Conexion Miami / Refusing to expand Medicaid

The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) released estimates of the health and economic benefits if Florida decides to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, something the governor and republican-led legislators in Tallahassee refuse to do. First, by not doing so the state will miss out on $5.9 billion in federal funding in 2016 and uncompensated care costs would cost almost a billion dollars more. Expansion would have major health benefits for its low-income citizens, including: an additional 750,000 people would have insurance coverage in 2016; 100,000 additional individuals would report being in good (or better) health and 69,000 fewer individuals would experience symptoms of depression; and 106,700 fewer people will have trouble paying other bills due to the burden of medical costs.

Orlando is number 2

The personal finance website WalletHub released its list of 2015’s Best & Worst Cities for Summer Travel and it turns out, according to them, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma are home to the top summer destinations in the U.S., each with at least two cities in the top 15. Second best on the list was Orlando. Top spot went to Las Vegas, Nevada. We would probably disagree, but heck, some of you love Disney, and standing in line for ours to go on the Harry Potter Universal ride. And then there are the gambling aficionados.

The Marco and David road show finally sells their home

Marco Rubio’s cross-eyes for real estate are well documented. At a time where Florida real estate has only gone up in value (and we recognize artificially at times), Marco and pal, David Rivera, managed to purchase a home near Tallahassee more than a decade ago, when both where plundering the state coffers as they pretended to serve the public, that recently sold for less than what they purchased it for. It’s the same home they tried living in for free by skipping out on mortgage payments – only to be exposed by the press. Anyway, they recently and finally sold the place for $117,000. The original purchase price: $135,000. These days, Marco wants to be president. As for David, he’s still running from the law… while using women as shields along the way. 

Not working while getting paid

And while we’re on the subject of Miami’s golden boy, it turns out Marco Rubio likes to skip his day job – while still getting paid. Rubio has been so busy running for president he has missed nearly 8 percent of all roll call votes — one of the three worst records in the Senate — according to GovTrack.us, a government transparency site. That’s better than fellow presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, who has missed nearly 11 percent.

Miami’s ‘affordable’ rentals

The popular website Curbed recently searched Miami for “affordable” rentals in the area. Affordable was defined as $2,500 a month. In other words, it’s not easy living here if you work for minimum wage – even when you and a partner both work for a paltry less than $8 an hour. And as Curbed described, “Homestead truly highlights Miami’s absurd rental prices, when you can get a 5-bedroom, 3-bath house, with a 2-car garage for the same price as a Midtown 1 bedroom.” So if you enjoy farmlands and very long drives, then you might find something in your price range ($2,500) – about an hour’s drive from any central Miami location. Oh, and don’t forgot, you better own a car.

Making sure they don’t miss

While state legislators are in the midst of trying to determine how to take care of almost a million Floridians who might find themselves with no health care coverage this coming year, the state Senate did agree to spend $500,000 for a Tampa Bay regional law enforcement shooting range at Pasco-Hernando College, a priority of local sheriffs and police chiefs in the home county of the House budget chairman, Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes. As we’ve seen, police are on a rampage around the country. And maybe, just maybe, some Florida politicians want to assure that cops don’t miss when they shoot – a certain segment of our communities.

Overbilling Medicaid

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs has been requesting higher than allowed reimbursements from the federal government for nursing home screening work, an overbilling practice that has likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars, according to billing records and an internal report, reported the website, Political Fix Florida. The program has been reimbursed by $6.8 million over the past four quarters, a number that includes the overbilling, according to state records. The payments are related to federally required pre-admission screenings into Medicaid-certified nursing homes.

Miami’s ‘Silicon Beach’

From Miami New Times: When developer Michael Simkins started snapping up properties in a near downtown Miami neighborhood last year no one knew exactly what he had mind. Then plans leaked out to the public that he wanted to build a 633-foot giant LCD advertisement structure — a plan met with much outrage. But Simkins wanted the world to know that thattower was just one feature of a project he dubbed the “Miami Innovation District.” It’s designed to be Miami’s tech hub, a “Silicon Beach,” and new in-depth renderings of the project have been making their way around design and architecture blogs. Click here for more info. At this time we will hold back on our opinion.

Seriously, they call him ‘Little Man’

There are some who feel Gov. Chris Christie just blew any chance he might have had of becoming president of the U.S. Remember the 1988 photo of Michael Dukakis aboard a tank wearing the funny headgear? This time it’s Christie wearing a not too flattering NYPD baseball uniform.

Tampa has sway in Tally

Some Florida politicians treat our tax dollars as if they were personal savings in their piggy bank that they can dole out to friends. And a downtown Tampa cultural institution appears to have some influential allies in Tallahassee. Tampa Theatre, for example, is slated to receive $1 million in appropriations for improvements and upkeep. The sum is the second largest of any cultural project funded. It happens to be located within the state House district of Republican Majority Leader Rep. Dana Young and that of Sen. Jeff Brandes, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee and sits on the Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations panel. The largest appropriation is $1.5 million for improvements for the Mahaffey Theater, which falls in Tampa Bay lawmaker Sen. Jack Latvala’s district. He chairs the budget conference panel that will help decide the theater’s ultimate fate.

Martinez in the county mayor’s race?

If you live in Miami, you will remember Joe Martinez, the former county commissioner who ran and lost a mayoral race in 2012 against county mayor Carlos Gimenez. Martinez seems to be testing the rumor circuit and there are those spreading the word that he may challenge Gimenez in 2016. If he does decide to do so, he would not only be running against Gimenez but also against Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado, the only declared candidate so far.