Public Finance

Ros-Lehtinen Still Insists Jay-Z, Beyonce in Cuba "Was a Wedding Anniversary Vacation Not Even Disguised as a Cultural Program"

She demanded answers. And she got them. And she's still not satisfied. Pissed about "the highly publicized trip by U.S. musicians Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (Beyoncé) and Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) to Cuba," South Floridian member of the U.S. Congress Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) bashed the Carters for spending ... More >>

A Homestead Non-Profit Used Taxpayer Funds To Pay Off IRS Debts, Auditor Says

Back in 2008, Galata Inc., a social service agency that assists minorities and low income residents in Homestead, was one of 37 local non-profit organizations that received a no-questions-asked Miami-Dade County grant. Galata got $500,000 from a $30 million pot that was part of the county's Building ... More >>

Fat Joe Pleads Guilty to $3.7-Million Tax Evasion, Faces Two Years in Prison

These days, Fat Joe ain't so fat. But he owes an obese (or is that obscene?) amount of back taxes to the IRS. According to a press release from the Department of Justice: "Joseph Cartagena, the rapper popularly known as 'Fat Joe,' pleaded guilty [in New Jersey] today to two counts of failing to fil ... More >>

Carlos Gimenez, Rebeca Sosa and David Rivera Shower Favors On Ex-Cocaine Trafficker

On July 13, Alexander I. Perez stood underneath a new street sign christening a portion of SE 10th Avenue in front of his Hialeah warehouse as "Banah Sweet Way." A gaggle of local politicos -- including Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, his Hialeah counterpart Carlos Hernandez, and County Commissione ... More >>

Norman Braman Registers Boat in the Caymans to Avoid U.S. Fees

Homestead Mayor Steven Bateman Cleared In Campaign Ad Flap

Read "Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman Allegedly Made Campaign Ad With City Resources."Based on a complaint dismissed by the Miami-Dade ethics commission yesterday, elected officials can use taxpayer resources to make campaign ads. Homestead Mayor Steven Bateman will not be punished for using snippets ... More >>

George Clinton and Four Other Funky Brothers Who Owe the IRS Back Taxes

He's considered the forefather of funk and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 15 years ago. But to the Federal Government and the Internal Revenue Service, George Clinton is a delinquent. According to TMZ, Clinton owes Uncle Sam more than $115,000 in unpaid taxes from 2007 and 200 ... More >>

Jean Monestime pushes $3 million grant to felon for questionable Liberty City project

Watch Rick Scott Refuse to Pee in a Cup on The Daily Show

​Florida's law requiring the poor to pass a drug test before receiving welfare funds came under the scrutiny of The Daily Show last night. In an interview with Aasif Mandvi, bill supporter Representative Scott Plakon claimed that any recipient of taxpayer money should undergo drug testing. When Ma ... More >>

The Federal's Opening-Night Dinner (Photos of Pig Wings)

​Every once in a while, we come across new eateries that wow us to the point where we can't wait to go again -- so we sneak in a mere two days after our first visit. That's what happened at the Federal Miami.Described by opening-night patron Nina Stack as "friendly decadence," this could be the ne ... More >>

Koran-Burning Florida Pastor Terry Jones to Run for President

​Terry Jones, the press hungry pastor of a tiny Gainesville church that damn near caused an international incident by promising to host "Burn a Koran" day, has decided he's going to run for president. Because that's exactly what we need: more wackos people running for president! In his press relea ... More >>

Corina Esquijarosa, Embattled North Bay Village Mayor, Gets Canned

​North Bay Village Mayor Corina Esquijarosa now has more time to fight the recall effort against her. She's been laid off from her job as a project representative for the city of Miami Public Facilities Department. Esquijarosa's position, which paid her an annual $97,000 salary and benefits packa ... More >>

North Bay Village Mayor Corina Esquijarosa Sued For $3,859

​As the recall against her gains steam, North Bay Village Mayor Corina Esquijarosa continues to have personal financial problems. This past July 18, Capital One Bank filed a lawsuit against her in Miami-Dade Circuit Court alleging she owes a $3,859 unpaid credit card bill. The complaint gives more ... More >>

Miami-Dade Commissioner Lynda Bell made a promise she hasn't kept

Five Times Julio Robaina Screwed The Taxpayers

Julio Robaina, sucky mayoral candidate number 1.​You know Miami-Dade politics is a joke when the county mayor's race comes down to which guy sucks less. If you're into a Cuban version of Arthur Fonzerelli with his own private shadow bank, you'll vote for Julio Robaina. If you're interested in the ... More >>

Rick Scott's Veto Will Leave Poor Seniors in Miami Without Hot Meals

Yesterday, we ran through many of the local programs that will lose funding thanks to Gov. Rick Scott's record breaking $615 million in vetoes to the state budget. About $40 million of those were cuts to local programs, and one of the most controversial was vetoing $430,298 meant for the hot meals p ... More >>

Five Reasons Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina Is The Wrong Man For The Job

Don't let the smile fool you. This man can't be trusted. ​Only in Miami-Dade County can a politician like Julio Robaina be considered a front-runner for the top elected post. With one day left for early voting before election day on May 24, we've compiled five reasons Robaina does not deserve beco ... More >>

