The legislative session in Tallahassee opened almost two weeks ago and quickly became the center of universe. Several electeds from the 305 made the rounds with legislators, pressing their priorities and making their asks. Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner stopped in Tallly, where she met with Sen. Dwight Bullard (D-South Dade). Along for the ride, lobbyist Jose […]
Aside from Miami-Dade County’s lay off of 21 employees in the last couple of months to help deal with what Mayor Carlos “Not So Golden Boy” Gimenez says is a bulging budget shortfall, the incoming crop of new police officers has been cut in half from four academy classes to two. But Gimenez assured commissioners in […]
Although the county has more than 500 vacant budgeted positions — salaries that are never collected though the expenditures are reflected in the 2014-2015 budget — Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has laid off almost two dozen county employees so far this year. These are reportedly only the first “heads to roll” in an expected employee […]
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa have been hangin’ with our home boys in Tallahassee for two days to press for the county’s legislative priorities this session (there they are in this picture to the left with most of the Miami-Dade delegation). Priorities include the re-authorization of the Florida Enterprise Zone, which is […]
Well, results for the “survey” distributed by lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez, one of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s closest confidantes and favorite gala companion, came out Sunday showing that his readers prioritize traffic reduction, public/private partnerships and development at the airport. And Ladra is sure that it is just a coincidence that Lopez represents interests that would […]
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross seems to have given up on the grab for public funds for the renovation of his stadium. Now he just wants to stop paying almost $4 million in annual property taxes. Well, of course he does. Why wouldn’t he? If that’s good enough for the Miami Heat owners and the […]
It looks like Miami-Dade Carlos Gimenez is trying to get some feedback on the directions and priorities he announced last week at the State of the County address. Not from the people, really, but from the special interests. That’s why he had one of his favorite lobbyists do it. Jorge Luis Lopez, who went to […]
He was on. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez was at the top of his game Wednesday, as he delivered the State of the County address to a packed auditorium at Hialeah’s Milander Park. Okay, so yeah, he was totally in his element, a very friendly and almost adoring crowd. But he softened up his jowl and […]
Spotted at a Coral Gables eatery the other day: Carlos “CJ” Gimenez, the county mayor’s son, and Hialeah Council Vice President Luis Gonzalez, who is considering a run at the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser’s Office. While, he wouldn’t tell me what they discussed, Gonzalez confirmed to Ladra Wednesday that the two had met for “not […]
It’s that time of year again when the top county official will tell his constituency and the leaders of his realm how the municipality that is Miami-Dade is standing, what great things he’s done this past year and where he’s going if they’ll let him. Expect a lot of the same words and tired phrases […]