The two new city attorneys representing Doral after the surprise firing of former City Attorney John Herrin last week have registered to lobby at the city — just within the last three months. Gil Pastoriza and Dan Espino — who work for the Weiss Serrota Helfman etcetera law firm — registered in January and March, […]
With five months to go before the Republican primary in the Congressional race for district 26, former Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez was thrown for an early loop this weekend: A burglary at his campaign office and the theft of his computers. Martinez had just secured the space at 1401 SW 107 Avenue — which coincidentally is […]
Miami Assistant City Attorney Veronica Diaz is looking for a new gig: Miami-Dade County Court judge. Diaz filed to run Friday against incumbent Judge William “Bill” Altfield a career prosecutor who served for 24 years as an assistant state attorney in Miami-Dade who was appointed to the bench by Gov. Rick Scott in 2011. A member of […]
You gotta give it to Daniella Levine Cava, the Democratic Party darling running in the non-partisan county commission race against incumbent Lynda Bell: She knows a good campaign issue when she sees one. And she jumped on it quick. The last meeting of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos “Tarnished Boy” Gimenez‘s blue ribbon task force for the […]
Problems in the procurement process at Miami-Dade County are becoming a persistent plague. We’ve had bid protests over the pizza place at Miami International Airport, the water and sewer contract, the code enforcement court deferment services, where commissioners actually asked for what amounts to a “do-over.” Commissioner Audrey Edmonson said she expects an issue in the […]
The legislative session in Tallahassee opened almost two weeks ago and quickly became the center of universe. Several electeds from the 305 made the rounds with legislators, pressing their priorities and making their asks. Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner stopped in Tallly, where she met with Sen. Dwight Bullard (D-South Dade). Along for the ride, lobbyist Jose […]
Aside from Miami-Dade County’s lay off of 21 employees in the last couple of months to help deal with what Mayor Carlos “Not So Golden Boy” Gimenez says is a bulging budget shortfall, the incoming crop of new police officers has been cut in half from four academy classes to two. But Gimenez assured commissioners in […]
Although the county has more than 500 vacant budgeted positions — salaries that are never collected though the expenditures are reflected in the 2014-2015 budget — Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has laid off almost two dozen county employees so far this year. These are reportedly only the first “heads to roll” in an expected employee […]
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa have been hangin’ with our home boys in Tallahassee for two days to press for the county’s legislative priorities this session (there they are in this picture to the left with most of the Miami-Dade delegation). Priorities include the re-authorization of the Florida Enterprise Zone, which is […]
So now that the proposed Miami Dolphins stadium renovation scam, er, deal would take taxes away from his little, scrappy city, Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert — who supported the team’s last plan for using tourist tax dollars — says Sun Life Stadium is not all that. Gilbert told the Miami Herald Wednesday that he wants Miami […]