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Congresswoman Frederica Wilson will tour troubled Krome Detention Center
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson will be the first member of Congress to get a tour of the Krome Detention Center in West Miami-Dade after reports of overcrowded, dangerous, unsanitary and inhumane conditions in the wake of the mass immigrant detentions and deportations by the new Donald Trump administration.
Wilson sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem earlier this month asking for access and a walk through. Her office announced Wednesday that she would get an hour inside on Thursday afternoon. She will be available for the press afterwards, around 2 p.m. So will representatives from Americans for Immigration Justice, which has joined the ACLU Florida on the federal lawsuit to challenge a Florida law that authorizes state and local authorities to jail people solely on immigration status, “powers the Constitution reserves exclusively to the federal government.”6
The congresswoman, who represents Florida’s 24th district — which includes Little Haiti, Biscayne Park, Miami Gardens, North Miami, Opa-Locka and the southern part of Broward County — has received letters and phone calls from constituents who have relatives in the detention center, said Alvaro Perpuly, Wilson’s press secretary. Or who were in the detention center. One such detainee has already been moved elsewhere, so Wilson won’t be able to check on him, Perpuly said.
Read related: Cuban American congress members stay silent on TPS, immigrant detention
“She’s trying to set up individual meetings, but it’s kind of hard to know who’s really there because they keep moving people around,” Perpuly told Political Cortadito.
The visit was not coordinated through Noem, but rather the detention center facility itself, Perpuly said. “By law, they cannot prevent a member of Congress from entering. They have more leeway with other electeds on the state and local level.”
That might be why Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has not received an answer to her own request on April 3 for a tour. A staffer said she had been invited by the congresswoman. “ICE informed her office that per their protocol, the mayor would need to schedule a separate time to tour the facility, which we hope to coordinate as swiftly as possible,” said Deputy Chief of Staff Rachel Johnson.
But what is stopping Congressman Carlos Gimenez, Mario Diaz-Balart or Maria Elvira Salazar from checking the place out themselves? The three Cuban-American legislators have come under fire for their silence in the face of the community’s fear and uncertainty. There have been billboards and video ads to blast them for their complicity.
Even a full page ad “open letter” from healthcare mogul and habitual campaign donor Mike Fernandez didn’t seem to move the dial.
Calls to Gimenez representatives at his district and Washington offices were not returned.
Detainees are seen sleeping on the floor next to each other or in chairs in a viral video that was taken, obviously under cover, by a Mexican detainee near tears and provided to NBC6 Miami. Some detainees have had to sleep outside. They have reportedly not been allowed to communicate with loved ones or legal representation regularly. Some family members of detainees say they are not given enough food or even water. In February, a Ukranian immigrant died at a nearby hospital after getting sick at Krome.
Read related: Video blasts U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez for silence on ending TPS, deportations
“The increase in detainees being sent to the Krome Processing Center has caused conditions to deteriorate, creating an unsafe and inhumane detention environment,” Levine Cava wrote in the letter to Noem. “Allegations of substandard conditions include inadequate access to water and food, unsanitary confinement, medical neglect and abuse such as prolonged shackling.”
Wilson, who will be going with members of her team, knows that she may not see those things.
“She’s very aware they’re going to clean up a bit and make it look nicer,” Perpuly said.
“She wants to see where the detainees are actually being held, talk to some of the folks there, see if there are any women there, and just generally see what’s going on.”
Stay tuned. Political Cortadito will follow up on Thursday.
The post Congresswoman Frederica Wilson will tour troubled Krome Detention Center appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Miami-Dade makes affordable housing strides with transit oriented projects
Magnum Brickell, Quail Roost Station add 600+ units
As the White House considers major cuts to federal housing programs, like Section 8, for next year’s budget, according to the New York Times, Miami-Dade is making strides in providing more affordable units through transit-oriented developments.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Kionne McGhee will celebrate the grand opening Thursday of the first phase of Quail Roost Station, a 200-unit development that brings affordable housing for seniors to Cutler Bay (in the featured photo above).
Next week, the same duo will preside over the groundbreaking of the new and improved Homestead Gardens Phase I, the first part of a new affordable housing community being developed through the conversion of an existing aging affordable complex that was built in Homestead in 1977.
This comes on the heels last week of the opening of Magnus Brickell, touted as the largest single-phase mixed-income venture in the county — at least so far. The 465-residences are available for rent at blended affordable housing, workforce housing and market-rate housing rates, and is a public-private partnership between Related Urban, the county’s housing and community development department and Miami-Dade Public Schools.
And last month, developers broke ground on the 47-acre Upland Park, a transit-oriented, mixed use project that is expected to transform the Dolphin Park-and-Ride terminal into a major multimodal transit hub. It will have more than 2,000 mid-rise and garden-style apartments, 282,000 square feet of retail and 414,000 square feet of commercial space near Doral.
“Upland Park is a prime example of how we are continuing to build a better community for all and a future-ready Miami-Dade County,” Levine Cava said last month. “Located alongside the 836 Expressway, which features a dedicated bus lane, this development will provide residents with seamless and efficient transit options, further integrating smart mobility solutions into our growing region.”
