Baglos
>>> White House press release: Statement from the President on Senate Vote in Favor of Tax Credits to Help Get Veterans Back to Work
Today, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate did the right thing and passed tax credits that will encourage businesses to hire America’s veterans. Tomorrow, our nation will commemorate Veterans Day and honor the service and the sacrifice of all who have worn the uniform of the United States of America. No veteran who fought for our nation should have to fight for a job when they come home, and I urge the House to pass these tax credits as well so I can sign them into law. I also urge Congress to pass additional jobs proposals in the weeks ahead to help the millions of other Americans who are still looking for work.
>>> Ros-Lehtinen Says New Cuban Defense Minister Reflects Same Old Regime
Press release: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the appointment by the Cuban regime of a new defense minister shows that nothing has changed in Cuba. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen: “In Cuba, when one regime lackey dies or steps aside, there are a dozen more to take his place. The appointment of a close friend of Raul Castro as the new Cuban Defense Minister comes as no surprise and illustrates how cronyism is alive and well.
“The names might change, but the brutal policies stay the same. It doesn’t matter who is leading what as long as the regime’s legacy of tyranny and oppression against the Cuban people remains in place. “It is up to the U.S. and responsible nations to keep pressure on the regime, and to keep supporting those in Cuba who bravely stand up for freedom and human rights. There needs to be a fundamental change in the governing structure in Cuba, and a complete break from the irredeemable regime itself, before the Cuban people will have a chance to live in freedom again.”
>>> National profile of the publisher in The Tribune papers Jan. 2003 & UNCCH 2004 media study that cites Watchdog Report having 100,000 readers weekly
To read a national story run in the Tribune papers on my life and how this all began done by Orlando Sentinel featured reporter Maya Bell go to: To read the section’s large front page story, but without the photos and smart box graphics, go to: `I Go When You Cannot’ – Sun Sentinel 20 Jan 2003 … Sometimes Dan Ricker lives in the dark so others may live in the light. … to his weekly Watchdog Report have finally mailed their checks. … http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190341_1_ricker-school-board-president-miami-s-first-cuban-american >>> And to read a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill study on the media in the Southeast United States that mentions the Watchdog Report with 100,000 readers weekly, done back in 2004 and to read the Southern Media Study go to: Daniel Ricker of the Miami Herald also writes an influential column as well as an email newsletter called the Watchdog Report that goes out to more than … – – Cached.
>>> All photos in the Watchdog Report are taken from public government sites, and the Report goes on line at www.watchdogreport.net on Monday sometime during the day usually. >>> If you believe it is important to have someone watching your public institutions consider supporting the Watchdog Report for I am a low cost news service yet I do have to live, thank you! Further, I have been honored over the years by being named a WFOR-4 Hometown Hero in 2000, being profiled in a major way by The Miami New Times, The Miami Herald, and the Orlando Sentinel which ran as a nationwide story on me in the Tribune papers on Jan. 2003 and UNC Chapel Hill naming me one of the top columnists in Florida in a multi-state study of the media back in 2004. I also thank Joseph Cooper for the opportunity to be on the WLRN/NPR show Topical Currents on www.wlrn.org since 2000, including yearly election coverage since then, and also numerous times over the past decade.
FLORIDA
>>> Will Destination Resorts be a flip of the coin in the legislature; both sides are lobbying-up through the roof?
Destination Resorts and casinos were the talk of the day at a morning meeting on the subject held by The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Monday and it was a feisty panel of pro resort speakers including state Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Ft. Lauderdale (Net worth $568,000) and state Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami (Net worth $330,000). Both legislators have filed legislation in state legislature allowing three resort destination sites in South Florida. This community debate on gambling and what a mega destination resort will do to the quality of life of Miamians, how it would stress infrastructure and the attendant traffic congestion that would follow is ongoing, and some residents believe it should be put to the voters to approve on the Jan. 31 Republican Primary election date. Both Bogdanoff and Fresen went on the offensive at the event saying that gambling is already pervasive throughout the state, be it the Florida Lottery to racetracks, dog tracks and the Florida’s Tribes gambling casinos. The legislators brushed aside the anticipated criticism saying the multi billion dollar Genting’s Resorts World Miami proposed by the Malaysian Genting Group on The Miami Herald and Omni site would create tens of thousands of construction and service jobs in the hotel with 5,300 rooms, at the casino and the 50 shops that are being proposed in the almost 9 million square foot project, that in phase II will include another over 1,000 foot building going up in the nearby area. Critics say it will suck the economic life in other areas like Miami Beach and adjacent businesses, but Bogdanoff shot back that people did not complain when Disney did the same thing in Orlando in the early 1970s.
However, it may not be all smooth sailing in Tallahassee, though insiders are giving the destination resort legislation passing a slightly over 50 percent chance and Genting is hiring an army of lobbyists, from a broad spectrum of areas to press their cause during the upcoming legislative session starting in January. A session that will be dominated by a $1.8 billion or more state budget shortfall and the redistricting of state and congressional districts for the 2012 elections. Further, House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park (Net worth $209,000) is not wild about the gambling legislation and his involvement could be key in the coming debate that for now would affect only Broward and Miami-Dade County.
>>> FLORIDA CHARTER SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO FLOURISH ~ National report shows tremendous increases in popular school choice option ~
Press release: A recent report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools highlights the continuing growth of the charter school movement across the country, and the Sunshine State proudly boasts two of the top 10 and eight of the top 50 school districts in the country for the number of charter school students in 2010-11. The report, titled “A Growing Movement: America’s Largest Charter School Communities,” indicates that Orange County Public Schools leads the nation with a 42 percent increase in the number of charter school students in 2010-11 from the prior year. “Every child learns differently, and charter schools provide options for parents seeking the best learning environment for their children,” said Governor Rick Scott. “Charter schools play an important role in making sure Florida has the best educated workforce, ready to work in our 21st century economy.”
Since 1996, charter schools in Florida have grown considerably, from just five to now more than 519 charter schools serving a projected 177,000 students. Florida ranks among the top three states in the nation for the number of charter schools, and their diverse learning approaches include themes such as the arts, science, and technology. Nearly 71 percent of the charter schools in Florida are high performing, receiving either an “A” or “B” grade in 2010. “Florida’s charter schools continue to deliver the tailored, quality learning environments that our students and families deserve,” said Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. “The growth of charter schools in our state will continue to rise as we deliver viable options to families. I look forward to working alongside business and community leaders to accomplish our shared mission of providing a high-quality education model for the nation.”
