Leaked audio of a September Zoom call organized by former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine shows that current Mayor Dan Gelber offered developers and real estate investors an inside track to get their projects built — in exchange for contributions to a political action committee.
You scratch my back, I’ll get your mixed-use mega complex approved.
Particularly on Ocean Drive and in the entertainment district, which is now the target of a referendum to end alcohol sales at 2 a.m. rather than 5 a.m., which business owners have opposed and the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce study shows would cost the community economy more than a quarter of a billion dollars.
Ladra wrote over a week ago that the referendum was a con job to get Ocean Drive and South Beach property owners in a position to sell so speculators could come in and scoop up cheap oceanfront land to turn into condos. This 9-minute recording is only proof of that ulterior motive.
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“If we are going to have a stick and come down strong on the entertainment district, which we believe, unfortunately, is emanating a lot of the problems that we have, what is the incentive that this highly talented group of business people and real estate people can create to allow that area to transform,” Levine, who is a developer himself, starts off asking.
“In politics, money plays a big part and there are folks that agree with us and folks that don’t agree with us,” Levine said, and he refers to an earlier “meeting” or call so this is not the only conversation they had. “The idea is that we would put together a PAC, this organization, this group, that would raise money and we would utilize that money to elect folks that would move the city in a positive, safe direction.”
That there is the incentive he mentioned.
The recording was made by Fabian Basabe, a socialite and one-time TV personality who was forced by a judge off the ballot in a commission race last month after an “address discrepancy.” Basabe, who buys and develops and properties, said he was one of about 30 business interests on the Sept. 13 call.
He was in the process of writing an op-ed piece himself when Basabe — who is currently filed to run in 2023 — realized absentee voting had started and decided to send the audio recording of the zoom conference call to Political Cortadito, Miami New Times, Grant Stern and probably a number of other news sources.
It is somewhat edited, but mostly to protect some of the “developer people I know, because not everyone knew what they were getting into on the call, in my opinion,” Basabe told Ladra.
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Still, there is no mistaking that Levine and Gelber are offering quid pro quo.
Among the crazy things Gelber says on the call — including that he himself acknowledges he should not even be on the call — was that if the commission didn’t approve a particular project, he could always get it on a referendum for the voters to decide.
“I commit to you guys, if you want something on the [ballot] because it needs to be on the ballot, I’ll put it on the ballot. I’ll support ‘clearing’ and I’m prepared to do whatever we need to do and support any idea, even if it’s not particularly popular,” the mayor, known as Mr. Ethics, says. “I will push to put it on the ballot or you can put it on the ballot…you know, forcefully, without commission approval.”
He offers assistance from city staffers in this meeting, where City Manager Alina Hudak was present. Oh, he acknowledges that she shouldn’t have been there either. So why was she? So the donor developers would now he and Levine mean business.
“You tell us what ideas you want… and we will promote them,” Gelber says to the group. “You have to let us know how we get there from a development point of view. I don’t do what you do, I’m a federal prosecutor. If you have a grand jury subpoena, I am happy to help you.”
Wait a minute. Is he offering to help developers with criminal issues? Or is he just trying to be funny? Listen to yourself to this audio of this conspiracy meeting, provided by Grant Stern, who hosts the Only In Miami podcast.
“You figure out what type of entitlements you need to make it work,” he says, going out of his way to let the people on zoom know they hold the power. “You need to tell us what you want and how it works.”
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Gelber did not return a call and text for comment. He provided a statement to Miami New Times where he acknowledged the remarks quoted to him on the Zoom call. “There is nothing new or secretive about my desire to put my solutions on the ballot for voter approval if my colleagues don’t want to support them,” it said.
“My 12 point plan literally references putting these items on the ballot if they are not supported by the Commission. I have said the time has come to reimagine Ocean Drive into an Arts Deco District and I have communicated that openly with the community for nearly a year.”
Um, that doesn’t answer any questions about him offering city staff and to push projects for this small group of donors, and the fervor with which he was just going to make things happen for the people on this call. Ladra fully expects an ethics violation complaint to be filed.
As Stern wrote in his piece on this in Medium, Miami Beach has a municipal campaign law that explicitly prohibits electeds from soliciting real estate developer donations from persons having business to do with the city. This tape, however, leaves no doubt that is exactly what Gelber is doing.
Too bad nobody is running against him this year. Is it too early to start talking about a recall?
Dan Gelber and Phil Levine are caught conspiring to auction off Miami Beach added by Ladra on
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