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Today: DeSantis in Melbourne: Defines himself to crowd
Today: DeSantis in Melbourne: Defines himself to crowd
Carlos Gimenez nets $70K vs city strong mayor — for what in return?
Now we know why Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez suddenly started collecting money again for his political action committee: Miami Dade Residents First — which has raised almost $70,000 all of a sudden after two years of no activity — is sending mail and text messages to Miami voters urging a no vote on the strong mayor referendum.
One of those takes aim at Mayor Francis Suarez‘s new house, purchased in July for $1.4 million in one of his less brilliant moments. Really, he should have waited until after Nov. 6.
“A strong mayor that goes way too far,” says the piece, which even some hard-bitten political observers say goes too far with photos of the Suarez home. The mailer also says a future strong mayor could earn $300,000 for a part time job and “choose his successor, even if he is sent to jail.”
Read related: Carlos Gimenez is raising funds for his PAC again — but for who or what?
But the really bizarre thing here — unprecedented, in fact — is that Gimenez is doing this at all. Why raise money from his donors to fight a separate government’s initiative? Is he doing it to muddy Suarez for a mayoral challenge in 2021? Is he helping his new BFF, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, whose lawsuit challenging the ballot question was dismissed in a flurry of insults about the lack of legal merits?
In other words, what is it that compelled Gimenez to dust his PAC off after two years and raise $67,000 to oppose something he has for himself?
And what, maybe more importantly, has the mayor promised these contributors in exchange for their donation to his PAC? After all, he is not raising this money as a private citizen. This isn’t a gofundme account. It’s his political action committee. Do the donors know they are financing the opposition of the strong mayor referendum?
Read related: Hypocrite Carlos Gimenez knocks Miami strong mayor, petition pay
If so, they may have an interest at stake. If not, they may be expecting something back from Gimenez. So let’s follow the money:
The biggest contribution in recent weeks to Miami Dade Residents First is $15,000 from Urban-X Development, a Coral Gables firm that wants to build the $425-million River Landing Shops and Residences on 8.14 acres in the 1400 block of NW North River Drive, with anywhere between 475 and 530 apartments, 345,000 or so square feet of retail and restaurants, 2,200 parking spaces and a riverfront park and promenade.
Critics say that it is one of the best examples of gentrification in the city. Do they have any more asks? How about from the county?
The smallest contribution was $2,500 from Felix Lasarte, a lobbyist working for the American Dream Mall developers, who we know still have a lot to negotiate at the county.
Another $10,000 a piece came from Coral Gables attorney Rodolfo Nuñez and Chicago-based Trilogy Real Estate, which is one of the partners in the $220 million Concours Club, a members-only race course, clubhouse and restaurant with flight simulators and aviation services such as plane chartering, sales and management on 80 acres at Opa-Locka Airport, on land leased from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.
Read related: Carlos Gimenez has new role as rainmaker — soliciting for 10 PACs
Another $5,000 a piece came from the Fisher Island developers who we first wrote about last month, the very first contribution since November 2016 — and from Dermar Management, owned by Dale and Mary Ann Robinson, and two other political action committees — Alliance for a Better Community, which has supported Commissioner Jean Monestime in the past, and We The People, which belongs to Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz.
So does that mean that Diaz and Monestime are also opposed to the strong mayor initiative in the city of Miami?
Another $4,000 came from Javier Viso, who is the IT director at Airport Concessions Group.
Another $3,000 a piece came from Airport Concessions Group’s Director Antonio Robles and Esquire Properties, a company owned by Christopher Descalzo, a partner in the group that runs the Versailles and La Carreta concessions at the airport.
Wait. Does anybody else see a pattern developing here? Is there an airport concession vote coming up soon?
These are only the campaign donations through October 19. And if Gimenez keeps at it at the same pace, he could raise more than $100,000 from airport concession interests to fight Suarez and his strong mayor move.
What is Gimenez giving them in return?
