Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert assigned new committees and appointed the commissioner who will serve as chair and vice chair of these new committees.

Every woman on the commission got a chairmanship, which means that five women will be chair of something or other for the first time in county history. That’s a majority of the eight committees.

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All five new county commissioners were sworn in at separate ceremonies Tuesday after winning their elections Nov. 8 or in the August primary.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Anthony Rodriguez didn’t have to go to a runoff after getting 56% against three other candidates in the District 10 race to replace termed-out Javier Souto. The former state rep (Republican, District 118, Westchester) had State Rep. and future Speaker Daniel Perez (Republican, District 116, Kendall) swear him in.

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Florida Rep. Anthony Rodriguez (R-Kendall) wants to replace the termed-out Miami-Dade Commissioner Javier Souto and filed paperwork earlier this month which shows he intends to run for the open seat in 2022.

So far, it’s a two-way race between him and Libertarian cannabis advocate Martha Bueno, who filed in February.

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It’s the last week of the first month of the new year — and there’s lots going on.

From the megamall discussion at the Miami-Dade Commission to an upzone request in Doral to a town hall “brainstorming session” (read: campaign event) in Coral Gables — this is where and when we watch our government and politicians in action.

But also, it’s the first week without a Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club in Miami Beach. Sad. Someone please, please find a new venue before the election cycle gets in full swing.

As always, please keep sending news about meetings, campaign rallies, political club powwows and other events to edevalle@gmail.com. Last week, we had to add a couple of last minute items after posting because there were important events we weren’t aware of and should have been. This is your Cortadito Calendar, after all.

TUESDAY — Jan.  24

9 a.m. — The controversial  metal flower sculpture at Segovia Street and Coral Way and the North Ponce de Leon Boulevard Mixed-Use Overlay District will be hot topics at the Coral Gables Commission meeting Tuesday. Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick wants to put a question on the April ballot asking voters if they want the flower sculpture, which many residents have complained about, to remain or be moved elsewhere (more on that later). Commissioners will also take their first vote on the North Ponce Overlay. They’ve been talking about it since 2014, getting feedback from the community on this effort to develop North Ponce commercially but also protect the residential neighborhood adjacent to it. It aims to provide buffers and pedestrian connectors and to support historic preservation. As if that wasn’t enough, they will also consider beginning negotiations with a vendor on the redevelopment of two downtown parking garages. Commissioner Vince Lago wants his colleagues to consider the creation of a “parking code.” They’ll also talk about a 25 MPH limit in residential zones. And Mayor Jim Cason has a “special message.” Oh, boy. You might want to take a snack.

9:30 a.m — You may want to take two snacks to what looks like a mammoth Miami Dade Commission meeting Tuesday. They will consider spending a lot of money Tuesday. A lot of money. One contract on the agenda is for a $428.7 million to Trillium Transportation Fuels for compressed natural gas as well as issuing $100 million of the Jackson Memorial Public Facilities bond monies, another $11 million in bond funds (to be repaid by the developer) for a pubic housing project known as La Joya Estates in District 9, and a $3 million contract to Bermello, Ajamil and Partners to plan and design the master plan for the seaport. They will also consider resolutions urging state legislators to (1) enact legislation that would divert excess MDX funds to Miami-Dade County for transit projects, (2) contain utility fees and (3) oppose legislation that would allow concealed weapons on university and college campuses, among other messages they are sending to Tallahassee. They will also talk about two neighorhood traffic studies, the awarding of 59 grants for a total of $470,000 ($308,000 to promot tourism and $160,00 for cultural groups), enhanced penalties for wage theft and creating three more of those special taxing districts (for street lights). Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez will also provide ideas on possible funding for The Underline, which is not controversial (not yet, anyway; wait until he starts awarding the work) and reports on the costs of creating a multi-use path around Miami Executive Airport and preventing condominium association fraud, for which he has apparently assembled a Condominium Fraud Task Force comprised of Miami-Dade Police with the help from officers in Miami Beach, Surfside, North Miami Beach and Aventura. Ladra doubts commissioners will get out of there before 6 p.m.

7 p.m. — Developer Armando Codina, who built downtown Doral, wants the Doral City Council to upzone 10+ acres north of 41st Street between 107th and 109th avenues, from business and office residential to — what else? — high density residential. The council will consider this on Wednesday so former Doral City Attorney, Joe Jimenez — who know works as Vice President of legal and government affairs for Codina — is going to have a community workshop meeting the day before to address residents’ concerns. The powwow begins at 7 p.m. in the first floor conference room at City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Ter., and will end after the last question is answered, Jimenez said.

