By Kimberly Leonard

City of Miami skyline. | Getty Images

Good morning and happy Thursday. 

A pileup of legal woes is mounting in Miami.

Suspended Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla is under criminal corruption charges. A local probe is underway into whether politicians improperly influenced the police force. The FBI is probing Mayor Francis Suarez’s arrangement with a developer.

These are far from isolated cases in Miami’s history. Those under investigation have denied wrongdoing, but the situation is a reminder of the scandal-laden reputation that still plagues the Magic City. It’s become endemic ever since the cocaine trade in the 1970s and ‘80s fueled Miami’s real estate boom, when the allure of money and power was too strong for many police officers to withstand.

“People are used to it. They have almost become numb to it,” said Nikki Fried, a native of Miami and the Democratic Party of Florida’s chair.

The latest controversies are coming as Miami is changing significantly, especially as Wall-Street cash moves in. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), also from Miami, said the fresh round of allegations were bad for the city’s image and reputation.

“Why it happens? Any time you have influence and money next to each other there’s these temptations, obviously,” he said of the city’s history.

Rubio stressed that they're innocent until proven guilty. But he and others all acknowledged Miami has had its share of controversies. Asked about the latest scandals, U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) noted it's not just elected officials: “We had many different areas: the entertainers, we have the politicians and we have the sports people,” she said.

Rep. Carlos A. Giménez (R-Fla.) a former Miami-Dade County mayor, said holding local elections at the same time as midterms and presidential elections, rather than during off years when voter turnout is low, might help improve the quality of candidates. The next local election is this November.

“There’s been a lot of shenanigans going on in the city of Miami for a long time,” he said. “But what's happened there, and probably what will happen there, will not surprise me because you keep electing the same people that have proven over and over again that are prone to this type of behavior.”

— Mia McCarthy contributed from Washington, DC.

— WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is fundraising in Texas. He’ll be on The Mark Levin Show at 8:20 p.m. and then will interview with Glenn Beck for a segment that will air Saturday.

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DINNER WITH THE VP — Vice President Kamala Harris will be back in Florida next week, but this time it’s to raise money for the Biden Victory Fund joint fundraising committee. Two events — one for dinner and another for dessert — will be held in Miami Shores on Sept. 28. “Champion” level tickets for the dessert reception cost $10,000 and come with a photo. Former Ambassador to Singapore Kirk Wagar and his wife Crystal Wagar are among the hosts.

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) speaks at a Congressional field hearing on nursing home preparedness and disaster response October 19, 2017 in Miami, Florida. | Getty Images

PANEL ON BLACK HISTORY — Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) is hosting a panel tomorrow on African American history, which she called a “call to action,” as part of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference.

Wilson, a former elementary school principal who was instrumental in guaranteeing that African American history be taught in public schools when she was in the Florida Legislature, said she was deeply troubled by the controversial state curriculum drafted this summer, that included instructions asserting enslaved people developed skills that "could be applied for their personal benefit."

“I am offended that they have taken the liberty to change it without consulting the people who wrote the original rendition of it,” she said of the new curriculum standards.

Wilson has been working with churches to help them make African American history a part of their ministries, and wants to turn the push into a broader national movement. She is also planning to send a letter to President Joe Biden so he’ll encourage more state Legislatures to require African American history courses. Only 12 mandate it now, and she said the Black community and others were energized by the issue.

“We can't sit back and allow our history to be whitewashed,” she said. “We can't sit back and allow our history to not be studied, to not be learned, to not be appreciated and to not be preserved.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUG IMPORTATION — Lobbying giant PhRMA petitioned the Food and Drug Administration against Florida's drug importation plan, saying it “does not demonstrate that importation will pose no additional risk to public safety or that importation will result in a significant cost reduction for consumers.”

The Biden administration hasn’t yet approved Florida’s application and asked for fixes to the proposal, while the DeSantis administration sued to be able to launch the plan, which would apply to certain state health-care programs. Biden promised when he was running for office that he’d allow states to import less expensive medicines from other countries to save costs.

“This petition just makes the case that we are doing the right thing,” said Jeremy Redfern, DeSantis’ press secretary. “Despite Big Pharma’s objections and the Biden Administration’s reluctance, Gov. DeSantis will continue to lead the fight to lower prescription drug prices for Floridians.”

SPLIT IT — “Lawmakers seek to sever FEMA from Department of Homeland Security,” by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “It would elevate FEMA to a stand-alone federal agency in the Cabinet, something that bill sponsors U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla) and U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, (R-La.), said would improve its ability to help prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. Currently, they said, FEMA is slowed by the Department of Homeland Security bureaucracy.”

— Rubio explains why he supports having work requirements in an expansion of the child tax credit, on NPR’s All Things Considered

9 DAYS AWAY — Florida’s minimum wage increase is coming, WFLA notes. It’s now at $11 per hour for non-tipped employees and $7.98 for tipped employees. These amounts will increase by $1 each on Sept. 30.

