Not everybody was shocked by the news Friday that Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Zapata had withdrawn his candidacy and was leaving county government. Zapata — who has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the lack of transparency and the “cost of doing business” at County Hall — has had enough. “For the past four years, it has […]
UPDATE: This meeting has been cancelled. We imagine it will be rescheduled for a later time. West End could be the first new municipality to incorporate in Miami-Dade County since the moratorium was lifted in 2012 and since Cutler Bay was incorporated in 2005. The West End North Municipal Advisory Committee will convene for the […]
Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez may have learned something from his last two campaigns: how to go negative. Martinez refused to attack Carlos Gimenez, who he was running for mayor against, with the absentee ballot fraud committed by the Gimenez campaign in 2012. He refused to go negative against any of his primary Republican opponents in […]
Every day now, Ladra hears the same ol’ thing, like an echo: “Joe Martinez is going to file today.” The rumor going around for weeks now is that Martinez, the former Miami-Dade County Commission chairman who lost a mayoral bid in 2012, is going to run against Commissioner Juan Zapata for his old seat. Las […]
Former Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez may jump into his third race since leaving office to run for mayor unsuccessfully in 2012. And, no, he’s not running for Congress again. Martinez wants his old job back. He is seriously considering a run against Commissioner Juan Zapata for his old District 11 seat. “I have it under […]
Weak. That’s what Michael Rosenberg thinks of “West End,” the catchy neighborhood name that Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Zapata came up for his West Kendall/Hammocks district. Rosenberg, president of the Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations and the founder and executive director of the Pets’ Trust, didn’t like the way Zapata just changed the name of his […]
It looks like that famous Harvard education that Miami-Commissioner Juan Zapata is getting — which has brought him so much grief — hasn’t helped him understand the difference between a true mandate and a marketing plan. Zapata, who has been against the Pet’s Trust Initiative voted by almost 65% of the residents in 2012, used […]
Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Zapata drew his first challenger this week when a man named Felix Lorenzo filed against him. And he’s running an anti-incorporation campaign. Lorenzo, 75, told Ladra that he decided to run so that he could block the incorporation efforts of two areas in District 11 that want to become their own municipalities. […]
The West District of the Miami-Dade Police Department may be one of the biggest geographically. It may be the most populated. It may have the second highest number of calls for police service. But it is also the most understaffed when it comes to patrol officers. That’s what Commissioner Juan Zapata says after he rode […]
Miami-Dade County Commissioners have raised close to $1 million between them so far for next November’selection, according to the latest campaign reports filed this week. The fat cat among los gatos locos at the 111 building is Audrey Edmonson, who has raised $320,000 since starting in March. It includes $16,500 raised in October, even though […]