WEDNESDAY — Jan. 25

9:30 a.m. — Even though a lot is happening Tuesday, this is the Miami-Dade County Commission meeting that everybody is talking about this week. Wednesday’s meeting is on amendments to the Comprehensive Master Development Plan and the main item on the agenda is the megamall and shopping themed amusement park called American Dream Miami on some 200 plus acres north of Northwest 178th Street between I-75 and the Florida Turnpike (more on this later). This is the land that Gimenez made sure the developers got at a discount price while he secretly negotiated the deal for months. Wednesday is only the first of several public hearings that could draw a lot of speakers. The main opposition so far has come from the owners of the competing malls and people who live in Miami Lakes or Pine Springs North, who already have to deal with blasting from the nearby quarries. On Wednesday, we will really get to see how this fight is going to shape up.

9:30 a.m. — The Pinecrest Village Council has will continue a worskhop from last week on the development of a strategic plan that directs the Village’s efforts and actions as well as informs the budgetary process for the next five to eight years. It is in council chambers at the Pinecrest Municipal Center, 12645 Pinecrest Parkway.

6 p.m. –Developer Armando Codina, who built downtown Doral, wants the Doral City Council to rezone 10+ acres north of 41st Street between 107th and 109th avenues, from business and office residential to — what else? — high density residential. The application says this use is consistent with the surrounding area and the city’s master plan objective of providing a wide range of housing options and rates. Of course it does. Ladra expects quite a few people to speak against this planned development of 250 units, to be called Doral 4200, because traffic in Doral is already a huge problem. The developers even expect push back, which is why they had that workshop meeting Tuesday. Newly elected Mayor J.C. Bermudez made the traffic due to overdevelopment part of his campaign. Ladra can’t imagine he’s going to be favorable. And the council is also considering a site plan for a medical plaza on the west side of 109th, among other things. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Ter.

THURSDAY — Jan. 26

6 p.m. — Coral Gables Commissioner and 2017 mayoral candidate Jeannett Slesnick will have another one of her community meetings. This one is called a “brainstorming session” and residents are asked to weigh in on a number of topics, including traffic, annexation, city services, speed limits and development, among others. Hmmm… wait a minute. Those look like campaign issues. Is this a live poll in disguise? “She wants to hear from you,” shouts the email blast, and that is a great campaign message. She is so in touch. And is that why there is a registration that starts at 5 p.m.? Slesnick already has an enviable email list but there’s no harm in adding to it. And this will provide her with more official contact with voters — but she’s always in contact with everybody, so Ladra is sure she would do it anyway. It just becomes extra helpful two and a half months before the election. And it being a city event, it won’t costs the campaign a dime to have this event in the Alhambra Ballroom at the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave.

6 p.m. — Miami-Dade Commissioner Javier Souto has one of his town hall meetings at Kendall Soccer Park, 8011 SW 127 Ave. Residents who live in that District 10 area can go and learn about services or give their complaints to the commissioner and/or his staff. If you miss it, don’t worry, there will be another one next month at the West Dade Regional Library.

FRIDAY — Jan. 27

9:00 a.m. — The Citizens Independent Transportation Trust hosts a “Municipal Transportation Workshop” every year to provide information updates and new program requirements to officials from the cities receiving Surtax funds. After opening statements by OCITT Executive Director Charles Scurr, they will discuss future initiatives, best practices, a major corridor overview — all are on the agenda, which is designed to engage the participants in panel discussions and allow municipal representatives to present and highlight their transportation achievements using PTP funds. This event also allows municipalities to communicate directly with Transportation Trust and other county staff to discuss matters of mutual concern. In the theater at the History Miami Museum, 101 West Flagler St.

Municipal and state candidates wait in the wings

If anyone ever made an argument for term limits, it was Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo just last week when he was sworn in as the new chairman of the board and talked about actually making decisions in the next two years because, after all, this is his last term and he’s got a looming deadline.

“We embark on a new era, an era that is tied directly to term limits, and that is going to affect how we conduct the business of the people of Miami-Dade,” Bovo said “It becomes very clear to me that we have to work in an expedited fashion.”

Apparently so.

Read related story: Carlos Gimenez, er, Stevie Bovo wins commission chair

Bovo ain’t alone in preparing his exit. Term limits approved by voters in 2012 mean that six commissioners will be out of office and replaced in 2020 (Jordan, Edmonson, Barreiro, Suarez, Moss and Bovo). Another six will be replaced in 2022 (Monestime, Heyman, Levine Cava, Sosa, Souto and Diaz), leaving only newly elected Commissioner Joe Martinez (that sounds weird) on the dais with 12 fresh faces. Although “fresh” might be an overstatement.

This is the 305, after all, where recycling politicians is not just a sport, it’s a cottage industry. The most likely replacements will be electeds who move up the political ladder from municipal office or down from the state legislature to Miami-Dade.

