EYE ON MIAMI

• City of Miami CFO Larry Spring: close the door please on your way out ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 10
  I don't know Larry Spring, City of Miami chief financial officer, beyond watching him on local TV during one of the final hearings on the Marlins' stadium boondoggle of the century. It was amazing and dumbfounding to watch Spring stammer under questioning. In the end, it didn't matter that Spring' [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 2:42pm EST
  by Gimleteye

• Lennar New Home Sales: Piss-Poor Downpayments. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 4
  I looked up a random sample of new home sales for Lennar in Miami Dade County (There were 72 deeds between August 15th and November 15th, out of that 47 were to Carlos E. Martines(z) as Trustee to the Baywinds Land Trust at Lennar's address). So, there were about 25' [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 9:21am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Miami International Airport: American Airlines and Gate D ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 2
  Big Grumbling about the new Gate D from visitors who arrive and end up walking for such a long time that wonder if they are lost. Couple the Gate D problem with epic, long waits to get luggage from American baggage handlers, and you have a recipe for passenger discontent [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 7:31am EST
  by Gimleteye

• 60 ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 2
  When I was a kid, sixty was a magic number. It belonged to the home run king, Babe Ruth. Today sixty holds another fascination: the numerical majority signifying control of the US Senate. In recent weeks the nation has experienced how fragile that number is, applied to the Democratic majority. [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 7:25am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Turkey Day.... By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 2
  What to do? Probably will watch the video from last year of Sarah Palin prattling on... [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 5:01am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Will Willie Gort be coming back? By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 5
  Remember City of Miami Commissioner Willie Gort? Well, rumor has it he is going to run for Angel Gonzalez's vacated seat. It was decided today at the City of Miami Commission meeting that there will be an election in January to fill the seat. [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 7:07pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Happy Thanksgiving, Port Everglades! by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 2
  Thank you, Port Everglades. No: to Fanjul venture in middle of Everglades Agricultural Area. There should be no inland port where one isn't needed and doesn't belong. (But watch the governor's race and who contributes to whom.) [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 1:04pm EST
  by Gimleteye

• On Thanksgiving Day: give thanks to Florida Hometown Democracy ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 3
  The Wall Street Journal has published a map and chart by First American CoreLogic that looks at percentage of homeowners with negative equity, i.e., who owe more on their mortgage than their house is worth. "Nearly 10.7 million US households, or about 23% of homeowners with mortgages, had negative equity" [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 6:22am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Airports from Hell: Miami ranks second...from Hell! By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 8
  Out of a ranking done at the Daily Beast, today, limited to the 27 American airports that had one million or more total aircraft operations from 2006 through this summer, Miami Dade made it to second worst, at number 26 it is only behind Newark. This news adds to a [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 1:11pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Miami-Dade's Growth Machinery: is it all coming unglued? by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 5
  A prominent Miami marketing firm that involved the wife of U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart has federal tax trouble (November 9, 2009 South Florida Business Journal). At the same time, BankUnited has sued developer Sergio Pino to force him to pay a $34 million loan on a Doral project after the [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:13am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Miccosuke Tribe: You can call me stupid. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 5
  I knew the Miccosuke Tribe had a golf course but I just assumed it was over there on 8th Street by their casino. Stupid me. I have looked at their property a dozen times and never noticed that a golf course wasn't there. I found it, off SW 146th Avenue,' [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:11am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Bloggers' Meet-up Saturday. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 5
  Bloggers' meet-up, I was there, see the video.... Very nice group of people. The Burger Beast, recently in the Miami Herald, was getting into shape for a 4 pound hamburger he was scheduled to eat later so he did not partake in the tasty food provided.' [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:01am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• A verse from the Star Strangled Banner ... by guestblogger

