Counting the Mango Money: Deerfield Festival's Mysterious 36-Grand

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Flickr: foXXtail
Deerfield's Mango Festival has been a financial juggling act
I've been stymied in my efforts to get an answer to the question I put at the bottom of this mammoth post from yesterday, about the Deerfield Beach's Mango Festival. Namely, why did the city cut the Mango Festival a check for $36,000 in June 2008?

Acting parks and recreation director George Edmunds might know, but he hasn't returned calls or emails. Nor has City Manager Mike Mahaney (update: until just a moment ago). Vice Mayor Sylvia Poitier, the festival's leading patron on the commission, isn't picking up her phone, either.

The president of the Mango Festival, Norm Edwards, didn't act on a appointment we had to discuss the issue yesterday. And he hasn't a returned a message I left for him today. So we'll have to try cracking the case without help from the people closest to it.

Reactionary Politics You Can Love

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Flickr: UN1SON
Gelber
Usually, we're skeptical when a campaigning politician cites a breaking news story as a basis for new legislation, but we'll suspend that cynicism for the moment. State Sen. Dan Gelber, Democratic candidate for Florida attorney general, has seized on the recent corruption cases in Broward County to demand new laws against official misconduct.

This issue is right in Gelber's wheelhouse: He used to work in the public corruption unit of the federal prosecutor's office in Miami, meaning he worked on cases exactly like the ones those against Broward County and School Board officials. He knows the advantages that a federal prosecutor has in working with an "honest services" statute.

But now that he's a state lawmaker, Gelber also understands how much weaker Florida public corruption laws are. Here's the passage of that blog post that makes a muckraker's heart flutter:

Something Smells Rotten at Deerfield Beach's Mango Festival

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Photo: themangofestival.com
One of the photos that Mango Festival organizers did not want you to see.
The Mango Festival of Deerfield Beach has a math problem: Its most recent festival, in June 2008, attracted a lot of people. But for some reason, it didn't make a lot of money. And for the city, which has invested more than a million dollars in that festival over the last several years, that should be cause for concern.

"There's nothing that we're hiding," insists the festival's president, Norm Edwards. "Everything is done by the book."

We'll see about that. After the jump, let's take a close look at how the Mango festival handles its money.

George LeMieux Sides With Charter Fishermen; Asks for Looser Restrictions on Catch Limits



In a post yesterday that's part of our Panning for Gold series, I made a crack about how it's rather foolish to trust a charter fisherman's hunch about the sustainability of fish population -- not just for the obvious fox-running-the-hen-house reasons. Mainly, it's because there's a much more reliable, objective means for ascertaining fish population: the federal government's science-based research tools.

As if on cue, Florida's Broward-born, shiny-new senator, George LeMieux, can be seen in the video above (also from yesterday) asking the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to relax restrictions against fishermen like those who protested recently in Fort Walton Beach, claiming they knew the fish population better than government researchers.

More Controversy for Mayor's Son in Deerfield?



That's video of an October 6 meeting of the Deerfield Beach Commission meeting at which city leaders voted to allow Island Water Sports to stage its "Midnight Madness" sales event on October 23. An innocuous bit of city business -- except that according to blogger Chaz Stevens, Mayor Peggy Noland's son worked at the event. She did not file conflict-of-interest disclosure forms in advance of casting her vote. Stevens has filed complaints with the FBI, the Broward State Attorney's Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

I just talked with Shane Cottrell, owner of Island Water Sports, on NE Second Street. That interview after the jump.

For Next 10 Months, Rubio-Crist Will Be a National Story; Will Broward Scandals Play Role?

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Flickr: CenFlaPolitics
Rubio
It would have been a more fortuitous sign for Marco Rubio if Doug Hoffman hadn't lost his congressional race in upstate New York, but the fact that a Conservative Party candidate won 45 percent of the vote has Rubio more hopeful than ever. The same can be said for the right wing of the Republican Party, which is now treating Florida Senate seat as its biggest priority.

The Wall Street Journal is so eager to cover that it treated the New York campaign as a mere undercard to the Rubio-Crist title bout in August.

The article makes no mention, however, of the scandals brewing in Broward County among some of Crist's most active supporters.

