Sound and fury, signifying nothing.

This afternoon at 3 PM in front of City Hall, a fictitious resident will hold a theatre event proposing a fictitious recall. I predict that the Miami New Times will print a fawning article, the Herald may be more objective, and others will ignore the faux event.

Why the "recall" is a fiction - We are governed by the Miami-Dade Home Rule Charter. It's an odd document and supersedes state law. In Section 8.02, paragraph 7, it states clearly

No recall petition against such an officer shall be
certified within one year after he takes office nor within one year after a recall petition against him is defeated.”

Esquijarosa is just not eligible. And Al Blake knows it. It's just noise.

The substantial issues - the tax hikes accompanied by reduced services, increased management benefits and salaries and private give aways of public funds will not be discussed.

It's ironic that this phony event will be held on the grounds of the Lexi. Let's do a breakdown of the Lexi.

It was developed by Scott Greenwald who brought the building into bankruptcy.

City Hall was moved there this year at a cost of $80,000 to subsidize the building. In the process, Greenwald agreed to pay a sitting commissioner a fee of $25,000 for brokering the deal. This was ruled illegal by the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics who ordered the repayment of the fee.

City Hall now takes up all the parking in the Lexi front lot. There is no chance that the vacant retail will be rented out if there is no parking.

Scott Greenwald has over 30 units he "finished" without permits or code inspection and owes nearly $350,000 to the Lexi homeowner's association.

The fictitious resident claims he lives on Scott Greenwald's vacant lot at 7918 West Drive, a lot with no certificate of occupancy and is $84,089 in tax arrears for the last two years.

In fact, Greenwald who is the largest tax debtor in North Bay Village, sits on the Budget Oversight Board which reviews the city expenditures and shortfalls. He owes over $2 million in unpaid taxes, about $500,000 of which would go to North Bay Village if he paid them

Oh, and he wants the city to develop the baywalk so he can open a strip club next to Channel 7.

So when you hear about this fictitious recall by a fictitious resident, follow the money. Ask yourself, could this be related?

It's a distraction technique worthy of old school municipal corruption.

Sad if it wasn't so destructive.

Kevin Vericker
April 25, 2011