Very Interesting..............Faddis and Purrinos Have The Same Lawyer

Sergio Purrinos and Johanna Faddis have the same attorney, Kelsay D. Patterson, coincidence.......???

Attorney Information

KELSAY D PATTERSON - 119784

17100 N BAY RD #1403
SUNNY ISLES, FL 33160

FADDIS, JOHANNA vs CITY OF HOMESTEAD (THE)				DOCKETS   PARTIES
2011-27981-CA-01 13-2011-CA-027981-0000-01 N/A	30	FADDIS, JOHANNA	PN 01	107	9/1/2011	119784
		CITY OF HOMESTEAD (THE)

PURRINOS, SERGIO vs WEISS. RICHARD J (ESQ)				DOCKETS   PARTIES
2012-32457-CA-01 13-2012-CA-032457-0000-01 N/A	24	PURRINOS, SERGIO	PN 01	107	8/16/2012	119784
		WEISS. RICHARD J (ESQ)

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Sergio Purrinos Files Lawsuit Against Homestead's City Attorney

PURRINOS, SERGIO vs WEISS. RICHARD J (ESQ) Case Number (LOCAL):  2012-32457-CA-01 Filing Date:  08/16/2012 Case Number (STATE):  13-2012-CA-032457-0000-01 CaseType:  107 Consolidated Case Number:  N/A Judicial Section:  24 Party Code Party Name PN 01 PURRINOS, SERGIO DN 01 WEISS. RICHARD J (ESQ) PK 01 WEISS SEROTA HELFMAN PASTORIZA COLE ETC
	PURRINOS, SERGIO vs WEISS. RICHARD J (ESQ)
	Case Number (LOCAL):	2012-32457-CA-01	Dockets Retrieved:	4	Filing Date:	08/16/2012
	Case Number (STATE):	13-2012-CA-032457-0000-01			Judicial Section:	24
Date Book/Page Docket Entry Comments 08/16/2012 CIVIL COVER 08/16/2012 SUMMONS ISSUED DN01 08/16/2012 DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL 08/16/2012 COMPLAINT

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Busy August: Johanna Faddis vs City Of Homestead

FADDIS, JOHANNA vs CITY OF HOMESTEAD (THE)
	Case Number (LOCAL):	2011-27981-CA-01	Dockets Retrieved:	158	Filing Date:	09/01/2011
	Case Number (STATE):	13-2011-CA-027981-0000-01			Judicial Section:	30
Date Book/Page Docket Entry Comments 08/29/2012 ORDER: GRANTING MOTION TO WITHDRAW AS ATTORNEY OF RECORD 08/29/2012 ORDER APPOINTING GUARDIAN AD LITEM SAUL CIMBLER, ESQ. 08/24/2012 NOTICE OF HRG SPECIAL APPT 10/01/2012 12:00 PM CROSS-NOTICE 08/22/2012 NOTICE OF TAKING DEPOSITION 08/21/2012 NOTICE OF HRG SPECIAL APPT 10/01/2012 09:00 AM 08/21/2012 SUBPOENA RETURNED 08/20/2012 ORDER ON MOTION TO COMPEL AGREED PRODUCTIONS 08/15/2012 SUBPOENA RETURNED 08/15/2012 SUBPOENA RETURNED 08/14/2012 ORDER ON MOTION TO COMPEL SANCTIONS 08/10/2012 NOTICE OF HRG SPECIAL APPT 08/14/2012 08:00 AM 08/09/2012 OBJECTION: TO SET SECOND DEPO OF JOHANNA FADDIS 08/07/2012 NOTICE OF HRG SPECIAL APPT 08/14/2012 08:00 AM 08/06/2012 SUBPOENA RETURNED 08/06/2012 CERTIFICATE OF NO OBJECTIONS TO PRODUCTION 08/03/2012 MOTION FOR SANCTIONS 08/03/2012 MOTION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME 08/03/2012 MOTION TO COMPEL 08/03/2012 NOTICE OF HRG SPECIAL APPT 09/10/2012 09:30 AM 08/03/2012 NOTICE OF HEARING- MOTIONS 08/21/2012 09:00 AM 08/03/2012 NOTICE OF HEARING- MOTIONS 08/14/2012 09:00 AM 08/03/2012 NOTICE OF SERVING PROPOSAL FOR SETTLEMENT 08/03/2012 NOTICE OF HEARING- MOTIONS 08/30/2012 09:00 AM 08/03/2012 NOTICE OF FILING: AFFIDAVIT OF SERGIO PURRINOS, ETC. 08/02/2012 NOTICE OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS PHONE & FAX NUMBER