Searching for Democrats to Run Corruption County

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Any Dems want to run against Steven Abrams?
After watching three Republicans on the Palm Beach County Commission head to prison on corruption charges, one might imagine local Democratic operatives corking champagne bottles in anticipation of next year's battle to fill the seat held by Republican Commissioner Steven Abrams.

But politics in Corruption County are never that simple. Indeed, the Dems have yet to find anyone to run against Abrams. "Of all the races we're scoping out, it's probably the toughest race in the county," says Mark Siegel, chairman of the

LeMieux's First Bill: Health-Care Fraud Prevention (in Lieu of Health-Care Coverage?)



We can all agree with what Florida's new senator, George LeMieux, says above, that this health-care fraud thing should stop. And he makes it sound so easy!

But if you watch the longer version of that speech above, you'll see that LeMieux's debut piece of legislation is part of a larger, grander Republican scheme:

Dolphin Experts Weigh In; Any Gorilla-Killers in Lake Worth Mayoral Race?


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Dr. Rene Varela






The local community of marine mammal experts is a relatively small one, so the Juice has been asking some high-level folks in the scientific community to weigh in on the recent controversy surrounding veterinarian Dr. Rene Varela, candidate for mayor of Lake Worth.

One expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Varela was a "very good veterinarian and seemed like a good person, but I personally lost respect for him when he went to work for Ocean Embassy."

Speaking specifically of Ocean Embassy's capturing of 28 dolphins in the Solomon Islands and further plans to capture dolphins in Panama, the expert said, "They were capturing wild dolphins and selling them to marine parks -- and they were doing it irresponsibly. If you're going to capture wild dolphins, you should determine how many there are and make sure that population can sustain itself. This was drastic; they couldn't recover. I feel like that was irresponsible."


Lake Worth Tot Endorses Javier del Sol for Official Storyteller

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Looking forward to two years of scintillating stories.

It probably comes as no surprise that Lake Worth residents under age 12 overwhelmingly favor Javier del Sol in today's mayoral race. When asked why she was supporting del Sol this morning, the urchin pictured above hesitated, rubbed her toe into the ground, and answered, "I don't know."

But we think we can confidently answer for her. Del Sol is every infant's dream of a city official: He's kind of funny-looking, with that long braid down his back interwoven with pink yarn poofies; he rides a bike everywhere; he wears interesting and colorful clothes; and he can spin a tale like nobody's business, keeping babes enthralled with Aesop's fables and multiculti creation myths from around the world, told bilingually.

Heard the one about the tortoise and the hare? The guy on the bike has been spotted coasting ahead of drivers snarled in traffic.

Lake Worth Commission Candidate Ron Exline Speaks on Immigration

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Lake Worth Mentoring Center gets grant from Community Foundation
Immigration is a hot-button issue in tomorrow's Lake Worth City Commission elections, in part due to the large number of undocumented residents in the city but also because of the recent flap over candidate Scott Maxwell's alleged ties to anti-immigration hate groups. Tomorrow, Lake Worth residents go to the polls to vote for mayor and City Commission candidates in districts 1 and 3. 

We asked all four City Commission candidates to respond to three questions about policies for undocumented workers in Lake Worth. We've posted Jo-Ann Golden's and Wes Blackman's responses. After the jump, excerpts from District 1 candidate, former mayor, and city commissioner Ron Exline. As yet, we haven't had a response from Scott Maxwell.

Lake Worth Commission Candidate Wes Blackman Speaks on Immigration

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photo courtesy 2.bp.blogspot.com
Immigration is a hot-button issue in tomorrow's Lake Worth City Commission elections, in part due to the large number of undocumented residents in the city but also because of the recent flap over candidate Scott Maxwell's alleged ties to anti-immigration hate groups. Tomorrow, Lake Worth residents go to the polls to vote for mayor and City Commission candidates in districts 1 and 3. 

We asked all four City Commission candidates to respond to three questions about policies for undocumented workers in Lake Worth. We just posted Jo-Ann Golden's responses. After the jump, excerpts from her District 3 opponent Wes Blackman, whose contentious local blog has been a major source of information and amusement for Lake Worth residents this year.


Who Got Rothstein Money? (And If That Gets Bad, Will They Give It Back?)

