So I just had a Scooby Doo WTF? moment. This past June 10, at its annual Orchids & Onions Awards Presentation, the Urban Environment League recognized Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas for her efforts to make sure foreclosed houses don’t get trashed. Earlier this year, Seijas sponsored legislation that requires…
This past May 31, after renouncing Catholicism, international celebrity priest Alberto Cutié delivered his first sermon as an Episcopal minister. TV cameras and tabloid reporters filled the parking lot of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Biscayne Park. The scene was played repeatedly on television screens across Latin America…
When rich married couples in Miami break up, you can bet both spouses will make a mad scramble to be the first one who enlists the services of family law attorney Maurice Kutner. His client roster has included Spanish radio mogul Raúl Alarcón Jr.; local television anchor Eliott Rodriguez; Kerry…
This past May 31, after renouncing Catholicism, international celebrity priest Alberto Cutié delivered his first sermon as an Episcopal minister. TV cameras and tabloid reporters filled the parking lot of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Biscayne Park. The scene was played repeatedly on television screens across Latin America.Father…
This Thursday, June 11, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Miami Art Museum has a special treat in store for architecture enthusiasts and the green movement contingent. MAM — located at 101 W. Flagler St. in downtown Miami — is kicking off its Summer Nights, held every second Thursday evening of…
Robert Ruano, Miami’s director of grants and sustainable initiatives, spends a lot of money dining out and traveling on the taxpayers’ dime. According to copies of the reimbursement forms and receipts Ruano has submitted to the Miami’s finance office between 2006 and January this year, the city has picked up his…
After 11 years away from elected office, Luis Morse is ready for a comeback. The 69-year-old Bay of Pigs veteran is one of seven contenders looking to take the Miami City Commission seat vacated by Joe Sanchez, who is running for mayor. From 1984 to 1998, Morse held sway in…
Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones Beats Corruption Charges
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: Ran three times for the state House of Representatives –…
It has been close to a year since I wrote my cover story about Lilly Aramburo, a 24-year-old single mother and drug addict who disappeared from her boyfriend’s apartment June 1, 2007. Today, there is still no trace of her, but friend Janet Forte presses on with her social media crusade to find…
Today, Banana Republican begins a weekly series assessing candidates running for various municipal elected offices this year. Let’s turn our attention to the District 3 city commission race in Miami, where we have seven contenders vying to replace Joe Sanchez, who is running for mayor. The district includes the affluent Roads…
Miami Police Rush a Murder Case on TV show The First 48
Watching Helio Castroneves sob joyfully as he sipped from his victory bottle of milk, Riptide couldn’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy. After all, we like it when a Miami celeb can get over on The Man and continue making millions more dollars entertaining us. When Castroneves won his…
Just got back from the Spence-Jones Vindication Show in Overtown. The thunderstorms had just subsided outside the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church at 301 NW 9th Street. But inside Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones’ angry voice boomed throughout the cavernous assembly hall. She was flanked by 30 to 40 supporters.”It’s been almost…
Cleared of public corruption charges last week, Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones will hold a press conference today at 5:30 p.m. We’re guessing Spence-Jones will gloat a little, maybe take a baseball bat and bash cardboard cut outs of ex-city manager Joe Arriola and Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who both talked smack…
In this week’s print edition of Riptide, I wrote that none of the candidates in the Miami mayoral race will crack the $1 million benchmarks set by Manny Diaz in 2001 and 2005. Nevertheless, City Commissioners Tomas Regalado and Joe Sanchez are shoring up support with some of the city’s…
Miami’s mayoral frontrunners struggle to raise campaign money in recession
UPDATE: Facebook has restored Alexis Mincolla’s privileges to upload all the Satanic-themed nightclub violence footage he wants. It appears Facebook doesn’t like what Alexis Mincolla, the mastermind behind the popular Black Sunday party at Bella Rose, is posting on his page. The social media network’s Iron Guard has taken down…
This past April 30, I wrote about North Miami mayoral candidate Frank Wolland calling out opponent Andre Pierre for supposedly refusing to answer questions about his 4.9 percent ownership interest in North Miami Housing Ltd. The partnership was established by the developers of Biscayne Landing, a controversial 193-acre residential and…
This week, North Miami mayoral candidate Frank Wolland went on the offensive for the city’s upcoming May 12 municipal election by having a volunteer dress up in a chicken suit and tail opponent Andre Pierre at this past Tuesday’s city council meeting and at yesterday’s mayoral candidate forum.Wolland is calling…
Local campaign strategist Michael Caputo likes to employ some fowl play in his election day tactics. In the mid-1990s, Caputo busted out his patent-pending tactic of using a man-in-a-chicken-suit-to-tail-opponents when he worked for Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s campaign. Back when he was spokesman for ex-School Board Member Frank Bolanos’ failed campaign…
On its corporate website, Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod boasts that its land use and zoning lawyers have “literally helped to reshape the skyline of our community.” No doubt the influential downtown Miami law firm knows how to persuade local government officials to allow developers to build, build, and build…
