Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finally suspended Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez Tuesday, three whole weeks after he was arrested on public corruption charges for allegedly taking $15,000 in exchange for sponsoring legislation that would benefit the owners of a shopping center and grocery store.

Martinez, who attended the first budget hearing and voted against it, did not return calls and texts to his phone. But he has previously said that he will speak when he can, by which he means after the trial is over or when the charges are dropped.

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Add former Miami-Dade Fire Chief and ex president of the International Association of Firefighters Al Cruz to the shortlist of District 11 residents who could be appointed to replace Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez, who is facing a public corruption trial.

Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn’t yet suspended Martinez, who was charged with unlawful compensation for taking $15,000 in exchange for legislation. But he’s given every indication that he will. Someone close to the talks about Grumpy’s replacement told Ladra Wednesday that the governor said he would name someone in a couple of days. Is that two? Yeah, this feels like a Friday thing.

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Developing story: Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo lo tiene metido con Virginia Key.

It’s not just the ludicrous idea of shipping the city’s homeless to an encampment on the historic property. It’s not just the retaliatory raid he orchestrated on the concessionaire who had been there for five years.

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Miami Commissioners approved a $2.5 billion budget Saturday after almost zero discussion and a weekend public hearing that lasted about two hours.

They call it a $1.5 billion budget, but that’s just for operating expenses. The capital projects budget is almost another $981 mil.

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If you don’t live within the city of Miami boundaries, don’t bother to care about it’s businesses or it’s residents or it’s history or it’s future. That’s what Commissioner Joe Carollo said Saturday when he dismissed a speaker at the budget hearing who was making a plea for more transparency and more sustainability funding.

First, Jeanette Ruiz, program director at the Miami Climate Alliance, thanked the commission for the Saturday hearing, which she said makes it easier for people who can’t go during the week to participate in the process. But Ruiz also said more had to be done to promote or announce the hearing.

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About six hours after the first public hearing began Thursday, Miami-Dade Commissioners gave preliminary approval to the mayor’s $10 billion budget, which focuses on affordable housing, infrastructure and clean water while cutting the tax rate by 1%.

“This year we will continue rebuilding our community and economy stronger than ever by prioritizing critical investments in making Miami-Dade more affordable and livable, upgrading our infrastructure for future prosperity and resilience, helping small businesses thrive, and connecting residents to opportunity,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava writes in her budget message.

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