Why change 100 years of elections? Who really benefits? Opinion By Melissa Castro, Coral Gables Commissioner For nearly a century, Coral Gables has held its elections in April. That was not random. It was intentional. It ensured that local elections stayed focused on local issues like development, traffic, infrastructure, and the character of our neighborhoods. […]
It would have been the best April Fool’s joke ever. But, alas, it seems to be a worrisome reality. On Wednesday, Renier Díaz de la Portilla filed to run for judge — again. You’d be forgiven for checking the calendar twice, since it was April 1. Reached by text, and asked if it was real, […]
Frank Lago’s past baggage is hard to leave behind In the three-way Republican primary for Florida House District 113, one candidate isn’t waiting around to define one of his opponents as a questionable character, unworthy of representing the community. Small business owner and urban farmer Tony Diaz has rolled out a full-on digital opposition campaign […]
Freshman Commissioner Rolando Escalona did what elected officials are supposed to do: he called a Sunshine meeting to ask basic questions about how the Downtown Development Authority spends taxpayer money — specifically, how much of it actually makes its way to Brickell, the district he represents and one of the biggest revenue engines in the […]
Miami Commissioner Rolando Escalona called a Sunshine meeting this week to discuss the Miami Downtown Development Authority and, specifically its spending and services in Brickell, which he represents. But Commissioner Ralph Rosado, who is chair of the DDA, told the city clerk that he would not be attending. Las malas lenguas say Commissioners Christine King […]
In what reads like a spy novel set between Washington, D.C., Caracas and Calle Ocho, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — a one-time Tallahassee roommate to former Congressman David “King Nine Lives” Rivera — testified in court Tuesday in a case against the latter, who is accused of secretly and illegally lobbying for the […]
Stand Your Ground? More like ‘Stand Down, Beba’ The criminal case against Miami activist Maria “Beba” Sardiña Mann is heading to trial — and not quietly — after Judge Joanne Marie Hernandez delivered an 18-page order last week that reads less like a legal ruling and more like a judicial smackdown. With citations. Sardiña Mann, […]
After getting steamrolled by Tallahassee, the Miami Beach City Commission met last week to decide its next move against the state legislation that allows the Fontainebleau Hotel to build a controversial water park without the city’s approval — and chose a bold, decisive course of action: They voted to think about maybe suing later. Commissioners […]
Is Mark Rosenberg the real Miami-Dade Sheriff? Just over a year into the job, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz is already reshaping the top ranks of the newly minted sheriff’s office — and not in a quiet, bureaucratic way. Three assistant sheriffs. Gone. Eric Garcia and Shawn Browne? Out. Brian Rafky? Demoted. No scandal. No […]
The racist group chat scandal tied to Republican student political circles at Florida International University did not materialize overnight, out of thin air. It grew from something. Over time. It was nurtured by an environment that not only tolerated this kind of hate speech, but secretly and subtly encouraged it. Sure, people are falling all […]