My Friend, Richard Grosso Sounds Off on Growth's Insanity in Florida. By Geniusofdespair

As our UDB faces assault by developers...And an expanded highway is proposed along the UDB and supported by our zany Mayor Gimenez,  NSU Law Professor Richard Grosso sounds off. Richard Grosso has always been the voice of reason in my view. He is one of my heroes, along with Gimleteye (Alan Farago), on the environment:

OpEd in the Miami Herald Today:

Local governments don’t have the luxury of pretending sea-level rise and climate change aren’t real. Cities and counties must deal with the daily realities of the effects on homes, businesses, roads, water supplies, sewer lines, insurance costs, safety hazards, property-tax revenue, bond ratings and more that we are experiencing now — with even worse to come.

Southeast Florida has a Regional Climate Compact to coordinate climate-change efforts in four counties and many cities, an Everglades restoration project with the potential to restore freshwater flow to fight saltwater encroachment, strong legal and policy tools and lots of superior professional talent.

But, the massive scale of the challenge we face requires more willingness to change business as usual than we’ve seen to date. If we can’t show residents, businesses and investors (current and future) that South Florida is prepared to confront climate change and sea-level rise and prepare for the future, we are in big trouble — economically, socially and ecologically.

Richard Grosso

It starts with building and infrastructure practices. We can and must stop approving more development in coastal and inland low-lying areas, enact stricter limits on what can be built, and impose standards on how things are built.

But with years of experience about the implications of certain development, we still make many of the same mistakes we’ve made for decades.

We still capitulate to inaccurate claims that private property rights are violated if we don’t say yes. We still debate the science and economics that make clear that government must reduce how much we build and how we build.

We must stop paving over undeveloped land and erecting buildings that increase our carbon footprint and cause flooding. We still approve too many new development requests even though Florida land use and environmental permitting law strongly support local and state agencies that say No.

Nope, no climate change here. We have to look at the signs...all around the world.

We still plan roads to support new westward sprawl instead of promoting real redevelopment. We need to enact stronger building standards that ensure structures are stronger and safer, even where that increases up-front costs.

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Sun Sentinel: Excellent OPED on the corruption of corporate money in Florida politics ... by gimleteye

THIS SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING TO FLORIDA VOTERS AND TAXPAYERS.

Florida’s campaign swamp is wider and deeper than Publix | Editorial

The uproar over Publix’s contributions to Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s campaign for governor is the latest chapter in a too-familiar story: the exorbitant influence of corporate money in Florida politics. Publix is merely one of many players in this high-stakes game.

The differences this time are the enormity of a single company’s support for a particular candidate, the resulting social media campaign against Publix, and its decision, announced Friday, to suspend political contributions.

“We would never knowingly disappoint our customers or the communities we serve,” a spokesman said.

There have been few occasions when public pressure yielded such immediate results.

The Fortune 500 company and some of its present and former executives had given at least $670,000 directly to Putnam’s campaign fund or to Florida Grown, his political action committee, and likely much more through other committees where the money can’t be traced.

What made the revelation more than a one-day sensation is Putnam’s unrepentant pro-gun advocacy at a time when most Floridians still feel shock and anger over the Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people were killed and 17 injured.

Putnam’s light-hearted boast last year of being a “proud NRA sellout” was the lightning rod for the wrath.

All eyes on Publix: What crisis experts have to say about a rough week
Publix, one of Florida's largest employers, is facing heavy criticism over its donations to gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam, who has referred to himself on social media as a "proud #NRASellout!"
It’s true, as the Lakeland-based grocer says, that Putnam is a home-town candidate whom it has backed throughout his 22-year career in the Legislature, in Congress and on the Florida Cabinet. Nor is there reason to doubt that it supports him for his pro-business policies, not his hands-off approach to gun safety.

But that defense raises two questions. What have those pro-business policies meant for Publix and other grocery stores overseen by the Division of Food Safety, which falls under Putnam’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services? And what might they say about the greater regulatory role Putnam would assume if he’s elected governor?

Fifteen months ago, a television station reported that seven Publix Stores in the Tampa Bay area had failed the department’s health inspections over issues such as rodent control and safe storage of meat. A day later, Putnam purged the inspections from his department’s website and got rid of the pass/fail grading system. Now, “re-inspection required” is the worst you’ll read about any store he oversees. At the time, Publix had given $160,000 to Florida Grown. The obvious favor to a major donor smells like rotten potatoes.

Publix's Putnam debacle offers lesson in good corporate governance | Opinion
In the long run, the storm over Putnam and guns probably will blow over for Publix, just as it did for competitor Winn-Dixie after its unsuccessful opposition to the 1971 referendum authorizing the corporate income tax. Its propaganda went home with every customer, printed in red on grocery bags. Gov. Reubin Askew, who sponsored the tax, fanned a public backlash against the company and won the referendum with 70 percent of the vote.

But corporations didn’t dominate Florida elections in the 1970s like they do now. It would have been impossible for any company to bankroll a candidate like Publix has Putnam. There were strict limits on contributions to candidates and also, on what candidates could spend. Neither did “independent” political action committees exist to raise and shell out money that favor certain candidates.

Askew spent only $533,629 to win re-election in 1974, the equivalent of $2.7 million today. Putnam’s official campaign and Florida Grown spent almost as much, $2.4 million, just last month.

So far, Putnam has raised $5.4 million in his own name and spent $1.8 million of it. But Florida Grown has raised $26 million since January 2017 and is sitting on more than $20 million. And that’s small compared to Gov. Rick Scott’s political committee, which has raised and spent $57 million since 2014.

Most such committees share common contributors, among them Florida Power and Light, U.S. Sugar, Florida Crystals, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries. FP&L, for example, has given $400,000 to Putnam and $940,000 to Scott, who’s running against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

Current law sets a $3,000 per-person ceiling on contributions to a candidate’s official campaign, applied separately to the primary and general election. But there are no limits on donations to candidates’ political committees, such as Florida Grown, which operate under the fiction that they deal only with issues.

Name recognition is to politicians what location is to real estate. A television spot touting Putnam’s hard-right views on the issues of guns, immigration or voting rights is as useful to him as if it urged Republicans to choose him over Rep. Ron DeSantis of Jacksonville, his major opponent in the August primary.

“Your ad does not have to have express advocacy in it to be effective,” says Mark Herron, a Tallahassee attorney who’s an expert on election law. “If you put things in the right box, you could do almost anything in Florida.”

A 2016 opinion by the Division of Elections implied that an “issue” ad naming a known candidate could be considered a campaign contribution by his political action committee, subject to the $3,000 limit. It hasn’t been tested in court. It should be. In any event, U.S. Supreme Court precedents still allow corporations to spend whatever they wish, directly.

In the last two election cycles, Florida’s four largest energy companies contributed more than $43 million to state candidates, parties and political committees, as totaled in a report this month from Integrity Florida, a public interest watchdog.

The report, requested by the Alliance for Clean Energy, noted that the energy companies spent $20 million on an unsuccessful initiative to limit rooftop solar expansion. Another $40,000 in individual contributions went to legislators who sit on the council that nominates state energy regulators, and $1.8 million to Gov. Rick Scott, who appoints them. So it’s no surprise that the so-called Public Service Commission has largely become the industry’s puppets, at immense cost to Florida consumers.

Of the $670,000 that the Tampa Bay Times traced from Publix to Putnam, $410,000 was given through Florida Grown. It’s likely much more has found its way there through other committees to which Publix contributes.

For example, committees associated with Florida’s three largest business organizations received $2.3 million from Publix since January 2015 and gave $1.45 million to Putnam. A political committee run by a Venice accountant received $20,000 from Publix and its executive, and gave $221,237 to Florida Grown before shutting down last year. That was more than half its total spending. The Republican Party was the only other committee to which it contributed.

As these committees comingled Publix’s money with donations from other sources, it’s impossible to say how much of it eventually went to Putnam.

