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Election fallout: Coral Gables Mayor Lago takes aim at Youth Center group
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has a new political target in his crosshairs — the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center Association, the decades-old civic group that safeguards the land where the city’s youth center now stands. But it’s only because former Commissioner “Coach Kirk” Menendez, who had the guts to challenge him in the last election, is its president.
Just another stop on Lago’s political revenge tour. And bonus: Maybe the city gets to control the property.
The mayor began questioning the non-profit organization only shortly after he was re-elected in April, beating Menendez in the first round with 55% of the vote. Lago says the association has gone dormant, lost its nonprofit status and failed to meet regularly. But the Florida Division of Corporations shows that it files an annual report each year except for one: 2005. It was reinstated in 2006 and filed last year.
This is more than an extended political grudge, a new battlefield for the mayor to blast Menendez. This looks like a land grab.
Read related: Vince Lago, Rhonda Anderson handily coast to re-election in Coral Gables
That’s why Lago says the reverter clause — the language that gives control of the property back to the association if it is not used exclusively for a youth center — is a “cloud on the title” that needs to be lifted. Y, por supuesto, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara quickly agreed. That’s their role.
But nobody campaigned on this, which is their excuse du jour whenever they want to force something: They “know what voters want” because they just ran for office and won. But nobody remembers them saying they were going to take on the non-profit that safeguards the Youth Center. And it is hard to believe voters want this.
The beloved youth center is not just a bunch of fields and playground equipment and basketball courts. It is practically sacred ground. It is a community gathering place and an iconic piece of growing up in the Gables. There’s hardly anybody in the city who hasn’t been there for something — a workout, a baseball game, summer camp, a performance, a community civic meeting.
And Menendez is almost synonymous with it. He grew up playing soccer there, turned into a coach and has been a staple on those soccer fields for decades. More people know him as Coach Kirk than Commissioner Menendez.
The association was born out of the post–World War II “living memorial” for veterans. It deeded the land to the city in 1958, but not without the reverter clause that says the property would bounce back to them if the city ever tried to repurpose it. And for almost 70 years, the city has honored that. Well, except for that one time in the 1960s, when they wanted to tear down Coral Gables Elementary for an office building and rebuild the school on the Youth Center grounds. A court upheld the reverter clause and slapped commissioners back in line back then.
Now, Lago wants that language gone for whatever reason. And he’s placing a cloud on the organization.
“I want to see all its documents, and I’d like staff to come up with a plan of action to contact the board and ask for bank records,” Lago said in July, sounding more like an evil king who wants the association’s head on a platter. He asked City Attorney Cristina Suarez to dig through the association’s books, history and bank accounts. She is supposed to report back on Tuesday, but what she may report is that she hit a dead end.
Ladra confirmed that Suarez sent the non-profit a list of documents she wants to see, including tax filings, investments information, internal memos — but there is no indication that she got them.
“We’re a private entity,” Menendez told Political Cortadito. “Like the Coral Gables Community Foundation, Friends of Gables High, a floral shop.”
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago scores trifecta on post-election revenge tour
“Removing the protective reverter clause in the Youth Center deed would be like getting rid of the security guards and dismantling the security system of a bank because there hasn’t been a bank robbery there for years,” Menendez said.
Because, again, this is really about a land grab. That is why Lago said that “our cherished youth center should not have any cloud on title.” Remember, he’s also a real estate agent.
The real cloud is on Lago’s motives.
If the association were to dissolve or transfer the land, it could potentially make the property — 8.6 acres in a valuable, central location near the downtown — eligible for redevelopment, though the City has publicly stated it has no intention of repurposing the site. For now, anyway.
Lyin’ Lago swears there are no plans to redevelop the property. “The city will never, in my opinion, knock down and build housing there,” he mayor promised. Okay. But what about offices? A theater? Ladra’s heard enough about land deals in this town to know you never say never in Coral Gables.
And who stands to gain if the city got the property free and clear? That’s the multi-million dollar question.
Beyond real estate, a freed-up title could shift political leverage. If Menendez keeps control, he could maintain his influence in Coral Gables civic circles. Conversely, Lago’s push to clear the title may be aimed at cementing his control and undercutting Menendez’s foothold. This isn’t just about property—it’s a battle over legacy, governance, and civic authority. The reverter clause ties into who steers future programming, who decides the site’s purpose, and who has a stake in one of the city’s most visible public assets.
Menendez said that past generations knew what they were doing when they put the protections in place. And it looks like he is not going down without a fight. Last week, the Gazette reported, he made a presentation before the Rotary Club, a good audience for civic pride, nostalgia, and some rare photos — including a 1947 Life magazine cover. His presentation was even titled “The Youth Center, A Coral Gables Story.”
For now, the Youth Center is still open and bustling. Parents drop off kids for basketball, seniors play bingo, and nobody outside City Hall seems to think there’s a crisis. But with a ‘roid-rage-fueled political grudge and a juicy piece of Gables real estate at stake, you can bet this “cloud on title” is going to rain plenty more drama before the storm is over.
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The post Election fallout: Coral Gables Mayor Lago takes aim at Youth Center group appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Eileen Higgins officially resigns Miami-Dade seat to run for Miami mayor
County commissioner wants to qualify by petition
For everyone still whispering that Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins might blink at giving up three safe years on the county dais for a risky run at Miami’s top job — stop. It’s done. There’s no room for doubts now.
Higgins submitted her resignation letter as a county elected, as required by law, effective Nov. 5. Which means she’s officially burned the lifeboats.
“I am deeply humbled and honored by the opportunity to run for Mayor of the City of Miami at a time when our community stands at a crossroads and residents are yearning for meaningful reform and real results,” Higgins wrote in the letter sent Monday to Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Juan Fernandez-Barquin and Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, knowing that it would be quoted in stories like this.
“For nearly eight years, it has been my privilege to serve the residents of Miami-Dade County’s District 5, representing the communities of Miami and Miami Beach,” Higgins wrote. “I am profoundly grateful for the trust and confidence that my constituents have placed in me throughout my service, and I will always treasure the opportunity to have served as their county commissioner.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio Gonzalez
“While it is with mixed emotions that I resign my post, I do so with immense gratitude for the honor of serving the residents of D District 5,” Higgins added. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the residents of the City of Miami as their next Mayor. I bring with me a proven track record of accomplishments, a deep commitment to our community, and a readiness to deliver real results for all who call Miami home.”
