Did any of you notice how quickly and efficiently City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla seized the power for himself and his faction on Friday?
Without any discussion on the matter — and, in fact, interrupting the discussion about the manager’s resignation and the allegations about him — ADLP moved on the appointment of chairmans to the different agencies that promote economic development in the city and spend hundreds of millions.
It was like moving pieces on a chess game. And the winners are DLP and Commissioners Joe Carollo and Manolo Reyes, who seem to have three votes ow to do whatever they want.
Guess who got the most important or powerful or coveted agency? Yup. Diaz de la Portilla took the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency — which 
Commissioner Ken Russell had whipped into shape and which is on the verge of several big developments (more on that later) — for himself. Well, himself and maybe his lobbyists brother Miguel Diaz de la Portilla‘s clients.
This is where the money is, and that is the main reason he took control. Ladra bets some sweetheart deal has been cooked already for some developer donor.
It was just gravy that the move also punished Russell, who had helped another candidate against DLP and suddenly finds himself odd man out. Yoyo Man was assigned the Midtown CRA — which is pretty much defunct and powerless — not only because he is an ally to Mayor Francis Suarez but also because he would not be the fourth vote to fire the manager.
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Le pasaron la cuenta.
Three sources close to City Hall told Ladra that Russell was sent clear messages from Commissioner Carollo, who needed four of five votes to fire the city manager in December (and who has had a city manager item on the agenda every meeting for months). That message: Vote with me and you keep your CRA. Russell didn’t play. Both he and Keon Hardemon voted against firing Emilio Gonzalez, leading to the extra chaos this month. So Russell lost his beloved CRA, even after he practically begged to 
keep it.
“Both of these have been large ships to turn… Those are the best tools I have to serve my residents.” Russell said, and you could hear the pain in his voice. adding that he had chaired them for two years and had made some strides, to which Hardemon agreed, adding that Russell got the CRA when it was not performing well.
“He took a CRA that has been unpopular and did things that are positive.”
Russell also argued that agencies should be chaired by the commissioner in the district.
“A commissioner of the district is the best choice to serve a board in their neighborhood. Those are the people that voted for them. Those are the people who can boot them out,” he said.
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He said the CRA is on the verge of a land deal with the Miami-Dade School Board to build something on their headquarters site that might include teacher housing and “it’s just too important to stand by and watch it disappear into inside deals, because that’s what we’re looking at.”
And that’s also why DLP wouldn’t hear of it. “I’m not accepting amendment,” he said, even before Russell was finished making his argument. You could almost see him gloat.
Later Friday, ADLP answered Ladra’s text about the meeting: “A great day for our city.” When Ladra asked him why, he did not respond further.
And, while he was repartiendo el pastel, Diaz de la Portilla also rewarded 
Commissioner Reyes — who did vote with them to get rid of the manager — with the Miami Downtown Development Authority, which is another arroz con mango (more on that later), but Reyes really wanted it. And he let everybody know every chance he got.
Some observers think that Reyes, who has drank Carollo’s Kool Aid, doesn’t really care about the downtown, which is outside his district, and is only interested in the DDA as a rolodex builder to raise funds for his next race. But Reyes has been vocal about cleaning up the area and doing something about the growing number of homeless. “I got new ideas,” he said Friday.
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Maybe. But he also has aspirations. Some think he wants to run for mayor against Suarez in 2021 and that Carollo and ADLP have convinced him he can. Reyes’ father was mayor of Las Tunas, or some pueblito in Cuba, and he is trying to look like a Tomas Regalado type on the dais — the older, wiser, man of the people. But Ladra thinks he is going to stay in place and wait until 2022 when Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa is termed out so he can run for that seat.
Because Carollo wants to be mayor again. And DLP? He wants to return to Tallahassee, which is his real wheelhouse, where he has been happiest, and may run for Senate after Jose Javier Rodriguez is termed out in 2024.
Carollo got to keep the Bayfront Park Development Trust and Hardemon got to keep the Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA.
But DLP said he want to start a conversation about “consolidation” of the Omni and Overtown CRAs, which were one at some point in history, not because he cares about Overtown. Don’t make Ladra laugh. It’s really a veiled threat to Hardemon: Play nice or you can lose your CRA, too. And even though Hardemon is on his way out, because he is running for Audrey Edmonson‘s seat this year, he wants to pull a Baby X and be reappointed to the remainder of his term when he resigns to run. Or have his handpicked replacement — Christine King, executive director o the Martin Luther King Development Corp. — appointed so she can run in 2021 as an incumbent.
The last couple of weeks’ events make it look like there have been some 
Sunshine Law violations taking place at City Hall, and some of Ladra’s sources say that’s been the case for a while. Even before DLP came onto the scene. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, who could face a real challenge in Melba Pearson, ought to start paying attention.
Diaz de la Portilla also deferred the appointment of vice chairs and members to five outside agencies, like the League of Cities and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. So more rewards and punishments are on the way. Maybe as early as this week.
Stay tuned.
Power shift on Miami commission punishes no vote on manager added by Ladra on
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