A plea from the citizens of district five of the City of Miami...

One of our readers forwarded us an email written by Minister Nathaniel J. Wilcox who took the time to outline, in detail, all of Reverend Richard P. Dunn's transgressions that were found in his most recent campaign treasurers report for his bid for the City of Miami district 5 commission seat.  Check it out...

Summary

 

City of Miami Commissioner Candidate, Richard P. Dunn II and his treasurer, Claytosha Owens-Fields, has violated numerous sections of the Florida Election Statutes including but not limited to:

1.      Chapter 106.11(1)(a) Expenses of and expenditures by candidates and political committees

a.       This statute was violated because expenditures were paid for in cash and not by means of a bank check drawn upon the campaign account as required by law.

2.      Chapter 106.19 Violations by candidates, persons connected with campaigns, and political committees

a.       This statute was violated because his campaign deliberately failed to include required addresses for each and every of the 221 sequence expenditure entries, the missing expenditure sequence entries #41 through #48, and the entirety of contribution pages 2,8,22, and 23.

3.    Chapter 106.07(4)(a)(7) Reports; certification and filing

a.       This statute was violated because his campaign failed to include required addresses for each and every of the 221 sequence expenditure entries and the missing expenditure sequence entries #41 through #48.

4.    Chapter 106.07(5) Reports; certification and filing

a.       This statute was violated because Loretta Richardson, a campaign worker, denies being paid 43 separate times as willfully certified by Mr. Dunn and Ms. Owens-Fields.

 

Election Law Violations

 

The election laws of the State of Florida govern the District 5 Miami City Commissioner’s election that is scheduled for a general election on November 5, 2013.  Per Chapter 99 of the Florida Statutes, Richard Paul Dunn II is duly qualified to seek election to that office.  Therefore, he must act within the confines of the election laws of the State of Florida.  Additionally, per Florida Statute 106.021(1), Mr. Dunn II and Claytosha Owens-Fields are duly appointed as campaign treasurers for Mr. Dunn’s campaign for the District 5 Commissioner seat.  It is within those respective positions that Mr. Dunn and Ms. Owens-Fields have violated the Election Laws of the State of Florida as indicated in their G1-13 Report that was submitted to the City of Miami Clerks Office.  Moreover, a couple of such violations are considered to be misdemeanor offenses and are punishable by up to 1 year in jail.

 

Florida Statute Election Code Violations

 

1.         Chapter 106.11(1)(a) Expenses of and expenditures by candidates and political committees

 

Each candidate and each political committee which designates a primary campaign depository pursuant to s. 106.021(1) shall make expenditures from funds on deposit in such primary campaign depository only in the following manner, with the exception of expenditures made from petty cash funds provided by s. 106.12:

 

(1)(a) The campaign treasurer or deputy campaign treasurer of a candidate or political committee shall make expenditures from funds on deposit in the primary campaign depository only by means of a bank check drawn upon the campaign account of the candidate or political committee. The campaign account shall be separate from any personal or other account and shall be used only for the purpose of depositing contributions and making expenditures for the candidate or political committee.

 

Per Richard Dunn’s G1-13 Campaign Treasurer’s Report, the following expenditures were paid for in cash and not by means of a bank check drawn upon the campaign account as required by law:

 

