Kristen Rosen Gonzalez to challenge Ileana Ros Lehtinen

Kristen Rosen Gonzalez to challenge Ileana Ros Lehtinen

One of the Democrats already getting ready for 2018 is Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who has been thinking for the last few weeks about challenging Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. She said Friday that many people had approached her and “an exploratory committee is testing the waters.” But those close to Rosen Gonzalez told Ladra she […]

Hoff, Mena stand out in 4-way Gables commission race

Hoff, Mena stand out in 4-way Gables commission race

Four candidates have filed to fill the seat left empty by Coral Gables Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick‘s mayoral bid. And while they couldn’t be more different, they all sound pretty much the same. We have a soft-spoken schoolteacher/grandma activist, the retired cop and union leader, the land use attorney who works with the construction industry and […]

The Cortadito Calendar says goodbye to March

The Cortadito Calendar says goodbye to March

Are we a third through this year already? Does anybody else think it’s going much faster than ever? Maybe it’s because there is always so much going on. This week’s Cortadito Calendar seems a little thin, though. I guess people are still pooped from last week, which was a little busier. Or are we saving […]

Coral Gables mayoral race takes a nasty, ethnic turn

Coral Gables mayoral race takes a nasty, ethnic turn

The Coral Gables mayoral race this year already had an epic, Count of Monte Cristo vibe — what with the freshman, lone anti-development commissioner on the dais going up against a former mayor that was booted out 15 years ago for over-development, among other things, by said lone commissioner’s husband. But now, it seems that […]

Mike Hernandez to stand in for deputy mayor at event

Mike Hernandez to stand in for deputy mayor at event

The county mayor’s newest senior advisor, his longtime mouthpiece and spokesman Michael Hernandez, will speak Thursday to an evening gathering of the South Florida Black Journalists Association. But he was not the original guest. The organization initially advertised Deputy Mayor Russell Benford, who had twice confirmed, said Carolyn Guniss, president of the SFBJA and editor […]

The Cortadito Calendar takes us through another busy week

The Cortadito Calendar takes us through another busy week

We have another Miami-Dade County commission meeting this week. Between the committees, the Comprehensive Development Master Plan meetings, the MPO (which is now the TPO) and the full Miami-Dade commission meetings, it seems like there is something going on at County Hall every day. We mean out in public view. But we have more than 30 other […]

Carlos Gimenez wants to dump mutant mosquitos on us

Carlos Gimenez wants to dump mutant mosquitos on us

And the lucky residents of Kendall may be the winners Zika may be out of the daily headlines and daily heads — for now. Because experts have already said that the virus could, and very likely will come back as mosquito season returns to South Florida this summer. And, of course, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez — […]

Miami-Dade Mayor’s pal gets $6 mil extension on contract

Miami-Dade Mayor’s pal gets $6 mil extension on contract

Munilla Construction Management — a frequent county bidder doing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of projects — will likely get an additional $6 million and a one-year extension Thursday for “miscellaneous” renovations and repairs at Miami International Airport. Just like that. No open bidding, no competitive process. Just $6 million more for work that […]

Calusa golf course controversy shows ‘covenants’ are crap

Calusa golf course controversy shows ‘covenants’ are crap

A group of West Kendall residents in a longtime fight against the redevelopment of the Calusa Golf Course won an important battle last week when the Miami-Dade Commission basically did nothing — and, effectively, killed a proposal to turn the 168 acres into more homes. But Ladra has a feeling that the war is not over and […]