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Video Question For Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace With Follow-Ups To Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman

Mayor Wallace How Does The Approval Of A Racino Help Florida City's and SW Homestead's Ghetto USA Image Depicted In The Video?

Mayor Bateman We Await Your Thoughts On The Subject. How Does This Help Homestead? You Talk QOL Issues Every Chance You Get, What About This?

Couple of caveats on the answers, no silly fake job numbers, no made up bogus cash projections into the Florida City or Homestead economies are allowed until actually proven. 
The area needs full time, high paying jobs with benefits, not low paying, part time jobs without benefits, we have those now.

This is a departure from the much too often used Homestead-Miami Speedway $250,000,000 alleged cash injection that has been repeated since 1997. Hello, it's 15 years later and the same number being used makes it suspect.

The majority is once again silent as the politicians entertain schemes that do not add value or raise the quality of life standard in the area. This racino idea will further lower the "day and night" public safety for an already overwhelmed local law enforcement. 

Chief Taylor and Chief Rolle need to be asked their opinions. 

The local ministers should form an alliance and pressure the politicians to reconsider this effort. 
See Dr. James Tranthem's Letter: 
http://homesteadishome.blogspot.com/2012/08/dr-tranthem-asks-where-does-faith-based.html

Lastly, where are the family entertainment center proponents, is this the best that the area can attract? The area could have had a state of the art waterpark some years ago, one alleged rumor is they were strong-armed by politicians and their operatives for payoffs and bribes, so they gave up.

The Good People Of Florida City And Homestead Do Not Want To Win The Golden Ghetto Award In 2013, No Racino!!!

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Did You Sign The Petition? City of Homestead City Council: Build an animal shelter in Homestead, Florida to serve all of South Dade

From: Gateway Animal Rescue (GAR)
We, the undersigned, support the building of an animal shelter in Homestead, Florida to provide services to the underserved areas of South Dade (Homestead, The Redlands, Florida City, Goulds, etc.).
There is only one municipal animal shelter in Miami-Dade County (pop. 2.4 million) to handle all of the animals (1.5 million) in South Florida. That shelter was built in the late 1960’s as an animal hospital, and it has never been renovated to account for population increases. It is in Northwest Miami - 30 miles (or 60 miles, round-trip) from South Dade.

The Homestead shelter will house dogs, cats, and any other creatures needing assistance. It will function as a shelter for homeless pets, and will offer such common shelter elements as spay/neuter services, vaccinations, license tags, responsible pet ownership training, and public education. Students will be encouraged to volunteer to earn community service hours there.
We recommend that this be a NO KILL SHELTER.
Thank you.

Petition Letter

 http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-homestead-city-council-build-an-animal-shelter-in-homestead-florida-to-serve-all-of-south-dade

Greetings,

I just signed the following petition addressed to: City of Homestead City Council.

----------------
Build an animal shelter in Homestead, Florida to serve all of South Dade

From: Gateway Animal Rescue (GAR)

We, the undersigned, support the building of an animal shelter in Homestead, Florida to provide services to the underserved areas of South Dade (Homestead, The Redlands, Florida City, Goulds, etc.).

There is only one municipal animal shelter in Miami-Dade County (pop. 2.4 million) to handle all of the animals (1.5 million) in South Florida. That shelter was built in the late 1960’s as an animal hospital, and it has never been renovated to account for population increases. It is in Northwest Miami - 30 miles (or 60 miles, round-trip) from South Dade.

