Joe Garcia

David Rivera Hung Out With Communists During His Last Campaign

Throughout his embattled political career, David Rivera used his power to undermine Cuba's communist government at every turn. The Cuban-American Republican was one of the staunchest hard-line crusaders against Fidel Castro's regime. When he was a state legislator, he successfully championed a law t ... More >>

Justin Lamar Sternad Pleads Guilty, Agrees to Cooperate with David Rivera Investigation

Things are just getting worse for disgraced former Rep. David Rivera. Justin "Lamar" Sternad, a ringer candidate in the Democratic primary against Rivera's opponent Joe Garcia, pleaded guilty today in federal court. As part of the plea, Sternad has agreed to help investigators build their case again ... More >>

Jeb Bush Jr. Shot Down for MDX Board Slot

Jeb Bush Jr. Rejected For Spot On MDX Board

Jeb Bush Jr. is one of the future faces of the Republican Party. He is the 29-year-old president of Bush Realty and sits on the boards of several local corporations. The youngest son of Florida's former governor is even considered a possible contender against Democratic Congressman Joe Garcia in 201 ... More >>

Reader Mail: Miami Beach Corruption Is Sickening

David Rivera and Allen West Finish Final Day as Congressmen (But It's Not The Last You'll Hear of Either)

Whether you're a Democrat, independent, or the apparently small number of Republicans left who realized that their party is still in control of the body and is probably better off in the long run without these two controversial South Florida schmucks creating distraction, can we all come together an ... More >>

WTF Florida Awards: 2012's Worst Politicians and Best Sex Scandals

Miami Political Bloggers Pick Their Favorite Posts of 2012

Banana Republican kicked off 2012 by recognizing a local Internet cabal of rabble-rousers and muckrakers who have helped fill the investigative journalistic void in the Magic City. In a cover story back in January, we ranked the Top Ten activist bloggers who work incessantly to expose shady governme ... More >>

2012 in Weird Florida Politics: Part One of the WTF Florida Awards

Welcome to the first annual WTF Florida Awards ceremony. It's the only award show celebrating the special brand of bizarre depravity we excel at down here in the Sunshine State. Black tie isn't required. In fact, jorts and a NASCAR cap are preferred.We'll be giving away awards in four categories all ... More >>

Luke's Gospel: Cubans Go Liberal; Bye, Marco Rubio

David Rivera Blames Demographics and Not All Those Pesky Scandals For His Loss

Conventional wisdom would have it that Rep. David Rivera's nearly 11-point loss to Democratic challenger Joe Garcia might have had something to do with all those scandals Rivera currently finds himself embroiled in. Rivera however was never much for conventional wisdom. He maintains that changing de ... More >>

Fishy David Rivera-Linked Candidate Justin Lamar Sternad Files Blank Finance Report, Pleads the Fifth

Despite an Everest-sized mountain of evidence that Rep. David Rivera orchestrated a sham campaign by an unknown candidate in the Democratic primary, the incumbent has steadfastly denied knowing anything about the case. Rivera also denies being under federal investigation even though multiple sources ... More >>

Report: GOP Putting Pressure on David Rivera to Resign

Things just keep getting worse for Rep. David Rivera. According to The New York Times, powers that be in his own party are pressuring the congressman to resign just days before early voting begins. Marco Rubio apparently has even been asked to intervene and talk some sense to his friend and former T ... More >>

Rep. David Rivera Broke Ethics Laws, According to State Commission

For a while it seemed like GOP Rep. David Rivera may as well have been named Teflon Dave. No matter what accusations were flung at him, nothing stuck.Now, it looks like he's running out of luck. The Florida Commission on Ethics has found that Rivera broke state laws by failing to fully disclose his ... More >>

Michael Putney Got Soaked by Shady Candidate Justin Lamar Sternad's Wife

Ah, the perils of an intrepid TV reporter. Sometimes crazed interview subjects attack you. Sometimes horses poop on your head. And sometimes the wives of shady, fake Democrats at the center of an FBI investigation throw a whole pitcher of water in your face.OK, maybe that last part happens only ... More >>

Miami-Dade Election Results Liveblog: Pit Bulls, Primaries, and County Hall

Miami-Dade voters went to the polls today to vote on a long ballot filled with primary battles for both federal and state level legislative races, and the first (and in some cases, possibly final) rounds of the county mayor race, and several county commission seats. Longtime Miami-Dade State Attorne ... More >>

Luis Garcia Pulls out of David Rivera Race, and Now Dems Have No Candidate

Rep. David Rivera is one of the most vulnerable Republican congressman in the entire country. He's under numerous criminal investigations, and his seat in District 25 is quickly seeing its Republican voter advantage fade. It could be a slam dunk for Democrats, assuming, of course, they had anyone to ... More >>

2010 Election Results Live Blog

​Will Florida gets its first female Governor? Will the country's first female Speaker of the House be forced to turn in her gavel? Will Kendrick Meek somehow shock the world by winning? Did anyone bother to get to know enough about the CFO race to bother voting? Join us tonight as we live blog the ... More >>

