Well, if there was any question that newly-elected Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla was big man on campus, it was answered Thursday, when he made himself co-chair of the Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency and the city’s member representative to the Tourism Development Board.
ADLP, who already chairs the Omni CRA, also got the coveted seat at the Greater Miami Visitor’s and Convention Board and the Solid Waste Committee after Commissioner Keon Hardemon, who has one foot out the 
door with a county commission race in District 3, just handed them over to him.
Like an olive branch.
He had to. Because Diaz de la Portilla made it very clear that if he didn’t play nice, he could take away his chairmanship of the Overtown CRA, too. “We could have,” DLP said, referring to the Jan. 17 meeting where he stripped Russell of his Omni CRA, “because we have the votes to do it.”
We, ladies and gentlemen. We.
Ladra would’t be surprised if there were tons of Sunshine Law violations going on and Ethics Czar Joe Arrojo better stop snoozing on the job and start watching this shitshow.
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Commissioner Ken Russell, who accurately called this process a candy grab, is still in time out for not voting to fire the manager. Hardemon was punished, too, Thursday when he was taken off the TDC and given no choice on his CRA co-chair.
And Commissioner Manolo Reyes better watch himself or he may find himself in another corner. DLP is only loyal to himself. If you don’t support his agenda, he will have you whacked (politically speaking).
Reyes got a taste of this patent wrath when he dared show some decency, 
loyalty and integrity to Hardemon — who wanted Reyes appointed as his vice chair at the Overtown CRA — when DLP withdrew his motion to have him vice chair the Omni CRA and appoint Commissioner Joe Carollo instead.
Hardemon practically begged for Reyes to be his vice chair on the Overtown CRA. He knows he doesn’t want to work with DLP and that DLP just wants to control the money. But he also had other good reasons to request Reyes.
“He has a long history with the CRA from when he was working in the city,” Hardemon said, referring to the commissioner’s days as the CRA’s original budget analyst. “He is involved and participating.”
In other words, Alex, try attending a meeting first before you take over.
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Reyes has been to every CRA meeting since he was elected in 2017. Hardemon said that he agreed that DLP could name the vice chair of his own CRA and asked for the same respect given to him. Please give me Reyes, he begged — kissing ADLP’s behind at the same time.
“You are a tremendous asset to the Miami Commission because you have relationships,” with people in Tallahassee,” Hardemon said. “This is something I really do care for.
“You are interested in CRA’s but you haven’t expressed how. I don’t know anything about you or your philosophy on CRAs.”
Reyes stood up for him. He clearly wanted to be vice chair of the Overtown CRA and brought up his commitment to the CRA and the neighborhood since the 80s.
“It is because we have a relationship working on the CRA. I don’t want any perception… let’s give it time,” Reyes said, asking to defer the decision to 
another date. “We don’t need titles to be working together.
“I have to speak my mind and vote my conscience,” he said. “Today, I am going to be very honest. We should talk about this a little bit more. I hear Commissioner Hardemon. I know his district. I know his people. I agree with him that perception is everything.”
DLP wouldn’t have it. “I want to learn and see what we’ve done right and what we haven’t done right. I want to be in a place where I have my hand in both” CRAs, he said — and then bitchslapped Reyes for coloring outside the lines. He snatched the co-chair of the Omni CRA and gave it to Carollo. As one of the Three Amigos, Diaz de la Portilla is counting on Reyes’ vote.
Remember the “we?” There is no “we” without Reyes.
Could this be the beginning of a rift in the Three Amigos?
Read related: Miami city manager quits under political power play pressure
Hardemon also pulled the 
race card. “What this sounds like is an attempt to remove a person of color from the leadership,” Hardemon said, even though Reyes and DLP are both Cuban American. Carollo objected — but he didn’t even wince when DLP pulled the Latino card on the mural issue (more on that later).
Said Hardemon: “I just worry that there is going to be a backlash in the community,” and Russell agreed that the perception may be that DLP is trying to take over.
That perception would be spot on.
Diaz de la Portilla even wants to merge the two CRAs together so he can rule over a bigger area — and a bigger pot of millions to dole out to his friends and donors and brother Miguel Diaz de la Portilla‘s clients.
That’s also why he put himself on the TDC, which Hardemon also practically begged to keep.
“I’ve been sitting as and appointee for a great number of years,” he said. “It is a body that has, so we’re clear, dollars that are appropriated from tourism.”
Diaz de la Portilla, who turned 55 in August, called himself “new blood” a few times and said that’s why he’s trying to stick his hand in every pot.
Russell, knowing he is odd man out and has nothing to lose, called it.
“This is not a congenial body. This is not a productive body,” 
he said, adding that the commissioners were “elbow-jossling” for choice appointments. “To build new bridges you don’t need to burn others down. You will need them.
“I don’t want to be a part of this candy grab,” he said.
“We’re coming out of a stellar audit. There’s no need for ‘new blood’ to change the direction of where its going.”
Diaz de la Portilla accused Russell of trying to make a power grab when he “pumped $150,000 into my opponent’s campaign… and tried to grab for yourself two votes on the commission.”
“So, this is personal,” Russell said.
“The only person who burned the bridges here is you,” DLP snapped back. “If you don’t like the fact that elections have consequences then you shouldn’t be in politics.
Elections have consequences. Seems Ladra has heard that before.
“It’s the way it is,” DLP told Russell. “Grow up. Put your pants on.”
He’s not just the Papi. He’s a mean Papi.
More Miami power plays prove ADLP is the new boss, runs the show added by Ladra on
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