The long-rumored challenge to Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo is true: Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro — whose wife lost to Crazy Joe in 2017 — has filed documents to run for the seat in District 3.

Barreiro, who resigned in 2017 to run for Congress (losing to Maria Elvira Salazar un 2018’s primary) was at City Hall turning his documents in Friday afternoon, but people have been whispering about his candidacy for months. After all, he did support the Carollo recall last year against the man who attacked his wife, Zoraida Barreiro, with very negative mail pieces.

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Talk about making a splash.

Fresh from Houston, in his first 100 days as Miami’s new Police Chief, Art Acevedo has moved to fire Assistant Chief Ronald Papier — who was acting chief just a few weeks ago — and his wife, Maj. Nerly Papier, after he helped cover up an accident that she had in a police vehicle.

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After 21 years, the advocate at the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust — the man who basically serves as the prosecutor — is leaving us. Michael Murawski has a new job: He will keep politicians and government folks in line at the new Naples Ethics Commission.

Murawski will be their first executive director starting June. 1. Congratulations, but Ladra gives him six months before he’s begging to come back just because of the sheer boredom.

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So, remember that sculpture park of dogs and cats that Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo wants to pay almost $1 million for? You know, the one he and his wife Marjorie sprung (read: forced) on the Bayfront Park Management Trust that led to the resignation of one board member?

Well, the city’s Arts in Public Places committee has kind of taken the wind out of his sails.

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Coral Gables Vice Mayor Mike Mena is under fire for his vote last week to sell a city-owned parcel used as a surface parking lot near the Village of Merrick Park to his bosses in a no-bid secret deal that nobody knew was coming.

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Is a lobbyist still a lobbyist if nobody hears a sound?

Former Miami-Dade Transit Director Alice Bravo attended a meeting with other lobbyists last month with Miami-Dade Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz about a piece of a $50 million contract for design and engineering services at Miami International Airport. Bravo, who resigned from her $250,000 earlier this year, can’t lobby anyone at the county for two years after she her exit. And Diaz would have us believe that she was not there to influence him.

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