Miami is a fast paced community with a rapid fire news cycle. Our blog keeps you current on the most important issues affecting the tax payers of Miami-Dade county. Read, share, comment, and as always let us know what topics you want us to tackle.
Rosanna Cordero-Stutz gets Trump’s support in Miami-Dade sheriff’s race
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s primary just might be over before a ballot is cast.
Assistant Director of Investigative Services Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz, the highest ranking county police officer on the ballot, just got the mother of all endorsements for any Republican: former President Donald Trump.
Selection board of lobbyists choose George Wysong for Miami City attorney
Less than two weeks after removing Miami City Attorney Vicky Mendez from her position earlier this month and demoting her to a transitional, ceremonial post, commissioners could name a permanent replacement on Thursday. And Interim City Attorney George Wysong is the recommendation from a selection committee made almost entirely of land use and zoning lobbyists.
He basically already has the job. An item about the city attorney selection on the commission meeting agenda for Thursday has been withdrawn.
4 Miami-Dade constitutional campaigns raise $1.5M+ for historic 2024 ballot
Between them, the 12 candidates for the four Miami-Dade constitutional offices on the ballot — minus the sheriff’s race — have raised more than $1 million, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.
Half of that is thanks to former State Rep and former Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson, who loaned himself $250,000 for his campaign for tax collector. He raised another $80,400 and rolled $174,200 from his previous campaign coffers for a total of $504,600. He’s the only Democrat in the race, so far.
Phase 2 of $146 million The Underline is finished; Phase 3 could be done by 2026
The second phase of The Underline, a 10-mile linear park from Brickell to Dadeland along the Metrorail tracks, has been completed and will be unveiled at a special ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday that’s going to be packed with perky politicos posing for pictures to post on their social platforms.
Phase 2 is a 2.14-mile segment that connects SW 13th Street to SW 19th Avenue, with three main hubs to concentrate amenities: the Simpson Park Playground Area, Vizcaya Station Plaza and the 17th Avenue Plaza. Construction began in the Fall of 2021 with three “key drivers” in mind: safe multi-modal transportation, nature, and community, according to the Miami-Dade website. Safe pedestrian and bike paths and access to nature were the two priorities identified by the community during the planning process, which included two public meetings, several presentations and more than one survey.
Next Miami-Dade Democratic Party chair will be a good one, no matter what
Billy Corben vs. ‘Shev’ Jones means nobody loses
Controversial ALF in Killian deferred by Miami-Dade Commission — again
Residents can’t call board members, but lobbyist can
Damian Pardo again tells Joe Carollo to resign in exchange for bank documents
If Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo really wants to see his bank statements, Commissioner Damian Pardo is ready to prove that he used part of his lifelong savings to self-fund his campaign for the District 2 seat last year.
All Carollo has to do is resign.
Former Miami D2 candidate arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest
DEVELOPING BREAKING STORY: Christi Tasker, a two-time candidate for Miami Commission in District 2, was arrested last week after she allegedly interrupted a police traffic stop in her Brickell neighborhood. A video taken by an anonymous passerby shows she was forcibly taken to the ground before she was handcuffed.
At one point, it looks like an officer placed a foot or a knee on her back. This incident may become a problem for police, who look like they may have overreached.
More commission conflict in Coral Gables on heels of mayoral recall effort
The first Coral Gables commission meeting Tuesday after the required recall petitions for Mayor Vince Lago were submitted last week was long and a bit awkward for everybody. Ladra cringed a few times.
Lago said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was investigating the recall effort and accused the new three amigos — Commissioners Melissa Castro, Ariel Fernandez and Kirk Menendez — of plotting against him to help the recall, which is being led by his old friend and the trio’s ally, activist Maria Cruz. He crowed about the internal purchace-card audit that, he said, showed no real inappropriate purchases, as Fernandez had asserted. And he said he wanted a forensic audit to finally lay rest to the claims of widespread corruption.
Miami taxpayers still paying ADLP’s legal fees to new attorney, Michael Pizzi
Miami City Commissioner Miguel Gabela wanted the city to stop payments to attorney Ben Kuehne in cases where he was representing former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla in civil court. Kuehne is also Diaz de la Portilla’s attorney in his felony criminal case on money laundering, bribery and other public corruption charges.
But before he could vote on a resolution he brought to the commission last week, he got news that ADLP had already replaced Kuehne with former Miami Lakes Mayor Michael “Muscles” Pizzi, who was charged with federal bribery and extortion charges himself, caught in an FBI sting plotting to take some bogus grant money in 2013.