Higgins, who Little Havana seniors lovingly call “La Gringa” since she first ran in 2018, also announced that she will qualify for the Miami mayoral ballot the hard way: by petition. Her campaign turned in more than 3,000 signed petitions, topping the 2,048 needed, and making a big show of “grassroots momentum” in the process.
“Qualifying by petition takes people — volunteers, neighbors, and supporters across Miami — who believe in our vision and are willing to act on it,” Higgins said. “That’s exactly what this campaign represents: a movement of residents determined to restore trust, deliver results, and make Miami work for all of us.”
Translation: She wants voters to see her as the anti-Carollo, the antidote to dysfunction at City Hall. The clean, ethical alternative who actually gets stuff done. Her press shop even mentioned her record on affordable housing, small businesses, transit and Biscayne Bay — all of which sound a lot better than what the circus clowns over on Flagler Street are doing right now.
Read related: Miami-Dade’s Eileen Higgins gets $250K for new Miami mayoral race PAC
But let’s be clear: She is abandoning her constituency three years before the end of her term and during a financial crisis with a looming budget shortfall and the consequences of that (fewer services, more fees), which she is going to vote on in the next couple of months — and then disappear. The county will likely have a special election to replace her — three years is too long for an appointee — which will cost the county more. Work that into your budget, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
Still, this is a gamble. Higgins had three more guaranteed years in office as the county commission’s senior member. Now she’s chasing history as Miami’s first woman mayor, with fewer than 75 days to make her case citywide.
The field is crowded. But she’s an immediate favorite. A recent poll indicated that the election, if held today, would end in a runoff between Higgins and former City Manager Emilio González, who has been hailed a hero for saving the election with his lawsuit. Gonzalez sued the city to stop the change, by ordinance, of election dates from odd-numbered to even-numbered years, which would have effectively cancelled this year’s mayoral race. He was the only one who took the challenge to court. But that hasn’t stopped Higgins from fundraising off the court’s decision to find the change unconstitutional because there wasn’t a public vote, as required by city and county charter.
There is a clusterbunch of other hopefuls gunning for the certain runoff that includes former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell and former Miami Commissioner and onetime Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez. Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who was suspended after his arrest on public corruption charges in 2023 (charges were dropped last year) — have threatened to run.
The others who have indicated they are running are Laura Anderson, Christian Cevallos, Alyssa Crocker, Ijamyn Gray, Michael Hepburn, Max Martinez and June Savage. But qualification doesn’t start until Sept. 5. It ends Sept. 20. And then we’ll really know how crowded this party is.
Higgins, 61, will need more than good government talking points to survive Miami’s trench warfare politics — where money, mailers and whisper campaigns can flip a race overnight.
Read related: Eileen Higgins pressures Sierra Club and Ken Russell resigns as lobbyist
Still, qualifying by petition instead of checkbook is a smart optic. It gives Higgins her “people-powered” storyline and undercuts critics who call her the establishment choice.
“I am proud to say that the community is behind me and I am ready to get to work,” Higgins said in an Instagram post earlier this month.
Now the question becomes: Can she turn that petition energy into votes come November? Or will she be remembered as the commissioner who left a safe seat for a shot at City Hall glory — and came up short?
Stay tuned. Miami loves a political novela, and this one just turned the page.
The post Eileen Higgins officially resigns Miami-Dade seat to run for Miami mayor appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Coral Gables moves to ‘fire’ longtime activist from planning zoning board
Well, vecinos, it looks like the Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has finally found a way to get rid of Planning & Zoning Board member Sue Kawalerski — the only member who regularly sides with residents over developers. All it takes is three votes of the commission on Tuesday in what could be an unprecedented move.
They’re going to use the excuse of a dustup last month between Kawalerski and Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado on the rapid transit zone overlay that gives the county final say on height and density on projects near the MetroRail stations. But make no mistake, that July 2 meeting is just the golden ticket. As if Regalado needs someone to defend her. ¡Por favor!
The Gables commission has always respected a commissioner’s appointee. When Lago needed to punish former commissioner candidate Claudia Miro — who has since kissed the ring to make up — for her vote on the board in a particular item, he got Anderson to remove her appointee for some bogus attendance reason. But when Commissioner Melissa Castro refused the “recommendation” by City Manager Peter Iglesias, he put it on the agenda as a favor to Lago, who doesn’t want his name on it. Be sure that Iglesias wouldn’t have done this on his own.
“I understand that the commission has the votes to remove my appointee, Sue, but I want to be clear bout why I appointed her in the first place,” Castro told Political Cortadito. “She is resident-focused, she asks the questions that need to be asked, and she represents the concerns of the residents who often feel unheard in these processes.
“Every board is made up of individuals with different personalities and different points of view, that is the very essence of democracy,” she said. “We don’t have to agree on style to recognize the value of substance. Sue’s perspective is rooted in advocating for residents, not developers or special interests, and that perspective is exactly what our boards and our city need.”
As president of the Coral Gables Neighbors Association, Kawalerski has been a thorn in L’Ego’s side for years. She and her group supported the election of the two 2023 underdogs who won against the mayor’s puppet candidates and the three candidates who lost this year’s election. She sends out regular emails that inform residents about what is happening at City Hall (shame!).
Read related: Felix Pardo nabs anti-development base from Rhonda Anderson in Coral Gables
Kawalerski, a one-woman defense line against the Brickellization of The City Beautiful, was initially appointed to serve as a member of the zoning board for a two-year term by Castro in 2023 and was reappointed to a second term this past June.
But on Tuesday, Iglesias (read: Lago) will try to paint Sue as “rude” and “abrasive” so they can boot her from the board. Ladra translation: She asked too many questions about a controversial rapid transit zoning overlay at the Bagel Emporium plaza on U.S. 1, where developers plan to build a large student housing complex — like why did some resident say they weren’t notified and why were they approving this over the summer — questions the city manager and commission should have been asking months ago.
