Humbled Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez Makes 180 Degree Turn on Proposed Tax Hike!

A contrite and humbled County Mayor, Carlos Gimenez, admits to making a misstep with a 930-page budget proposal to hike county taxes this coming Fall.  We at Homestead is Home (HIH) called him out as a flip-flopper which appears he got wind of it since he mentioned it during his recent speech.  Mind you we did Tweet it directly @MayorGimenez so it appears to have resonated with him.  However, that's what he would've been had he stuck...

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Homestead Schools' Grades are IN!

Excerpt from Miami Herald article:  Florida school grades drop under new formula.Even though student test scores have held steady — and are in some cases rising — Florida has a record-high 107 F-rated schools this year, state education leaders announced on Friday.That has put supporters of Florida’s A-to-F grading system on the defensive. And the total number of failing schools only stands to get larger, as letter grades for high schools and...

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County Mayor Carlos Gimenez Flip-Flops on Tax Rate Hike!

Six days and six nights have passed and it's hard to keep track of County Mayor Carlos Gimenez' tax rate fumble.  One day he wants to raise the taxes to ensure firefighters and librarians keep their jobs and turning Miami-Dade county into a domestic pet sanctuary.  The next he wants to forgo county services and layoff some folks.  So which is it? I mean was he so out of touch with the taxpayer that he actually proposed a tax increase...

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2013 City Council Election: Show me the Money!

In support of transparency in the political process HIH is providing insight into the campaign finances of the candidates for the City Council next November.  If the cash on hand is an indicator of who will be in office you will readily discern who will win.  While money by itself wont sweep candidates into office it surely helps to get them there.   Click on the names of the candidates to see the Campaign Treasurer's Report Summary...

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FPL’s Transmission Lines on US1 or Bust?

The largest purveyor of electricity and political contributions, Florida Power and Light (FPL), is adamant  about getting its way when it comes to laying out new transmission lines along US1 and Everglades National Park. So much so they now influence the Public Service Commission (PSC) to the point where all commissioners have a utilities background.   Never mind a Governor that is a large recipient  of FPL's campaign contributions. ...

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Too Many Chiefs & Not Enough Subordinates at Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Dept.

I reported a few days ago that County Mayor Carlos Gimenez was welching on his promise to cut the fat at County Hall.  By cutting the fat we mean getting rid of duplicate and unnecessary positions that have a meaningful impact on the county budget.  We didn't mean performing a reorganization tantamount to moving the chairs around, eliminating empty positions and calling it a day. Only one day has passed and Commissioner Xavier Suarez has...

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Real Estate: Price, Quality, Location - Pick Any Two

Buying a home is a life changing decision. Wouldn't it be great if there was someone to advise you on the tax implications of living in your new abode? This topic is usually avoided by the buyer who is usually more concerned with other aspects of home buying. Location, schools, purchase price, proximity to commercial areas, neighborhood ambience while property taxes, insurance and Homeowners Association (HOA) fees, not so much.The city of Weston...

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Citizens Insurance Representatives Explain Rate Increases & Depopulation Effort at South Dade Government Center

The board of the state run  Citizens Property Insurance Corp. voted to raise rates by a statewide average of 7% next year, adding $178 million in new insurance costs for policyholders.Most property owners will face a 10.7% hike. That would translate to an average premium increase of as much as $300 or $400 a year. Residents in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties will have a chance to sound off to Citizens Insurance Representatives on Wednesday,...

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County Mayor Carlos Gimenez Proposes an even Higher Property Tax Hike!

County Mayor Carlos Gimenez first proposes an overall property tax increase of 4.06% now it turns out it was actually higher at 5.37%, but he's supposedly made a "U-TURN" according to the Miami Herald and reduced the increase to 4.34%.  The beastly county government just can't get small enough for the citizens of Miami-Dade county to avoid ever increasing property taxes.  The Mayor may have outlived his usefulness in that he can't seem...

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County Mayor Carlos Gimenez Proposes Property Tax Hike!!!

County Mayor Carlos Gimenez is out of his mind to think the county has recovered to increase property taxes now.  The  Mayor's proposes to increase the overall county tax rate by 4.06%.  This increase will supposedly avoid fire station and public libraries from closing plus pay for an animal welfare plan. SAY WHAT?   Animal Welfare too? This is  ludicrous for a county with over 10% unemployment we appear to be so wealthy...

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Christian Family Coalition Trivializes Gender Identity and Self Expression

Miami-Dade Commissioners Audrey Edmonson, Bruno Barreiro (prime sponsor), Sally Heyman, Barbara Jordan and Rebeca Sosa have sponsored a resolution to provide for bathroom accommodations throughout the county for gender identity and/or expression.  In essence, this allows the transgender community access to private facilities.  This already exists in many establishments by providing for Unisex/Family Bathroom facilities and this ordinance...

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Affordable Care Act: What is the Health Insurance Marketplace?

The Marketplace is a new way to find health coverage that fits your budget and meets your needs. With one application, you can see all your options and enroll.When you use the Health Insurance Marketplace, you'll fill out an application and find out if you can get lower costs on your monthly premiums for private insurance plans. You'll find out if you qualify forlower out-of-pocket costs.The Marketplace will also tell you if you qualify...

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eMail Broadcast Message Blasting Mayor Bateman for Ethical Lapses

Residents of Homestead received another email this afternoon from Concerned Homestead Citizens.  It reiterates the same story that all the major news outlet are reporting.  The media blitz on the Mayor has been relentless but the Mayor has provided the fodder even if his heart is in the right place.  It's one thing to try to bring jobs to Homestead by any means necessary.  That is a position one can easily defend.  It's quite...

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Shameless & Ethically challenged Mayor Steven Bateman: An Undercover Lobbyist

Jim DeFede, journalist at CBS4,  has an expose on Mayor Steven Bateman that premiered on TV at 11PM last night.  It appears our ethically challenged Mayor has been on the payroll of Community Health of South Florida Inc (CHI). There's no problem with the Mayor having a second job considering the city only pays him $6000 a year for his mayoral duties.  The problem is he represents himself at County Hall as the Mayor of Homestead while...

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BRAC 2015: Homestead Air Reserve Base (ARB)

Will Homestead Air Reserve Base (ARB) end up on the 2015 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC)? The base is a possible candidate for closure in the next round of the BRAC 2015 as development continues to encroach on the flight path.   Already, there's the Keys Gate Charter High School built on the path against objections of the Air Force Commanders who provided an Air Installation Compatible Use Zone study (AICUZ).  With...

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