A.    Seq. #002—Payment to Castro Malla            ($15.00)

B.     Seq. #004—Payment to Office Depot           ($40.00)

C.     Seq. #006—Payment to Conch Haven           ($8.11)

D.    Seq. #007—Payment to Tony Roma’s           ($51.95)

E.     Seq. #008—Payment to Dunkin Donut*        ($22.92)

F.      Seq. #011—Payment to Shell                         ($14.00)

G.    Seq. #013—Payment to Captain Jim’ *          ($54.31)

H.    Seq. #016—Payment to Sunshine                  ($12.00)          

I.       Seq. #017—Payment to Shell                         ($9.00)

J.       Seq. #019—Payment to Continental              ($12.00)

K.    Seq. #020—Payment to Sushi                        ($24.72)

L.     Seq. #023—Payment to Valero                      ($20.00)

M.   Seq. #024—Payment to McDonalds*                        ($20.82)

N.    Seq. #030—Payment to Service St.                ($10.00)

O.    Seq. #031—Payment to MLK Restaurant      ($12.61)

P.      Seq. #032—Payment to Service 0727            ($6.00)

Q.    Seq. #036—Payment to Boston Market         ($26.18)

R.     Seq. #038—Payment to Snappers                  ($20.30)

S.      Seq. #040—Payment to ML BP                     ($16.00)

T.      Seq. #050—Payment to 94^th Aero Sqadron* ($88.34)

U.    Seq. #051—Payment to Shell Station                        ($18.00)

V.    Seq. #053—Payment to Captain Jim’s           ($45.33)

W.   Seq. #058—Payment to Dunkin Donuts        ($9.60)

X.    Seq. #059—Payment to Sushi                        ($14.82)

Y.    Seq. #061—Payment to Winn-Dixie              ($40.00)

Z.     Seq. #062—Payment to Sunshine                  ($15.00)

AA.                      Seq. #064—Payment to BP                            ($7.00)

BB.                       Seq. #067—Payment to Dunkin Donuts        ($9.60)

CC.                       Seq. #071—Payment to Snappers                  ($9.00)

DD.                      Seq. #072—Payment to Counter Checks       ($4.00)

EE.            Seq. #077—Payment to Shorty’s BBQ          ($96.21)

FF.             Seq. #079—Payment to Shell                         ($18.00)

GG.                      Seq. #084—Payment to Pollo Tropical           ($16.23)

HH.                      Seq. #086—Payment to 54^th Street                ($16.00)

II.                Seq. #091—Payment to Sunshine                  ($18.00)

JJ.                Seq. #093—Payment to Red Lobster             ($73.94)

KK.                      Seq. #095—Payment to Sunshine                  ($20.00)

LL.            Seq. #099—Payment to Snapper                    ($10.73)

MM.                    Seq. #100—Payment to Jackson Soul Food   ($18.38)

NN.                      Seq. #101—Payment to Wendy’s                  ($16.22)

OO.                      Seq. #103—Payment to TGI Fridays             ($53.63)

PP.             Seq. #105—Payment to Regina Johnson, Carol Thomas, Gwen Thompson, Vashawn Johnson, Loretta Richardson, Darcene Potter, & Angela Chain($60.00)

QQ.                      Seq. #106—Payment to BP                            ($10.00)

RR.                       Seq. #108—Payment to Blue Collar               ($33.48)

SS.             Seq. #109—Payment to 71^st St                       ($22.00)

TT.             Seq. #111—Payment to 0727 Service            ($10.00)

UU.                      Seq. #114—Payment to Boston Market         ($37.22)

VV.                      Seq. #123—Payment to Ihop                         ($26.27)

WW.                   Seq. #125—Payment to Chevron                   ($20.00)

XX.                      Seq. #128—Payment to Hess                         ($20.00)

YY.                      Seq. #132—Payment to Ruby Tuesday          ($69.82)

ZZ.            Seq. #134—Payment to Offie Max                ($32.09)

AAA.                Seq. #135—Payment to Sushi                        ($28.73)

BBB.                  Seq. #136—Payment to Exxon Mobil            ($16.00)

CCC.                  Seq. #139—Payment to Florida Continental  ($18.00)

DDD.                Seq. #141—Payment to Chevron                   ($18.00)

EEE.                   Seq. #142—Payment to Wendy’s                  ($6.41)

FFF.                     Seq. #145—Payment to Monty’s                   ($82.84)

GGG.                Seq. #147—Payment to Sonoco                     ($24.00)

HHH.                Seq. #152—Payment to Margaret Restaurant            ($83.94)

III.             Seq. #153—Payment to Regina Johnson, Carol Thomas, Gwen Thompson, Vashawn Johnson, Loretta Richardson, Darcene Potter, & Angela Chain ($20.00)

JJJ.             Seq. #156—Payment to McDonalds              ($9.29)

KKK.                Seq. #157—Payment to Jackson Soul Food   ($13.94)

LLL.                   Seq. #161—Payment to 54^th BP                     ($20.00)

MMM.             Seq. #164—Payment to Shell Service            ($20.00)

NNN.                Seq. #167—Payment to Sushi                        ($14.82)

OOO.                Seq. #168—Payment to Royal Castle                        ($16.41)

PPP.                     Seq. #170—Payment to 54 BP                       ($10.00)