Sure, she was a little smarmy about it. She kept interrupting and challenging Regalado’s answers. Some other planning board members said she was “interrogating” the county commissioner and was inappropriate. But Regalado was giving her the runaround with political speak and development buzzwords. “We weren’t getting answers,” Kawalerski said.
Regalado was at the meeting at the invitation of Iglesias to help the city develop its own RTZ overlay. But Kawalerski brought up the student housing project that developer plans to build on the site of the University Shopping Center, which it purchased in 2023, across from the University Metrorail Station. The proposed $70-million, sprawling mixed-use apartment complex, called The Mark, will have 146 one-bedroom units, 99 two-bedroom units, and 151 three-bedroom units in two eight-story towers, which are connected by a bridge on the fifth floor. The ground floor will have restaurant and retail spaces.
Landmark Properties, along with the architects Behar Font and Partners, presented the project to the Coral Gables Development Review Committee in June 2023. The P&Z board heard the developers, which were asking for more height and density, months ago. Residents at that meeting were concerned about the parking and traffic that would be created. The board suggested some changes and asked the developers to come back and try again. But they went to the county instead, under the RTZ.
They completely pre-empted the city because the county would give them what they want.
The project was not on the July 2 agenda. Regalado was there to help explain a different item: a University Transit District overlay as a way to work with the county and still have some control. Several residents spoke about their concerns and urged the board and the city to maintain control over the zoning and hold the line. Kawlerski says the “compromise” was just window dressing, so it looked like they were still in the driver’s seat. She used the Mark project as an example — she had earlier said the Georgia-based developer was a “carpetbagger” — as an example of what the RTZ zoning could do, pre-empting the Gables zoning code.
The county commissioner has been to several if not all the cities along the U.S. 1 corridor in District 7 to explain RTZ and how it’s better than Live Local Act, a Florida law passed in 2023 that is designed to increase the supply of workforce and affordable housing by giving developers incentives like height and density exemptions and tax breaks. It totally obliterates local zoning laws.
“I really have done everything to have Coral Gables’ participation, just as I did with South Miami and just like I did with all my cities,” Regalado said.
Read related: Miami approves TSND zones to bring ‘affordable’ housing to transit hubs
But she also sounded like a cheerleader for the project, saying that it solved myriad problems and would prevent students from invading residential neighborhoods and dividing single family homes up into dormitories.
Kawalerski — who did support former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner against Regalado in the D7 race — kept pressing Regalado at the July 2 meeting, telling her that people didn’t know about it and that it was the middle of summer, when everyone is on vacation. She asked her to slow the project down. “Now that you are hearing from the people who will be affected.”
“Respectfully, Sue, I hear from people all the time… but if we were to stop a governmental process just because someone says that they did not know about it government would not function, and you should know this as a county employee,” Regalado said, and that sounded a bit like a threat, bringing up her day job. Kawalerski, a former journalist, is now works as a county manager.
“So, you are going to take these comments and say ‘Tough luck,”” Kawalerski shot back.
“No, we have a public hearing,” Regalado answered, staying cool as a cucumber. She is unfazeable. “There’s plenty of opportunities to speak to all the stakeholders. The only time they will not be allowed to speak to stakeholders is if this developer decides to go Live Local, and then we’re all out of the conversation.”‘
“So, the answer to my question is ‘No.’ You’re not going to slow down the process,” Sue said.
“Your characterization is incorrect and I disagree with you, respectfully,” Raquelita shot back.
See? Regalado — who eventually did defer the item from the July 16 county commission meeting to September — doesn’t need Lago or Iglesias to come to her defense. She’s a big girl who can handle herself and give as good as she gets.
But it’s not for her. She’s just the handy excuse. Lago has decided to seize the moment and do a solid for his developer-friendly campaign contributors.
So now, Iglesias has prepared a highlight reel of Sue’s greatest hits — her sharp critiques of bad projects and even some humorous comments — to try to make her look “disrespectful.” The manager did not call Ladra back but instead referred questions to city spokeswoman and Lago ally Martha Pantin, who said the video was produced by Coral Gables Television from existing public meeting footage. “No outside vendor, work order, or additional cost was involved.”
But that doesn’t tell us who asked for Gables TV to produce the short video.
There’s going to be a clip of Kawalerski allegedly calling students “locusts,” but it might be taken out of context as she was talking about the shelves at Publix before a hurricane — or a Hurricane game.
Why don’t we make a highlight reel of Lago’s greatest hits? You know, the insults and obnoxious comments launched against the firefighter union leaders David Perez and William “Billy” McAllister, the disdain dripping from his chin and the daggers flying from his eyes when he talks to activist Maria Cruz, the misogynistic side comments to Commissioner Castro, the digs against Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, and the lies about Billy Corben and yours truly. Basically anyone he disagrees with. There has to be plenty of raw material to work with.
Is L’Ego’s the example of civility that we all need to follow?
Sue calls it what it is — scapegoating. She said they will blame her now for the size of the new project. “Their justification for firing me will be framed like this: ‘We were trying to get Commissioner Regalado to soften her stance on taking over our US 1 corridor but Sue blew it for us,’” Kawalerski wrote in an email to the 16,500 or so residents that the CGNA represents. “You see, they will use me as their scapegoat for their neglect of duty and obligation to protect the city and the residents.”
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago caves on election change; wants public vote
This is about more than one board member. It’s about silencing dissent, again, so the commission can keep approving density projects under the radar, and keeping residents in the dark.
The timing is no accident. Developers want those parcels freed up, the county wants to flex RTZ, and city leaders don’t want any more uncomfortable questions about who’s really steering an unprecedented growth in the Gables. This is not about removing Kawalerski because of her behavior. This is about a plan to get massive projects rubber-stamped by the P&Z board — with new members like former Miami-Dade Transit Director Alice Bravo (more on that later) — and keep residents in the dark until it’s too late.
It’s also a warning to everyone else who sits on a city board: Don’t get cute. Don’t get curious. Don’t get independent.
