A group of elected officials flew to Panama City last week for the U.S. Embassy’s Fourth of July celebration, at the invitation of Ambassador Kevin Cabrera, a former Miami-Dade County Commissioner and Republican Party committeeman who was tapped for the overseas job by Donald Trump early in his new administration.
But almost all of them said they did so on their own private dime — and not using taxpayer funds.
“It was a great honor to celebrate 249 years of the United States Independence with our new Ambassador Kevin Marino Cabrera in Panama,” wrote Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia in an Instagram post where she poses alongside Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez, Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon and State Rep. Omar Blanco.
“God Bless the USA,” Garcia wrote.
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She did not return a call and text to her phone, but according to Ivan Castro, communications director for the Elections 
Department, the trip was official county business.
“The Supervisor of Election’s trip to Panama was an official trip, at the invitation of the U.S. Ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, a product of Miami-Dade County. There are also around 90,000 registered voters living in Panama, many of them Miami-Dade County voters,” Castro told Political Cortadito.
“As a public servant, The Supervisor of Elections promotes all democracy in the U.S. and abroad,” Castro said, adding that all expenses were paid personally by Garcia “at o expense to Miami-Dade taxpayers.”
Fernandez was also there on his own dime, said Manuel “Manny” Orbis, the tax collector’s chief of staff. “He went private, paid by himself. It had nothing to do with the office,” said Orbis, who was once also Cabrera’s chief of staff.
Naturally, he and his wife, newly appointed Miami-Dade Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis — who replaced Cabrera on the dais — were also invited. He said they only stayed one night at the La Compañia, a luxury Hyatt hotel that is also the restoration of 
a historic site in Panama City. Prices range from $200 to $300 a night.
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They were back in time for Fourth of July celebrations in Miami-Dade.
Blanco and his wife, a Miami-Dade schoolteacher, spent two nights and three days at the same hotel.
“My wife and I hadn’t spent a lot of time together this year,” Blanco quipped about the his first special session. “So we decided to make it a little vacation.
“I paid my own flight. I paid my own hotel. I paid my own food,” he said.
“I’ve known Kevin for a long time and he invited everybody, all the Dade electeds,” Blanco told Political Cortadito.
Neither Hardemon nor anyone on his staff returned calls from Ladra. And there was no response Tuesday to a query to Nicole Gallagher, Cabrera’s communications director, about who was invited and what the itinerary included.
But in a statement Friday, Cabrera underscored the U.S. government’s commitment to promote prosperity and security not just inside our borders but abroad to U.S. partners.
“President Trump is ushering in a new Golden Age for the United States, an unprecedented era of opportunity and strength,” Cabrera said. “As President Trump has said, ‘the story of America makes everyone free.’
“The United States and Panama have built a strong partnership that strengthens our countries and the entire hemisphere. Under President Trump’s leadership, we seek to expand our cooperation, which will make both countries safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
Does “expand our cooperation” include taking over the canal, as Trump has threatened to do?
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” and your final shot at the canal issue sounds like you don’t have a problem with China controlling the canal that we built and can’t afford to allow them to control.”
We built the canal but the second legal contract expired . Granted different then the first but we signed on to the second treaty .
If I am wrong let me know .
” The first, “The Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal,” assured perpetual US access to the Canal and the right to defend it. The second, “The Panama Canal Treaty,” abolished the Panama Canal Zone on October 1, 1979, and turned over the Canal to Panama on December 31, 1999.”
AH GATO
Gustavo who I have never met is spot on as far as he does not trust any of these flunkies , I imagine like me he votes on who he finds lesser of the evils but you can not go wrong by assuming the worse of all of them and in Miami that is OFTEN the case .
These elected officials are grifters. A Chp 119 Request takes time and sometimes the requests are ignored. We know Keon Hardemon never lifts a finger unless a lobbyist is paying him.
In response to Gustavo Chacón’s comment , he obviously doesn’t know that people that are staffers often work on campaigns on their OWN time , in addition the insinuation that Rebeca Sosa would participate in a nefarious situation such as your suggesting shows that you have no clue of her integrity, nor Manny’s. Without knowing that, you have stooped to flinging slanderous accusations very frivolously, that is lamentable.
That Same Manuel Orbis That Got Paid for office Work On The Rebeca Sosas Campaing $20,000 While Working For her ? Smell The STINK ?
Cabrera’s rhetoric does not coincide with the president stand to grab, at any cost, the Panama Canal. The president’s stand doesn’t sound like a “partnership” to me.
Just another Miami Bush RINO
Keon Hardemon never does anything unless he is being paid. If Keon traveled he forced the taxpayers to pay for his trip. Keon’s nickname is “Pay To Play” Keon.
What’s your point? Are you alluding to some “Tailor of Panama”-esq shenanigans? I don’t get it.
La boletera, Alina and most unqualified person to ever head the Elections Dept, went on her own dime. Wait…let me sit down because I can’t stop laughing. If there is one thing that unites all MAGATS, it’s stupidity and lying.
The purpose of this long story is to place a doubt in your readers minds as to whom actually paid for the trip. You could have made a public records request to answer your concerns but that would have been too professional, and your final shot at the canal issue sounds like you don’t have a problem with China controlling the canal that we built and can’t afford to allow them to control.