QQQ.                Seq. #171—Payment to Exxon Mobil            ($10.00)

RRR.                  Seq. #173—Payment to Pollo Tropical           ($17.84)

SSS.                     Seq. #178—Payment to Pollo Tropical           ($11.21)

TTT.                     Seq. #179—Payment to Jomar Petroleum      ($20.00)

UUU.                Seq. #182—Payment to Sushi                        ($15.63)

VVV.                Seq. #183—Payment to Jomar Petroleum      ($18.00)

WWW.            Seq. #189—Payment to Margaret Restaurant            ($68.67)

XXX.                Seq. #191—Payment to McDonalds*                        ($14.00)

YYY.                Seq. #194—Dunkin Donut*                           ($9.27)

ZZZ.                   Seq. #202—Payment to Jackson Soul Food   ($21.61)

AAAA.          Seq. #203—Payment to Five Guys                ($23.69)

BBBB.            Seq. #204—Payment to Sushi                        ($15.63)

CCCC.            Seq. #205—Payment to Exxon Mobil            ($22.00)

DDDD.          Seq. #206—Payment to Winn-Dixie              ($8.10)

EEEE.              Seq. #210—Payment to 54^th Street                ($15.75)

FFFF.                Seq. #213—Payment to Sunshine                  ($20.00)

GGGG.          Seq. #217—Payment to 79^th St Vallero          ($15.00)

HHHH.          Seq. #218—Payment to Exxon Mobil            ($16.00)

IIII.                      Seq. #220—Payment to Exxon Mobil            ($18.00)

* Misspelled words as written in the G1-13 Report.

 

2.         Chapter 106.19 Violations by candidates, persons connected with campaigns, and political committees

 

1) Any candidate; campaign manager, campaign treasurer, or deputy treasurer of any candidate; committee chair, vice chair, campaign treasurer, deputy treasurer, or other officer of any political committee; agent or person acting on behalf of any candidate or political committee; or other person who knowingly and willfully:

           

            (a) Accepts a contribution in excess of the limits prescribed by s. 106.08;

            (b) Fails to report any contribution required to be reported by this chapter;

(c) Falsely reports or deliberately fails to include any information required by this chapter; or


(d) Makes or authorizes any expenditure in violation of s. 106.11(4) or any other expenditure prohibited by this chapter;

is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

 

Per Richard Dunn’s G1-13 Campaign Treasurer’s Report, there are numerous entries where it is evident that his campaign deliberately failed to include information required by the aforementioned chapter.  Those entries include each and every of the 221 sequence expenditure entries, the missing expenditure sequence entries #41 through #48, and the contribution pages 2,8,22, and 23.

 

3.        Chapter 106.07(4)(a)(7) Reports; certification and filing

 

                        (4)(a)   Each report required by this section shall contain:

 

                        7.         The full name and address of each person to whom an expenditure for personal services, salary, or reimbursement for authorized expenses as provided in s. 106.021(3) has been made and which is not otherwise reported, including the amount, date, and purpose of such expenditure.

 

Per Richard Dunn’s G1-13 Campaign Treasurer’s Report, there are numerous entries where it is evident that his campaign failed to include information required by the aforementioned chapter.  Those entries include each and every of the 221 sequence expenditure entries and the missing expenditure sequence entries #41 through #48.

 

4.          Chapter 106.07(5) Reports; certification and filing

 

(5) The candidate and his or her campaign treasurer, in the case of a candidate, or the political committee chair and campaign treasurer of the committee, in the case of a political committee, shall certify as to the correctness of each report; and each person so certifying shall bear the responsibility for the accuracy and veracity of each report. Any campaign treasurer, candidate, or political committee chair who willfully certifies the correctness of any report while knowing that such report is incorrect, false, or incomplete commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

 

Claytosha Owens-Fields and Richard Dunn II willfully certified to the correctness of the G1-13 Campaign Treasurer’s Report on October 4, 2013.  Of the many entries that are included as expenses, there is at least one person (Loretta Richardson) who was listed as receiving 43 separate payments from the Richard Dunn Campaign.  However, Ms. Richardson has publicly expressed that she has only received two payments from the Richard Dunn Campaign and those payments were made in cash.  She vehemently denies receiving 41 additional payments from the Richard Dunn Campaign.  Her statement was captured in a Miami Herald article titled, “Dunn campaign workers: We were paid in cash” that was published on October 28, 2013. 

