Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla‘s Tallahassee BFF is planning the redrawing of city districts and is reportedly making $10,000 a month.
And you just know that District 1 is going to turn out just like he wants.
Sen. Bill Galvano‘s law firm was paid $10,265 last week, representing his first monthly fee plus $265.65 for travel to Miami from Bradenton last month to meet with commissioners and staff and tour the current five districts.
An invoice from Grimes, Hawkins, Gladfetter and Galvano says that the preliminary research began Sept. 14 and that a “consulting agreement” — which is another word for contract — was emailed to City Manager Art Noriega the next day. Ladra has asked for and is awaiting that document.
But that was even before Diaz de la Portilla first talked at the Sept. 24 commission meeting about hiring Galvano, who ADLP called an “expert” who has overseen redistricting three times. He forgot to mention, however, that he had to testify in 2015 that he didn’t know the map he created for the Senate would favor Republicans and, oh, himself. Awwww, shucks, he didn’t know. Does anybody really believe that? Then you’ll believe that Bill’s Miami redistricting plan won’t favor ADLP and his pals.
Read related: Alex DLP takes city paid trip to Sarasota golf resort to meet with Bill Galvano
District boundaries are reviewed and potentially redrawn every 10 years after the Census to ensure that the population is properly represented at different levels of government. Diaz de la Portilla said at that Sept. 24 meeting that Galvano would use projections that could be available as early as March.
“Everything here is going to be done very transparently with Sen. Galvano,” Diaz de la Portilla said on the dais. “He is someone I recommended to the city manager.”
But it has been anything but transparent.
The invoice indicates Galvano was already working for the city when ADLP went to Sarasota on “official city business” and the taxpayer’s dime, with a sergeant at arms escort in a city car, to meet Galvano about the redistricting. It happened to be over the weekend Oct. 15 to 18 for the Phil Galvano Golf Classic, in memory of the senator’s father, at the luxury Resort at Longboat Key Club.
On Oct. 20, according to the invoice, Galvano met with Noriega and Commissioners ADLP, Joe Carollo, Manolo Reyes and Ken Russell — separately, for sure, otherwise it could be a Sunshine Law violation. The next day, he met with the staff of former Commission Chairman Keon Hardemon, who was probably in full campaign mode for the county commission seat.
The next day, a Thursday, Galvano met with commission staff and took tours of each district. And on Friday he reviewed the district map and researched and reviewed the last redistricting done in 2012.
Read related: Florida redistricting: Letting the fox in the hen house — again
For this, he gets paid $10,000. Ladra can’t help but wonder what Bill’s gonna do for his fee next month. Especially since Diaz de la Portilla said at that September meeting that the Census projections on which the redistricting will be based won be out until March. What’s he going to do until then?
And how much of that will be for ADLP?
Nobody has approved this, and there was no competitive process for the gig, because the senator is reportedly being paid through the city manager’s discretionary account, where he has the authority to spend a certain amount a month — is it $25,000? — without commission approval.
But by the time Galvano’s work on the redistricting plan is done, he could have billed the city $100K or more.
Bill Galvano consults on Miami city’s redistricting plan — for $10K a month added by Ladra on
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