Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Commissioner Rebeca Sosa will have to testify, after all, 
about the intimate conversation they had during a police union impasse meeting that may be a violation of the cone of silence rules, a judge said this week.
But they didn’t want to.
When the mayor and Sosa — who was commission chair at the December 5, 2013 meeting — got subpoenas for a fair labor practices violation filed by the Police Benevolent Association, they did what you’d expect them to do: They balked.
County attorneys went to the Third District Court of Appeal to get them out of testifying, but their motion was denied. Judges Leslie Rothenberg, Vance Salter and Edwin Scales, III, all concurred.
The PBA — which is most probably going to impasse once again after failing to come to an agreement on this year’s contract — filed a fair labor practices violation based on the quiet chat Gimenez and Sosa had just off the dais for a few minutes during the meeting where the police union impasse was being discussed because they suspect it was a violation of the cone of silence on the issue.
Round II: PBA meets again with county honchos over contract
“They can’t speak to each other and they were talking very privately, off to the side of the dais,” PBA President John Rivera told Ladra. 
County attorneys reportedly told him that the chat — seen here in this grainy photo from the PBA video — was unrelated, about something else. But Rivera wants them to testify to that under oath.
“There was no other item on the agenda,” he said.
But las malas lenguas at the 111 building downtown is that they were giddily talking about David Beckham and the possibility of a Miami soccer stadium. And that’s probably why they are not going to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court, a County Hall insider told Ladra.
Except, then, why wouldn’t they want to testify to that in the first place? Why would they fight the subpoenas at a cost to us taxpayers if all it was was some silly chatter about a celebrity crush?
Sosa, by the way, voted in favor of the PBA at that meeting and against the mayor.
The whole legal wrangling and the thousands of dollars associated with it could have been avoided, Rivera said, if the mayor had agreed to sign a statement saying he would not “break the law again,” Rivera said. “I guess he didn’t want to put his name to paper on that.”
Yeah, I guess he’d rather spend the county attorneys time and the taxpayer dime fighting it. Or maybe he’s embarrassed that he was talking — yet again — about his bromance with Beckham.
“The mayor’s stubborness is costing taxpayers because he doesn’t pay for these legal fights,” Rivera said. “It doesn’t come out of his pocket.”
No, it comes out of ours.
I’ve asked how much time and money this silly fight to avoid testimony has cost the county — and will let you know when the county tells me.
Mayor Gimenez, Rebeca Sosa must testify re private chat added by Ladra on
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Of course you are not defending Diaz, he was not subpoena it was the Chair. Wrong name, wrong gender, but not wrong ? By the way you are a guest from were (29th floor)? Maybe you are sitting in the big controversial desk, how does it feel?:(
He breaks the law constantly whether he signs it or not
I can see why the mayor did not want to sign the paper. he would be admitting to breaking the law. i wonder if PBA was okay with changing the language?
No, I don’t think that a strong mayor can violate the Sunshine Law now that he doesn’t vote. I believe he and his staff can meet with commissioners on items that will be on the agenda.
But there are certain things, in particular RFPs and bargaining sessions, that are covered, somehow by the “cone of silence” during the time they are being considered. Those are the words the PBA used.
Still, leads us to wonder what other things they all talk about behind our backs, don’t it?
Love, Ladra
Sunshine Law violation? Cone of silence violation? Are we naive enough to believe these two egomaniacs care at all about any law, ordinance, administrative order, or rule they violate? We live in a county saddled with political corruption. A county where our State Attorney refuses to arrest absentee ballot brokers because it diminishes her chances of using the same services to get reelected. A county where every politician relies on soft monies from lobbyists, consultants and political hacks to get elected and later pay them back with lucrative county contracts. A county where public servants are terrified to file whistle blower complaints because those complaints will go nowhere and in the end those employees will be thrown to the wolves so they can be reprimanded, transfered or laid off. Yes, we live in a county where democracy has seized to exist and blue blooded wannabe elected officials are free to act above the law without repercussion. If Samuel Addams was alive today, these two corrupt officials discussed here would have been tarred and feathered long ago and the citizens of this county would be much better off for it.
“Intended”
Ladra,
I dont’t it is the Cone of Silence that they violated. I think you untended to say the Sunshine Law.
Not defending what Gimenez & Diaz may or may not have done, but John Rivera is one odious, pompous, grandstanding ass. The man wastes no opportunity to get himself newspaper ink or face time before TV cameras to support many of the issues he thinks are so important, or to back up one of his bad cops. Wish he’d just take his greasy carcass and crawl back into the woodwork already. Tired of hearing his broken record.
“Guest” must have gotten paid this week. It must be a huge pleasure working for a corrupt Mayor. If we didn’t know better, one would guess that guest is Mike Hernandez.
Now, let Beckham admirier Gimenez testify to that so that lobbying violations can kick in. Gimenez should just cash out the escrow account Jorge Luis Lopez and Garcia-Toledo have waiting for him and leave us the hell alone. He’s made his millions now let another clone make some money