This form of laundering is legal. But it is wrong. It maximizes corporate power over government in ways that are nearly invisible to the public. It is a fault line that will continue to endanger democracy in Florida long after this election. That, more than guns or any other specific issue, is the scandal represented by Publix’s largesse to Putnam.

Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Rosemary O'Hara, Elana Simms, Andy Reid and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.

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Who Will Be The Next Mayor of Miami Dade County? By Geniusofdespair

Rebeca Sosa, Esteban Bovo embracing Carlos Gimenez (looking at each other with goofy eyes), and Daniella Levine Cava.

I woke this morning thinking about who would be the next Mayor when Carlos Gimenez is forced to leave, thankfully. I am sure the planning has begun as the disastrous reign of Gimenez winds down -- another 2 years. He taught me one thing: The mistake a strong mayor can be. He has hurt the County in so many ways.  Also he is a mean-arrogant guy, and he has made his friends rich.

My guess for 3 candidates would be: Commissioners Daniella Levine Cava, Steve Bovo and Rebeca Sosa.

I do think that with Rebeca's husband's passing, she might be inclined to travel and enjoy retired life. Becky also made a bad blunder when she was Chair of the Commission, choosing Lynda Bell as her Vice Chair and letting her over-shadow the Chair at every turn.  In other words, she wasted her Chairmanship, not getting enough of a boost from it.

The other two, I have a suspicion they will run. I do think Daniella will have to deal with the Jimmy Morales curse "not being Cuban enough." One of his parents was not from Cuba.  Neither of Daniella's parents are from Cuba. Does it still hold that you must be Cuban to be Mayor? Levine-Cava is sharp, witty and very likable. I do think she is destined for higher office. Someone has to take Rubio out.

In County elections, because it is non-partisan,  the election is actually the primary in August. Only die hard voters "4's and 5's" vote in August.

Unless there are more than 2 candidates the election for County Mayor is in August. Does anyone know that? I really think having the County Government  non-partisan is a big mistake. People get too confused. If there are more than two candidates they are less likely to pass the 50% mark that is required to win. That is why Eileen Higgins, who won the District 5 race, must face Mrs. Barreiro in June. She won with too low a percentage. I think that Levine-Cava would have more of an advantage in a November election, because everyone knows the parties of the County Commissioners and aren't we expecting that blue wave?

Back to reality, "Ya Did Good" Dorrin Rolle has filed to run again. This could be a disaster for Jean Monestime. Rolle was the worst.

Whatever happened with the Charter Review Task Force recommendations? Will any of them get on the ballot? You can read the final report here.  

I don't think they did a good job. They kept the non-partisan and want to get rid of the term limit requirement that just got approved. They didn't approve eliminating the Strong Mayor. The Commission would have to approve this stuff to get it on the ballot. Maybe they did already. I am not following it closely.

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Congressional Candidate David Richardson took Sugar Money? by Geniusofdespair

You might not know who these guys are but they are the executives of US Sugar

• LUIS FERNANDEZ IS EXECUTIVE VP AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND CO-PRESIDENT OF SUBSIDIARY AMERICAN SUGAR

• MALCOLM WADE IS US. SUGAR'S SENIOR VP OF CORPORATE STRATEGY AND BUSINESS
• ERIC EDWARDS IS ASSISTANT VP OF US SUGAR
•ROBERT COKER IS SENIOR VP OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR US SUGAR

Richardson got the above thousands of dollars of donations related to U. S. Sugar. Also now I am hearing that FPL hosted a fundraiser or something for Richardson. What is going on?

Let me be honest first. I am not good at searching Federal campaign reports. Richardson did get a lot of money from Act Blue. In fact, most of his donations are from Act Blue. What is up with that? It appears Act Blue take in individual contributions but in the report it just says "Act Blue." I am very curious and angry about that. You can't fill out a financial disclosure without a name. That is like just writing "Paypal" for every donor.

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Bullsugar: Snakes On A Plain ... by gimleteye

The South Florida Water Management District excels in distraction and diversion. These serve a purpose: to deflect attention from the multi-billion dollar engineering model that is gradually turning a public resource -- clean, fresh water -- into a privatized commodity benefiting the state's biggest campaign donors. Big Sugar, for example.

The rebuttal refrain is familiar: "we have the lowest water rates in the nation" or "the cheapest electricity for Florida". It is as if taxpayers have become numb and lulled to sleep by repetition.

The upcoming elections might reveal, as we have hoped in the past, a better path forward.

As criticism of SFWMD’s political corruption and horrific water management echoes from the Keys to Tallahassee, taxpayers are paying attention. The district has responded with a unique twist on a time-honored internet diversionary tactic: Instead of distracting people with a barrage of cute animals, their social media team is distracting people with a barrage of things that eat cute animals. Well played, SFWMD.

Make sure you “Get the Facts” about SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program: A single adult python can distract thousands of taxpayers from asking why SFWMD lets the sugar industry flood nearly half-a-million acres of cane fields during a severe drought!

SFWMD: SNAKES ON A PLAIN!
POSTED ON MAY 26, 2017
And now for something completely different...

SFWMD has the cure for "bad news" fatigue. It’s the python channel! All pythons, all the time.

Research linking cyanobacteria to liver failure ignited a recent wave of alarm as more evidence surfaced connecting toxic algae to health risks in coastal communities. But the South Florida Water Management District came through as usual with a welcome diversion on its electronic sidestage -- more pythons!

Although Florida faces another round of deep budget cuts, and federal funding for natural resource management programs may zero-out entirely this year, SFWMD somehow found the money to invest in a social media initiative dedicated largely to pythons.

Huge snakes are helping SFWMD break up the monotony of managing water (ABC News image)

The scorned pets, of unrestrained appetite and nasty attitude, have spread rapidly, grown to outrageous lengths, and wreaked havoc on South Florida. Almost daily, harrowing encounters are given enthusiastic coverage on SFWMD’s Python Channel, feeding an unparalleled public interest and inspiring an important state initiative.

The Elimination Will Be Televised

$175,000 Florida tax dollars are being allocated through the district to rid us once and for all of the deadly nuisances. SFWMD has hand-picked 25 professional python hunters in an effort to get these %@+#$%&#*&!% snakes off this %@+#$%&#*&!% plain.

In a flood of social media updates, Facebook live recordings, and headlining news releases, the powerful state agency responsible for managing waterways and drinking water for millions of Floridians has dedicated immense resources to making The Python Channel as entertaining and distracting as it can possibly be.

Since the inception of the Pilot Python Elimination Program, the district announced that 117 pythons have been successfully removed from the estimated population of 300,000.

Unfortunately more pythons have been hatched than hunted during the SFMWD elimination program

So at this rate, South Florida could be python-free in less than 100,000 years… assuming that no more snakes hatch during that time. Then it will take longer.

A recent SFWMD news release boasts that roughly $17,000 in bounties and $18,000 in hourly fees have been paid out so far, for an average cost of less than $300 per snake.The two-month hunting spree ends June 1st, so if the python elimination rate remains constant, the district will memorialize another 15 pythons before the game is up. Maybe more if the holiday weekend factors in.

In truth, the python program is brilliant. As criticism of SFWMD’s political corruption and horrific water management echoes from the Keys to Tallahassee, taxpayers are paying attention. The district has responded with a unique twist on a time-honored internet diversionary tactic: Instead of distracting people with a barrage of cute animals, their social media team is distracting people with a barrage of things that eat cute animals. Well played, SFWMD.

Make sure you “Get the Facts” about SFWMD’s Python Elimination Program:

A single adult python can distract thousands of taxpayers from asking why SFWMD lets the sugar industry flood nearly half-a-million acres of cane fields during a severe drought

With the pilot program funded all-in for only $175,000, the per-snake cost works out to less than $1,500. That means the district could fund the removal of all 300,000 pythons for less than half-a-billion dollars...again, unless more snakes hatch. Then it will cost more.

