“He was one of those rare examples of trickle down economics having a positive and lasting impact.” That’s Galen Bradley, a barista at Wynwood’s Panther Coffee speaking after Tuesday’s passing of Tony Goldman, who was as much a visionary as he was a developer and entrepreneur. Like the rest of the Wynwood neighborhood, the young [...]
When Violations Go Unpunished By David Arthur Walters Chapter 489 of the Florida Statues governing contracting in the state provides that, “The registration or certification number of each contractor shall appear in each offer of services, business proposal, bid, contract, or advertisement, regardless of medium, as defined by board rule, used by that contractor or [...]
Miami Beach City Attorneys Versus Special Masters By David Arthur Walters There was showdown at high noon last Wednesday between the City Attorney’s officers and the Special Masters. The feuding parties dueled before the legal oversight committee in the City Manager’s meeting room. It was a steamy day, the only relief inside, besides the air [...]
Recalling Hurricane Andrew 20 Years Ago This Weekend It was born in the central Atlantic Ocean, 1,600 miles from Barbados, on Aug. 16, 1992. A day later, it was a tropical depression. Five days later, on Aug. 22, and 650 miles from the Bahamas, it was upgraded to a hurricane. By the following day, after [...]
Getting Ahead of the Job Con at the Special Master’s Court By David Arthur Walters Our investigation into the public records of renegade contractor Jihad Doujeiji dba Sharron Lewis Design Central et al in conjunction with our series Getting Ahead of The Job Con led us to an old code violation citation that was disposed [...]
On The 1% Resort Tax Hike The latest chapter in the saga to modernize the Miami Beach Convention Center will now be written by the voters this coming Tuesday in the August 14 primaries. Miami Beach residents will be asked whether they will allow the commission to raise the resort tax by up to one [...]
B-Girl Big Boss Behind Bars Finally, the feds have their guy. A year after all the other pawns in this criminal enterprise were arrested and carted off to jail – alluring young women from Eastern Europe and the allegedly Russian-mob-affiliated men who were the masterminds behind it – now the last remaining pawn has made [...]
Gonzalez’s Golden Parachute This was Jorge Gonzalez’s final year as Miami Beach city manager – and perhaps his most monetarily-rewarding one yet. He may have relinquished the city’s top job under pressure on July 8, but don’t feel too sorry for him: a golden parachute he is virtually guaranteed. City Hall insiders say Gonzalez departs [...]
How an Unlicensed Contractor Got Caught Without a Valid Permit at Sunset Harbour (Part Three) By David Arthur Walters The South Florida real estate recovery has been a boon for Miami’s Sharron Lewis Design Central, headed by Jihad Doujeiji, who succeeded his wife, Sharron Lewis, when she passed away in March 2011 after a long [...]
How a General Contractor Completed a Construction Project Without a License or Permit at the Icon (Part Two) By David Arthur Walters, Special to the SunPost Suite 1801 at the ICON at 450 Alton Road in South Beach offers a perfect example of how a general contractor can get and complete a construction project without [...]
Proposals Are Not Even into the City Yet and Already The Convention Center Redo is Rocked With Scandal A billion dollar project would bring Miami Beach a great many things; in it’s infant stages, it has already brought controversy. Decades past it’s prime and depreciating in the conventions game, the Miami Beach Convention Center sits [...]
He Took Naps in His City Car While He Was Supposed to Be Working For You… and You’re Still Paying Him On 14 separate occasions while he was in uniform, likely on the time clock, supposed to be working for the city and for the taxpayers who foot his paychecks, a Miami Beach Code Compliance [...]
