TheyGiddy Republicans are about to dismantle the Affordable Healthcare Act, removing a safety net that catches 2.2 million Floridians who may otherwise not have insurance. Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott and our state GOP legislators want to turn Medicaid into a capped voucher system that could cut out some people with chronic care needs.

At the same time, there’s talk — and even a Florida House bill — about replacing existing federal matching funds for 4 million Florida Medicaid patients (including 2.3 million children), that are now eligible via federal guidelines, to “block grants” that would allow states to make its own decisions on how to spend those funds — and on whom.

Ouch. That’s gonna hurt some people.

So say the doctors and nurses at Jackson Memorial Hospital, who know first hand what its like to treat a community that uses the emergency room as its primary care center. There is never any follow up. Chronic illnesses get worse. People miss work. They self medicate. They begin to depend on other public programs and end up in the ER again — costing taxpayers more in the long run.

Jackson staff will join other health advocates and patients Thursday to highlight what exactly is at stake if the GOP gets its way. That includes the possible reduction of $33 billion in federal funding for healthcare over the next 10 — insufficient funding to provide the current level of services for enrollees, Florida’s Legislature will have to choose between increasing revenue, limiting enrollment, reducing services, or lowering provider reimbursement rates.

This is the point of Thursday’s rally at the Miami stop for the Save My Care Bus Tour, a two-month, cross-country tour that has traveled more than 7,000 miles to at least 30 events in 15 states to tell the stories of the more than 30 million Americans who will lose their health care under a repeal plan.

People like Gloria Bauta, a doula in Miami for 17 years. Bauta, 37, was not able to afford health insurance until the ACA was passed. Since college, she has suffered from chronic pain and gastrointestinal issues. After getting Obamacare, she was finally able to see a doctor and was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases. She has been able to get various treatments with her affordable care plan.

Like the “town hall” protests during last week’s Congressional recess, the bus tour wants to shine a light on the potential consequences if Republicans at the state and federal level are able to cut a deal to pay for some aspects of their new plan by effectively gutting Medicaid through block grants and per capita caps.

“Every day it becomes more clear that most people want to keep the Affordable Care Act because they recognize that killing it is a huge step backward for everyone’s health,” said Martha Baker, RN, president of SEIU Local 1991, which represents nurses, doctors and other professionals at Jackson Health System, the state’s largest public hospital.

“If a deal is cut to pay for a bad plan to replace the ACA by reducing coverage to seniors, children, people with disabilities, and veterans, then our elected officials are moving in the wrong direction and our most vulnerable citizens will bear the brunt,” Baker said in a statement.

They fear that Medicaid block grants cap coverage, which means limiting eligibility, establishing waiting lists and cutting reimbursements to healthcare providers. Doctors and patients would be facing impossible choices in just a few years, when the impact of the cuts and capped funding are fully felt.

“The destabilization of Florida’s health safety net threatens to overturn significant progress made for millions of Floridians finally able to afford quality healthcare and will ultimately cost the state’s taxpayers more down the road,” said Katy Huddlestun, an attorney with Florida Legal Services.

Fun facts Ladra learned regarding the repeal of ACA and the Medicaid changes proposed:

• Right now, the federal government guarantees 60% of Medicaid costs in Florida (it goes up to 62% in 2019). t is based on income levels so when more peope qualify, or during emergencies (i.e., hurricanes and Zika outbreaks) the funding increases.
• In Florida, the elderly and the blind and disabled make up only 22.5 % of the current eligible patients (7% and 15.5%, respectively) but account for more than 60% of the costs.
• Florida stands to lose over $8 billion in federal dollars annually. Most of those dollars (more than $6.1 billion) go to pay for the premium tax credits and cost sharing reductions that make insurance affordable for low and moderate-income Floridians.
• Over the next ten years, Florida could lose more than $33 billion over 10 years, or a 23% reduction in federal funding.
• The changes (read: cuts) also represent a potential loss of 180,000 or so jobs.