“Removing her does not just remove a board member, it removes a resident’s voice at the table,” Castro told Political Cortadito. “That is a step backward for transparency, accountability and the democratic process that should guide every decision in Coral Gables.”
But it’s a step forward for Lago and his developer friends.
The post Coral Gables moves to ‘fire’ longtime activist from planning zoning board appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Critics say Miami-Dade 2025-26 budget puts public safety at risk
In her efforts to close a budget shortfall she says is caused by the sudden loss of COVID dollars and the five constitutional offices separating from the county, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava might be compromising public safety.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz all but waved a big red siren this week, warning commissioners that Levine Cava’s proposed 2025-26 budget shortchanges her brand-new department — and could leave Miami-Dade residents waiting longer for help. She said the sheriff’s office will be looking at a deficit of deputies by this summer.
The mayor initially gave what used to be the Miami-Dade Police Department an 8.5% bump — about $55 million more than last year — for a total of about $915 million of the county’s $12.9 billion annual expenditures. Savings found since July have resulted in $7.5 million more for the sheriff’s office. But Cordero-Stutz says it’s not enough to keep up with reality.
Read related: Budget Band-Aid: Miami-Dade mayor finds $66M to fill $402M budget hole
“This $63 million does to put one more deputy on the road. It does not even buy a paper clip,” Cordero-Stutz told the commission at last week’s committee of the whole meeting, where the board tried to tackle the budget with an Exacto knife rather than a chainsaw. Her ask? An 11% increase, which she says comes out to $93 million more. That’s just to stop the bleeding.
Sheriff Rosie says she already has 180 vacancies from retirements and resignations and that there are the same number of officers today as in 2007. She warned that there will be more than 260 deputy vacancies by the summer. Ladra’s not sure what’s scarier — that number or the fact that the mayor and the sheriff are already locking horns in Year One.
Cordero-Stutz wants to use $12.5 million for five academy classes to fill the empty positions. “As we’re still trying to recover from this year’s budget cuts where we lost academy classes,” she said.
There are also the special events that are coming next year, like Formula One and the FIFA World Cup. “Can you all imagine the impact on the safety and security at these events,” she asked the commission. She sounds like she’s trying to scare us, but we don’t want a repeat of the 2024 Copa America Final whee the Hard Rock Stadium experience a security failure when thousands of unticketed fans breached gates and checkpoints, ending in a game delay and 27 arrests.
The sheriff’s department is also dealing with expired equipment and 242 fewer civilian positions since 2004.
“I should not even be here fighting for most of these funds,” Cordero-Stutz said, adding that the commission approved a new contract with the police union that they don’t want to fund, she said. And she is saving money where she can, she added. It would have cost the county $4.9 million more to change uniforms to a green color rather than just replace the patch on the browns.
La Alcaldesa‘s proposed budget also wants to shift the cost of the county’s four rescue helicopters away from the countywide property tax, which everyone pays, and dump it onto the special Fire Rescue tax, which is only about 80 percent of homeowners in 29 of the county’s 34 municipalities. Coral Gables, Hialeah, Key Biscayne, Miami and Miami Beach all run their own fire departments. Their property owners don’t pay the Fire Rescue property tax. But they do call for those county choppers when they need a medical evacuation.
Read related: Mayor Daniella Levine Cava wants Fire District to pay for air rescue helicopters
Levine Cava’s budget flip would leave some cities flying free while everyone else’s Fire Rescue money gets siphoned off. And nearly 100 firefighters in yellow shirts packed the chamber — a sea of canary protest that no commissioner could ignore. Their message: Don’t clip the wings of Miami-Dade’s air rescue, which does everything from wildfire response to medevac rescues to search missions with state and federal partners.
“It hamstrings our ability to open new units,” Miami-Dade Fire Union President William “Billy” McAllister told county commissioners at last week’s committee of the whole meeting. That has an effect on response times.
While the department administration has said that the average response times are 6.35 minutes for fire calls and 7.45 minutes for medical calls, McAllister says it’s actually more than nine minutes from the time the 911 call is made.
And that puts people at risk.
In Levine Cava’s budget, there are no new units going into service this year, even though a document says that three dozen more units are needed to bring the response times to the “golden standard” of around five minutes, McAllister says.
McAllister warned that a sudden shift in funding could ground Miami-Dade’s air rescue helicopters for the first time in 40 years. And the fire union is ready to file a lawsuit to stop it because then move robs funds needed to add more trucks, crews and stations so firefighters can actually cut response times.
Miami-Dade Fire Chief Raied “Ray” Jadallah tried to put a brave face on it, saying the department is still adding stations and engines. The 13 additional units are recommended over the next five or 10 years. It’s part of a longterm strategic plan. There could be a unit added midyear, he said.
The real obstacle, he said, isn’t money but land. “Everyone knows the cost of land is expensive or it’s overpriced,” he told commissioners. “So we continue to search.”
He said that some of the projected stations are for later — like where the American Dream Mall will go in Northwest Miami-Dade “Would I put that unit there now? No,” Jadallah told the commission.
He also said that the fire department is working on proposing three new locations at parking garage projects that are still in the pipeline.
Read related: Facing $400M budget shortfall, Miami-Dade cuts senior meals, lifeguards, more
Commissioner Raquel Regalado — who was the one that called the meeting to go over the budget line by line — said she was more concerned about Southwest Miami-Dade or West Kendall, which are areas where development is booming and asked them to look at county properties that could be used for a fire station.
And she also said that the number one reason people who live in the unincorporated areas want to incorporate or be annexed into adjacent municipalities is because of police and fire response times.
“I want you to recognize what is at stake,” Realado told the chief. “Because if you don’t fix that, it could end up being worse.”
The post Critics say Miami-Dade 2025-26 budget puts public safety at risk appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Budget Band-Aid: Miami-Dade mayor finds $66M to fill $402M budget hole
And county commissioners look for scapegoats
As if she was reaching between the couch cushions, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava just magically found $66 million to soften the sting of her doom-and-gloom $13 million budget.
