As we get closer to the September budget hearings on Miami-Dade Mayor 
Carlos Gimenez‘s annual budget, several commissioners are getting ready to make some suggested changes.
And the most drastic of these is a call for a tax cut from Commissioner Juan Zapata.
Zapata met with Gimenez Wednesday morning to ask for a lower tax rate due to the $120 million plus in additional property tax revenue due the county this year.
“Miami-Dade County experienced a 9 percent revenue growth in 2015, which has failed to translate into a benefit for the taxpayers,” Zapata said in a statement.
“This morning I met with Mayor Carlos Gimenez to discuss the FY 2015-2016 budget, and challenged him to seek operational efficiencies and provide our citizens with much needed tax relief in the form of decreasing the millage rate. The opportunity to decrease the millage rate is one that will not be present in next year’s budget, which is why the administration must capitalize on these favorable times to provide tax relief now,” Zapata stated.
But he knows he is barking up the wrong tree.
Read related story: Miami Dade’s Carlos Gimenez saves us — from himself
Zap told Ladra he knew there was no appetite or support on the commission for a tax break. Gimenez has already said he is not willing to cut the tax rate further. And can you blame him? This time last year, he was threatening to close libraries 
down and fire 700 employees, including hundreds of police officers. Today he has enough of a surplus so he can even cut the grass more often, as he likes to repeat over and over. He’s not about to go back to those lean times when he had to close some libraries on at least one weekday.
That’s why Ladra thinks Zap’s statement is more likely damage control after a Univision story that aired Tuesday about his $30,000 Harvard class in public administration, a class that the taxpayers paid before he reimbursed the county.
But I also think that story was planted in Erika Carillo’s ear. Because it is timed perfectly to throw a cloud over one of the mayor’s biggest budget critics, the only commissioner pushing for the commission to have its own budget director to explain the shell game the mayor likes to play.
Zapata has been outspoken about the budget before. Consistently. This year, he sent an email to his constituents Aug. 6 before the Aug. 11 budget town hall meeting in his district, suggesting questions that people could ask about the vacancies in police at the Hammocks station and stalled transportation projects. The email was particularly critical of the mayor.
“For far too long this community has paid disproportionately higher taxes when compared to the services and attention received. Projects such as the expansion of 142nd Avenue, or the development of West Kendall Regional Park have failed to break ground. Our police force at the Hammocks Police Station is regularly short staffed, which limits their ability to respond efficiently. Mayor Gimenez has even failed to champion our expansive connectivity plan, which includes the creation of bike paths, in sharp contrast to projects in the eastern portions of Miami-Dade County such as the Underline and Ludlam Trail.
I encourage you to attend the Town Hall and ask Mayor Gimenez what funding has been identified in this year’s budget to resolve the aforementioned issues. In addition to budget concerns, I would also encourage questions on the Mayor’s stance on the incorporation of our community and what he and his administration are doing to attract high paying jobs to the West End. Collectively, our concerns will hold the Mayor accountable to his promises.”
Payback’s a bitch, Zap: So someone pointed the TV reporter to his recent Ivy League studies, which are nothing new to the county and certainly doesn’t warrant a two-part series. Several commissioners have taken classes — some even the same course at Harvard — and had it paid by the county. Ladra made a public records request for those documents Wednesday morning and didn’t have them Wednesday night.
It was a classic media move to cut him down. But it’s not going to shut Zapata up. He is going to be asking the mayor and Budget Director Jennifer Glazier Moon where the $120 million disappeared to so quickly.
Read related story: Good news makes for more Miami-Dade budget town halls
“There’s a lot of new money in the budget and it concerns me that it’s all used up already,” Zapata told Ladra. “How can we have
so much new money and its gone already? UMSA has a surplus of an additional $120 million. Where is that money going? It’s impossible to track.
“How do you have a nine percent property tax increase and it evaporates? Why don’t we give some money back to the taxpayer? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
I’ll tell you what, Zap. Let the taxpayer tell you where to spend it. We have lots of need for those funds. We’d like to see more libraries restored to their six-day weeks and we want to see more police officers on the street. And we want to fund the Pets’ Trust plan because we think that is what will get us closer to a no-kill status quicker.
Just because Gimenez isn’t spending the surplus right doesn’t mean that it can’t be. The commission has the power to tell the administration where to put those $120 million. Don’t give them back. But spend them more wisely.