More statistics and stories like Bauta’s will be shared at Thursday’s rally, which begins at 11 a.m. at 1601 NW 8th Ave., just east of Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Where are our local leaders on this? Miami-Dade and Hialeah — which is one of if not the highest Obamacare enrollment area in the nation — should be front and center in ensuring that our residents keep their healthcare.

If there is anything we should have learned from the discovery last year that the mayor’s best friend was making $200 an hour as a subcontractor on a Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department project is that these contracts need a little more scrutiny.

But it looks like we learned nothing because they aren’t getting it.

There are eight contracts worth more than $82.5 million on the county commission agenda Wednesday. But they are bunched up together and on the consent agenda, which means there is no discussion — unless one of our more enlightened commissioners pulls it out to get more details. You know who you are.

They might want to know, for instance, that the mayor’s daughter-in-law works for one of the subcontractors on one of the eight contracts.

Read related story: Barby Gimenez shows up to no-show job on county dime

The three resolutions are to ratify the mayor’s actions. The commission Wednesday just has to accept them; it looks like there’s really no choice. One of them should ask. Because these are not small contracts:

• A two-year countywide contract for cleaning and televising of large diameter sewers for $6 million to Layne Inliner LLC
• A construction contract for water plant upgrades to Poole & Kent for $24.9 million
• A one-year countywide contract for rehabilitation of sanitary sewers by the sectional living method to UIT LLC for $4 million
• A construction contract for the north district wastewater treatemant plant new pumps for existing deep injection well-pumping station to Poole & Kent for $6.3 million
• A two-year countywide contract for removal and replacemnt of “sanitary sewer gravity mains” to Metro Express Inc. for $14 million
• An eight-year (!) non-exclusive professional services agreement for hydrogeologic and engineering services for disposal, water supply, monitoring wells and aquifer storage and recovery to MWH Americas Inc for $16.5 .million
• A six-year (!) non-exclusive professional services agreement for engineering, design and related services for the design of large diameter water pipelines to Parson Brinckerhoff, Inc, for $5.5 million
• A six-year (!) non-exclusive professional services agreement for engineering design and related services for large diameter water pipelines to EAC Consulting for $5.5 million (which sounds redundant and like someone is spreading the wealth among more golden ticket holders),

These are certainly things that must be done. We have federal and state court-mandated consent decrees to correct the years of neglect on our water and sewer system that our county allowed to be perpetrated — perhaps intentionally so that they could then dole out millions of dollars to their friends and contributors. There are 81 consent decree projects, according to the county. And it’s why your water bill went up 6 percent last year, is going up 9 percent this year and will increase by about 30 percent over the next 10 years.

That’s a lot of millions to pass around to the mayor’s family and friends. We’re just getting started.

In this case, the mayor — who was just elected raising $8 million or so worth of gifts from some of these very same contractors and their lobbyists — is doling out contracts and getting the commission’s approval afterwards. Yes, this is allowed because, in 2014, the commission, in all its wisdom (not!), approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to award contracts for already funded capital projects “and related goods and services, and to accelerate the approval of WASD’s (1) consent decree projects and (2) projects identified in WASD’s Multiy Year Capital Plan’s Capital Improvements Program without the need of prior board approval but subject to ratification.”

Read related story: Why Carlos Gimenez should not have four more years

But some of these contracts date as far back as September, which makes Ladra wonder what kept them from the commission ratification for so long. An election, perhaps? Wasn’t Gimenez allowed to award these contracts so they could be expidited? Does this look expidited to anyone? Or does this mean that these prizes, er, we mean contracts have already been awarded and the commission action is just a rubberstamp afterthought?

Of course, this has nothing to do with expiditing nada. This was just good campaign planning. And then they wonder why people think this is the multi-million payback of IOUs collected during the campaign.

Only half of the contractors on Wednesday’s agenda had immediately obvious connections to Gimenez and his campaign. But it’s the big half: $53.2 million of the $82.5 million public trough buffet.