To highlight the Sunshine State’s commitment to charter schools, the Department of Education will host the 15th Annual Florida Charter School Conference Nov. 14 – 16, 2011, in Orlando. The conference will provide more than 600 attendees the opportunity to learn about and share best practices, and network with charter school authorizers, operators, administrators, and teachers to enhance the charter school experience. For more information about charter schools in Florida, visit http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/. To view the full report, visit http://www.publiccharters.org/data/files/Publication_docs/2011%20NAPCS%20Market%20Share%20Report_20111013T104601.pdf.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
>>> Thank you Judith Thompson for putting a face to absentee ballot fraud, legislation pushed by Commissioner Sosa with teeth, passes BCC committee
The Miami-Dade community should thank Judith Thompson and http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/ on getting a county commission committee last week to pass unanimously legislation that would make absentee ballot fraud a $1,000 fine or 60-days in jail. Further, a resolution by the commission is urging state legislators to beef up the penalty for such activity that currently has no punishment and is seen as rampant in local and state elections. The passed legislation had 10 of the 13-member commission being a sponsor or co- sponsor of the legislation and it is expected to pass at the BCC Nov. 15-commission meeting. Thompson had requested an absentee ballot but never received it. She then went to her voting precinct and tried to vote but was told she already had voted by the county elections department officials and ended up voting by provisional ballot. She would later go to the elections department and actually view the absentee ballot bearing her name and signature and it was a fraudulent signature she told county commissioners last week. “My vote was stolen and I have been a U.S. citizen for 26-years and this is the first time I requested an absentee ballot,” but I “never received it,” she said. After she was told, she had already voted she “was very upset” and when “I finally saw the signature, it obviously was not mine and someone had stolen my vote,” she told committee members.
Shawn Selleck, also spoke saying he learned about absentee ballot fraud the hard way when he recently ran for Miami commission District 1 against incumbent Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort who defeated Selleck. He said it “was status quo for people to hand over their entire ballot that was not even opened,” and this is happening openly since “there is no bite in the law,” he said. People told him he had to do this because “everyone does it,” he said of this “harvesting” of absentee ballots and it came down too in his own mind. “Do I want to lose or do I bend the rules,” which he said he did not do.
Commissioner Rebeca Sosa (net worth $439,000) was the original sponsor of the legislation that has the rest of the commission piling on in support and the legislation should help tamp down this rampant election fraud. Where most candidates are winning because of their receiving high absentee ballot turnout and is now being claimed to be going on in current and past Hialeah, Miami and Miami Beach races. Sosa said she only learned about this woman’s voting problem through the Eye on Miami blog which reported on Thompson’s plight in the past and the lawmaker said.” You are an inspiration” for the legislator and why there was “a need to do that” when it came to a penalty for the abuse. She also called on state lawmakers to beef up sanctions and penalties saying, “We urge the legislature to make it a third degree felony”, and she asked “the state lawmakers to help make it right.” Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz (net worth $164,000) also carped, “There is no excuse” for this ballot fraud and it “cannot be made into an industry and one must have their vote counted.” He noted that there “has been a lot of fraud in the past” that included peoples signatures on petitions that “they never signed said Diaz elected to the county commission in 2002.
Sosa |
Diaz |
>>> People with outrageous water & sewer bills, get onetime bite at the reduction apple as legislation passes BCC committee
The Infrastructure and Land Use Committee also passed legislation allowing residents a one-time lifetime billing adjustment with people with unusually high water and sewer bills from the county. John Renfrow, the director of the Department of Water and Sewer, said the county sends out 1.6 million bills a year, about 16,000 are “unusual” because someone leaves “their hose on overnight” or for days and when looking at the total. Only about “3,000 are hard core bills, or .0017 percent” of the customers in total where “no one can figure out where [the water] went, or they lie to the county he said. Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz a co-prime sponsor of the legislation with Commissioner Lynda Bell (Net worth $308,000) said the new legislation “will be of benefit to the people,” and the new legislation passed the committee unanimously.
Renfrow |
Bell |
>>> Press release: MAYOR GIMENEZ SET TO TRAVEL TO ISRAEL FOR LEADERSHIP SEMINAR ~ Selected to Participate in Leadership and Education Program Alongside Fellow U.S. Mayors
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez will travel to Israel on Sunday to participate in Project Interchange, a six-day leadership and educational seminar. The Mayor will join a delegation of mayors and municipal leaders from U.S. metropolitan areas – including Houston, Cincinnati, Portland and St. Paul – who were also selected to participate in the program. Founded in 1982, Project Interchange is an educational institute of the American Jewish Committee that brings policy makers and opinion leaders to Israel for a week of intensive, hands-on learning. Topics to be covered include Israel’s complex political landscape, approach to municipal management and the country’s forward-looking economic development efforts.
The itinerary includes scheduled meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. Also scheduled are meetings with Better Place Company, a global provider of electric vehicle networks and services; a panel discussion with representatives of Israeli clean-tech and renewable energy companies; and a site visit to the Palmachim Desalination Plant. The Mayor will be joined in Israel by Miami-Dade County Deputy Mayor Jack Osterholt, who oversees major economic development issues for the County. Importantly, the trip will not be funded by taxpayer dollars. All costs associated with the seminar are covered by the host organization or by the participants. Mayor Gimenez accepted the invitation to participate in Project Interchange over a month ago, and was recommended to the organization by Miami business leader Norman Braman. “I’m excited to join fellow U.S. Mayors in Israel for what will undoubtedly be an informative and productive seminar,” said Mayor Gimenez. “Israel and South Florida share a strong bond, and I look forward to further strengthening our cultural ties and fostering new bilateral economic development opportunities that will positively impact Miami-Dade County.”
Gimenez (Net worth $923,000)
>>> Press release: Congs. Ros-Lehtinen, Wasserman Schultz, Diaz-Balart, Wilson, & Rivera Send Bipartisan Letter To President Obama Asking For His Support To Host The Miami International Aerospace Show at Homestead ARB
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is spearheading Congressional efforts to bring an international air show to Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB), along with her South Florida colleagues Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Mario Diaz-Balart, Frederica Wilson, and David Rivera sent a letter to President Obama asking for his support to host the Miami International Aerospace Show (MIAS) at Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB). Ileana has been engaged in this effort from the very beginning, hosting meetings at her Washington office between Air Force officials and the Beacon Council, to discuss what is needed to gain approval for the use of the base. The letter to President Obama states “The proposed MIAS will be the only aerospace show of its kind in North America, combining commercial, civil, and military aircraft and aerospace technology. As you know, France, England, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates all host biennial international aerospace shows. As a global economic and technological leader, the U.S. should certainly display itself prominently with its own aerospace industry show.”
