Miami-Dade to pay $10 mil for transit grants, firing

Miami-Dade to pay $10 mil for transit grants, firing

It’s not bad enough that Miami-Dade got caught lying to the federal government to get somewhere around $6 million in transit grants that we apparently didn’t use right and now Uncle Sam is demanding we pay back. It gets worse: Some honcho at County Hall had the gall to fire the eagle eye employee who […]

FIU’s predictable ‘mandate’ argument — no fair to Fair

FIU’s predictable ‘mandate’ argument — no fair to Fair

Ladra called it last year when the commission voted to put the FIU “expansion” question on the November ballot: They are going to use this to push the Dade County Youth Fair and Expo into a relocation deal, to apply the political pressure. It didn’t take long. On Monday, as kids rode the swings and the […]

Coral Gables mayoral forum shows stark differences

Coral Gables mayoral forum shows stark differences

UPDATED: Former Coral Gables Commissioner Ralph Cabrera killed it at the first mayoral debate Monday against the overly-scripted incumbent Mayor Jim Cason, who seemed to fumble around and stammer. Cason could hardly put together a coherent sentence — even though it seemed he was reading the whole time. It was the best example to date […]

Raquel Regalado’s message: ‘I can be a better mayor’

Raquel Regalado’s message: ‘I can be a better mayor’

Dressed in a crisp white skirt suit that shimmered just a little, with a big green flower pin that matched her high heels, Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado — the 305’s favorite political daughter — became on Monday morning the first Hispanic woman to run for Miami-Dade mayor. While the media throng made a […]

She’s in: Candidate Raquel Regalado declares for 2016

She’s in: Candidate Raquel Regalado declares for 2016

Let the games begin. Call her candidate Raquel Regalado, as she officially was born Sunday as the Miami-Dade School Board member  announced that she will run for Miami-Dade mayor, after all — which was sorta the best kept secret in local politics. It was first outed by Doug Hanks at the Miami Herald that she was […]

Miami-Dade mega mall: A new, and shinier, insider deal?

Miami-Dade mega mall: A new, and shinier, insider deal?

Why is everyone freaking out about a future mega mall that sounds like fun out in the middle of nowhere that is probably never going to happen anyway? This American Dream Miami mall that was unveiled this week — after what? A year of planning? —  should perhaps be called the American In Your Dreams […]

Stevie Bovo talks tough on transit, floats bed tax for projects

Stevie Bovo talks tough on transit, floats bed tax for projects

It was buried in a longish speech about how the new transit and mobility services committee can identify new sources of revenue to pay for the needed transit issues that they are finally paying attention to, but somewhere between Commissioner Esteban “Stevie” Bovo going to Tallahassee to see if MDX funds can be applied to […]

Coral Gables candidates forum shows no real stand-out

Coral Gables candidates forum shows no real stand-out

Was it me? Or did the six candidates for Coral Gables City Commission, who spoke at the first forum or debate for the upcoming April election, all sound pretty much alike? They all believe something has to be done about the pension, though they aren’t sure exactly what. They all think Interim Police Chief Ed […]

Raquel Regalado issues rebuttal to Carlos Gimenez SOTC

Raquel Regalado issues rebuttal to Carlos Gimenez SOTC

If there is any one single sign that shows that Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado is running for county mayor, it’s the rebuttal she issued Thursday to Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s State of the County address. Nobody — not even Regalado — can tell me now that she’s still undecided. Somebody had to do it. […]

Carlos Gimenez’s Miami-Dade SOTC: Much ado about nada

Carlos Gimenez’s Miami-Dade SOTC: Much ado about nada

That was it? Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez finished his State of the County address just a couple hours ago, reading 46 pages worth of words in large font size and all caps without saying much — a feat in and of itself — leaving folks sorta looking left and right for something, well, something more. […]