The Homestead shelter will house dogs, cats, and any other creatures needing assistance. It will function as a shelter for homeless pets, and will offer such common shelter elements as spay/neuter services, vaccinations, license tags, responsible pet ownership training, and public education. Students will be encouraged to volunteer to earn community service hours there.

We recommend that this be a NO KILL SHELTER.

Thank you.
----------------

Sincerely,


[Your name]

http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-homestead-city-council-build-an-animal-shelter-in-homestead-florida-to-serve-all-of-south-dade

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Jai-Alai, Horse Racing, Casino Are All Part of Florida City's Future

 

 

Read The Full Story: Barrel Racing A Possibility, Could Greyhounds Be Far Behind? 

 

Plans are under way to bring casino gambling to Florida City. First step: securing a state permit for quarter horse racing or jai-alai. A casino would follow.

By ELAINE WALKER

ewalker@MiamiHerald.com

Hungry for economic development and jobs, Florida City is ready to embrace parimutuel gambling.
That could come in the form of a quarter horse racetrack, jai-alai fronton — or both — located adjacent to the Florida Keys Outlet Center. Either format would carry a license for the ultimate goal: a casino with a poker room and slot machines just east of Florida’s Turnpike that could draw both residents and tourists passing through the South Miami-Dade city on the way to the Florida Keys.
“It’s another piece in trying to recover the economy in this area,” Mayor Otis Wallace said. “It will present another revenue resource for the city. In these tough economic times, it’s important to look at other sources other than taxing people to death.”
The initiative is another sign of the gambling industry’s determination to expand. Despite the state Legislature’s denial last spring of full-scale destination gambling, some industry players are exploiting loopholes in state law to expand parimutuel betting.
If the Florida City effort succeeds, it will have plenty of company. Miami-Dade and Broward counties are already home to a half-dozen parimutuel facilities that operate slots and card rooms in addition to wagering on parimutuel sports; two more existing parimutuels in the region are eligible for slots. And that doesn’t include the four tribal casino facilities in the two counties.
Behind the plans for Florida City is Ocala gambling attorney David Romanik, the former general counsel of Gulfstream Park. In 2010, the state turned down an application for a quarter horse racing permit in Florida City by Romanik’s company, Fort Myers Real Estate Holdings. While that fight remains in litigation, Romanik acknowledged that applying for a jai-alai fronton could be his next move.
“Should the quarter horse [effort] fail, or if it’s going to take too long, I’m going to shift over to a different type of permit for that property,” Romanik said.
But industry experts say when it comes to economics, neither the racetrack nor the jai-alai fronton are going to drive business.
“The only reason to have the license is to have the ability to open a casino or slots,” said Brian McGill, an analyst who follows the gambling industry for Janney Capital Markets. “The key is you do everything possible to minimize your costs on the parimutuel side and focus on maximizing the revenue through slots.”
Florida City began clearing the way for gambling this summer, when the City Commission agreed to rezone nearly 25 acres at the southwest corner of Southwest 172nd Avenue and Southwest 336th Street. The commission created a new land-use category for gambling. The rezoning came at the request of property owner Fort Myers Real Estate Holdings, which purchased the two parcels of land in 2010 and 2011 for $6.5 million.
Wallace says he didn’t like the Internet gambling that was popping up in convenience stores around his city. He didn’t want to outlaw gambling, but he felt it was important for the city to control where any facilities would be located.
His solution: Create a designated place for gambling far enough away from schools and homes.Preliminary plans presented to Florida City by Romanik’s group in June call for a 30,000-square-foot building to house the jai-alai fronton, as well as the card room and video gambling machines. The mayor said it might open as soon as next year. A second phase could come later with a quarter horse track.
Florida City officials were told that the project would create between 150 and 200 jobs during construction. The card room and jai-alai fronton would yield between 75 and 100 jobs, with another 30 jobs in a video game arcade, Wallace said. Romanik’s group told city officials the facility would be assessed at about $15 million after the initial construction.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/24/v-fullstory/2971208/florida-city-could-get-jai-alai.html#storylink=cpy

