Ron Book

Norman Braman, Magic City Casino Among Top Donors in Miami Mayor's Race

The Miami Mayor's race is still five months away, but a majority of the city's politically influential power brokers are lining up behind Commissioner Francis Suarez, who is looking to take out popular incumbent Tomas Regalado with more than one million bucks in his campaign war chest. Regalado has ... More >>

Boycott Miami Beach

It's Time for Another National Black Boycott of Miami Beach

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. Today, Luke is outraged over the treatment of African-Americans in Miami Beach. Once again Miami Beach did a helluva of a job making sure Africa ... More >>

Miami Heads To Federal Court To Get Permission To Arrest Homeless People

The City of Miami has taken to federal court to undo a 15-year-old legal agreement that protected homeless people from undue arrest and harassment by the authorities. The city is concerned the homeless population is stunting downtown's growth, and want the courts to alter a 1988 settlement that bars ... More >>

Dolphins Stadium Upgrade Bill Passes First State Senate Committee Unanimously

The Miami Dolphins won their first legislative battle in a war to secure taxpayer money to cover half of the planned $400 million upgrades to Sun Life Stadium this morning as the bill passed its first Senate committee unanimously. 

Norman Braman's Contributions Dried Up For the Nov. 6 County Commission Run-Offs

After raising nearly a million bucks to unseat four Miami-Dade County Commissioners in the August 14 primary, it seems billionaire auto magnate Norman Braman threw in the towel. According to the last three financial reports for his political action committee Change Miami Dade Now, Braman only chippe ... More >>

Homeless Trust Partnership Seeks Support From Restaurants, Patrons

When the Homeless Trust was given $50 million from Miami-Dade county to build affordable housing, the 27-member board scoured the nation to find the best ways similar organizations had spent their money. They had been effective over a 20-year history, having reduced the number of homeless in Mi ... More >>

Magic City Casino Picks Fight With Miami-Dade, Marlins and Miccosukee Tribe

Ever notice that sign for the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians on Marlins Park? Well, the management of Magic City Casino sure has, and they are not happy with it. The casino believes that it violates a contract it has with the county that forbids Miami-Dade from harming their slot revenue, and they'd ve ... More >>

Ron Book Has Made $1 Million Lobbying This Year; Lincoln Diaz-Balart Got Rich Off Genting

It's only May, but South Florida super-lobbyist Ron Book is already having one hell of a year in Tallahassee. This week, lobbyists filed their reports for 2012's first quarter and since January, Book has already topped $1 million in fees. Who's paying him all that cash? Along with every other city i ... More >>

SoBe Entertainment record head accused of toe-sucking, sexual assault in performer's lawsuit

Pop Star Phyllisia Ross Claims SoBe Records CEO Cecile Barker Licked Her Foot, Groped Her

What do an aspiring pop star, a South Beach music mogul, Florida's most powerful lobbyist, and Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade have in common? They're all involved in one of the most bizarre, sordid recording-industry lawsuits ever filed in Miami-Dade County, complete with allegations of backstabbi ... More >>

Miami-Dade Paying $340,000 To Lobbying Firms Tied To Marlins Debacle, Genting Agenda

The four firms representing Miami-Dade County before the state legislature are mired in potential conflicts of interests and ongoing controversies. Yesterday, county commissioners awarded $120,000 each to law firms Ronald L. Book P.A. and Rutledge, Ecenia & Purnell, as well as $50,000 each for A ... More >>

Carlos Gimenez Is No Longer Looking Out For Akerman Senterfitt, Lobbyists Who Funded His Campaign

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has vetoed a controversial lobbying contract that included a law firm that has generously supported his political campaign for the county's top elected position. Citing the county commission's failure to cut the cost of Miami-Dade's lobbying services, Gimenez killed t ... More >>

Florida Legislature Gave $1.5 Million to Lobbyist Ron Book's Daughter's Nonprofit She Didn't Even Want

Republicans up in Tallahassee are so used to giving money to things associated with Miami-based power lobbyist Ron Book that they ended up giving $1.5 million to a nonprofit run by his daughter Lauren Book that she didn't even ask for or apparently need. The odd moves came as those very same politic ... More >>

Esteban Bovo: The New Natacha Seijas

​Thought the recall election would change things at county hall? Think again. If campaign money is any indication, former state Rep. Esteban Bovo is a shoo-in for the Miami-Dade Commission seat representing northwestern parts of the county vacated by Natacha Seijas. And he is beholden to a lo ... More >>

County Commissioners Deny Ron Book's Waiver

No waiver for Ron Book. ​Maybe Ron Book is losing his touch. On Monday, Miami-Dade County commissioners denied Book's request to lobby on behalf of a private client pushing a state bill the county is against. The ultra influential lobbyist represents Miami-Dade before the Florida Legislature. But ... More >>

Ron Book Never Saw a Conflict of Interest Waiver He Didn't Like UPDATED

Is Ron Book lobbying for your taxpayer interests? Probably not. ​Update: Ron Book tells Banana Republican that it was unfair to characterize his representation of municipal governments and private clients with competing interests as something bad. "I didn't do anything nefarious or unethical," he ... More >>

Singer Jon Secada -- Who? -- Unveils a Britto Homeless Meter in South Beach

​Must everything in Miami be endorsed by a marginal celebrity and decorated by Romero Britto? The answer to that question, clearly, is yes.

