Your Evening Sift

It's Thursday so make sure you check out the SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar as we move through the holiday. Let's get going with your evening Sift before it gets too late.

A- The latest kerfuffle in the political world is pretty immature, according to Bark Bark Woof Woof.

B- South Florida Theatre Scene's regularly scheduled weekly wrap up is ready for your review.

C- The latest image posted by Go Hydrology! looks almost surreal.

D- South Florida Lawyers makes me laugh.

E- Eye on Miami tries to make some sense of the Miami-Dade mayoral results.

The point is: voters are paying attention is ways they hadn't, when the economy was flush and everyone was using their homes as personal ATM's. These are tea leaves from a low-turnout election. Still they point in a direction for candidates ambitious enough to set a new course for 2012.

F- Random Pixels breaks the news that public servants change jobs in Miami-Dade county government...at least I think that's the news.

G- Piola's pizza is adequate, Boy Writes Miami maintains.

Piola pizza is fine. It’s no Spris, but it gets the job done.

.

¡MAYDAY!: The Ride

Because you've been patient with my political posts today, it's time to have some fun with ¡MAYDAY!'s newest video. I stole it from Culture Designers who says...

Their new video for The Ride comes to us via Antisteez and was directed by the band itself as well as Garcia for the Crazy Hood Film Academy. It features Del the Funky Homosapien being dragged around in a coffin by the band through different parts of Miami including what looked like Wynwood during an art walk, the Hooters in Bayside, and even a Cuban cafecito window. Gotta love it.

Here you go.




.

Healthcare Reform Is Ruled Constitutional

So yesterday, another court ruling held the Affordable Care Act constitutional...

The health-care law seeks to extend medical coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans and make major changes in public and private health insurance. By far the most contested provision is the individual mandate, which requires most Americans to purchase at least a minimum level of health insurance starting in 2014 and imposes a tax penalty if they don’t.

Like other legal challenges, the lawsuit filed by the Thomas More Law Center — a Christian-oriented law firm in Michigan — says Congress overstepped its constitutional authority to regulate commerce.

A three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit disagreed. The mandate is constitutional, Martin wrote, because “Congress had a rational basis to believe” that the provision would affect interstate commerce and that it was “essential” to the law’s broader goals of reforming the health-care market.

Judge James Graham, a Republican appointee, dissented, but it was the concurrence of Sutton — a George W. Bush appointee and former law clerk for conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia — that was most noteworthy.

Sutton wrote that “the government has the better of the arguments” and that “Congress . . . did not exceed its power” in passing the individual mandate. But he also appeared to acknowledge that his word would not be final, writing, “The Supreme Court has considerable discretion in resolving this dispute.”

According to Daily Kos, who also links to a copy of the opinion, that makes the latest score 3-2...

Thus far, five lower-level district court judges have ruled on the merits of the challenges, with three upholding the law’s constitutionality and two striking down all or part of it.

I wish to hell it would just go to the Supreme Court so we all could just move on, one way or another. This treading water is getting old and does nothing to move us forward as a nation toward better healthcare.

.

The Solution: Revenue And Cuts

The money quote from President Obama's press conference yesterday...

There’s been a lot of discussion about revenues and raising taxes in recent weeks, so I want to be clear about what we’re proposing here. I spent the last two years cutting taxes for ordinary Americans, and I want to extend those middle-class tax cuts. The tax cuts I’m proposing we get rid of are tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires; tax breaks for oil companies and hedge fund managers and corporate jet owners.

It would be nice if we could keep every tax break there is, but we’ve got to make some tough choices here if we want to reduce our deficit. And if we choose to keep those tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, if we choose to keep a tax break for corporate jet owners, if we choose to keep tax breaks for oil and gas companies that are making hundreds of billions of dollars, then that means we’ve got to cut some kids off from getting a college scholarship. That means we’ve got to stop funding certain grants for medical research. That means that food safety may be compromised. That means that Medicare has to bear a greater part of the burden. Those are the choices we have to make.

So the bottom line is this: Any agreement to reduce our deficit is going to require tough decisions and balanced solutions. And before we ask our seniors to pay more for health care, before we cut our children’s education, before we sacrifice our commitment to the research and innovation that will help create more jobs in the economy, I think it’s only fair to ask an oil company or a corporate jet owner that has done so well to give up a tax break that no other business enjoys. I don’t think that’s real radical. I think the majority of Americans agree with that.

