Now the state attorney, ethics commission could look into it In North Miami Beach, the real action isn’t always on the dais. Sometimes, it’s in the invoices. Buried inside an explosive internal investigation into Mayor Michael Joseph ‘s possible abuse of power — begun in January after the commission raised concerns about him interfering with […]
Is the fix in for a preferred candidate? The Miami-Dade County School Board has decided it doesn’t need outside help to find the next boss of the nation’s third-largest school district — even after critics complained the last search was rushed, messy and not exactly a model of transparency. After a marathon, six-hour workshop Tuesday, […]
New mayor, new bond — and ‘build, build, build’ Less than four months into the job, newly-elected Mayor Eileen Higgins is already talking about borrowing $450 million. Yes, you read that right. Half a billion dollars — give or take — to fix police and fire stations that, she has suddenly realized, are falling apart, […]
With mail ballots still out there and turnout creeping along for eight ballot questions that will reshape Coral Gables government, Mayor Vince Lago appears to be laying the groundwork for something that smells a lot like a fallback plan. Let’s call it the “they meddled” defense. Because Tuesday, near the tail end of yet another […]
Just a month after the Miami City Commission voted to stop footing former Commissioner Joe Carollo’s legal bills, the inevitable has happened. His lawyers packed up and left. Poof. Gone. And suddenly, the man once known for wielding City Hall like a political cudgel now finds himself without legal representation in one of the many […]
For weeks, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has been urging Coral Gables voters to vote yes on all eight charter amendments in the April 21 mail-in referendum. He’s been using his political action committee, Coral Gables First, to get that message out. And it’s costing him. The PAC raised exactly $10 in the first quarter […]
If you think judicial races are sleepy affairs decided by bar polls and last names nobody recognizes, think again. Because the race that has suddenly appeared against Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mavel Ruiz is starting to look less like routine ballot housekeeping and more like political payback wrapped in judicial robes. And yes — the […]
Reality check: Recalls are hard, refunds are easier Remember the outrage? The packed chambers? The calls for political exile? Well, the recall train aimed at Palmetto Bay Councilman Steve Cody over a social media post after the assasination of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk just derailed — before it ever left the station. And not with […]
Another public corruption arrest landed in Miami this week — and once again, it involves money taken from taxpayers that was supposed to serve the public, but quietly slipped into private hands. The former interim director of the Wynwood Business Improvement District, Florentino Diaz, is now facing 27 counts of grand theft, along with charges […]
In the tiny city of West Miami, where elections can hinge on a few hundred votes and political grudges have long memories, Mayor Eric Diaz-Padron didn’t just win re-election Tuesday — he made it look easy. After weeks of quiet campaigning and polite jabs, Diaz-Padron swatted back a challenge from former city manager Yolanda Aguilar […]