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Four Case Discussion In Executive Session Today

A Little Bird Has Confirmed That Sergio Purrinos Has Given An Affadavit To Johanna Faddis' Attorney
 

The City Council, City Manager and City Attorneys will meet in an Executive Session pursuant to F.S. 286.011, to discuss the following pending litigation matters:

La Ley Sports Complex at the City of Homestead, LLC

vs.

City of Homestead, Florida

CASE NO.: 12-18206 CA 22
Pending in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Court In and For Miami-Dade County, Florida

La Ley Sports Complex at the City of Homestead, LLC

vs.

City of Homestead, Florida

CASE NO.: 12-18207 CA 23
Pending in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Court In and For Miami-Dade County, Florida


JOHANNA FADDIS, Plantiff

vs.

CITY OF HOMESTEAD, Judy Waldman, Elvis Maldonado, Stephen Shelley, Jimmie L. Williams, III, Wendy Lobos, Jon Burgess & Patrick Franklin, D/B/A, Franklin Investigations, Defendants

CASE NO.: 11-27981CA 30,
Pending in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Court In and For Miami-Dade County, Florida

JOHANNA FADDIS, Plantiff

vs.

CITY OF HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA, Defendants

CASE NO.: 12-22179-CIV- MARTINEZ-MCALILEY,
Pending in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida (Miami)

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Did Planning and Zoning Ask The Proper Questions of Everglades Preparatory Academy? Here Are The Ten They Did Ask

There Are No Sidewalks At Everglades Preparatory Academy Roadways, Little Wonder Based Upon These Questions.

Top Ten Questions Asked By The P&Z Board Of Everglades Preparatory Academy

CITY OF HOMESTEAD

790 North Homestead Blvd

Homestead Florida

cityofhomestead.com 

The Homestead Planning a Zoning Board met on Tuesday July 19, 2011 at 10:00 am in the City Council Chambers with the following present Chairman Ed Powell, Board Members Daniel Carter, Ronald Dorris, James Harris, Dr. Jeff Raines, Interim Director Joe Corradino, City Attorney James White,  Zoning Administrator Sally Woods, City Planner Scarlet Hammons and Recording Secretary Fran Schwartz, Lawrence Ventura was absent

1 Chairman Powell asked about impact fees for traffic impacts?

2 Members of the board asked questions of the applicant related to traffic circulation?

3 Charter School structure?  

4 The word academy in the name of the school?

5 Members of the board asked questions related to the governing regulations of charter schools FCAT ratings?

6 Homestead’s future needs for schools?

7 Will there be enough students?

  

8 Is the applicant in agreement with the conditions of approval?

9 Member of the board asked about the conditions of the vacant lot to the south of the project site will it be grass?

10 Will you allow cars to park on it?

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Watchcat Report: No Sidewalks At Everglades Preparatory Academy Roadway? Really, Homestead City Council? P&Z?

According to records obtained from the city there are no sidewalks for 10% of the forecast 700 first year students who are either riding a bike or walking to the Mowry Street school. Yet everyone of our city "planners" at every level somehow missed putting in sidewalks for safe passage to and from the school for the kids. Great job!

How could this happen?

The silver lining is there are two ditches on either side of the new road.

There is some nonsense being spouted about the sidewalks are coming in Phase II, the current sacrificial lambs aka students will just have to wait a while for the current round of campaign cash from Alliance Homestead, LLC's Robert Cambo and Marcelo Saiegh, to run out.  