Said Ros-Lehtinen: “Bringing the air show to HARB will create much needed jobs in our community and help the South Florida economy, plain and simple. That said, we are asking the President to express his support for this endeavor because the realization of this air show will also provide a venue to showcase America’s leadership in commercial, civil and military aerospace technology. I wholeheartedly believe that bringing the air show to HARB will be beneficial for the Air Force, the State of Florida and the local economy. It is not every day that we have the opportunity to implement a project that benefits so many different sectors.”
>>> Press release: On Thursday, November 3, 2011, in the Board of County Commission chambers, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis C. Moss, along with Chairman Joe A. Martinez, Mayor Carlos Gimenez and members of the Board of County Commissioners began their meeting with a special presentation recognizing Ron and Kathy Medford for their outstanding service and ongoing commitment to volunteerism at Zoo Miami.
Mr. and Mrs. Medford, retired residents of Cutler Bay, have volunteered over 82,000 hours at Zoo Miami since 1997, never missing a day. They both have a passion for volunteering and a love for animals and have managed to volunteer their time at Zoo Miami seven days a week beginning each day as early as 6:00am. Rain or shine. The two have been married for nearly 50 years and have several animals of their own. Zoo spokesperson Ron Magill calls the Medfords “amazing”. Commissioner Moss stated, “Ron and Kathy Medford are an inspiration to many and they really embody the spirit of community and volunteerism. September 2010-2011 was the highest annual attendance in Zoo Miami’s history and I believe we can thank the Medfords for their role in this great achievement.” >>> For more information on Zoo Miami’s events and attractions, visit their website at www.zoomiami.org.
>>> Press release: Community Advocacy’s “DMV to Go” offers quick and easy service in Downtown Miami – The Miami-Dade County Office of Community Advocacy joins efforts with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DMV) to bring residents “DMV to Go.” This special event on Thursday, November 17, 2011 will offer residents a convenient central location in Downtown Miami for a number of DMV services, such as license renewals and identification cards. Anyone who is interested can visit the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street, in the main lobby from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Space is limited, so residents are encouraged to reserve a spot at http://feedback.miamidade.gov/Community/se.ashx?s=57F314582028FF20. Residents looking to renew their licenses or ID cards must bring proper identification with them listed on www.gathergoget.com. The “DMV to Go” does not administer any driving exams, so first-time driver’s license applicants cannot be assisted at this location. >> Future “DMV to Go” events will be scheduled for the third Thursday of every month. For more information, please contact the Office of Community Advocacy at 305-375-5730. WHO: The Miami-Dade County Office of Community Advocacy WHAT: DMV to GO Special Event WHEN: Thursday, November 17, 2011- 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. WHERE: Stephen P. Clark Center, Main Lobby, 111 NW 1st Street, Miami, FL 33128.
>>> Here we go again, the county is ordering four more gantry cranes for the Port of Miami from China and the last time this happened in the early 2000s for two of the cranes. The contract ran right into the county’s Cuba Ordinance that stated any company doing business in Cuba would be banned from getting any contract. The ordinance would later be rendered obsolete after a federal judge in another case ruled that when it comes to the nation’s foreign policy, that was the purview of Washington, not the nation’s counties. The Shanghai located company got the nod for the $39.3 million contract and it definitely is “not a local company,” states the backup document. >>> Here is the contract that will be voted on Nov. 15. 112148 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF AN AGREEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $39,300,000 WITH SHANGHAI ZHENHUA HEAVY INDUSTRIES CO., LTD TO OBTAIN FOUR DOCKSIDE CONTAINER GANTRY CRANES FOR MIAMI DADE SEAPORT DEPARMTENT FOR THE PORT OF MIAMI, AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR’S DESIGNEE TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT FOR AND ON BEHALF OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND TO EXERCISE ANY CANCELLATION AND RENEWAL PROVISIONS, AND TO EXERCISE ALL OTHER RIGHTS CONTAINED THEREIN CONTRACT NO. 750(Internal Services)
>>> Press release GMCVB: RECORD ARRIVALS AT ‘THE NEW MIA’ (MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT) FOR FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 2011
Passenger arrivals at Miami International Airport (MIA) increased for the first nine months of 2011 with international passenger arrivals up +8.3% and domestic arrivals up +6.0% when compared to the same nine months last year. Total arrivals increased in the first nine months of 2011 by +7.1%.
INTERNATIONAL MIA Passenger Arrivals
| January – September 2011 |
January – September 2010 |
% Change |
| 6,945,527 |
6,413,467 |
+8.3% |
DOMESTIC MIA Passenger Arrivals
| January – September 2011 |
January – September 2010 |
% Change |
| 7,387,701 |
6,972,731 |
+6.0% |
TOTAL MIA Passenger Arrivals
| January – September 2011 |
January – September 2010 |
% Change |
| 14,333,228 |
13,368,198 |
+7.1% |
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
>>> Charter Schools becoming colossus in public district, 109 currently, getting $250 million in tax dollars while paying for property district does not own
The growing colossus called Charter Schools were the talk of the day at a bi-county school board meeting that brought school board members and staff from both Miami-Dade and Broward Counties together at Krop High on Wednesday. Staff from Dade, the nation’s fourth largest public school system said there were 109 charter schools in the county teaching 42,000 students and the number of these schools growth “is at an exponential rate,” said Dr. Helen Blanch. She noted in the past year alone the number of charter schools increased by 17 schools and involved another 6,558 students leaving the public schools district. It was also noted, “as the economy tanked” in 2008. People owning buildings were using the schools as a “business model” allowing people to get public funding for property they owned, or construct a school and was seen as a way to protect property owners from having vacant land or buildings, but are now paid with public funds.