Poole & Kent Co. is represented by former Miami City Manager Sergio Pereira. Parsons Brinckerhoff is represented by Perreira and Gimenez buddy Alex Heckler, who has already gotten pieces of the WASA consent decree pie. MWH Americas is represented by Miguel de Grandy.

All of them have given to Gimenez’s campaign. Heckler had at least one big fundraiser for the mayor in Miami Beach. Most of the companies are familiar from the mayor’s campaign reports also.

But if you look more closely, at the back-up material that comes with the commission agenda, there are also 39 subcontractors between them getting a piece of this very big tarta de guayaba. These include:

1. BND Engineers
2. FR Aleman & Associates (on two contracts)
3. HBC Engineering (on two contracts)
4. HydroDesigns LLC
5. Kimley Horn & Associates
6. MCO Construction and Services
7. Milian Swain and Associates
8. Mirecki Geoscience LLC
9. Schlumberger Water Services USA
10. Tetra Tech Inc
11. The Sharpton Group P.A.
12. AMBRO Inc.
13. Aluces Corporation
14. MAGBE Consulting Services
15. Nova Consulting Inc.
16. Bello and Bello Land Surveying
17. EV Services (where the mayor’s daughter-in-law works)
18. Oracle Consulting Group, LLC
19. Robayna & Associates
20. SRS Engineering
21. 300 Engineering Group
22. Benson Electric, Inc. (on two contracts)
23. Mar’s Contractors, Inc.
24. Exceletech Coating and Application, Inc.
25. Emerson Process Management Power and Water Solutions, Inc.
26. Sunshine State Air Conditioning
27. Gomez and Son Fence
28. Corcel Corp.
29. Ovivo USA LLC
30. Dixie Metal Products, Inc.
31. Shand & Jurs
32. Ferguson Waterworks (on two contracts)
33. Infrastructure Repair Systems
34. Manufactured Technologies Corporation
35. Revere Control Systems, Inc.
36. Carter and Verplanck, Inc
37. Equipment Plus Solutions
38. American Builders Masters
39. A & B Pipe and Supply

Apparently, Gimenez has a lot of IOUs.

Number 17 isn’t really one of the IOUs: EV Services, the company where Barby Rodriguez Gimenez , the mayor’s daughter-in-law, works doing “public outreach.” That’s more like “criteria” for the contractor to get the job. Barby — photographed to the right with Julio Gimenez, who used to work for Munilla Construction Management (which is conspicuously absent from Wednesday’s gravy train) — already has a piece of another contract, getting paid $21.75 an hour.

We don’t know exactly how much more an hour she will get with this contract. That is in further documents that are not yet available to us or to the commission. Those are the details that the few inquisitive commissioners we have left should ask. And Ladra is talking to you, Commissioners Joe Martinez and Xavier Suarez, because Daniella Levine Cava is white water rafting out west on vacation with her husband (she left to the airport from the special anti-immigration commission meeting Friday).

Because these subcontracts is where the devilish details are. This is where the mayor’s BFF’s existing contract exists. Ralph Garcia Toledo, who went from being then Commissioner Gimenez’s driver and bodyguard in the 2011 campaign to being his campaign finance chair and a county employee in 2016, is making $200 an hour for what he self-identifies as mostly clerical work — going to meetings and tracking paperwork. He stands to make a maximum of $18 million over 12 years. A maximum of $18 million.

Read related story: Mayor’s BFF is back for another county contract payola

Well, on that contract anyway. Because it ain’t enough. While Garcia Toledo’s company, GT Construction, is not one of the subcontractors listed for the contracts being considered Wednesday, it is on another contract that is coming up — because this is just the beginning, ladies and gentlemen. A resolution approved by the Chairman’s Policy Council earlier this month and headed to the full commission is a contract award for $11 million for engineering services to Parsons Brinckerhoff (lucky guys they get another one!) to help the Department of Transportation and Public Works “execute projects in its capital improvements plan and implement the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan, including the study and implementation of future technology, such as driverless vehicles.”