Read related: Doral seeks input on update to city transit plan, expanded trolley service
There are at least three more transit-oriented projects in the pipeline including Meridian Point at Goulds Station, which broke ground in January and will be funded with $2.6 million in surtax funds. The development offers 113 apartments in two, buildings — a seven-story, 80-unit building and a three-story 33-unit “garden building” — for families with incomes ranging from 30% to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Sixty-eight units are reserved for families currently residing at the nearby Cutler Manor Apartments, which is slated for redevelopment into a mixed-income affordable community.
“These developments provide public transportation connections to employment centers, schools, arts and culture, and healthcare, making it easier for residents to access essential services and opportunities,” Levine Cava has said.
In Downtown Miami
Located in the heart of Brickell, the Magnus project, at 201 SW 10th St., is unique for workforce housing in that it features top-tier amenities such as an expansive sun deck, resort-style swimming pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, pet-friendly spaces, a podcast studio, Wi-Fi-enabled co-working spaces, and panoramic views of the iconic Brickell skyline.
All for rents starting at under $300 a month!
That’s the starting rate for some, depending on resident income, of the 93 affordable or low-income housing units that were built under the Rental Assistance Demonstration program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Claudia Gonzalez, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, who attended the opening. “In RAD, units move to a Section 8 platform with a long-term contract that, by law, must be renewed in perpetuity,” the HUD website says. “A Use Agreement is also recorded under RAD further enforcing HUD’s long-term interest. This ensures that the units remain permanently affordable to low-income households.”
The building also has 70 workforce housing units for folks making 120% Area Medium Income (AMI) and below — so maximum salary for residents is $95,400 for one person — which seems like a lot — and $108,960 combined for two people, which sounds much more “workforce” to Ladra than $95K for one. The AMI is set yearly by US HUD and is currently at $79,400 in Miami-Dade.
Rents are listed between $2,783 and $4,720 on the realtor.com website. The marketplace rates are what allows such quality affordable housing, officials say.
“This project is about creating homes for families who need them the most,” Commissioner Higgins said in a statement. “With 93 units for very low-income residents and 70 for workforce families, we are taking a big step toward ensuring that everyone in our community, regardless of income, has access to a place they can truly call home.
“Located just steps away from transit options, Magnus Brickell connects residents to better job opportunities, healthcare, and schools. And with a new K-8 school right next door, it’s the perfect place for children and families to thrive,” said Higgins, who is running (maybe) for Miami mayor. “This is what progress looks like, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
She was a little too effusive of the developers: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to Related Group for being exceptional partners in this endeavor,” Higgins said in her statement. “Their dedication to getting things done is inspiring, and we look forward to continuing our work together on future projects that will further address our County’s housing needs.”
In South Miami-Dade
Quail Roost Station is a six-phase redevelopment plan alongside the Bus Rapid Transit busway parallel to U.S. 1. Approved by the county commission WHEN, it is supposed to be an example transit oriented development for seniors. It is connected via a covered walkway to the brand-new BRT station on Southwest 184th Street, one of the new 14 BRT stations along the South Dade TransitWay, where service is scheduled to start this summer. Phase one is done and phase two broke ground in August 2024 with expected completion by end of this year.
Located on approximately 2.3 or 8.5 acres on SW 184th Street, just west of U.S. 1, Quail Roost Station, at 18505 Homestead Ave., will eventually provide 200 units for seniors and their families. According to a Miami-Dade County press release, there will be 33 studios, 132 one-bedrooms, 23 two-bedrooms, 8 three-bedrooms, 3 four-bedrooms, and 1 five-bedroom apartments. The property features a community room, business center, fitness center, and on-site laundry facilities.
There may also be adult literacy classes, employment assistance, and financial management program classes will also be offered to residents on site.
All affordable housing units are set at 22% to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). That means that rental prices, today, would range from $737 – $2,065.
Studies have consistently shown that residents of affordable and workforce housing use public transit at a higher rate than the general population.
“With this transit-oriented community, we are not just building a structure, we’re building a future that honors our older adults,” Levine Cava said in a statement when the county broke ground last August. “Quail Roost Station will stand as a testament to our commitment to creating spaces where older adults can thrive, and where accessibility, connection, and care come together.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Kionne McGhee at last year’s groundbreaking for Quail Roost Station.
“This is more than just a development. It’s a promise to support and enrich the lives of those who have laid the foundation for our community,” Levine Cava said.
McGhee, who was not an early fan of BRT, could not be reached for comment.
Read related: Kionne McGhee pulls the brakes on Miami-Dade BRT for South corridor
Miami-based Atlantic Pacific Communities has a deal to lease the site from, the county, which in 2020 approved $5 million in monies from the Documentary Stamp Surtax Program, named for the stamp of approval applied to local property transfers.
“Quail Roost Station is another signal that transit-oriented communities, which are also affordable communities, are on the rise and very much needed,” said Kenneth Naylor, president of development for Atlantic Pacific Communities, in a statement.
In the city of Homestead
Homestead Gardens Phase I apartments will consist of 162 residences at 1542 SW 4th Street, where the old Homestead Gardens (or Gardens of Homestead) is now. Half the units are under the RAD program, which replaces existing public housing units one-for-one with Section 8 “project-based voucher units meant for returning public housing residents and qualifying residents with incomes of 30% and 50% of the AMI in Miami-Dade County. The other half will be affordable and mixed-income housing units.
