Reality check: Recalls are hard, refunds are easier Remember the outrage? The packed chambers? The calls for political exile? Well, the recall train aimed at Palmetto Bay Councilman Steve Cody over a social media post after the assasination of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk just derailed — before it ever left the station. And not with […]
Another public corruption arrest landed in Miami this week — and once again, it involves money taken from taxpayers that was supposed to serve the public, but quietly slipped into private hands. The former interim director of the Wynwood Business Improvement District, Florentino Diaz, is now facing 27 counts of grand theft, along with charges […]
In the tiny city of West Miami, where elections can hinge on a few hundred votes and political grudges have long memories, Mayor Eric Diaz-Padron didn’t just win re-election Tuesday — he made it look easy. After weeks of quiet campaigning and polite jabs, Diaz-Padron swatted back a challenge from former city manager Yolanda Aguilar […]
Transparency for thee, but not for me? Remember the thunder? The livestreams? The dramatic promises to boot Daniella Levine-Cava out of office? Well, the recall caravan led by failed mayoral candidate and YouTube flamethrower Alexander Otaola — which was sidelined by typos after the petition was first submitted — just hit another snag. And not […]
Remember the shopping spree that had taxpayers footing the bill for Gucci and espresso machines? Well, the credit card just came due. Former Miami-Dade School Board Vice Chair Lubby Navarro has officially pleaded guilty — and will now trade retail therapy for prison time. Fourteen months behind bars. Three years of probation. More than $101,000 […]
Almost every candidate is self-funding their campaign Both primaries in the Florida House District 113 race are master classes in self-financing, where the biggest donor might be staring back at at the candidate in the mirror. The Democratic contest is shaping up to be a tale of two piggy banks. Candidate Gloria Romero Roses is […]
Florida’s top cop says nobody cares about where $10 million in taxpayer money earmarked for the neediest went. Nobody cares that a grand jury report is being kept secret. Nobody cares — except, apparently, the “liberal media.” That was the message last week from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who came to Miami Thursday and […]
If you thought the Underground Railroad from Miami-Dade to the city of Miami was slowing down, think again. With Police Chief Manuel Morales announcing he’ll retire in October — or sooner, depending on how the winds blow (more on that later) — all eyes turn to the man now holding the keys to City Hall: […]
Remember when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decided rainbow crosswalks were suddenly a public safety menace? Not potholes. Not flooding. Not insurance rates. Rainbows. Back in 2023, the state flexed its muscle and forced the removal of rainbow crosswalks across Florida, including Miami Beach’s iconic Pride crosswalk on Ocean Drive — the one that had quietly […]
Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo showed just how transparent thin skin can be Thursday — and it happened after one of his own neighbors walked up to the podium with slides, facts, and a raised hand. Literally. At issue was PZ-1, the latest zoning tweak of the carefully crafted Miami 21 code making its way through […]