There are almost as many SFWMD-accredited python hunters as there are SFWMD employees publishing articles in Treasure Coast newspapers to attack the science behind sending water south

St. Patrick (pictured below), the fifth century “Apostle of Ireland,” famed for banishing all snakes from the Emerald Isle, was not among the applicants qualifying for cash prizes in the district’s python elimination program

Would legendary snake elimination specialist St. Patrick have contributed to the SFWMD's python program?

BONUS Python Encounter Tip: Never ignore a Burmese python! Immediately photograph any python you see and alert SFWMD. The district’s Facebook team will post an update on the snake’s awesomeness right away to help taxpayers direct their attention away from fatal disease, economic disaster, and habitat destruction related to South Florida’s water management policy.

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Donna Shalala on Lennar's Board? By Geniusofdespair

The Blue Wave in U.S. Congressional District 27

In a press release, Congressional hopeful, David Richardson said it was "Effectively a two-person race." I guess he must mean that Matt Haggman dropped out and Kristen Rosen Gonzalez. Really? Did they? In this poll Haggman and Richardson are running neck and neck. I guess things have changed since January. I called Matt Haggman and he was bewildered by the quote about 2 candidates. He said his campaign was moving full speed ahead.

Anyway Richardson's release makes the Lennar, a Florida based development company, connection with Donna Shalala. The only problem is, Lennar gave U of M gobs of money during her tenure on the Lennar board (She was also U of M President). It is hard to fault her with that Lennar connection if she was to do right by the University she headed. But, did that have anything to do with the Pine-Rockland property sale... that is, she was a developer flunky for a while and learned some evil ways.

“I owe it to the voters to hold Donna Shalala accountable for what she is: a double-dealing corporate Democrat." - David Ricardson

Matt Haggman said:

 My campaign isn't about the other candidates in the race, it’s about the people of Florida 27 and how we can work together as a community to usher in a new era in our politics.  We have been taking our message directly to voters on a daily basis.  Our team of volunteers has already knocked on nearly 6,000 doors across the district.  The incredible response we’ve received from voters is what keeps me energized and optimistic about a new day where politics is about the people not the politicians.

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Eileen Higgins: County Commission District 5 ! ... by gimleteye

Defying conventional wisdom, first time candidate and Democrat, Eileen Higgins, defeated better known Republican rivals in a non-partisan primary race for the county district including Miami Beach and a swath of Little Havana including surrounding neighborhoods. This is a huge win for Higgins, who political operatives tried to squeeze out with a field of Republican rivals and instead topped them all. The vote between Higgins and runner-up Barreiro -- wife of the incumbent who surrendered his seat --  is scheduled for June 19.

The Miami Herald reports: "Newcomer Eileen Higgins rode a wave of support from the Democratic Party to take first place in Tuesday's election to replace Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro and will face the former commissioner's wife, Republican Zoraida Barreiro, in a runoff election next month for the non-partisan seat. Both candidates eliminated former state senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who finished third. With all precincts reporting shortly before 9 p.m.. Higgins held nearly 35 percent of the vote, followed by Barreiro at 33 percent, with 222 votes separating them. Diaz de la Portilla was in third with 27 percent, followed by former television actor Carlos Garin with less than 5 percent." Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article211612369.html#storylink=cpy

This is a huge result for Democrats and a bellweather for voters fed up with treasonous behavior in the White House and the protection of Trump provided by Republican leaders in Congress. Nation before party. Although county commission races are "non-partisan", the sour national mood around Trump and grifters inside and outside the White House means all bets are off.

Contribute to Eileen Higgins campaign, by clicking here.

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HBO "The Final Year" ... by gimleteye

The emotion I felt, at the conclusion of the excellent HBO documentary "The Final Year", is in one word: "devastation".

I voted for Obama twice, but I found plenty to criticize in his two terms.

Still, "The Final Year" conveys his essential nature -- competence and caution -- qualities of character that stand in stark contrast to the wild and careening presidency of Donald Trump.

The HBO documentary that premiered last night is told mainly through two principal figures in the Obama administration: chief speechwriter and advisor, Ben Rhodes, and Samantha Powers, ambassador to the United Nations. Both convey the care and thoughtfulness absent from the current White House is ways that are shocking and unprecedented.

But these are one viewer's observations, not of the documentary or its makers.

Rather, "The Final Year" wrestles with the challenge of being an optimist and advocate for inclusiveness in an era lurching toward dark uncertainties, fear-mongering and creeping nationalism.

Samantha Powers puts the global emergencies -- of Syria, of crippled and impoverished African nations -- in the context of 65 million refugees around the world: the biggest crisis since the Second World War. Ben Rhodes emphasizes what he hopes will be the Obama legacy, like health care and the Paris Climate Accord.

To the very end, neither believed that in November 2016 the American voter would put targets on the back of these achievements.

What is devastating is to know, today, that the American voter didn't. Trump lost the popular vote by more than 3 million. He won the electoral college by the improbably thin margin of 80,000 in three states. We also know, today, that the influence of hostile, foreign actors like Russia on social media tipped the scales.

Of all the disparate pieces that add up to devastation, the one that most profoundly affected me is how the documentary conveyed Obama's massive achievement: he gave hope through an outreached hand to the dispossessed, the poor and the bereft.

There may be 65 million refugees on the march around the globe today, but the true number of oppressed is many times greater. Throughout our history, the United States represented hope and compassion. Today we see how fragile that capital is, how easily it is squandered, and how difficult it is to replace -- if it can be done at all -- by our allies.

Trump doesn't feature in the documentary until his appearance at the end, like a thunderclap. Obama, Rhodes, Powers: they are gone. Where we live, it is still thundering. That's what I felt, mostly, as the credits rolled on "The Final Year".

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District 5 County Commission: Eileen Higgins ... by gimleteye

For many years, Miami Beach and the western edges of District 5 was under-served by Bruno Barreiro, whose place was cemented by campaign contributors from the development supply chain for his reliable affirmative votes on suburban sprawl.

Today's election is the rare instance (noted by Doug Hanks in the Miami Herald) of a county commissioner surrendering his/her seat and leaving a vacancy.

If you live in District 5, please vote Eileen Higgins. Read this interesting analysis of the district and candidates at MCI Maps.

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Angry with the world and....Read on, it might be you too! By Geniusofdespair

From the New Yorker Magazine

I will never be the same. NEVER

My life with therapy taught me two lessons: don’t minimize and don’t deny: in other words be truthful with yourself. As a child I had become adept at lying to me to cope. Can’t do it anymore.

The way my country is going and the blinders on many of the people in the country is having a devastating effect on me. The truth hurts.

For example, one tiny example: the Everglades-Trust pushing hard in support of Trump’s pick for Governor — it is just too disgusting, too vile. If DeSantis gets in he will do everything Trump wants. I think Putnam will be equally as bad but at least he won't be in bed with the loony bin.

Am I destined to leave this world to your GRANDCHILDREN, with polluted water, reduced animal species, a toxic Supreme Court, crushing debt and xenophobia run wild? Will my generation be the Nazis of the 21st Century?

Nice to wake up and find this rushing to mind. They say “stay in the present” as a means to heal... and I laugh.

How did the Everglades Trust get pulled into this? Read on...
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Stop Shopping At Publix ... the corporation has given nearly three quarters of a million dollars to GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam in the past three years ... by gimleteye

Read this excellent OPED in the Palm Beach Post. We are unaccustomed to newspaper editorial boards pushing back against political orthodoxies like the right of corporations to be more powerful than people. In this case, Florida's iconic grocery chain: Publix for its unlimited campaign contributions to the GOP designated front-runner to be next governor of Florida, Adam Putnam.

At Eye On Miami, we've written extensively about Putnam, mostly for his role rubber-stamping whatever Big Sugar wants. Putnam is telegenic and a cool performer. His family was also enriched by the South Florida Water Management District, in the most brazen act of government "philanthropy" to an aspiring politician that we've ever experienced in Florida.

