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classrooms and housing and parking lots and what not. But
they can’t use it for legal ramifications of paying the multi million in damages for strong arm tactics to get what they want.
Gee, what a concept.
By the way, is Gimenez suggesting FIU pay the legal fees with our tax dollars? Where does he think that money is coming from? Or maybe there will be some PAC or non-profit created to raise funds (shake down more vendors and contractors) for the cost of breaking the contract. There are a lot of people who will make a lot of money on the proposed expansion.
Read related story: FIU pumps up the pressure in fight over Youth Fair grounds
It is not too far fetched for Gimenez to do, you know? He is used to breaking his word. Breaking the county’s word taken by someone else way back when he was just a city of Miami firefighter should be no big deal.
But FIU isn’t willing to go there. It doesn’t look right. Even they know that.
FIU has been a little bullish in the past, using subliminal messages in ads about the number of graduates and calling the vote in 2014 — in which voters simply said the school could get the same waiver to use the park land as the Fair enjoyed now — a mandate. A bleeping mandate. Very manipulative.
But they won’t go as far as to finance the breach of a legal contract and, basically, be responsible for killing the Youth Fair. No, they want Gimenez to do that.
In so doing, the mayor has repeatedly misstated (read: lied about) the referendum that voters passed with 65 percent in 2014.
“The referendum said, yeah we’d like to move the Youth Fair and give FIU the land so they can expand,” Gimenez told the editorial board.
Um, no, it did not. The ballot question only asked voters to approve the same kind of land use waiver that the Fair enjoys now if there was ever a deal with FIU and the school could expand. That is it. Oh, and that any deal to relocate the Fair would not cost county dollars. It didn’t say move the Fair.
Read related story: FIU’s predictable ‘mandate’ no fair to Fair
Youth Fair executives have said repeatedly that the locations they have considered at the
county’s suggestion are not economically viable. Fair CEO Robert Hohenstein told Ladra the last time we talked that the South Dade property FIU is pushing would kill the event within five or six years, according to their study.
They are quite willing, however, to share the space at Tamiami Park, even though they have this “incredibly sweet deal” that doesn’t require them to do a thing. But FIU is not, apparently, even considering that. Why not? It’s a youth fair, after all. Your future students participate in the expo’s many agricultural, artistic and innovative competitions. Why not have some kind of partnership right there — as you proposed in South Dade — on this historically significant site for them? And for all of us, really.
Seems like a no brainer. A very symbiotic relationship is just waiting if they’ll give it a chance. And, maybe, if Mother Hen Miami-Dade leaves them alone.
It also seems like it’s time to let FIU and The Fair figure this out on their own. The county’s commitment is clear: We’ll do whatever we can, outside of spending public money, to help in the move and transition. Let FIU and their booster club spin its wheels finding a location that The Fair people will buy into. But this should no longer be something that the mayor and his senior advisor, Michael Spring, work on proactively.
Certainly, they have better things to do.
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John Smith,
Don’t divert the attention from the real issue. By the way, Ladra takes money from the Regalados who have a history of shaking down contractors via their lobbyists Armando Gutierrez. So she is no better.
John Smith please come out of the curtain because my software analytics indicate that you are Ladra. Oye Woofie don’t hide.
One thing for sure, Ladra has never robbed a bank.
Two wrongs does not make a right. Punto Claro! Dale!
I was curious and checked the link at Crespogram. I like to read all commentary and noticed a flaw in Crespo’s claim. He calls Ladra a shill and unethical for refusing to admit she is on a payroll or working for a politicians opponent. But didn’t Ladra post on her blog that she was going to work for Raquel Regalado? So Mr. Crespo’s claim is meritless. I admire his intent to inform readers but even he has an “unethical” past. He should be careful not to hit himself when throwing stones.
Politics is an equal opportunity “smoke and mirrors” business. Open, read the below Miami Herald link and learn. Voters must separate facts from “paid” political embellishments and vote for the person who we hope will do the best job for our community. Has Gimenez?
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2015/05/for-miami-dades-2016-mayoral-race-the-paid-teams-assemble.html
Fake name? It is not like your using real name “If you don’t like it leave”. Obviously, you have missed my point. Then again it is hard to make you understand since it seems like you are one of those who can’t have a discourse with any type of disagreement. If there is a disagreement, it seems you want to censor my message. Who are you? Bernie Sanders? I can already see that the wave of socialism heading into a communist state is spreading rapidly.
So since Ladra is rightfully ignoring you got-a-point…I will throw in my two cents. First of all she fully told all readers she is working for RR. Second she does not charge readers to view her content so either all bloggers must be rich or have lots of free time in your mind since you do not want them to earn an income!? As far as Carlos is concerned in this particular article not one thing she wrote seems to be biased or not true. So when the facts get in the way you attack the messenger! How do I know your last name is not Trump because you sure sound like him he/you wants no fact checking and he/you sure is rich enough to write a time consuming blog for free! My parting words are my own as Ladra welcomes all point of views since there is no such thing in the country her parents came from….If you don’t like it leave! And never come back under point of view or any other fake name…trolling a free blog and insulting the Pulitzer Prize winning writer with your nonsense is unwelcome here Trump or whatever your name is!!!!
