Big Money on Top at Miami-Dade County Hall

Facing a $427 million shortfall in this year's county budget, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez has proposed a 5 percent salary cut for all county employees, including himself. He also plans to fire 1,700 employees.

With that in mind, Riptide submitted a public records request asking for the positions Alvarez will eliminate from the offices of mayor and county manager. We also requested a list of all the county executives earning six-figure salaries who report directly to Alvarez and County Manager George Burgess. Here is what we found out:

Only two out of 19 individuals earning six-figure salaries will lose their jobs. Among those who were spared the ax are the mayor's scheduler, Delivette Gonzalez, who makes $105,239 a year, and ex-Miami Herald reporter Matthew Pinzur, who earns an annual $115,000 as an assistant to Burgess.

Speaking of assistants, Burgess has five of them, including Pinzur; two special assistants; and an executive assistant. Their combined annual salaries cost taxpayers $985,328.

Of course, there will be no more staged photo ops for the mayor now that he has given his photographer, Ricardo Garcia, who earned $76,000 a year, the boot. Garcia is one of seven employees in the mayor's and manager's offices who will lose their jobs. Everybody else on the 29th floor gets to stay. Hip, hip hooray!

Alvarez ($245,393 a year) makes less than Burgess ($343,515) and assistant county managers Alina Hudak ($258,967), Cynthia Curry ($253,767), and Ysela Llort ($247,045). Strong mayor indeed.

Of course, all salaries listed are before the 5 percent cut.