We've also written about Publix. Ten years ago, Natacha Seijas, a Miami-Dade county commissioner at the time and the leader of the county's unreformable, pro-growth majority, was facing an acrimonious recall campaign mounted by citizens who were infuriated by Seijas' support for moving the Urban Development Boundary. The recall campaign collected signatures at places where signatures could be easily gathered compared to door-to-door canvassing ie. Publix parking lots. There had been no prohibition against signature collecting at Publix or anywhere else, until Seijas bitterly complained to the corporate headquarters. (Signature petitions are also required to register amendments to the Florida constitution by ballot referendum. At the time, Publix was heavily investing to oppose a ballot referendum -- Florida Hometown Democracy -- that would have, if passed, inhibited the kinds of sprawl that seed new locations for large state-wide retailers like Publix supermarkets.) The net result: a new state law allowing private corporations to stop petition gathering on their properties.

Our times are "polarizing" as the Post editorial board notes. We need more penetrating analysis of the underlying factors in order for an informed public to make good decisions. For the time being, at least, that means -- we add -- stop shopping at Publix.


Editorial: Publix polarizes with political contributions to Putnam
OPINION By The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board

Publix, the heirs to the company’s founder and its current and former leaders have come under fire for giving Republican gubernatorial candidate and consrevative darling Adam Putnam $670,000 in the last three years.

Publix, the supermarket giant that ranks high among things that residents love most about Florida, is learning the perils of political participation in our polarizing age.

Last week, it was reported that the beloved grocery chain has given more money to Adam Putnam’s gubernatorial campaign than to any candidate since 1995, and probably in its entire history.

Publix, the heirs to the company’s founder and its current and former leaders have given the Republican $670,000 in the past three years. Or, as the Tampa Bay Times put it, “enough money to buy 74,527 chicken tender subs.”

“No other Florida candidate has ever come close to that kind of subsidy from Florida’s largest Fortune 500 company,” the Times said. “Its most recent contribution, a $100,000 donation on April 30, was the largest, too, according to the latest campaign finance filings.”

Publix immediately ran into a deli-slicer of criticism. That’s largely because Putnam, a 43-year-old former congressman who is now the state’s agriculture commissioner, famously responded to criticism of his fondness for the National Rifle Association by calling himself “a proud NRA sellout” — a not-so-funny wisecrack given the mass shootings at Pulse nightclub in Orlando and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

The backlash against Publix was fierce. It included tweets like this, from state Rep. Carlos G. Smith, D-Winter Park: “How many flowers did I buy from your stores for funerals, graves, + memorials for Pulse + MSD victims? #BoycottPublix”

Publix, shifting quickly to damage-control mode, tweeted that it “has not provided financial support to the National Rifle Association.” And it swiftly released a statement meant to distance itself from all controversy: “We support bipartisan, business-friendly candidates, regardless of party affiliation and we remain neutral on issues outside of our core business.”

The trouble with this explanation is that, while certainly business-friendly, Putnam has not shown himself to be “bipartisan.” He’s not a candidate for centrists. He makes overt appeals to social and religious conservatives and the Trumpian anti-immigrant right.

While in Congress, Putnam voted to roll back requirements for the Voting Rights Act. He pressed for stricter voter IDs beyond driver licenses in a thinly disguised effort to suppress minority votes.

As a candidate for governor, he is pushing a “Florida Families First” agenda that includes promises to “fight for the life of the unborn and make Florida first in protecting life,” create an “Office of Faith-Based and Community-Based Initiatives within the Executive Office of the Governor” and establish a “Home School and School Choice Ombudsman.”

Putnam’s NRA rating is A+. He has endorsed the open carrying of firearms, and the carrying of guns on college campuses. He criticized Florida’s recently passed law that raised the firearm-purchase age to 21 from 18 and requires mandatory three-day waiting period for firearm purchases.

Sorry, Publix, these are not bipartisan positions.

Publix and Putnam go way back. Putnam was just 22, running for state representative, when Publix made its first donation, for $500, to the local up-and-comer: Publix’s base in Lakeland is 20 minutes from Putnam’s hometown of Bartow.

The generosity seems to go both ways. As agriculture commissioner, Putnam oversees regulation of Publix’s 800 Florida stores. When a TV station reported in 2016 that seven Tampa-area Publix stores failed health inspections, “Putnam responded the next day by pulling the inspections from the department’s website and eliminating the pass/fail grading system,” the Tampa Bay Times wrote. “He replaced it six months later with a new rubric. Instead of a failing grade, the worst rating issued now is ‘re-inspection required.’ ”

Publix can support whomever it wants. That’s its right as a corporate citizen. With 2010’s Citizens United, after all, the U.S. Supreme Court has given the green light to corporations and unions to spend whatever they like in independent political expenditures.

But in a nation as divided as ours, Publix can’t expect to bankroll a candidate without alienating some portion of its public. Call it a sign of the times, but our system is producing few, if any, “bipartisan” politicians. And now, not even a trip to the grocery store “Where Shopping Is a Pleasure” is immune from the tensions pulling the country apart.

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SNL grabs Donald Trump by the Pussy ... by gimleteye

SNL writers are quick, but even they couldn't react fast enough to catch Trump's capitulation to North Korea demands that the US stop its planned joint training exercise with South Korea.

In the show's season finale they did pin the tail on another donkey: Sarah Palin on Twitter. Palin is paid big bucks to put her stamp of spite, bigotry, and outright nastiness in defense of Trump. Tina Fey reprised her Palin caricature last night and voila.

In real life Palin cried tears when, recently, Senator John McCain expressed his regret for elevating Palin to the national stage. All she's done, since, is use her "celebrity" to poison the well of civic discourse. As SNL suggests, Palin has plenty of company:

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Big Sugar Money Is Turning Toxic To Florida Politics ... by gimleteye

Because of Big Sugar's chokehold on Florida politicians, what happened in 2016 -- massive toxic algae outbreaks -- will happen again. Know whose bank account is filling the campaigns of the candidates you vote for.

If you are a candidate seeking election and refusing money from Big Sugar, Eye On Miami wants to hear from you NOW.

We will feature any candidate who rejects Big Sugar's money; Democrat or Republican or Independent.

Here is our bottom line: sugar is not a food and sugar farmers are not farmers because no other crop in the United States is guaranteed protection before a seed is even planted.

Big Sugar does not put "food" on American tables. Big Sugar is a protection racket for two billionaire families and key employee/shareholders, mainly; the 200 plus family descendants of Charles Stuart Mott, founder of US Sugar, and the Fanjul family's Florida Crystals' fortune.

The same way a few gun manufacturers stand in the shadows of the NRA, these few Big Sugar families pull the strings in Florida politics. It is time for voters to make them stop.

Democratic candidate for governor Chris King just took on Big Sugar in his first television campaign ad. Watch it here:

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Betraying my Husband, Fukushima's Nukes and All That Jazz. By Geniusofdespair

I always look in on Fukushima's nuclear disaster of 2011, when there was a meltdown of 3 of their reactors. It was a cascade of events that caused the meltdown; Tsumani caused by an Earthquake. The Japanese are trying to deal with a million tons of radioactive water. The fuel is somewhere in the reactor building but, after 7 years of searching, no one is sure where it is. So everyday the groundwater percolates up from the foundation -- 150 tons of water, and it becomes contaminated by what is left in the reactors:

To keep that water from leaking into the ground or the Pacific, Tepco, the giant utility that owns the plant, pumps it out and runs it through a massive filtering system housed in a building the size of a small aircraft hangar. Inside are arrays of seven-foot tall stainless steel tubes, filled with sand grain-like particles that perform a process called ion exchange. The particles grab on to ions of cesium, strontium, and other dangerous isotopes in the water, making room for them by spitting out sodium. The highly toxic sludge created as a byproduct is stored elsewhere on the site in thousands of sealed canisters.

