Christmas could come early for the operators of so-called “ride sharing” services like Uber and Lyft — if Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez gets his way. As part of a plan to institute some regulations that will make them legal, Carlos “Mr. Giveaway” Gimenez wants to forgive $1.4 million in fines that the companies have amassed since […]
Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi is having a tremendous run of luck in the courts. First, he was acquitted of federal bribery charges after being caught in an FBI sting applying for grants he allegedly knew were bogus. Then he got the court to agree with him on having Gov. Rick Scott lift his suspension […]
Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine used to call Leonor Hernandez the mother of Miami Beach. Today, we can all call her a clerk in the building department after Hernandez (seen in this photo standing next to Levine with a sign in North Beach) was fired from the mayor’s office last week and Commissioner Jonah Wolfson […]
Next week is Thanksgiving and that means that you can throw a rock in almost any direction and hit a politician giving away free turkeys. No, not the giveaway contracts and projects promised to friends, campaign contributors and family. These are real frozen turkeys to roast or fry or otherwise cook and put on a […]
The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics & Public Trust announced Wednesday that it had sued Hialeah Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez for his failure to pay $4,000 in fines and costs after an investigation found that he lied to the public through the media about his loansharking activities. Hernandez tried to pay: He sent the commission a […]
As if we needed another reason for a complete overhaul of the county’s communications department, another top administrator in what amounts to our government’s in-house PR department was forced to resign recently after she was found to be using department resources for her personal business on county time, according to sources at County Hall. Carol […]
The runoffs in Miami and Miami Beach on Tuesday ushered two unknown, first-time candidates to their respective city commission seats against established and well-financed opponents who were front runner favorites. Some political observers are looking at the victories of both Ken Russell in Miami and Kristen Rosen Gonzalez in Miami Beach as yet another sign of […]
UPDATED: There is a God. And he smiled on Miami Beach Tuesday. Kristen Rosen Gonzalez was elected to the city commission against a much better financed candidate who was propped up by Mayor Philip Levine, who had already won commission races for two cronies. Despite being outspent at least 3 to 1, Rosen Gonzalez won with […]
Voters in Miami Beach have one more chance, a rare opportunity, to elect an independent voice that will be the go-to checksand balances for a commission that has been stacked for and by Mayor Philip Levine. Kristen Rosen Gonzalez faces an uphill battle, however, as the mayor’s handpicked candidate, Betsy Perez, has had more money […]
Some voters might think they don’t have to vote for Ken Russell in the Miami commission runoff election Tuesday. After all, Teresa Sarnoff, wife of the termed-out incumbent, withdrew from the race after Russell beat her almost 2 to 1 two weeks ago. He’s basically the commissioner already. Well, yes… and no. The city attorney’s […]