Esteban Bovo’s 2020 mayoral dreams doomed via Alex Penelas

Esteban Bovo’s 2020 mayoral dreams doomed via Alex Penelas

There could be a perfectly good reason why Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo hasn’t officially announced his bid for county mayor in 2020: Because he may not run, after all. Despite raising more than $1.1 million for his political action committee, Transportation Solutions for Miami-Dade, Bovo has likely done or seen polls that show he can’t win a […]

Carlos Gimenez, 4 commissioners are posers in storm-hit Bahamas

Carlos Gimenez, 4 commissioners are posers in storm-hit Bahamas

That didn’t take long. Less than 24 hours after the Miami-Dade Commission waived an ethics rule that bars freebie trips from county vendors for hurricane relief reasons post Dorian, Mayor Carlos Gimenez flew to the islands Friday with four county commissioners, a deputy mayor and an assistant fire chief. They took off from Signature Flight Support at Miami […]

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber wins re-election — sans challenge

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber wins re-election — sans challenge

The qualifying deadline for the Miami Beach elections this November came and went Friday and nobody challenged Mayor Dan Gelber after his first term. That means Gelber automatically wins re-election without a single vote cast. “I am grateful to all those that have been supportive of my candidacy and honored to have the confidence of […]

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s $9 billion budget passes

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s $9 billion budget passes

The first public hearing for the 2019-2020 Miami-Dade budget Thursday was pretty uneventful. It passed 10-3 and there was very little protest. Most of the speakers simply want more money for affordable housing or some program. Nothing really seemed dire. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez must be doing the happy dance. He seems to have hoodwinked […]

Affordable housing tops issues at 1st Miami-Dade budget hearing

Affordable housing tops issues at 1st Miami-Dade budget hearing

Years past, residents would come to the Miami-Dade County budget hearings to beg for the restoration of police jobs or library hours or to save grant funding for this or that community-based organization. This year, the majority of the speakers at the first hearing for the $9 billion 2019-2020 budget on Thursday had one request: […]

Dems look to run someone vs Vance Aloupis in HD115

Dems look to run someone vs Vance Aloupis in HD115

While there isn’t one yet, we can expect a challenge to State Rep. Vance Aloupis in 2020. Someone is polling voters in House District 115, a very flippable seat that state and local Democrats want badly. Voters in the district — which stretches from Doral through Westchester, Kendall, Pinecrest and into Palmetto Bay — were polled via […]

MDC trustees ignore community, continue tainted president search

MDC trustees ignore community, continue tainted president search

It was a bit chaotic at the Miami Dade College Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, where a “surprise” interim president was named and members continued to press for a politically-motivated do-over of a selection process to permanently replace the retiring Eduardo Padrón, whose last day is Friday. “A shitshow,” said one faculty observer. “A circus,” […]

Ricky Arriola draws 3rd challenge in Miami Beach commission race

Ricky Arriola draws 3rd challenge in Miami Beach commission race

With less than two weeks left before qualifying, a third candidate has filed to run against Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola. Stephen Cohen, a real estate investor specializing in the South Beach luxury condo market, on Tuesday joined Raquel Pacheco, a retired soldier, business owner and PTA mom, and Jonathan Welsh, a healthcare marketing executive, in the race to unseat […]