 

In that article, Mr. Greg King, the campaign manager, explained that checks were written to him and he cashed them to pay workers in cash.  However, those checks written to him are not properly listed in the expense report.  Therefore, Ms. Owens-Fields and Mr. Dunn have violated the aforementioned statute and are subject to criminal prosecution because they willfully certified to the correctness of the G1-13 Campaign Treasurer’s Report while knowing that the information contained within the report was incorrect and false.  

YIKES!  The document speaks for itself.  What's it gonna take for the folks over at the City of Miami PD, the State Attorneys Office, or Florida Division of Elections to take action?  If no one on the local level wants to do anything, since Mr. Dunn used the postal service to mail in these potentially fraudulent campaign finance reports, his potential misdeeds come under the purview of the feds as well.  Considering the magnitude of the crimes that may have been committed by Mr. Dunn and his campaign and the number of different agencies, both local and federal that can investigate and subsequently prosecute Mr. Dunn, it would be the ultimate travesty to the citizens of the City of Miami's district 5 if nothing is done.  Like Reverend Wilcox says in his letter...

Our community will not prosper if individuals are allowed to willfully violate the laws and are not held accountable.

With just days left till the election, we'll have to wait and see ultimately what the voters of Mr Dunn's district have to say about Mr. Dunn's activities... 

Dunn da Dunn Dunn DONE! More fun with Reverend Richard Dunn's wonky campaign finance report for his City of Miami district five commission seat campaign.

Dunn da Dunn Dunn DONE!

We left off last week discussing Reverend Richard Dunn's peculiar campaign finance report for his run for the City of Miami district 5 commission seat.  Throughout Mr. Dunn's campaign treasurer's report there are tons of inconsistencies, our friend Al Crespo covered some of them the other day, the Miami Herald covered some of Mr. Dunn's strange eating habits documented on the same report that suggest that Mr. Dunn may be living off of his campaign funds and now the Miami Herald reports that there are several of Mr. Dunn's campaign workers that have stated that they haven't gotten paid nearly as much as the report states they have and even worse, that they've been paid in cash rather than check as indicated in the report, from the Herald article...

Two women who have done work for the Rev. Richard P. Dunn’s campaign say they were paid in cash - a violation of state election law if true - and that they were not paid as many times as the front-runner for Miami’s District 5 seat claims on his most recent campaign finance report.

“I was paid maybe $150 or $180 altogether, $20 a day, maybe eight times,” said Richards. “I was paid in cash, never a check.”
The checks ranged in amounts from a low of $60 on Sept. 5 to a high of $3,000 on Sept. 27.
The report does not list the women individually or give their addresses, both requirements under state law. 

She said she was paid only in cash, and not every time she worked. Jackson said she was usually given small cards with Dunn’s biography on them and was told to pass them around. She said she was told a bigger payday would come if Dunn won the seat.

YIKES!  If true, this could create some massive problems for Mr. Dunn that may rise to the level of criminality.  With that said, I think this part could possibly help explain much of the shenanigans surrounding Mr. Dunn's campaign finances...

Dunn has had money problems in his career. He resigned as assistant pastor at Drake Memorial Baptist Church in the early 1990s after confessing to the board of trustees that he had used church funds for personal expenses. Dunn eventually paid the church back.
Public records show that his wife, Daphne, filed for personal bankruptcy in January 2012.

Winn Dixie!

Now, with that said, I think we should take a look at some of the expenditures on Mr. Dunn's campaign finance report that have been overlooked, first we'll start with Mr. Dunn's visits to Winn Dixie supermarket.  During the period of time that this campaign treasurer's report covers, Mr. Dunn lists 9 visits to Winn Dixie where he spent anywhere from $2.49 for what's listed as "Juice" all the way to $140 for what's listed as "food & water".  What I find bizarre about Mr. Dunn's visits to Winn Dixie is at least five of his receipts end up in nice round numbers, respectively $80.00, $120.00, $120.00, $40.00 and $140.00.  What are the chances that Mr. Dunn's purchases at the supermarket ended up with such nice round numbers?  Honestly folks, in all my years shopping at various grocery stores, I don't think I've gotten totals like that more than once let alone five times in the matter of two months!  The same goes for Mr. Dunn's receipts from Office Depot, take a look for yourselves, his receipts are as follows: $40.00, $20.00, $100.00, and $100.00, who the hell shops at Office Depot and manages to get such nice round numbers when they check out?  While Mr. Dunn may have figured out a way to make the cashier's lives at Winn Dixie and Office Depot easier when giving him change, something seems off here to say the least. 