  Number of comments: 1
  THE STAR STRANGLED BANNER (with apologies to Francis Scott Key)Oh, say, do you seethe, at the Dow’s daily frightHow so aptly we riled at the twilight’s last reamingWhose pinstripes and dulled stars plotted perilous nightsAs the bankers, we learned, were so flagrantly stealing?Plus the hedgers’ red stare, up all night [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 9:15am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Headless Florida Panther Found Along Road in Central Florida. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 3
  A headless, decaying panther was found Friday, alongside the Florida Turnpike. What more can you say? This is human cruelty I cannot comprehend. I found this on another blog, Lauren's close encounter with a Florida panther, let it serve as the panther's eulogy:"Oh my gosh!We have a real, BIG, Florida" [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 7:50am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Cry Babies: Florida special interests want to keep Florida's waters cheap, dirty and polluted ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 3
  One of the main themes of this blog is how the economic crisis enmeshing the United States was caused by an institutional willingness-- across industries and state boundaries-- to miscalculate risk. One of the ways this happened in Florida was shifting the cost of pollution from polluters to taxpayers. This [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 6:23am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Housework Ain't For Me! By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 19
  I always believed washing clothes was a waste of time. I think you should toss the garments when they are dirty. Now with spouse laid up for the past 3 days, I believe we should toss dishes too. I can't think of a bigger waste of time than loading and' [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 5:30pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The Miami Herald Quotes Eye on Miami Blog Today. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 9
  We quote the Miami Herald a lot, it is good to see they also read and quote from our blog.BTW don't bother doing a search on line. I did one and couldn't find the article, under Eyeonmiami, Gimleteye or Alan Farago. Even the author's name, Edward Schumacher-Matos, had "0" results' [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 9:38am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• I was recognized for post of the month. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 3
  All I can say is I am thrilled to have my Blog on the Saga of the Phone Scam recognized by other bloggers and readers. Check it out in The South Florida Daily Blog. [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 9:18am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The Atlantic asks: Is Crist Toast? By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 6
  I have been hearing rumblings about Senate candidate Crist becoming a Democrat. That would save me the trouble of registering as a Republican which was my plan in an effort to stymie that scary Rubio from winning the primary. We all know that the radicals vote in primaries. I don't' [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 12:27am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Jimbo's in the Miami Herald Today. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 20
  Jimbo does have a way of stating the truth...eventually. Not saying he is a liar because he is not, but he does have colorful stories and jokes that take you in circles sometimes but have a grain of truth at their core. In the final line in the Miami Herald [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 8:14am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Oasis of the Seas or the Ark of Bad Taste: who wants to vacation on a floating theme park? by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 4
  The PR says that the new Royal Caribbean "Oasis of the Seas" is five times larger than the Titanic. It has its own climate and Wikipedia page. It is a small floating city for 4500. I live in a city. Why would I pay, to go to sea in floating [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 7:07am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Regalado's Chief of Staff, Tony Crapp, Jr. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 13
  Longtime staff member for Tomas Regalado, over 10 years, Tony Crapp, Jr. is now the gate keeper. I thought you might want to know what he looks like in case you bump into him at City Hall. He always has been friendly to me, he is very personable. He made [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 7:05am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Jim Morin Draws Natacha Seijas. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 8
  Jim Morin's cartoon in the Miami Herald today had me on the floor laughing. He certainly did capture the Commissioner we all love to hate, Natacha Seijas, on her previously reported county jet-setting on our taxpayer dime. Hot air balloon, works for me! [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 11:52am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The new slanted news in Florida: who funds online Sayfie Media? by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 10
  The economic collapse and decline of print media has created a void slowly filling by pretender, quasi-news sources that pretend to be fair and balanced journalism. These look and "feel" and advertise themselves to be, from all appearances independent journalism. But they are not. These are not blogs, like ours. [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 6:35am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Big Week for the Barf Meter: Spence Jones is Running...Again. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 24
  Removed from her seat by the Governor (after she was charged with grand theft) didn't deter Michelle Spence Jones, she is running again for City of Miami Commissioner. If you live in the district, I implore you, please don't put her back in. Why didn't they appoint Flowers rather than' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 12:10am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Good Evening, Mr. Mayor, wherever you are...Part 2. Guest Blog By Outofsight