That’s right, the mayor’s one-time driver is working on the future application someday in the county of driverless vehicles. Because this is where the county needs to spend its public dollars? Yes, the day is coming, as a lobbyist was quick to scold me the last time I wrote about this. Ford announced last year that it would release it’s first fully autonomous car — no steering wheel, no brake or gas pedal — in 2021. But should we be studying that now or can we take care of the real transit issues we are facing and worry about that in 2021 when we know what we’re dealing with?

There is little doubt in anybody’s mind that Ralph’s job at water and sewer is a palanca position, overpaid if not downright duplicated, and most likely unnecessary in the first place. Certainly there are county employees — probably dozens of them — that are more qualified than Ralph to do this job for less than $200 an hour. But there it is. And nobody does anything about it. This new subcontract sure doesn’t seem to be any different.

How many more of the 39 subcontractors are getting paid unnecessarily? How much more could those $82.5 million stretch to address other water and sewer issues? Ralph stands to make $18 million over 12 years just on the first contract. Couldn’t we better spend $18 million on something else?

Nobody has talked about the septic tanks in many parts of East and West Kendall — including Pinecrest and Continental Park — that need to be addressed due to sea level rise. That’s an immediate fix. Not more talk about sea level rise. Real action that needs to be taken, sooner rather than later. Let’s start with the homes and properties closest to the water. How much money are we wasting that could go to remediating that?

Commissioners need to go through these contracts more carefully. These are huge numbers and it’s easy to get away with a few hundred thousand here, $18 million there. They should not be abdicating their responsibility to a strong mayor with a history of giving work to those on his friends and family plan.

Both Zoraida Barreiro and Joe Carollo filed their first campaign finance report in their race for the same city of Miami commission seat and they must be a tad disappointed. 

Sure, $14,000 (Barreiro) and $10,000 (Carollo) is respectable — for any novice, first-time no-name. But Barreiro is wife of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, who must not have tapped his donor pool yet (he raised $140,000 last year before he ended up with no opposition). Maybe he’s not 100% on board? And Joe Carollo is the former mayor of Miami, a former city manager of Doral and a buddy of Carlos Gimenez — or at least a member of his 2016 campaign team, at $6,000 a month for a total of $144,000 billed to the mayor’s PAC.

You think he could loan himself more than the $100 he reported earlier this month.

Read related story: Crazy Joe Carollo adds twist to crazy Miami commission race

But both of them did have significant bundling in their reports, as measly as they were. Half of Barreiro’s contributions come from companies owned by former School Board Member Demetrio Perez and $3,000 came from Lanzo Construction. Carollo got $3,000 from Robert Patino, $2,500 from the guy who owns Dade Outdoor Advertising and $2,000 from Norman Braman and his wife, which is kind of weird since Braman supported Raquel Regalado against Gimenez.

But these two aren’t the lowest scoring candidates in what is already a clusterbunch race with seven candidates so far, and qualifying isn’t even ’til September. This is the open seat in District 3, being vacated by Commissioner Frank Carollo, Joe’s baby bro, who is termed out and, reportedly, running for mayor, though he hasn’t filed any paperwork yet. The other candidates and their paultry little piggy banks are:

• Alex Dominguez, with $4,650, has been fundraising for almost two years.
• Olidia “Lee” Hernandez loaned herself $1,000, but she only just filed on Jan. 27.
• Alfonso M. Leon has raised $36,978 — a lot of it in $27 and $40 and $100 and $200 checks.
• Miguel C. Soliman has raised $27,530 — all of it but $1,000 in the first month reported, May.
• Daniel Suarez, who filed in December, hasn’t raised a dime but just loaned himself $55.