This residential community, expected to open by the end of 2026, will be built with sustainable materials and systems and will be green certified. Amenities will include a community room for residents — which will have a heating kitchen — a gym, bicycle storage room, outdoor playground and community gardens. All apartments will include central air conditioning systems and washer and dryers.
What? No podcast studio?
This project is the first of three phases that Miami-Dade County and DBC Procida are working on to redevelop the 150 units of Miami-Dade County managed affordable public housing located at the existing Homestead Gardens campus. These photos show the old, outdated complex and the new, modern one.
Homestead Gardens got $2 million from county surtax funding and $2 million from the county HOME program funds. The project also includes Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity sourced through National Equity Fund, a construction loan from Bank of America, and Freddie Mac permanent financing through Greystone.
Elsewhere in Miami-Dade
Platform 3750 is at 3750 South Dixie Highway, on 2.1 acres leased from the county near the Douglas Road Metrorail Station. Developed by Hollywood-based Cornerstone Group and its partners, it has 113 market rate and 78 affordable apartments, 222,950 square feet of retail space, and 27,500 square feet of office space. It is eight stories tall and includes a pedestrian bridge to the Metrorail station. Amenities also include a rooftop pool and an interior drop off area, an on-site Aldi and an on-site Starbuck’s. Commissioners approved giving that project $6.5 million from the county’s surtax dollars.
District 7 has added 850 affordable housing units to the inventory in the last four years, said Commissioner Raquel Regalado. Another 800 or so have been or are being rehabilitated. “We all know that it’s getting more difficult of rising land costs, rising labor costs and construction materials,” Regalado said. “But ensuring families have access to safe, stable, and affordable homes is key to strengthening our community.”
Metro Grande III Apartments, located at 2005 West Okeechobee Road, near the Okeechobee Metrorail Station in Hialeah, has 202 senior housing units, 84 workforce housing units and 3,189 square feet of retail. Cornerstone Group also leased this property from the county, which committed $2 million from the surtax monies to fund it. Miami-Dade has wanted to turn this 1.5 acres into housing for more than two decades.
These projects not only address the housing crisis in Miami-Dade, officials say, they are also offering commercial and community space that address the needs of the area’s residents.
Ladra’s traditional winners and losers from the 2025 Coral Gables election
Loyal readers of Political Cortadito have come to expect our “winners and losers” post in the wake of every local election, highlighting those people and entities who scored or got hammered, other than the candidates.
After the April 8 re-election in Coral Gables of Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, there were already some obvious winners and losers. But it was only safe to wait until after the runoff, where Lago got his handpicked candidate, Richard Lara, over the finish line, to be sure. And thorough.
Read related: Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win
So, without any further blah, blah, blah, the winners and losers from this year’s biannual Coral Gables election are:
WINNERS
Jesse Manzano and Brian Goldmeier, Lago’s campaign manager and professional fundraiser. These two have another notch on their belt and a fatter bank account to show for it. Manzano overcame some heavy negatives with consistent messaging about how bad Commissioner Kirk Menendez would be because of the decisions he’s made in the past (raises, city managers, November vote, etc.). It was brilliant. Evil, but brilliant. Goldmeier is just richer.
The sick anonymous trolls who like to attack on Lago’s behalf with vulgar language and inappropriate images on social media. They have been having a field day.
Developers, real estate investors and construction industry people who donated to the Lago and Lara campaigns like it was buying precious eggs, and now stand to benefit from a consolidated 3-2 vote that seems development friendly.
Chelsea Granell, the mayor’s chief of staff of none, who gets to keep her job and her $91,165 annual salary plus benefits.
Former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, a Lago supporter, who is likely to tell people that he was the one who got the mayor and his slate elected. Some may have heard he had breakfast recently with Manzano, so they’ll believe it.
LOSERS
Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win
Newly-elected Coral Gables Commissioner Richard Lara, who won a runoff Tuesday against attorney Tom Wells, isn’t the only one who is celebrating his victory. Mayor Vince Lago, who handpicked Lara and supported him throughout, wins back his majority on the city commission — meaning that he’ll get to move his agenda forward.
It also means there is going to be hell to pay for anyone who opposed him.
Lara beat Wells with a solid 10-point lead, just over 55% of the vote, an 847-vote difference, according to the Miami-Dade Elections Department’s published results. The general counsel for Spanish Broadcasting Systems led in all three categories — absentee or vote-by-mail ballots, early voting and Election Day, although the last was a smaller gap (less than 100 votes).
We have to wonder if one of those votes was his own, seeing as how Lara hadn’t voted in the Gables city elections since 1999 before this year.
Turnout was a little more than 23%, which is lower than Election Day’s 29% but higher than some expected for a runoff after Easter Sunday.
Read related: Coral Gables mayor’s power hinges on runoff — Richard Lara vs Tom Wells
Lara was always the favorite after coming in with 47% in the first round April 8. Wells got 39% and lobbyist Claudia Miro, who later endorsed Lara, came in with 13%, which forced the runoff. Lago also won solidly April 8 and so did Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, who also endorsed Lara.
Wells got the endorsement of The Miami Herald, which did him as good as it did Claudia Miro in the first round, and the Coral Gables Neighborhood Association, which did him as good as it did Felix Pardo, who lost against Anderson, and Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who lost against Lago.
