Citadel founder Ken Griffin, who wants to build a $1 billion tower in Downtown Miami for his company’s new headquarters, gave $500,000 to Our Democracy, the political action committee for incumbent Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who is defending her throne from six challengers.
Ladra doesn’t know about you dear readers, but that makes me a little uncomfortable. Griffin is a smart guy at the top of the business world. He’s a hedge fund giant, and knows how to invest. He’s not going to throw money away. What is this investment for?
Read related: Daniella Levine Cava announces $5 mil plus in fundraising for re-election
Griffin is the same guy who gave Miami Mayor Francis Suarez $1 million during his delusional, 5-minute presidential campaign. In fact, he is normally a Republican donor, having given also to Gov. Ron DeSantis. According to Influence Watch, a watchdog source for campaign contributions on a national scale, he donated $60 million to political candidates an PACs in 2022, which made him the third-largest overall donor behind Richard Uihlein and George Soros.
Hey Ken, darling, here’s Political Cortadito’s donation page. Invest in grassroots government watchdog journalism. It’s a better cause. We don’t need a half million. A couple hundred thou will do just fine.
This brings DLC’s total fundraising for her PAC to over $10.2 million since 2019, $1.6 million just this year. She has just over $2.1 million in hand counting the campaign contributions in her campaign account also, as of the latest campaign reports submitted Friday.
She’s also spreading the wealth. Four days after the PAC got the Griffin check, it gave $15,000 to the New Leadership for Florida — which is another PAC for her consultant, Christian Ulvert — and a week after getting it, the PAC gave $50,000 to the Florida Democratic Party.
Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid, the frontrunner among the challengers, basically called it blood money.
“The funds that are donated to Daniella Levine Cava’s campaign contribute to the decimation of the middle class in Miami-Dade County,” Cid said in a text message Sunday morning after reading the story in Political Cortadito. “Levine Cava’s administration’s policies, taxes and fees are in direct conflict with the success of working families and small businesses.
“Out of town billionaires are treated better than those local families and businesses who helped make Miami-Dade the beacon of hope for many of us homegrown residents.”
Of course, Cid might just be a little teensy bit jealous. He’s been struggling with fundraising and his latest reports show he had just over $12,000 in hand between both his PAC and campaign accounts as of the end of June.
Absentee or mail-in ballots go out this week.
Ken Griffin gives half mil to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava added by Ladra on
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[…] donor is Ken Griffin, who recently moved his business interests from Chicago to Miami-Dade and donated $500,000 to Daniella Levine Cava’s campaign. Griffin is breaking ground on a $650 million office […]
Ken Griffin is playing both sides of the aisle here by donating $500K to Levine Cava’s PAC and $300K to Aragu’s PAC. We know the $500K will end up going to Levine Cava’s wonder boy sheriff candidate, James Reyes, but why would Griffin throw $300K at a nobody like Aragu? Ah, you have to understand local politics. Griffin has been a big supporter of Marcio Rubio for years, and Rubio got his feet wet in politics under the tutelage of his “Madrina” former West Miami Mayor and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa. Aragu met Sosa when she was at West Miami, and he was a young police explorer or police recruit. Sosa is very tight with Aragu and has provided overwatch and intervened on a number of occasions on behalf of Aragu and his wife throughout their careers at Miami-Dade police. Sosa is responsible for making the police director promote Aragu to major even though he had little experience as a lieutenant and no career accomplishments worth mentioning. She personally requested that Director Freddy Ramirez promote Aragu, and the weak Freddy gave in. Aragu’s wife is another piece of work. Aragu’s wife has been pampered because of her hubby’s relationship to Sosa. The commissioner personally intervened on behalf of Aragu’s wife to save her job at the airport and to have special positions created just for her, including a “do nothing” job supervising the sergeant at arms unit for Miami-Dade police. They are supposed to provide security for the county mayor and commissioners. Her overtime hours show that her appetite for overtime is as big as she is. She made as much or even more overtime than her employees but never even once provided security for any of the commissioners or the mayor. But she did have a nice unmarked Ford Expedition to run personal errands and take the kiddos to school. When she was kicked out of the unit because of her pleasant attitude (not), they “created” another position for her at the airport.