Soliman is the only one with any evidence of bundling, which are multiple donations from the same person — using relatives or different corporations — to maximize impact (and access or investment). He got $6,000 from Luis Garcia, who owns Adonel Concrete and several real estate holding companies.

Read related story: Mr. and Mrs. Sarnoff give up seat to Ken Russell, sans runoff

As has been pointed out before, money is not necessarily a sign of who is going to win the election. Commissioner Ken Russell beat a far better financed Teresa Sarnoff in 2015. But it does tell you who has more ability to get their message out. And if the donations come from residents rather than corporations, it could also indicate voter support.

Of course, it’s early yet. And we still don’t know if there are any PACs involved. Only one is listed on the city’s website. But A Stronger Miami, which filed documents in October, has not raised a dime.

So its doing worse than even any candidate.

Miami-Dade Commissoner Esteban Bovo wants the Florida Department of Transportation to open up the Northwest 170th Street bridge over I-75 so that people who live on the west side in Hialeah — where more development is coming, including the American Dream Miami mega mall — can cross over more easily to the Palmetto Expressway and 87th Avenue.

And, of course, vice versa.

But many residents in Miami Lakes and the unincorporated Palm Springs North — who believe the cut-through traffic would destroy their residential neighborhoods — don’t necessarily want easy access to the west side and are none too happy about having the bridge opened to vehicular traffic.

“The traffic we have now is bad enough. This is going to bring more gridlock,” said Robert Scavuzzo, president of the Palm Springs North Civic Association. He is upset that this is coming onto the agenda without any public input on the impact it would have to their neighborhood.

Bovo will ask the commission on Wednesday to urge the FDOT to open up the bridge, a two-lane road built at least as far back as the 1980s for absolutely no reason (read: someone made money off that), because “extending NW 170th Street over I-75 may minimize traffic congestion and increase the flow of traffic, benefitting those who reside and work in the area,” according to the resolution. Key word: May.

It may minimize traffic congestion? Now we’re urging the FDOT to open a bridge to traffic on conjecture?

“About four or five years ago, these bridges — really bridges to nowhere — had no reason to be opened and activated,” Bovo said, talking about both the 179th and the 154th street bridges, which he says will eventually be opened also. “That has changed. You have substantial development there now.

“I firmly believe that this is going to alleviate an area of congestion that is basically gridlock. It’s going to bring connectivity,” Bovo told Ladra, using one of his favorite buzzwords. “This is an area of Northwest Dade that has been very sleepy for a long time and, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on whose lens you are looking through, it is waking up with a lot of development.

“Both bridges are going to be required to alleviate the traffic that is coming.”

Read related story: American Dream moves along without any ifs, ands or buts

But Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid says he can’t support Bovo’s resolution without a traffic study that says it’s definitely going to help congestion and flow. Not that it may help.

“We do things a little differently in Miami Lakes. We base our actions on fact,” Cid told Ladra.

“They keep saying it’s going to help connectivity in the area, but we’re skeptical,” he said, adding that he would send an email to Bovo on Tuesday and would be at the meeting Wednesday to oppose the resolution. “We think it’s just going to change traffic patterns and make traffic worse.”

The opening a few years ago of Northwest 87th Avenue, which was controversial back then too, is an example. “Although it was good for Northwest Dade on connectivity, it was bad for Miami Lakes,” Cid said.

In fact, the town council voted unanimously last year to reject any attempt to open the bridge without a traffic study — paid for by either the county or the private developers on the west side of I-75 who are pushing for this — that finds it will benefit the people of Miami Lakes. Which, let’s face it, is a long shot. Opening that bridge might benefit the people west of I-75, who only can get out via 138th or 183rd streets. But it’s unlikely that it will benefit the people on the east.

Except to make it easier to get to the American Dream Miami mega mall.

Bovo and other sources close to the American Dream discussions told Ladra, however, that the owners of the mega mall are not the ones pushing for this. They are working on other entrance and exit points that would be less disruptive to the surrounding residential neighborhood — there has been talk of developing ramps directly onto the property from the Turnpike or I-75 — and their traffic study indicates no need to have the Northwest 170 Street bridge opened.

