Joe Carollo fires staffer who reported abuse of office to the State Attorney

Joe Carollo fires staffer who reported abuse of office to the State Attorney

The big news isn’t that Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo fired his one-time campaign manager, right hand man and District 3 Liasion Steven Miro. The big news is why. Sources tell Ladra that Miro made a complaint to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office recently about Carollo using city funds and city personnel to campaign for Alex Diaz […]

Eileen Higgins would upset the apple cart, and add checks and balances

Eileen Higgins would upset the apple cart, and add checks and balances

There’s a reason why both Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo — who hopes to be the next county mayor — have endorsed Zoraida Barreiro in the District 5 commission race: They want to stay in control. They like things the way they are. Barreiro would be a known entity, a Republican […]

Coral Gables manager spanked for interfering with background check

Coral Gables manager spanked for interfering with background check

Coral Gables City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark is not totally in the clear, yet. Swanson has dodged a series of professional bullets as her administration has waged an unpopular war with the police chief, lied to commissioners, got caught spying on at least one citizen activist and more. But if Swanson thought she was going to […]

Winners and losers in Miami-Dade’s special District 5 commission race

Winners and losers in Miami-Dade’s special District 5 commission race

Yes, we already know that former State Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla is the biggest loser in the special shotgun wedding election in Miami-Dade District 5, getting shut out of the runoff by Zoraida Barreiro and Eileen Higgins — his third loss in a hisif. Fifth, if you count his brothers’ defeats.  And, yes, Higgins […]

Eileen Higgins makes history leading special county race against the odds

Eileen Higgins makes history leading special county race against the odds

Political newby heads into runoff with Zoraida Barreiro Gringa political virgin Eileen Higgins either waged a very good campaign or voters in Miami Beach, downtown, Brickell and Little Havana are tired of the same ol’, same ol’. Or maybe a little magic formula of both those things. Because Higgins pulled a rabbit out of her hat […]

From the mayoral race to a commission contest: Alfred Santamaria returns

From the mayoral race to a commission contest: Alfred Santamaria returns

One-time longshot Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Alfred Santamaria has returned to politics two years later — shooting a little lower this time as a candidate in Commission District 10 and adding an o to his name to make him a little more Hispanic. Javier “The Senator” Souto is a much easier target for Alfredo Santamaria, who […]

American Dream Miami mega mall should not get public dollars, discounts

American Dream Miami mega mall should not get public dollars, discounts

How much do you wanna bet that 100 people go and speak against the American Dream Miami mega mall nightmare complex that is being pushed for the Northwest corner of Miami-Dade? How much do you wanna bet that commissioners will ignore them and approve the development agreement that basically has the developer, Triple Five, give […]

Absentee ballots fly in hurried, special District 5 county commission race

Absentee ballots fly in hurried, special District 5 county commission race

If ever there was a race where absentee ballots was going to make the deciding factor, it is the special shotgun wedding election in Miami-Dade’s County District 5. Four candidates are vying to replace Bruno Barreiro, who resigned last month so he could run for Congress: His wife, Zoraida Barreiro, former Sen. Alex Diaz de […]