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Homestead's Headache Stadium, Historical Perspective

 

 

Once a symbol of hope, Homestead’s baseball stadium has been a headache for city leaders ever since Hurricane Andrew struck, 20 years ago, on Aug. 24, 1992

 http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/23/v-fullstory/2965486/after-hurricane-andrew-homesteads.html#storylink=cpy

 

By Christina Veiga

cveiga@MiamiHerald.com

Homestead’s baseball stadium sports a fresh red-and-white paint job. Palm trees surround the small ball park, and a nearby lake glints in the Florida sun. Inside, the crack of a bat rings out as cheers erupt.

But the applause is far from a roar. The parking lot isn’t close to full and neither are the stands — about 200 of the stadium’s 6,500 seats are filled. The new paint covers crumbling and rusted posts and columns. The toilets don’t flush in the bathroom.

This stadium was supposed to be Homestead’s salvation. But that was 21 years ago, just before Hurricane Andrew made straight for the small town south of Miami, and nearly leveled the ball park. These days, the stadium that was supposed to be the city’s ticket out of the backwaters has come to stand for something else entirely: how Homestead has never fully recovered from Hurricane Andrew.

Andrew sent major league baseball packing. Though the city promptly rebuilt the stadium, attempts to sell or rent it always seemed to fall through. At one point, the city considered imploding the multi-story structure until that proved too expensive. Last summer, when the city finally thought it had found a stable tenant — a budding sports media company — the relationship soured, spawning two lawsuits.

In the two decades since Mother Nature stole its momentum, Homestead’s stadium has stood largely unused, a symbol of what could have been. Over the years, the city has paid about $6 million to keep it ready, on an increasingly slim hope: If you rebuild it, they will come.


TODAY

For years, Homestead’s pink elephant received only the most critical maintenance.

“We would just put rouge and lipstick on her every year, and fix her up the best we could so that we could continue to rent it out,” said Waldman, the current city council member, who has taken to calling the structure “my girl.”

But in 2011, the city thought salvation had come in the form of Miami lawyer John H. Ruiz and La Ley Sports. Ruiz had built a name for himself as a Spanish-language TV foreclosure lawyer. He was looking for a home for his latest business venture: a sports broadcasting and stats-gathering company. He bid on the stadium, offering to lease it at first and buy it in a matter of years, while promising at least $2 million in repairs in exchange for two years of free rent.

“The Homestead complex would kind of be like an ESPN Wide World of Sports,” Ruiz told the Herald at the time.

Waldman and the rest of the council were impressed, voting to hand the stadium over to Ruiz in July 2011.
Warned Waldman at the time: “She’s expensive.”

“I’m used to that,” Ruiz responded.

Progress came quickly — most notably when La Ley painted over the once-derided pink exterior with red-and-white. The field was restored, 169 frogs were removed from four feet of standing water in the dugouts and dead pigeons were scooped out of the long-dormant speakers, Ruiz said.

“The electric systems were not working properly. The plumbing was a disaster. The sprinkler systems in the field were not functioning. The grass was knee high. The suites were destroyed. The drop ceiling was falling all over the place,” Ruiz said. “So we had to redo the entire, entire, entire, entire thing.”

But Waldman’s earlier warning would soon ring true.

Ruiz’s company at first failed to carry property insurance — which had been so crucial after Hurricane Andrew — and then asked the city to drop his requirement in his lease to do so. The city refused, though Ruiz asked three times.

La Ley fell behind on its utility bills, and according to the city, still owes tens of thousands of dollars — even after it was found that the city had overbilled. Then the city found out Ruiz had sublet the stadium to a company that had underage ball players living in the locker rooms. The city, citing the sublease and a host of other issues, declared La Ley in default on its lease.

Ruiz filed two lawsuits against Homestead, leaving him in something of a standoff with city officials.

The stadium, meanwhile, seems stuck in limbo again. Though Ruiz has sunk millions of dollars into repairs, the white columns that mark the entrance are crumbling at the bottom, and a wall of translucent glass blocks is shattered. The ticket counters are shuttered for use as a broom closet. A media room with marble floors and granite countertops has a leaky roof and sagging, moldy ceiling tiles.

