Doral Vice Mayor Bettina Rodriguez-Aguilera has some nice free publicity on the city’s website for her lobbying business.
Or had, anyway. Before Ladra called the city to ask about it and they took the link off a little while ago.
Oooops.
But earlier today, and all through the year, right on the vice mayor’s government page, under the subtitle “World of Business,” there is a paragraph on her private company and it’s mission. Along with a website link.
“Bettina has re-entered the world of private business. Utilizing her winning track record of over 10 years she started her own company, Bettinara Enterprises, Inc.,” the page states with a link to her business, which helps “citizens understand the over-complicated world of government and assisting in obtaining business loans, minority certification, incentives and other government programs.”
Sounds like lobbying to me.
She says it’s not. “I do training for people, teach them to understand federal grants, help them become minority contractors,” Rodriguez-Aguilera told me. “It’s just who I am.”
Sorry, sounds like “government consulting” to me.
Rodriguez-Aguilera said that she had no intention of using her position in the city to promote her business, which is one of the allegations made against her in that botched recall months ago.
“No, of course not,” she said tensely, and I could tell she was peeved at me for bringing it up and having the link scrapped because she was likely already alerted to the change.
But the city website, even without a link, still gives you a lot of information on how helpful her business services can be.
“Her success coaching businesses and individuals helped launch an international career, providing training to government officials, companies and organizations abroad and at home. She developed the first leadership certificate program in Spanish for the University of Miami’s Koubeck Center. Bettina has developed and conducted over 10 different training programs in four different continents; including Albainia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Lithuania, Africa, Argentina, Peru, Dominican Republic, United States and others.”
Give me a B! Give me an E! Give me a T! Oh, you get the idea.
Bettinara Enterprises was founded last August by Rodriguez-Aguilera — which means right before she was elected. For whatever reason, it is the only one of her four companies that she promotes on her city website. According to the Florida Division of Corporations — which lists 12 total businesses, nine of which are inactive — she still has Inclan Strategies, which was founded with Bettina Inclan also in 2012, and Awakening Energy Journey, Corp., which was formed in 2011 and has other officers: Leonardo Gonzalez, Angie Maria, Leo Faninas, Acie Franklin and Curtis May.
In April of this year, she formed Arquivias Green USA, LLC, with Jazmin Lugo Alvarez and Francisco Ruiz Mendieta.
But is it the city’s policy to promote any of it’s government officials’ private businesses?
Doral spokeswoman Christina Baguer said it is not.
“It’s not done to promote any company,” she told Ladra Monday afternoon, adding that the bio information is provided by each of the council members.
“It talks about the whole person, not just the council member part,” Baguer said, adding that she is the “filter” for all website content. “It was probably an oversight and could have been an automatic link if the website was mentioned.
“Maybe it is the webmaster’s mistake. But I should have caught that.”
This is not smart for a politician who was accused months ago in a botched recall effort of using her office for public gain.
Other officials have mentions of their business endeavors also — though maybe not with as much pizzazz or as many subtitles.
On Councilwoman Christine Fraga‘s page, it states that she is “the proud owner of two successful Doral based businesses, City Select and South Florida Small Business Solutions. Her entrepreneurship and business experience has earned her a reputation of stimulating the local economy and bringing efficiencies to Doral’s government. “
Ditto for Councilwoman Ana Maria Rodriguez, who “has a vast background in the Public Relations and Governmental Affairs arena, having been directly involved in the 2005 through 2010 Florida Legislative sessions as the Director of Government & Community Relations for Baptist Health South Florida. She provided direct legislative, executive branch, and local government support for the organization’s five hospitals and 12 medical plazas.”
She is currently “the latest addition to the South Florida Regional Extension Center leadership team. As Business Development Manager, Ana Maria is responsible alongside the organization’s Executive Director in the vision, crafting and implementing of strategies for the organization’s Business Development mission and vision.”
But there were no links for any of their private business affairs.
Baguer had the vice mayor’s link removed Monday afternoon after Ladra inquired about it.
“Thank you for bringing that information to our attention,” she told me. “I’ve asked the webmaster to please remove it.”
As for Councilwoman Sandra Ruiz, who is the black sheep of Mayor Luigi Boria‘s beautiful and 100 percent female family on the dais — she gets one line on her page: “Councilwoman Sandra Ruiz was elected to the Doral City Council on November 28th, 2012.” Not even anything about her past service with the city.
It’s her own fault, though. Ruiz told Ladra she has not sent an updated bio.
Will it include a link to a company website? “Absolutely not,” she said. And it’s not because she’s currently not working, or “a homemaker,” as she put it.
“If I were still at a bank, I would have it say loan consultant at a financial institution, maybe, but not specifically where. I think it is inappropriate to use the city to benefit your business in any way,” Ruiz told me.
Former Assistant State Attorney Joe Centorino, who now heads the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, might agree with that — in general terms.
“Without commenting or opining on any particular matter, since I have not seen any such site, I can say that, in general, it could be an ethics violation (possibly Exploitation of Official Position) for a public official to use his or her official authority to promote private business interests,” Centorino said.
Not sure that this case rises to that level and it may be moot now if the business link is gone.
And, in all fairness, the vice mayor’s business website does some quid pro quo promoting the city, too — posting a link to a Doral Family Journal story that lauds Rodriguez-Aguilera’s efforts in improving the quality of life for Doral residents.
Doral website promoted Vice Mayor Bettina’s business added by Ladra on
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