Former Coral Gables Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick, a class act who was involved in many civic organizations and served as First Lady of the City Beautiful for 10 years, died Thursday evening after a long battle with cancer. She was 75. Slesnick, wife of former Mayor Don Slesnick (2001-2010), was first diagnosed with lymphoma in 2014 […]
With all due respect and thoughts and prayers to former Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, who shot himself in the head off the side of I-75 last weekend, the 2024 election for county sheriff has just become a real race. Ramirez, who was still recovering at a Tampa Hospital after a self inflicted gunshot […]
Miami City Commissioners deferred making a decision last week on allowing up to 45 giant LED billboards downtown — and some critics worry the can will be kicked down the road until after the November election. You know, so commissioners don’t have to be held accountable. Or maybe so they can collect more contributions from […]
Commissioner Joe Carollo is suddenly living outside his district A U.S. District Court judge on Sunday tossed out the new same-as-the-old redistricting map passed by city of Miami Commissioners in June, saying it did nothing to remediate the racial gerrymandering found in the first version. A substitute map prepared by the ACLU, one of the […]
Did anybody really think that the South Dade Logistics & Technology District was going to be the last attempt to cross the Urban Development Boundary, an invisible line meant to keep urban sprawl from penetrating the Everglades? ¡Claro que no! Instead, the Miami-Dade County Commission’s fervent dedication to and intentional push to up zone farmland […]
One staffer worked on brother’s commission campaign UPDATED: Remember Jenny Nillo? The “ghost employee” Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla had on the Omni CRA payroll while she drove around picking up his booze and his dry cleaning? Well, she is not the only District 1 staffer that ran errands for the commissioner […]
Miami loves a comeback story. Today, there are two. Political observers and civic leaders have alerted Ladra to the resurgence of two shady political operatives who seem to be back in business after somewhat of a sabbatical — forced or not. They are Vanessa Brito, who, after several scams and a shoplifting arrest, is working […]
The Miami-Dade Commission talked about garbage this week. Not the usual garbage. Real garbage. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has suggested a $36 annual garbage fee increase — or $3 a month — as part of her 2023-2024 $11.6 billion budget. To keep the current $509 annual fee would mean a cut in services, she said. […]
Second place bidder almost gets ‘consolation prize’ Miami-Dade leaders have long wanted to have a four-star hotel at Miami International Airport to elevate the facility to world class status and give overnighters a decent place to stay on campus. The Miami International Airport Hotel is more than 60 years old and an embarrassment, county commissioners […]
Commissioners likely to discuss mayor’s gas tax gaffe Late Monday, with less than 24 hours for county commissioners to review it, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released her proposed $11 billion 2023-2024 budget — the largest ever, with a 20% increase in capital improvement spending, due much to federal dollars. She boasts about a 1% […]