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Flickr: Hasner on the Move
Lamberti, Lieberman, Hasner, and Bogdanoff: They all got Rothstein $$.
At the Florida Secretary of State database, you can call up a list of the Florida politicians who accepted campaign contributions from embattled attorney Scott Rothstein. Long, isn't it? Mind you, that doesn't include the contributions he made to the candidates for federal office -- John McCain and Charlie Crist, to name a couple. Nor does it include the many contributions he made directly and bundled on behalf of local politicians.

I'm tempted to list them, but honestly, it's almost easier to list the state politicians who didn't take money from Rothstein. So let's just talk about those who blundered most spectacularly.

Lake Worth Commission Candidate Jo-Ann Golden Speaks on Immigration

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Taking a nap at the Mentoring Center.
Immigration is a hot-button issue in tomorrow's Lake Worth City Commission elections, in part due to the large number of undocumented residents in the city but also because of the recent flap over candidate Scott Maxwell's alleged ties to anti-immigration hate groups. Tomorrow, Lake Worth residents go to the polls to vote for mayor and City Commission candidates in districts 1 and 3. 

One subject of bitter debate has been Lake Worth's Mentoring Center, founded to help immigrants find work and learn English. Supporters argue that the center integrates immigrants into the community and provides needed services; detractors say the Mentoring Center, which cost around $400,000 to refurbish, has become a trash-strewn eyesore and a magnet for drunks.

We asked all four City Commission candidates to respond to three questions about policies for undocumented workers in Lake Worth. After the jump, excerpts from District 3 candidate and current Vice Mayor Jo-Ann Golden. We'll post responses from other candidates later today.

Rothstein in Review: Who Wouldn't Have Thunk It?

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Flickr: Bristolphoto
Rothstein from his office perch over Las Olas.
Attorney Scott Rothstein hasn't been charged with any crime, and there's no evidence of wrongdoing at this point, but this morning, it's become clear that there will at least be very serious civil suits against him, the type that will call into question whether he was honest with people who invested money with him.

Can we skip over the stage where we talk about how he had us all fooled? Whatever Rothstein did, he did it in very public fashion. There's simply no excuse for not having at least a gut feeling that Rothstein's honeymoon with high society couldn't last.

One year ago in this newspaper, columnist Bob Norman began a profile that reflected both the fascination and the skepticism of the region's big shots.
Rothstein's big-spending ways and race to the top of the Fort Lauderdale glitterati has legal and business insiders wondering: Who is this guy? Is he for real, or is he building a house of cards?

John DeGroot Digging Into Case of Gabriel Myers, the Foster Child Who Hung Himself

I'm dashing off for Halloween weekend, but as long we're giving props to gritty journalists who've gone blog-happy, here's some fantastic, in-depth reporting, courtesy John DeGroot, about the case of Gabriel Myers, the 7-year-old foster child in Margate who hung himself with a rubber hose in April.

This story's not going away. The doc, as well as the state child welfare system, have some hard questions to answer. Let's hope by next week, the agency's secretary George Sheldon -- a former colleague of DeGroot's at the AG's office -- has the temerity to address the issues in that DeGroot email.

Lake Worth Liberals Smear Scott Maxwell With His Own Words



In the video above, which was posted to Youtube today, you can hear Lake Worth City Commission candidate Scott Maxwell on his own radio show. The audio leaves little doubt that on immigration, he lines up to the right of Lou Dobbs. By the sound of it, he's getting mighty close to Minuteman territory. If you listen to the end you'll hear Maxwell basically excuse police who engage in racial profiling. He also refers to Congress as "535 fools on the Hill," suggesting he's to the right of all them, too.

So it does seem a tad excessive for Maxwell's opponents to be laboring to push him even further right in the eyes of voters by linking him to racial hate groups, a connection which he denied in an interview with Juice this morning. He is indisputably extremely conservative -- isn't that enough?

Cheers to the New Bulldog Blog in Town

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Flickr user: sabianmaggy
There's a new bulldog in town.
After 30 years in the South Florida news business, Dan Christensen isn't about to let one small layoff stop him from mining the bottomless pit of Broward County corruption.

The veteran Daily Business Review and Miami Herald reporter has launched a new nonprofit investigative news site, Broward Bulldog, that aims to pick up where the ever-shrinking dailies leave off.