This last victory Tuesday will change the dynamics on the commission, giving Lago the third vote he needs to get whatever he wants done. The mayor had been on the losing side of several 3-2 votes since shortly after the 2023 victories of commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez, who might have been crying Tuesday night, who were elected against Lago’s wishes and money. The mayor’s behavior towards the two newbies pushed Menendez a former Lago ally who lost his mayoral bid earlier this month, to quickly become a swing vote for them and against Lago.
Lara was always intended to restore Lago’s third vote. He announced his run for office during public comments at a commission meeting in February of last year, way before Menendez moved to the mayoral race. In fact, las malas lenguas say he switched because a poll showed Lara was a threat to Menendez on the salary and city manager issues, which were both Lago’s and Lara’s platform. Kirk decided he could do better against Lago, who certainly has his share of detractors and he could draw on that.
Meanwhile, Lara was an unknown. But he had many of the mayor’s same supporters flood his campaign account with almost $272,000, including $103,000 in just eight days after the first round — and Lago’s political action committee, Coral Gables First, which sent text messages and mailers to voters. Lara had more of everything — more mailers, more phone banking, more people knocking on doors.
Read related: Coral Gables election choice is a Vince Lago yes vote or an independent voice
That’s iffy right there. For a mayor to be so invested in a commission candidate’s victory. Lago is not only going to be insoportable, he’s also going to be unstoppable. Look for things like the mobility hub and the annexation of Little Gables to rear their ugly heads again. Maybe not immediately, but eventually.
Wells self funded his campaign, to the tune of about $19,000, and just did not have enough to counter the hammering he got from Lago, er, Lara (read: both), which included 11th hour whisper campaigns about Wells traveling to a golf tournament in Georgia (he didn’t) and some backroom deal to hire Menendez as the city a manager (laughable).
Wells emailed Lara a concession message late Tuesday, after the results were in.
“Congratulations on winning the Coral Gables Commissioner Group III seat,” Wells told him. “I wish you luck in navigating the issues of serving the City as an elected official and look forward to your campaign promise of voting independently and restoring civility and transparency as to each issue for the benefit of Coral Gables.”
But somehow, Ladra doubts it. Because he would have to be willing to, sometimes, vote against his benefactor.
The post Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Jose Regalado resigns city job to run for Miami commissioner in District 4
WORKING STORY: It’s in their DNA.
Jose Regalado, the son of former Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and brother of Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, resigned from his job as the assistant building director with the city of Miami Monday to run for commission in District 4, where there is a vacancy created by the death of Manolo Reyes.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Regalado wrote to City Manager Art Noriega. “I had hoped to continue contributing to the work ahead, but sometimes the call to serve takes a different form than expected. After thoughtful reflection, I’ve decided to pursue the opportunity to serve the city in a different capacity by seeking the vacant commission seat in District 4.”
Regalado was born and raised in District 4 and steeped in Miami politics his whole life. He was a deep sea photographer before he decided to become a public servant, but he always worked on his father’s and sister’s campaigns. He was hired as chief policy advisor for District 4 in 2017, just as Reyes was elected. He stayed there for almost two years before he became the chief of staff to the deputy city manager in 2019. After five months, he became the assistant to the city manager, where he coordinated the mobile COVID-19 vaccination program for elderly, homebound residents and co-created the COVID-19 restaurant recovery program. In 2021, he was promoted to assistant building director.
“When I chose to enter public service, it was with the clear intention of contributing to the community that shaped me,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “I came to local government because I believe it’s where the most immediate and lasting impact can be made, where decisions affect people’s daily lives in real time, and where trust is built or broken not with rhetoric, but with action.”
His resignation is effective immediately, but Regalado offered to stay on as long as needed for a smooth transition.
Regalado’s salary at the city was $152,417 a year. As a city commissioner, he will be paid a salary of about $58,000, but with added benefits like car and cell phone allowances it gets closer to $100K. It’s still a deep pay cut.
This is a working story. Details will be added as more reporting is done throughout the day. Please check back later.
The post Jose Regalado resigns city job to run for Miami commissioner in District 4 appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Downtown Miami group has public safety forum for residents post assault
The Downtown Neighbors Association will have a public safety town hall Wednesday with Miami Police Chief Manny Morales to discuss some “recent high profile incidents” in the urban core, talk about the homeless crisis and look at the 2025 downtown public safety action plan.
DNA President James Torres has been very vocal recently about what he says are a series of failures by the city to provide services to the downtown. He has also been critical of the Miami Downtown Development Authority, which has a $13.5 million annual budget — through a special levy on properties within its district boundaries in downtown, Brickell and Edgewater — and recently gifted $100,000 to the UFC for its events at the Kaseya Center. The UFC is worth about $12 billion, according to Forbes.
Read related: Effort to dissolve Miami DDA cites ‘bloated’ salaries, redundancy, UFC gift
“We’ve seen the videos. We’ve felt the concern in our community. It’s time to come together and talk about what really matters: feeling safe where we live,” Torres posted on social media Monday. “That recent assault in Brickell wasn’t just a headline — it was a wake-up call. Let’s make sure our voices are heard!”
Torres, who has called for a ballot question on the dissolution of the DDA, was referring to a video posted by Only In Dade of a woman who said she was physically assaulted on a walk to Brickell Key. “Bring pepper spray with you at all times no matter if it’s sunny, daylight, in the middle of the week,” the woman says in the video, calling it a public service announcement. “I was literally chased down the street and there was a ton of people around and I was screaming for help.
