The Cooler

Here are the stories that caught my eye this morning in the South Florida mainstream media.

A- Herald: Just a coincidence.

When Peter Tapia took to Facebook to protest the rowdy parties that descend on South Beach every Memorial Day weekend and organized an anti-Urban Beach Week rally at city hall, his goal was to end the city’s annual but unofficial hip-hop street festival.

So far, the only thing Tapia’s activism has ended is his job.

Tapia, 23, says he was fired from his position as a Shore Club concierge Thursday after his bosses learned he was pushing to end Urban Beach Week, a rowdy and controversial hip-hop street party that was marred this year by two police-involved shootings in which an alleged gunman was killed and four bystanders were shot.

“I became unemployed because of all the attention I got,” Tapia said. “My employer decided it was a breach of contract.”

Tim Nardi, general manager of the Shore Club, said hotel policy would not allow him to discuss Tapia’s employment.

“I can’t confirm or deny his employee status,” Nardi said. “But any issue related to Peter did not have anything to do with this weekend.”

B- Herald: Murder mystery in the Grove.

On Wednesday morning, Camilo Salazar dropped off his infant daughter at his wife’s office at 2801 SW 31st Ave. at about 10:30 a.m. When he realized he had left the baby’s pacifier in his car, he went outside to retrieve it.

He never returned.

His truck, a 2002 Chevrolet Trail Blazer, was found parked outside. Miami police were called to investigate. They spent an hour or two viewing some video surveillance footage from a public storage company across the street, but did not come up with anything suspicious.

No one put two and two together until the media started calling police the next day inquiring about a body found burning at Okeechobee Road and Northwest 138th Avenue the night before. It was about eight hours after Salazar vanished. “The family knew someone in the media and apparently they called them after hearing that a body had been found,’’ said Detective. Alvaro Zabaleta, a spokesman for Miami-Dade police, whose detectives are handling the homicide investigation.

On Friday, the medical examiner determined that the body was Salazar’s. “That’s all we’re confirming now,’’ Zabaleta said Monday. No police report was made available, and Miami-Dade police advised the family not to speak to the media.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Michael Mayo on the sentencing of a rich hit-and-run driver.

What is the world coming to, when a privileged 36-year-old who belatedly takes responsibility for plowing into two pedestrians in his $120,000 Porsche has to spend two whole years sober and cooped up in luxury digs. That is, when he isn't out exercising, shopping, going to church, or visiting his doctors, therapists and lawyers.

Having LeVin behind bars for 5-10 years, when he could have gotten 20-30 years for two counts of vehicular homicide and fleeing an accident scene, seems reasonable. Having him behind a deadbolt with a monitoring bracelet on his ankle and so much temptation nearby does not.

D- South Florida Business Journal: Even more Rothstein toys.

More of Scott Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme glitz will be auctioned July 13 at the Broward County Convention Center, an auction company hired by the federal government said.

Big-ticket items at the auction will include three cars – a 2009 Mercedes-Benz, a 2008 Corvette and a 2009 Corvette Z06 – and 203 designer watches, including a white gold and silver Piaget.

E- WPLG: Oh my. Wait 'till Carlos Miller finds out the po po confiscated WPLG's camera, too.

Miami Beach police would not comment on Benoit's video.

Police also have not said why officers confiscated a Local 10 camera on the same morning.

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