The Lynda Bell vs. David Rivera Race in Rep District 118. By Geniusofdespair

Rivera has raised $71,124 not including May or loans to himself running in District 118.

More of the Big Boy Corporate shitheads are there on Rivera's report, not so with his opponent Lynda Bell who entered the race later.

Lynda Bell raised $14,790 excluding loans to herself.  She does have Wayne Rosen on her report and her old friend Atlantic Civil -- Steve Torcise.

Anthony Rodriguez, also a Republican has raised $17,996, excluding loans to himself. Another Republican in race has raised $2,950, Steven Anthony Rojas Tallon.

Robert Asencio the Democrat in the race has raised $19,905.00, mostly from smaller donors, through April 29th.

I still believe that Lynda Bell is not running a serious campaign. David Rivera always puts extra people in his races, and they were good friends. He is using her campaign manager/good friend, Jose Luis Castillo. She launched her campaign from Rivera's office for the County Commission.  I think she is there for some reason, maybe to bleed off the white voters. Who knows, Rivera is so dishonest, it is anyone's guess on what is going on. 

Miami Dade Police Collective Bargaining Ain't Going So Good! By Geniusofdespair

Every time the County gets one of these letters from the PBA, asking for a Special Magistrate, the County appears to lose. They might not understand bargaining in good faith.

Miami Dade County Staff Have Their Bullet Proof Vests in a Wad Over Jobs. By Geniusofdespair

 Lay off notices were distributed to senior Miami Dade Police Department Employees.

Excerpt From Letter to County Commissioner 10/08

I wrote about a similar subject October 1st. Don't always skip my links.

Sample letter that went out to police staff

David Rivera's Campaign. Who is Stupid Enough to Give? By Geniusodespair

As of 7/25/2012 David Rivera collected $240,558.81. He spent $138,573.58

Donations in July: Roger F. Noriega of Washington DC (Vision Americas,LLC) gave $2,500. Ernesto Perez (Dade Medical College) and his wife Sylvia gave $5,000. They live at 1216 Milian Avenue, Coral Gables. Sergio and Tatiana Pino Gave $5,000. Florida Congressional Committee PAC gave $5,000. A Texas Company, International Bank of Commerce Committee gave $2,500. The National Association of Realators gave him $3,000. They are in Chicago.

In July Rivera gave The Factor Inc. $5,000. That is Ana Carbonell at 501 Brickell Key Drive #602.

In May he got $500 from developer Pedro Adrian. Esther Alvarez gave him $5,000 in June. She lives in Doral. Rolando Bonachea, with no employer listed, gave Rivera $2,500. Michael Cinque who works for the City of Marathon gave him $500. Carlos L. Curbelo who works for the U.S. Congress (they said that on the form but he is school board) gave him $1,000. Allan Gordon who works for the Veterans Administration (and I assume his wife Karie) gave him $2,500. They live in Havana Florida. Oscar Grisales Racin gave him $1,500. He lives in/near Aventura.

Jeffrey Horstmyer of Miami who works at Mercy Hospital gave him $7,000 twice (?). Pinecrest couple John and Mirtha Rebstock gave $3,000 all together. Sandra Reus of Doral gave $5,000. Mark Rossi who works for the City of Key West, Gave $1,000. A whole pile of peole from GRSH Law gave $3,000 donations each. GRSH Law in Oscar Grisales-Racini, Nera Shefer, Staci M. Hershey, Karyna Gonzalez-Rabagh and Yanina Miculitzki (can't let them hide behind GRSH). They are at 2999 NE 191 Street. Douglas Walker in Key West also gave $5,000. American Airlines PAC gave $2,000. American Principles PAC gave $3,000. Comcast gave $3,500. The Air Traffic Controllers Assn. PAC gave big. The Majority Committee PAC also gave $5,000. US-Cuba Democracy PAC gave him $5,000. He paid quite a bit of money to Patton Boggs a Washington DC lobbying firm. They are also a law firm. I bet they are trying to keep him out of trouble. I like the way Patton Boggs said they rely on their "integrity." Not with David Rivera, you can't have integrity and work for him.

I hope the whole lot of you are embarrassed to have your name here, supplying David Rivera with lavish financing to keep this scoundrel in Federal office, embarrassing all of us honest citizens.

David Rivera back in the News Again. By Geniusofdespair

I have a lot to say about about crematoriums (see yesterday's post), but I will wait untill we get my mother-in-laws ashes back. Don't want them to be held hostage.

On a more depressing note, creepy U.S. Congressman David Rivera is in the news again. Thank you reporters, Scott Hiaasen, Patricia Mazzei and Marc Caputo.

The article goes into detail on Rivera's gal-pal Esther Nuhfer. Namely:

"Rep. Rivera’s fundraising consultant collected $817,000 in fees since 2006."

The article tries to unravel the lobbyist web, that I often try to do. It is hard to make a coherent linear article out of the lobbyist web but the Miami Herald reporters do a pretty good job. This is why you should buy the newspaper. You can't get articles like this from blogs. We don't have the resources to do this kind of research. After reading the article you have to think that this woman is only making the big bucks because of her ties to David Rivera.

Make sure you read this article!

Who Should Be Investigating Congressman David Rivera? By Geniusofdespair

The Miami Herald reported that in a surprise move, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle removed one of her top prosecution teams from the criminal investigation of Congressman Daivd Rivera.

????????????????????????????????

Her reason: Lame. The investigation of small time alleged crook Michelle Spence Jones is more pressing? I think the Feds should take this investigation over before it is completely botched.

Norman Braman Why Did You Support David Rivera? By Geniusofdespair

Norman Braman formerly owned 65% of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985. July 16, 1986 Norman bought the rest of the team from Ed. Braman. He sold the team in 1994.

