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NUMBER 118 - AUGUST 8, 2019

Copyrighted:  2011,2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

DOCUMENT OF THE DAY - COMMISSIONER "I AM THE LAW" CAROLLO GOT TWO TRAFFIC TICKETS BECAUSE HE DOESN'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT OBEYING TRAFFIC LAWS ANYMORE THAN HE CARES ABOUT OBEYING ANY OTHER LAWS AND NOW THE QUESTION IS, IS HE TRYING TO GET THEM "FIXED?"

HOW DID THE MIAMI PARKING AUTHORITY BECOME A FINANCIAL SPONSOR OF CAROLLO'S FRIDAY NIGHT EVENTS IN LITTLE HAVANA? HOW DID THE DAUGHTER OF THE NEWS DIRECTOR OF AMERICA TEVE END UP WORKING FOR THE BAYFRONT PARK TRUST? AND LASTLY, WHY IS MARTHA MAZA VICTOR CLAIMING SHE NEVER GOT PAID FOR BEING THE TALENT COORDINATOR FOR THESE FRIDAY NIGHT EVENTS? DON'T ASK CITY MANAGER COLONEL KLINK, BECAUSE HE'S TOO BUSY TAKING SELFIES AND LUNCHING WITH THE "BOYS" TO WORRY ABOUT THIS CRAZY SHIT TAKING PLACE UNDER HIS NOSE

From being an intern at the TV station where Daddy is the News Director...

The lovely Camila is now an employee of the Bayfront Park Management Trust, where Commissioner "Comemerida" Carollo reigns like a tinpot dictator while claiming to be the most honest public official in Miami.

Hiring family members of Cuban exile radio and TV broadcasters and/or senior employees of stations has been a longtime practice in the City of Miami where Tomas Regalado in his first term had close to a dozen on the city payroll, which is part of the answer of why much of the local latin news media doesn't go after people like Carollo - or Regalado when he was Mayor - and explains why Carollo has received kid glove treatment from America TeVe.

The job of Office General Assistant seems to have been created for Camila Cossio, because a search of how the staff of the Trust was organized before Carollo became the Trust's Chairman shows that there was no Administrative Director position, the job now held by Valeria Sanchez, and there was no job titled Office General Assistant.

America TeVe for those who've been living in a haze filled fog of marijuana smoke just happens to be the TV station that was broadcasting Carollo's Viernes Pequena Habana musical entertainments at Domino Park in Little Havana.

THE MIAMI PARKING AUTHORITY HAS SO MUCH MONEY TO PISS AWAY THAT IT GAVE CAROLLO SPONSORSHIP MONEY

The bigger story involving the Viernes Pequena Habana musical entertainments however, is that in a phone call with former Carollo Chief of Staff Richard Blom on Wednesday, he told me that on the Thursday before the last Friday of every month, an employee from Carollo's office would go to the offices of the MPA and pick up an envelope containing checks to cover the payment of the entertainers at the Friday night events in Domino Park.

When questioned about this, Art Noriega, the Executive Director of the Miami Parking Authority admitted that Carollo came to him last year and asked him if the MPA would help sponsor these Friday night events, and given that he and Carollo had a "20 year history," Noriega agreed.

I can understand Noriega's position that by giving Carollo some money he reduced the chances of Carollo coming after him for one thing or another, but that the prevailing view of how to deal with a bully like Carollo is to concede to his demands only emboldens him into thinking he can get away with even more outrageous acts of thuggery, and ends up costing the taxpayers, who at the end of the day are the ones whose money is being used to pay off Carollo.

To date, the MPA has paid to total of $39,200 for talent and production. The detailed list provided by the MPA below identifies who got paid, and the amounts.

In January of this year I continued raising questions as to how much these events were actually costing the city, and why was the city providing the liability insurance for this event given that America TeVe was videotaping these events and then turning around and broadcasting them on Sundays as Specials, and selling advertising?

Under the guise of a so-called public event, a local TV station was actually generating content from which they were making money, and to this day, the city, and most especially the City Attorney has refused to produce a contract between the city and this TV station making any of this legal.

This is absolute bullshit!

And not only is it bullshit, but as predicted, it's bullshit that was destined from the beginning to have a very short term life expectancy, since as I revealed in a post earlier in the week, people have quit showing up.

To top it off, a woman named Martha Maza Victor, who claims that Carollo hired her to be the "talent coordinator" for these Friday night events has gone on Facebook to claim that she was screwed by Carollo for not paying her for 5 months worth of work.

IT TOOK 3 DAYS FOR THE CITY TO COMPLY WITH A PUBLIC RECORD REQUEST FOR  RICHIE BLOM'S EMAILS THAT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN 5 MINUTES, AND WHILE INTERESTING AND REVEALING, THE EMAILS PROVIDED NO SMOKING GUNS OTHER THAN CONFIRMING THAT JOE CAROLLO IS ONE MEAN SPIRITIED, SICK AND STUPID FUCK

July 1, 2019


Joe,


My role as your Chief of Staff this past year has been confusing, frustrating and disturbing. Although there's no comprehensive job description that would describe or encompass all the duties and responsibilities for Chief of Staff positions, there are some tasks that are universally acknowledged as primary job functions. I've listed below some of these primary job functions coupled with examples of the challenges I've faced in my efforts to fulfill them.