Election ads strike fear in time for Halloween

David Rivera Stays On The Ballot As Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Shady Disclosures

​David Rivera may have spent the last eight years filing the shadiest disclosure forms this side of Tom DeLay, but that doesn't mean Miami-Dade voters shouldn't have a chance to vote for the guy. So says Judge Jerald Bagley, who just dismissed a lawsuit to remove Rivera from the ballot.Bagley didn ... More >>

Five Election Ads That Will Make You Crap Your Pants, Just in Time for Halloween

This man will skullf*ck your pet poodle, at least according to recent political attack ads​A pair of lidless, unblinking eyes stare out at you from the TV screen. You change the channel, but there it is again. A chill runs up your spine. Instinctively, you look around to make sure your children, g ... More >>

El Mago de la Frita Gets Newfound Attention with Obama Visit

Photo by Gabriela Garcia​El Mago de la Frita, the 25-year old mainstay on SW Eighth Street and 58th Avenue that serves up Cuban-style burgers, doesn't really need any extra publicity. The joint is always packed with Cuban viejitos and families grubbing on the $3 paprika-seasoned patties and shoe s ... More >>

Manny Diaz and Michael Bloomberg Team Up Against Gerrymandering

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is coming to bat for his homeboy, former Miami ​Mayor Manny Diaz, this Friday. The pair will lay out their reasons for supporting amendments 5 and 6 on the November ballot at an 11 a.m. press conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Miami.The pitch ... More >>

Election Day Races to Keep an Eye On

Will Bill McCollum and Kendrick Meek hold back the two millionaire candidates? Will Miami ​Mayor Tomas Regalado's blossoming political machine get his daughter a seat on the Miami-Dade School Board? Will Dorrin Rolle survive his scandalous year to win another term to the county commission? Wi ... More >>

Florida Primary Election Results Live Blog

​Today Florida went to the polls for the 2010 primary election. While tonight's big theme involved controversial, self-funded billionaire outsiders taking on establishment career politicians in both the Republican primary for Governor and Democratic primary for Senate, there's still lots of ballot ... More >>

Woman Gets $2 Million After Street Sweeper Runs Over Her

​Twenty-year-old University of Miami student Bianca Milov was crossing a street in Coral Gables at 1 a.m. September 11 last year when she was run over by a street sweeper and ejected out the other end. She racked up more than $1.25 million in medical bills, and now the City of Coral Gables has agr ... More >>

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart Won't Seek Re-Election; Mario Diaz-Balart Will Switch Districts

​Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart has announced he won't seek re-election in 2010. Diaz-Balart, only 55 years old, has spent the past 17 years representing Florida's 21st congressional district.After the 2008 election cycle, when Miami's three Republican Cuban-American congressman faced the strongest chal ... More >>

Best of Miami 2009 Preview: Best Political Comeback

Lincoln Diaz-BalartBest Political ComebackThe Diaz-Balart brothersIt was right there in black-and-white, on the cover of your Miami New Times: "End of the Diaz-Balart Dynasty." Just weeks before election night, scores of polls showed both Mario and Lincoln -- Cuban-American icons and Miami's r ... More >>

Electorial Money Makers, Part I

With the election season wrapped up, Banana Republican sifted through federal campaign financial reports, including those of Barack Obama and John McCain, to see who got paid. We begin with the companies that made money working for Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, t ... More >>

Obama's Florida Gamble

McCain was too late. The new prez spent heavily in Florida and eked out victory here.

Last-Minute Predictions

Election Night Live Coverage

Letters from the Issue of October 30, 2008

"If Lincoln Diaz-Balart would have focused on the needs of his constituents instead of the needs of outsiders, he might not be facing the challenge he is today."

Video Supplement: End of the Diaz-Balart Dynasty

News Roundup

Over the Weekend - Dolly Parton, Miguel Migs and Arthur Baker

Martinez Gets Slimed by a Terrorist

News Roundup

Raul Martinez Leads Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Welcome to Fabulous Tallahassee

Where your humble state legislators work hard by day and play hard by night

Proposals with Punch

Swap jailed Cuban spies for jailed Cuban dissidents

Waiting for Otto

Why would a man sullied by Iran-contra and illegal propaganda campaigns be a Bush nominee? Good question.

Shake

If it ain't your party, you better fight for your rights

Letters to the Editor

From the issue of July 12, 2001

Impartial Intolerance

Not long ago it was dangerous to support the appearance of Cuban musicians in Miami; now it's dangerous to oppose them

You Are Cordially Invited

So you weren't among those lucky few who dined with the king and queen? Consider it a compliment.

Letters

The Vultures Are Circling

Bruce Kaplan is alive and well (for the moment at least), but that hasn't deterred speculation about his replacement

The Monster Mash

Jorge Mas Canosa answered a journalistic hatchet jobwith a libel lawsuit. But now everyone is getting cut to the bone.

No Peace for Paula

In Cuba she was a symbol, the Madonna of the Counterrevolution. But in Miami, it's a different kind of fight for Paula Valiente.