The filtering system cannot capture strontium:

So for now, the tritiated water is pumped into a steadily growing collection of tanks. There are already hundreds of them, and Tepco has to start building a new one every four days.

you can wait for it to load or go to The Scene.

I wouldn't eat the flounder on the West Coast. Also stay away from Hanford in Washingon State...the most toxic nuclear place in the nation.

And on to our next subject "The Betrayal."

You guys aren't reading this so that is all you get on this one...the nuke part.

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REFORM SUGAR SUBSIDIES NOW! Wall Street Journal Agrees With Eye On Miami! ... by gimleteye

A Chance for Sugar Welfare Reform
A bipartisan coalition could reduce the worst farm subsidy.
A Chance for Sugar Welfare Reform
By The Editorial Board
May 15, 2018 7:03 p.m. ET

Cognitive dissonance is common in Washington, but some cases truly are exceptional. One is the ritual of the farm bill, when Republicans who campaign on “free markets” whoop through corporate welfare for agriculture interests. But maybe there’s a stroke of sense coming on sugar subsidies.

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina is making a run at reforming the U.S. sugar program with an amendment to the farm bill that may hit the House floor as soon as this week. This program is arguably the worst farm subsidy, which is saying something, featuring a menagerie of sweetened loans, restrictions on sales and import quotas for some of America’s richest people.

The point is to keep prices artificially high and enrich large sugar producers, who aren’t paupers but nonetheless demand this help to maintain their station. Many producers live in Florida, which is why Senator Marco Rubio periodically embarrasses himself by supporting sugar welfare.

All of this is a tax on consumers. In 2015 raw sugar in the U.S. ran 24.7 cents a pound, an 84% premium over the global price. Consumers lose anywhere from $2.4 to $4 billion annually, according to an analysis from the American Enterprise Institute.

Perhaps the worst result of the program is how the effects ripple across the supply chain and kill jobs. The program drives manufacturing jobs overseas—hello there, President Trump —where sugar inputs are cheaper.

Take Ford Gum & Machine Company, the last major manufacturer of gum balls in the United States. The president of the firm has said he could double his workforce, based in Akron, N.Y., if he could pay fair market prices for sugar.

Ms. Foxx’s proposal wouldn’t eliminate the program but would curb some of its worst features, such as repealing “marketing allotments,” which are restrictions on sales. Another is ending a program that allows the Agriculture Department to buy surplus sugar and sell it to ethanol companies at a loss.

The agriculture lobby is treating the mere mention of reform as a surprise land invasion, and the politics are splitting Republicans. But this should be an easy yes for progressives who harp about corporate welfare in theory but too often vote for it in practice, and the amendment could win with a cross-party coalition.

Republicans are struggling to get the votes for their bill, in part because they have added a modest work requirement for food stamps, which eat up about 80% of farm bill dollars. This is a worthy policy change, but Republicans would have more credibility on reforming welfare for people if they did the same for politically powerful agribusiness.

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Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board Cheers For Sugar Policy Reform (Just Like Eye On Miami!) ... by gimleteye

The Tampa Bay Times says it just like we do, maybe a little more diplomatically: Big Sugar poisons people, poisons Democracy, and poisons the Everglades. Call your Congressional representative TODAY: Support Sugar Policy Reform!


Editorial: U.S. House should end sweet deal for Big Sugar

Editorials

With a new farm bill coming up in Congress, now is the time to reset the board on sugar policy to allow market forces to set sugar prices and bring relief to Floridians who are paying dearly for this sweet deal.

Longstanding U.S. sugar policy pummels consumers and taxpayers in three ways: We subsidize growers, pay higher food prices and then pay even more for environmental damage sugar production causes in South Florida. The only winners are Big Sugar and the politicians who rake in its campaign cash. With a new farm bill coming up in Congress, now is the time to reset the board on sugar policy to allow market forces to set sugar prices and bring relief to Floridians who are paying dearly for this sweet deal.

An amendment to the new farm bill, the Sugar Policy Modernization Act, would reform price supports that keep domestic sugar prices artificially high. Studies show that American-grown sugar costs up to twice as much as other countries’ sugar. The outdated policy also limits the amount of sugar that can be imported, slaps a tariff on imports that exceed certain quotas and requires the Agriculture Department to buy back excess sugar to prevent prices from plummeting. It’s a formula that guarantees perpetual profits for U.S. growers by pick-pocketing U.S. consumers.

Floridians are robbed even more. The two main growers in Florida, U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals, are responsible for millions of gallons of phosphorous used on their farms annually running downstream and causing enormous harm to the Everglades. Guess who pays to clean it up. And don’t forget the green algae that befouled beaches on both Florida coasts during the summer of 2016. That polluted water came from Lake Okeechobee and should have filtered south as nature intended — through sugarland. Instead, it was diverted to the east and west, creating a neon green nightmare for tourism-reliant businesses.

Sugar growers and their defenders point to the jobs that would be lost if prices crashed. Some estimates say sugar production is responsible for 30,000 jobs in Florida, many of them concentrated in the high-poverty area around the Everglades. But like other protectionist actions, for every job saved, one more (at least) is lost. Candy makers and others have been moving operations overseas to escape high domestic prices and taxes on imports.

One factor explains the staying power of such malevolent policies. Between 1994 and 2016, the sugar industry spent $57.8 million in direct and in-kind contributions to state and local political campaigns. So far this election cycle, no other U.S. senator has taken more money from Big Sugar than Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who is in a heated battle for re-election. His challenger, Republican Gov. Rick Scott, has reaped millions in contributions from sugar interests over the years. Not surprisingly, Nelson has done little to break the industry’s grip on the domestic market, and Scott surely wouldn’t do any better.

The only House member from Florida who has committed support for the Sugar Policy Modernization Act is Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican who represents an area from Fort Pierce to Palm Beach. The farm bill and the sugar modernization proposal is scheduled to be taken up this week in the House. It’s long past time for Florida’s elected representatives to stand up to the industry and do what’s best for the state’s job market, environment and consumers.

There’s no valid argument for continuing to prop up the sugar industry in favor of the broader economy, and everyone except the growers and the politicians they enrich seems to understand that. Reforming the federal sugar program is a rare point of unity among such disparate groups as environmentalists, consumer advocates and free-market adherents. That’s because crony capitalism is never in the public interest.

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Matt Haggman for Congressional District 27. By Geniusofdespair

Here is Matt Haggman on the Michael Putney show. Make your own decision for this blue wave US Congressional Seat 27. I will be voting for Matt Haggman. He is smart, articulate, my friend, and most importantly not Donna Shalala or Bruno Barreiro (even worse). I have to say, out of all the reporters I have known from the Miami Herald, he was the one I got along with best. He showed me respect, called me, etc. We just clicked. He has a great sense of humor and an innate ability to zero in on problems in our community. He never called me when he worked for the Knight Foundation, so for that he is a fair-weather-friend to me, but I still think he is the best person to fill this seat. And, I will bother him to death if he gets elected. He is getting too skinny. He needs to eat more. I know Donna holds a grudge since I hit her with that chair in 2008.



Never heard from Richardson. Not going to vote for him.

Here is what is on his Website so you can skip a link:

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C-O-L-L-U-S-I-O-N ... by gimleteye

Really good piece, by Axios, summarizing the bill of charges against Donald Trump, not yet criminal indictments. Leads to question: Republicans, what in the world are you thinking by defending Trump and obstructing the US Department of Justice?

1 big thing: The public case against Trump
Mike Allen, AXIOS

One thing is true of all major political scandals: What we know in the moment is but a tiny, obscured, partial view of the full story later revealed by investigators.

That’s what makes the Trump-Russia drama all the more remarkable.

Forget all we don’t know. The known facts that even Trump’s closest friends don’t deny tell a damning tale that would sink most leaders.

Here's a guide that Jim VandeHei and I put together to the known knowns of Russia:

We know Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chair, has been indicted on 32 counts, including conspiracy and money laundering. We know he made millions off shady Russians and changed the Republican platform to the benefit of Russia.

