Local Politics

Shelby Lowe, Riviera Beach Councilman, Allegedly Used Racial Slur Toward Retired Fire Chief

A bit of a brouhaha between a Riviera Beach councilman and a retired Riviera Beach fire chief broke out yesterday. Nasty words were exchanged, particularly from councilman Shelby Lowe, who allegedly called Retired Riviera Beach Fire Chief Richard Wester that word that appears a lot in the latest Qu ... More >>

Trader Joe's Fan Starts Online Petition: Come to Broward

​Nadine Whiteman loves Trader Joe's. The former New Yorker used to shop at the organic market, which features fair-priced produce, cheap wine, and private-label foods. A nurse living in Hollywood, Whiteman misses her trips to Trader Joe's so much that she's started a campaign to bring the store to ... More >>

Prisonville, Florida: Low Taxes and Big Yards, All for the Price of a Box Full of Immigrants

Private Prison Contractor, Homeland Security "Asked" Southwest Ranches Council Not to Talk

​Here in Florida, we have a broad array of sunshine laws designed to promote open government. Local governments routinely have to disclose information simply because citizens ask for it. But apparently there's one thing that can clamp the mouths of local officials for good: a private prison contra ... More >>

Judge Steven Feren Hires Bogie; Is He the Next to Fall?

Will the Tao high-rise be the downfall of Judge Feren? OK, so there's scuttlebutt out there on JAABlog about Judge Steven Feren, the former mayor of Sunrise, having hired local corruption attorney David Bogenschutz to represent him. So why did Feren hire the go-to guy for for politicians in tro ... More >>

Broward Commissioner to Be Charged for Corruption

Broward County Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin appears to be the latest elected county official to face corruption charges. As usual, Bob Norman has the scoop. Check out his post on Pulp.

Hallandale Contract With Realtor May Have Violated City Law

Hallandale Beach City Manager Mike Good gave a consultant agreement to a local real estate agent, Joe Kessel, worth up to $36,000. But a city ordinance indicates Good was forbidden to do so without first getting commission approval.A 2006 ordinance describes exactly what contracts and purchases the ... More >>

Morning Juice: Enough With the Broward Corruption -- Give It Arrest!

​The dawn brings a fresh batch of crazy to Broward and Palm Beach:At the risk of sounding like a broken record, more political figures have been arrested, including Ed Portner, running for mayor of Coral Springs Tamarac, for pulling a gun on his daughter Stacy Ritter, the mayor of Broward County. ... More >>

Ken Kaye Bends Over For Stacy Ritter

On Wednesday Sun-Sentinel weather writer Ken Kaye did a little blog post about Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter's complaint-fest at some event called the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference. Apparently former hurricane center director Bill Proenza introduced her as the mayor of Fort Lauderdale. ... More >>

[UPDATED] An Off Night for Democracy, Free Press in Deerfield Beach

Ex-Mayor Al Capellini (left), at the dais, next to mayoral candidates Don Cleveland and Jean RobbUPDATED WITH VIDEO LINKA mayor hit with felony corruption charges; a commissioner booked for the same; a city manager suspended after ordering deputies to remove a commissioner during a public meeting. W ... More >>

Confessions of a Voting Snob

So what's the over/under on turnout for today's Fort Lauderdale muni elections? Tim Smith seems to think it's 10 percent, and that sounds about right. I suspect there's some voter fatigue from the two-year presidential campaign that ended last November. I'll bet voters -- especially the elderly ones ... More >>

Best Of Readers' Poll 2009: Best Journalist

History has proven it time and again: The pen is mightier than the sword, the gun, the mayor's dais, and even Satan himself. In a year when hundreds of local journalists lost their jobs, those who survived the newsroom slaughter found twice as much work on their plates. Now's the chance to give it u ... More >>

Mayor? May Not? An Interview With Dean Trantalis

It's high time we size up Fort Lauderdale's mayoral field. With so much ground to cover, we'll have to go one by one. Batting leadoff...Dean Trantalis is a real estate attorney who became Fort Lauderdale's first openly gay commissioner in 2003, defeating Jon Albee, a insurance and real estate agent, ... More >>

