It’s the worst kept secret in local politics: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is expected to name Miami Parking Authority Chief Executive Officer Arthur “Art” Noriega as the new city manager Monday — as Ladra first predicted more than a month ago — but probably for an interim period as they launch a national search for a real pro.
And does anybody really know who Noriega — who has flown under the radar for years — is?
A city as cosmopolitan and diverse as Miami deserves nothing less than a full-on international search for the best and it’s hard to imagine that former Congressman Carlos Curbelo — hired last week for $25,000 as the mayor’s special advisor — would suggest anyt
hing else. Anything other than a wide, transparent search with citizen input will be laden with accusations that its another political crony appointment. Even though Ladra suspects Curbelo — a lobbyist with a secret client list — is selling his access to that job already, so beware.
While there were other people in the mix — and former Miami-Dade Deputy Mayor Alina Hudak went, instead, to be an assistant manager (smart girl) under Jimmy Morales in Miami Beach (more on that later) — Noriega is the only person left, and the only one who has been hanging out at administrative meetings and making suggestions, like he’s on the job already, and the only one that, Ladra hears, has met with all five of the commissioners. He could have skipped meeting Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla. The two are old friends and Noriega has raised tons of money for Alex throughout his political career. Has he used his position at the MPA to raise those funds?
He’s also known Commissioner Joe Carollo — who has been hell bent on firing the former manager since May of last year and finally forced his resignation after he accused Emilio Gonzalez of falsifying documents for a backyard deck permit — for at least 20 years. Las malas 
lenguas say that Carollo went to Noriega when he wanted to put on Little Havana Nights — a personal vendetta against Viernes Culturales founder Bill Fuller (photo, left, to the right of Carollo) — and the MPA provides part of the funding. As of August of last year, it was $40,000 that could otherwise go into the general fund. Noriega also supported a crackdown on the valet service at Fuller’s bar, Ball and Chain. So Carollo may want to do a national search, but he owes Noriega a solid. And now he can do both.
And Commissioners Ken Russell, who is said to always vote with the mayor, and Keon Hardemon have nothing against Art, from what Ladra has been able to sniff out.
Commissioner Manolo Reyes has said publicly that he would not vote for Noriega, but on Sunday he walked that back.
“No, that’s not what I said,” he told Ladra. “I said I preferred an interim who had no connection to anyone or anything here.”
Good luck with that in this small political world.
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Reyes said he wanted someone who would “change the culture of bureaucracy to a culture of service,” he said, and yeah, a guy whose life has been about parking tickets may not be that. He cited Carlos Migoya — who served as city manager for when to when — 
as the perfect example. “Migoya vino y enderezo bastante,” he said. “Migoya came and straightened things up enough.
“I want someone who will come for one or two years and make the city more efficient. I am looking for efficiency, which brings savings, which leads to low taxes.” But he also wants harmony on the city commission so he might vote yes to make it unanimous.
If there is a national search, however, Ladra hopes that there is local citizen participation in the selection process. If not, it will hard to trust that the person is not aligned with just one side, the mayor or the commission, when she or he needs to be aligned with the community.
Noriega, who is batshit crazy to want the job, has reportedly always dreamed about it. When Suarez was campaigning, he allegedly promised Art the job. Then he was advised by others that, because Baby X was so young and wet behind the ears himself, he needed the optics of an older, more experienced manager at his side. That’s why he went with Emilio Gonzalez, the former director of Miami International Airport, who is a free man tomorrow and — as a voter in District 3 — can sign the recall Joe Carollo petition.
So Art will take the interim position just so he can knock it off his bucket list and have it on his resume. If he doesn’t get the permanent post, the experience — depending how he handles it — could help him get another city manager job, like the one he applied for in Coral Gables in 2014. He made the shortlist, but his lack of experience knocked him off.
That lack of experience might be what some observers say is the reason he should not get this job. But, las malas lenguas say, none of the assistant city managers want it either. Suarez needs someone that he can work with for the next year or two. Noriega, who has been the MPA director for 20 years, reportedly the longest serving department director, has definitely led meetings and knows about parking and parking garages (like the Courthouse Center Parking garage in the picture). But he has no experience negotiating with unions or overseeing police complaints and balancing what will often be competing interests between the commission and the mayor.
Read related: Back to the drawing board for Coral Gables manager search
He’s already been on the opposite side of Suarez as champion of what would be a $29 million parking garage where the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse is now. That’s a plan that the mayor vetoed and which has landed in court (more on that later).
And for the headache that this job is going to be, Noriega is leaving behind a cushy post where his bosses, a handpicked board of directors that he pays off through the agency, allow him to use MPA funds — which are taxpayer funds — as his own personal wallet, making very questionable expenses on golf tournaments and stone crabs, as documented by longtime Miami blogger Al Crespo. Noriega has been living large pretty much in obscurity, and this will put him front and center and make him the subject of much more scrutiny than he is used to. Why would he do that?
Especially when things like this are going to start coming out …right… now.
According to the Florida Division of Corporations, Noriega has what could be a consulting company called Cinco Strategies with Michelle Pradere Noriega — COO of 
Pradere Office Products and an executive board director of the Latin Builders Association. He is a director at a for profit company called Cell Quest Inc. He is also a board member or trustee of several condo associations (probably because of their parking garages) and a Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce non-profit called the South Florida Progress Foundation.
He and Michelle live (or lived until a couple years ago) in a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house in Kendall that is valued at $494,425 that is owned by Wajiro Development, which is owned by Alain Lantigua, principal at Crystal Clear Holdings, which acquires, rehabilitates and disposes of real estate distressed assets. According to his LinkedIn information, Crystal Clear has acquired over 200 residential and commercial assets since 2007, primarily through foreclosure auctions. None of those are in Miami-Dade County, according to a property search at the county appraiser’s site.
Lantigua is also a principal in PPEC Ventures, Fustan LLC, 3401 Fustan LLC, Calm Family Investments, JGS Property Investment 
LLC, Phoenix Consulting and Development, Interterra Commercial Corp., and Harlequin Property Management I, II and III. Ladra doesn’t know how many of these are shell companies and if any of them have or want contracts with the city. But Harlequin Property No. 1 owns a vacant lot in Little Havana, at 1601 SW 3rd St., purchased in foreclosure for $292,000 in 2017 and worth about $360K today, according to county property records. What’s the plan for it?
These seem like legitimate observations and questions now that Noriega — who has lived in Lantigua’s house — is in line to control Miami’s $1 billion budget.
They are certainly details that the mayor and city commissioners should know about before, and after, they make a decision.
Miami Mayor may announce new manager Monday — and its Art Noriega added by Ladra on
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