A $4 million damage repair job at the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center, done with county funds, was awarded to a Fort Lauderdale-based construction company without competitive bidding, without negotiations, without any public input — pretty much under the radar. And it went to the company that employs Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s son. No, not […]
Miami-Dade Commissioners are expected to ask Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Aviation Director Emilio Gonzalez on Wednesday to take a new, fresh look at the much-ballyhooed and delayed Airport City project at Miami International Airport and come back in 60 days with a recommendation for the best use of the property. Some observers think it’s really […]
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez doesn’t only have his much-talked about five deputy mayors who, combined, make more than $1 million a year. He’s also got 12 aides, six secretaries, three assistants, three media people and one senior advisor who I think is now his chief of staff. Oh, and two student interns. No wonder Gimenez has […]
The next big contract to watch at Miami-Dade could be the proposals the county is seeking to convert the heavy fleets of its departments — including Water and Sewer, Public Works, Transit and Waste Management — to clean energy or natural gas. And, like always, the mayor’s friends and family want a piece of the […]
When Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan “El Zorro” Zapata foiled the mayor’s plans and voted to override his veto of a majority decision of the restoration of employees’ pay, he didn’t just end a prolonged impasse with 11 of the county unions. In one moment, the arguably low-key commissioner, whose office sends out fewer self-promotional press releases […]
Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Zapata had the “leader moment” Ladra hoped for and became the hero for public employees Tuesday — and a hero for democracy everywhere. But that may not have been his intention when Zapata became the swing vote that gave the county commission the super majority it needed to override Mayor Carlos “Not […]
It should be resolved today — the 5% deduction taken from county employees since 2009 will most likely be returned to them in a piecemeal way. It will likely be fashioned after the agreement reached with the two unions at Jackson Health System, which happened without Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who keeps saying it is […]
After a week hiatus, Political Cortadito Pics of the Week is back. There were more parades last month for Martin Luther King Day — one in Homestead and one in Liberty City. There were luncheons and networking nights. Politicos went on radio and TV and commented on stuff, even, on the Justin Bieber DUI thing. […]
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his new BFF, soccer star David Beckham will be promoting their plans for a Major League Soccer stadium on public land Wednesday. Opponents who are already calling this another case of “welfare for millionaires” because of the public land component might have a press conference to bash it on Thursday. Cutler […]
Plans for a Major League Soccer team and stadium are rolling along, like a black and white ball on an open field, so smoothly and quickly that the principal cheerleaders — Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his new BFF, soccer star David Beckham, and Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber — will be stumping for […]