Miami is a fast paced community with a rapid fire news cycle. Our blog keeps you current on the most important issues affecting the tax payers of Miami-Dade county. Read, share, comment, and as always let us know what topics you want us to tackle.
Head agent at Miami FDLE office retires suddenly — but nobody has said why
DEVELOPING STORY: The head of the Miami Regional Operations Center of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement “retired” abruptly Thursday.
A group of agents were called to a mandatory meeting Thursday morning and told that Special Agent in Charge Troy Walker had retired “effective immediately.” Walker, the first African-American to be named chief SAC at the Miami FDLE, was in his third year in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan and was, reportedly, seeking a higher post at the state level.
City of Miami redistricting still divides neighborhoods, now on partisan lines
Scolded for having passed a racially gerrymandered redistricting map and forced to start over after a federal judge threw it out, Miami city commissioners passed a new map Wednesday that, basically, doubled down on the gerrymandering and looks a lot like the old map.
This time, it’s blatantly political.
New Miami map could draw opponent out of Alex Diaz de la Portilla’s district
DEVELOPING STORY: If you can’t beat them at the polls, draw them out of your district.
That’s what’s happening in the city of Miami at today’s special meeting to redraw the new district maps that were tossed out by a court after several organizations and residents sued over gerrymandering (more on that later). The new map proposed by consultant Miguel DeGrandy cuts a corner of 17th Avenue off District 1 — about three homes, including the one where Miguel Angel Gabela, who is running against incumbent commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, has lived in for more than 20 years.
State rep’s move to county clerk ‘and comptroller’ could expand the role
When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed State Rep. Juan Alfonso Fernandez Barquin (R-District 118) as the new Miami-Dade County Clerk — to replace longtime clerk Harvey Ruvin, who died five months ago — he also called him comptroller, a financial role the clerk officially serves but which Ruvin had always de facto conceded to whoever was the county mayor.
Fernandez-Barquin, an attorney with a degree in economics and ambition, is likely not gonna do that. In fact, las malas lenguas say he is excited about making the role a more public elected post — he has to run for office again in 2024 — with the same powers as other clerks in other counties in the state.
Miami commission doesn’t want public comment or input on new redistricting
Ordered by a court to go back to the literal drawing board to define new commission districts for the city, Miami Commissioners will have a special meeting Wednesday to discuss which direction to take — including the possibility of abolishing districts completely.
But commissioners don’t want to hear from the public.
Melissa Castro comes into her own with two good items on Coral Gables agenda
Plus a few other interesting issues that will be raised
Newly elected Coral Gables Commissioner Melissa Castro is getting her stride. She has two items on the agenda for Tuesday’s city commission meeting and both should be passed unanimously — although Ladra has a feeling Mayor Vince Lago will come up with some excuse to block them.
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has more city business than we thought
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has been a busy boy.
Lago told the media that he is a businessman earlier this month after it was exposed that he was renting retail space to a developer of a luxury high-rise who has done other projects in the City Beautiful.
Longtime activist Damian Pardo joins Miami District 2 commission race
Banker and longtime community activist Damian Pardo, LGBTQ+ champion and founder of SAVE, announced his candidacy last week for city of Miami commissioner in District 2. As a first time candidate, Pardo said he wants to “shake things up” and return to prioritizing residents.
¡Ya tu sabes!
Under scrutiny, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez still has silly POTUS plans
The scandal about a pay-to-play secret job with a developer seeking permits in the city hasn’t really slowed Miami Mayor Francis Suarez down or changed his mind about seeking even a higher power to abuse. Baby X could announce his long-rumored and delusional run for president next week.
Five of his staffers have taken unpaid leave through at least August, according to The Miami Herald, indicating they could be about to transition to a campaign team. That includes his spokeswoman, Soledad Cedro, as well as Ricardo Seara, Jeremiah Schwartz, Rosa Roig-Kuper and Moises Hernandez. Unpaid leave allows them to keep their jobs and their healthcare coverage.
Homeless advocates protest city of Miami’s treatment of the unsheltered
In the past few years, the city of Miami Commission has taken several steps to crack down on homelessness in what many believe are inhumane ways — including banning food distributions and sweeps that separate homeless individuals from the few belongings they have. Ideas that have been floated include turning historic Virginia Key into a concentration camp of homeless, bussing them out of town — or having homeowners adopt a homeless person and take care of their needs.
Homeless advocates on Monday had a press conference at City Hall to announce a week of activities aimed at bringing awareness to and changing Miami’s policies that basically criminalize homelessness.
