Ka-ching! Miami-Dade could spend $100 million just today

While alarms are sounding about reduced services and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez threatens to lay off up to 700 employees — including 250 police officers — to balance the $4.4 billion county operating budget, our commissioners will consider spending close to $100 million just today on everything from engineering to janitorial services to concerts to personal trainers.

Can you say ka-ching?

While we have all heard how there are different accounts to pay different costs — and the Port of Miami and Aviation Department, particularly, have what are called “proprietary accounts” — it’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe Gimenez when he cries wolf as the county gets ready to, in one single commission meeting, spend:

$45.7 million on janitorial services for various county facilities managed by the police and internal services department. That seems like a whole lot of devious maids.
$20 million for a pool of at least eight security companies — because apparently eight is, indeed, enough — to provide security guards and “screening services” for various cruise lines at the Port of Miami. Because in addition to marketing incentives worth millions of dollars, we are apparently on the hook for these Fortune 500 firms’ security expenses as well.
$7.4 million to Shaw Environmental Inc. to maintain and operate the old South Dade land fill, because apparently we are firing too many employees to maintain it ourselves.
$6.2 million to JVA Engineering, the lowest bidder, for “Seaboard Marine cargo terminal redevelopment” at the Port of Miami.
$6 million from the Building Better Communities bond for Flagler Street reconstruction and economic development
$3.5 million on a change order increase to a contract for operation and maintenance of common areas and common passenger processing for Miami-Dade Aviation. The increase in the existing contract with Sita Information Networking Computing USA is actually for “amount not to exceed $3,473,821.40,” which seems like a very strange figure to have for something “not to exceed.” Seems pretty exact, in fact.
$3.3 million to Atkins North America Inc. for marine infrastructure engineering services.
$3.8 million in total for “artists services,” at $125,000 a pop for performances and “exhibitions” at county parks from the Department of Cultural Affairs. There will be no competitive process for these fees. The ordinance is to approve a bid waiver that will last for two years. The total is based on estimates of projected programming throughout Miami-Dade parks.
Another $80,750 from the Department of Cultural Affairs in grants to community groups — and also cities like Miami and Doral — for a slew of programs and events.
$2.15 million to Aquila Fitness Consulting “to obtain employee fitness and wellness program,” which is the one that sounds like personal trainers to Ladra.
$935,000 to RG Underground Engineering for a drainage improvement project connected to the People’s Transportation Plan.
$650,000 to Rodriguez & Quiroga Architects for “portwide wayfinding” at the Port of Miami.

There are also items to instruct the administration to do whatever it has to do to acquire four properties for the People’s Transportation Plan, for planned improvements to both Southwest 216th Street, sponsored by Commissioner Dennis Moss, and Southwest 137th Avenue, sponsored by Vice Chair Lynda Bell. There is no price on these lands, but the commission may ask the mayor to hire appraisers and find out what they are worth or go through eminent domain proceedings to get the land they need to make these programmed improvements.

Again, Ladra fully understands that many of these expenses are pre-approved in the budget. And that the shell game we play in the county budget means that the Port of Miami costs come from Port funds that can’t be used elsewhere. And the bond monies are there for the taking for projects that have already been approved. Though the change order and the concerts and the personal trainers sure raise an eyebrow.

But it still seems kind of Rockefeller to me — demasiado esplendido — for a county administration that keeps saying there is no money for police or for libraries or to implement the will of the people who voted for a Pet’s Trust initiative in 2012.

And as we ask the employees to give more and more of their salaries and benefits, you know, because these are tough times after all, Ladra has one question: When are we going to start tightening those other belts?

Ladra may love those Sunday in the park concerts more than most people — but she would rather keep her cops.

budget cuts, Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade budget

Ka-ching! Miami-Dade could spend $100 million just today added by Ladra on July 1, 2014
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