We know that the U.S. intelligence community concluded, in a report released in January 2017, that Russian President Vladimir Putin “ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election,” to “denigrate” Hillary Clinton and with “a clear preference for ... Trump.”

We know that in May 2016, Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos told an Australian diplomat Russia had political dirt on Hillary. "About three weeks earlier," according to the N.Y. Times, "Papadopoulos had been told that Moscow had thousands of emails that would embarrass Mrs. Clinton."

We know that in June 2016, Trump’s closest aides and family members met at Trump Tower with a shady group or Russians who claimed to have dirt on Hillary. The meeting was billed as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."

We know the Russian lawyer who helped set it up concealed her close ties to Putin government.

We know that in July 2016, Trump said: "“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 [Hillary] emails that are missing,” and urged their publication.

We know that on Air Force One a year later, Trump helped his son, Don Jr., prepare a misleading statement about the meeting. We know top aides freaked out about this.

We know Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting.

We know Michael Flynn, former national security adviser and close campaign aide, lied to Vice President Pence and FBI about his Russia-related chats. We know he’s now cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller. We know Trump initially tried to protect Flynn with loyalty and fervency rarely shown by Trump to others.

We know that during the transition, Jared Kushner spoke with the Russian ambassador "about establishing a secret communications channel between the Trump transition team and Moscow." We know Kushner omitted previous contacts with Russians on his disclosure forms.

We know Trump initially lied about why he fired James Comey, later admitting he was canned because of the “Russia thing.”

We know Michael Cohen was a close adviser and lawyer, the fixer and secret-keeper. We know Trump seethed when the FBI raided Cohen's office.

We know that in January 2016, just before Republicans began voting, Michael Cohen tried to restart a Trump Tower project in Moscow.

We know Mueller questioned a Russian oligarch who made payments to Cohen who used the money to pay off a porn star who allegedly had an affair with Trump.

We know that oligarch was a bad enough dude that the Trump administration sanctioned him.

Be smart: The undisputed known knowns about Trump, Russia and his associates are damning and possibly actionable. But the known unknowns of how much more Robert Mueller knows that is publicly unknown is what spooks Trump allies most.

Remember: No one in the media saw Mueller’s indictments of Russian oligarchs coming until the second they were announced, and no one knew until this week that Mueller’s team questioned AT&T five months ago about its payments to Cohen.

Mueller has every incentive to keep the public and Trump himself in suspense.

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America Dream Mall: A Totally Predictable Nightmare ... by gimleteye

Next week the Miami-Dade County Commission will vote on the America Dream Mall; one of the largest, if not the largest, malls in the United States, to be built in the northwest corner of Miami-Dade County. From the point of view of traffic and infrastructure burdens on taxpayers, it is a predictable nightmare.

Before Gov. Rick Scott, citizens had a place -- state administrative court -- and a roadmap, through the Florida Department of Community Affairs, to challenge development schemes that were manifestly against the public interest. A good example, from the 1990's, Wayne's World: the dream child of the late Wayne Huizinga. Blockbuster Park, its formal name, was planned just across the county line in Broward -- not far from the America Dream Mall site. It speaks worlds that an ill-conceived regional development could be halted in the mid 1990s but not in 2017. Some call that progress.

Gov. Scott delivered the coup de grace to the DCA, consigning the agency and its mission to a Tallahassee broom closet. At the same time, developers gained the upper hand by imposing massive costs on citizens with the temerity to challenge local zoning decisions. And, the USSC Citizens United decision opened the door to unlimited campaign contributions by corporations and provided further energy to the dark money pools that are making a mockery of democracy.

In other words, a lot of stuff had to be broken for a plan like the America Dream Mall to make it through. Behind it, in the pipeline, more predictable nightmares: the extension of SR 836 into the last remaining farmland and open space in Miami Dade, the construction of another Walmart in the county's last remaining pine rocklands, and further attempts to move the Urban Development Boundary.

The Florida Department of Community of Affairs, through its development of regional impact programming, was never completely aligned with the public interest in sound development and growth. It was born, however, out of a bipartisan consensus in the state legislature in the 1980's; a time when an older generation of electeds agreed that a system of checks and balances was needed to stop the profit motive from wrecking what Floridians held of value and in trust for future generations.

The development supply chain, industry trade associations like the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries, and Big Agriculture fought DCA from the start. Gov. Jeb Bush, through establishment figures like Al Hoffman and the Council of 100, used DCA for target practice. For citizens, and the few civic organizations that plunged into the turbid waters of the state's overdevelopment, challenging developments of regional impacts offered a ray of hope.

Gov. Rick Scott squashed that hope; a fact voters might want to remember this November as if the land clearing, bulldozers, and site development of America Dream Mall will not be enough.

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How Gov. Rick Scott Crapped In Florida's Water Future: the case of George Lindemann v. Maggy Hurchalla ... by gimleteye

We've written exhaustively about the lawsuit and its implications: that Maggy Hurchalla (nee Reno) -- born and raised in what is now Kendall -- finds herself on the tip of a spear used by Big Sugar and its proxies to privatize Florida's water supply.

Tampa Bay Times journalist Craig Pittman adds to the record of a dismal case: George Lindemann v. Maggy Hurchalla.

Hurchalla and her legal team, including Sandy D'Alemberte's firm, are appealing on first amendment grounds.

The case is Kafka-esque, (read our archive for more detail), and here is a key take-away: the lawsuit and its outcome against Hurchalla would NEVER have happened if the South Florida Water Management District stood up for taxpayers instead of special interests who control the state.

This is on Gov. Rick Scott. The governor appoints the board of the South Florida Water Management District. Throughout eight years in the executive office, Scott used his authority to turn the District into a cudgel against civic leaders with the temerity to push back against distortion of fact, science and policies intended to deliver safe, affordable water to Floridians and to protect the environment.

The weapon was freely wielded at public meetings of the board, led for most of Scott's tenure by his former counsel: Peter Antonucci. Antonucci had plenty of assistance from other Scott appointees, culled from the regulated communities. ie. Big Sugar.

During Scott's terms, any pretense of fair and equitable management of Florida's water future was abandoned. (What Scott claims as his major accomplishment -- $900 million for Everglades restoration projects -- was only the result of a Clean Water Act lawsuit by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians and Friends of the Everglades.) One had to be among the community of civic activists -- like Hurchalla, today -- and environmentalists who attended District meetings in West Palm Beach to experience the Kafka-esque story unfold.

Among its ironies: in his second run for governor, Maggy Hurchalla was the only environmentalist who Gov. Scott personally reached out to, for support. He made a quiet visit to Hurchalla's home in Martin County to respectfully solicit advice, hoping word would spread that he was not such a bad guy after all.

Managing water in Florida is a multi-billion dollar industry. It is a good old boy network that Gov. Scott turned to this purpose: to maximize political power and outcomes to his own ends. That includes becoming the next US senator from Florida.

At Eye On Miami, we speculated that George Lindemann was put into the Lake Pointe deal by Big Sugar friends; formidable inside players deploying hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland south of Lake Okeechobee to whatever purpose turns the highest profit. Until he invested in Lake Pointe, Lindemann had no traffic with wetlands, with the Everglades, or with Florida politics. But he was familiar with the Fanjuls.

Selling rainfall to Floridians is part of the ultimate scam of Gov. Scott and his Republican cronies, including Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam.

Putnam has been aiming for over a decade to be the next Republican nominee to be governor of Florida. (For further insight to Putnam, read our archive here.)

Farming water is not new to Florida, but morphing into a private right -- and socializing the risk -- has occurred with virtually no attention by the media. For example, the most recent water-future related state legislation, a 10,000 acre, 30 foot deep, $2 billion Everglades reservoir now heading to Congress for approval of its share for funding, turned into a Trojan Horse for Big Sugar through -- among other faults -- a provision requiring taxpayers to fund engineering and design for water storage and cleansing marshes owned by the Fanjuls west of West Palm Beach that could then be used to sell rainwater to Floridians. For the most part, the mainstream media missed this little poison pill.

