Conexion Miami / The business of smuggling humans

Human smuggling via the Bahamas has increased, says the Border Patrol. Arrests at sea are up 36 percent from last year with more than 2,000 caught within the Miami sector of the Border Patrol, which covers Florida to the Carolinas. The bulk of immigrants are from northern Cuba and Haiti. Smugglers charge $5,000 to $10,000 a head.

Disney buys land

Disney and its companies have always thought ahead. So we’re not sure how to interpret this news. The Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve recently purchased a 3,000-acre buffer for $11.5 million in the Mira Lago area in Poinciana, a sprawling suburban community between Haines City and Kissimmee in central Florida. Disney plans to use the property as wetlands mitigation to compensate for future development, said spokeswoman Marilyn Waters.

It’s Romney and Clinton

Republican voters nationwide favor 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney at 19 percent in an early look at the 2016 presidential race in aQuinnipiac University national poll released last week. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is next with 11 percent. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sweeps the Democratic field with 57 percent, followed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts at 13 percent and Vice President Joseph Biden at 9 percent.

Protecting the LGBT community

The Florida Competitive Workforce Act was filed this week by Rep. Holly Raschein, R-Key Largo, in the House (HB 33) and Sen. Joseph Abruzzo, D-Boynton Beach, in the Senate (SB 156). It would extend the state law to prohibit discrimination against Floridians based on sexual orientation or gender identity, adding it to similar prohibitions against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or marital status. It could protect an estimated 536,000 LGBT Floridians, according to Equality Florida, a major gay rights advocacy group.

Hurricane season over

As of this week Floridians are starting to breathe easier for one more year. It is the ninth consecutive season without a hurricane hitting our shores – a modern day record. The hurricane-free years has allowed the state to keep insurance costs artificially low for many homeowners and still build up coffers to pay claims. Insurance companies, we are told, are happy to take your money as long as they don’t have to pay out…

Bondi helps out a friend

It’s nice to know people in high places. The cruise line Royal Caribbean sought to amend a 1997 consumer protection agreement to favor their advertising message. So they called former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum who then called on the staff of his successor, Pam Bondi. Six months after the June 2013 meetings the request was granted. Royal Caribbean advertising no longer is required to include fees for services like baggage handling and loading cargo. The fees, which can inflate a trip’s cost by more than $100, can now be listed separately from the company’s advertised rates.

NY Times not loving Miami

The New York Times seems to have it in for Miami lately. First it was the August op-ed article written by transplanted Miamian Pamela Druckerman who criticized the city for its “worship of bodies and money, and its indifference to how you came by either.” This week it was Brett Sokol going after Art Basel, which kicks off this week, who wrote that “more than a decade after Art Basel’s debut … many local artists and art dealers remain deeply dissatisfied.” Note to readers: We love Art Basel.

Medical marijuana for 2016

Legalization of medical marijuana in Florida did not pass last month. But “We are going to pass a medical marijuana law in Florida by the end of 2016,” pledged Ben Pollara, head of the committee that tried to get voters to approve the proposed constitutional amendment. In an email to supporters, United for Care – tied to a political committee officially known as “People United for Medical Marijuana,” or “PUFFM” – Pollara wrote that he and his group aren’t backing down from the fight to make medical marijuana legal.

Bio weapons testing in Broward

Broward County, just north of Miami-Dade, is one of about 30 metropolitan areas across the country where Bio Watch air filters have been deployed. The secret system is in place to ensure that the air you just inhaled isn’t carrying a biological weapon meant to kill you. The air is sucked into filters and tested daily in labs for early detection of an airborne attack. In August, the county accepted $424,312 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for another year of monitoring by the firm, Genesis Environmental Services. Sounds to us like another ploy to award public dollars to politically connected private companies.

Shoot ‘em up for safety

A Florida lawmaker has filed a legislative bill that would allow a “school safety designee” to carry concealed weapons or firearms on school property. State Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, filed House Bill 19 last week. The bill permits a school superintendent, with approval from the school board, to authorize a school safety designee who would be able to carry a concealed weapon or firearm on school property.

All Aboard

All Aboard Florida’s plans for its showy downtown Miami station include a “super tower” that would soar several hundred feet above the state’s tallest building and put it in a league with Chicago’s John Hancock Center and New York City’s Bank of America Tower. The Coral Gables-based company, which is building a Miami to Orlando express passenger rail service, applied to the Federal Aviation Authority last month for approval to build a structure 1,120 feet high.

Gambling online in Florida

Playing the lottery in Florida could get a lot easier. A bill filed by Miami state Sen. Gwen Margolis would allow the Florida Lottery to become the eighth state to sell lottery tickets online. Currently, players can only purchase tickets with cash at buildings with walls. “With any online gambling, and the potential to use a line of credit, it loses that physical pulling money out of pocket,” said a worried Brian Kongsvik, the helpline director of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling.

Awake Miami

Awake Miami aims to organize local citizens, advocacy groups, and progressive organizations to help improve the lives of all Floridians. Their next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 16 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Denny’s Restaurant, 1 Miracle Mile, in Coral Gables. The featured Speaker that night is Juan Cuba, executive director of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. Topic: Political future of Progressives in Miami-Dade County.

Deferred action for immigrants

Deferred Action for Parental Accountability is a presidential action allowing parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have been present in the country since January 1, 2010, to request deferred action and employment authorization for three years. If you need more help to sign up, get a hold of the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) by clicking here. You can also send a text with the word “actionfl” to 313131 or call the FREE Hotline 1-888-406-0541.