We get it Norman Braman, you don't like sports teams getting public funds. And, it appears you know about sports teams from experience. We read your Opinion piece in the Miami Herald yesterday. You said about the bill, where the Dolphins are now trying to get funds from the Tourist Tax:

"This obnoxiously obscene bill is sponsored by state Rep. Erik Fresen." And, you said:

"I am 100 percent opposed to this bill and will do whatever I can to see that it does not pass, including traveling to Tallahassee to testify against it."

Well you gave enough money to Marco Rubio and David Rivera, how about putting some muscle on that duo? How about traveling to Washington to get your way? You gave directly to Rubio and Rivera (see image which includes Mrs. Braman) but you also gave MORE money to numerous PAC's that helped both of them. They are pals with Fresen, together I call them the Miami Dade Troika. Settle the score with them directly, leave the public out of it.

If you want to really help the community, help us get rid of David Rivera. Make amends for your misguided contributions to him. If you believe in justice and right and wrong, how can you let this guy govern us? He is a total embarrassment to Florida. See article about David Rivera's less than creative unethical financing and news of his investigation, in the Miami Herald today.

P.S. How could you give $10,000 to the Club for Growth?

Gaming Florida ... by gimleteye

You know the expression: "letting the camel's nose under the tent"? Rick Scott, Florida Governor, flew his own private jet to Las Vegas two weeks after the election to meet with a casino billionaire. Jeb! Bush's top consigliere, Al Cardenas, is representing Wynn Casinos, another who made billions in Las Vegas casinos. The way things are going-- with Governor Scott immune to news that Floridians really, really don't want the state to be defined like Nevada--, the GOP will want to award Congressman David Rivera-- Senator Rubio's former roommate-- a Purple Heart, for speeding parimutuel betting past Miami-Dade voters. Rivera was elected despite lying on his resume and failing to disclose (lying) that he profited from the parimutuel betting initiative. The Miami Herald notes that Governor Scott, who wouldn't interview with a single newspaper editorial board on his way to election financed with $70 million of his own net worth, met for a total of 17 minutes in his first press conference. Of the press he said, "I want to have a positive working relationship. You have a job to do but I want it to be organized." Really? Mr. Governor, I didn't know family values was a position on the craps table.

David Rivera: the GOP Congress starts ethically challenged the Miami Way... by gimleteye

The first test of the GOP pledge to ethics is Miami-Dade's own David Rivera, who possibly will have the shortest tenure in the history of the US Congress. The Miami Herald has detailed Rivera's twisted finances. The mess calls into question what Rivera, best buddy of now US Senator Marco Rubio, talked about, when they discussed politics and money.

Somehow-- don't ask me because I don't have a clue-- Rivera was elected without disclosures of any kind about his personal finances, that apparently included using a straw company run by his mother to hide his involvement in passing an initiative to allow parimutuel betting by his client, the Havenick family in Miami. The young Miami Republican turks who rushed to Rivera's side certainly look like young Miami jerks. Rivera also fabricated key parts of his resume. That also made no impact, apparently, with voters. For insiders in favor of betting, everyone must have known Rivera was involved, yet kept his involvement secret. It's the Miami way: no one spoke up. No one had the guts.

So David Rivera is now compounding the deception, according to the Herald, through a December real estate transaction -- again with mom-- to provide cash to paper over his debt with mom. Do Republican voters have a clue? Do they care? What is rattling around in their heads, to elevate a character with Rivera's ethically challenged credentials? Just like Governor Rick Scott, Rivera is now refusing to answer questions by the press. "I've said all I'm going to say about that," is exactly Scott's line to reporters who during the gubernatorial campaign wanted to learn more about Scott's involvement in the fraud that ended up costing the company he founded the largest civil fine in US history, $1.7 billion.

Well the buck stops here: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor needs to be definitive about Rivera. He doesn't belong in Congress.

Your Congressman David Rivera. By Geniusofdespair

Looks like this is sleazy David Rivera day here at Eye On Miami.

Here is a look at infighting at a Republican campaign event in West Miami. This was filmed during the primary, Paul Crespo was running against David Rivera. Apparently Crespo asked that Rivera resign as Chairman of the Repugnant party since he was also running for office. Doesn't seem to be an unfair request. Someone (Crespo camp believes it was the Executive Director of the Miami Dade Pubs, J.C. Hernandez) called the police to remove Crespo. In the video it shows Rivera watching Crespo and the police confronting Crespo and escorted him out. His offense: he spoke longer than the time limit, you can hear the bell for a few seconds while he was speaking.

If it doesn't work try this link.

Slimeball Congressman Elect David Rivera. By Geniusofdespair

Known for running dirty campaigns, boy pal of Marco Rubio, ethically challenged David Rivera still won a seat in congress...by absentee ballots of course. Apparently he might be in hot water for something else, the 2008 campaign for slots at Flager dog track. Wasn't he also a State Representative then? The slow as molasses Miami-Dade State Attorney's office is probing him...not in the proctologist sense but maybe that is a good place to torture the truth out of him. The Miami Herald said a company tied to him got $500,000 in secret payments:

"In the statement, Rivera said he was 'designated by Millennium' to work on the slots campaign after the firm was hired by Flagler, and added he has not been contacted by investigators. At the time the contract was signed, Millennium's sole corporate officer was Rivera's godmother, Ileana Medina."

Back to the Miami Herald, their sub-head says 'mother' the article says 'godmother'...big difference. I don't think Hiaasen and Mazzei wrote the subhead, I would trust the article content. (Aside: Miami Dade State Attorney Kathleen Rundle's name is also popping up as a Miami Dade Mayor wannabee.)