Since her first video was posted, she recorded a second one about “an outrageous amount of people come forward who have experienced the exact same thing, with the exact same guy.”
The same day the DDA granted the UFC that $100K, the 15-member board also voted to allocate $550,000 for additional police services in the Central Business District and Brickell areas. According to their social media statement, the board plans to fund expanded, additional police patrol services to Edgewater and has committed $1.2 million to this effort.
The town hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at 50 Biscayne Boulevard will also be shared on Zoom.
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Is a fix in for the District 6 appointment at Miami-Dade County Commission?
The deadline was noon Monday for those who want to be considered for a potential appointment to the Miami-Dade Commission in District 6, where Kevin Marino Cabrera sat until he resigned last week to be the new U.S. Ambassador to Panama.
But everyone says the fix is in.
West Miami Vice Mayor Natalie Milian Orbis is the favorite for the post, which could be a two-year-plus appointment and will give whoever gets it ample advantage in the next election, which will be in 2026 if a special election is not called. Milian Orbis is the wife of Cabrera’s chief of staff, Manuel Orbis, who would likely have to get a different position at the county.
Read related: Miami-Dade’s Kevin Cabrera leaves for Panama, county gets set to appoint
Other rumored wannabes included State Sen. Bryan Avila, West Miami Mayor Eric Diaz-Padron and an unknown named Francisco Petrirena, who is the director of the city of Miami’s government relations department.
But Milian Orbis — in a photo with Cabrera here during Dade Days in Tallahassee earlier this month — is the only one who has made her intentions public.
Last week, shortly after Cabrera’s resignation was effective, Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez had the commission auditor establish a process for District 6 residents to apply for consideration. Even before he did that, on the same day (April 14), Milian Orbis filed paperwork about opening a campaign account for the commission seat race.
According to her bio on the city’s website, Milian Orbis began her public service career 20 years ago as an executive administrator at the Cuban-American Association of Civil Engineers before she went to the county where she worked at a number of commission offices through roles such as commission aide, legislative assistant, and legislative director with former commissioners Joe Martinez, Rebeca Sosa and Juan C. Zapata.
If Milian Orbis — or anyone, for that matter — wanted to be considered for an appointment, the individual had to fill out an application that basically consists of an oath and proof of residency. That’s it. They could have also submitted a resume and a video or audio file — two minutes max. But it wasn’t required.
Ladra thinks there should also be a financial disclosure form like there is for regular candidates.
The application period closed at noon Monday. Submissions will be reviewed and considered at the Tuesday, May 6 county commission meeting. So why such a short window? Less than a week.
Read related: Kevin Cabrera tapped as Panama ambassador; so who will replace him?
This could be a second chance for former Coral Gables Commissioner Jorge Fors, who got 39% of the vote in 2022. Ladra doesn’t even know if he wants it. But he is a no-brainer, seeing as how 20,319 people in the district did vote for him. That is something that the commission could argue legitimately. They would not be choosing the appointment. The people did.
Of course, it would be even better to have a special election. But it looks like Rodriguez may want to appoint someone in the meantime, anyway.
“District 6 deserves representation in the most expeditious manner possible,” the chairman said in a statement. “There are too many critical conversations, decisions, and votes that need to be made in the coming weeks and months for the Commission to create a process that will leave our body – and the people of District 6 – without a voice and advocate.”
The post Is a fix in for the District 6 appointment at Miami-Dade County Commission? appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Alex Diaz de la Portilla’s former staffer says he is harassing her in divorce case
Former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — arrested in 2023 on charges of public corruption and suspended from office — is in a fierce divorce battle with his wife, after a seven months marriage, for the attorneys’ fees and splitting of assets. Now, he wants to depose a former city staffer who was a witness for the state in the criminal case against him that was dropped by the Broward County State Attorney’s Office last Fall and who he has already previously harassed.
What does former Chief of Staff Karla Fortuny have to do with the couple’s financial holdings? Nada.
The subpoena for her deposition “clearly appears to be solely calculated to harass and oppress Fortuny and to exact revenge upon her,” wrote attorney William Brady Jr. in an objection to the subpoena for her deposition and a motion for a protective order filed last week.
It’s not the first time that Fortuny feels intimidated by Diaz de la Portilla. Last year, she filed a petition for injunction for protection against stalking. Stalking! ADLP “engaged in an oppressive campaign to harass and intimidate Fortuny by texting her incessantly,” while she was a listed witness in the criminal case against him. “This conduct is extremely intimidating,” she said in that motion. “He stalks me via text and now has used a ‘burner phone’ to text my supervisor at my current job.”
Read related: Miami’s Alex Diaz de la Portilla arrested on corruption, pay-for-play park deal
That was when Fortuny was at Florida International University, where she went after she left her city job to go work as director of local government and community affairs. She moved last month to Capital City Consulting’s Miami office with Managing Partner Brian May while she goes to law school at night. Let Diaz de la Portilla try texting him.
“In my opinion, he has obsessive compulsive personality disorder and is an alcoholic,” Fortuny said in the 2024 motion. “He frightens me. I believe him to be a relentless and dangerous individual.”