"We're gonna report the news and let the chips fall where they may," says

UPDATE: Environmental Coalition Rallies Against Scott Maxwell: Maxwell Responds to Allegations of Racism

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We spoke by phone with Scott Maxwell just minutes after the PBC Environmental Coalition ended its news conference in Lake Worth this afternoon, where speakers alleged that Maxwell, who is running for City Commission District 1, had ties to racist and white supremacist groups, specifically the Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR) and local White Nationalist group Stormfront.

When asked about the the coalition's allegations, Maxwell said, "Is there a way to answer this question? It's like the old 'When did you stop beating your wife?' routine? Referring to his alleged association with Stormfront, he said, "I would never knowingly associate with that type of organization. I'm saddened and disappointed that the issues important to the neighborhood are being swept away because those folks choose to talk about something that I have never for a moment brought up in this campaign."

Crist Walks Into Democrat-Laid Health-Care Trap

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Everybody's still talking about Crist gaffe-ing (lying?) over the Obama appearance, but this quotable moment is, I think, much more precious. Let's pull out a portion of that Sarasota Herald-Tribune article, which asked for Crist's opinion of a Senate Democrat health-care reform package that would allow states to opt out of government-run health care -- the so-called public option.
"My view of it is that the public option I think may be sort of a Trojan horse to a government takeover of health care," Crist said. "And I think our administration has demonstrated that's not what we favor, nor do I think that's what Floridians really want."

But Crist refused to say whether he would support letting Florida "opt out" of the government plan if the Senate proposal becomes law.

"I would rather see them pass something that doesn't have a public option in it," he said.
So he took the bait. Your prospective Florida senator is telling Floridians that they should reject the option of having an option of a public health-care plan. Does that make sense?

Home Depot Employee Says Fired Okeechobee Man Was "Obnoxious"


Trevor Keezor broke his company's rules. He was warned several times. Then he was fired. That should probably be the end of the story. But Mr. Keezor sees himself as a martyr, a spokesperson for Christians everywhere who aren't allowed to write their own dress code policies and demand they still get paid.

But one employee at the Home Depot in Okeechobee from which Keezor was fired (for refusing to take off his "One Nation... Under God... Indivisible" button after several weeks of warnings) says Keezor was "obnoxious" about his religious beliefs. Speaking on the condition of anonymity because it is also against company policy to talk to the media without a supervisor's consent, the employee said Keezor was "very loud with his Republican beliefs whenever something like that ever came up." Adding, "he was annoying a lot of people for a long time."

Butterworth Looking for "Root Cause" of School Board Corruption: Maybe It's the Media?



At about the 2:40 mark of this Sun-Sentinel video, you'll hear Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler complain about the lack of positive media coverage of the Broward County School Board. Then former Attorney General Bob Butterworth plays editor, questioning why the dailies didn't give more coverage to some lame awards that the school district won.

That's right. The fellows who have been appointed and entrusted with the role of being critical of the School Board are on record as saying that people are too critical of the School Board. Gosh, if that doesn't make you optimistic about the prospects of this "investigation," I don't know what will!

After the jump, let's talk about "root cause."

Which Video Is More Damaging to Crist?

Is it the one that Rubio's campaign released yesterday, seen below?



Or is it the more controversial one that Rubio has denounced as "offensive" and "grotesque." (He forgot, "hilarious.")  I've posted that video after the jump.

Quote Machine: Wasserman Schultz Catching Flak for Renaming Public Option

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Wasserman Schultz
Does "consumer option" sound more inviting than "public option"? How about "competitive option"? In case it does, Fox News is warning its partisan audience that whatever West Broward Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Nancy Pelosi call it, it's still a "public option" -- which still translates to the dreaded "big government."

Normally, efforts to re-brand public policy, deserve the eye rolls they get. But then you look at polls like this one, which suggest that roughly a quarter of the population has a knee-jerk opposition to policies that sound public option-y but who will reverse that opposition if the same plan is described as giving them a "choice" between a government health care plan and a private one. It's roughly the difference between a plan that only half of Americans support and one that three-quarters of Americans' support.

So if it boils down to semantics, and if -- as those polls attest -- opponents of the public option don't understand the public option, why not try re-packaging it?

Lake Worth Commish Hopeful Scott Maxwell Tied to White Supremicists?