·     To serve as an advisor in areas where the Chief of Staff has an expertise.

·     To create and maintain relationships to enable and/or enhance initiatives.

·     To assume day-to-day responsibility for projects and tasks.

·     To assist with the hiring of key personnel.


To serve as an advisor in areas where the Chief of Staff has an expertise:

Immediately after adjourning the Bayfront Park Trust meeting on April 23, 2019, you instructed newly-promoted Director Jose Solano to cancel the security guard services at Museum Park. Mr. Solano was quick to agree with your assessment that no security was needed at that park because it “only contained buildings”.


At that time, I opined that not only should security remain at the park but that we could probably bolster existing security at both parks at no cost.

Not only did you not take the time to listen to my logic and proposal but you abruptly ended the discussion by citing your experience in law enforcement.


Let me remind you that I have 37 years of law enforcement experience and was one of the first in Florida to earn the designation of “Crime Prevention Practitioner”. As a lieutenant I was in command of Miami's Crime Prevention Unit. Throughout my law enforcement career, I taught crime prevention classes, interviewed victims of crime and personally interrogated or sat in on hundreds of criminal interrogations and am considered a Subject Matter Expert in this area.


Your decision to remove security was, in my opinion, a potentially dangerous one. Your reluctance to listen to different viewpoints in this regard was both perplexing and disappointing. Not being able to weigh in and offer my views on this issue, where I clearly have an expertise, eliminates one of the key duties and responsibilities that the Chief of Staff position calls for.


To create and maintain relationships to enable and/or enhance district initiatives:

As I pointed out previously, I've witnessed your profanity laden rants when I've greeted people in the District 3 office who, for whatever reason, were not welcome there. One was a city department director and the other individual was a representative of the Miami Marlins. I continued to work closely with these individuals but made it a point to meet at a location other than our city hall office in order to avoid the unpleasantness that I've had to endure in the past. I also do my best to keep up with your “persona non grata” list.


To assume day-to-day responsibility for projects and tasks:

If you recall, in June of 2018, I designated Mr. Anthony Barcena, Deputy Chief of Staff, to assume the duties as Office Manager and hold weekly office meetings.  The purpose of these meetings was to allocate assignments, ensure activities were coordinated and to keep everyone informed of pertinent issues.

It was also agreed that as office manager Mr. Barcena would give guidance and direction and if necessary, initiate any corrective actions regarding office personnel. It was relayed to you at that time that any issues or concerns you had with office procedure or personnel was to be relayed to Mr. Barcena or myself for resolution.

However, this system never functioned as intended. I attribute this to your reluctance to give these meetings and the structured office operation the support and priority needed from the top. In addition, your reprimanding or scolding of office employees in public undermined the authority of senior staff personnel and further diminished efforts to operate in a structured manner.


To assist with the hiring of key personnel:

I mentioned in a previous letter to you the importance of using relevant criteria when interviewing potential employees, as well as the importance informing applicants of conditions of employment before making a job offer. It's probably best that I've not been included in the recent interviews that you held as I would not feel comfortable participating in a process that did not include these essential components.


I hope that I've made it clear that absent cooperation and support from the top achieving favorable results in any of the areas I've listed becomes more than challenging. I'm also hopeful that you realize that the unwelcome obstacles that you regularly put in my path hampered me in my role as Chief of Staff and arguably at times did a disservice to those people living and working in the district.  

The one area that I received your wholehearted support was in the area of researching properties owned by William Fuller. If you recall you mandated on Friday afternoon, April 19th, 2019, that I review a list of several of his properties and examine the various applications, permits and licenses associated with them over the weekend. You suggested that I, as well as Jose Suarez, come over to your home on Saturday to accomplish this work. I advised that I could accomplish this work from my own home and spent time on Friday evening, part of the day on Saturday and Sunday reviewing several Fuller properties. This is just one of numerous occasions that you notified me on a Friday that you required me to put in additional work hours on the weekend. I'm not comfortable doing this type of research for a variety of reasons but find that I am being assigned more of this type of work focusing on this one individual.


It's obvious that we have different views on the Chief of Staff duties.

In that regard I will be presenting you with a new role where I believe I can have a greater impact on the residents, better utilize my skill sets, work closer with community members and avoid much of the unpleasantness that I was exposed to in the past.




Richie


July 14, 2019


Joe,  


I have been advised that a reduction in work hours may be helpful towards my overall health.


In that regard I am proposing to you that I relinquish my duties as Chief of Staff and undertake the responsibilities as district liaison for The Roads and Silver Bluff neighborhoods. I would also remain as the Miami Marlins liaison.  I will be working closely with Katie Gant, Beba Mann and Elisa Padilla or Alfie Mesa respectively.