Juan Zapata to mayor: ‘Where’s the money?’ and ‘Cut taxes’ added by Ladra on
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Just two weeks ago Zapata was pushing the entire commission to give Barbara Galvez a cake job at the Commission Auditor’s Office. This, after knowing she is unqualified and her former assignment was that of secretary buying pastelitos and cafecito for disgraced Commissioner Miriam Alonso. Now he feels betrayed and he throws Galvez under the bus!
Also has anyone else noticed that all the emails from Zapata’s office come from private rather than county email addresses? What is Zapata trying to hide. All public business should be available for the public to request under public record law. I think the Herald is on the right track here. Keep digging, Zapata does not pass the smell test.
Zapata is a Hypocrte caught at his own game, hiding behind yes multiple corporations and shanagans that it’s finally at his door step. And all this from a guy who preaches what he doesn’t practice like the prior post explain. He’s ranting and raving, talking down to people like if he was a King of something. He’s arrogant, self centered, rude, and clearly out of touch with reality. What Zapata needs to do is resign before he’s shamed with what’s to come out of all this as public records request are done, following the money trail. Transparency is not his strong suit as his campaigns have demonstrated yet with x monies been able to cloud the waters, he’s a lobbyist dream come true. So much for high end talk about FIU and other local universities, not good enough for him to learn at? He’s all talk yelling and demanding answers yet since he was elected was quietly trying to get incorporation agendas passed without informing and keeping voters informed of the game plan. Thanks God for mayor Moranga from Sweetwater who was arrested and that incorporation silent task force light was shed on us, something the other sitting chair commish help pass and alowed even during tough economical times in Dade. Yes monies that they spent setting up a quiet committe made up of friends and friends to pass incorporation. But in west Kendall at least the resistance and voters quickly turned out and spoke their minds “No To Incorporation” and that slogan has payed off. Yes Mr Zapata and his staff of outsiders and Lobbyist have be shut down hard. Yes Elaine why haven’t you been out there and covered the Mass yelling and ranting at him and his folks, quilted him saying he’s not doing this to be A Mayor of the city! Why well we can guess! So don’t write articles trying to defend this imposter just cause he stand up to your Golden Boy who you’ve yet to uncover any wrong doing on. This Harvard thing was wrong and they should of waited till he was done so he would of had no chance to repay ir make up excuses, something he couldn’t of expunged like his criminal record which he has yet to disclose, “Transparency” my but, look at all the corps he’s got registered it closed down. A jack of all trades but yet no product to show. If he can’t handle the 6k pay then resign I am sure his buds at the Management Company have a spot for him regardless if it’s just a
Facticiuos name. So many Corporation run out of one roof, an apartment complex that he called home till his residence move to District 11. All you have here is a career politician caught red handed with the hand in the jar and no cookies to eat! Ones things for sure that 30 k he dished out really hurt him as we saw on TV, how let’s see what deal forks up that mistake. I am guessing it’s the executive airport deal he’s so pushing thru! Ya que the Beckem FIU thing fell thru! Be a friend tell him to quit before the pictures have bars and a number underneath. We have never seen the first Mug Shots but I am sure there will be more!
The county has always had a very generous tuition remission program for all it’s employees. The difference is the regular rank-and-file employee has to sign up, pay for and pass the course before they are eligible for tuition remission.
Clearly if County executives would just follow their own guidelines the county attorneys wouldn’t have to burn so many carlories to provide their bosses procedural fig leafs.
The only reason he gave back the $30k was to avoid prosecution for theft. Where are you on this Mary Cagle and Joseph Centorino? Asleep at the wheel cashing the big check as usual!
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article32503263.html
Zapata sounds like the typical not-so-honest politician. I’m glad I’m in Suarez’s district. And what’s all this about incorporatng West Dade? I guess he wants to be mayor of a new city. Bah humbug to Juan Zapata!
Zapata should resign.
Zapata is nothing but a little boy ranting and raving about how things should be or could have been. His curt treatment of county staff and his silver tongue have alienated him from the rest of the commission and he will be a one term commissioner come 2016.
Here is a commissioner asking for transparency when he himself has a sealed criminal record for selling steroids at FIU years back and his wealth comes from a set of parents who were indicted by the federal government for money laundering several years back.
If we had an Inspector General’s Office worth his salt, Zapata would be charged for theft by having attended that Harvard course on the county dime. Also, a quick look into his large assortment of Florida corporations and his involvement with property management companies smells like money laundering as well but of course, it’d be too much to have the State Attorney’s Office look into that as well.
Under Gimenez, Zapata, and Bovo, the Miami-Dade Public Library System has dropped from national best to unranked in Florida.