There’s a mammoth Miami-Dade County Commission meeting on Tuesday 
with items on the agenda about the future of a parcel at the Port of Miami, a bunch of airport concessions and new rules for the luggage wrap services, a climate change status report, several bid wavers, a program to save the county’s avocado industry and even a motion to spend $5.5 million on shoes and boots for county employees.
Seriously, get your coffee brewing.
But the 800-pound gorilla in the room is not even on the agenda: Everyone is abuzz about it being Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz ‘s first real public appearance since he was arrested two weeks ago in Key West and charged with DUI after he was caught going more than twice the speed limit and toppled his bike. Sure, he’s been to a networking event and a community park thing, Ladra was told, but this will be the first time in the glare of his colleagues, contributors and media.
Diaz is expected to make comments regarding the arrest early in the meeting — he wants it done with ASAP and let’s get back to business — apologizing to his colleagues for any embarrassment he may have brought them, but not saying much else. He’ll probably say his attorney told him he can’t talk about it. He will tell the media bugging him for a statement the same thing.
Ladra is surprised he didn’t pull the item he is sponsoring about new regulations for breweries and wineries. That’s going to be awkward.
Read related story: Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz arrested on DUI in Key West
Diaz pleaded not guilty on Monday on the advice of his Key West attorney, Richard Wunsch, according to a statement issued by former TV news guy turned media crisis PR guru Brian Andrews.
“Just like anyone else facing similar charges, Mr. Diaz will go through the legal process, following his lawyer’s advice. He will be using all of the legal opportunities that are afforded to him under the law as he and his attorney work to resolve this matter,” the statement said, asking the media to back off because neither Diaz nor his attorney will be doing media interviews “at this time.”
Other attorneys have told Ladra, however, that Diaz could possibly win his case. 
Despite a long video that shows his slurred speech, Diaz doesn’t completely topple that much walking the toe-to-heel line that is hard for Ladra to do even stone cold sober. It’s a body and balance thing. And Diaz — whose had back surgery twice — had just burned his leg on the motorcycle’s muffler.
Plus he’s coherent and polite throughout the whole ordeal. Much more polite than Diaz is when he’s really drinking. He knows where he came from, where and what he had for lunch. In fact, he corrected the officer who said he had reported having two rum and cokes. “No, I said one rum and coke and one champagne,” Diaz said.
But just because Diaz isn’t talking about it, it doesn’t mean the arrest won’t come up in public comments. Ladra fully expects members of the Pets’ Trust initiative to give Diaz a public tongue lashing. He has been a public enemy of the Pet people since he first sponsored then voted against their plan. The group been blasting Diaz on his arrest and petitioned the governor to suspend him. While some say it’s unlikely since this misdemeanor had nothing to do with his job as commissioner, there is precedent. Last year, Gov. Rick Scott suspended Longwood City Commissioner Haywood “Butch” Bundy after he was charged with DUI in an accident in which he and his passenger were injured.
If the animal lovers speak, then the Miami-Dade Hispanic Police Officers Association will have someone say something in support of a commissioner who has always voted with the police union and all public employee associations. They are so desperate for a better contract, apparently, that they will defend a man who risked taking someone’s life on that stretch of Roosevelt Boulevard. The Hispanic Police have started a petition to the Governor to not suspend Diaz (which might be the first of its kind). It’s gotten close to 1,200 signatures — which is the biggest rally for an accused drunk driver that Ladra has ever seen. And by law enforcement to boot!
“Maybe they want to give him an award? If someone had been killed, would they have still created this petition,” asked Pets’ Trust founder and director Michael Rosenberg. “What are the limitations to drunk driving? Free pass if no one killed? Free pass if a commissioner?”
The Hispanic cops won’t say anything, however, if nobody else does. They’ll stay quiet in the audience. The less we all talk about this, the better for Diaz.
Less certain but still possible is a rare appearance by Absentee Ballot Queen Sasha Tirador, a campaign consultant and political operative who has seized on this opportunity to trash Diaz — most likely so she can run someone against him. Tirador has taken advantage of lazy Spanish language reporters on the story to provide what is made to look like an uninterested opinion — but what she’s doing is propaganda in advance of her campaign. Ladra is thinking that she can convince either Sandra Ruiz or Pete Cabrera out of Doral to run for that seat.
Maybe she even wants to pitch Orlando Lopez, who just won, with her help, an election promoting him from city commissioner to mayor.
It won’t take a star. Diaz may have beaten down a challenge last year with 73% of the vote over a nobody that was propped up by the Pets’ people y nada mas. But that was before he was caught on camera admitting that he had a couple of drinks before going 74 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. The video is much better for TV news and political campaign purposes than it is for the court case.
“Do what you gotta do. My career is ended. It’s over. Whatever,” Diaz says on video captured by the cops’ body cameras, which he will likely vote against again Tuesday. He was never a big fan of the body cams before; can’t imagine he would have changed his mind on them now.
But don’t expect him to talk about it much.
Jose “Pepe” Diaz will bring up DUI arrest, then say nada added by Ladra on
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