LABOR LAWS — “Proposed Florida child labor bill removes restrictions on hours some minors can work,” by Local 10 News’ Veronica Crespo: “The proposed bill (HB 49) would target employment restrictions for minors between the ages of 16 and 17, allowing them to work the same number of hours as a person who is 18 or older.”

BATHROOM BILL — Florida’s board of governors advanced a rule on Wednesdays that would let public colleges fire transgender employees who use the restroom that matches their gender identity, POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy reported. The board will hold a final vote on adoption of the rule in November.

ARREST — “State arrests former CFO of disgraced domestic violence coalition. More arrests expected,” by the Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas: “After a three-year investigation, state officials arrested Patricia Duarte, the former chief financial officer of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, late Tuesday for her role in padding the books at the defunct taxpayer-funded organization to compensate herself and the former CEO. Tiffany Carr, the chief executive officer, was paid $7.5 million in taxpayer funds over three years.”

LAWSUIT — “Legislative aide sues, saying Amesty falsely accused him of trying to run her over with car,” by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Annie Martin and Leslie Postal: “The aide, Nicolas Frevola, is the son of Janet Frevola, one of four Republicans Amesty defeated in the August 2022 primary before going on to win her District 45 seat, which covers Windermere, other west Orange County communities and a northern slice of Osceola County.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is seen in an elevator after a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 13, 2023. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images) | AP

ALL IN THE FAMILY — “Like father, like son? As possibility of Matt Gaetz for Florida governor builds, Don Gaetz eyes a return to the state Senate,” by City & State’s Tristan Wood: “There is no political itch I’m trying to scratch. If I run for Senate again, it will be because my family thinks it is the right thing to do and I think I can be of some value again for the people of northwest Florida,” the senior Gaetz said.

COMMON THREAD FOR FLORIDIANS — An account from a family whose property insurance ballooned to $12,000 a year even after they spent $28,000 replacing their roof, was shared with Insider. The family left Florida for more-affordable Wisconsin.

— “New Florida Emergency Operations Center will be built to withstand Cat 5 hurricane,” by the Tallahassee Democrat’s James Call

— “USDA will extend SNAP food assistance to Idalia victims in Florida,” by Florida Phoenix’s Christian Casale

OIL COUNTRY — “$2 gasoline, fossil fuel expansion at center of DeSantis energy plan,” by Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook and Jennifer A Dlouhy: The plan would allow for the creation of new pipelines and permit extraction of fossil fuels on federal lands. DeSantis would also withdraw the U.S. from its global climate change pacts.

‘DRILL BABY DRILL’  — “DeSantis wants to rollback climate measures as he embraces 'drill, baby, drill' mentality,” by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Zac Anderson: DeSantis would reject draft vehicle emissions regulations being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency that would make it harder to sell gas-powered cars.

BORN AGAIN — DeSantis is talking about his anti-abortion record more as he courts evangelicals, USA Today reports.

CAMPAIGN TALKING POINT UNDERMINED — “'We knew the numbers were bad': Law enforcement staff raised concerns about Ron DeSantis' top crime talking point,” by NBC News’ Matt Dixon: “Florida’s top law enforcement officials were repeatedly warned by their own staff that DeSantis’ claim that the state’s crime rate is at a 50-year low — a message he often uses as part of his presidential campaign — was based on incomplete data that makes the accuracy of the claim impossible to verify.”

JOB FAIR — “DeSantis has directed the Florida Department of Commerce to set up a Taylor County job fair for the 516 Georgia Pacific workers who will lose their jobs when the Foley Mill closes in November,” the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

ARREST — “Kirk Reams, scandal-plagued clerk of court in Jefferson County, arrested in FDLE probe,” by the Tallahassee Democrat’s Jeff Burlew: He was arrested “on charges he misused the office credit card, took part in a kickback scheme and misappropriated funds.”

— “DeSantis ‘on life support’ in N.H., plummets in new poll,” by POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity

NEW ENDORSEMENTS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Florida Democratic Party is endorsing Johnny Farias for state representative in House District 118, in the special election held Dec. 5. Farias is a former Miami-Dade Community Council member and an Ecuadorian immigrant. He said in a statement that he planned to assemble a “coalition of fixers” in the legislature if elected to combat high property insurance costs.

Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell received endorsements from Florida Democratic U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, Lois Frankel, Maxwell Frost, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She’s running for U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s seat.

RIP — “Lucy Morgan, Pulitzer-winning force of Florida journalism, dies at 82,” by the Tampa Bay Times 

BIRTHDAYS: Former State Rep. and Miami Beach mayoral candidate Michael Grieco … former State Sen. Denise Grimsley … former U.S. Rep. Bill Grant … Chris Dudley with The Southern Group … Aly Coleman Raschid, vice president of accounts for On 3 Public Relations.

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