For days, we’ve heard Miami officials talk about a drive-through COVID19 testing center at Marlins Park. On Monday, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez thanked the University of Miami and Derek Jeter of the Miami Marlins and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez for joining up to provide the tests to a growing number of alarmed people.
But the seniors come first.
The city of Miami announced Monday that it would start an in-home testing program for homebound seniors 65 and over who have COVID symptoms or believe they may have been exposed to the virus. 
They can call 305-960-5050 to see if they qualify for a no-charge test.
Miami blogger Al Crespo wrote that could start as early as tomorrow, with five teams of Miami paramedics fanning out and possibly handling 100 tests a day. He reported that as early as Wednesday, tests could be available to the general public at the Marlins Park drive-through, but Ladra doesn’t see how 100 tests in one day is going to cover all the seniors that are going to cal.
What the city didn’t say, but you can find on Crespo’s blog, Crespogram Newsletter, is that a contract with a New Jersey company was signed by City Manager Art Noriega for 20,000 tests at $50 a piece for a nice, round $1 million. Results are promised in four days.
There has been no information on whatever secret negotiations were had for this deal, which Crespo has linked to a company that is owned by Dr. Phillip Frost — yes, that Phillip Frost — the billionaire museum guy who had to use taxpayer dollars anyway for his shiny, new building by he Bay, and who is also a serial campaign donor.
It might be completely on the up and up. It’s just that everything done behind closed doors makes Ladra’s ears perk. At least it’s not the company that Commissioner Joe Carollo had contacted. Then it might have cost the city $5 million and his wife would be hired to do PR.
But not all the commissioners knew about this $1 million contract, which was also signed by City Clerk Todd Hannon, Risk Management Director Ann-Marie Sharpe and Assistant City Attorney George Wysong. At least two of the city commissioners had no idea that the contract existed until after Crespo got it. Are they not being informed of what’s going on?
Under the state of emergency, the manager — hired days before the pandemic began — has expanded powers to spend more than he can normally without commission approval, and at least one commissioner is giving Noriega high marks for his trial by fire.
“I think he is proving himself in a very big test early in his tenure,” Commissioner Ken Russell told Ladra Monday evening. “It’s 
hard with such fast-changing information, but the manager and chief are doing a good job. We talk every day several times.”
The chief is Fire Chief Robert Hevia, who is also in charge of emergency management.
“They have been working through many channels and fielding many potential suppliers for testing, masks, etcetera,” Russell said. “Every time I hear of a company who would like to help, I send them directly to Robert Hevia.”
Russell and other commissioners may get a chance to discuss those efforts on Wednesday, when the mayor called a special meeting to deal only with pandemic-related issues. The four items on the agenda, all sponsored by Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who apparently tried twice to call the meeting but couldn’t get two of his colleagues to agree (they need to have a threesome for a quorum) — are discussions on:
- A possible mandatory shelter-in-place order or curfew
- The accessibility of meals and other services for seniors, who suffer the worst if they get COVID19.
- The city’s Marlins Park testing initiative
- An update from the city manager on the city’s progress regarding the pandemic
The meeting can be and is reportedly going to be held virtually, but the agenda says it’s at City Hall at 8 p.m.
Gov. Ron DeSantis last week issued an executive order that waives Florida state requirements that the meetings be in a specific public place and that the quorum has to be in-person. But he did not waive the Government in the Sunshine laws that require public participation.
It was unknown late Monday how the public would participate, since there is still a stay at home order with recommendations to stand at least six feet away from everyone else. Diaz de la Portilla said, via text as always, he thought the platform the city was using was Microsoft Team. A City Hall staffer told Ladra there would be options for the public — email, log-in, call-in — and that it would be announced Tuesday.
Miami to test seniors for COVID19 this week before Marlins Park drive through added by Ladra on
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