Another issue that I think that't's worth noting is Mr. Dunn's peculiar gas expenditures.  We're told that Mr Dunn drives a Chrysler 300, if true the car is reported to get around 23 mpg with the V6 engine or 19 mpg with the V8 engine.  With that in mind, why the hell is Mr. Dunn purchasing gas $10, $18, $16 or $6 dollars at a time?  How far will $6 dollars worth of gas get you in a car like Mr. Dunn's?  20 miles maybe?!  Who the hell has ever rolled up to a gas station and purchased $6 worth of gas?!  WTF?  

While there may be nothing wrong with the campaign expenditures that we've discussed today, based on Mr. Dunn's troubling financial past, I think what we've found certainly merits additional investigation by the proper authorities.  Even if it's all on the up and up, the cloud of financial uncertainty that surrounds Mr. Dunn and his campaign is enough for any reasonable person to wonder if he's fit enough to handle the financial matters for district five.

That's enough for today, we're going to mine Mr. Dunn's campaign reports for additional anomalies and report back tomorrow.

Meanwhile, back in the City of Miami...

Keon Hardemon

Some of our critics have accused us lately of becoming a City of South Miami centric blog, I can't disagree as it seems like a disproportionate number of our stories of late have been about the goings on in South Miami.  With that said, I think it's time we make mention of what's happening over at the City of Miami, specifically in the race to replace termed out District 5 commissioner, Michelle Spence-Jones.  Up until a few weeks ago the word on the street seemed to be that a victory for that jackass Reverend Richard Dunn was all but a foregone conclusion, there were a couple of also rans running for the seat along with a public defender named Keon Hardemon.  I'll have to be honest, I knew little to nothing about Mr. Hardemon till recently other than what I gleaned from the recent Herald article about him...

Hardemon was born in Liberty City and is a graduate of Northwestern High, Florida A&M University and University of Miami law school. He has spent the past three years working for the Miami-Dade public defender’s office, and proved to be a feisty and formidable campaigner while losing to incumbent County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson last year.

A member of one of Liberty City’s most powerful political families, Hardemon could prove more than a bump in the road for Dunn, whose only opposition for the November election until now was political unknown Dr. Robert Malone Jr., who has raised $100.
Keon Hardemon’s uncle and aunt are Billy and Barbara Hardemon. The couple came to prominence through social activism after the 1980 McDuffie riots, helping late Commissioner Miller Dawkins and former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek catapult to office.

Just that little bit about Mr. Hardemon along with the fact that he chose to practice law as a criminal public defender helping those stuck in the criminal justice system that can least afford to help themselves is more than enough to win me over when compared to that zoot suit wearing, lying and conniving jerk, Richard Dunn.  

Two things stick out in my mind when Mr. Dunn comes to mind, first his pledge to the City of Miami commission and the city's citizens that after being appointed for the district 5 commission seat, he wouldn't run for the same seat at the next election, from the South Florida times article...

“That was the agreement that the commissioners wanted me to make,” said Dunn, who lives in Liberty City. “I told them that if it was the wish of the commission, then I would honor that.’’

Great, so he makes a deal with the people of Miami to not run for the seat he was just appointed for then he backtracks and goes back on his word, from the same article...

“Even though you have made a commitment, or pledge -- if you will, to the commission--it’s really the district that makes the decision as to who their representative should be.”

Oh, ok.  Forget about the promise that you made to the citizens and your fellow commissioners, fuck it, what's your word worth anyway?  According to his own former constituents, not much!

Tillman Sneed, a lifelong resident of Overtown, said he is not surprised about what he called “Dunn’s switching of hats.” 

Sneed said, “It was a matter of time before this went to his head, is what I say. This is not someone who cares about the district and we don’t need a chameleon. Does his promise mean anything?”

DOH!