And in the current year verifying this up tick in activity, 93 applications for new charter schools have been filed for 2011 but many of them will not actually open said school district staff. Further, while the Charters can be not-for-profit or a for profit school. The state legislature has continued to fund these organizations capital needs to the tune of $13.6 million in 2010-2011 in Miami-Dade. Yet the public school district is expected to get none of this capital money next year and that will not likely change soon since the Florida legislature is dealing with a almost $2 billion budget shortfall for the coming year beginning July 1. Further, district documents state the number of charter schools eligible for capital outlay funding will climb to 86 charter schools next year, up from 71 charters this year.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho who has been instituting a “stop gap measures dealing with long term capital problems,” said that cannot continue and with 40 percent of all Dade’s schools over 50 years old. The large school districts around the state must stand together and we “must be firm on the PECO issue,” and getting state funding for capital maintenance, he said. The school district has been hit with a double whammy with the values of real estate expected to be down by seven percent in the coming year and funds the school district. Further, these new charter schools first created in 1996 with the Liberty City Charter School that closed in March 2008 while excellent in some cases. Also, have some problems including what is known as “related transactions” where a property owner starts a school funded with public money and then stacks its governance board with friends and relatives and takes advantage of the system. And only when there is gross mismanagement does the school district have the right to terminate these schools charters. >>> The issue of charter schools bleeding tax dollars away from the public school district has been reported extensively in past Watchdog Reports and I will continue looking after the wayward schools and readers should stay tuned and see how this plays out in the years ahead.
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST
>>> CEO Migoya pulls trigger on ten day furloughs including him, union representatives cry foul, not at impasse yet
Carlos Migoya, Jackson Health System’s president and CEO since May has pulled the trigger www.miamiherald.com and is instituting a furlough program immediately for its 11,000 employees that has most people taking ten days off in the course of the budget year that stared Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30, 2012 and he is doing this to have the balanced budget he submitted to oversight officials at the health trust and county commission this past September. The public hospital system representatives have been negotiating with the unions at Jackson but no agreements have been reached, and the former banker is hoping to mitigate the salary and operational cash drain that is about $4.2 million a day. However, the unions are crying foul and the administrating did not declare that they were deadlocked in the bargaining discussions, which can trigger this kind of management edict. The Financial Recovery Board has directed Migoya to keep the current budget on track and this furlough even applies to the new leader. Ed O’Dell, the lead spokesman for the trust in an email last week wrote when it came to the furlough, it applied to everyone including Migoya as well.
>>> Press release: JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM ANNOUNCES EMPLOYEE FURLOUGHS
Jackson Health System took a critical step today toward cutting costs, controlling spending and aligning staffing to reduced volumes, by announcing that all employees – including President and CEO Carlos A. Migoya and his executive management team – will take unpaid time off in order to maintain a balanced budget. Jackson is committed to maintaining its world-class healthcare while staying on budget and implementing a sound business plan. Jackson Health System estimates that this action will save nearly $27.5 million in this fiscal year.
“High-quality medical care and patient safety are always our top priority, but these kinds of responsible business decisions are exactly what our taxpayer-owners expect of Jackson,” said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “These are the steps that are necessary to ensure Jackson has the best possible chance to survive in the short-term and thrive in the years to come.”
Lower patient volumes and protracted negotiations with organized labor have jeopardized Jackson’s ability to keep labor costs in line with the balanced budget adopted in September by the Public Health Trust Financial Recovery Board and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. The package of concessions offered to our labor unions over the summer would have allowed us to balance our budget using tools, such as overtime reduction and pension modernization. But as the fiscal year progresses without resolution, we must rely on alternative methods of controlling personnel costs.
The furloughs will be implemented in tiers in order to minimize the impact on those who can least afford cuts, particularly as the holidays approach. Most employees will take the equivalent of 10 unpaid days before the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2012, and at least four of those will be taken before the end of this calendar year. Those earning base salaries of less than $25,000 will only take the equivalent of five unpaid days, at least two of which will be before the end of 2011. Those earning base salaries of more than $200,000 will take 11 days of unpaid leave, including four this calendar year.
>>> BCC resolution on auditor looking at how Jackson handles sales tax and other county money it gets
112279 RESOLUTION DIRECTING THAT THE MISSION STATEMENT RECOMMENDED BY THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY HOSPITAL GOVERNANCE TASKFORCE IN ITS FINAL REPORT APPLY TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST; THE ETHICS REQUIREMENT RECOMMENDED BY THE TASKFORCE IN ITS FINAL REPORT APPLY TO FUTURE APPOINTEES TO THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST, EXCEPT TO THOSE APPOINTEES SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED BY SECTION 25A-3(A); THE EXTERNAL AUDITOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST BE REQUIRED TO ANNUALLY PROVIDE CERTIFICATION AND EXPLANATION THAT ALL SURTAX AND MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT FUNDS ARE USED FOR THE PURPOSE INTENDED; AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS THE GOAL OF OPERATING WITH A BALANCED BUDGET WHILE CONTINUING TO DELIVER THE SAME HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY MEDICAL CARE; AND EXPRESSING THE COMMISSION’S INTENT THAT ANY GOVERNING BODY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST REPRESENT THE DIVERSITY OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND THAT THE PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST REMAIN, IF POSSIBLE, A DISPROPORTIONATE SHARE HOSPITAL
>>> New $4.5 million PHT agreement for county employee testing
112297 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF AN AGREEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $4,500,000 WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST D.B.A. JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM, TO PROVIDE EMPLOYEE TESTING AND MEDICAL ASSESSMENT SERVICES, AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR’S DESIGNEE TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT FOR AND ON BEHALF OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND TO EXERCISE ANY CANCELLATION AND RENEWAL PROVISIONS, AND TO EXERCISE ALL OTHER RIGHTS CONTAINED THEREIN (SEE AGENDA ITEM NO. 8F15)(Internal Services)
CITY OF MIAMI
>>> Enough already, commission needs to find new Auditor pronto, too important a voter approved post to be left vacant for so long
Note to Miami commissioners, with the Miami elections over can you hire a Commission Auditor, a critical post that has been vacant since June and get some external oversight on the city’s finances like voters requested and approved back in 2001. The commission this year has dealt with multiple issues such as the budget over the summer but now is the time to get going on this person because while it may seem easy to ignore. The voters did approve the office and given the city’s fragile financial position a little oversight by an independent source would strengthen the financial firewall that a legislative body needs to understand how the almost $500 million Miami budget is being spent and doled out in a variety of ways. The commission’s reluctance to deal with this straight up is catching the Watchdog Report’s eye. And I will start following this activity at a higher level and will be peppering each commissioner on the subject and give my readers an update of the progress or lack of progress. For the citizen’s deserve this office to be filled. It only remains to be seen if the commission has the will to make it happen.
