Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernández may be on the verge of another backroom deal — unless the Miami-Dade School Board stops him.
Last year, Hernández sent a letter to School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho with an idea: Let’s rezone the vacant 
12 acres of land adjacent to Hialeah Middle School — a vacant field that was used for football and soccer programs for decades — so it can be redeveloped into more absentee voting centers, er, we mean public housing.
But neighbors are opposed, collecting at least 600 signatures so far against any rezoning.
“I’ve lived across the street from that field my whole life,” said Michael Horgan, 47. “That field was always a football and soccer field for groups and for all of us to use.”
Then, suddenly, about three years ago, a chain link fence and no trespassing signs appeared from one day to the next. Now we know why. Ladra bets it took that long for Hernández and his hoodlum pals to get all their ducks in a row and figure out who gets what. Even if it goes out to bid, like he said on Channel 23, the eventual winning bid will have “custom made” qualifications and other advantages that come with palanca.
Las malas lenguas say its gonna go to the people who are building his new house in Coral Gables (yes, I am looking into that, too). But Ladra’s money is on former Mayor Julio Robaina, Hernández’s hero, and his real estate partners.
Hernández — an admitted loanshark suspected of insider deals with the reverse osmosis water plant and the privatization of solid waste collection –is a longtime friend and protege of Robaina’s. He wants this soooo bad, he said the city will waive $12,800 in application fees — 
how nice of him — to process the land use and zoning changes. It will still cost the school board (read: taxpayers) about $30,000 for assessments and what not. This is all spelled out in the unsolicited letter Hernández sent to Superintendent Carvalho sometime last year.
“I am reaching out to you to bring to your consideration an innovative approach to one of MDCPS sites within the city of Hiaeah,” Hernandez starts out. “I envision a residential development on the twelve acres owned by MDCPS on the northern portion of the site of the Hialeah Middle Community School, which will benefit the community, parents and students.”
He goes on to say new housing would attract young families and keep the schools filled with students.
“My vision at this site that is currently underutilized is a residential development with diverse unit types ranging from low to high density, designed to be compatible with the existing low density residential neighborhood to the west and scaling up as it extends east on Le Jeune Road,” and one can’t help but think that those are someone else’s words.
“To market the land at its highest and best use, the land would have to be re-platted, the land use changed to the 
maximum allowed density and rezoned consistently. The city of Hialeah is willing to take by initiating the land use changes and rezoning and facilitating the re-platting process,” the mayor wrote. “I look forward to working proactively together and in directing my staff to work with MDCPS staff, to ensure the successful implementation of this idea and make it a reality in the very near future.”
This letter was part of the October school board agenda at which the board recommended Carvalho “further explore a possible collaboration between the Board and the City of Hialeah, collectively the Parties, through which a Board-owned asset could be moneytized for the Parties’ mutual benefit and bring back an item to the Board at the appropriate time.”
How about never?
Board Member Lubby Navarro told Ladra she voted in favor because the property is not utilized and selling it would provide a source of revenue. But the secretive way this was started has tainted the process and the school board should put on the brakes, at least for now until a full study can be done on multiple options and best use of that land.
When Horgan learned what was going on, he and a group of neighbors went to the city council meeting Feb. 13 to ask questions and make their opposition to the housing development known. “Right before we spoke, the mayor left the chambers,” he said. “When I spoke not a single council member had a clue about what I was speaking about. They all wanted to see the mayor’s letter.”
Hmmm. Could it be the mayor was acting alone, without the authorization or even knowledge of the city council?
Interestingly, the undated letter is not on city letterhead — repeat, it is not on city letterhead — but rather letterhead that looks like it came directly from Carlos Hernández’s deep state office, his shadow office at City Hall. Instead of the city seal, it has a wheel with the mayor’s name on it and the words mayor and alcalde, which is mayor in Spanish.
Further proof that Hernández is doing this on his own behalf, as a businessman not as a city ambassador. Or, even less, as a public servant.
Hialeah mayor quietly moves to develop school property into housing added by Ladra on
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But his Cuban cronies voted for him re-electing him. I think Santana would had made Hialeah great again. I don’t understand why he got so few votes.
I agree with M.P. this is exactly our wishes, so we are investigating to see if now in the elections of November we can collect enough signatures from the entire city of Hialeah we can have him and all of his councils removed.
But for this we will need to have the cooperation of lots of people, not just a few.
I like what Carmen said, and I heard that we can actually do this if we collect enough signatures and gather enough people we can definitely have him recalled and kicked out of Hialeah with his bodies Robaina and others.
Great article. Wish you could look into how much school board property this Superintendent has sold since he has been in office. I’m sure there is a good reason he turned down the New York job $$$.
Carmen ,
Great post . Many local politicos pull an old trick of having a mailing address in the district they are supposed to live in but they live someplace else . Jose ”Pepe” Diaz used to do this in Sweet Water .
Since the DA , Kathleen Rundle is an enabler of political corruption or just zero standards , these assorted Miami politicos operate with impunity.
Corrupt Carlos.
Another scam by this glorious mayor.
This will benefit his developer buddies.
High density housing doesn’t bother him because he is building a mansion in coral gables. Look in to that Ms. Ladra.
Even he wants out of this city he has ruined.
His wife hasn’t realized she can take half and kick his ass to the curb and be just fine.
He needs to be recalled and now.
Give this city a chance.