After floating layoffs and slashing nonprofits last month, proposing increased fees all over to stop a $402 million hole from growing, the mayor — who had a bunch of community budget meetings to get public input — came back last week with a sunnier story. While her administration still blames the constitutional offices for the lion’s share of the shortfall, Levine Cava said she “leveraged” unspent money from those same offices, made some adjustments here and there, got a fat $26 million check from the tax collector, and voilà! Suddenly, despite the loss of federal and state funding, the bloodletting doesn’t look so bad.
Here’s where the new-found dollars go:
$12.5M into reserves (because Wall Street watches, too).
$7.5M more for the shiny new Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (because cops always get theirs).
$11.5M to nearly restore arts grants (after artists screamed bloody murder).
$18.4M to partially restore nonprofits (shortening the gap to only $21 million plus).
$5.6M to fully restore parks programs (and cancel those hated parking fees).
$4.4M for sidewalks, roads, and beautification (because beautification is important, too).
$400K for senior services (does that mean all of our abuelos’ meals?).
Sprinkle in a couple million to reduce gas tax and transit fare hikes, so they hurt a little less, and there’s a little for everyone. Nonprofits and arts groups get “partial” or “nearly” restored funding. Parks keep programs. More cracked walkways and streets get some love. But residents still get nickel-and-dimed at the pump and on paratransit. Everyone’s supposed to be grateful the cuts aren’t as cruel as first advertised.
Read related: Facing $400M budget shortfall, Miami-Dade cuts senior meals, lifeguards, more
At Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole — which is basically a commission meeting with zero public comment — La Alcaldesa tried to sell her new and improved “fair, realistic and compassionate” budget to a roomful of commissioners, firefighters, artists, seniors and non-profits. And nobody was buying it.
Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who basically made the budget workshop happen and came ready with dozens of recommendations — she didn’t even get to make them all — said that any line item that gets increased by 10% or more should come with an explanation.
“There is some padding in the budget,” Regalado said, addressing the administration. “You’re not just planning for something unexpected. You’re actually bulldog a cash drawer you can pull out midyear or at the end of the year.”
Regalado said the county can charge more for the park kiosks that people rent for birthdays and barbecues as well as cremation services at the medical examiner’s office. Technical improvements have to come with measurable savings, she said, adding that the mantra should be “streamline or be outsourced.”
Read related: Miami-Dade’s billion-dollar disconnect: Tax collector flush, county in the red
MetroMover shouldn’t be free, she said, adding that $1 fare would raise $7.3 million with current ridership and $1.50 would raise almost $11 million. Which is about what it costs to operate MetroConnect. The on-demand shuttle provides 2,000 rides a day to parents, seniors and low-wage workers and people with disabilities who can’t exactly jump in a Tesla or wait for the ghost bus that never comes.
Regalado said the trips often go over the extra mile that it was supposed to cover and that it is unfair to provide free rides for MetroConnect passengers while increasing rates for disabled transportation services. She said a small fee would not cover all the costs, but would help save millions.
“It’s still going to be subsidized. It’s just not free,” Regalado told her colleagues. “MetroConnect is really, at this point, just a free driver for many people, and it’s abused by the little group of people that know that it exists.”
La Alcaldesa said anyone cut off from MetroConnect could apply for other county fare subsidies at libraries and community centers.
But Commissioner Eileen Higgins said the service fills the gaps in our broken transit system and cheaper proposals are already coming in from competitors to Via, the private company that now runs the service in a dozen zones. Translation: the final budget might still have some kind of Frankenstein version of MetroConnect, which is turning into a political piñata. One side wants to kill it, the other wants to rebrand it, and the people who actually ride it are left wondering how they’ll get to the doctor, the job, or the classroom if the bus doesn’t show.
Read related: Eileen Higgins pressures Sierra Club and Ken Russell resigns as lobbyist
Higgins apparently likes MetroConnect more than she likes MetroMover. For that, the commissioner — who is running for city of Miami mayor — even floated a $100 a month “discounted” price for downtown residents that would basically translate to an extra $1,200 a year tax. Tourists can pay more, she said.
Doesn’t that go against all the incentivizing the Downtown Development Authority is doing?
Miami-Dade Office of Management and Budget Director David Clodfelter was the main punching bag at Wednesday’s special commission meeting to go through the budget to find “efficiencies” and “savings” — which translates to cuts other than the ones made by the mayor.
Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez said the county staff needed to better identify “between necessities and things that would be nice to have.” At one point, when he didn’t like the answers he was getting about budgeted vacant positions, Gonzalez basically questioned Clodfelter’s honesty. “Are you a liar,” he asked the budget director, point blank.
Eileen Higgins pressures Sierra Club and Ken Russell resigns as lobbyist
Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins might be serious about her bid to run for Miami Mayor this November, after all, which could be why she went out of her way to get former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, another candidate in the crowded race, basically fired from his day job as the lobbyist for the Sierra Club’s Florida chapter..
Russell actually resigned last month, but only because Higgins told the members of the environmental group that she would not meet with them as long as he was part of the team. Or, rather, that she would meet with them — “as soon as you get rid of Ken Russell.”
The organization didn’t accept his resignation. But they also didn’t renew their contract with Russell’s firm, Arquest Partners, which he formed 18 months ago.
Read related: Miami-Dade garbage incinerator talks look more like a stinky dumpster fire
“I’m reaching out to offer to step down early from my current engagement, if doing so would help preserve the Sierra Club’s ability to engage fully and effectively with key elected officials,” Russell wrote in the July 21 note to Cris Costello, the senior organizing manager. The email was also copied to Marcelo Balladares, organizing representative for The Everglades, Noel Cleland, vice president of the political committee, and Steven Liedner, vice chair of conservation.
“As mentioned on our call, today Steven shared that Commissioner Higgins told him she is not willing to meet with the Sierra Club while I remain involved,” Russell wrote in his letter. “Given the urgency of the work ahead, including efforts to stop the incinerator, protect the Everglades, and to promote a strong composting ordinance, I want to ensure that my involvement does not become an obstacle to your advocacy or strategy.