Craig Pittman, who co-wrote the book on wetlands loss in Florida -- a massive scheme during the Jeb Bush years -- is a bright exception. Pittman and Matt Waite's 2009 book, "Paving Paradise: Florida's vanishing wetlands and the failure of no net-loss" should have won a Pulitzer and could be required reading in Florida civics classes, if the Florida legislature ever gets around to requiring them.

We are fortunate to have the Times' contribution to the public record on Lindemann v. Hurchalla.

Only in Florida: Battle over water, free speech pits billionaire vs. activist
Tampa Bay Times
Craig Pittman
Published: May 10, 2018Updated: May 10, 2018 at 05:59 PM

(Courtesy of George Lindemann Jr.) Billionaire George Lindemann Jr. says he regarded Lake Point as a way to do good while making money. When two government agencies backed away from their agreements with the company, he sued.

(Courtesy of George Lindemann Jr.) Maggy Hurchalla, a former Martin County commissioner, spoke out against the county's deal with Lake Point -- and wound up being sued by the company, which claimed she had interfered with a legal contract.
(Courtesy of Maggy Hurchalla)

This is a story about free speech, government secrecy and a fight over tens of millions in taxpayer funds. The players include a billionaire who once had a hit man kill his horse, two politicians charged with breaking the Sunshine Law and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno’s sister.

But the most important aspect of this story is about Florida’s water supply and how a lawsuit involving a company called Lake Point Restoration may upend a fundamental rule about Florida water — namely, that water belongs to the public, not wealthy businessmen.

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The Blue Wave is Coming...with a whimper. By Geniusofdespair

SIGH!

THAT'S IT? This is the favored candidate of the Democrats to send to Congress in district 27? Get excited young people...

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Condo King Jorge Perez: "Besides I'll be dead, so what does it matter?" ... by gimleteye

Politicians plan for sea level rise, by Spanish artist Isaac Cordel

The New York Times repeats a quip by Miami Condo King and local billionaire Jorge Perez about climate change and sea level rise.

The report concerns a contemporary home built on Miami Beach by Mr. Hani Boutros. Concrete pilings elevated his dream house ten feet high -- not exactly a new concept in South Florida -- with a "retractable" stairway -- which kind of is. But a retractable stairway to pull up and away from sea level rise begs the question: what next?

The Times quotes Perez from a 2017 book by Jeff Goodell, "The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World." Miami, being Exhibit A for cities at risk from climate change.

“In 20 or 30 years, someone is going to find a solution for this.” He (Perez) added, “Besides, by that time, I’ll be dead, so what does it matter?”

What does it matter?

I can think of roughly 9 billion reasons, including one grandchild who is sixteen months old, why it matters. But I get it, Jorge.

There is a mind-set at work in the United States that is primitive and powerful. It is about circling the wagons, protecting what is yours, insulating from threats. (For the GOP Ten Commandments on climate change, click here.)

The same way that squirrels hoard in the fall for the winter ahead, powerful corporate interests view climate change -- and impacts like sea-level rise -- as a game they can't influence. Florida Senator Marco Rubio often says so. What he doesn't say, is what comes follows: make as much money as you can, right now this instant, because in twenty or thirty years (basically, one mortgage cycle), it's going to vanish.


Note that Perez is a frequently cited Democratic big ticket donor. The mindset that Perez articulated, also helps to explain how the politics and policies governing growth management in Florida have all but disappeared. It is no coincidence: this game of musical chairs requires speed and the elimination of barriers (ie. regulation) to build as much and as fast as possible.

That is the thinking behind Mayor Carlos Gimenez' determination to open the last remaining farmland and open space in South Florida to more suburban sprawl, through the extension of State Road 836 into the far southwest reaches of Florida's most politically influential county. Unleash more construction and development into the face of sea level rise because we can make billions now, but maybe not so much beyond one mortgage cycle.

All those acorns have to be scoured and collected today, and the price of those musical chairs keeps rising.

For earlier critiques of Perez at Eye On Miami, click here.

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The Republican Race For Governor, Rick Scott, and Donald Trump ... by gimleteye

The online blog -- Florida Politics -- has coyly tracked Big Sugar's talking points in the past. Peter Schorsch, publisher and founder of Florida Politics, wrote yesterday from an insiders' perspective of a weekend meeting in Orlando, "At confab, Adam Putnam supporters asked to raise more money, game out Trump involvement." We offer the following comments as "outsiders".

"... If the election for Florida governor was to be decided by the candidates taking a pop-quiz about the Sunshine State’s history, people, and geography, it’s very likely Putnam would not only win, he might just ace the test...

Unfortunately for Putnam, whichever candidate can give the best directions through Florida’s agriculture belt is not how the Republican nominee for Governor will be decided. Instead, it will be fought in the dens of of Florida television viewers who seemingly must make a choice between the candidate they see on all the commercials on Fox News (Putnam) and the candidate they actually see on Fox News (Ron DeSantis)."

So far, so good. Putnam, the favored choice of Florida polluters and industry associations, has raised a fearsome amount of corporate campaign cash, with direct contributions heavily spike by dark money pools. DeSantis, a Congressman from North Florida, has emerged as one of Trump's fiercest defenders in the House and, for that -- at least so far as we know -- earned Trump's early endorsement. So Putnam buys the commercials on Fox. And Fox pundits fluff DeSantis for the networks' intractable and unpersuadable viewers.

It is verboten within Putnam’s circle of influence to describe the Polk County Republican’s gubernatorial campaign as the 2.0 version of Jeb Bush’s failed bid for The White House. This circle is the rear guard of Florida’s establishment, which has been forced to kowtow for the last seven-and-a-half years to Rick Scott and saw its hopes of invading Washington D.C. flummoxed by Donald Trump‘s filleting of not just Bush, but Florida’s other favorite son, Marco Rubio.

Here, Schorch's analysis skews off-track. The forces behind Putnam are not the "rear-guard of Florida's establishment". They are the front line and are not only well-known as such, they advertise their political muscle with swinging cudgels whenever and wherever it suits their interests. Since Citizens United, their actions have been mainly served by superPAC's and other dark money channels. But that's not "rear-guard". That's what the GOP calls "mainstream".

The notion, moreover, that these major forces in Florida have been "forced to kowtow for the last seven-and-a-half years to Rick Scott" and Trump's "filleting of not just Bush ... but Marco Rubio" is plain wrong. In fact, Rick Scott has done an expert job of recruiting Florida's Republican establishment to his side, accommodating their interests even more neatly than either Bush, when he was governor, or Rubio, when he was a state legislator.

So why paint the picture of special interests as "flummoxed"? Here is a good guess: it plays right into Scott's campaign to defeat Bill Nelson for US Senate.

Schorch's: "In 2018, the establishment — scarred by a decade of political water-treading, but flush with a booming influence economy — is determined not to let another interloper defy its well-laid plans" is plain ridiculous. Political water-treading? Polluters and industry associations and well-funded political action committees have NEVER been as anchored and secure as they are today in Florida.

There has never been a question that Adam Putnam was carefully cultivated to be the Republican candidate for governor. It's happening the same way for Representative Matt Caldwell, who is now running for Putnam's job as Agriculture Secretary. Caldwell, an accountant in Lee County, lives in an area heavily afflicted by pollution from Big Sugar. Seven years ago, he was assigned by Big Sugar to "take down" a local county commissioner, Ray Judah, who had been the lone Republican voice in Florida politics to call for Big Sugar to shoulder the costs of cleaning up Florida's badly damaged rivers and estuaries. US Sugar Corporation funneled nearly $1 million into the campaign against Judah, and after its victory, Caldwell was promoted to do heavier lifting for Big Sugar in the state legislature. He was a primary driver behind efforts to turn the 2017 Everglades Reservoir Plan into Big Sugar's Trojan Horse. Now, he has been lined up for political advancement.