In recent years Marco has distanced himself from Rebeca because he knew it was a matter of time before she is investigated and indicted for bribery and official misconduct due to her involvement in rezoning votes and development in Miami-Dade, especially in West Miami.
Anyway, getting back to the money trail, Griffin just threw a little “cheddar” at Aragu to appease Rubio at Sosa’s request, not because he really has any faith that Aragu will be the next sheriff. Cheddar is what Aragu affectionately calls the extra money he and his wife make in off duty and overtime.
If you really want an interesting story you should request all the records for off duty jobs worked by Aragu and the overtime public works paving jobs his wife works. The proper procedures and department policies for awarding these jobs are continuously violated so Aragu and his wife can benefit financially. The last three police directors (Juan Perez, Freddy Ramirez and Stephanie Daniels) all knew what Aragu and his wife were up to but they were afraid of retaliation by Rebeca Sosa and don’t do anything about it. Your next article should be -Who is Lisandra Vera and how has she benefited from being married to Sheriff candidate Jose Aragu?-
The citizens of Miami-Dade deserve better than these two clowns.
[…] Read related: Ken Griffin gives half mil to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava […]
@Y tu mama tambien, first its La tuya por si acaso, Cid Creepy? Really? A family man and a father of four who is a small business person and Mayor of Miami Lakes creepy? Go crawl back under the City full of shoplifters and grifters that you came from.
Republicans create the pay to play format and h limited contributions to pacs, but when donations go to democrats then it’s blood money.
I’ll take ten Daniella’s before one Cid. Dude is creepy.
Ken Griffin is funding the same candidates and policies that drove him to leave Chicago!
A Pay To Play Donation ? That’s How Miami Dade County Works ! It should be Illegal To Donate To get things Done at #OURCOUNTY , $$$$$$$$$$$
Campaign contributions are a cancer on the core of our democracy.
Unelected Billionaires behind the scenes dictating what they want done through their lobbyists. The average Joe doesn’t stand a chance in this circus (same dogs with different collars). Just like Norman Braman buy$ & decides what position his candidates will run for (where he needs them) & if they run for something else, he won’t bank roll them (puppet$). This class influences & impacts our daily lives & many of these people hide in the shadows. Politicians are bought & paid for before they hit the dais. Their priority are the needs/wants of their donors 1st or, as we say, returning the favor. They’re destroying the Middle Class & DLC make$ money from our misery every time people lose homes. Her partners/investors are in the foreclosure business, a DIRECT CONFLICT. The irony…
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Vote for CID!
Miami is still in its infancy compared to other major world class cities. Brickell, Flagler, and Ferré could see this and bet heavily on the potential, and like Brickell, Flagler, and Ferre, all visionaries are not universally appreciated in their time.
Is Ken a 21century Flagler or just the latest in the endless parade of Miami boom-to-bust hustlers? Only time will tell, but we will definitely welcome his money in the meantime. .
The tower is a done deal !!!!!!
Daniela Cava has been a HUGE disappointment. Sleazy developers and contractors have given her over $4 Million because she promises to approve their projects or use taxpayer money to buy their overpriced buildings. “Just another Miami grifter”.
If Ken Griffin were a student, he would be earning A pluses in business, economics, finance and philanthropy, but D’s and F’s in political science.
See his track record in Chicago. For President or Vice President he supports corporatist warmonger Nikki Haley!
I see you no longer tenderly address her as “La Alcaldesa”, lol?
What happened to GIRL POWER, girl?
This DLC is bought and paid for.
So Ladra, mija, are you jealous, alarmed or angry about Big Ken dishing a 1/2 mill to DLC? can’t tell which it is you are.