Ron Book

Sun Life Stadium Upgrade Bill Passes First State Senate Committee Unanimously

The Miami Dolphins are off to a good start as far jumping into the Fleecing Tax Payers Pants Party stadium renovation party goes. Lawmakers in the Florida Senate Commerce Committee gave unanimous support to a bill that would secure taxpayer money to cover half of the planned $400 million upgrades t ... More >>

Jack Tobin: One Of A Kind

Margate political powerhouse and consummate deal maker Jack Tobin, who died Tuesday at the age of 69, will be laid to rest Friday. He's remembered with near reverence by many who knew him, even those who also knew the rather unseemly nature of his long political career as a state legislator, Ma ... More >>

Newspaper Report: Sylvia Poiter Is Being Charged With Five Misdemeanors

UPDATED: Sylvia Poitier, the controversial former Broward County commissioner who is now an elected official in Deerfield Beach, has been charged with five misdemeanors related to her family's involvement in a city-sponsored housing organization, according to the South Florida Times. Poitier​ ... More >>

Ilene Lieberman: From Political Godmother To Star Witness

Historical artifact: An invitation for a fundraiser Ilene Lieberman held for Talabisco to kick off her 2006 election.   I think it's safe to say we now know the primary reason Broward County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman was, quite literally, out of commission ​recently for se ... More >>

Mysterious "Jedi" Plays Shady Role in Plantation Races

There's a mysterious force at work in the Plantation City Council races -- and they call him the Jedi.The Jedi is being blamed for a recent negative ad on council candidate Lynn Stoner, who is getting backing by certain Republicans. The ad, which attacks Stoner's dismal voting record, comes with no ... More >>

Exclusive: Feds Eyeing Lobbyist Ron Book, Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority

In Broward and Tallahassee politics, influence peddling comes in countless forms. Here's one currently under investigation by the federal government: A powerful lobbyist, seeking to curry favor with a state senator and benefit a major client, helps to secure the senator's boyfriend a job at th ... More >>

Rick Scott Breaks Heart of Local Cardiologist

Summing up the Super Bowl: bad rendition of the national anthem, mess of a halftime show, mixed bag of commercials. As an afterthought, the game was pretty good (Packers took it away from the Steelers, literally). Onto more important matters, like who runs the State of Florida. ... More >>

UPDATED: Klenet Out in Sunrise

It appears the controversy regarding the sheriff's absence at a benefit held over the weekend for slain BSO Sgt. Chris Reyka was prompted by miscommunication.  Sheriff Al Lamberti's executive assistant, Don Prichard, explained that the sheriff was asked to be a celebrity judge at the ... More >>

Miami Dolphins Stadium Renovation: A Field of Schemes

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, left, with Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler and Ron Book, second from right. To the left of Book is his daughter Lauren, and that's apparently Jimmy Buffett in the middle. ​I think it's safe to say that the Miami Dolphins' plan to soak Broward taxpaye ... More >>

Sheriff's Top Political Aide Defends Criminally Charged Krafts

You may not expect much drama and controversy out of a Coral Springs/Parkland Democratic Club meeting, but you got some last night. The night was meant for Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, who gave a very successful speech, but the drama arrived in the form of Sheriff Al Lamberti and his ... More >>

Is Stephanie Kraft Working Off Time?

It's a question that keeps popping up: Is Stephanie Kraft cooperating with law enforcement? I've never seen anyone so disgraced try to retain such a high profile. She's running around town, claims she's going to beat the nails-hard case against her, and is trying to maintain a presence in scho ... More >>

Sunrise Looks Brighter After Electoral Overhaul

My apologies for the commenting problems; they seem to be continuing this morning. I have no idea why some of the comments have gone through while most don't. The tech folks at NT headquarters worked on it yesterday, and we'll see if they can finally get it working when they get up this morning ... More >>

Questionable Developer Mark Siffin Wants to Build a Times Square in Miami

Fox Meets Henhouse

MC Model Citizen's Latest: Rick Headroom​So Florida Governor-Elect Rick Scott named his transition team which was stocked with former Jeb Bush staffers, hardcore state Republicans, and even our own U.S. Sen. George "The Maestro" LeMieux.   Mainigi​The transition t ... More >>

November Surprise: Keechl Camp Hits Gutter

Broward Mayor Ken Keechl appears to be getting desperate. He's certainly getting dirty. A new low Keechl camp's last-ditch negative ad campaign goes to a new low. Of course he won't take credit for it since it comes from one of those late-date 527 slush committees funded by a ... More >>

