Pepe Diaz

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 >>

Miami Dolphins Stadium Renovation: A Political Insider's Guide

Give Stephen Ross props. He stepped up to Norman Braman one billionaire to another and slapped him across the face with a clean white glove. With a full page ad undermining Braman's credibility in Tuesday's edition of the Miami Herald, Ross let Braman know he's got the cash to parry any attacks the ... More >>

Miami-Dade Could Create Online Directory of Dangerous Dogs

We can all agree that the internet never has enough pictures of dogs, so thankfully the Miami-Dade County Commission is looking to do something about that. No, they are not starting a cute dog blog. Instead they are considering implementing an online directory of dangerous dogs.

County Commissioners Pepe Diaz And Sally Heyman Want To Expose Horrible Dog Owners

Forget about absentee ballot brokers stealing elections! Forget about county officials stealing from the public till! Forget about the Miami Marlins ball park boondoggle! Irresponsible dog owners are clearly the greatest menace facing our community.A pair of Miami-Dade County commissioners are pushi ... More >>

Miami-Dade Police Drones Go Unused, but the Department Isn't Ready to Throw in the Towel

Miami-Dade Police Ask FAA To Renew Drone License For Another Year

Look! In the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a flying drone with a camera strapped to it! Odds are you've seen the first two in Miami airspace. But so far, the only people to have spied the third in action are the folks in Miami-Dade Police Department training sessions. A year and a half ago, M ... More >>

Miami-Dade, Animal Activists Clash Over Whether New Shelter Should Be No-Kill

Should Miami-Dade's New Pet Shelter Be No-Kill?

It's the last stop for thousands of stray and abandoned cats and dogs in Miami-Dade: an aging building surrounded by gray warehouses in industrial Medley. On a recent morning, 20 new strays have already come in, including a shih tzu, a schnauzer, and a beagle. They're just a handful of the 100 or so ... More >>

Pit Bull Ban Could Go to a County Vote, Undercutting Tally Move To Kill It

​A Tallahassee proposal to force Miami-Dade to end its 23-year ban on pit bulls took a major hit last night when a group of county commissioners supported giving Dade voters a say in whether to keep the prohibition. The House bill's sponsor said he'd withdraw his legislation if the ban went to a c ... More >>

Miami Herald's "House of Lies" exposes a crisis but then moves on

Miami-Dade Commissioner to Stores: Stop Selling Marijuana Shaped Candy

​Miami-Dade Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz wants "Pot Pops" out of local stores before Halloween. Though, the only high the candy provides is of a sugar variety. The controversial candy contains no THC, but comes in either lollipop or ring pop form candy shaped like a marijuana leave, while a carto ... More >>

BBC Documentary Spurs Investigation into Conditions at "Miami Mega Jail"

In the documentary, this inmate admits to extorting and stabbing fellow cellmates.​Extortion. Beatings. Stabbings.When Louis Theroux: Miami Mega Jail first aired on May 22, the BBC documentary made it look like inmates -- not guards -- were really in charge of the Miami-Dade Pre-Trial Detention Ce ... More >>

Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz Recovering from Emergency Brain Surgery

While the rest of the Miami-Dade County Commission is waiting on the results of today's mayoral and commission seat special elections, Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz is dealing with far more serious things. Diaz, who has served on the commissioner since 2002, underwent emergency brain surgery yesterd ... More >>

Miami-Dade commissioners are rich!

Special Election for Mayor Officially Set for May 24

​Clear your calendar on May 24 because we're holding an election! The Miami-Dade County Commission meet this morning and, as expected, officially set the day for the election to replace recalled Carlos Alvarez on that Tuesday. Though, the mayoral race won't be the only thing on the ballot. Voters ... More >>

Norman Braman Threatens More Recalls

​Our mild-mannered billionaire mayor-recaller now thinks he's king. Auto magnate Norman Braman, riding on his successful campaign to recall Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, is lightly hinting at more recalls of sitting county commissioners unless they follow his reform agenda. However, county comm ... More >>

Natacha Seijas and Pepe Diaz Twist The Truth In Contract Flap

Natacha Seijas​County Commissioners Pepe Diaz and Natacha Seijas sure know how to dish out the bullshit when they are trying to help a friend hold on to a lucrative county contract. Two days ago, during the Internal Management & Fiscal Responsibility committee meeting, the pair chided Procurem ... More >>

WrestleMania Coming to Sun Life Stadium in 2012

​Lets get ready to rumble! No seriously, we need to get ready to rumble. It's just been announced that Miami is playing host to professional wrestling's biggest event WrestleMania in 2012. It's not quite another Super Bowl, but hosting the event means an economic boon for the city as well as playi ... More >>

When It Comes to Feeding the Elderly, Political Connections Help

Miami-Dade Commissioner Natacha Siejas​​Today, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas will wave her nefarious wand to help a longtime county vendor hold on to a multimillion dollar contract to feed the handicapped and the elderly for at least another month. The county commission is set to ... More >>

Commissioner Carlos Gimenez Purposely Delayed Recall Meeting

Carlos Gimenez​Today the Miami-Dade County Commission was supposed to meet to set a date for the election to recall Mayor Carlos Alvarez. Problem was only six commissioners showed up, because Commissioners apparently find it OK to act like school skipping children. Which means the commission fell ... More >>

