Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez, who is scheduled to surrender himself Tuesday to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office on a public corruption charge, is the victim of a political attack, says his lawyer in a pair of statements that question the timing.

After a five-year investigation, criminal charges will be filed against Martinez Tuesday, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle confirmed. What charges? We don’t know. Yet. She and Miami-Dade County Inspector General Felix Gimenez will have a joint press conference Tuesday afternoon to provide the details — and soundbites.

Read Full Story

The first mailer for a city of Miami Beach commission candidate of the five running to replace the late Mark Samuelian reached voters homes Friday. And already there may be some confusion.

That’s because the name of the political action committee that paid for the folded, four-pager is Miami Beach Residents United, which is very similar to the name of a residents’ group that serves as a watchdog of the commission.

Read Full Story

Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez — who everyone knows wants to run for county sheriff in 2024 — is said to be turning himself in to authorities Tuesday after a five-year public corruption investigation.

Several sources who confirmed this to Ladra did not know who Martinez would surrender to, although the logical answer is the State Attorney’s Office, which reportedly confirmed an investigation relating to the commissioner to Miami New Times in 2019.

Read Full Story

There are five people who qualified by the deadline Thursday to run for Miami Beach city commission and fill the vacancy left by the unexpected June death of Commissioner Mark Samuelian. They are:

Sabrina Cohen, a C5 quadriplegic as the result of a teenage car accident who has since become an activist. She founded the Sabrina Cohen Foundation, which is dedicated to developing adaptive fitness and recreational programs that provide a better quality of life for individuals living with paralysis and various disabilities. Thanks to her, many wheelchair-bound people have enjoyed the beach.Stephen Cohen, a realtor and real estate investor who has been a civic activist for years, involved in beach clean-ups and food drives. He is a perennial candidate, running several times and losing last year to Commissioner Alex Fernandez.Laura Dominguez, Samuellian’s life partner for the past 10 years, who was by his side for his political campaigns and community events. She is up on all the issues and is favored by several commissioners. She works in digital marketing.Isaiah Mosley, a senior environmental scientist at Aecom, an infrastructure consulting firm, worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from 2008 to 2010. He is a community volunteer. He ran for commission in 2015 for a seat ultimately won by Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez.Mitch Novick, part owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel and regular speaker at city commission meetings. Novick has been involved in Beach politics for at least a decade. He’s chronicled the crowd control issues in South Beach for years and is a big fan of the 2 a.m. last call.

Read Full Story

The next vote on the chairmanship may hang in the balance

Read Full Story

In addition to the candidates, there are always other people, groups, institutions that win — or lose — in every single election. Without further ado, here are the most obvious winners and losers from Tuesday’s Miami-Dade primary.

Winners:

Read Full Story