Talk about awkward: Steven Miro, the former chief of staff fired by Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo in 2018, is back at City Hall this week as special advisor to newly elected Commissioner Miguel Gabela.

Miro said his job would be to run the district offices and “make sure the constituent services are up to par, which they haven’t been.” He is going to be making $60,000 a year, which is more than he did as Carollo’s staffer before he became a whistleblower and got fired in 2018. Miro had gone to the State Attorney’s office to report PaellaGate, Carollo’s use of district funds to campaign with Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, in the county commission race of 2017, with the Spanish dish at elderly housing.

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Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez should be shopping for a new job.

Newly-elected Commissioner Miguel Gabela, who said on the campaign trail that he would fire Mendez, has put her termination on the agenda of his first regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 14.

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But Democrats over perform in Trump district

Personal injury attorney and first time candidate Mike Redondo beat perennial candidate and longtime activist Johnny Farias in the special election for Florida House 118 Tuesday, with a squeaky 52% of the vote to keep the seat red. Republican Juan Fernandez-Barquin held the seat until the governor named him Miami-Dade Clerk and Comptroller in June.

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Is it from the horse’s mouth? Or is it propaganda?

Miami City Manager Art Noriega recorded an 85-second video and posted it on YouTube two weeks ago saying that this was only the first of a series in which he would lay out the details of projects, programs, legislation and other city business. You know, for transparency’s sake, he says.

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Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert and several county commissioners and staffers are in Japan on an “outbound mission” to encourage business and economic development, growth, expansion, trade, tourism and cultural exchanges.

A delegation of public officials and about 30 business leaders left Nov. 25 for the trip to visit Tokyo and Kyoto to meet with government officials and “talented Japanese business leaders” in the areas of AI, robotics, biotechnology, transit, tourism and renewable energy to exchange ideas and find opportunities

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Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the library, there is a special election that ends Tuesday for the Florida House 118 seat to replace Juan Fernandez-Barquin, who was named Miami-Dade Clerk and Comptroller by the governor in June.

The candidates are Democrat Johnny Farias, an electrical contractor and former community councilman in his third attempt at elected office, and Republican Mike Redondo, a personal injury attorney on his first run.

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