Coral Gables Watch

OVERDEVELOPMENT PROMOTED BY THE COMMISSION OF CORAL GABLES

This clearly demonstrates that the city selling its land to a developer, just ADDS TO THE OVERDEVELOPMENT, OVERBUILDING TREND IN CORAL GABLES. The solution–stop selling public land to developers.

The Coral Gables City Commission voted Tuesday to move forward with a plan to sell a public parking lot for $3.5 million to a developer that would join the property with two adjacent lots for a new project.

But a wrinkle came up during the meeting: The partners behind the listed buyer — Delaware-registered JRFQ Holdings, LLC. — also own the MSP Recovery Law Firm where Vice Mayor Michael Mena has been employed since July 2019.

Gables commissioner voted to sell city property to his bosses | Miami Herald

Conflict of Interest and Appearance of Corruption in the Commission of Coral Gables

It may be two years away, but newly-minted Coral Gables Vice Mayor Mike Mena just lost any chance he had to be re-elected in 2023. No, it’s not just because of the condescending matter in which he dismissed resident-driven ideas from newly-elected Commissioner Rhonda Anderson, who proposed amending the zoning code to require approval and notice for “as of right” commercial developments. The Gables Insider correctly called Mena’s arguments mansplaining. It was also pathetic. But the reason he’s not fit for office is because of his shameful and unethical vote to sell city-owned land to his boss. The commission voted unanimously Tuesday to sell a parking lot at 350 Greco Avenue for $3.5 million to JRFQ Holdings, a company registered in Delaware and owned by John Ruiz and former Commissioner Frank Quesada, who also own the company that employ Mena.

Coral Gables Vice Mayor Mike Mena votes to sell city land to his bosses – Political Cortadito

US Immigration Program with El Salvador will Fail

In its first plenary session on Saturday, May 1, El Salvador’s recently-elected Legislative Assembly, controlled by the government-aligned party, Nuevas Ideas, set aside constitutional procedure in removing five magistrates of the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber and substituting them with judges loyal to President Nayib Bukele. Minutes later, the Assembly removed Attorney General Raúl Melara and replaced him with former lead prosecutor for organized crime, Rodolfo Delgado. Both decisions —approved with 64 of 84 Assembly votes thanks to the additional support of GANA, the PCN, and PDC— are efforts to remove the last institutional checks on the president’s power since he took office in 2019, and whose party notched a blistering victory, one vote short of a supermajority, this February 28.

Bukele’s Legislative Assembly Ousts Supreme Court Magistrates and Attorney General