Though, certainly, it would be a welcome bonus, wouldn’t it?

Read related story: Miami Lakes mayor wants a piece of American Dream pie

More likely, several sources say, this is being pushed by Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez — a Bovo pal and ally — on behalf of and in partnership with

There’s more. Please press this “continue reading” button to “turn the page.”

February is the short month. And it is almost over already. Key word: Almost.

Because first, there are a few more poltical events for the Cortadito Calendar: A town hall without an elected, a film screening, a fundraiser, a party to open a shiny new police station, another moratorium on medical marijuana, more talk about transit and, egads, bromeliads — and, yes, another protest of Donald Trump.

We even have events on Saturday! But Friday is a free day.

As always, keep sending info on your government meetings, campaign events and political powwows to edevalle@gmail.com and keep your Cortadito Calender caliente!

MONDAY — Feb. 20

11 a.m. — Okay. So there is still a protest. The Labor Community Roundtable United Front Against Trump has obtained a permit to peacefully rally against president Donald Trump on President’s Day because “he has attacked every value we embody and does not represent our interests.” The gathering at the Torch of Friendship in downtown Miami, 301 Biscayne Blvd., is called the Miami Not My President’s Day Rally and it will protest not just Trump’s anti-immigration order, but but everything under the umbrella of “the un-American policies of the current White House.” They include the Muslim ban, the border wall, the pipeline that threatens to destroy sacred lands, the White House website purged of certain information, the lack of action on climate change. Why not throw the kitchen sink at him, too? His failure to release tax returns? His constant calling of the media “the enemy of the American people”? His cushy relationship with Putin? His terrible cabinet choices? Ladra has a feeling all of that will be fair game. “Donald Trump stands against the progress we have worked hard to enact. He does not represent our interests. He was voted in by a minority of the American public but governs as if there’s no resistance. But there is — and on February 20th, we will honor previous presidents by exercising our constitutional right to assemble and peacefully protest everything Donald Trump stands for,” says the invite on Facebook. “There is a congressional recess on February 20th that aligns with President’s Day. Let’s rally while our federal representatives are back in town and remind them who they represent.”

TUESDAY — Feb. 21

10 a.m. — The North Corridor Transit Coalition will meet to discuss progress on the north-south corridor along 27th Avenue. Expected to attend: Miami-Dade Commissioners Barbara Jordan, Jean Monesteim and Audrey Edmonson as well as Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert and other officials. Transportation and Public Works Director Alice Bravo will likely be there as well. The meeting is at Jordan’s district office, 2780 NW 167th St.

6 p.m. — It looks like pot shops and cell phone towers are not wanted in Miami Lakes. The town is the next local government body to consider a moratorium on issuing permits or approving any plans for medical marijuana dispensaries or treatment centers for 180 days. This is what tops the planning and zoning board’s agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. They are also considering a moratorium on telecommunications towers. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at government center, 6601 Main Street.

7 p.m. — The Kendall Dems and the Democrats of South Dade will have journalist Michael Grunwald, former senior national correspondent at Time magazine, speak at their regular monthly meeting at the Unitarian Universalists Congregation, 7701 SW 76th St. Social time is at 7 p.m., the business meeting starts at 7:30 and the speaker starts at 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY — Feb. 22