Herald-Tribune: Republicans have early voting lead in Florida
Herald-Tribune: Republicans have early voting lead in Florida
Bradenton Herald: Andrew Gillum capitalizes on ‘Manatee Momentum’ in Bradenton campaign stop
Bradenton Herald: Andrew Gillum capitalizes on ‘Manatee Momentum’ in Bradenton campaign stop
Herald-Tribune: Voter-turnout efforts go into overdrive entering homestretch
Herald-Tribune: Voter-turnout efforts go into overdrive entering homestretch
Herald-Tribune: Gillum draws capacity crowd in Sarasota, addresses latest FBI corruption probe revelation
Herald-Tribune: Gillum draws capacity crowd in Sarasota, addresses latest FBI corruption probe revelation
Sun Sentinel: Nearly a quarter-million early voters hit polls in South Florida
Sun Sentinel: Nearly a quarter-million early voters hit polls in South Florida
Post: In Boca, DeSantis urges Trump supporters to turn out against Gillum’s ‘radical left’
Post: In Boca, DeSantis urges Trump supporters to turn out against Gillum’s ‘radical left’
Daily News: Rich donors give DeSantis slight lead in fundraising for Florida governor's race
Daily News: Rich donors give DeSantis slight lead in fundraising for Florida governor’s race
Carlos Gimenez has head in the clouds with air taxi vision
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has come up with a genius solution to the county’s massive traffic gridlock and mass transit problems: Cars that fly.
Ladra is not kidding. Gimenez wants to be George Jetson.
We don’t have money to expand rail, which is what was promised to the people with the half-penny tax increase in 2002. Not even for one extension south or north up to Broward. Not even for a light rail across the bay to Miami Beach.
But we apparently can find the money to entertain thoughts of a public private partnership with Lilium, a German engineering startup that raised $90 million to build air taxis just last year and whose five-seat jets could be crossing our skies in as little as two years, according to the mayor’s vision.
Read related: Rumors persist of a new recall effort to oust Carlos Gimenez
You know, like those Amazon drone planes only bigger and carrying people. Don’t worry. They have parachutes! These electric-powered jets are safe because they have parachutes that discharge if there is any “in-flight failure” or collision.
“So you can just float down,” Gimenez told Miami Today. And, apparently, they took him seriously.
Gimenez has met twice already with representatives from Lilium, the last meeting taking place with executives Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s definitely cutting edge, so I’m interested,” the mayor told Miami Today after the first meeting earlier this month, because you know how he loves shiny new stuff. “We have an interesting place to try out the new concept. We want to be the city of the future.”
Is that why you are buying so many buses?
Read related: Termed out Mayor Carlos Gimenez gives self undeserved 70% pay raise
Not that this isn’t something that Ladra is happy to welcome into our world, like jetpacks and hologram TV. It’s kinda awesome. It’s just not a transit solution.
The five-seat jet can go 186 miles in an hour. Except there doesn’t need to be five people for a trip that, for now, would start and end at one of the county’s four airports — MIA, Opa-Locka, Miami Executive (formerly known as Kendall-Tamiami) and Homestead. Eventually, there will be ports built elsewhere. The developer of Paramount WorldCenter Miami designed a skyport atop the 60-story building for future air taxis.
And certainly it won’t come cheap. Think Uber Super X.
How does this do anything to take care of the massive gridlock most of us face daily? Answer: It doesn’t. But Gimenez isn’t concerned with that. This air taxi idea seems like a quicker turnaround and he is all about immediate gratification.
And shiny things.
Read related: Add another son to Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s lobbying clan
And immediate graft? Ladra tried to find out who the lobbyist was for Lilium and couldn’t find anyone in the county lobbyist registrations going back to the beginning of the year. But maybe it’s early. Maybe that’s next as they meet with commissioners.
It’s too bad that Gimenez can’t get excited about finding ways to make a public private partnership for rail happen because that is what the people were promised and that is what the people want.
Nothing, not even flying cars, will be an acceptable alternative.
