One of the main criticisms on Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is that
he is too comfy close with lobbyists.
It’s not just Ladra. A June 2013 poll showed that 55% of the people think he’s too beholden to lobbyists and special interests, and is being led by them rather than by the best interests of the county and taxpayers in his multiple, multi-million-dollar deal negotiations.
Little did they know, however, that he is soooo linked arm-in-arm with lobbyists that he has the sons of two cabilderos in the executive circle on his staff. Why not? After all, his own son is a lobbyist. Maybe he sees a little of his boy in these employees.
Read related story: Poll: Mayor Carlos Gimenez is too comfy close to lobbyists
Alex Ferro, the mayor’s chief of staff, is the son of lobbyist Simon Ferro. He’s been with Gimenez since the 2011 campaign, jumping from the Marcelo Llorente camp after the former State Rep. came in third in the recall replacement race. Llorente, also a lobbyist, is his cousin.
Ferro started as director of external affairs, a position that no longer exists (maybe because it was custom created) 
but became chief of staff in August 2014 after Lisa Martinez up and left for no apparent reason. Ferro got an 83% percent raise and makes $145,000 a year now. That’s more than Deputy Mayor Russell Benford (the black one). And he’s gotten to travel far and wide with Gimenez — to Denver, the White House (second from right in the photo here), even Paris.
His dad, Simon Ferro, has lobbied on land use issues, on zoning changes, a South Dade landfill and development of a Port Miami parcel. He’s represented Larkin Hospital, developers like Adrian Homes, shopping plazas and schools. Last year, he secured $400,000 in Building Better Communities bond monies for a Section 8 apartment building in Miami Beach. This year, he registered to lobby for two clients: Biscayne Housing, to argue for a tax exemption for a housing developer, and Bindor Somi, on issues related to a transit owned parcel in South Miami.
Michael Weiss is a mayor’s aide and the son of Richard Weiss, senior partner at Weiss, Serota Helfman, one of the main lobbying firms in Miami-Dade. Mike Weiss, who calls himself a policy and legislative analyst on his LinkedIn profile, was hired last year for an annual salary of $52,300.
Read related story: Carlos Gimenez new chief of staff gets 83% raise
His dad is registered this year but has not listed any clients so far. Last year, Richard Weiss lobbied for the city of Miami Gardens in their fight with the county over control of zoning and permitting of then SunLife, now Hard Rock Stadium. In 2013, he represented the Miami Heat organization in its negotiations for an extended agreement at the American Airlines Arena — which came out very favorable for them.
It’s hard not to wonder if Weiss’ position had other applicants and if it was competitive. Was it even advertised? There are 12 mayor’s aides. One of the other ones is Dotty Vazquez, the known boletera who worked on Gimenez”s 2012 campaign and got paid $10,000 for consulting (code word for absentee ballot collection).
Could there be 13? Maybe 14? Or more. I mean, how many lobbyist kids are graduating? Are Jorge Luis Lopez‘s sons old enough yet to be looking for a job? Does Brian May have any kids? Maybe a daughter for a change?
Gimenez has long been criticized for being too close to lobbyists and one has to wonder if this is not one of those ways they scratch each others’ backs.
Read related story: Boleteras alive and well — and working in the mayor’s office
The poll in June 2014 by Bendixen Amandi for The Miami Herald, showed that 55 percent of the 400 people asked 
thought that Gimenez was too close to lobbyists. Only 27% believe he is negotiating in our best interest.
Among Hispanics, where Gimenez showed the most support in that poll, 52% thought he was too close to lobbyists and acting on behlf of special interests. But the number skyrocketed to 65% among black voters and 60% among white Anglo voters. Among Democrats, 59% saying these special interests exert too much influence over Gimenez.
“These are the disturbing figures,” Fernand Amandi, one of the pollsters — who since then has developed a mid morning political talk show on 610 WIOD — told Ladra two years ago.
But imagine how much more disturbing the figures would be if people knew that Gimenez had the sons of two lobbyists working in his office as some of his closest advisers.
Carlos Gimenez’s links to lobbyists lead straight to his staff added by Ladra on
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