9:30 a.m. — The Miami-Dade Commission meets again (for the fourth time in 15 days) and will have mosquitos on the agenda again. A controversial proposal to ban the use of bromeliads in county landscaping was deferred on Feb. 7 after several nursery owners and experts balked at the idea that they are breeding grounds for the Zika-carrying mosquitos. And while it’s gotten less attention, they also may vote to instruct the mayor or his designee to award more than $77 million worth of contracts for various engineering and design services for our state- and federally-mandated water and sewer repairs. These contracts are bunched up, more than one per item, and on the consent agenda so they may not get a lot of discussion (more on that later). Also on the table for Wesdnesday: The creation of a stadium district zoning overlay around the Hard Rock Stadium to be administered by the city of Miami Gardens; bid waivers to increase existing contracts for RicMan and Lanzo Construction work on Shenandoah area water and sewer mains by $5.2 million and $4.3 million, respectively; loaning a developer $17.5 million in housing bond funds for acquisition and development of Hadley Garden Apartments; and a report from Mayor Carlos Gimenez on potential funding for a Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora (hint: there ain’t no public money except a $100,000 grant). Oh, and they’re going to spend $155 million in aviation funds. The meeting is at County Hall, 111 NW First Street.

6 p.m. — Miami Dade Young Democrats and Downtown Democrats will jointly present a screening of the documentary film 13th, which argues that slavery is being effectively perpetuated in the U.S. through mass encarceration of African Americans. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on race and politics in the U.S. criminal justice system. It is at the offices of the New Florida Majority, 8330 Biscayne Blvd. The New Majority will also be meeting at 7 p.m. to discuss plans for the April 29 climate march.

THURSDAY — Feb. 23

6 p.m. — North Beach residents are hosting a fundraiser for Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Grieco‘s run for city mayor. The hosts include Brad Bonessi, Diego Caiola, Richard Hall, Rick Kendle, Mickey Minagorri, Dr. Todd and Corey Narson, Betsy and Rudy Perez, Tom Richarson, Luis and Gloria Salom and Daniel Veitia. Wait, isn’t Betsy Perez the plant that Mayor Philip Levine backed against his colleague, Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez. Awkward! Grieco has already raised $340,000 as of Jan. 31. But he wants more to fight former State Sen. Dan Gelber, who filed paperwork at the end of January and has no contributions to report yet. Grieco’s fete begins at George’s Italian Restaurant, 300 72nd St., at 6 p.m.

6 p.m. — Don’t go to the constituent town hall meeting with Sen. Marco Rubio if you actually expect to see the former POTUS wannabe live in person. He has not confirmed. The Facebook event invite says there will be “numerous panelists” and speakers ready to address concerns. This really looks like a protest of his kowtowing to Donald Trump because it is hosted by Indivisible Miami, a group formed to resist Donal Trump’s policies and agenda. Pero por supuesto that he’s not going to confirm! Want to join others in beating him up verbally? Go to the Unitarian Universalists Congregation, 7701 SW 76th Street, which is also where the Democrats of South Dade Club has had its meetings for years. Not very subtle, guys. The town hall is from 6 to 9 p.m.

SATURDAY — Feb. 25

2 p.m. — The city of Homestead has completed the construction of its new police headquarters, reportedly on time and on bubdget. The 55,000-square-foot facility, at 45 NW 1st Ave., replaces the old police station (photographed left) built in 1912, which was outdated and had serious toxic levels of radon and mold, posing health risks to the officers and visitors. The new station, funded with a bond referendum approved by 74% of the voters in 2014, was designed by Rodriguez & Quiroga Architects and built by Munilla Construction Management. Expected to be part of the formula that revitalizes the downtown, the three-story station opened last week on Wednesday. But the grand opening public party — with music, free refreshments and an opportunity to meet the police force — is from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

5 p.m. — Libertarians will get together and share their grief and outrage and plans for the future at Republican Liberty Caucus of Miami’s spring quartlerly meeting Saturday at Groovy’s Pizza and Grill, 2770 SW 27th Ave. There will be discussion regarding the RLC National & State Convention in May, about the annual membership drive and the upcoming Tallahassee Days (March 13-14), where members will visit with state lawmakers to discuss their policy priorities. The guest speaker was still TBD as of this posting, but the discussion will likely be about changes in Florida law regarding solar panels and home-based energy generation. For more information, call Hector Roos at (305) 300-7237. There is no cost for the meeting, but you have to pay if you order from the menu.