FOLLOW me on my popular Twitter feed. Just click this photo! @hbbtruth - David - Common sense on #Politics #PublicPolicy #Sports #PopCulture in USA, Great Britain, Sweden and France, via my life in #Texas #Memphis #Miami #IU #Chicago #DC #FL 🛫🌍📺📽️🏈. Photo is of Elvis and Joan Blackman in 'Blue Hawaii'
Beautiful Stockholm at night, looking west towards Gamla Stan
Ladra on Hialeah primary election results: "Four more years of exposing Gavelgirl's graft and vulgar griteria tactics"... "makes Ladra's tail wag like mad to think of her up on the dais with" Raul Martinez as mayor.
Or as blogger Elaine de Valle wrote yesterday in the voice of her muse & alter ego, half-way thru one of the most accurate and delicious blog posts I've seen this year, about the prospect of two XL egos on one dais, fighting for oxygen and the microphone:
And, I love to admit, it makes Ladra's tail wag like mad to think of her up on the dais with Martinez as mayor. In fact, that image among voters might boost the Dark Prince's numbers in the run-off.
*In case you don't know, when she references Sasha Tirador as "the AB Queen," she's talking about absentee ballots, long a subject of much controversy and legal & criminal investigation in the City of Progress for reasons too numerous to mention here. Tirador's working for incumbent Hialeah mayor Carlos Hernandez who received 40% of the votes Tuesday and who faces former longtime mayor Raul Martinez in the run-off on November 15th.
Political Cortadito blog
Shock in Hialeah election upsets
By Elaine de Valle,
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Hialeah election primary ended Tuesday in a thud heard 'round the City of Progress and met with what can only be called shock and/or total disbelief by the hundreds of supporters and volunteers (not to mention the paid political consultants) that waited for results at the campaign offices of both former State Sen. Rudy Garcia and former Mayor Raul Martinez, where many undry eyes watched su alcaldito Carlos Hernandez hang on to a formidable lead.
There will be no continuation of the rather-heated discussion on red-light cameras in Broward County at the County Commission until AFTER the current 90-day legislative session in Tallahassee is concluded -if then.
Basically, at Tuesday's Broward County Comm. meeting, in reference to another question, Comm. Sue Gunzburger, acting in her role as the presiding officer or "mayor," said that there wouldn't be a meeting to follow-up on that rather amazing March 1st meeting that I -unfortunately- missed seeing in person but watched via streaming, that had so many people amused and appalled in equal measures.
(That was the meeting where large mayoral egos collided, as Hallandale Beach mayor Joy Cooperand Pembroke Pines mayor Frank Ortis continually jockeyed to respond via the public microphone to various commissioner's hardball questions and prodding for more information about their respective city's program, and what was and wasn't done in the name of safety. And, of course, the larger issue of whether or not it was all just a smoke-screen to conduct a money-grab in the case of Hallandale Beach's infamous red-light camera on U.S.-1 and Hallandale Beach. Blvd. My post on that March 1st meeting: My own little red-light camera 'rainout' at the Broward County Commision this morning; HB begins phase two of red-light camera money-grab today http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-own-little-red-light-camera-rainout.html)
The reason is because the whole issue could well be moot by this summer since there is a very reasonable chance that given the sentiment towards outlawing them, the FL legislature will make that law allowing them a one-year wonder and repeal them. Florida SB 672, sponsored by Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah, would repeal last year's law allowing red-light cameras, moved out of the Senate Transportation Comm. in a 4-2 vote on Wednesday. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/672 Voting to keep red-light cameras: Arthenia Joyner and Lizbeth Benacquisto.
Comm. members include: Chair -Senator Michael S. "Mike" Bennett (R) Vice Chair -Senator Jim Norman (R)
* Senator Paula Dockery (R) * Senator Anthony C. "Tony" Hill, Sr. (D) * Senator Garrett Richter (R) * Senator Jeremy Ring (D) of Margate * Senator Ronda Storms (R) * Senator John Thrasher (R) * Senator Stephen R. Wise (R)
Sen. Garcia is widely-expected to run for mayor of Hialeah later this year, as current mayor Julio Robaina is among those actively running for Miami-Dade County mayor in the race to succeed recalled mayor Carlos Alvarez.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Broward Politics blog video: Broward County Clerk Howard C. Forman says mushrooming red-light cameras -and tickets- will create new pressures on resources/finances of Broward Courts http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B-n3bKZnZs4
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Broward Politics blog is at:http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/ ----- Tuesday morning's Broward County Commission agenda includes the red-light camera issue, which is why I will likely be there on TuesdayIFI can switch some things around in my schedule.
