At first blush, the item on the Miami City Commission agenda for Thursday’s meeting about expanding the pool of tow companies for the Miami Parking Authority — which currently only uses one company with political connections — sounds like a good idea. It just seems like too sweet a deal to let one company with ties to Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla have all 33,000 tows for overtime or illegal parking in a year.
But it smells like a bad pay-for-play arrangement. Because the other company that wants a piece of the pie is also politically connected.
Commissioner Miguel Gabela has sponsored an ordinance to urge the Miami Parking Authority, also known as the city’s Department of Off-Street Parking, to issue a new request for proposal for towing services “to be awarded to no fewer than two towing companies with the towing assignments being apportioned equally among the awarded vendors.”
Since 2018, Roadway Inc has been handling all the towing services for the MPA. Roadway is owned by Gustavo Lovato, the husband of Adriana Moyano, a former Doral council candidate and leader of the What’s App crew that reportedly stole and destroyed or tossed the opposing candidate’s absentee ballots for Diaz de la Portilla in his failed bid to replace Bruno Barreiro on the county commission. It was detailed in a New Times story by Jerry Iannelli.
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Anyway, that contract expired in January of last year.
A new RFP was issued in September and only two companies qualified — Roadway and Alpine Towing. But sources inside and outside the city told Ladra that the RFP was written specifically for Roadway, with a required number of lots and equipment and capacity that the MPA thought only Roadway would meet. Alpine reportedly surprised them. There were also, allegedly, violations of the cone of silence that must be kept during the bidding and procurement process.
In comparison, the previous RFP got seven companies to make offers.
The parking authority cancelled the RFP in December, which is also when former State Rep. Manuel “Manny” Prieguez — who helped Gabela in his campaign — officially registered to lobby for Alpine (hey, at least he registered, unlike some people). And now they are getting ready to issue a new RFP.
“Whereas, the City Commission finds that the use of multiple towing companies will result in more efficient response times to the MPA’s requests to tow illegally parked vehicles from on-street and off-street parking, and that the prompt removal of illegally parked vehicles is in the best interest of the City’s health, safety, welfare, and residents and persons who lawfully park,” the revolution states. “And, whereas, the City Commission finds that the use of multiple towing companies will stimulate competition which fosters accountability, innovation, better quality of service, better customer service, and adherence to contract requirements, which if breached, allows the MPA to suspend and/or terminate the breaching towing company without a disruption in service or the ability to tow illegally parked vehicles.
“The City Commission finds it is in the best interests of the City and its residents, visitors, and businesses for the MPA to use no fewer than two (2) towing companies and to apportion the towing assignments equally among the towing companies.”
Why two? Why not more. In comparison, the city’s police department contracts with five towing companies.
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Also, why is it just urging the MPA to do so. Isn’t it also the city’s “department of off-street parking.” While they may technically be two separate entities, the public doesn’t consider it as such. And it’s just a coincidence that the company with the contract is Moyano’s family business? And that the other company that qualified is being represented by Prieguez, who also helped put Diaz de la Portilla in office and later fought with him over the contract at the Rickenbacker Marina, for which he later sued the commissioner, accusing him of shaking down his client?
That’s too many coincidences for comfort.
Gabela’s family also used to be in the business, owners of Molina Towing. But they have since sold or divested, according to multiple sources. Gabela never calls Ladra back.
But it’s clear that the city commission should urge, or require, the MPA to use more than two towing companies. And maybe neither Roadway and Alpine should be among them. Why can’t they use the same companies used by the police department? Wouldn’t they get a bulk deal?
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Miami commission towing item stinks of pay-to-play, both past and present added by Ladra on
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