From this point forward nothing but negative Carlos Gimenez, because you are getting PAID BY RAQUELITA REGALADO. UNETHICAL AND A CONFLICT OF INTEREST!
It seems he sees it the same I do.
Any comment? You see I am not the only one who dislike the Regalado Criminal Enterprise.
Oye Woofie,
You just got dogged by Al Crespo in his CrespoGram Report. http://www.crespogram.com/index_public_html/INTRO_PAGE.html
Its going nowhere simply because Gimenez and his family members haven’t yet figured out how to cleanly steal money for themselves. That simple!
That stadium was already there (it was upgraded), shared with local high schools for their games and its footprint is nowhere big enough to meet the needs of the school you nitwit.
FIU should’ve thought about their space needs before building an unnecessary football stadium for an unnecessary football program.
The lease that The Youth Fair signed is ironclad. They can’t be evicted unless they fail to abide by the contract. (Like paying the rent.) They can’t be evicted because the County now thinks they have a better way to use the land. A suit like that would be laughed out of court, with the County paying a ton of legal fees to the Fair. Plus, consider whether the County Attorney, who is hired by the Board of County Commissioners, would actually file suit against the Fair and risk putting its attorneys in danger of facing sanctions. Then there is the cost of the move. The County’s own estimate is that it might cost a hundreds of millions of dollars to move the Fair to an equivalent site, assuming that one could be found. And the one mandate from the referendum was that County tax dollars not be used to move the Fair. If FIU wants the land, it will have to pony up the cash. Try getting our Republican governor and a Legislature filled with graduates from FSU, UF, UCF, and other state colleges to cut FIU a check for a half billion to move a county fair and not for the cost of classrooms and buildings. For all of the Mayor’s bluster, The Fair isn’t going anywhere.
The Miami Herald Editorial Board! Yes, the same group of propaganda masters who pushed Gimenez into office in the first place by giving him a free pass on every issue! And why are we asking Gimenez anyway? Why not ask his former campaign manager Al Lorenzo, (yes, the same individual who paid boleteras for absentee ballots that helped elect Gimenez), after all, not long after the occurrence of that crime Lorenzo became an FIU regent and manipulated that process!
Citizens of this county you are being screwed in every corner of this county by two dollar hookers in Armani suits and you are either too lazy, to ill advised or too passive to point a finger and call out corrupt officials such as Gimenez. In fact, your level of apathy is such that come August when that same Herald Editorial Board endorses Gimenez you will probably vote for him again! So there, let’s all pay through the nose on tolls, let’s let every park and open space be signed over to private industry and let all of Gimenez’s lobbyist and consultant friends get rich on county contracts paid on your dime! You deserve it.
When is he doing the negotiations between golf and picking up his grandchildren from school. There are women who are denied positions because they have children and someone is afraid she will take to much time in helping them out,kind of ironic? He does not want to follow through on the pet issue,because it was a straw ballot ( and everything they said was true) but the Youth Fair even thou it was a straw ballot (and was not truth full in its message) he wants to solve the problem, his way which is always with the tax payers money. He can donate his county salary and expenses to them and he will still have more than $20,000 a month to live with.OR STAY OUT OF IT AND LET THE YOUTH FAIR AND FIU FIGURE IT OUT. TIME TO TAKE YOUR PANTYHOSE OFF AND PUT YOUR BIG BOY PANTS ON, AND TAKE CARE OF THE REST OF THIS COUNTY, THAT IS HURTING BECAUSE WE ARE SHORT IN EVERY THING THAT IMPROVES OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. IF YOU CAN’T DO IT, THEN PLEASE GO AWAY!!!
The Mayor is playing Cards , He has A Bluff and Wants to see The Players NEXT Move . Same as He Has done With The Transportation UBER He has instructed The CAO attorney to Give Uber a 59% Break on their Tickets (according To Public Records) All the Time Talking HE May Do Just That. The County Attorney’s ,doing This are Sanchez and Sherman and The Breaks are not per Code and Done Prior To The Hearings.
#OURCOUNTY is Corrupt !
Yet another reason to FIRE Gimenez on August 30, 2016.
If politicians truly value the higher Ed diploma, then the Youth Fair could acquire this requisite and partner with FAU or Nova Southeastern, or another reputable college and establish a satellite campus right next to their bully of a neighbor.
The problem started when the county lobbyists (Gimenez’ advisors) pushed through that ballot question. Why ask the voters to approve a deal that wasn’t ready? The referendum was to allow FIU and the County to bully the Youth Fair. Gimenez has a vision problem. Anyone could see this effort would fail. Anyone but Carlos.