The same happened with Putnam. As a Congressman, Putnam vehemently opposed the effort by the US EPA to impose limits on nitrogen and phosphorous standards in Florida to protect the state's badly damaged fresh water resources. He opposed the Crist plan to buy US Sugar lands -- as did Gov. Scott -- a deal that could have helped to mitigate the agony of the planned massive reservoir, to cost taxpayers at least $2 billion. As a cabinet member, Putnam supported outrageous lease extensions of public lands to Big Sugar; another measure that solidified Big Sugar's chokehold on Floridians. So, yes: "The plan for Adam Putnam to eventually occupy the Governor’s Mansion began long before Trump and long before Scott. In fact, it was before Putnam was elected Agriculture Commissioner that a small group of key advisers began to meet in Boca Grande to plot out the then-Congressman’s path to the Governor’s Office."

From Schorch's report, it is clear that Putnam supporters want this story line to reach the White House.

Among those in attendance were Former House Speakers Dean Cannon, Steve Crisafulli and Will Weatherford, former Senate President Mike Haridopolos, Disney lobbyist Adam Babington, Miami real estate developer Rodney Barretto, Ballard Partners’ Brad Burleson, U.S. Sugar executive Robert Coker, The Rubin Group’s Chris Finkbeiner, Florida Chamber board member Sonya Deen Hartley, Smith Bryan & Myers’ Jeff Hartley, Anheuser-Busch exec Jose Gonzalez, Publix’s Clayton and Beverly Hollis, Greenberg Traurig lobbyist Fred Karlinsky, insurance lobbyist Robert Hawken, Justice Reform Institute president William Large, lobbyist and former state Rep. Seth McKeel, Comcast government affairs VP Brian Musselwhite, Mosaic government affairs VP Eileen Stuart, and AT&T Florida president Joe York.

Schorsch continues to expound on the storyline:

If there was one defining takeaway several of the Putnam supporters wanted to share it is that they are surprised by DeSantis’ less-than-spectacular fundraising efforts.

“It doesn’t look like the cavalry is coming,” said one lobbyist supporting Putnam.

In April, DeSantis political committee raised less than $500,000. What the Ponte Vedra Republican raised in hard dollars during April won’t be known until later this week. Whatever it is, he will have not kept pace with Putnam, whose Florida Grown political committee had another $2 million month in April. Overall, Putnam has raised $28.88 million between his campaign and committee.

Although Schorsch gives a DeSantis spokesperson the benefit of comment, it is clear that the purpose of the article is to attract to the audience of one: Donald Trump.

"... if he (Putnam) is to win — and fulfill the ambitions of his dedicated supporters — it would appear that Putnam’s best bet is not to raise more money or expound on the history of Florida, but to make sure the only place Donald Trump visits in Florida is his home at Mar-a-Lago."

That's probably a message that Gov. Rick Scott is also carrying to conversations with President Trump. As a US Senator, Rick Scott can be of more help to Trump than Ron DeSantis. And the Republican campaign fat cats will be more inclined to support Trump in 2020 than if he upends the carefully laid plans of Florida polluters.

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They Want to Build a STEEL MILL in Hudstead With Miami Dade Mayor Gimenez's Blessings as He Had to Recuse Himself. By Geniusofdespair

Miami Dade County's most notorious city for UP-TO-NO-GOOD, Homestead, is being slated for...wait for it...an eco-friendly steel mill. Julio Gimenez, the County Mayor's son, is helping pitch this insane area and other family members have been lobbying for it. The Trump-like family ties on this project forced Gimenez to recuse himself. They, the County and the Steel people, want to put this Steel Mill on County land (our land) by the military airport in Homestead: or as most of us in the know call it Hudstead.

The company, Ecosteel wants 124 acres for this eco-steel plant (Oxymoron to the max).

Okay how crazy does this sound? I am astounded by this idea that apparently as been around for awhile, kept under tight wraps from the public. The owner said if he doesn't get the land here he will go to another State and build his plant. I say, don't threaten us Mr. Steel guy. By all means, go to another State. And while you're at it take all the Gimenez children that are involved with this really crazy idea of spewing heavy metals into our cleanish air and falling into Biscayne Bay.

They do aim to be environmentally friendly, but from what I read they are not there yet:

Climate-damaging smelting gases, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane, are produced in many parts of a steel mill. After steel production, these gases are burned in power plants to generate electricity. But the catch is that this process also generates CO2 emissions. Moreover, when excess wind and solar power are produced, it is not possible to sell the resulting electricity to the grid. The approach being pursued by the Carbon2Chem project partners is therefore not to incinerate the smelting gases, but to convert them into in reusable materials for the chemical industry.

Florida has to decide what it is. does it want to be the rust belt? Does it want to be a tourist destination? Does it want to have oil rigs off their coast? Does it want to keep the agriculture the sub-tropical Homestead area is known for? Get a grip people, start telling the County what you want because if you don't, something will get shoved down your throat and I guarantee it won't be what you want: A designer $240 Million, Steel Mill on your TAXPAYER OWNED LAND producing 1,000 tons of steel a day, for instance.

The Miami Herald reported on this on Sunday:

"A lot of companies try to say they're green, that they're environmentally friendly," said Elizabeth Bonnell, chair of the Miami chapter of the Sierra Club. "Later on, people are left to have to clean up after the mistakes of the company. We're pretty concerned."

In other Hudstead news, the former Mayor, Steve Bateman is being sentenced today for being found guilty for Corruption.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article210208269.html#storylink=cpy

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INCREDIBLE: How GOP politics in Florida is poisoned by Big Sugar ... by gimleteye

Read this incredible news report in Politico. On an evening when the top GOP candidates sparred for the first time in public, Big Sugar's influence peddling was on full display yet none in the audience, or the candidates for the matter, dared touch the issue of subsidies and corporate welfare benefiting the billionaires who were not in attendance but watching from behind the velvet curtains of the Republican Party of Florida.

For at least eight years, Big Sugar carefully cultivated its successor to Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who proved amenable to giving the industry whatever concessions it wants. (For his work on their behalf, Big Sugar is pushing hard for Gov. Scott to defeat Democratic Senator Bill Nelson this November.) That successor: Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam. Putnam's own incredible deal with the state (his family farm was purchased at a multiple of appraised value by Florida) assured his place in the pantheon of sugar-bought politicians.

Congressman Ron DeSantis emerged unexpectedly to challenge the carefully scripted GOP program for Scott's successor. And he did so with the early endorsement of the president he is fiercely defending in Congress, Donald Trump.

At Eye On Miami, we've speculated about Trump's relationship with Big Sugar; ie. that Palm Beach royalty, led by the Florida Crystal's Fanjul family, viewed Trump for many years as a crass arriviste. He would have known. When it came time to choose its candidate to succeed Obama, Big Sugar naturally threw its weight behind Liddle Marco Rubio. So perhaps Trump's quick endorsement of DeSantis has something to do with the double edged sword.


First Florida GOP gubernatorial forum ends in scuffle with anti-DeSantis activists
By MATT DIXON 05/06/2018 08:00 AM EDT
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ORLANDO — Florida’s two Republican gubernatorial candidates, appearing at the same forum for the first time on Saturday night, largely agreed on a host of conservative issues like expanding school choice, protecting gun rights or imposing stricter abortion laws.

But the event hosted by the conservative Florida Family Policy Council and moderated by GOP pollster Frank Luntz could not mask what is turning into a nasty Republican primary between between Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Rep. Ron DeSantis.

The coarseness of the campaign was on display outside the doors of the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, where a young man in a red “Make America Great” hat handed out packets packed with opposition research on DeSantis. The packet, titled “Who is the Real Ron DeSantis?” carried the disclaimer “paid for by the National Liberty Federation.” It’s a group with ties to US Sugar that has spent roughly $1.5 million in ads so far hammering DeSantis.

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