Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez got a few more stamps on his passport this month during a nine-day European jaunt that took him to Spain and Switzerland.
Like always, his wife Lourdes went along.
So did the mayor’s Chief of Staff Alex Ferro, Port Director Juan Kuryla, Aviation Director Lester Sola, Manny Gonzalez, who runs the county office that organizes foreign trade trips and Miami International Airport’s marketing/routes chief Ernesto Rodriguez.
Oh, and Ferro’s, Kuryla’s and Sola’s spouses also joined them. I mean, why not?
Miami-Dade officials say the spouses paid “their own way, including airfare, meals, etc.” and that the mayor even paid the difference in the room rate to book a double. Did the other staffers do the same? We don’t know yet and will have a full accounting now that they’ve returned.
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On this trip, Gimenez “flew into Barcelona and immediately transferred to a train to Madrid, in an effort to save hundreds of dollars on cheaper fare,” an email from the mayor’s office said.
But do all the “savings” really matter? The trip itself is an excuse for these public officials and elected mayor to take a dream 
vacation and have the taxpayers foot at least half the bill.
The county-funded part of the trip was only the first nine days (Gimenez extended it four days paid personally, his office said). It took Gimenez and his cabinet to Madrid Jan. 4 to meet with soccer executives in an effort to bring more international games to Miami. This includes the president of Real Madrid, the Spanish soccer team that has already held sold-out exhibition matches at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Really?
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Then Gimenez met with the mayor of Bilbao, and talked to him 
about the expansion of that city’s airports — you can bet Carlos had some advice and companies and contractors to recommend — and toured the port there. The county delegation also spent a few days meeting with officials from the country’s Ministry of Economic Development.
They took more selfies again in Geneva signing an agreement with MSC Cruises they say will increase PortMiami business. But did they really need to go there to sign it? Probably not. MSC, which does cargo also, already has 15 ships here and already wants to expand with 14 more, according to the mayor’s own office, which said the vessels are scheduled for delivery by 2026.
In fact, MSC Cruises already signed agreement last summer to build a new terminal at the port. What? Did they forget to dot an i or cross a t?
Same thing with soccer. It’s coming anyway. Same thing with adding new Spanish cities to MIA’s routes. It’s coming anyway.
Rather, these things that are coming anyway give Gimenez et al the opportunity to take another t
rip on the public dime.
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Because when has any of these junkets produced anything for the public? Did China last year? Did Japan? What about Paris? Even though the mayor has gone there at least twice since he was elected, we still haven’t seen anything from it. No air shows at the Everglades, of course.
That’s because it was all hot air. Just like this time.
There is no need to go anywhere to sell Miami-Dade as a soccer mecca, especially after voters approved the redevelopment of Melreese Golf Course into Miami Freedom Park. There is no need to go sign anything to expand the port. They will be happy to come here and expand their business anyway.
But then, Lourdes and Carlos couldn’t have gone to Geneva for half price.
Carlos Gimenez is back from Europe tour of Spain, Switzerland added by Ladra on
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