A tale of two Uber laws — and the main differences

A tale of two Uber laws — and the main differences

Two competing ordinances to finally regulate “ride sharing” services or “TNEs” like Uber and Lyft will likely dominate the already full-agenda Miami-Dade County commission meeting Wednesday. We know taxi cab drivers are already a staple in commission chambers whenever this comes up (and sometimes when it doesn’t). And now, Uber has rallied riders to flood […]

Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s Uber draft ‘not ready for primetime’

Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s Uber draft ‘not ready for primetime’

The much ballyhooed ghost legislation that Mayor Carlos Gimenez had his staff write to legalize Uber and Lyft is not going anywhere. Not anytime soon, anyway. But it’s not because Commission Chairman Jean Monestime has been stalling, like Gimenez and his people have been saying on TV and radio shows for the past couple of […]

County commissioners raise close to $1 mil between them

County commissioners raise close to $1 mil between them

Miami-Dade County Commissioners have raised close to $1 million between them so far for next November’selection, according to the latest campaign reports filed this week. The fat cat among los gatos locos at the 111 building is Audrey Edmonson, who has raised $320,000 since starting in March. It includes $16,500 raised in October, even though […]

Double standard: Miami-Dade lets Lyft, Uber run over rules

Double standard: Miami-Dade lets Lyft, Uber run over rules

Uber, the popular app-driven black car service that has been a controversial addition to the traffic landscape in Miami-Dade, has been booted from Broward County as of last week. And Uber drivers are getting citations in Key West — where at least one driver was arrested for driving without a license. And where do you […]

Stevie Bovo talks tough on transit, floats bed tax for projects

Stevie Bovo talks tough on transit, floats bed tax for projects

It was buried in a longish speech about how the new transit and mobility services committee can identify new sources of revenue to pay for the needed transit issues that they are finally paying attention to, but somewhere between Commissioner Esteban “Stevie” Bovo going to Tallahassee to see if MDX funds can be applied to […]

New Miami-Dade chairman pitches anti-poverty program

New Miami-Dade chairman pitches anti-poverty program

From the what-a-difference-a-day-makes category: Freshly minted Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Jean Monestime took his oath of office Friday, and immediately pledged to use his position to defend the county’s neediest residents — who, by the way, live in his district — with a “Chairman’s Council of Prosperity Initiatives” he said he hopes will bring more people […]

Commission chair installation could draw political big wigs

Commission chair installation could draw political big wigs

The historic installation Friday of Miami-Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime, the first Haitian American to hold the chairman’s position, is likely to draw a lot more local politicians than these ceremonies normally do anyway. Miami Herald reporter Doug Hanks tweeted late Thursday that even Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio might be in attendance. I […]

New Miami-Dade chair, vice chair meet to coordinate ‘vision’

New Miami-Dade chair, vice chair meet to coordinate ‘vision’

Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Jean Monestime and Vice Chair Esteban Bovo will take over the helm of the ship after the official, public installation ceremony and swearing-in Jan. 16 with their families standing proud and loved ones/lobbyists gushing and TV cameras rolling. But they apparently can’t wait or want to start planning their rule in advance. […]

Political cartoon: Esteban “Book-em” Bovo’s library plan

Political cartoon: Esteban “Book-em” Bovo’s library plan

Earlier this month, and in the face of a gaping hole in the county library budget, Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban “Stevie” Bovo proposed using county parks buildings to house libraries as well as police and fire stations. Bovo says the merging of uses would actually increase public enjoyment of under-used parks. But critics are afraid that this […]

Stadium score: Mayor Carlos Gimenez, 2; Joe Public, 0

Stadium score: Mayor Carlos Gimenez, 2; Joe Public, 0

The third time was the charm. Miami-Dade Commissioners gave yet another sweetheart deal to yet another sports team Tuesday– the second in a month — as they voted 7-4 to support a plan concocted by Mayor Carlos Gimenez in which the county will pay the billionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins millions of tourist tax dollars […]