Firefighter busted, commissioner goes free

Steve Marin Is A Big Winner In 2010 Elections

​As the 2010 election cycle winds down in the next six days, Banana Republican would like to congratulate lobbyist and campaign consultant Steve Marin for pulling in the big bucks. And if any of his candidates still vying for an elected seat win On November 2, we can only imagine he will solidify ... More >>

County Commissioners Better Than Dolphins' Perfect Season

​52-0. That's how many times incumbent county commissioners have won at the polls since 1994. And it certainly looks like Jose "Pepe" Diaz, Javier Souto, or Dorrin Rolle will keep that winning streak alive by the time the polls close tomorrow.Diaz, who raised $325,000 to crush an opponent who coll ... More >>

Al Maloof Raises More Money Than Ron Book In Local Miami-Dade Races

Bill CookeWhen it comes to campaign donations, Al Maloof drops it like it's hot.​Raising cash for county commission and school board races in Miami-Dade is like making it rain at the strip club. The more loot you fling, the more popular you are! As voters start going to the polls for early voting, ... More >>

Miami Still Trying to Lure Wrestlemania for 2012

​We call men fighting in Speedos a "big fight over prime beach blanket space on the 12th Street beach." The WWE calls it Wrestlemania, and Miami desperately wants a piece of the tens of millions of dollars in economic impact it represents.The Magic City recently lost out on hosting the 2011 event ... More >>

Miami in 14-City Royal Rumble to Host Future Wrestlemanias

​Muscly dudes with anger problems and over-the-top personalities duking it out in tight Lycra? Normally in Miami, that results from an argument over premium beach-blanket space on South Beach, but the county sees big money in such activities and is still trying to lure the WWE's signature Wrestlem ... More >>

County Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz Comes Up With A Dumb Idea

Miami-Dade CountyCounty Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz wants to create a slush fund financed by cronies and special interests​You can always count on Jose "Pepe" Diaz to give Miami-Dade residents a reason to impose term limits on county commissioners. Seriously, who is advising Diaz? Scott Rothste ... More >>

County Commissioners Admit 'Errors' in Carlos Bertonatti Case; Bikers Protest

Bart Sherwood passes the grisly photos around the Miami-Dade County Commission chambers.Photo by Tim ElfrinkLycra pants mingled with business suits at the county commission chambers last night.​In the first image, his face is scraped and swollen, his arms are wrapped in plaster, and IVs run into h ... More >>

Is Miami guy Robert Kelly a spy or a wacko?

Meet Robert Kelly. He Says He Infiltrated Castro's Spy Service And Tricked Miami Exiles

Robert Kelly certainly has the tricks of the spy trade down pat. ​He talks in mysterious acronyms, like "NOC" -- which stands for "no official cover." He refuses to have his photo taken. He talks about elaborate take-downs and ruses straight out of a Burn Notice plot.Getting the full truth is much ... More >>

Miami-Dade Makes Push to Host WrestleMania in 2011 or 2012

via WWE.comTwo men in latex briefs grappling each other is often the centerpiece of a WresleMania event. ​We weren't aware WrestleMania was one of those things cities actually bid for, but apparently it's big business and has morphed into a five-day event that could leave a $50 million impact in d ... More >>

Does Miami Really Have a Shot at Hosting the World Cup? Pepe Diaz Says Yes

When Riptide saw the news this week that an all-star band of celebrities and local power-players -- including the always busy Emilio Estefan and Alonzo Mourning -- was trying to bring the World Cup to Miami, we were tempted to laugh it off as a pipe dream.via Wikimedia CommonsWill this envelope say ... More >>

Isiah Who?

From the Knicks to the Golden Panthers. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Pork Pirates

They'll slaughter your dinner as you watch — but don't tell the cops.

Target Identified

A battle over a shooting range speaks volumes about a commissioner's tactics

Bruno the Absent

He's not around much and he doesn't sponsor many bills, but this chairman's for you

A Shock to the System

Kicked Back and in the Green

Commission Quest

Miami-Dade's most coveted political prize is the chairman's Throne of Power. Those who dare to seek it must navigate the Swamp of Secrecy, endure the Guild of the Greased Palm, and avoid exposure by the Orb of Light

Meet Mr. Arza

In four short years, state Rep. Ralph Arza has gone from schoolteacher to powerful politician, and now he's about to take control of public education in Miami

Neighborhood Bully

Think financing a Marlins ballpark is tricky? Just try finding a place to put it

The Cuban Kong

What's $28 million a year and added jobs for the poorest American city mean next to big cubanismo, bro?

Busted!

Greed, thievery, corruption, and betrayal -- the sordid tale of Miriam Alonso's downfall

Sail Away and Stay and Stay

Ramon Saul Sanchez's Democracy Movement unveils a new twist on the venerable sit-in protest: The float-in

Waiting for Floyd

New Times reporters hit the road to bring you all the prehurricane weirdness fit to print

Riptide

Small Town, Big Hell

Election time in Sweetwater is just another pretext for this rancorous city to go nuts

Summons Like It Hot

Animosity is all over Sweetwater like a not-so-cheap lawsuit