Ruiz is undeterred. He points to the summer tournament that draws a small, but steady crowd. He has plans for the land around the stadium — a hotel, football fields — and says he plans to broadcast sporting events to a world-wide audience from small city of Homestead.

He will not be one more person to walk away from Homestead’s stadium, he says.

“I’m a visionary, and I don’t give up,” Ruiz said. “Every day it gets better.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/23/v-fullstory/2965486/after-hurricane-andrew-homesteads.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/23/v-fullstory/2965486/after-hurricane-andrew-homesteads.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/23/v-fullstory/2965486/after-hurricane-andrew-homesteads.html#storylink=cpy

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T.S. Isaac Gaining Strength, Sandbags No Longer Available @ Harris Field and Roby George Park

Homestead: The city is setting up two self-service sandbag stations to provide free sand. The limit is five bags per resident.
Residents are asked to bring their own shovel, fill their own bags and provide identification that proves Homestead residency.
The sandbag stations are located at Harris Field Park, 1034 NE Eighth St. and at Roby George Park, 975 SW Fourth St.

Be advised: Due to wind conditions the City of Homestead will not provide sandbag access on Sunday.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/25/2968051/as-isaac-approaches-sandbags.html#storylink=cpy

KEY WEST, Fla. –  Tropical Storm Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, threatening to be at or near hurricane strength approaching the island chain, and forecasters warned Isaac could grow into an extremely dangerous Category 2 hurricane on an expected track toward the northern Gulf Coast.
Isaac's drew new strength early Sunday during a warm-water crossing of the Florida Straits after causing weekend havoc in Cuba, where it downed trees and power lines, and after leaving four dead earlier in Haiti.
On Key West, locals followed time-worn preparedness rituals such as many hunkered down for a lashing Sunday from Isaac swamped the Caribbean and shuffled plans for the Republican National Convention.
"Currently Isaac is a tropical storm that's expected to become a hurricane as it reaches Key West ... then it will move into the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to strengthen" further, said Meteorologist Jessica Schauer with the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
"Our forecast is that as the system moves northward it is forecast to strengthen to a Category 2," she said, adding an eventual landfall is expected on the northern Gulf Coast. "Definitely the northern Gulf Coast should be preparing for a hurricane right now."
She said Isaac could make a landfall on the northern Gulf Coast late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
A Category 2 hurricane is capable of top sustained winds of 96-100 mph. But Schauer cautioned that forecasts that far out in time are subject to greater uncertainty. Nonetheless she said a wide swath of the northern Gulf Coast should be bracing for the threat.
Isaac was expected to be at or near hurricane strength by the time its center reached the Keys later Sunday, the hurricane center said.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the Keys, including the Dry Tortuas and for the west coast of Floirda from Bonita Beach south to Ocean Reef, among some other areas, authorities said.
Meanwhile authorities said a hurricane watch has been issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River -- not including the New Orleans metro area -- eastward to Indian Pass., Fla.
A steady line of cars moved north along the Overseas Highway, the only road linking the Florida Keys, while residents boarded up windows, laid down sandbags and shuttered businesses ahead of the approaching storm. Even Duval Street, Key West's storied main drag, was subdued for a weekend, though not enough to stop music from playing or drinks from being poured.
"We'll just catch every place that's open," said Ted Lamarche, a 48-year-old pizzeria owner visiting Key West to celebrate his anniversary with his wife, Deanna. They walked along on Duval Street, where a smattering of people still wandered even as many storefronts were boarded up and tourists sported ponchos and yellow slickers.
"Category None!" one man shouted in a show of optimism.
When it hits, winds will be "enough to knock you over," National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.
The Keys were bracing storm surge of up to four feet, strong winds and the possibility of tornadoes. The island chain's two airports closed Saturday night and volunteers and some residents began filing into shelters.
"This is a huge inconvenience," said Dale Shelton, a 57-year-old retiree in Key West who was staying in a shelter.
As of 5 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 205 miles east-southeast of Key West, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Isaac had strengthened in recent hours, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as it gained strength over open water.
The center said a hurricane hunter plane found the top sustained winds had increased from about 60 mph just hous earlier.
The hurricane center said the storm, which was swirling off the northern coast of Cuba overnight, was expected to move near or over the Florida Keys later in the day or Sunday night. Isaac was then forecast to move over the southeast Gulf of Mexico on Monday. It was moving to the northwest toward the Keys at 18 mph. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 205 miles from the center, giving Isaac a broad sweep as it passed.
Among the highest-profile potential targets of the storm was the Republican National Convention, set to begin Monday in Tampa. Forecast models show Isaac likely won't hit Tampa head-on, but it could have lashed the city with rain and strong winds just as the convention was ramping up. A tropical storm warning was extended north of Tampa Bay.
Convention officials said they would convene the convention briefly on Monday, then immediately recess until Tuesday afternoon, when the storm should have passed. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, declared a state of emergency and canceled his plans to attend convention events on Sunday and Monday.
Isaac has already left a trail of suffering across the Caribbean.
The storm's center made landfall Saturday near the far-eastern tip of Cuba, downing trees and power lines. In the picturesque city of Baracoa, the storm surge flooded the seaside Malecon and a block inland, destroying two homes.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2012/08/26/tropical-storm-isaac-gains-strength-expected-to-become-hurricane-sunday/#ixzz24eijMehA