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Maxwell: The crusade temporarily suspended
The Lake Worth elections slated for November 3rd just get weirder by the minute. As if the flap about Mayoral candidate Rene Varela's role in the sales of wild dolphins to a marine park in Dubai weren't scandal enough, now the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition is claiming that one of the candidates running for City Commission may have ties to West Palm white supremicist group Stormfront.

Maxwell is one of the leading rabble rousers on illegal immigration: He sees the issue as a major problem facing Lake Worth. He's joined by a vocal coterie of local frothers including blogger Lynn Anderson. Until recently, Maxwell broadcast a radio program devoted to the subject, "Connecting the Dots on Illegal Immigration," which ran Thursdays at 8 pm on WBZT 1230 Clear Channel.

Former TV Reporter Now Picketing TV Station



Olga Bichachi, a reporter for WPLG-TV (Channel 10) at least as recently as February 2008, has gone rogue! That's her as part of a picket that took place last week outside her old studio in Hallandale Beach. She sounds pretty convincing -- right up to the point where she starts talking about the "liberal media." Yes, a media so liberal that it gives wall-to-wall coverage of Tea Party rallies and largely ignores gay marriage rallies. A liberal media that mostly didn't bother to fact-check absurd, exaggerated claims about health care reform made by Tea Party types trying to derail the horrifying policy of universal coverage.

Lake Worth Mayoral Candidate Rene Varela Responds to Dolphin Trafficking Allegations

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Dr. Rene Varela


Two days ago, we posted this story about how protesters in Lake Worth targeted mayoral candidate Rene Varela, shining light on his work with Ocean Embassy, an Orlando company (formed by ex-SeaWorld employees) that has plans to build a resort in Panama featuring marine animal attractions. The company has also been accused of involvement with capturing wild dolphins in the Solomon Islands and exporting them to Dubai for use in theme parks. Protesters called Varela a "dolphin trafficker," and the story set off a heated debate in the comments field.

I contacted both Varela's employer and campaign manager requesting a phone interview. Varela did not return my calls but instead sent this email, which I only just rescued from my spam filter. I've posted it after the jump.

Crist's Three Disciples: Men Closest to Governor All From Broward

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LeMieux getting comfortable in the office Charlie scored for him.
Say this about young Broward County Republicans: They know a meal ticket when they see one. By my count, the three men who have the most crucial roles in getting Charlie Crist elected to the U.S. Senate are all from Broward.

We know about George LeMieux, the former county GOP chair and campaign "maestro" who thanks to an appointment by Crist is now the youngest U.S. Senator. LeMieux's job: simply to vacate the office when Charlie wants after 2010. In exchange, you can bet LeMieux lands whatever job he wants in Crist's office -- probably chief of staff, the title he took after the victorious gubernatorial campaign.

Shane Strum is a familiar face around here.

David Irving Event in Mississippi Suggests Rift Between Author, White Nationalists

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Flickr: nmec
David Irving
As we wait to learn more about the stabbings that occurred last night at the Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan, here's an interesting account of a similar David Irving speaking engagement scheduled for last week in Jackson, Mississippi.

It comes from a white nationalist website, whose group was going to host Irving at a speech in Jackson City Hall, despite condemnations from politicians and several minority rights groups. The nationalists weathered that controversy but didn't get much in return from the historian.
Irving had stated on his website that he would be appearing, but turned out to be a no-show. Most major television-networks were present, as well as interested spectators and considerable police-security. Nationalists held to their reservation of the venue, in order to defy those who had vowed to shut the appearance down.

Is Lake Worth Mayoral Candidate a Dolphin Trafficker?

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Protestors at last night's forum

It's not unusual for politicians to want to hide controversial details of their lives: adulterous affairs, DUI arrests, bankruptcies. Leave to the reliably kooky city of Lake Worth to have this week's most interesting political scandal: rivals of mayoral candidate Rene Varela -- a marine mammal veterinarian -- say that he helps sell wild dolphins for profit.

On his campaign website, Varela claims that he has taught at such esteemed institutions as Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and the University of Florida. His website says nothing of his involvement with Ocean Embassy, a company that is building a $500 million Sea World-style resort in Panama.  Ocean Embassy's website says Varela has been director of veterinary services since 2005. No one answered the phone at Ocean Embassy's offices today, and Varela has yet to respond to an email seeking comment.

Ocean Embassy has been no stranger to controversy. 
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