Carlos Gimenez nets $70K vs city strong mayor — for what in return?

Now we know why Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez suddenly started collecting money again for his political action committee: Miami Dade Residents First — which has raised almost $70,000 all of a sudden after two years of no activity — is sending mail and text messages to Miami voters urging a no vote on the strong mayor referendum.

One of those takes aim at Mayor Francis Suarez‘s new house, purchased in July for $1.4 million in one of his less brilliant moments. Really, he should have waited until after Nov. 6.

“A strong mayor that goes way too far,” says the piece, which even some hard-bitten political observers say goes too far with photos of the Suarez home. The mailer also says a future strong mayor could earn $300,000 for a part time job and “choose his successor, even if he is sent to jail.”

But the really bizarre thing here — unprecedented, in fact — is that Gimenez is doing this at all. Why raise money from his donors to fight a separate government’s initiative? Is he doing it to muddy Suarez for a mayoral challenge in 2021? Is he helping his new BFF, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, whose lawsuit challenging the ballot question was dismissed in a flurry of insults about the lack of legal merits?

In other words, what is it that compelled Gimenez to dust his PAC off after two years and raise $67,000 to oppose something he has for himself?

And what, maybe more importantly, has the mayor promised these contributors in exchange for their donation to his PAC? After all, he is not raising this money as a private citizen. This isn’t a gofundme account. It’s his political action committee. Do the donors know they are financing the opposition of the strong mayor referendum?

If so, they may have an interest at stake. If not, they may be expecting something back from Gimenez. So let’s follow the money:

The biggest contribution in recent weeks to Miami Dade Residents First is $15,000 from Urban-X Development, a Coral Gables firm that wants to build the $425-million River Landing Shops and Residences on 8.14 acres in the 1400 block of NW North River Drive, with anywhere between 475 and 530 apartments, 345,000 or so square feet of retail and restaurants, 2,200 parking spaces and a riverfront park and promenade.

Critics say that it is one of the best examples of gentrification in the city. Do they have any more asks? How about from the county?

The smallest contribution was $2,500 from Felix Lasarte, a lobbyist working for the American Dream Mall developers, who we know still have a lot to negotiate at the county.

Another $10,000 a piece came from Coral Gables attorney Rodolfo Nuñez and Chicago-based Trilogy Real Estate, which is one of the partners in the $220 million Concours Club, a members-only race course, clubhouse and restaurant with flight simulators and aviation services such as plane chartering, sales and management on 80 acres at Opa-Locka Airport, on land leased from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.

Another $5,000 a piece came from the Fisher Island developers who we first wrote about last month, the very first contribution since November 2016 — and from Dermar Management, owned by Dale and Mary Ann Robinson, and two other political action committees — Alliance for a Better Community, which has supported Commissioner Jean Monestime in the past, and We The People, which belongs to Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz.

So does that mean that Diaz and Monestime are also opposed to the strong mayor initiative in the city of Miami?

Another $4,000 came from Javier Viso, who is the IT director at Airport Concessions Group.

Another $3,000 a piece came from Airport Concessions Group’s Director Antonio Robles and Esquire Properties, a company owned by Christopher Descalzo, a partner in the group that runs the Versailles and La Carreta concessions at the airport.

Wait. Does anybody else see a pattern developing here? Is there an airport concession vote coming up soon?

These are only the campaign donations through October 19. And if Gimenez keeps at it at the same pace, he could raise more than $100,000 from airport concession interests to fight Suarez and his strong mayor move.

What is Gimenez giving them in return?

Carlos Gimenez, Francis Suarez

Carlos Gimenez nets $70K vs city strong mayor — for what in return? added by Ladra on October 28, 2018
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