It’s no secret, for example, that State Sen. Anitere Flores has long been eyeing Commissioner Javier Souto‘s county seat and that former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner is waiting for Commissioner Xavier Suarez to be termed out so she can run for an open seat.

Flores pretty much has it in the bag. But Lerner might find, however, that it’s not going to be just handed over to her. Coral Gables Commissioner Vince Lago surely has higher aspirations and Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, who is termed out this year, may find retirement boring. Anything is better than Mayor Carlos Gimenez wanting his old seat back or, knock on wood, his lobbyist son, who just started his own consulting firm wheeling and dealing for Latin American interests who want the ear of our President Donald Trump.

Read related story: Mayor’s son lobbies Trump with silent, same ol’ partners

Some districts have more potential hopefuls waiting in the wings than others. Take Commissioner Bruno Barreiro‘s seat. His replacement could come from either Miami Beach or the city of Miami. Maybe Miami Commissioner Frank Carollo hasn’t filed paperwork because he’s thinking of jumping the bridge to the 111 building. Ladra wouldn’t be surprised at all if former Commissioner Marc Sarnoff ran. He’s been conspicuously quiet. And what if former Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla thinks the city of Miami is too small for him?

But this is also an opportunity for former Miami Beach Commissioners Deede Weithorn and Michael Gongora (pictured here), both of whom lost state bids last year. It very well could turn into a Miami vs. Miami Beach thing.

District 13 might also get a clusterbunch of candidates when Bovo runs for mayor in 2020. Ladra suspects that newly-elected Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid has aspirations beyond the town. He just seems so ambitious. And he’s worked closely with Bovo on several district initiatives. Chances are, just from the sheer number of them, that he will have a challenge out of Hialeah. Maybe Carlos Hernandez. Maybe Vivian Casals-Munoz. Maybe even State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez, who has been quietly lobbying for the megamall development in Northwest Miami-Dade, which is coming before the commission this week (more on that later).

Homestead Mayor Jeff Porter ought to run for Daniella Levine Cava‘s seat in District 8. It’s really a good way to continue to advocate for your hometown, which is largely ignored. Ladra thinks he’d get the support of the Democrats and labor groups that supported Daniella. We would have said former Sen. Dwight Bullard would run for Levine’s or Moss’s seat — whichever one he lived in — except he apparently moved to Gadsen County to run for chairman of the Florida Democratic Party. He may move back. It’s not unthinkable. And don’t count former Commissioner Lynda Bell out. Sure, she lost to Levine Cava in 2012, but she could come back. Stranger things have happened. Recently. The very Repubican pro-life advocate may feel empowered.

Read related story: Voters replace Luigi Boria with first mayor J.C. Bermudez

Former Doral Councilwoman Sandra Ruiz might jump at the chance to run for Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz‘s seat. She might finally be able to win one, with the Democratic Party’s help again, especially if her only opponent is Sweetwater Mayor Orlando Lopez. But there’s always the hope of a rematch. After all, former Doral Mayor Luigi Boria , who loaned himself quite a bit for a failed mayoral re-election, has the money to run another race if his ego gets the best of him. And, now, he also has the time. But Ruiz likely has the support of Doral Mayor J.C. Bermudez, who just beat Boria decidedly in November. That is, if he doesn’t run himself. It isn’t entirely out of the question either; Bermudez at one point mulled a run for county mayor.

Certainly, Ladra has forgotten some notable recyclables who are just chomping at the bit. Please feel free to add your own predictions in the comments below.

Of course, all these “new” people — recycled electeds and any fresh faces that may sprout — start with the clock running already. Nobody is going to get 27 years, like Souto and Commissioner Dennis Moss will have served by the time they are forced to leave the dais almost, practically at gunpoint. The new batch of commissioners will have only eight short (?) years to get things done and that’s it. Then there’s a whole new crop of people coming in every four years. The turnaround should be a fantastic motivator.

Maybe we should shorten term limits to four years. Imagine how much more would get done.

Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo has named his new committee members, chairs and vice chairs and there are definitely signs that some of his colleagues are buds and some are, well, not.

It’s natural to give chairmanships to those commissioners who voted for you as chairman of the board. That’s a longtime tradition and no surprise here. These are rewards, plain and simple. If you think, gentle reader, that our electeds want to put people in committees that make sense because of their experience or expertise, you would only be half right. Because appointments are also opportunities to help allies and hand out payback to those who aren’t. And this is all real insider baseball, but it can help us understand how things play out in the next two years. 

And it is obvious that Vice Chair Audrey Edmonson is the big winner while newly re-elected Commissioner Joe Martinez is the big loser.