Romero Britto's parking meters mess with Miami bums' beer fund

Miami Bums Sound Off on Britto Meters

Britto is tapping into the homeless' beer fund.​Pop artist Romero Britto's work has infected Miami like a great open sore pulsing red, yellow, and blue. When future archeologists unearth our city, they'll think we worshiped squinting kitty-cats and butterflies--and that our artistic ability fell o ... More >>

Ron Book and Romero Britto Bring You The Ugliest Parking Meters Ever

via brickellinfo​It's a bird! It's a plane! It's another terrible Romero Britto sculpture, only this time it's not just hurting your eyes, it's also taking your spare change. Meters designed by the local hack artist have made their first appearance in Brickell. But, don't blame Britto, blame anoth ... More >>

California Governor Candidate Wants to Put Pedophiles on an Island, Sounds Oddly Familiar

via CurbedLA​A minor candidate in California's governor race has proposed an oddly familiar idea for dealing with convicted sex offenders and pedophiles: he wants to put them all on an island. No, Ron Book has not moved to the Golden State.Douglas Hughes, a dark horse Republican candidate, has mad ... More >>

Morons of the Week: Ron Book, Jeff Ireland, and Arizona

Some say it's the heat that causes it. Others blame Jimmy Buffett. Whatever the reason, South Florida is Mecca for this hemisphere's most devoted morons. Let's see who took the pilgrimage this week: Sorry, Ron, you've been overdue in this column for a while.​5. Ron Book, who apparently thoug ... More >>

Julia Tuttle Sex Offenders Evicted, Again

On Friday, the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust sent out a self-congratulatory press release announcing it had finally shut down the sex offender shantytown under the Julia Tuttle bridge.​"From the very first report of people moving in under the Julia Tuttle Causeway, the men and women of The Homeless Tr ... More >>

Exclusive: Brickell Developer Unloads Empty Condos on Julia Tuttle Sex Offenders

A local condo developer and a homeless advocacy group are nearing a landmark deal to house the remaining sex offenders living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.ICON Brickell​The offenders would be housed at Brickell high-rises that have been all b ... More >>

News Roundup

My least favorite things in the world: Britto art and parking meters. Somehow they are coming together to raise money for the homeless. [WSVN]Some corporate thing I have never heard of has given the Miami Heat lots of money to make sure we all hear about it. Yep, the Heat has a new presenting sponso ... More >>

Peel the Vote '09: Not That Carollo, But Still a Carollo

Alex Izaguirre In the crowded race to for the city commission seat being vacated by Joe Sanchez, perennial candidate Frank Carollo has amassed $95,275 in campaign . The guy's run before.Vitals: A 39-year-old certified public accountant with a perfectly symmetrical pompadour. Qualifications: Ra ... More >>

Pam the PTO Mom Fed Up With School Cuts, Ron Book

Meet Pamela the PTO Mom. If more media covered state politics with the same passion and obsession as national politics and more people cared, she'd be Florida's anti-Joe the Plumber. Pamela Hennan, a St. Augustine Realtor and dedicated school volunteer drove all night to address the House Finance an ... More >>

News Roundup

Two employees of a wire company are charged with stealing remittances that were supposed to head to Cuba. [Herald]Names on the invite list for the straight wedding of the century are leaking. Crist has invited a bunch of political-type people, old FSU frat bros, donors and lobbyists like Ron Book. [ ... More >>

Lobbyist Ron Book Tries to Tackle the Housing Crisis

Maybe he can rent us a room in his $2.2 million pad in Plantation.

Elected Officials Reward Their Campaign Contributors

Give money, get contracts.

Give Money, Get Contracts, Part II

Sex Offenders Set Up Camp

The Julia Tuttle becomes a colony. Politicians pass the buck.

Metro

Pay to Play

In this political season, Miami's high-profile campaign contributors favor Republicans and Democrats

The Money Trail

Rough Ryder

The behind-the-scenes battle to put Miami's homegrown Fortune 500 Co. next to the Herald raises an old specter

Resegregation Now, Resegregation Forever!

Are charter-school conversions the vanguard for public education or a scam for resegregating the learning experience and making a lot of money?

Riptide

Weaving tangled Webs

Liar, Liar

Letters

Dear Chief Justice: Throw the Book at Him

Crime & Nourishment

In Miami breaking bread has become an intricate part of breaking the law

Scalded: The Afterburn

A state fraud investigator says he was punished because he tangled with U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey

Crime and Politics, Part 2

Two men come forward to say they saw a man dumping scads of the New Times issue that featured Ron Book. It was Ron Book.

Reward!

The Politician's Best Friend: A Lobbyist Whose Clients Have Money

Crime & Politics

The continuing success of lobbyist Ron Book: Perverse proof of how much lawmakers need lawbreakers

HoJo's To Miami Motorsports: No Prix Fee for Thee!

Grand Prix poobah Ralph Sanchez went to the downtown Howard Johnson's with his hand outstretched. And an ultimatum.