- Assistance to the Elderly, Inc. $150,000
- Association For Development Of The Exceptional Incorporated $342,589
- Barry University, Inc. $130,696
- BeeFree, LLC $175,000
- Black Economic Development Coalition, Inc. $612,773
- Branches, Inc. $80,000
- Camillus House, Inc. $576,597
- Carrfour Supportive Housing, Inc. $49,984
- Citrus Health Network, Inc. $200,000
- City of Opa-locka $221,917
- City of South Miami $336,000
- City of Sweetwater $342,589
- City of West Miami $125,000
- Dynamics Community Development Corporation $81,233
- EcoTech Visions Foundation Inc. $450,000
- Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, Inc. $155,000
- Little Haiti Housing Association, Inc. $100,000
- Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, Inc. $360,000
- Neighbors and Neighbors Association, Inc. $612,773
- Opa-locka Community Development Corporation, Inc. $520,180
- OUR Microlending, LLC. $200,000
- Partners for Self-Employment, Inc. $430,000
- Pharma Topcare, Inc. $177,591
- South Florida Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, Inc. $109,974
- St. John Community Development Corporation, Inc. $636,364
- Sundari Foundation Inc. d/b/a/ Lotus House Women’s Shelter $458,839
- Sunrise Opportunities, Inc. $96,515
- TA Medical Group, Inc. $175,000
Ladra is certain that some of this is money is well-intentioned. But I am almost as certain that there are some turkeys tucked in. Help the commission identify them if you can, before HUD Director Julian Castro catches wind of it.
And let’s make certain that these are not additional funds the county will have to repay the federal government next year.
NANA is the biggest fraud along with Tools for Change D/B/A BLACK ECONOMIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. THEY CREATE FAKE JOBS, GIVE LOANS TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, LOSE TRACK OF FUNDS GIVE OUT, FUND BUSINESS OWNERS WHO DON’T FIT THE CRITERIA, SEVERAL OF THE BUSINESSES THEY FUND ARE SHUT DOWN, SHORTLY AFTER START UP. THEY ALSO RE-FUND THE SAME BUSINESSES UNDER DIFFERENT NAMES. EVIDENCE SHREDDED.
[…] Read related story: Miami-Dade flubs millions in HUD funds, then spends more […]
I remember voting for Gimenez in 2011 when he ran against Robaina. That vote was intended to keep a crook from office as witnessed by Robaina’s subsequent arrest and trial for loan sharking and Lord knows what else.
As soon as he took office, Gimenez began his “department shrinkage” project. Instead of ridding the county of unnecessary departments, he commingled departments that had no business being merged. For example, merging the Public Works and Waste Department. Two departments with very different purposes and little in common. Soon it became evident that the purpose of merging departments was more in line with shaking the tree and replacing department heads with political puppets to serve at Gimenez’s pleasure. The new department directors have little care for preserving our budget or ensuring that the theft and graft of county funds and county contracts is kept to a minimum.Today we see the results of those mergers, as witnessed by the Special Taxing District scandal.
The horrendous mergers were followed up by the arrival of every lobbyist, consultant and contractor who had contributed to Gimenez’s campaign and just like the carpetbaggers who raped the South after the civil war, arrived with hat in hand waiting to rip off every possible county tax dollar. From there it was downhill, pushing monies for the Dolphins, not charging the Heat, trying to give away public spaces to the MLS and having the audacity of carrying on secret deals with Trump to give away the Key Biscayne Golf Course; with a “board” of political lackeys to give away Viscaya and with Al lorenzo at FIU to kick out the Youth Fair out of its current location.
The scandals in Gimenez’s administration have been non-ending. The worse absentee ballot fraud in the history of the state; trying to take jobs away from cops; cutting library hours; cutting back functions of rescue boats, etc., etc., etc.
I remember holding a Martinez sign at a precinct in 2012 and watching the cattle train of voters who don’t read or don’t care come in and out of the precinct bragging about voting for Gimenez. To those who voted for the most corrupt mayor ever elected in Miami Dade County, please know that unless we get organized, contribute to the campaigns of Gimenez’s opponents, volunteer to assist in those campaigns and most important go out and vote against Gimenez, we will see the worst of Gimenez after 2016 if he gets reelected. Common sense dictates we vote this blue blooded mayor out of office. Do your part and pray for the best.
Two recipients with different names but same address and principals??
Got to check that out.
Thanks for helping us do our work.
xavier
Thank YOU, Commissioner Mayor Sir. Can’t wait to hear the spirited debate on this at your committee.
Love, Ladra