Victoria Pierre, a 14-year resident of Little Haiti, said she does not feel that Dunn, as a pastor, needs to “put his foot in politics.” 

Pierre said, “Church and politics don’t mix, and District 5 is in great need of many things. I’m just not sure what he is bringing to the table, but I know we don’t need someone who is all talk. And that’s what I see. Being a pastor does not remove him from corruption or mean that he is experienced.”

LOL!

The second thing that comes to mind when I think of Mr. Dunn is the audacity he had, after having to leave office when Michelle Spence-Jones returned to her commission seat in 2011, when he asked the city to reimburse him in full for his salary and benefits through 2013!!!!  WTF?!  Any doubt what Mr. Dunn is really about?!

Come on!  How this man has the nerve to run for this commission seat again is beyond me.  What's even more alarming is that up until a few days ago, Mr. Dunn was favored to win, luckily the most recent polling suggests that Mr Hardemon is a couple of points ahead.

That's enough for now, I'll leave you with Mr. Dunn's most recent campaign treasurers report to mull over, we're going to tear it apart next week.  Till then...

  Richard P. Dunn Campaign treasurer's report summary.pdf

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/01/v-print/3536897/keon-hardemons-entrance-spices.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/01/v-print/3536897/keon-hardemons-entrance-spices.html#storylink=cpy

What a tangled web we weave...

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive - Walter Scott

I had planned on leaving up yesterday's post about the various laws and ethics rules City of South Miami commissioner Josh Liebman may have broken by campaigning from on the dais for commission candidate Donna Shelly for a couple of days, that was until one of our readers left this comment that I thought was worth highlighting for our readers...

City of South Miami Regular City Commission Minutes
March 20, 2012 CONSENT AGENDA 56-12-13613
1. A Resolution appointing Alex Almazan to serve on the Parks and Recreation Board for a two-year term ending March 19, 2014. 3/5 (Vice Mayor Liebman)
Moved by Commissioner Newman, seconded by Commissioner Harris, the motion to approve the Consent Agenda passed by a 5-0 vote. Commissioner Newman: Yea; Vice Mayor Liebman: Yea; Commissioner Harris: Yea; Commissioner Welsh: Yea; Mayor Stoddard: Yea 

RESOLUTIONS 
8.A Resolution appointing Donna Shelley to serve on the Environmental Review and Preservation Board for a two-year term ending March 19, 2014. 3/5
(Vice Mayor Liebman) 
Moved by Commissioner Welsh, seconded by Commissioner Harris, the motion to defer this item passed by a 4-1 vote. Commissioner Newman: Yea; Vice Mayor Liebman: Nay; Commissioner Harris: Yea; Commissioner Welsh: Yea; Mayor Stoddard: Yea 

(This item was withdrawn) 
9. A Resolution appointing Alex Almazan to serve on the Planning Board for an unexpired term ending March 1, 2013. 3/5 (Vice Mayor Liebman) 

Detail by Officer/Registered Agent Name
Florida Limited Liability Company 
TOWN TITLE & TRUST, LLC 
Filing Information
Document NumberL06000047350
Manager/Member Detail Name & Address
Title MGRM ALMAZAN, ALEXANDER PESQ
7550 RED ROAD , SUITE 208
MIAMI, FL 33143
Title MGR LIEBMAN, JOSH
5861 SW 87TH STREET
SOUTH MIAMI, FL 33143

"Vice Mayor Joshua Liebman, a political rookie who ran on a platform to “restore trust and civility at City Hall,” was asked this week how that effort is going.“The definition of insanity,” Liebman said, “is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That is what is happening here. Something has to change.” -South Miami: a city where weird things are always happening The Miami Herald BYLINE: ANDREA TORRES; atorres@MiamiHerald.com 12/10/2012

Interesting relationship there between Commissioner Liebman and Mr. Almazan isn't it?  Thanks to our reader with the keen eye for details.

Just how many laws may have been broken by City of South Miami Commissioner Josh Liebman's campaign endorsement from the dais?

Last week we left you with a video of City of South Miami Commissioner, Josh Liebman, campaigning for someone to replace on of his fellow commissioners during a commission meeting while on the dais.  We asked what if any laws the good commissioner broke by endorsing someone from the dais, did anyone guess just how many laws were broken?  While there was spirited debate in our comments section, one of our readers was kind enough to send me an email and elucidate which laws were allegedly broken, so without further adieu...

