#BecauseMiami: Miami's Next Mayor?
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How did the episode open and what corruption allegations set the stage?
Bribery, money laundering and official misconduct.
We've had enough. Families are struggling. Businesses can't thrive. When City Hall is filled with corruption, nothing gets done for the people.
Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portillo was arrested and charged with money laundering and criminal conspiracy. Joe Carollo was ordered to pay more than $63 million for abusing his power at City Hall. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is currently under FBI investigation. It's a giant clown car full of frauds and cowards shitting on democracy. Fabulously fond of bribery and laundering dirty pay-for-play money. Diaz de la Portilla, Ponzi, Postalita, clandestinely plotting schemes. Reyes, King and Cova, White, Peter, Carollo Here corruption reigns supreme In Miami The jokes don't only write themselves In Miami They get elected here as well In Miami We're slowly sinking in the sea In Miami If you were smart then you would flee
They're the worst. We're all cursed. Hang around for a second verse. Where else is the status quo to be a scumbag preying on society? The feds are under Suarez. It's cleaner in Juarez. It's hard to take us seriously. In Miami, Art Acevedo took a stand. In Miami, then the commission had him canned. In Miami, no nothing happens up aboard. In Miami, but somehow it's all ignored. In Miami, the jokes don't only write themselves. In Miami, they get elected here as well.
In Miami. They want you, they want you to pay no heed to the crimes they do. They want you, they want you to pay no heed to the crimes they do.
Please do not record.
Oh, oh.
Democracy has been spared here in Miami after a failed attempt to cancel this year's election. Although Damian Pardo would have you believe we're not canceling the election. We're just not having it this year. I had to go to dictionary.com to figure that out. Also, no, no, no, we are postponing it. And I'm like, wait a second. Okay, so step one in a postponement is canceling, and step two is rescheduling. And, you know, as the famous economist once said in the long run, we're all dead. So some people wouldn't live to see November 2026, and some of those people might have been the candidates, in fact. However, the election is happening. I don't know that anybody knows that it is, but it's happening. And after eight years of Mayor...
Mayor Suarez is going to be, I guess, moving to Dubai. I'm not really sure. Somewhere in the in the Emirates. Joining us now, the third, I would say, top contender. I'm guessing your in-house polling shows you as the front runner for the next mayor of the great city of Miami. County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, your launch video there kind of shows you highlighting initially corruption. We hear a lot of candidates talk generally about corruption and cleaning up City Hall. What is it that you think is the issue with corruption in the city of Miami? And what are the other issues that you think are central to this city in this campaign?
When you are dealing with a city hall that is completely involved in scandals and disruption and distractions and corruption, Nothing gets done for the people, right? So I live in the city. I love this city, right? It has a lot of potential energy. But way back when, remember Tomas Regalado? He was mayor and we passed the Miami Forever Bond. And there were supposed to be all kinds of drainage projects and park improvement projects and public works projects and police station improvements. And most of those haven't even gotten started. So when you're dealing with whether it's a commission and then also administration that is so distracted with all these lawsuits and all this other shenanigans, they're just not focused on the things that a city needs to become a world-class city.
And you know what people, you talk to people all the time. I talk to people all the time. The affordable housing crisis is real. If you try to get a permit for anything, you wanna paint your front door, you can wait two years. But certainly if you wanna build a new affordable housing development, between the time you get the approval from the commission, you get your permits, it's four years, you haven't even broken ground.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
How did the episode open and what corruption allegations set the stage?
0:00–12:07
2
What happened with the attempted cancellation of Miami’s election and who litigated to restore it?
12:07–22:38
3
Why is permitting speed a controversy—how does county vs city permitting compare?
22:38–23:03
4
Was the Melreese/Beckham stadium site properly remediated and inspected?
23:03–52:42