  Number of comments: 17
  Rumor has it, Mr. Mayor, there are good looking women looking for you...26 women to be exact! At the Miami-Dade Commission on Women meeting on Wednesday evening, it was pointed out that those ladies are looking for a face-to-face meeting with you, Mayor Alvarez, and have been for at least [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 9:01am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Watch Your Bank. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 1
  No advance notice is given to the public when a financial institution is closed:On Friday, November 13, 2009, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation closed Orion Bank, Naples, FL. Subsequently, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named Receiver. To see if your bank might be in trouble, check the [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 7:22am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Barry White: an effective citizen activist making a difference ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 14
  I'm intrigued-- if that is the right word-- how the mainstream media highlights volunteerism in our communities. NBC Nightly News, for instance, has a segment "Making a Difference". It is along the lines of 1000 Points of Light: remember those from the first Bush White House? Miami Today has its' [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:53am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Barfable News: Vile Natacha Seijas is in Washington DC Today. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 7
  Very high on the Barf Meter: Vile Natacha Seijas talking about anything green is akin to Pat Buchanan or Rush Limbaugh posing as progressives to the dumb clucks in Washington DC.This morning, Vile County Commissioner Seijas joined Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, and other leaders from Florida; [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 3:15pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Why Can't Our County Try to Help Us Finance Solar Like St Lucie? By Geniusofdespair.

  Number of comments: 3
  St. Lucie County is trying to make solar power affordable to residents, according to the TCPalm:The county is hoping to partner with other Treasure Coast governments and financial institutions to create a non-profit bank known as a community development financial institution that could lend money at low-interest rates for energy [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 1:58pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The coolest pool in Miami ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 13
  The owners of this swimming pool in South Miami, Philip Stoddard and Gray Read, began construction in their backyard in 2004. From this first photo, the pool looks no different from millions of swimming pools in Florida. This pool's owners have a leg up on the general public in thinking [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 6:55am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Miami Herald on Spence-Jones: one more thing the paper missed ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 6
  Dear Miami Herald, thanks for your coverage of the corruption scandals at the City of Miami. Here is what you missed: an analysis of business interests and their financial contribution to the campaigns of the fallen. In all cases, they are contributors tied one way or another to the Growth [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 6:31am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Believe it or Not: The Museum of Science Wants a Tax! By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 5
  According to Miami Today - I am told this came out in August but I never heard this:Operating a new Museum of Science at Bicentennial Park may require a new tax of some sort, the museum's president and CEO says."They've had special taxes allocated toward other sources," Gillian Thomas said [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 12:30am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Redland Community Council Rejected Soccer Field. By Geniusofdespair and Youbetcha'

  Number of comments: 9
  The Community Council 14 vote was a unanimous 4 against a formal soccer field in the middle of agriculture land. Here is the whole story by Youbetcha' and it is a good one:The attorney and his client did not seem at all concerned about the Urban Development Boundary or that' [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 12:01am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The Good Looking Guy Won. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 2
  In City of Miami's District 4 race Francis Suarez won as I predicted he would on Oct. 4th. It was close, Suarez had 51.45% to Manolo Reyes 48.55%. In Miami Beach's two run-offs: Jorge Exposito won with 52.83% of the vote and Michael Gongora won with 59.8%.Voter turnout was 18.23%. [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:01pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Election for Spence Jones Seat Will be in Mid January. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 9
  Can someone please find a decent candidate to run for this seat in the City of Miami? Charles Flowers, a retired pilot, was being vetted for appointment but he won't run for the seat. I was told his wife would murder him if he did.' [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 4:17pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Hey Gimleteye I was going to write about the ITC too! By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 7
  This is why you all NEED the Miami Herald. We can't do this in depth research even though we reported on the waste at International Trade Consortium over and over. The reporter duo of Haggman and Dolan say that since 2007 the trips cost us about a quarter of a' [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 7:31am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Lies Multiply from County Commissioners: Our subsidized foreign travel/vacations brings jobs to Miami ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 6
  The idea that county commissioners take foreign junkets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to generate jobs for Miami holds as much water as the boy in the balloon. Matt Haggman and Jack Dolan do a stellar job amplifying a subject we've noted frequently on Eyeonmiami: county commissioners taking trips' [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 6:51am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Federal Judge says "No" to Pollution. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 1
  Judge Approves Historic EPA Settlement: EPA and Florida Must Set Limits on Fertilizer and Animal Waste Pollution in State Waters. The Polluters’ Arguments Rejected in Favor of the EnvironmentA federal judge in Tallahassee today approved a historic consent decree which requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set legal limits [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 2:18pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Former County Manager Steve Shiver, House of Terror at Maggie Valley seeks winter venue in Miami by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 16
  Is it possible, that Miami is about to get Steve Shiver back, with an assist from city government? They don't call it The Magic City, for nothing.The Mountaineer, a North Carolina journal, reports, "... plans are in the works to take Ghost Town to Miami — a move expected to'" [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 11:21am EST
  by Gimleteye