F.S. Ch. 104.31 Political activities of state, county, and municipal officers and employees.(2) An employee of the state or any political subdivision may not participate in any political campaign for an elective office while on duty.(3) Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(4) Nothing contained in this section or in any county or municipal charter shall be deemed to prohibit any public employee from expressing his or her opinions on any candidate or issue or from participating in any political campaign during the employee’s off-duty hours, so long as such activities are not in conflict with the provisions of subsection (1) or s. 110.233.

Makes sense right?  Do whatever the hell you want when you're not on the clock, but when you're on the clock, keep your mouth shut!  Next...

F.S. Ch. 106.15 Campaign Financing - Certain acts prohibited(3) A candidate may not, in the furtherance of his or her candidacy for nomination or election to public office in any election, use the services of any state, county, municipal, or district officer or employee during working hours.

Ok, more of the same, next...

F.S. Ch. 106.113 Campaign Financing - Expenditures by local governments(2) A local government or a person acting on behalf of local government may not expend or authorize the expenditure of, and a person or group may not accept, public funds for a political advertisement or electioneering communication concerning an issue, referendum, or amendment, including any state question, that is subject to a vote of the electors. This subsection does not apply to an electioneering communication from a local government or a person acting on behalf of a local government which is limited to factual information.

I guess this would apply since Commissioner Liebman was getting paid by the city while he was running his mouth.  Next...

F.S. Ch. 112.313  Standards of conduct for public officers, employees of agencies, and local government attorneys. (6) MISUSE OF PUBLIC POSITION. No public officer, employee of an agency, or local government attorney shall corruptly use or attempt to use his or her official position or any property or resource which may be within his or her trust, or perform his or her official duties, to secure a special privilege, benefit, or exemption for himself, herself, or others. This section shall not be construed to conflict with s. 104.31.

That's self explanatory and right on point.  Next...

Miami-Dade County Code of OrdinancesSec. 2-11.1 (g) Exploitation of official position prohibited.
No person included in the terms defined in Subsections (b)(1) through (6) and (b)(13) shall use or attempt to use his or her official position to secure special privileges or exemptions for himself or herself or others except as may be specifically permitted by other ordinances and resolutions previously ordained or adopted or hereafter to be ordained or adopted by the Board of County Commissioners.

Once again, on point.  Perhaps Commissioner Liebman's behavior wouldn't have been as egregious if he would have also endorsed commissioner Harris when asked towards the end of his endorsement for his friend.  Last but not least...

South Miami Code of Ordinances Sec. 8A-3.  Fair and equal treatment.(a) Impartiality. No official or employee shall request, use or permit the use of, any consideration, treatment, advantage or favor beyond that which it is the general practice to grant or make available to the public at large.

Again, clear and on point.

So what now?  From what it looks like we have Commissioner Liebman dead to rights, after watching the video, it seems clear that he has violated some if not all of the laws outlined above.  With that said, it's time, at the very least, to empower the folks over at the Miami Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust with a new ethics complaint!

Although it seems like the behavior of the good commissioner may have risen to the level of criminality (first degree misdemeanor), I somehow doubt the people over at the state attorneys office would bother with going after Mr. Liebman.  What do you guys think?  I guess we'll start with an ethics complaint then maybe pass the whole mess on to the state attorneys office and see what they have to say.

A quick video to end the week...

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things, real life has been full of distractions for the last couple of weeks.  With that said, I'll leave you all with a video from the last City of South Miami commission meeting where we can watch Commissioner Liebman wax poetic about the government shutdown and some other miscellaneous bullshit.  

While there's nothing wrong about Commissioner Liebman rambling on about the shutdown, there certainly is something wrong with the rest of his bullshit.  Can anyone out there figure out just how many laws Mr. Liebman broke during his soliloquy?  Watch the video and we'll discuss on Monday...

Our friend Francisco Alvarado leaves the Miami New Times...

Francisco Alvarado

That's right, our friend and one of our favorite local journalists, Francisco "Frank" Alvarado has left the Miami New Times and has landed over at CNN Latino!  Frank was a tremendous asset to the New Times and brought an edgy street view to the subjects that he wrote about, he was also one of our main inspirations for writing this blog.