My duties will require me to monitor pertinent e-mails and follow-up on any issues or concerns in these areas. I would be present at any meetings that directly involve these areas including traffic calming, storm drainage, park design and neighborhood gatherings.


My work hours will be reduced to 15 hours per work week. I will not be utilizing the office complex other than the conference room for meetings should circumstances dictate.


If this work proposal meets with your approval, I will begin in this new role effective Monday, August 5th and we can reevaluate this work configuration in six months. Should you not be comfortable with this arrangement please advise me prior to August 5th so I can plan accordingly.


Richie


June 16, 2019


Joe,


It's my understanding that interviews were conducted last week for positions under your tutelage. Although I have not been asked to participate in the interview process let me share with you my experience and observations in regards to District 3 personnel and remind you of some of the concerns that you've expressed in this area over the past year.


On numerous occasions you have mentioned to me that the District 3 office is currently filled with “people who don't do shit”. On every occasion when you've mentioned that to me my response has been “What is it that you want done that isn't being addressed?”


You have never provided me specific instances as to what was not being accomplished but you were quick to criticize the individuals that comprise the office staff on a personal level.


Let me remind you of two things regarding our current District 3 office personnel.


First, no one that was hired had any experience working in an elected official's office. Through their experience during the past year, the office staff are finding out that normal guidelines employed in a typical business office do not necessarily apply in the District 3 office. They are realizing the need to keep up with current events in order to be aware of individuals or organizations not welcome in the District 3 office.


You have personally taken issue with me for exchanging pleasantries and meeting with a City department director in the District 3 office (January 8, 2019). If you recall, I responded to your outburst of profanities with a request that you provide me with a list of City employees not welcome in the District 3 office. This would enable me to share it with current staff and not have to rely on my memory to recall the numerous individuals and/or organizations not welcome in the office. Although you have yet to provide me with that list let me suggest that you furnish it to any new employees that you bring on board so they'll be well oriented with your preferences.


Second, you hired all the current District 3 personnel. I don't know what process was used to ascertain the skill sets, personal traits or other criteria you felt was needed to for them function effectively in these positions but you're the one that hired them. I suggest that you give that some thought and hopefully this will give pause to your personal criticisms of them.


In regards to vacation usage, I presented you with a vacation schedule/matrix on February 28, 2019, which outlined all staff vacations from March through July. Although there were no overlapping vacation days, you indicated at that time that vacations could only be taken during the month of August.


When I mentioned that Spring Break was coming up and traditionally people used vacation during this period, your response was “Nobody here has kids”. Aside from that statement being factually incorrect the granting of earned vacation time shouldn't be contingent on whether you have children. In any case, if you choose to enforce this unreasonable policy please ensure that it's relayed to all applicants as a condition of employment.


I offer this document as a reminder of just a few of the personnel issues that have occurred in the past year. I hope you see value in it and that it will serve as a template for you to use when making personnel decisions going forward.


Please let me know if an electronic copy of this document will be more convenient for your use.


Thanks


Richie


As a side note to underscore just how sick and mean spirited both Carollo brothers are, when Frank was the Commissioner he hired a guy to be his policy director, and then treated him like shit.

The guy eventually had to go to the doctor to deal with the medical issues created by the stress of having to work in Carollo's office, and the doctor told him he had to take some time off.

When the guy told Frank that he needed to take time off to deal with the issues of stress, Frank fired him.

You can't make this shit up.

It's Miami, Bitches!

These monies do not account for all the costs associated with putting on these events - and in fact the MPA sponsorship raises a very troubling question of accountability, because first of all a search of the MPA Board Meeting Agendas and Monthly Budget Reports for the last 3 months of 2018 do not show any mention of this sponsorship being revealed, discussed or authorized, and secondly, how would anyone in the public  actually know what the real costs associated with this event were since the money coming from the MPA is not money that would show up anywhere in the city's book-keeping system.

Besides the MPA money and the city money, Noriega's recollection was that Carollo in the past had also mentioned getting money and/or services from other sponsors.

The so-called sponsorship by the MPA raises an even more important question of why should the MPA be giving away money in event sponsorships and spending public money to begin with because they really have no independent supervision, other than from a Board of Directors made up of 5 hand-picked political cronies and questionable stewarts of the public's trust like Larry Spring, who was captured on a wiretap offering former Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito a $200,000 check as part of an alleged bribe offer for him to resign.

The agency operates independently and their only obligation to the city is to give them whatever money remains after they pissed away as much money as they can get away with on shit that has absolutely nothing to do with parking.

If there are other sponsors besides the MPA, who are they? How much have they donated? Do they have any family members now working for the city arranged for by Carollo? And most importantly, is there a way to independently account for any, or all of these so-called sponsorships and donations?

I first started raising questions about this event in November of last year when the city tried to unilaterally close down SW 8th Street for the first event, and was rebuffed by the FDOT.