Opening statements began today in the federal tax evasion and fraud trial against former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and his wife Raiza, in what is likely to become one of the closest watched local political trials lately — and that’s saying something in this atmosphere. According to documents from the U.S. Attorney’s office, witnesses include […]
Is Hialeah ex Mayor Raul Martinez‘s name off the front of City Hall yet? It’s been a couple of hours since the city Seguro Que Yes council voted 7-0 Tuesday on three resolutions by Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez that strip the names of his political enemies from three city facilities: Raul L. Martinez Government Center, Roberto […]
As New Year’s Eve approaches, everyone looks anxiously to the state and local elections in 2014. But in one of Ladra’s favorite cities, the heat is already turning up for elections that won’t come ’til 2015. And, when you start to peel the political onion, it’s really about the elections in 2017. Make no mistake […]
Hialeah will have a budget hearing tonight to announce a raise in taxes. That’s right. Tonight. As in almost two months too late. And also a couple of weeks after an election in which Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez and Council Vice President Luis Gonzalez vowed never to raise taxes. Coincidence? Yeah, riiight. The Florida Department […]
In his first real official act as the newly re-elected mayor of Hialeah — well, the second act, after the little childish banner towing plane snub — Carlos “Castro” Hernandez will promote a new city ordinance at tonight’s meeting that will prohibit naming city properties after a living person. But make no bones about it […]
The election in Hialeah is over. But the war is not. Former Mayor Julio Martinez, a longtime critic of the current administration who lost solidly Tuesday to Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez in what could be one of the lowest turnouts in city history, took to the streets Sunday with a new message: “If you didn’t […]
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! No, it’s a plane. Yeah, it’s a plane. A political plane with a message. It wasn’t enough for Hialeah Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez to win with 81 percent of the vote Tuesday. It wasn’t enough to usher in two of his lackeys on the Seguro Que Yes […]
In a stunningly quick turnaround by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, which usually moves at the speed of coffee in a watched cafetera, Hialeah’s Seguro Que Yes Council was cleared of allegations that they committed mass violation of the Sunshine Law by meeting together minutes before they were to vote on the city’s annual budget. […]
In what may be the biggest mass violation of the Florida Government-in-the-Sunshine laws in history, video shows every single member of the Hialeah council filing into the Mayor Carlos Hernandez‘s office about two hours before the council meeting in which they voted to pass the budget. Former Mayor Julio “The Other” Martinez, who is running […]
Ladra is going to have to start going to the Hialeah Council meetings again. They always get good right before an election. Last week’s meeting proved no different, when dozens of parents showed up — reportedly at the behest of Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez — for a special presentation to renew a contract for a […]