LeBron James Jerseys Go From Cleveland to the Backs of South Florida's Homeless

Morning Juice: Conflict Brewing Over Compact; Stress in the West 'Burbs

​Here's what's happening in the 954 and 561:Pari-mutuals are not fooled by the governor's compact with the Seminoles, and they're bringing all their lobbyist power -- starting with Ron Book -- to the fight that's brewing in the Legislature. [Sun-Sentinel]How about the nerve of Dushuan Smith? He co ... More >>

Broward Mayor Stacy Ritter and Sheriff Al Lamberti Face Campaign Finance Investigations

Deputy School Superintendent Is "Appalled" By Employees

Deputy Superintendent Michael Garretson has written a memo regarding last week's column to Superintendent Jim Notter assuring him that the payment of $1 million to an unlicensed firm represented by lobbyist Ron Book was all above board. Hey, I'm going to let Garretson speak for himself and&nbs ... More >>

The Broward School Board awards a million dollars in work to an unlicensed company

DeGroot Picks Apart Ron Book, Lobby Racket

The legislative session, marking the real advent of springtime in Florida, begins in Tallahassee this week. And the busiest bees working the capital are the lobbyists, who are buzzing about, putting their noses in everything they can, spreading their demon seed far and wide.  If you d ... More >>

The Broward County Commission Is A Nest Of Whores

I've decided to go with more blunt and truthful headlines ... can you tell? The inspiration for this one is the passing of lobbyist Ron Book's initiative to bring more money to the county's bail bondsmen at the expense of our tax dollars. Book, who represents the bondsmen, has been w ... More >>

Broward County bail bondsmen want to kill pretrial intervention, and the County Commission is willing to help

Ron Book Recounts Spitting Incident

Ah, a career highlight -- I got the first Ron Book post-loogey-in-the-eye interview. I believe that means I have finally arrived as a journalist in this town. We've all heard by now that the lobbyist was accosted by a mad vagrant Tuesday night after pushing the commission to vote in favo ... More >>

My Best Friend's Wedding: Boca War Profiteer Gets Invite

From panty raids to war profiteering. Frat brothers grow up so fast, eh Charlie?What's a wedding without at least one war profiteer? That's the baggage that Harry Sargeant's been lugging around the last several months, ever since a congressional oversight committee took a close look at the deal Sarg ... More >>

How A Vagrant's Saliva Brings A Tear To The Eye

Joe the Plumber is over. America needs a new working class hero. Meet Joe the Vagrant, the deranged man who expectorates with uncanny accuracy and astute political judgment. This morning, as lobbyist Ron Book left the Broward Government Center, fresh from shepherding an embattled, ill-conceived deve ... More >>

Terrible Trio

The Wasserstrom conviction should have at least a few pols shaking in fear — but, hey, this is Broward

Return to Sender

When it comes to the specter of corruption, the Ritter-Klenet-URS connection has it all

Family Ties

Broward Commission, lobbyists ooze coziness

Reporter Accused of Stealing Notebook

Marital Law

Does Stacy Ritter's lobbyist husband swing her vote?

How´s Your Slime IQ?

Take the Broward Corruption Quiz

Mayo, Euthenasia, and DeGroot

All You Need to Smear

Slimy newspaper article, hokey moral values committee, cash from a slush fund — and voilà

The Friendly Ties of United

Gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher has been linked to the shady insurance firm for almost a decade

Fish Bait

Baseball in Broward is possible, if we didn't have to deal with these bloodsuckers

Another Lobbyist Who Wasn't There

A Miami developer used undue influence to win a $100 million job to build a new downtown for Lauderdale Lakes

All the Governor's Men

A sweetheart hospital district deal could land Jeb Bush in front of a grand jury

Political Pull

The lucrative Dania Beach towing contract is worth all the political clout Vice Mayor McElyea exercised to win it

Swimming in Trouble

Pompano Beach Mayor Bill Griffin is, well, conflicted over the Swimming Hall of Fame deal

Dr. Strange Train

Or: How I learned to start worrying and hate the bullet train

Longshot

Florida House minority leader Lois Frankel is waging an impossible campaign for governor

Undercurrents

Dumb bond: Teressa Cawley SEC update

Maurie, We Hardly Know Ye

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

Her Word Is Not Her Bond

Former Broward County financial adviser Teressa Cawley had a bright career… until the SEC passed judgment on her

The Reeducation of Ms. Kristin Jacobs

Broward's leading reform candidate discovers that money really is the root of all influence

To the Victor Go the Spoiled Children

County Commissioner Scott Cowan paid his daughters $10,000 in campaign funds for not working on his campaign. Hey -- it's legal.

The Sheriff's Criminal Association

If Ken Jenne were like most cops, he'd be investigated for being friends with felons who give him money