“There are only a couple weeks left on my current contract, and we have not yet discussed any potential for renewal. More importantly, I remain committed to the success of the campaign so disengaging might be best. I would prorate my final invoice which would provide a savings for Sierra Club as well,” the ex commissioner and onetime congressional candidate wrote, adding that he felt privileged to have worked with the “advancing environmental priorities with real impact.”
Russell has been working with the Sierra Club for almost a year. He was hired to provide a new model on how to lobby for initiatives and write simple legislation. He has spoken at several commission meetings, including in Miami on the controversial tree ordinance. He helped the Florida chapter get several cities, including Coral Gables and Miami, to pass resolutions against having an incinerator. He tried, but failed, to get the county to reject the incinerator and opt for other alternatives.
Read related: Miami tree removal ordinance changes unnecessary and tainted by lobbyists
“And when I am elected mayor, my first resolution will be that none of our garbage will go to an incinerator,” Russell said.
Higgins, who will have to resign her seat on the county commission by Aug. 26 to run in the Nov. 4 mayoral race, did not return calls and texts from Ladra. She never does. But she voted yes last month to build a new incinerator — calling it a “waste to energy facility” but it’s the same thing — with the rest of the county commission, somewhere. They just couldn’t decide on where.
Russell told Political Cortadito this week that he was surprised by Higgins’ abusive actions — denying access unless he was canned — but didn’t give his resignation a second thought.
“I’m supposed to be here to help, and if the politics are going to get in the way of that, well then its of no use,” Russell said.
There’s a stark difference: One candidate is offering to sacrifice the thickness of his wallet for the wellbeing of all — going so far as to offer a partial refund — and the other candidate is shaking down a non-profit environmental group for the friends it keeps. This is a huge abuse of power and not a good sign for someone who wants to be the top elected in Miami-Dade’s largest city.
Voters should remember this on Election Day.
Help Ladra keep a spotlight on the Miami mayoral election with a contribution today to Political Cortadito and support grassroots, independent watchdog journalism. Thank you for reading!
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Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago caves on election change; wants public vote
It looks like Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago is backpedaling on his decision to move the city’s election from odd- to even-numbered years just because he wants to and is now suddenly saying that the public should vote on it after all.
What a concept!
At their next meeting Tuesday, city commissioners will again discuss changing the municipal election date to coincide with state and national races. But this time, there seems to be a consensus on taking it to a public referendum.
Don’t get too cozy, though. They’re still not on the same page. Nobody is singing Kumbaya.
Lago, who pushed hard for the change with no voter approval, wants the charter amendment to be on the ballot in a special vote-by-mail only election in April of next year. Commissioner Melissa Castro — who has advocated for a public vote all along — wants to have it in April of 2027. Because in the City Beautiful, even scheduling an election can turn into a political brawl.
Read related: Coral Gables: Melissa Castro shut down again on election change challenge
By having it next April, L’Ego hopes that, if voters pass the change, he can still move the next election to November of 2026 and get rid of Castro and Commissioner Ariel Fernandez five months early. Some opponents fear that the move will also help him wiggle out of term limits, offering him another term because one of his will be interrupted. But having it coincide with the next municipal election in April means that it could take effect on the same candidates who would be elected that month, once again disenfranchising voters who won’t know when they vote if they are putting people in office for four years, or if it’s going to be give or take a few months.
The perfect solution would be to have this election change referendum on the November ballot in 2026, where the city already has questions on the establishment of an inspector general and limiting the way the city can spend its reserves. That way, voters will know when they vote in April of 2027 just how long their commissioners will serve.
Plus, if Lago’s arguments are legit, and this is truly just about cost and turnout, then November of 2026 — even April of 2027 — makes more sense than a mail-in ballot only question in April of next year, which would still cost the city extra and draw very little interest because there is nothing else to decide.
Either way, the commission on Tuesday would also have to rescind their earlier resolution from May that changed nearly 100 years of city elections, moving them to November even-numbered years beginning in 2026 — shortening everyone’s terms by five months — which is another meeting agenda item sponsored by Castro. This is the same commissioner who was censured by her colleagues in July for having the guts to write Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for an opinion on the matter. He has already said Miami’s move violated both the city’s charter and the county’s home rule charter.
So have four judges so far.
This change in direction for Lago comes right on the heels of that court smackdown in Miami, where a county judge ruled that those city commissioners couldn’t unilaterally move election dates without a public vote. And then a three-judge panel upheld that on appeal. There is no way this sudden willingness by Lago to let the people decide is a coincidence.
“I think he knows where this is heading,” Castro told Political Cortadito. Translation: The legal winds spooked him. He’s just trying to get ahead of the inevitable and avoid another courtroom embarrassment like the one Miami commissioners just suffered. Because, according to the language in Lago’s resolution, the city knows it had no choice.
“Pursuant to section 6.03 of the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter, as well as the City Charter and Chapter 18 of the City Code, the City Commission is authorized to submit ballot questions to the electors of the City for approval or rejection of proposed amendments to the City Charter,” says one of the whereases.
Notice it does not say that the city commission is authorized to change the election date without the approval of the electorate. So, they know. Ladra would venture to say they knew all along.
Read related: Third DCA strikes down Miami election change; November ballot is on
There are solid arguments on both sides. Moving the election to November in even-numbered years saves the city close to $250,000 per election cycle. And trends nationwide show that ordinary residents, especially young voters and people of color, have more power when local races ride shotgun with high-turnout elections. Voter participation in the Gables in April ranges from 20% to 30% and can soar to over 80% in November.
But opponents say there are good reasons to keep the elections separate from state and national races, which are partisan and can be highly contentious. They eat up the bandwidth, including air time, which becomes much more expensive for local candidates and issues. Furthermore, critics argue that a higher quantity of voters does not equal a higher quality of candidates because many voters will not have any idea about local politics and will be moved by whoever has the most money.
This isn’t just about dates. It’s about who gets to be heard — and who gets left behind.
What’s clear is this: the commission may pass something Tuesday. With Lago’s sudden turnaround, there will be at least three votes to put this on the ballot for voters to decide. Ladra fully expects the echo chamber — Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara — to follow along as usual.
Then the real fight moves to the ballot box. And Coral Gables voters, not judges or politicians, will likely have the final word on when they get to vote for mayor and commissioners.