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Study: Homestead City Hall May Contain Radioactive Gas

From Our Archives:
http://homesteadishome.blogspot.com/2009/11/homestead-city-council-puts-new-city.html

http://homesteadishome.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-city-hall-indefinitely-postponed-as.html

http://homesteadishome.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-city-hall-changing-horses-in-mid.html

 

 

By Christina Veiga

cveiga@MiamiHerald.com

From The City Of Homestead Website: http://www.cityofhomestead.com/pages/business/bid-detail.aspx?recordNo=137


Homestead City Hall may be contaminated with radon — a radioactive, cancer-causing gas — and is infected with mold, dust mites and asbestos, according to a recent environmental report.

More testing is needed to confirm whether radon levels at City Hall are unacceptably high, but the initial discovery has renewed talks about potentially building a new city hall.
Councilwoman Judy Waldman suggested moving staff immediately until the radon can be brought down to safe levels.

“Right now, this building is sick,” she said, noting her own allergies seem to be aggravated whenever she’s in City Hall.

The city recently ordered an environmental review of Homestead City Hall. The investigation found that radon levels were at more than two times the levels recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The environmental review also found elevated levels of dust mites and mold growing throughout city hall. The mold problem has affected the city’s record-keeping, with boxes of documents destroyed or off-limits to staff, City Manager George Gretsas said.

Another environmental issue found asbestos in a duct connector of an air handling unit.
Gretsas told council members about the environmental issues while discussing the city’s short- and long-term capital needs projects. Council members agreed to take another look at the issue, including maybe renewing plans for a new city hall, once more testing is completed.

“We don’t really have much choice here but to get the results and to come back to you with a remediation plan, because if these numbers stay the same or worse, we’re going to have to talk about some short term ways to get this down,” Gretsas told council members. “But the longer term thing is: add this to the pile of things you need to address with city hall.”

Homestead scrapped plans for a new city hall in 2009 over concerns it’d cost too much. Up until then, the city had spent more than $6 million acquiring land and paying for other project costs. Plans called for a $20 million, 60,000 square foot building in downtown Homestead.

The city’s budget is still squeezed, though. Homestead has suffered years of declining property values.
But the high levels of radon found at city hall may speed up plans for a new building, as council members weigh the cost of mitigation versus new construction.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is released by decaying uranium in soil and water, according to the EPA. The agency estimates that 20,000 people get lung cancer from radon each year, and it is the second leading cause of the disease.

The highest radon levels in City Hall were found in the development services department (8.8 pico Curies per liter) and the city clerk’s office (7.1 pico Curies per liter), according to the environmental review. The EPA recommends remediation for radon levels as low as 2 pico Curies per liter.
Mitigation techniques include better ventilation, sealing cracks in floors and soil depressurization, according to the Florida Department of Health.

