Email Author Jim DeFede

2001 Stories by Jim DeFede

• A Public Servant Goes Public

  published December 20, 2001

  In the spring of this year, Deborah Curtin resigned as director of Team Metro, a county department she helped create in the aftermath of Hurricane... More >>

• It's a Wonderful Decision

  published December 13, 2001

  As the final vote was announced, Katy Sorenson let loose an emphatic "Yes!" For seven years the county commissioner for South Miami-Dade had... More >>

• The $400 Million Santa

  published November 29, 2001

  Last week Mayor Alex Penelas gave his favorite county manager a hearty pat on the back. "This is a good, tangible example of what I've been saying... More >>

• Bunker Mentality

  published November 15, 2001

  By its very nature, the county's Emergency Operations Center is a tense place. Activated in times of... More >>

• Bully Boy

  published November 8, 2001

  A few weeks ago a county hall insider mentioned to me that he had heard about an interesting memo written by Tom David, executive assistant county... More >>

• The Alonso Shell Game

  published October 11, 2001

  Investigators on the trail of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Miriam Alonso have uncovered a dizzying array of front groups and secret bank... More >>

• Of Pain and place

  published September 20, 2001

  Close to HomeThey met at Victory Hospital back in August 1962. My mother had just given birth to me, but owing to problems during the... More >>

• The Dissection of Miriam Alonso

  published September 13, 2001

  The condominium was ideal. Located on the twelfth floor, overlooking the ocean, it was in the heart of Miami Beach at 5701 Collins Ave. Two... More >>

• The Secret Flush Fund

  published September 6, 2001

  Miriam Alonso, the Miami-Dade County Commissioner whose politics are as shrill as her voice, is under criminal investigation for allegedly... More >>

• Digital Intrigue

  published August 30, 2001

  This past July County Manager Steve Shiver rejected the nearly unanimous recommendation of a special review committee and decided that an $8.8... More >>

• Space Cowboy

  published August 16, 2001

  Maybe Sen. Bill Nelson spent too much time in space. After all, scientists believe that prolonged exposure to zero gravity can disturb a person's... More >>

• Bad News

  published August 9, 2001

  No one is more surprised by Tom Fiedler's appointment as the new executive editor of the Miami... More >>

• Corporate Morph

  published August 9, 2001

  Knight Ridder was formed in 1974, when Knight Newspapers joined with Ridder Publications. The Knight company had been founded in 1903, when... More >>

• Oops, He Did It Again

  published July 26, 2001

  While he was still mayor of Homestead, Steve Shiver used the city's Tallahassee lobbyist to help one of his friends with a petition for executive... More >>

• Accounts Payable

  published July 19, 2001

  As a member of the Homestead City Council, and then later as mayor, Steve Shiver accepted three all-expense-paid trips from the Community Bank of... More >>

• The Fall Guy

  published July 12, 2001

  Robert Nachlinger is angry. "I've invested sixteen years in this community," he tells me. "I have a reputation that I built up, and Steve Shiver... More >>

• Shadow Dwellers

  published June 14, 2001

  Last week Katy Sorenson waited patiently for her item on the commission agenda to be called: a report from County Manager Steve Shiver on the... More >>

• Devil in a Blue Dress

  published May 31, 2001

  Nobody was happier to hear that Janet Reno was considering a run for governor than Will Ferrell, the Saturday Night Live cast member who... More >>

• It's Reno Time!

  published May 24, 2001

  After spending eight years in Washington as U.S. Attorney General, Janet Reno was telling everyone who would listen that her only plans were to... More >>

• Enough's Enough

  published May 17, 2001

  For more than two months, Miami-Dade County Manager Steve Shiver has assured commissioners that suing the federal government over its refusal to... More >>

• A Friend in Need

  published April 26, 2001

  Nobody knows better than Homestead Mayor Roscoe Warren how badly Steve Shiver has bungled his first two months as county manager. During a March 8... More >>

• Stop the Press!

  published April 12, 2001

  Steve Shiver grew up in a family where he was made to feel he could do no wrong. He was his mother's pride and joy, and the one chosen not only to... More >>

• Under New Management

  published April 5, 2001

  Mayco Villafaña is a decent man who has been communications director for Miami-Dade County for the past two and a half years. "Mayco always... More >>

• Strike Three

  published March 22, 2001

  As the new county manager, Steve Shiver already has two strikes against him. Strike one: The 34-year-old former mayor of More >>

• New World, Old Woes

  published March 15, 2001

  Earlier this month state Rep. Frank Arza performed a modest act of heroism by walking into the New World... More >>