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The end of absentee ballots? Who’s crying in Miami-Dade County?
Miami’s political consultants are going to be de luto.
President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that he’s drafting an executive order — all by himself, of course — to ban absentee ballots and mail-in ballots before the 2026 midterms. Because, claro, nothing screams democracy like one guy deciding how 150 million people should vote.
But anybody who’s been around Miami-Dade politics longer than five minutes knows absentee ballots are the OG battlefield. Trump didn’t invent this paranoia. And there are plenty of people in the 305 who are crying in their cafecito and doing Santeria rituals right now to try to stop the president from doing this.
Absentee ballots here are as much a part of elections as pastelitos and senior housing. Who can forget the 1997 Miami mayor’s race that got tossed because of dead voters and ballots from outside the city limits? Or Sergio“El Tío” Robaina — uncle to ex-Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina — who was famously caught up in the absentee game of the 2012 election and was charged with several felonies, including tampering with the ballot of a voter who had dementia. Or Anamary Pedrosa, an aide to then Miami-Dade Esteban Bovo was caught with 165 ABs in the trunk of her car at Bovo’s district office. Or Deisy Cabrera, who police said handled at least 31 ballots.
All of them made plea deals — which kept the elected officials they were working for safe.
Congressman Carlos Gimenez was running for re-election as Miami-Dade mayor in 2012 when his Hialeah campaign office was caught up in this absentee ballot fraud operation. After he won, Gimenez dismantled the public corruption squad at the county’s police department that had found the AB fraud.
Longtime political consultant Sasha Tirador, the absentee ballot queen who’s worked both sides of the aisle, built her whole reputation on delivering votes before the polls even opened. And there’s a whole rogues gallery of boleteros and boleteras — campaign operatives “helping” abuelitos at the senior centers — who turned absentee ballot harvesting into an art form. And a lucrative business.
Candidates knew the score. They budgeted for it: palm cards, T-shirts, radio ads — and the boletera network.
And now here comes Trump, pretending he’s discovered the problem, saying the states are just “agents” of the federal government and must do what the el presidente says. Somebody should hand him a copy of the Constitution. Spoiler: He doesn’t have that power. Not even close. Legal experts are already lining up to call this EO what it is: a pipe dream.
Read related: More than half a mil Miami-Dade vote-by-mail, absentee ballots favor Dems
The irony? Florida Republicans, the same party that kisses Trump’s ring, perfected the absentee ballot game. They used them for years to lock in older Cuban voters from their recliners — or their hospice beds. Trump himself mailed in his vote from Palm Beach. But now, because Democrats leaned more on mail ballots during the pandemic, suddenly they’re a communist plot.
Even Vladimir Putin, Trump says, “agrees” with him on ending mail-in voting. Which should tell you everything. Is that where he got the idea? Alaska?
Look, Ladra isn’t here to defend the absentee ballot hustle. Too many elections have been tainted by it — from Hialeah to Sweetwater to Homestead — to call it “clean.” June’s special election in Miami’s District 4 has been marked by allegations that ABs were signed after senior voters were threatened that they would lose services. It’s supposed to be under investigation.
But let’s be real: Trump’s order isn’t about protecting democracy. It’s about kneecapping Democrats while giving his boleteras in Westchester, Allapattah and La Saguesera a nostalgic hug.
And if Miami’s long history teaches us anything, banning absentee ballots won’t kill fraud. It will just force the players — Sasha, Tío Robaina’s spiritual heirs, and the rest of the absentee mafia — to find a new hustle.
Because in Miami, where there are votes, there’s always alguien trying to hustle them.
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Florida GOP removes ‘Deport Depot’ swag after The Home Depot objects
The Republican Party of Florida just got a lesson in trademark law — and maybe in taste, too.
Over the weekend, the RPOF quietly yanked a line of deportation-themed merch from its website after someone apparently realized that ripping off The Home Depot’s iconic orange logo might not be the best idea. The shirts, hats, and assorted tchotchkes were branded “The Deport Depot” — a nod to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest immigration stunt: a new detention center in Sanderson Florida, that he proudly dubbed the “Deportation Depot.”
Subtlety clearly wasn’t on his mind.
Read related: Daniella Levine Cava finally takes a tougher stand vs Alligator Alcatraz
The merch mimicked The Home Depot’s extremely recognizable branding so closely — same orange box, same stenciled font — that it looked like a MAGA makeover of aisle 12. But The Home Depot wasn’t having it. Spokesperson Beth Marlowe confirmed last week that the company had not approved the use of its logo and was “reaching out” to the RPOF to resolve the issue.
Translation: Cease and desist, folks.
Saturday afternoon, the items were still up for sale, priced between $15 and $28, with proceeds going straight into the party’s coffers as political contributions. But by Sunday, the merch — and the party’s proud post on X — vanished faster than a campaign promise after election day.
Party chair Evan Power didn’t respond to requests for comment (shocker), but on Friday, before The Home Depot weighed in, he insisted the design was legally sound. “No reasonable person would think it’s the logo of a company,” said Power, who is clearly color blind or something.
And nothing says “reasonable” like using the corporate logo of a hardware store frequented by undocumented immigrants — who flock to the parking lot for day jobs — to promote a detention center and mass deportation effort.
Read related: Independent medical access must be given to detainees at Alligator Alcatraz
This isn’t the first time the RPOF has tried to cash in on DeSantis’ cruel immigration antics. When the governor unveiled, Alligator Alcatraz, the party rolled out a matching line of swamp-themed swag. Those are still for sale and $30 gets you a heather gray or charcoal jersey t-shirt.
Because this isn’t just a cruel immigration policy. It’s a revenue stream.
But this time, they messed with the wrong brand. The Home Depot has long been a flashpoint in immigration politics, with ICE agents targeting day laborers outside its stores. Raids have been particularly acute in California, where tensions boiled over in June after immigration agents reportedly chased people outside a Los Angeles store, sparking neighborhood protests. Just this past Thursday, a man was struck and killed by a vehicle while fleeing immigration agents at a Home Depot in Southern California.