With that said, I can't wait to see what he's got in store for the folks over at CNN, best of luck to you Frank!!

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officer Jorge Pino insults the City of Hialeah...

Anyone who lives down here for more than five minutes knows that this past weekend was a big weekend for those of us who have boats because of the Columbus Day Regatta.  Everyone who has a boat, or something cobbled together to resemble a boat, works their way down to Elliot Key for a weekend of drinking, partying and whatever else your vessel can sustain.  

There hasn't been a single regatta that's gone by that hasn't had it's share of mishaps or even deaths, luckily, this past regatta went by relatively smoothly, that is with the exception of a vessel that was moving people from Crandon Park Marina to Nixon Beach at Key Biscayne sinking just west of the Miami Seaquarium in relatively shallow water.  Here's a photo of the vessel partially submerged in what looks like approximately ten feet of water...

The New Times and most of the other local media outlets reported that the boat "capsized"...

Thirty weekend revelers and a dog were pulled from the waters off of Miami yesterday after a catamaran they were on began taking on water and capsized.

Clearly, the vessel did not capsize, that's not the point.  Switch over to Channel 10's story about the incident where they interview Officer Jorge Pino from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the full interview can be found here.  What I can't believe is that Officer Pino takes a gratuitous jab at the City of Hialeah, in case you missed it, here it is again...

Did you get that?  In case you didn't, Officer Pino when referring to the construction of the subject vessel states:

"It could mean that someone in Hialeah put it together"

Now what exactly is that supposed to mean Officer Pino?  Does the fact that it could have been put together in Hialeah mean that it was built improperly by unskilled labor or by sub humans?  Honestly JORGE?!

In case officer Jorge Pino is unaware, some of the greatest names in the boating industry got their start in Hialeah, Officer Jorge, ever hear of a company named Bertram?  Guess what, Bertram started in Hialeah and even after they moved over off of the Tamiami canal, the overwhelming majority of the craftsman that built them came from where?  You guessed it, HIALEAH!  Take a ride to Marina Mile in Fort Lauderdale and look around the shipyards, guess where the overwhelming majority of skilled craftsmen, carpenters, fiberglass workers, etc come from?  You got it, HIALEAH!

While I'm not a citizen of Hialeah, I can tell you that the city is home to a bustling boat building industry as well as the source of skilled tradesmen that built many of the industry names who's vessels you'll see clogging the regions waterways on any given weekend.  So with that said, I take issue with Officer Pino's "someone in Hialeah" statement.

With that said Officer Pino, as one of those people "in Hialeah", I'll leave you with this...

Guess who's being considered for the county Inspector General's job?

None other than the Miami Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public trust's advocate Michael Murawski!

If that wasn't bad enough, look who chairs the committee to chose the new inspector general...

“There are some that are standouts that we know we’re going to interview,” said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle, who was named the committee’s chairwoman.

None of this should surprise any of our readers, it just goes to show, it's just another day in this corrupt cesspool of a town that we live in.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/30/v-print/3595961/committee-to-review-applications.html#storylink=cpy

While we're waiting for the City of South Miami to respond to my public information request...

I know it's been a busy couple of weeks over at the City of South Miami with fighting former chief Orlando Martinez de Castro's attorneys and their efforts to get him reinstated and all, so it's understandable that they haven't responded to my public information requests regarding GPS tracking devices placed on peoples car by the former police chief.  Now that the fuss is seemingly over with the former chief and his attorneys, I'm sure the city clerk will get me the records I requested in short order.

With that said, while we're waiting for the documents associated with these GPS tracking devices, why don'w we take a gander at one the actual devices that former chief Orlando Martinez de Castro is alleged to have put on one of his foe's city vehicles, take a look for yourselves...

That's nice, isn't it?  I wonder why someone would find it necessary to put one of these devices on someones car?  Perhaps whoever put it on the car was concerned about the drivers well being?  Sort of like a personalized OnStar system?  Maybe like "Oh, so and so got a flat, send a truck out there ASAP to help!"  I doubt it.  

Let's not forget that installing one of these devices on someones car without the proper authorization is highly illegal, while we're waiting for documentation authorizing the installation of this device on someones car, does anyone want to bet whether or not we're going to get any?