Say Hello To Mayor Wishner

Call off the election, because we already have a winner. The new mayor of Sunrise is (or will be) Roger Wishner. We were all expecting a political war for the most powerful post in Sunrise between Wishner, who is now deputy mayor, and Commissioner Joey Scuotto. Both had created campaign accounts t ... More >>

The Mayor's Private Dick

Al Capellini takes the Nixon route against his rival on the commission

Two Important Stories

Former Parkland Mayor Hit With Perjury Charge

C'mon, Get Happy

Does Mayor Jim Naugle still know Fort Lauderdale?

Frankelstein

How did the West Palm Beach mayor's reelection attempt turn into such a fright?

Baring False Witness

In a dramatic scene, a city official accuses another of falsifying a document

The New Pistolero in Town

On the dusty, Old West streets of Davie, a political hotshot takes aim

Mayor Al Quacks Up

Capellini's a lame duck after New Times investigation, says a commissioner.

Mayor Al Has to Go, Bad

More bathroom breaks are featured in yet another questionable Capellini deal.

Mayor Al Engineers Another Deal

Turns out Deerfield Beach's honcho is into more shenanigans than we detailed last week.

For Sale: Keys to the City

In Deerfield, when you're in, you're really in. And the mayor is really in.

The Mayor and the Lifeguard

Bros and Cons

A too-hip tree trimmer is the major contributor in a bizarre mayor's race

The Next Ex-Mayor

After two years in office, West Palm Beach Mayor Frankel has little to show except blocked streets

Cash Cow, Part 2

Things are changing in Southwest Ranches, but the outlaws are in charge

Curious George Sails the River of Red

Following a long tradition, new Fort Lauderdale City Manager George Gretsas tries to tame the big spenders at City Hall

Cash Cow

A group of political opportunists is cashing in on the rural town of Southwest Ranches

The Lobbyist

Broward Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion quietly pulls political strings in Lauderdale Lakes -- and personally profits in the process

Our Mayor, the Lobbyist, Part 4

She visited Hollywood the same day as the developer. Now residents fear for their homes.

Our Mayor, the Lobbyist, Part 3

Ilene Lieberman's misadventures in Pembroke Park... conflict after conflict

Our Mayor, the Lobbyist

The Politics of Profit

Rainbow Colors

When you want to be mayor of Gayville, being straight is a political liability. But so is a crack habit.

Don't Drink the Water, Part IV

Pompano's top man still needs to be flushed from office

Down on the Plantation II

Jim Crow flies over this central Broward town

West Palm's Next Mayor Speaks

Forget Joel Daves. Lois Frankel rules.

Paying the Bill

A mayor and a businessman, both named Bill, have struck up quite a friendship

Mall Rat

Plantation councilman Jerry Fadgen says there's nothing wrong with his role at a local strip mall, no matter what that pesky state ethics board says

Poverty's Paradise

Staggering unemployment, city hall ablaze, ashes falling like snow -- it must be South Bay

Best Political Activist

Pete Brewer

Maurie, We Hardly Know Ye

Grant-writer Maurice Connell has become a well-paid institution in Hollywood. How? The politics of power and money.

Undercurrents

Warning the homeless

Strong-Arm Mayor Veltri

An investigation reveals the former Plantation mayor helped himself to thousands of dollars in benefits to which he wasn't entitled

Frank's Plantation

It was envisioned as a well-planned community in a rural setting. Too bad long-time mayor Frank Veltri couldn't make it happen.

Dangerous Liaisons

Rumored affairs with two underlings may have cost Pete Witschen the Fort Lauderdale city manager's job. Was it a political smear job?

Her High Hopes

Councilwoman Judy Paul wants Davie to look like the Old West. Lobbyist Judy Stern is prodevelopment. Is the town big enough for the both of them?

Check the Manual Under "Dumb"

Broward politicians and bureaucrats are locked in an unwinnable war over a new computer system