All six candidates in the Miami-Dade District 2 race are experienced public servants or civic leaders and any one of them would make a good county commissioner. But two candidates stood out for the right reasons Thursday in The Miami Foundation’s forum: Wallace Aristide and Joe Celestin. These two — a former principal of Miami […]
Last week, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and Commissioners Ricky Arriola and David Richardson came to their senses (read: were shamed into it) and switched sides, voting to actually have a special election within the November ballot to fill the vacancy left by the sudden death of late Commissioner Mark Samuelian, instead of appointing a […]
Former and founding Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn will run for the village’s top seat again, challenging current incumbent Mayor Karyn Cunningham in what amounts to a rematch. Cunningham beat Flinn with 61% of the vote in 2018 when he was the incumbent. It was his second stint on the job, after he snatched it […]
Get those calendars out. There will be at least one virtual forum for each of the five Miami-Dade County Commission races on the August ballot thanks to The Miami Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to bring the philanthropic, leadership and civic communities of Miami together. The forums won’t start until after absentee or mail-in […]
The phone call came in Monday afternoon. “Jaime,” if that is her real name, was surprised that the person who answered was not just willing but happy to participate in a survey about “important issues in Florida.” Ladra just loves these calls. Turned out to be one of many recent polls for the congressional primary […]
Former Congressman David “Nine Lives” Rivera just sucked all the air out of the Florida state primary this August. Rivera surprised everybody when he filed late Friday to run for state rep in the open 119 District against a bunch of other Republicans who are suddenly in an interesting, nationally-watched race. That’s because David Rivera […]
At noon Tuesday, former Miami Beach Commissioner Micky Steinberg became a Miami-Dade county commissioner after nobody qualified to run against her in District 4, where Sally Heyman is termed out. It is the only county commission race that is uncontested — maybe the $400K she raised scared would-bes away — as 19 other candidates qualified […]
The city of Miami’s Omni Community Redevelopment Agency is responsible for 35% of the debt service paid for the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center. It is so delineated in the 2007 interlocal agreement and has always been paid. Every year. Until now. The city owes the county more than $10.7 million, according to a memo […]
Neighbors hope county or state will step in and save the natural preserve There’s indisputable proof now: Photographic evidence of threatened Florida birds nesting at the Calusa rookery in the middle of the abandoned golf course in Kendall that developers want to pave over for 550 homes. Miami-Dade Commissioners in November approved a zoning change […]
Will the last incumbent get a challenge by qualifying deadline? Three of the four Miami-Dade School Board races are filling out with about three weeks left before the qualifying deadline. Robert Alonso, who filed against veteran Perla Tabares Hantman then suddenly decided to retire after almost 30 years. Maribel Balbin, former president of the League […]