“Miss Gottlieb, YOU Are the Distraction”

We all knew that Broward Commissioner Ilene Lieberman — once perhaps the most powerful woman in the county — disappeared for a few months, missing commission meeting after commission meeting without explanation.  After weeks of questions, Lieberman claimed her AWOL status was due to a health problem. Then we found out…

Judges Meet, Expect Florida Court Crisis to Soon Hit Broward

Outgoing Chief Judge Victor Tobin called a closed-door meeting of all 90 Broward judges this afternoon to discuss a budget shortfall that is threatening to shut down courthouses across the state. During the meeting, the idea was raised to “call the bluff” of Rick Scott and the Florida House and shut…

School Board Pay Comes Under Attack

On Friday we learned that the state Legislature was planning to form a committee with appointments from the governor and other Republican leaders to oversee the Broward County School Board’s response to the grand jury report. The School Board’s lobbyist, Georgia Slack, went into full “frantic” mode and, with the help…

Rick Scott Appoints Shutts & Bowen Lawyer to State Ethics Commission

Rick Scott never rests. Every day, he comes up with another assault on the senses of good Floridians.  ​Today, in another example of Scott’s incredible disdain for all that is good and holy, the governor appointed attorney Linda Robison to the Florida Commission on Ethics. Who is Robison? Well, she’s…

“A Rodeo of Phonies and Pimps”

A fine Monday-morning quote comes from Carl Hiaasen: “I once referred to a past Legislature as a festival of whores, which in retrospect was a vile insult to the world’s oldest profession. Today’s lackluster assemblage in Tallahassee is possibly the worst in modern times, and cannot fairly be compared to anything…

“Frantic” Tallahassee Battle: School Board Thwarts State Control

When the Florida Senate prepared earlier this week to take direct oversight of the dysfunctional Broward County School Board earlier this week, the board’s lobbyist, Georgia Slack, went into overdrive. ​Slack wrote in an email to board members that she began “frantic lobbying” and engaged the help of Broward state Sen…

Top Chef All-Star Sells Cookies Online

If you’ve ever watched Top Chef and thought, “Damn, that looks gooood! Wish I could try it!”  then your prayers have been answered! Top Chef All-Star and shoo-in for fan favorite this season, Carla Hall, now sells a little taste of Top Chef via her D.C.-based catering company,  Alchemy…

Working Girls: Ritter and Lieberman Won’t Stop Trickin’

Simple question: How are Broward County Commissioners Stacy Ritter and Ilene Lieberman even still in office? ​Seriously. Both voted for dirty developers Bruce and Shawn Chait, and both received something from them in return. Lieberman is now a state’s witness testifying against her former political protégé, suspended Tamarac Mayor Beth Talabisco,…

Garbage Business Is a Family Affair in North Lauderdale

The garbage contract is up in North Lauderdale — and suddenly there’s a lot of family involvement in the business. ​Long-time Mayor Jack Brady announced at the January 11 commission meeting that his grown son got a job with a subsidiary of Republic Services, the company that currently provides garbage service…

Elect the Next Superintendent? Are You F-ing Crazy?

The idea to make the Broward superintendent’s job an elected position was trotted out on a couple of TV news stations last night. It’s a horrible idea. As bad as the Broward County School Board is, unfortunately, voters are worse — and just as easily manipulated. It would force the superintendent deep into…

Top Chef Recap: And The Winner Is……..

NBC Universal   ​This is it…the finale. Padma and Tom meet Richard and Mike. Tom says there are no twists and turns – just show us your future – your challege is to create the restaurant of your dreams (that’s it? OK – I’ll just write you the great American…

The Coolest Food Magazines You’re Not Reading

With the advent of advancement in technology, the Internet and Kindles, physical magazines, newspapers and books have gone out the backdoor, eek. But admit it, every once in awhile, it actually feels nice to hold one in your hands. Feels nostalgic to get black ink all over your white pants.

At Clean Plate Charlie, we especially love publications that deal with the subject of FOOD.

News Flash: Jim Notter Wasn’t the Real Problem

Jim Notter couldn’t even tell the truth as he was going out the door. The Broward schools superintendent made a surprise announcement that he was retiring yesterday, leaving three years left on a contract that pays him $299,000 a year. The resignation was a much-anticipated move after the scathing grand jury report blasted…

UPDATED: Superintendent Jim Notter to Step Down

Murray and fellow dais-sitter Jennifer Gottlieb both said the solution is obvious: Get rid of the staff! That’s right, they want to privatize the facilities department with contractors. These two discredited elected officials want to bring in private contractors — and possible campaign contributors — to come in and make more public profits by actually now running the schools…

Is Sheriff Lamberti’s Administration Crumbling?

Last week was a momentous one for Sheriff Al Lamberti. Lamberti’s director of law enforcement, Col. Rick Frey, rather abruptly retired. And then in a late-hour Friday news bomb, it was announced that Lamberti had fired Larry Strain, BSO’s director of purchasing, and suspended (with pay) John Curry, the agency’s Executive Director of…

Bizarre Foods’ Andrew Zimmern Reveals The One Food He Won’t Eat

Andrew Zimmern has eaten a lot of weird foods. On his show Bizarre Foods, we’ve watched Andrew eat anything that once walked, crawled, swam, slithered or shimmied its way  around. I mean really – he’s eaten giant worms, snakes, rodents, bats, eyeballs and blood (remember the phrase “that’s good bat”?)…

Another Big Law Firm Implodes

— With all state schools now out of March Madness, you must do the right thing: Root for hometown boy and basketball prodigy Brandon Knight. ​– The Daily Business Review has an interesting story about the implosion of another law firm, Adorno & Yoss. The central figure in the disintegration of…

Fort Lauderdale Centennial: Born In The Boom Years

Inside see the rest of the ad. It’s interesting reading — with talk of the progress in draining the Everglades and the burgeoning land boom that would, of course, end in a devastating bust that involved something called the Great Depression…