Edmonson is sitting pretty, which lends more strength to the widespread belief that she struck a deal with Bovo and switched her original vote for chairman from Commissioner Xavier Suarez and steered others to do the same. Edmonson is the only commissioner who got two committees instead of three — she gets a little break — and they are two of the good ones. She is chair of the housing and social services, most likely she wanted that because of the Liberty Square Rising project — and vice chair of transportation and public works, which is probably the most imporant committee (read: most coveted) in the next two years. She also chairs her own Building Safer Neighborhoods committee and is vice chair of Bovo’s Policy Council, that means that there is not a single committee that she sits on that she is not chairing or vice chair.

Read related story: Tight race for commission chair — Xavier Suarez vs Stevie Bovo

She’s also got the most and some of the juicier appointments to various boards and councils, like the International Trade Consortium, which was taken away from Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who voted for X in the chair vote (loser). Edmonson also got appointed to the Public Health Trust Nominating Council and the Jackson Health Systesm GOB Advisory Board, which will oversee spending of the $830 million general obligation bond funds that were approved by 65% of the voters in 2013. She was also appointed to the Youth Crime Task Force with Commissioner Barbara Jordan, who also voted for X and was not appointed to any other board or council (loser).

But at least she got one. And Jordan was also named vice chair of the public safety and health committee. And Diaz gets to be vice chair of infrastructure and utilities as well as the appointment to the Military Affairs Board, which is a nice consolation prize for him in exchange for the trade consortium.

Joe Martinez is the big loser because he is the only commissioner who didn’t get named either chair or vice chair of any committee and he got snubbed out of any boards and councils. It’s not like there weren’t enough spots to go around. Edmonson and Commissioners Rebeca Sosa and Javier Souto — both of whom also supported Bovo — have both a chair and vice chair position (winners). Sosa will chair the economic development and tourism committee and serve as vice chair of the government operations. And Souto chairs his beloved Parks and Cultural Affairs committee — arguably the least important of them — and is vice chair of the economic development and tourism committee with Sosa. Say what? Well, the chairman, whose father served in Brigade 2506 with Souto, likes him. And several of the commissioners who voted for Bovo as chair have multiple board appointments.

If Edmonson is the queen of the new court, Martinez is the jester. To add insult to injury, he also gets what everyone considers the “punishment” chair in the seatig arrangement at the county clerk end of the dais, furthest from the door and the coveted county attorney side.

So, it’s more than just about his vote for Suarez. This is probably about Martinez talking smack since he’s come back.

Ladra loves it. Comeback Joe is schooling the other commissioners, asking bothersome questions, making procurement officers squirm. But that means he’s ruffling feathers at County Hall and making some people unhappy. And he must pay Piper Bovo.

Read related story: Carlos Gimenez, er, Stevie Bovo wins commission chair

Also, the chairman admitted that he consulted with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez — who also worked behind the scenes to help Bovo become chairman — before making his appointments and its no secret, despite Martinez claiming a buried hatchet, that the mayor is still peeved at Joe for having the audacity to run against him in 2012. The nerve!

Ladra doesn’t think the chairman considers Martinez a threat to his own rumored interest in the open mayor’s seat in 2020. But we suspect that’s why X was also put in a box. It’s no secret that Suarez is also seriously considering a run for mayor. And there was no other reason for Bovo to rub his victory in Suarez’s face by giving the Children’s Trust appointment to Commissioner Sally Heyman (winner) after X told him it’s all he wanted.  But Suarez did get appointed to housing and social services committee that has organizational jurisdiction over the Children’s Trust. He also got on the government operations, which oversees budget and finance, and infrastructure and utilities committees.

“Sounds like I get to do some work on the budget,” Suarez told Ladra. “I’m happy with all of them.

“Not being on transportation could be seen as negative but I don’t take it like that. I’m not able to move a transportation agenda without outside influences,” Suarez said, adding that he was talking to the CITT  about reclaiming People’s Transportation Plan funds and talking to legislators about tag renewal fee monies.

His son, Miami City Commissioner Francis Suarez, is vice chair of the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Suarez has also been trying to get more MDX dollars for mass transit rather than highways.

“I don’t need to be on the committee to move things forward,” he said.

Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, who also supported Suarez, got put on the Parks and Cultural committee and the Public Safety and Health committees and is vice chair of the Housing and Social Services committee. She did get one appointment to the Public Health Trust Compensation and Evaluation Committee, whatever that is. Obscure. Suarez got it appointed to just that also (losers).

Other winners include Bruno Barreiro, who gets to chair the transportation committee and is the commission appointment to the Beacon Council, former Chairman Jean Monestime, who gets chair of the infrastructure and utilities committee and is the county’s representative at the Miami-Dade League of Cities and Dennis Moss, who got chair of government operations and appointed to the Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens Oversight Board and Neat Streets Miami.