After bonding out of the Turner Guilford Knight detention center in September, 2023 ADLP talks to reporters.
Relentless? Clearly. But maybe not so dangerous. She was not granted the stalking order. It seems most, if not all, the messages were about getting her in for a deposition.
The judge in the criminal case did, however, instruct Diaz de la Portilla, who was investigated for witness tampering, to have no further contact with Fortuny, who was hired by Diaz de la Portilla in 2020 as a communications aide and rose the ranks quickly, becoming deputy chief of staff in early 2021, then chief of staff in May of that same year. His office has a lot of turnover.
In last week’s motion, Brady cited the criminal case intimidation and added that ADLP’s attorney “subjected Fortuny to a lengthy deposition which Fortuny contends was largely calculated to harass, bother and intimidate Fortuny.” Furthermore, a review of that deposition — which was “exceedingly long and unnecessary” — would show that she doesn’t know squat about ADLP’s assets, debts or income.
“Fortuny has no doubt that [ADLP] seeks to subject Fortuny to deposition for the purposes of harassment, embarrassment, intimidation, control of Fortuny and to seek revenge against upon her and contends the the deposition is not calculated to lead to credible and admissible evidence,” in the divorce proceedings.
Read related: Alex Diaz de la Portilla’s wife sues for divorce after arrest, foreclosure
Other interesting parties that have been subpoenaed include Diaz de la Portilla’s famous absentee or ghost employee, Jenny Nillo — who was caught drinking and driving on the job in a city car while running ADLP’s personal errands and alcohol shopping — served in January and developer Lewis Swezy, who was served in February. Why not William “Bill” Riley, Jr., the lobbyist that was arrested with him in 2023 who spent a weekend in Boston with Diaz de la Portilla and his wife.
Diaz de la Portilla — who has told everyone that he is running for Miami mayor this year — did not, as usual, return a phone call and voice mail message. In a cryptic text where he deflects, like always, he wrote: “She may be covering up for the felony she committed… as you have already seen, the truth always prevails at the end of the day.”
No, that is not what Ladra has seen at all.
“If she doesn’t perjure herself she should be fine,” he wrote later. “She hacked my computer.
“All this is handled by the lawyers. We should let them do their work,” Diaz de la Portilla texted, adding that there were four more subpoenas being delivered in the next couple of weeks.
Fortuny declined to comment on her new court motion.
This divorce has lasted longer than the marriage.
Vanessa Garcia Azzam filed for divorce in January of 2024, which was less than four months after Diaz de la Portilla bonded out of jail on his multiple felony charges — including bribery and money laundering. In June, ADLP filed an answer to her motion to dissolve the marriage, and a counter motion for dissolution, asking the judge to award him all attorney’s fees, court costs and to divide their belongings.
“There are marital assets subject to equitable distribution including, but not limited to: jewelry, designer clothing, shoes and accessories, electronics, household goods and furnishings, bank accounts, and retirement accounts,” the motion says.
Shoes? He wants her shoes? And her retirement? Que poco hombre eres, Alejandro.
Read related: Alex Diaz de la Portilla wants estranged wife to pay divorce attorney, trial fees
Hopefully, the judge will find that Garcia Azzam has been punished enough. Seven months, people! More than half of that was spent next to him defend himself against the pubic corruption charges. There’s only so much torture one can take.
Also, let’s see if Fortuny is compelled to testify about his marital finances.
Diaz de la Portilla is apparently getting off on harassing women. He is unnecessarily making the divorce harder for his wife of a whole seven months. And he is retaliating against his former chief of staff with a subpoena about matters she knows absolutely nothing about.
There’s a case management conference on May 5 in family court on the divorce. Garcia Azzam has asked the judge to compel her husband to turn on the camera for the Zoom appearances, including but not limited to hearings.
Naturally, ADLP doesn’t want to show his face.
Karla Fortuny Motion for Protective Order April 2025 by Political Cortadito on Scribd
The post Alex Diaz de la Portilla’s former staffer says he is harassing her in divorce case appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Richard Lara pulls in $103K for Coral Gables runoff Tuesday vs Tom Wells
In a span of eight days after the Coral Gables election earlier this month and before the runoff in Commission Group 3 Tuesday, attorney candidate Richard Lara — who hasn’t voted in the city since 1999 — raised more than $102,800. Eight days!
That is a huge injection into his campaign account, which totals almost $272,000 as of April 17, according to the latest campaign finance reports, and further impacts this already lopsided race. It’s the largest amount in one single report since he began fundraising last year. The second largest is his first report of $45,000 — but that was over the course of three months.
It’s not only because Lara came in with pole position in the first round — getting 47% to attorney Tom Wells‘ 39% — but also because he has the support of both Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, who won his re-election handily. Many of the contributions between April 9 and April 17 are real estate or development related, from lobbyists (Lago’s brother Carlos Lago gave $1,000) or Lago loyalists, like former commissioners Frank Quesada and Wayne “Chip” Withers, as well as attorney and University of Miami booster John Ruiz, whose LifeWallet company was under a Department of Justice investigation last year for fraud.
Included in the contributions were $5,000 from developer Armando Codina, $5,000 from developer Tom Cabrerizo and $3,000 from three of the late Sergio Pino‘s companies that now belong to his estranged wife, Tatiana Pino.