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
>>> Mt. Sinai CEO says medical center doing well, bonds are “investment grade,” said Sonenreich
Steven Sonenreich, the President and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center, the largest employeer in Miami Beach, with over 3,000 employees said Friday that things were going well at the medical complex and it continues to operate in the black after a period of time when it lost money. Part of this operateing deficit was the not-for-profit hospital gave over $40 million in charity care (or 2.1% of the total patient revenue in 2009 state’s Florida charity care documents), as do many other hospitals in South Flroida since patients that present at a Emergency Room by law must be treated, but it is also the most expensive mode of medical care, if the patient lives. However, that overall financial pattern changed a couple of years ago under his leadership and Sinai is the only hospital on the Beach and is one of the six teaching hospitals in the state of Florida. He said the institution’s bonds were now “investment grade” and the hospital founded in 1949 has over 700 physicians, 955 beds and 26 Operating Room suites. For more on Mt. Sinai Hospital go to: http://www.msmc.com/about-us
CITY OF CORAL GABLES
>>> When it comes to the Biltmore Hotel Agreement with Seaway, “the Devil is in the details,” said Commissioner Bill Kerdyk
Coral Gables Commissioners and Mayor Jim Cason reviewed the progress of the protracted discussions regarding the city and Seaway Corp that runs the Historic Biltmore Hotel but is in the rent rears the last few years but also has Seaway firing back with its own demands and the “devil is in the details said Commissioner William “Bill” Kerdyk, Jr. on Tuesday at the commission’s monthly meeting. The commissioners were told the “business side” of the deal was done but there was still legal language that needed to hammered out said new city Attorney Craig Leen. And he noted if the negotiating “momentum” was lost in the days ahead. “I do have the authority to issue a default notice,” he warned the Biltmore executives. Cason said once the final contract was concluded he would call a special commission meeting to deal with only this contract and that should be before the next commission meeting planned Dec.13, he told commissioners and the public attending the discussion.
What about new Attorney Leen?
Leen, a former Miami-Dade County assistant county attorney was chosen after a national search was done for a replacement of long serving city Attorney Elizabeth Hernandez now in private practice. He was the head of the federal legal section at Miami-Dade County and is said to be highly respected by his former peers at the county.
>>> County mayor’s office press release on the Biltmore Hotel issue: After Coral Gables commissioners threatened to declare Seaway Corp., the operator of the Biltmore Hotel, in default on its lease for non-payment of rent, a deal was finally reached. Under the agreement, the Seaway Corp., will repay taxpayers $5.5 million in overdue rent and golf fees for the hotel. The Coral Gables City Commission could approve a settlement agreement by December.
According to a Herald report, on Tuesday, City Attorney Craig Leen informed commissioners that city officials and Biltmore executives agreed in principle on the following key issues:
Seaway will repay more than $5 million in overdue rent ($500,000 a year plus 2.5 percent interest starting July 2012). The exact amount due is under negotiation.
The company will resume payments to the city. Starting next year, base rent will increase from $600,000 to $800,000 per year. The base rent owed will increase by $50,000 per year for the life the lease.
Seaway will pay Coral Gables $650,000 in outstanding golf management fees. It will start paying $160,000 a year in fees starting September 2013.
Over the next ten years, the City will issue Seaway a credit against a portion of certain capital improvements made to the hotel.
Mayor James Cason is expected to call a special meeting the next few weeks, when commissioners will vote on whether or not to approve the agreement. Attorneys on both sides continue to work out the legal details regarding the rent dispute.
>>> Press release: PONCE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION – www.poncebusiness.com – “Keeping you abreast of the pressing issues affecting Coral Gables.” We meet the first and third Mondays of the month at JohnMartins restaurant (253 Miracle Mile – 2nd floor) at noon. Lunch is $20 for members and $22 for guests.
>> Friends of Miami Marine Stadium Co-Founder Don Worth: Please join us for lunch this Monday, November 21st. Our guest speaker will be Don Worth, Co-Founder of Friends of Miami Marine Stadium.. We meet at noon at JohnMartin’s restaurant (253 Miracle Mile – 2nd floor). Completed in 1963 and named for Coconut Grove pioneer and boating enthusiast Ralph Monroe, the Marine Stadium has hosted hundreds of events including boat races, concerts, political rallies and Easter Sunrise services. The stadium was closed in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew. In 2008 a group of local residents formed the Friends of Miami Marine Stadium to support the restoration of the stadium. Through the group’s efforts the Stadium was designated a historic landmark by the City of Miami and has been recognized as significant by the World Monuments Fund. Originally formed under the administrative umbrella arm of Dade Heritage Trust, the organization has recently become an independent 501 (c) entity capable of receiving tax deductible contributions. Don Worth will give a PowerPoint presentation and an update on the current proposal to the City of Miami to be designated as developer of the Stadium. Please RSVP for our luncheon at poncebusiness@gmail.com
CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI
>>> Will former Mayor Robaina challenge Mayor Stoddard in Feb. 14 election?
The Watchdog Report received an email from the former long serving South Miami Asst. Police Chief Michael Mills asking people to do a grassroots campaign to bring back former state Rep. Julio Robaina, R-South Miami (Net worth $661,000) as mayor of the City of Pleasant Living. Robaina before entering the state house in 2002 served as mayor and the city was awarded The All American City designation during his time in office. He most recently ran for Miami-Dade Commission District 7 in the spring losing in a special election to County Commissioner Xavier Suarez (Net worth $328,500). However, the word is he wants his old job back now held by Mayor Philip Stoddard, Ph.D. and with the election set for Feb.14. Readers should keep a watch out for Robaina and if he throws his hat in the political ring again challenging the incumbent mayor.
CITY OF DORAL
>>> Former school board chair Bolanos throws his hat into 2012 mayoral race last week
Frank Bolanos last week filed his papers to be a candidate for mayor of the City of Doral in 2012 after Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez is termed out and he is running for county mayor in 2012. Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Bolanos; a former school board member to the board, after school board Member Demetrio Perez was suspended and convicted for shaking down an elderly resident in a Section 8 housing unit he owned. Bolanos once served as chair of the nine-member board and later ran for the Florida Senate in 2006 but lost to incumbent state Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami in a brutal race that had Bush helping Bolanos raise campaign cash for the race, but Villalobos prevailed back then. He will be a well-known candidate in the race and it remains to be seen if other challengers emerge for the municipality’s top leadership spot.
