Ever wondered why some Miami city commissioners seem unusually polished — press releases at the ready, social media humming, messaging tighter than a campaign ad? Well, the taxpayers are paying for it. Public records show that Miami Commissioner Miguel Gabela has spent nearly $249,000 in taxpayer funds over the past several months on an outside […]
Miami District 5 Commissioner Christine King, who cruised to re-election with a North-Korea-level 84% of the vote, was sworn in last week at City Hall surrounded by supporters, staff, church folks, youth groups, neighborhood leaders, and of course, the ever-present political padrino Keon Hardemon, whose fingerprints are still all over D5 like pastelito crumbs on […]
Turns out City Hall didn’t have the votes tied up with a bow Thursday for that $29 million Watson Island liquidation sale after all. So instead of losing outright, the Miami Commission did what Miami politicians do best: They punted. They punted so hard the can may have landed in Biscayne Bay. The highly-hyped vote to […]
Their vote to change election year is illegal, he says What is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waiting for? Last week, DeSantis said that he could suspend the Miami city commissioners who voted to move the election from odd years to even, effectively cancelling this November’s mayoral and commission races, and giving themselves an extra year […]
His grandchildren already call it “Abue’s Park.” Now, it’s official. The Miami City Commission on Thursday renamed West End Park as Manolo Reyes Park to honor the popular and beloved District 4 commissioner — who his grandchildren called “Abue” for abuelo — who died earlier this month at the age of 80 after battling health […]
While there is only one candidate declared to be running for Miami commission, in District 5, there are many potential and rumored hopefuls — and most of them, if not all, are known entities in the community. Attorney Alfie Leon, who almost beat Joe Carollo in 2017 for the District 3 seat (came within 252 votes) — […]
One lifeline: Mayor Francis Suarez could veto In Miami on Tuesday, city commissioners voted 3-2 to give themselves lifetime pensions after Commissioner Miguel Gabela went back on his word to put the question before voters in a referendum, which he said on an AM radio show in August. Commissioners Damian Pardo and Manolo Reyes voted […]
After she was elected, Miami Commissioner Christine King resigned from her longtime position as president and chief executive officer of the non-profit Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation, founded to advocate for and assist investments in Liberty City and surrounding areas. But she is still very close to the organization. And giving back. Last year, […]
Did the money go to help the needy in District 1? About six months before Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla was arrested in September on public corruption charges — for giving away a public park in exchange for more than $245,000 in campaign contributions and thousands more in gifts, meals, drinks and accommodations […]
If there was ever something that should go to a referendum for voter approval, it is pensions for our electeds. And Miami city commissioners should go to the ballot if they want to reward their behavior and “hard work” with lucrative lifetime retirement benefits. It’s not too late. The deadline for municipalities to submit a […]