Read related: Coral Gables mayor’s power hinges on runoff — Richard Lara vs Tom Wells
And Lara is spending it faster than he gets it, with $145,000 going just in one April 17 check to consultant Alex Miranda for advertising. That’s more than half the $245,250 Lara has spent in total. It may include the cost of several mailers he has sent out to voters, including one with an endorsement from his wife and a couple that attack Wells on the same exact arguments that Lago used to attack Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who lost his mayoral challenge with 55% of the vote April 8.
Lara also spent $3,000 to rent the Coral Gables museum for his watch party event and reimbursed himself $95.88 for an email expense.
That’s just from Lara’s campaign account. Mayor Lago is also using his political action committee, Coral Gables First, to benefit his handpicked yes vote, paying for mailers and text messages. Lago has a lot riding on this runoff.
Wells is the only thing standing between Vince Lago and anything he wants. He is the last defense against a new mayoral majority that will revisit the annexation of Little Gables, roll back the salary increases for commissioners, try to move the election to November and lower taxes for their developer friends, who will feel empowered with the Lago slate. Wells is independent, in the sense that he has gone against both the mayor and the other faction on the dais, favoring a national search for a new city manager rather than an on-the-spot appointment. He is not beholder to anybody.
Read related: Coral Gables election choice is a Vince Lago yes vote or an independent voice
While he has the endorsement of The Miami Herald and Coral Gables United, the political branch of the Coral Gables Neighbors Association, Wells is woefully underfunded in comparison, paying for everything out of his own pocket to the tune of $19,000, so far.
He’s that committed to the City Beautiful. He’s willing to put his own skin in the game.
Richard Lara hasn’t even voted in the city since 1999. He is simply a puppet for the mayor to get his majority back and move his agenda along without any checks and balances.
Turnout has been lower for the runoff, with almost 13.5% of the registered 34,017 voters in the Gables. The turnout for the first round was almost 30%. Of the 4,580 votes cast as of Sunday the end of early voting Sunday night, more than half, or 2,789, are absentee or vote-by-mail ballots. On Saturday, 1,155 people voted early. On Sunday, it was 636.
But that was Easter Sunday so it’s not as bad as it could have been.
Voters have one more day — Election Day on Tuesday. There are 14 polling locations open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
And then we will either have two years of Vince Lago running roughshod over everyone and doing whatever he wants, or two years of a more balanced and civilized commission where no one person has all the power.
The post Richard Lara pulls in $103K for Coral Gables runoff Tuesday vs Tom Wells appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Coral Gables election choice is a Vince Lago yes vote or an independent voice
The Coral Gables election is almost over with early voting this weekend for the runoff coming Tuesday. The choice is between two attorneys: Richard Lara, general counsel for Spanish Broadcasting Systems, and the handpicked candidate, groomed by Mayor Vince Lago — who was just solidly re-elected — and Tom Wells, a member of the city’s charter advisory board who has spoken at the commission meeting 14 times in the last several months and is likely to be more independent.
Much more independent.
In fact, many of the mailers for Lara that Gables voters are getting in their mailbox almost every day come from Lago’s political action committee, Coral Gables First. Lago needs Lara desperately if he is going to move his agenda — which would include annexing Little Gables and building a multi-million dollar mobility hub — forward. That’s all Lara is there for — to give the mayor back the majority he lost shortly after Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez beat his candidates in 2023.
Lara won’t be independent. He can’t be. Lago will have put him there for a purpose. His will have to be loyal and complicit.
Read related: Coral Gables mayor’s power hinges on runoff — Richard Lara vs Tom Wells
Wells was a de facto member of the losing slate in the first round this election, but only because the same people who supported him supported Commissioner Kirk Menendez for mayor and architect Felix Pardo for commission against Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson. He is the anti-Lago candidate inasmuch as he is not Lara, the decidedly pro-Lago candidate. But he has spoken against measures taken by the other faction: Menendez, Castro and Fernandez.
So he is nobody’s go-to pocket vote, like Lara would be. In fact, he would be a much needed swing vote on that dais, able to go whichever way the wind blows best for residents.
Wells sent an email Friday, hours after getting The Miami Herald endorsement, explaining how his campaign had started about restoring civility and now it’s about stopping voting blocks.
“Our five-person commission needs five independent decision makers to address the needs and issues of all neighborhoods,” Wells wrote. “I am independent, and as your next commissioner, will vote independently on each issue in the best interest of you, the residents.”
That independence is also reflected in the fact that he is self-financing his campaign. He is not taking any special interest money. In the end, and ironically, that could be what ends him. No money to counter the messages that the other side — including Lago’s PAC — is hammering voters with.
At last count, through April 3, Lara raised more than $169,000, according to the most recent campaign finance report, and still had about $75K in the bank. Wells has spent less than half of that, or more than $36,000 of his own money, according to his reports. At some point, that’s going to hurt. Especially if it doesn’t make a difference.
Lara’s messaging has stayed pretty consistent with Lago’s platform. Even though it’s harder to attack Wells on them because he is not an elected already, like Menendez, they still have. Wells won’t immediately rescind the salary increases for the mayor and commissioners that Mayor Lago promised to roll back. Lara promises to roll them back also. Not a coincidence.
He also wants to change the election to November from April. And agrees with a tiny cut that would save the average homeowner less than $100 but the big property owners and developments tens of thousands in taxes, and possibly cut services.