>>> OTHER STORIES AROUND FLORIDA
BROWARD COUNTY
>>> School board takes road trip to Miami-Dade, also starting to have some rogue charter schools funded with tax dollars
A major transformation has occurred at the Broward County School Board and with eight women board members. They elected the only male member the chair, Benjamin J. Williams (Net worth $750,000) after all the turmoil of past members being arrested with one jailed and Gov. Rick Scott (Net worth $103 million) has also had to make a couple of board appointments to the nine-member public school board. The group with their new Superintendent Robert W. Runcie made a road trip to Miami-Dade Wednesday for a bi-county joint meeting with the Miami-Dade Public Schools Board to see where they can work together along with the other large counties around the state. The nation’s sixth largest public district is facing a large state fine in the range of $60 to $70 million, for not meeting state class size reduction requirements that has Miami-Dade only being hit to the tune of about $2 million because in Broward the district had to fire some 1,100 teachers because of budget constraints. But both districts are under the financial gun and are just trying to stay at current funding levels from the state now that federal stimulus dollars have run dry as well.
Further, the district’s finances are being eroded by the increasing number of Charter Schools springing up and while not as many as Miami-Dade with 109 such schools with 42,000 students that siphons off public dollars to the tune of $250 million. The charter schools around the state have become a way for some building owners to keep empty real estate funded in the down economy and a number of chains control large numbers of the schools in a variety of management permutations. A Broward school board member carped last week that the public needs to know that we “are spending tax dollars on schools [and property] we don’t own,” and these “charter schools buy land from there [oversight] board members, and we need to get that loophole closed,” said Robin Bartleman (Net worth $473,382), an At large Broward board member. She said the public school system needs to “educate the public” in this regard and while some of these schools are great. “We closed one charter school and it was incredible” what was going at the school, said Bartleman.
Williams |
Bartleman |
For more information on the board go to http://www.browardschools.com/schoolboard/
>>> Press release: Ft. Lauderdale halfway house owners plead guilty to kickback Scam
The two managers and operators of a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-area halfway house company pleaded guilty today for their role in a Medicare fraud kickback scheme that funneled patients through a fraudulent mental health company, American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC), announced the Department of Justice, FBI and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Robert Jenkins, 36, and Nikki Jenkins, 36, each pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to solicit and receive health care kickbacks. Robert and Nikki Jenkins, who are married, were the managers and operators of Life 4 Life Inc., which operated several halfway houses in Fort Lauderdale.
According to court documents, Robert and Nikki Jenkins agreed to refer Medicare beneficiaries who resided at Life 4 Life halfway houses to ATC for partial hospitalization program (PHP) services. A PHP is a form of intensive treatment for severe mental illness. ATC purported to operate PHPs in seven different locations throughout south Florida and Orlando. The Jenkins admitted that they recruited Medicare beneficiaries for their halfway houses whom they could refer to ATC in exchange for health care kickbacks. The Jenkins knew that ATC would bill the Medicare program for PHP services provided to the beneficiaries they referred to ATC, and they knew receiving such kickbacks was illegal. According to court filings, ATC’s owners and operators paid kickbacks to owners and operators of assisted living facilities and halfway houses and to patient brokers in exchange for delivering ineligible patients to ATC and its related company, the American Sleep Institute (ASI). In some cases, the patients received a portion of those kickbacks. Throughout the course of the ATC conspiracy, millions of dollars in kickbacks were paid in exchange for Medicare beneficiaries who did not qualify for PHP services. The ineligible beneficiaries attended treatment programs that were not legitimate so that ATC and ASI could bill Medicare more than $200 million in medically unnecessary services. According to the plea agreement, the Jenkins’s participation in the fraud resulted in more than $157,980 in fraudulent payments from the Medicare program. At sentencing, scheduled for Dec. 19, 2011, Robert and Nikki Jenkins each face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
ATC, its management company Medlink Professional Management Group Inc., and various owners, managers, doctors, therapists, patient brokers and marketers of ATC, Medlink and ASI, were charged with various health care fraud, kickback, money laundering and other offenses in two indictments unsealed on Feb.. 15, 2011. ATC, Medlink and nine of the individual defendants have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial. Other defendants are scheduled to begin trial on April 9, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Seitz. Today’s guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Miami field office; and Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami office. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Steven Kim and Jennifer L. Saulino of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U..S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine locations have charged more than 1,140 defendants that collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $2.9 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers. To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
>>> Thank you for using the Broward County Commission Agenda E-mail Notification System. A new Broward County Commission Agenda is available. Point your browser to http://www.broward.org/commission/welcome.htm to view the new agenda.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
>>> Gov. Scott today taps Robert G. Panse to the Palm Beach County Court.
Press release: Panse, 54, has been a senior attorney for the South Florida Water Management District since 1992. Previously, he practiced with Paxton, Crow, Bragg, Smith and Keyser P.A. from 1985 to 1991 and served as an assistant state attorney with the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office from 1982 to 1985. He received a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Albany and a law degree from Florida State University College of Law.
“With experience as a government lawyer, a private practitioner and a prosecutor, Robert brings to the bench an understanding of the law, as well as an awareness of the needs of those who will appear before him as a county judge,” Governor Scott said. “I am confident he possesses a strong commitment to justice, fairness and the rule of law.” Panse will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Janis Keyser to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court.
OKEECHOBEE COUNTY
>>> Gov. Scott picks Frank M. Irby as new County Commissioner.
Irby, 68, of Okeechobee, is a retired health care administrator and has volunteered as interim chief executive officer of Hospice of Okeechobee since 2010. Previously, he was chief executive officer of HCA from 1981 to 2004. Irby also has an additional 13 years of experience as a business manager with American Management Services, Bruckner Machine Corporation and Deering Milliken Corporation.
A resident of Okeechobee since 1994, Irby’s extensive community involvement includes service on the Okeechobee City Code Enforcement Board, as well as the board of directors of the Okeechobee Utility Authority, the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast Inc. and the United Way of Okeechobee. He served on the Florida Department of Elder Affairs Advisory Council from 2005 to 2008. Irby received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and served in the United States Army from 1965 to 1967. Irby fills the vacancy created by the death of Commissioner Cliff Betts and will serve until November
19, 2012.