• What a Century so far: tangled up in blue ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 1
  Bloomberg reports: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said using the Troubled Asset Relief Program to pump capital into banks was “not a good idea” and helped erode confidence in the regulatory system. “I just see all the problems it’s created now, the horrible public outcry,” Bair said on" [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 7:28am EST
  by Gimleteye

• You missed the Book Fair. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 0
  Yesterday I went to the last day of the Miami Book Fair. I saw a panel discussion with George Packer on Interesting Times: Writings from a Turbulent Decade, Chris Hedges on Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle and Sam Tanenhaus on The Death of [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 5:34am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Fiddling while sea levels rise: super high tide watch in Florida ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 7
  In the warm-up to Copenhagen, the world's leaders are backing away from tough numerical standards to reduce carbon emissions. Last night, according to The Miami Herald, 100 protesters representing the Tea Baggers etc. showed up to demonstrate against Al Gore's appearance and speech on climate change. At the same time, [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 8:58am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Sex Crime Researcher Takes on Lobbyist Ron Book. By Geniusodespair

  Number of comments: 18
  Jill Levenson, Associate Professor and Sex Crimes Researcher, took on Homeless Trust's Ron Book on yesterday's editorial page and all I can say is "Ouch!" Levenson says:"Book repeatedly waves his hand in dismissal of any empirical research suggesting that residential restrictions don't work. He misrepresents the research and their authors."' [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 7:51am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Taking on Big Sugar in the Dominican Republic and Florida: the story of Amy Serrano and "Sugar Babies" ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 1
  Amy Serrano, the young filmmaker of the independent documentary, "Sugar Babies", has a pretty good idea by now of the power of the sugar barons including Florida's Fanjul family who own Florida Crystals as well as large scale holdings in the Dominican Republic. With little advertising, "Sugar Babies" showed at [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 7:19am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Medicare Fraud Little Havana Style. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 1
  I Team Channel 4's Stephen Stock did an awesome Investigation, posted Nov. 1st, on the epicenter of the Nation's Medicare fraud: Miami's Little Havana - Coral Way to Bird Road. Medicare fraud costs 60 billion dollars a year so don't miss this one. We are always tops in the most' [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 4:02am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• City of Miami Hosts FREE Laura Izibor Concert Last Night in Bayfront Park. By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 4
  The City of Miami's Downtown Development Authority (awful Neisen Kasdin is on their Board) did something right. They had a free concert in Bayfront Park with Irish (yes, as she noted there are Blacks in Ireland) Singer Laura Izibor who has a voice that echoed through the park - check [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 6:16am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Ghost City in China wants sister city in Florida ... by gimleteye

  Number of comments: 3
  Here is an amazing video of a ghost city in Inner Mongolia where the big money is apparently in extracting and burning coal. The idea of building a city where no one lives is an extreme version of what happened during the building boom in Florida. Our ghost suburbs were [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 5:38am EST
  by Gimleteye

• Your Taxes at Work or Gathering Dust? By Geniusofdespair

  Number of comments: 4
  Stephen Stock over at CBS Channel 4 Looked at the Carry-Over policy of money not used by our County Commission. Hit the link. [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 3:46am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Condo Flippers: They're Back! Guest Blog by Marc Knight

  Number of comments: 2
  As a Realtor, I spend most of my day looking at properties in Miami, Miami Beach, and Sunny Isles Beach. Recently, I've been noticing a disturbing trend. I've seen owners of several condo properties "flip" them, making a quick profit. There are several of these properties listed for sale at [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 12:08am EST
  by Geniusofdespair