Won't be needing this anymore.

The Davie Republican with ties to the 1-800-411-PAIN Referral Service is no longer vying to represent western Broward in the state House.

Merick Lewin submitted paperwork to withdraw from the District 97 race on March 28, less than three weeks after the state Legislature passed a bill that could threaten profits for car accident clinics such as the 411-PAIN chain co-owned by Lewin's uncle, Harley Lewin.

Reached by phone yesterday, Lewin declined to explain why he ended his campaign, saying he would soon be releasing a public statement on his Facebook page. Asked whether his decision had anything to do with the March passage of the personal injury protection (PIP) insurance bill, he said, "No, it does not."
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Glenn Fawcett, DOD

Craig Mallak

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The new hair, on the right.

Normally, the Pulp would never consider a politician's hairstyle news, but U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Weston) is a special case. For some reason, the internet hates her hair. Her tightly spiraled, dyed-blond curls have been called "angry perm" and "nappy," and Rush Limbaugh once accused her of using mayonnaise on her tresses. Last week, when we published a blog about Wasserman Schultz canceling a speech at a local Muslim group's fundraiser, some commenters cared more about her hair than her decision not to appear at the event.

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You're listening to the crazy man now, Debbie?

Involving Muslims in the American political process is a frightening prospect to guys like Joe Kaufman. Judging from a rant he wrote in February, Kaufman, head of the anti-Islam group Americans Against Hate, doesn't want Muslims to vote, work for the federal government, or get fair legal representation.

Kaufman's view aren't shocking -- he's been spouting similar ignorance for years. What's troubling is that U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Weston) may have listened to him.

Until last month, Wasserman Schultz had been scheduled to speak at the annual fundraising banquet of the nonprofit Emerge USA, the group's leaders say. Emerge, based in Margate, aims to empower Muslims, Indian, Pakistani, and Arab-American people through voter registration, political polling, and a leadership training program for young adults. Last year, the speaker at the group's annual banquet was former Sen. Bob Graham.

This year, Kaufman got wind of Wasserman Schultz's speaking engagement and wrote a hysterical rant about Emerge's leaders, saying the organization has a "nefarious agenda of placing Islamists into positions of American power and influence."
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Lisa Rab

Yes, there's a Lamberti sponge.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a meeting between local Muslim leaders and law enforcement officials.This heartwarming gathering, designed to improve relations between cops and South Florida's Muslim community, was hosted by the Broward Sheriff's Office. Therefore, everyone who attended got a free bag of BSO swag.

Never give a New Times reporter swag. Ethically, she is required to make fun of it. Hence, a list of the Top Five Best BSO Swag:

5. Sticky notes. Fluorescent-colored, contained in a book with the BSO logo stamped on the front.

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Some handy-dandy lobbying materials (click to enlarge)

​It's a strange battle that pitches Ron Bergeron as the underdog, but there's nothing that isn't strange about trash in South Florida. Debates about what to do with the stuff have raged for decades, and the main player has been Wayne Huizenga's mutant offspring, Wheelabrator Technologies, which does trash hauling for most of Broward County.More >>

keithlondon.com

The next mayor?

​Hallandale Beach City Commissioner Keith London, who just might be Mayor Joy Cooper's least-favorite person in the world political arena, is set to challenge her in the November mayoral election.

London has previously called out the mayor for spending wastefully, ignoring residents, and avoiding transparency. The two were involved in a somewhat personal spat over public records, in which London dug up records of Cooper and her son getting into car accidents, and she requested to see all of his emails.

"People have been asking me to run for four years," says London, who has taken up the position of the perennial "no" vote on many issues the mayor brings to the table and who says he'll have no problem fashioning his history of dissent into a leadership role.
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We'll take a higher-res photo of you if you meet with us, Sheriff.

​We dropped by a fundraiser for Al Lamberti at Athena by the Sea, a Greek Restaurant at Commercial Boulevard and A1A that's stuck in the same charming but bygone era as the rest of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. We wanted to personally ask for the same face-to-face interview we've gotten with the two Democratic candidates, who will face off in the March primary.More >>