Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla is expected to return Sunday from a trip to Sarasota where he reportedly stayed at a $400-a-night golf resort and met with with Florida Senate President Bill Galvano at his family’s annual golf tournament to talk about Miami’s redistricting plan.
Sources told Ladra that DLP left Thursday in a city rental accompanied by a police officer and that City Manager Art Noriega — who did not return calls and texts to his phone Saturday — said the travel was official city business.
Chief Jorge Colina confirmed that there were travel forms submitted by Sgt. At Arms Luis Camacho to accompany the commissioner to Sarasota, but said he had no other details. “I cannot comment what the city business is because I don’t know,” he answered a direct question.
Needless to say, this is highly unusual. Ladra is pretty certain that Miami Police have never accompanied a city commissioner on travel anywhere. There have been details to protect Mayor Francis Suarez — which were criticized repeatedly by Commissioner Joe Carollo — but that was after credible threats were reportedly made.
Were any threats made against Diaz de la Portilla that could, maybe, warrant a $120,000-a-year, taxpayer-funded police officer/bodyguard/driver in the middle of a pandemic? “Not that I’m aware of,” Colina said.
So, what was in Sarasota this week? The 24th annual Phil Galvano Classic, a fundraiser for public school teachers and students in the name of the senate president’s late father, was on Friday and Saturday. Alex doesn’t play golf. But the Galvano Classic has also become a well-known Republican pow wow at the 19th hole and auxiliary events. What better place to discuss the city’s future redistricting and the possibility that Galvano get that contract. After all, he’s a close friend who came to Miami to swear in DLP last year and his political action committee that has given at least $65,000 to Diaz de la Portilla’s Proven Leadership for Miami-Dade County PAC.
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Diaz de la Portilla even talked at the Sept. 24 commission meeting about hiring Galvano — who has overseen redistricting three times and he called an “expert” — as a consultant to work with the city attorney on redistricting the city along the Census 2020 findings, which the senate president told him a few day earlier would be available as early as May.
“Everything here is going to be done very transparently with Sen. Galvano,” Diaz de la Portilla said on the dais. “He is someone I recommended to the city manager.
“He has no vested interest in what happens in city of Miami politics, which is very important. Because, unfortunately, we bring people here and I’m not overly cynical but I’m somewhat cynical — and people have their own political interests and their own political agenda.”
Que cinico.
Are we to believe that DLP is not going to benefit personally from his friend being in charge of the redistricting? He says he just wants to make things fair — like each commissioner representing 100K residents — and is sensitive to keeping one Anglo and one African American seat.
How generous.
Apparently, Diaz de la Portilla doesn’t like the fact that Commissioner Ken Russell — who continues to be put in a corner — has more constituents than he does. The number of residents of voting age population is 34,000 in Diaz de la Portilla’s district, 33,000 for Commissioner Manolo Reyes‘ district, 42,000 in Commissioner Joe Carollo‘s district, 48,000 in Commissioner Keon Hardemon‘s district and 59,000 in Russell’s district, according to figures provided by the city at that meeting.
“Downtown Miami and Coconut Grove has grown so we have Commissioner Russell representing a lot more people and that’s not the way it should be,” Diaz de la Portilla said. “It should be even.”
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This is a long road and there will be public hearings and discussions about even, perhaps, adding a couple of districts. But there are still a number of improprieties the way this is starting.
First, commissioners can’t negotiate contracts. That is the city manager’s job. Secondly, DLP would be sidestepping the competitive process on this contract for his pal, the biggest champion of gambling in Florida, and likely future (or current) business partner. Everyone expects Galvano to open up a lobby shop with DLP in Miami when he’s termed out. There is no money to be made in Bradenton.
But, most importantly — and frighteningly — this could set the stage for ADLP to be the one who personally draws the lines that will decide the city elections for at least the next 10 years.
So, did Diaz de la Portilla and Camacho spend three nights and four days in one of the 226 luxurious guest rooms or suites at the Resort at Longboat Key Club, where the tournament was held? As reported, Noriega did not answer calls or texts. The Dean himself declined to divulge any details about his excursion on the taxpayer dime at a time when the city is facing serious budget shortfalls from the COVID19 crisis.
“Post whatever stupidity you want to post,” Diaz de la Portilla texted, sounding like a much older man. “You don’t care about the city I love.”
What does that have to do with the price of a $400-a-night hotel room in Manatee County? Nada.
For the record: A woman who answered the phone at the resort around midnight put me through to a room when I asked to be connected to Alex Diaz de la Portilla. A man answered the phone but wouldn’t say who it was. It didn’t sound like Alex. But when I called the desk back to make sure, the same woman said she was absolutely sure she connected me to Mr. Diaz de la Portilla’s room. She couldn’t, however, tell me what room number it was.
Alex DLP takes city paid trip to Sarasota golf resort to meet with Bill Galvano added by Ladra on
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