“We need to address this issue,” said Councilman Stephen Shelley.
 
Follow @Cveiga on Twitter.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/20/2961831/study-homestead-city-hall-may.html#storylink=cpy

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Justice Building Blogspot Questions Homestead Celebrating Hurricane Andrew

HURRICANE ANDREW 20 YEARS LATER. 
 
http://justicebuilding.blogspot.com/

Where were you when Andrew roared though South Miami?
 
We were holding on for dear life. 
 
For some reason the City of Homestead (motto: "Don't forget us") is having a celebration.  

The Herald reports here. 

 

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South Dade Busway (US1 Express): Another Toll Road to Homestead?

  Dear Mayors Bateman and Wallace of Homestead and Florida City, respectively:

We need you to stand with the Mayor of Pinecrest and the residents of the Falls area to stop this project.  Another Toll Road is the last thing we need to burden our citizens.  We already have the very expensive Turnpike, which already needs expansion.  What we really need is a Metrorail expansion project down to Florida City with stops at every city, town and major residential and/or commercial center.  This will afford all citizens, rich and poor, and efficient and sustainable way to get to downtown for the long term versus the short term solution that is a Toll Road.  A Toll Road will become obsolete in a short time with our growing population.  It will become a proverbial parking lot, and a very expensive one, because it will have to be expanded over and over to accommodate more vehicles. We need people with vision down at MDX because they appear to have blinders on.  As our South Dade Mayors, we need you to stand up for the citizens of Homestead and Florida City.  There's no time to waste because the "planning" stage is the best time to make changes to this ill conceived project!

The Miami Herald reported today,

 Excerpt: 

The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority wants to replace the South Miami-Dade Busway with a toll road from Dadeland Mall south, perhaps all the way to Florida City.
The proposal could be good news for commuters who wrestle with U.S. 1 traffic, but some Pinecrest and Falls area residents already are objecting, saying the project could be bad for the community, possibly harming property values and hurting the business district.

Not to worry, MDX officials say: The project is merely in planning stages and will require more public input. Miami-Dade County commissioners would also have to sign off on the plans.
But not everyone is convinced. Mamie Attar, a resident of the Falls area, says she is hoping a collective effort will stop the project before it progresses any further.
“My biggest concern is that this will destroy the neighborhood," Attar said. "They should be concerned in getting more buses for the busway.”
State and local transportation departments are looking into whether they can create enough revenue with tolls to build express lanes for cars in the busway. They are hoping changes to the busway will ease traffic and congestion.
The busway is a two-lane highway for buses only. South Dade commuters can use it to reach the Dadeland Metrorail station, where they can continue to downtown Miami.
MDX began a study in the Spring of 2011 with Miami-Dade Transit and the Florida Department of Transportation.
MDX spokeswoman Tere Garcia said that the agencies are only looking into the possibility of these lanes, at this point.
“This is a study,” Garcia said. “This is not a project. This is a planning study."
"The goal is to better the transit service and to eventually investigate if there is a potential future for the busway, whether it’s park and ride, etc.,” Garcia said. “That is what we are looking at. If we cannot prove that that can be done, the study doesn’t continue."
But Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner said MDX’s plans for the busway are not just preliminary.
“The approach that they are taking to the community is kind of insulting,” she said. “It’s far more than a study. I think they are just trying to distract everyone from paying attention to it.”
Attar has been handing out letters to residents in the areas that would be affected by the changes warning them that the proposed plans would have a devastating effect on property values in the area. Many of those letters have been forward to local officials.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/17/2956573/opposition-building-to-south-dade.html#storylink=cpy

For more go to Article:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/17/2956573/opposition-building-to-south-dade.html


Other Related Article:
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/06/rollback_tolls_citizens_pissed.php

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/17/2956573/opposition-building-to-south-dade.html#storylink=cpy

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