BREVARD COUNTY
>>> Gov. Scott announced the reappointment of Stephen G. Charpentier, taps Moses L. Harvin Sr. as Trustees on Brevard Community College.
Charpentier, 55, of Merritt Island, has been an attorney at Charpentier Law Firm P.A. since 2009. Previously, he practiced with Childress and Charpentier P.A. from 1989 to 2009. Charpentier serves on the Board of Directors for the Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts and served as vice chair of the Eighteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission from 2008 to 2010. Charpentier received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida and a law degree from Florida State University. He is reappointed for a term beginning November 8, 2011, and ending May 31, 2015.
Harvin, 58, of Melbourne, has been the president and chief executive officer of American Services Technology Inc. since 1994. Previously, he served in the United States Army from 1975 to 1994. Harvin received bachelor’s degrees from Claflin University and Webster University. He succeeds Dedra Sibley and is appointed for a term beginning November 8, 2011, and ending May 31, 2015. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
SEMINOLE COUNTY
>>> Gov. Scott names Jeffrey M. Bauer as Trustee, Seminole State College of Florida.
Bauer, 42, of Casselberry, has been an insurance agent with Admin Insurance Group since 2004 and consultant with BMJ Consulting L.L.C since January. Previously, he served as chief of staff to the Sanford City Commission from 2001 to 2004. Bauer currently serves on the Seminole County Charter Review Commission. From 2007 to 2011, he served on the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation Board and on the Seminole County Contractors Examiners Board from 2000 to 2002. Bauer received an associate degree from Seminole Community College and bachelor’s degree from Stetson University. He succeeds State Representative Christopher Dorworth and is appointed for a term beginning November 8, 2011, and ending May 31, 2014. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
>>> Alien guilty of illegal re-entry into U. S.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, announce that defendant Jose Aparicio-Vecerra, 27, formerly of St. Lucie County, was found guilty of illegal entry into the United States by a deported alien, in violation of 8 U.S.C. section 1326(a). According to evidence presented at trial, Vecerra was deported to Mexico by the Department of Homeland Security on March 31, 2006, at which time he was also warned that he could not lawfully reenter the United States without first applying for and receiving permission of the Secretary for Homeland Security. On being found in Fort Pierce in April 2006, Vecerra admitted to interviewing Immigration agents that he had previously been deported, that he was not a U.S. citizen, and that he had reentered the United States illegally.
Sentencing has been scheduled for February 27, 2012, at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore at the United States Courthouse in Fort Pierce. At sentencing, Vecerra faces a possible maximum statutory sentence of 2 years in prison. >> Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the ICE-HSI. Mr. Ferrer also thanked the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Pierce Police Department, and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, and Border Patrol for their work on this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Cooperstein prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
>>> The Miami-Dade County Commission for Women will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. What: Miami-Dade County Commission for Women 40th Anniversary Reception When: Thursday, November 17, 2011, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Coral Gables Country Club, 997 North Greenway Drive, Coral Gables, FL
Cost: $25; cash bar, free parking – Speaker: Kim Stone, Executive Vice President of The Miami Heat and General Manager of the American Airlines Arena -RSVP: Laura Morilla at 305-375-4967 or at Morilla@miamidade.gov The 2011 Connections Directory of women’s organizations will be distributed for free at this event.
>>> The Good Government Initiative and The Launch Pad at the University of Miami Invite you to a Community Conversation breakfast moderated by Katy Sorenson and featuring panelists:
Mayor Shirley Gibson, City of Miami Gardens; Peter Schnebly, General Manager of Schnebly Winery & Brewery; Michael Spring, Director, Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs; Alexandra Villoch, Co-chair, One Community, One Goal – Friday, November 18th, BankUnited Center at UM, 1245 Dauer Drive, Hurricane 100 Room Breakfast 8 – 8:30 a.m. Panel Discussion 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Co-Hosts: Susan Amat, Executive Director, The Launch Pad and Katy Sorenson, President & CEO, The Good Government Initiative. Ticket prices: UM Students FREE (but must register!) $15 General Admission, $30 Contributing Admission, $300 Table of 10. Checks should be made payable to: Miami Foundation, Credit card payments can be made via PayPal (no account necessary to use PayPal) *Space is limited. Registration will close on Monday, November 14th. info@goodgov.net for further information.
EDITORIALS
>>> Complexity of UM/Jackson relationship gets front page story in Miami Herald, after 59-year relationship, all participants must tread carefully in this matter
The Miami Herald’s veteran reporter John Dorschner who has been covering Jackson Hospital and its health system for years did a front page story on the history, and sometimes turmoil and conflicts between the public hospital and the University of Miami’s Miller Medical School that provides medical services to patients whether they can pay or not for the past 59-years. The story likens the relationship to a marriage that has its difficulties but this is a very complex issue and while to the public this story was of benefit in their understanding of this important public health trust. It has taken years to get to this point and includes changes in the public hospital’s management that over the past decade has had Ira Clark, Gerald Kaiser, M.D., Marvin O’Quinn, Eneida Roldan, M.D. and now Carlos Migoya at the helm of the sprawling hybrid medical campus made up of both institutions medical facilities. And this turnover of senior management along with some political factors at the county level since 1998 has exasperated Jackson’s ability to build a viable long-term strategy that makes the health system a major profitable player in a highly expensive and competitive healthcare market.
For those patients with insurance, the cost of getting treated at Jackson is higher than other hospitals in the area. Migoya made the remark when he spoke at the county’s Community Relations Board in October at a public town hall type meeting and Jackson is trying to become cost competitive because of course insurance companies are going to direct patients to the lower cost healthcare providers, he said. The new president since May said the trick was to get more paying patients to come to the health system, including those with Medicare and Medicaid to be admitted to the hospital where the patient census is currently down. And that is the immediate challenge for the hospital that is trying desperately to break even in the current budget year, and has Migoya issuing a 10-day furlough program to all the PHT employees last week, though the unions are carping that this edict conflicts with what the process was supposed to be during these negotiations before such an arbitrary action by hospital management took place.
