Anti-Hispanic race card pulled out in Miami Beach elections

Anti-Hispanic race card pulled out in Miami Beach elections

Two of the big profile candidates in the upcoming Miami Beach elections say that that other candidates, including their main challengers, are running anti-Hispanic campaigns against them. Mayor Matti Bower, a native Cuban who is running for commission, and Commissioner Michael Gongora, who his her hand-picked half-Cuban successor in the mayoral race, both told Ladra […]

Francis Suarez: Too many blows may bend Baby X to bow out

Francis Suarez: Too many blows may bend Baby X to bow out

Like Commissioner Francis Suarez — who seemed to be losing steam in his mayoral campaign anyway — needed this. Could the charges filed against his election team Thursday be the straw that broke the campaign’s back? His “The Future is Now” campaign is beginning to sound a little like “The End is Near.” First, Suarez — […]

Arrested Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi may run again

Arrested Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi may run again

Former Miami Lakes Mayor Michael “Muscles” Pizzi — suspended by Gov. Rick Scott earlier this month after he was arrested by the FBI on bribery and extortion charges –misses his office and want’s his seat back already. At least that’s what we have to think after his son picked up a candidate packet for him […]

Mayor Carlos Gimenez puts Fins before voters — again

Mayor Carlos Gimenez puts Fins before voters — again

The Miami Dolphins trump the community again. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has cancelled Tuesday night’s  budget town hall in Florida City — which has been advertised for a month — so he could go to Washington, D.C., to help celebrate the 1972 champion football team being recognized by President Barack Obama in what seems like […]

Spies, lies and audio tape: Manny Maroño’s ‘charisma’

Spies, lies and audio tape: Manny Maroño’s ‘charisma’

Don’t they say that it’s always the cover-up that gets you? Of the two local mayors that went down a couple of weeks ago in an FBI sting that nabbed them on charges of bribery and extortion, the best case seems to be the one against suspended Sweetwater Mayor Manny “Maraña” Maroño. We have all long […]

Post-scandal League of Cities conference could be fun

Post-scandal League of Cities conference could be fun

The Florida League of Cities annual conference in Orlando this week has got to be an interesting place. Remember, this is the same event at which, last year, then-League President and then-Sweetwater Mayor Manny Maroño  was going around introducing his political bigwig buddies to two businessmen that could help them graft thousands of dollars from the […]

Doral worked with busted lobbyist, paid him about $300K

Doral worked with busted lobbyist, paid him about $300K

Jorge Forte, one of the lobbyists arrested by the FBI last week in a sting operation that also nabbed two mayors on bribery and extortion charges, had several contracts with the city of Doral, dating as far back as 2009. Three of Forte’s companies had contracts or agreements to do business with the small western […]

Who’s behind Homestead poll? Not any of the candidates

Who’s behind Homestead poll? Not any of the candidates

An automated poll in Homestead has raised the possibility of yet another candidate in this year’s already interesting mayoral race. Vice Mayor Jon Burgess was mentioned as one of the candidates in a poll of 250 voters done Thursday (and which, ooops, reportedly reached a number of businesses, too). The poll has some people thinking […]

Doral website promoted Vice Mayor Bettina’s business

Doral website promoted Vice Mayor Bettina’s business

Doral Vice Mayor Bettina Rodriguez-Aguilera has some nice free publicity on the city’s website for her lobbying business. Or had, anyway. Before Ladra called the city to ask about it and they took the link off a little while ago. Oooops. But earlier today, and all through the year, right on the vice mayor’s government […]