The thought of going from a play field to having apartment units built next to both schools is extremely bothersome to us neighbors. There are security concerns with the addition of new people living inside the school zone as well as the traffic and disruption during school start/release times. Furthermore, the recent massacre in Broward County Parkland’s School shooting raises major concerns to school security. This should be an eye opener. We should prioritize our children. They are the foundation of the future; not business deals with investors with an end result that impacts the well being and security of our children. The Miami-Dade County School Board should consider alternative uses for this field that protects students and faculty and provides them the outdoor space needed for outside activities to play and exercise so they can develop physically and mentally, instead of constantly being on the internet learning wrong things that lead to breakdowns.
Wow. 12 acres that used to be used for soccer and football? Hialeah. Ick. So many scams. The Miami-Dade County School Board does not need the money from a backroom real estate deal. The School Board’s revenues exceed $5 Billion per year. Students and residents benefit from open green space.
This is what the public does not know and that the Mayor Carlos Hernandez has done since he took power
From: Candace Harper
Date: March 7, 2018 at 12:41:44 PM EST
To: Elite – Angel Guttierez , Cheer Commissioner Candace
Subject: Hialeah Cougars
To whom this may concern,
Our program is receiving unwelcoming comments from the City of Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez, that are not accurate. I’ve included the last 4 years of rosters that includes the necessary evidence requested for the interest of Hialeah Cougars program particularly.
Our program has provided a Free service to the Hialeah community that is not funded or supported by the City of Hialeah. We are a non-profit youth sports organization based out of Hialeah.
The Hialeah Youth Athletic Club, Inc. (A.K.A Hialeah Cougars) is an organization that has been a stable of its community since “1948”. The organization gives over 300 children in the city of Hialeah and surrounding neighborhoods an opportunity to play contact football and competitive Cheerleading in an organized setting.
HYAC is an ALL-VOLUNTEER staffed organization that is loyal and committed to improving community life within Hialeah. The organization’s mission is to provide quality recreation and skill development in youth athletics while also teaching the youth the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of their bodies. Also, In parallel, the essential traits needed to be an effective team player and the importance of academics and community service.
The main goal of the organization is to keep the youth active. With the funding the Hialeah Youth Athletic Club, Inc. receives it can continue to keep the youth tackle football and competitive cheerleading programs going, to prevent the youth from being subjective to the streets.
For over TWENTY years until recently (2013-14) the Hialeah Cougars has always had a stabled home field, the old field is the Hialeah Middle School Complex located on the NE corner of the attached folio# (04-2132-001-0020). The city of Hialeah has granted the organization exemptions in the past for the use of their field at Milander Park. Due to budgeting constraints, the City of Parks & Recreation is not able to extend that courtesy as they have in the past.
Attached are the previous 2016 email details of the permit that the City of Hialeah Parks & Recreation Department has permitted our program usage of the Milander Field (behind the JKF Library) the cost for renting the field at Milander Park is $1500.00 a month. We’ve being paying rental fees since 2015.
The Hialeah Youth Athletic Club, Inc. has tried to overcome the financial rental obligations but because we are financially operated from Registration fees only, last year 2017 was the 1st year since 1948 that we were not able to operate because the rental fees from the year prior exhausted everything we collected from registration minus our certificate of Insurance cost.
We have written letters to the mayors office and Parks and recreation seeking assistance to lower the rental cost but those letters were all unanswered. We only want help as we are not able to pay the $1500 rental cost per month and still give the participants of the Tackle Football and Competitive Cheerleading Teams the support they will need in order to compete at a high level, and to also afford some of the amenities that other Tackle Football and Competitive Cheerleading programs receive through their respective organizations, and through the support from the cities they represent here in Miami-Dade County area.
Mission Statement
HYAC offers recreational football program for youth ages 5 through 14. HYAC Football and Cheerleading is dedicated to giving back to the community by promoting a wholesome and educational youth program aimed at improving the quality of life.
Our emphasis is on developing physical fitness, sportsmanship, teamwork, and leadership skills in a positive and safe environment. This program teaches our children not only how to play football but also the essential traits needed to be an effective team player and the importance of academics and community service. Our main goal is to keep our youth active and do our best to keep the program going to prevent our youth from being subjective to the streets.
Goals
Serving as positive role models to our youth as measured by our decisions and actions
Provide organized competition
Fostering teamwork, compassion, and charity within our communities for the betterment of our members, future members and collective program
To instill life-long values of teamwork, dedication and a superior work ethic in the classroom and on the playing field.
Provides a way for our athletes to build lasting friendships, great memories, and have fun!
Beliefs
HYAC and its members believe that ALL kids deserve equal opportunities, special attention and respect.
Football /Cheerleading line up (Last 5 years)
YEAR TEAM QTY Description Total Football Participants CHEER Participants Grand Total
2017 0 None Operational 0 0 0
2016 7 6U, 7U, 8U, 9U, 10U, 12U & 13U 133 31 164
2015 5 7U, 8U, 10U, 12U, & 13U 113 24 137
2014 5 6U, 8U, 10U, 12U & 13U 190 30 220
2013 7 Pee wee, 75, 90, 105, 120, 135 & 150lbs 200 66 266
Our numbers declined once we moved from the community complex in clear view to the Milander Field that’s in back of the Hialeah JFK Library with little to no visibility.
Please feel free to email me or anyone else that is Cc in this email for any further questions you might have.
We appreciate your time reviewing this unforeseen situation with the community and Mayor of Hialeah.
—
—
Hialeah Cougars Cheer Board
[email protected]
I have more prove that he’s been planning this for a long time as it was said before
I will up loaded later