When the Watchdog Report first started to go to now Jackson Health System’s board and committee meetings back in 1998. I had no idea that not only would I still be covering the organization 13 years later, but also fundamental changes in its governance and management would only occur in 2011, now that there is a much smaller Financial Recovery Board. The FRB is currently made up of six men with a seventh woman appointee being waited for from Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez. And while this new oversight board is more nimble when it comes to the decision making process. The challenges these men face trying to keep the institution viable and continuing it being the medical crown jewel of South Florida is daunting. And is no easy task given some of the fundamental issues Jackson faced in the past but were not addressed like in 2004, when Jackson posted a $84 million loss that had adjustments going back to the late 1980s including a over $40 million payment owed to the federal government that was finally settled. There was also the 2008 graph created by O’Quinn’s staff showing the future trend, which started out green, yellow, and then a red graph that indicated in 2011. Jackson would not be able to make payroll, but elected leaders essentially ignored all of that in the years ahead until this spring when the level of cash dropped below 10 days, when the norm for most health systems was 160 to 180 days of cash on hand.
What to do about the Jackson/UM relationship is beyond my pay grade but a vigorous and informed community discussion on the matter is necessary. For the two healthcare organizations are better together than apart, and given the complexity of the issue, including protecting the right of all of Miami-Dade residents to be able to receive top-notch medical care regardless of social and economic status. We collectively must tread carefully in an informed and dispassionate way when it comes to these two institutions that both give so much to the community. For if cooler heads do not prevail the community may find that the baby is thrown out with the bath water when it comes to world-class healthcare for all.
And while some people, who seem to have a phone to God are sure they know what has to be done regarding the relationship. I don’t have such clarity, even after all these years, but I do know that collectively the two are stronger together than apart, and while this may be a rocky patch in the relationship. It must be resolved for the community stakes are too high, especially considering that Jackson this past year gave $550 million in charity care. A number so vast that if the public hospitals were taken out of the equation would cause a domino affect with all the other hospital systems in the region already doing significant charity care now on their own. And would change the healthcare landscape dramatically for all of us and that is no small decision since over 2.4 million people depend on these public and not-for-profit hospitals and knee jerk reactions cannot be the order of the day. For the stakes are too high and too much is riding on decisions that are being made now for needless mistakes to occur and those people negotiating these issues might consider the oath taken by a physician. To first do no harm to the patient and the community. To read the Herald story go to http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/12/2499995/finances-strain-the-marriage-between.html
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The Watchdog Report covers a few of the meetings attended weekly. It remains my belief that an informed public will make better decisions. Therefore, I go to meetings, make the presence of an informed citizen known, and bring the information to you. The Watchdog Report is in the fourth year of publication and it has been an honor to be able to send this information to you. It is sent to readers in Miami-Dade, Florida, the U.S. and the world. The Watchdog Report is sent to thousands free and while readers have been prodded to subscribe the results have been mixed. Over 550 reports and Extra’s have been sent since May 5, 2000 and over one million words have been written on our community’s governments and events. The report is an original work based on information gathered at public meetings, interviews and from documents in the public domain.
LETTER POLICY
I welcome letters via e-mail, fax, or snail mail. Letters may be edited for length or clarity and must refer to material published in the Watchdog Report. Please see address and contact information. Please send any additions and corrections by e-mail, fax or snail mail. All corrections will be published in the next Watchdog Report. If you or your organization would like to publish the contents of this newsletter, please contact me. Please send your request to watchdogreport1@earthlink.net
Daniel A. Ricker
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>>> The Watchdog Report are now available to television stations web pages, and all the newspapers and other media in South Florida if the publishers have an interest to run part or all of the stories. Further, in 2000, I used to have some paper’s running the report in the Spanish press, that option is available again, and publishers should contact me. The news content will not be free, but you can pick and chose the stories of interest, edit them if necessary but you must still keep the general story intact. If you are a news outlet and would like to learn more about, the Watchdog Report and this offer contact me at watchdogreport1@earthlink.net for further information.
>>> Here is what past newspapers have written about the Watchdog Report publisher including a survey and regional study done by the U. North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the media in the southeast United States.
>>> The Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel & Sun-Sentinel articles on the Watchdog Report publisher over the years. >>> Published on September 9, 1999, Page 1EA, Miami Herald, The (FL) CITIZEN ADVOCATE’ KEEPS TABS ON POLITICIANS >>> Published on January 3, 2000, Page 1B, Miami Herald, The (FL) MIAMI-DADE WATCHDOG WILL BE MISSED >>> >>> To read the full section large two page front page story, but without the photos and smart box graphics, go to: `I Go When You Cannot’ – Sun Sentinel 20 Jan 2003 … Sometimes Dan Ricker lives in the dark so others may live in the light. … to his weekly Watchdog Report have finally mailed their checks. … http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-01-20/news/0301190341_1_ricker-school-board-president-miami-s-first-cuban-american >>>Watchdog Report publisher named ‘Best Citizen’ 2003 by the Miami New Times –The publisher would like to thank the weekly alternative paper Miami New Times for bestowing their 2003 Best of Miami, ‘Best Citizen’ award to me and I am honored. Thank you. To read the full story go to http://www.miaminewtimes.com/issues/2003-05-15/citylife2.html/1/index.html
From the spring of 2003: U. North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Southeast U.S. Media Report lists Watchdog Report publisher as leading Florida commentator >>> Selected excerpts from the report on Florida’s media sources
Those who do read the newspaper in Florida have a bevy of options for state government and political coverage. The dominant newspapers in the state are Knight-Ridder’s The Miami Herald (Acquired by The McClatchy Company in 2006) and the Poynter Institute’s St. Petersburg Times. Both papers endorsed Gore in 2000 but split on the 2002 gubernatorial race, with the Herald endorsing Republican incumbent Jeb Bush and the Times backing Democratic challenger Bill McBride. Daniel Ricker of The Miami Herald also writes an influential column as well as an email newsletter called the Watchdog Report that goes out to more than 100,000 subscribers. FEBRUARY 2004 – Florida: Columnists in Abundance –ERIC GAUTSCHI, graduate student, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, UNC-Chapel Hill – D) LEADING COMMENTATORS – Resource Commentator Organization Type Web site –Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times Column www.sptimes.com/columns/bousquet.shtml -“First Friday” WPBT TV (Miami) TV Show www.channel2.org/firstfriday/issues.html –Lucy Morgan St. Petersburg Times Column www.sptimes.com/columns/morgan.shtml –Daniel Ricker Miami Herald/Watchdog Report Newsletter >>> Readers who would like to read the complete University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Southeast United States Media Report go to view the complete report or download all the data used in this study. >>> Watchdog Report Editor’s note to the NCU/CH study: The subscriber number referenced is incorrect and applies to readership.
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