Lara sounds like a parrot. Lara the loro. And, if he wins, people better get used to it. Lago is going to be getting an echo from both his left and his right side on the dais. Speaking of which, Anderson, who also won pretty handily April 8, also endorsed El Loro.
Several of the mailers sent out for Lara notes that he is endorsed by “trusted local publications,” citing the Community News and Coral Gables Magazine. Trusted must be a subjective term. At that time, Wells did not have the Herald endorsement, like he has now. The Herald said both candidates were good, but that Wells was simply better prepared. Lara, they suggested, should try joining a city board, if he wants to be involved.
That’s a good one. Because Lara obviously doesn’t want to be involved. He doesn’t even vote. This was all Vinnie’s idea.
Read related: Coral Gables candidate Richard Lara has not voted in the city since 1999
Lara — who, remember, hasn’t voted in a city election in Coral Gables since 1999 — also got the endorsement, as predicted by Political Cortadito, from transit lobbyist Claudia Miro, who lost the first round with only 13.5% of the vote against Lara’s 47% and Wells’ 39%. Many people expected Miro, who shares Lago contributors like former Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff — who she used to work for — to endorse Lara. In fact, some of them think she was planted all along to thwart the race. There will be far fewer turnout this Tuesday, April 22, than there was last week. It’s Easter weekend. People are out of town. That could affect the outcome.
It could work in Wells’ favor, if the people who come out to vote are the engaged residents who are already involved and know the truth from the propaganda they’re getting in the mail and on their phones. Lago is not on the ballot, so some people will just forgo the runoff and let whatever happens, happen.
Wells got the Herald endorsement, as noted. But wouldn’t anybody who is swayed by that already be voting for him? And, again, he really doesn’t have the money to get that message out, anyway.
Meanwhile, there is money being spent on smear campaigns that have gotten their way to another blog, citing two sources that say they saw Wells at the Master’s golf tournament last weekend in Augusta, Ga. Even though Wells said he hadn’t gone — though he usually gets tickets comped by one of his clients — and been to Charleston to visit his mother in the hospital, instead.
“Just like anybody else might feel in that position, I did not want to end up having any regrets because I didn’t go,” Wells told Political Cortadito. He flew in the day after the election and flew back two days later, on Friday, to campaign.
Ladra bets the two “sources” that allegedly saw him in Georgia were Lara himself and Lago lackey Nicholas Cabrera, the self-described “prince of Coral Gables” who is serving as Lara’s body man on the campaign (because, surely, Jesse Manzano is running that show).
Other smear campaigns include that he has promised to make Menendez city manager in exchange for his endorsement. First, Menendez hasn’t endorsed Wells and, secondly, he would not really be the best choice from a national search, which is what Wells advocated for when the commission fired former manager Peter Iglesias. He still would go that route if the current city manager were to resign. Wells spoke at a city meeting against the position held by Castro, Fernandez and Menendez on that one — and no, the other two candidates have not endorsed him, either. And, no, Fernandez is not running his campaign.
This all smells like desperation on the part of Lago, er, we mean Lara. Aren’t they super confident they’ll come in ahead?
Wells’ only endorsement has been from Gables Neighbors United, an affiliate of Coral Gables Neighbors Association — an active group of residents focused on fighting overdevelopment — and, now, The Miami Herald. And the only people working on his campaign are his wife, Diane, and some friends. And gratis.
“I think it is wrong to get any elected official to endorse a candidate,” Wells says. “This is up to the residents to choose. Why would an elected official intervene in an election? I know that is what Mayor Lago and Vice-Mayor Anderson have done for Mr. Lara because they are running a slate — and I think it is wrong.
“I am independent. I would appreciate the vote of Commissioners Fernandez and Castro — as well as any other resident — but not their endorsement.”
Read related: Vince Lago, Rhonda Anderson handily coast to re-election in Coral Gables
Sue Kawalerski, the president of Coral Gables Neighbors Association, said that the residents deserve checks and balances on the dais.
“He wants a one-side commission,” Kawalerski said about Lago. “We need a balance of power and the only independent candidate is Tom Wells. He won’t be on one side or another, she said. “He will be on our side.”
Wells has also committed to stop any efforts on the city’s behalf to annex Little Gables, because city voters overwhelmingly rejected the idea on a ballot question last August with 63% of the vote. Gables voters don’t want to absorb the $23 million cost that it would take just over the first five years to bring Little Gables into the City Beautiful fold. Lago, who has been obsessed with this annexation and whose brother used to lobby for the largest property owner in Little Gables, has not made the commitment to let it go. He voted against dropping it last year after the vote, because he said there was low turnout. So he will try again.
Wells also commits to keeping the zoning code intact and not grant exceptions and variances to developers for larger and denser projects that increase traffic and burden other city services.
Ladra and some Gables observers and critics of Lago’s are worried that if Lara wins, that means that there will be no checks and balances on the commission, the mayor will have the power he needs to run over the wishes of residents or business owners he doesn’t like and the temperature on the dais will get even hotter. But developers will be happy.
And so will Lago, who will have free reign for the next two years and be even more insoportable than he is already.
The post Coral Gables election choice is a Vince Lago yes vote or an independent voice appeared first on Political Cortadito.