The company has been criticized from all sides for largely staying out of the issue. “We aren’t notified that ICE activities are going to happen, and we aren’t involved in them,” Marlowe said.
Still, the optics are brutal. And now the RPOF has tried to turn that trauma into a punchline — and a profit. Perhaps the Gulf of America beach towels at $35 ain’t selling as much as everyone thought they would.
Maybe the Florida GOP should leave the immigrant-bashing out of their fundraising strategy altogether.
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Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago settles petty defamation case vs Actualidad
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and Actualidad 1040 AM have officially kissed and made up — or at least signed on the dotted line — in that defamation lawsuit Vinnie filed last year over comments made on the Spanish-language “Contacto Directo” morning radio show in 2023 about an investigation of a possible conflict of interest in the aggressive plan to annex Little Gables.
After two years of back and forth — trying to get the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust to disclose the anonymous sources of the complaint, serving subpoenas on union leaders, commissioners and journalists — it’s suddenly all over. This is the same case where yours truly was subpoenaed as a witness, so Ladra is, frankly, a little disappointed that she won’t get to continue to fight. Also, it was a losing case so it would have been nice to see L’Ego eat a little humble pie.
It’s all a little anticlimactic.
Read related: Judge in Vince Lago’s ‘defamation’ lawsuit suddenly recuses himself
The settlement comes two months after the previous judge recused himself and the new judge made it clear he wasn’t going to play games. Circuit Court Judge Javier Enriquez seemed to think this had taken too long already and wanted to get the case resolved. Then, he delivered three strikes to L’Ego’s legal team last month when they were told the mayor had to sit down for at least two hours for another deposition — in a scenario with a mediator where he would be forced to actually answer questions — that the subpoena for McClatchy, publisher of the Miami Herald, was successfully quashed and that the complainants’ identity did not have to be disclosed because they had whistleblower protection.
This last blow is why Lago really decided to give up. It was a hunt for the complainants all along. And it was probably costing him a dandy dime. According to City Attorney Christina Suarez, the city is not paying the mayor’s legal bills on the Actualidad case.
Let’s rewind: Back in February of 2023, veteran journalist and Contacto Directo host Roberto Rodríguez Tejera and then–Coral Gables commission candidate Ariel Fernandez (who was elected two months later) told listeners that Lago was under an ethics investigation for a possible conflict of interest involving a trailer park, an annexation fight and his brother, the lobbyist.
Lago took issue with the word investigation because, well, the investigation was technically called a “matter under initial review.” That’s internal agency jargon that uses three more words than it needs to. Because a preliminary investigation is still an investigation. Sparked by an anonymous complaint, it was treated the same as an investigation. It was assigned an investigator, his official title, who investigated the claims by looking at records and interviewing people, same as in any other investigation. Six months later, the ethics commission decided it wasn’t “legally sufficient” to go forward and closed the case. A case they had open because it was being, you know, investigated.
Lago said the wording “deliberately fabricated the narrative” to smear him. Actualidad’s lawyers countered that, even if the phrasing wasn’t “perfectly or technically accurate,” the “gist” was true enough for talk radio.
The complaint said Lago flat-out lied in a sworn affidavit — dramatically signed at a live public commission meeting — when he claimed neither he nor his immediate family had any business interest in Little Gables. Because everybody knows his brother, Carlos Lago, was registered to lobby for Titan Development — the owner of the Little Gables trailer park, the largest piece of property in the unincorporated Miami-Dade enclave. He was registered in the city of Miami, however. Maybe because Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is Lyin’ Lago’s BFF.
Carlos Lago’s lobbyist registration, first filed in 2014, stayed active all the way until March of 2023, six days after the Actualidad segment aired. Probably because the Actualidad segment aired. So he has spent almost 10 years without doing any work for Titan? Please. Besides, in Miami-Dade, once you’re in, you’re in. Being a “consultant” doesn’t require any registration paperwork. It doesn’t erase ties. It just makes it easier to pretend they aren’t there.
The radio segment was about the very real investigation, prompted by three complainants, into whether Lago violated the truth in government provisions of the ethics code, not just whether or not he had a conflict of interest.
Read related: Vince Lago revenge tour includes witch hunt for critics, confidential sources
According to a report filed with the court Aug. 8, Lago and Actualidad entered into a settlement through JAMS mediator Joseph P. Fariñas, who happens to be a retired chief judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit, having served in the position for 14 years. So, he knows what he’s doing.
The terms of the settlement are confidential. Florida Politics reported sources quoting a six figure payout. But Ladra doubts that. Actualidad had no reason to pay him when Lago was on a losing streak. He had no case and Enriquez saw right through that. No, Ladra bets it has something to do with Lago not wanting to have to pay Actualidad’s legal costs once he lost. So he cut his losses.
Lago did not return calls and texts from Ladra. He never does. He feels free enough to subpoena me for no good reason (read: intimidation) but can’t bother to return a text about his attempt to silence critics and flush down the first amendment. One of his attorneys, Mason Portnoy (left), could not be reached. Two messages were left at Portnoy’s office. Actualidad’s attorney, Antonio “Tony” Castro, did not return calls and messages to his cellphone.
But the Miami Herald reported that both sides sent them a joint statement Wednesday. Talk about settling your differences.
“The parties have amicably resolved their dispute, and Mayor Lago has agreed to dismiss his lawsuit.”
Amicably? Right. So does that mean that the drama is over? Not necessarily.
Read related: Joe Carollo and staff set Ladra up to serve Vince Lago’s newest subpoena
Ladra still plans to file her first ever complaint with the same Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust against Lago and Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, and Carollo’s publicist Karen Caballero, for conspiring to trick me into a fake interview in order to serve me with a subpoena for my testimony in this case (more on that later). There was even someone waiting to record Ladra on video at the District 3 office.
He really didn’t have to go to such dramatic efforts. I’d already been served at home.
And the Miami-Dade Citizens’ Bill of Rights prohibits municipal officials and employees from knowingly furnishing false information or omitting significant facts when providing information to the public.
So now, Lago’s going to get investigated all over again. No matter what he wants to call it.
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