Regardless of whether I can attend Ruesday morning in person or not, I will post the information and photographs I want to make them aware of here on the blog by 9 a.m. and email it to them. Please come back here Tuesday morning so you can see for yourself what this program looks like in Hallandale Beach, and judge whether or not it seems reasonable or well-executed.
Honorable Mayor Gunzburger, Vice Mayor Rodstrom and County Commissioners,
I am not a supporter of "redlight" cameras not because I want people to break the law and get away with it. I am against it because my city, Hallandale Beach has done such a poor job installing a redlight camera about a year before the State actually allowed them. The City made it a "code violation" and collected about 2 million dollars for not stopping twice or three times prior to turning right on red. That is not the issue I am writing about now. We will fight that battle with our City Commission.
I understand you will vote on allowing the cities to tie into the County's traffic control system. I am not in favor of it but if you do I urge you to make a small amendment to the ordinance.
If they want to tie into the system, any intersection with traffic cameras should have a "count down" device next to it, similar to the one you see at cross walks. That would warn law abiding citizens to get ready to stop and avoid rear end collisions. Cities collect plenty of money from fines to absorb the additional expense.
I hope you decide to consider my suggestion, it would make redlight cameras safer and more palatable to the residents of Broward County.
Sincerely,
Csaba Kulin
Vice President
United Condominium Associations of Hallandale Beach
Late this afternoon, a post by Brittany Wallman bout the red-light camera issue was posted at Broward Politics blog.
Broward's Rodstrom offers counterproposal to red light cameras By Brittany Wallman February 28, 2011 06:11 PM
Drivers already hate sitting at red lights. Maybe they’ll get to hate it for two seconds longer.One Broward County commissioner suggests that would be a better way to keep motorists safe from red-light runners than watching them with enforcement cameras.
Read the rest of the post at: http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/02/browards_rodstrom_offers_count.html
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The bill in the Florida State House to repeal red-light cameras is Bill 4087, which was filed by State Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-New Port Richey, and the companion in the State Senate is Senate Bill 672, filed by Sen. Garcia, whose district is based out of Hialeah. Broward PoliticsYouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/BrowardPolitics
Thus far, which is to say about 10 p.m. on Thursday the 24th, I've been unable to ascertain the exact location of where the protests described in this article below will take place in South Florida on Saturday.
I will be calling State Sen. Rene Garcia's office on Friday to find out if they know any particulars that would be helpful to know. His district office phone number is (305) 364-3100
In the absence of an organized event closer to many of us here in this part of southeast Broward County, it would seem common sense to me that the eastern sidewalk along U.S.-1, south of Hallandale Beach -right near the first red-light camera erected in Hallandale Beach- would seem the best location for such an event.
It also offers a highly-visible location with an infinite supply of people driving by who will be in support of repealing the current red-light camera law, which, sadly for residents of Hallandale Beach, the city is clearly exploiting for revenue purposes.
And when you think about it, is there really a red-light camera location in South Florida more infamous than this one? In a word, "NO!" As you know from my previous posts here, and some very fair-minded articles in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Broward County Commission will be voting on Tuesday on the issue of the current law being repealed by the Florida legislature.
The bill in the State House to repeal is Bill 4087, which was filed by State Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-New Port Richey, and the companion in the State Senate is Senate Bill 672, filed bySen. Garcia, whose district is based out of Hialeah.
See also: Report Critiques Red Light Camera Research Methods University of South Florida analysis elaborates on conclusion that red light cameras are associated with increased injury accidents. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/34/3413.asp WBAL-TV I-Team video: Dead Officer Signed Red Light Citations Baltimore Police, Other Officials Work To Correct Problem POSTED: 1:30 pm EST February 10, 2011 http://www.wbaltv.com/news/26821379/detail.html
The Washington Post How red-light cameras work http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/22/AR2011022206911.html