Letters from the issue of May 12, 2011

County Manager George Burgess Is Resigning

​Hours after voters tossed out the bums (ahem, Carlos Alvarez and the vile Natacha Seijas), County Manager George Burgess got the hint as well. Burgess is set to resign his post today at a 2 p.m. news conference.In memorium, we'll just toss out two things about Burgess: $422,118 (yu ... More >>

Forbes: Miami is the Second Most Miserable City in America

According to Forbes, the only good things about living in Miami are the weather and the fact we don't have a state income tax. Other than that, apparently Miami is a miserable hellhole. So much so that we're the second most miserable city in America, according to the finance mag's annual rankings.&n ... More >>

FIU Vice President Patti Bamford Claims School Fired Her for Whistleblowing

​Florida International University's former Associate Vice President of the Office of Business Services Patti Bamford has filed suit against the school, claiming that it fired her after blowing the whistle on some shady handling of money. Bamford claims the school publicly stated it didn't have the ... More >>

Rick Scott to Abolish Office of Drug Control as Pill Mill Fight Faces Uphill Battle

​Cracking down on pill mills was supposed to be one of the state government's biggest triumphs of the year. New legislation taking aim at regulating "pain management" clinics that wantonly prescribe addictive pain medications went into effect in October, but the government has blown several deadli ... More >>

FAIR-y tales: The immigration saga continues

Spending IRS Refund Could Be Taxing

You're not going to deposit that refund check, are you?

That Red Balloon Over Collins on the Weekend? Part of a DARPA Contest

via djuggler's FlickrAn example of one of the balloons. ​That giant red weather balloon hovering over Collins Avenue this past weekend wasn't some sort of Art Basel-related installation. It was part of a U.S. Defense Department Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contest. DARPA set& ... More >>

Troubled Miami-Dade Agency Gets Revamped

Alex Izaguirre​Miami-Dade County commissioners are gearing up to revamp the Miami Metro Action Plan Trust, the social and economic redevelopment agency created in the wake of the racial riots that rocked the county during the '80s.On December 1, the commission will vote to reconstitute the trust i ... More >>

Is Watson Island the New Overtown (With a Mega-Yacht Club)?

Miami.fly me via Flickr CC​Watson Island is the redheaded stepchild of Biscayne Bay. Star Island gets Shaquille O'Neal and Madonna. Fisher Island has its own private ferry. And poor Watson is stuck with a field of dry grass and a theme park full of restless parrots. Sure, it's home to the Japane ... More >>

Time: Miami-Dade County Commission is "a Feckless, Corruption-Tainted Body"

via MiamiDade.gov​The sun still shines. The beaches are still some of the best in the world. The weather, unfortunate for this time of year, is still the same as it ever was. All of those stereotypical things that draw people to call Florida home have gone more or less unchanged, so what's to blam ... More >>

Club for Growth Calls Crist a Closet Communist

Club for Growth, a fiscally conservative group that helped push Sen. Arlen Specter into the Democratic Party with the threat of a primary challenge, sure does not like Gov. Charlie Crist. Now that ol' Arlen is gone from the party, Crist might be the group's number one GOP target. This month, Club f ... More >>

Florida Probably Doesn't Want New Hampshire's Leftovers

Considering most runners in the 2010 Senate race haven't held a position higher than congressman, it might behoove anyone with a stronger resumé to think about entering the fray, and what better job to have in your past when seeking a Senate seat than senator? Reportedly, former New Hampshire Sen. ... More >>

Downtown Dilemma

Kilo: Cocaine Made Miami, Part 1

Introduction

Politics and Policy

With its severe new Cuba regulations, the Bush administration alienated some Miami exiles, but not the ones who matter

My Dog Ate the Mortgage -- Really!

As Miami tries to collect millions in loans gone bad, the deadbeat debtors trot out their excuses

Revenge of the Penny Tax

FIU and MDCC foundations draw new scrutiny from state investigators

Goya, Goya, Gone

Letters from the issue of June 22, 2000

Best Politician Convicted In The Past Twelve Months

Alberto Gutman

Hurricane Van Van

Promoter Debbie Ohanian stared down the City of Miami and won a victory in the area's latest absurdo

Grigsby in Defense of Grigsby

Letters

He Made Dade

Battling cancer, veteran pol Dante Fascell talks of war, Cuba, and a lifetime of putting Miami on the map

Passport to Paradox

The Cuban embargo is supposed to be getting tougher on travelers, but it's just getting weirder

First the Homeless, Now the Jobless

A funding crisis forces Camillus House to issue seventeen pink slips

Won Way

You Say Cemetery, Miami Says Deadbeat

The city's surfeit of tax-exempt properties costs tens of millions

A Taxing Process

A Wayne-Win Situation

Gaining control of the Miami Arena was the easy part. Now Mr. Blockbuster just has to persuade the Heat to stick around.

Call While You Can

Much to AT&T's dismay, foreign companies have found a way around the restrictions on calling Cu ba from the U.S. -- for now, at least

Wheeling and Dealing

U.S. Rep. William Lehman snags $2.5 million in federal money for bike paths in his Dade district - and cyclists aren't taking it sitting down

Whoppers!