Last year, the extensive ties between charter school advocates and Florida state politicians proved fruitful. New laws expanded “high-performing” charter schools and created virtual charter schools. Gov. Rick Scott named charter advocates to his education transition team and gave speeches at various charter and private schools throughout the state. Now…
For the national media, Dalia Dippolito’s murder-for-hire saga is the gift that keeps on giving. Boynton Beach’s most infamous newlywed has been convicted of plotting to have her husband whacked, and is now on house arrest while appealing that conviction. Yet national TV crime shows are still getting plenty of mileage…
It’s always nice when a governor you have repeatedly ridiculed finds time in his busy schedule to send you a holiday card. Having neglected my mailbox for the past several weeks, I’m not sure when this gem arrived. But it sure is breathtaking. And the inside is even better…..
It’s been nearly four years since Melissa Britt Lewis, a 39-year-old Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler attorney, was found murdered, her body dumped in a Plantation canal. The man charged with killing her avoided trial for years because he was initially deemed mentally incompetent. Tony Villegas, 48, was finally supposed to face…
He’s a Ponzi schemer, a fraudster, involved with corrupt politicians and the Mob, but Scott Rothstein insists he’s not a murderer.Under intense questioning by attorney Mary Barzee Flores during a deposition last month, the “Prince of Darkness” vehemently denied being involved in the 2008 murder of one of his employees,…
In a sworn deposition last month, convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein alleged he had an affair with his slain employee, Melissa Britt Lewis, years ago when Lewis was in law school. He also said law enforcement officials were feeding him information about the investigation into Lewis’ murder after she was…
Responding to this week’s cover story about the charter school chain he runs, Frank Biden continues to insist Mavericks in Education Florida is not profiting from its schools. He says it’s just the school buildings that bring in the dough.”We’re not profiting from our schools. Anybody with half a brain…
This week’s cover story about Mavericks in Education Florida explores the pitfalls of a for-profit charter school company that promises to help at-risk kids. Florida has been especially friendly to charter schools, allowing private companies to continue opening them using taxpayer dollars, even if they encounter academic and financial problems.But it’s…
Liz Downey walks through the rows of blue-and-yellow-painted computer cubicles, her words spilling out bubbly and fast. She has white hair, a maternal smile, and a tendency to “get cryin'” when she hears Biden give his speech about stuttering. “We get a lot of kids in here that have been…
Before the songs, chanting, and heartfelt tears, the ceremony next door to a Palm Springs strip mall begins with speeches. A thin, deeply tanned man in a pin-striped suit is among the first to take the microphone. He’s not famous — not exactly — but his receding hairline, rectangular face,…
Nearly four years after attorney Melissa Britt Lewis’ murder, questions still swirl about the crime. Tony Villegas, the man charged with strangling her and dumping her body in a canal, has not yet faced trial. He was ruled mentally incompetent last year but has since been deemed fit for court…
The booming business of charter schools in South Florida is no accident. Local charter-school operators such as Mavericks in Education Florida and Charter Schools USA have ties to powerful politicians in South Florida and Tallahassee. For instance: 1. Ed Pozzuoli, former chairman of the Broward Republican Party, is now a…
If you can’t stop the for-profit charter school bonanza in Florida, at least let the public see how much dough private education companies are making. That’s the basic message behind the bill Miami state Sen. Larcenia Bullard filed yesterday in Tallahassee.Senate Bill 1338 would require all charter schools to create…
Put down your margarita for a second and imagine a South Florida without bad guys. No scumbags, hucksters, shysters, megalomaniacs, sleazeballs, or assholes. Nothing but peaceful existence, marked by occasional strong weather. Rolling tides and the buzz of insects and not a dollar to be made. Almost paradise. That place…
When a private company aims to profit from a taxpayer-funded public school, the extra dough must come from somewhere. For Mavericks in Education Florida, the charter school chain headquartered in West Palm Beach, leasing agreements appear to be one source of cash.Remember, Mavericks is a for-profit company, but each of…
When the Palm Beach County School Board approved a new Mavericks High charter school this February, one board member abstained from the vote. Chuck Shaw, the former principal of the JFK Medical Center Charter School in Lake Worth, said he couldn’t vote because he had done some “volunteer work” for…
For weeks, the Pulp has brought you news of the academic struggles at Mavericks in Education Florida, a local for-profit charter school chain headed by Frank Biden. But among the eight Mavericks high schools in the state, one stands out in stark contrast to the rest. Mavericks High of Osceola…
Palm Beach County school officials are taking a closer look at the academic track record of Mavericks in Education Florida, the local for-profit charter school chain headed by Frank Biden. They have not been thrilled with their findings.”Based on the information staff has received to date, there are reasons to…
A Homestead charter school run by a for-profit company that promises to help at-risk kids graduate issued standard diplomas to only 18 students in the past two years, according to the Miami-Dade school district.Mavericks High of South Miami-Dade had 52 seniors enrolled during the 2009-2010 school year. Only two of…
It’s official. Frank Biden, brother of the man second in line for the White House, is listed on state documents as president of the for-profit Mavericks in Education Florida charter school chain based in Fort Lauderdale.Last month, when New Times broke the story about Biden’s involvement with Mavericks, he was…
Mavericks in Education Florida, the Fort Lauderdale-based charter school chain promoted by Frank Biden, has ties to another for-profit charter school company that has been highly controversial in Ohio.Mark Thimmig, the founding CEO of Mavericks, is the former CEO of Akron, Ohio-based White Hat Management. Founded in 1998, White Hat…
If you fancy a little ’90s nostalgia with your lap dance, be sure to stop by T’s Lounge in West Palm Beach this week to catch the featured dancer. Amy Fisher, who was Jersey Shore trashy before it was cool, is bringing her stripping talents to South Florida. For those too…
