Regalado’s maquinita about face: About facetime access

Regalado’s maquinita about face: About facetime access

Mayor Tomas Regalado looked downright proud Thursday morning as he stood between 48 illegal slot machine maquinitas and about a dozen TV news cameras minutes before a couple of bulldozers crushed them — the illegal gambling machines, not the jouurnalists — into a pile of wood and wires and widgets and whatnot in about 15 minutes. But let’s […]

Watch as Hialeah, Miami mayors dance the maquinita shift

Watch as Hialeah, Miami mayors dance the maquinita shift

There’s a new dance in town. It is called the maquinita shift. And it’s made up mostly of backflips. It would seem, from the quick reaction and removal of maquinitas from cafeterias and arcades in Miami and Hialeah after the state ban passed earlier this month, that Mayors Tomas Regalado and Carlos “Castro” Hernandez of […]

Doral recall busts. But who’s behind Brito’s bungled move?

Doral recall busts. But who’s behind Brito’s bungled move?

Surprise, surprise. Vanessa Brito lied again. A very ill-planned recall of newly-elected Doral Vice Mayor Bettina Rodriguez-Aguilera has died a quiet and unceremonious death. Especially when compared to its high-faluttin’, heavily-promoted and fraudulent birth. Miami Voice Chairwoman and political gypsy conartist Vanessa Brito — who claims credit for recalling former Miami-Dade Commissioner Natacha Millan, although she was […]

152 nuevos votantes — y numeros para los bancos telefonicos

152 nuevos votantes — y numeros para los bancos telefonicos

De acuerdo con el Departamento de Elecciones de Miami-Dade, hubo 152 nuevos votantes registrados durante el fin de semana que cumplieron con la meta para que puedan emitir su voto en la elección especial para renovar el estadio de los Miami Dolphins con fondos públicos. Esos son los que pudieron lograr llegar su aplicacion antes […]

152 new voters and phones for Dolphins stadium phone bank

152 new voters and phones for Dolphins stadium phone bank

According to the Miami-Dade Elections Department, there were 152 new voters registered over last weekend so they can cast ballots in the special election on the publicly-funded Miami Dolphins stadium. Those are the ones who could get it done before the midnight Monday deadline after the short window was announced late last week. And that […]

Mayor Gimenez lobbies for Dolphin stadium deal. Duh!

Mayor Gimenez lobbies for Dolphin stadium deal. Duh!

The Miami-Dade County Commission approved the deal for the Miami Dolphins’ owner’s Sun Life Stadium improvements and the referendum for voters to approve paying for it through tourist-derived public dollars on a Wednesday. On Thursday, Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who negotiated what he calls the best-ever public/private agreement in the country, went to Tallahassee to promote […]

Miami Beach candidate Dave Crystal is clearly confused

Miami Beach candidate Dave Crystal is clearly confused

There are a slew of candidates in the upcoming Miami Beach election and Ladra doesn’t know them all. But one of them seems a little confused, or too emotionally and mentally instable to serve in office. Plus he needs tougher skin. Dave Crystal, who is running for commissioner in Group 1, shot off an email to […]

Tales from Tallahassee II: Regrets from a bad, bad dog

Tales from Tallahassee II: Regrets from a bad, bad dog

While there was a lot done and accomplished in Tallahassee when Ladra went up for Dade Days, there are regrets, too. Naturally. First let me say that I regret posting this so late. But there’s been an election in Coral Gables, posts coming about Doral and Sweetwater, and a lot of activity regarding the Dolphins […]

As many 305 elections approach, the pushy PACs proliferate

As many 305 elections approach, the pushy PACs proliferate

It is that season again. PAC season. Forget about the return of Mad Men. All the real drama in South Florida elections is about the return of PAC men. There are some important elections coming up — including the Dolphins stadium referendum, like, tomorrow — and of course that means that the political action committees, which are good […]

Dolphins owner’s wealth issue of anti-stadium video

Dolphins owner’s wealth issue of anti-stadium video

We all know that Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is rich man. And that is why some of us are having a hard time swallowing this idea to pour at least $350 million and possibly up to $400 million in public funds into his private stadium. No matter how much the community benefits from the proposed roof […]