The President is right. Most Americans do agree with what he's proposing.

The problem is that the radical minority who want to decimate the lower and middle class of America control a major TV news network and a conglomeration of radio stations staffed by well-paid liars who continue to distort and pervert the truth 24 X 7 in an attempt to convince anyone stupid enough to listen to them that the only way out of this mess is for average Americans to give, give, give while the wealthy continue to buy their yachts, houses and private jets.

But there is another way out and that's the balanced approach that the President is proposing. Don't let the Little Limbaughs tell you otherwise.

.

Michelle Bachmann's Non-Intellectual Use Of Property

Add Katrina and the Waves to the folks who don't want to be associated with Michele Bachmann's campaign for president.

Katrina & The Waves – whose 1985 song "Walking On Sunshine" was played by Michele Bachmann at a South Carolina campaign rally on Tuesday – have issued a statement on their website:

Katrina & The Waves would like it to be known that they do not endorse the use of 'Walking On Sunshine' by Michele Bachmann and have instructed their lawyers accordingly.

The group is the second musical act this week to object to the Minnesota Congresswoman's usage of their music. Tom Petty sent the Bachmann campaign a cease and desist letter after she used his song "American Girl" at her campaign kick-off in Iowa on Monday.

Bachmann ought to scour the archives of right wing nut Ted Nugent. I'm sure she would find something that she could use.


-image via Dependable Renegade

.

The Cooler

So it looks like Bono wore a leather jacket most of the concert last night. Probably lost 10 pounds in fluids. That and more in this morning's Cooler.

A- Herald: And why did it take him 6 months to come forward?

Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito, who has been in a heated, yearlong dispute with two elected leaders seeking his resignation, said Wednesday that city officials offered him $400,000 in January to “leave his position as chief quietly,” a year before his expected retirement.

Exposito would not say who made the offer, referring only to “representatives of the city of Miami” in a statement he made through his spokesman.

[...]

In his statement, the chief said he was offered $200,000 up front to leave, with another $200,000 to come after he became a civilian again. The chief said he turned down the offer.

City records show a check made out to Exposito for $200,000 was written on Jan. 12 — the day before a drama-filled showdown between the chief, Regalado and Commissioner Richard. P. Dunn II, who wanted the chief to resign. Those same records show the check was voided the day of the commission meeting, when Exposito survived the attempted ouster.

No record has surfaced of another $200,000 check.

B- Herald: Slideshow, U2 concert. Bono kept his leather jacket on? Wow.

C- Herald: How Gimenez won.

Carlos Gimenez’s narrow victory over rival Julio Robaina for Miami-Dade County mayor combined three key ingredients: A solid showing among the county’s crucial Hispanic majority, respectable support from black voters and overwhelming backing from non-Hispanic white voters, who favored the former county commissioner by a three-to-one margin.

According to a post-race analysis by Bendixen & Amandi International, Gimenez won 47 percent of Hispanic voters to Robaina’s 53 percent, better than expected after his showing during the first-round election in May. Gimenez won 44 percent of the black vote, to Robaina’s 56 percent. Yet among white non-Hispanic voters, Gimenez scored 75 percent to Robaina’s 25 percent.

“Carlos had solid support in all three ethnic groups,” said Dario Moreno, who conducted polling for the Gimenez campaign. “Julio had stronger support in the Hispanic community, and support in the African-American [community] but very little with non-Latin whites.”

“Julio might have had a deeper base, but Carlos had a broader base,” Moreno added.

D- Herald: Morin.

E- Herald: Michael Putney on why Gimenez won.

Why did Gimenez win? First, because he’s a serious man (almost too serious at times) who mounted a steady, if unspectacular campaign. His biggest strategic blunder was refusing to debate Robaina during the last week when voters were finally paying attention. But in their last debate Robaina hurt his chances by backtracking on support for domestic-partner benefits.

His older, Hispanic base may have liked that, but it turned off younger Hispanics and undecided Anglos. And while Robaina’s own campaign criticisms of Gimenez were well within the bounds of fair comment, those of his surrogates went over the line. His third-party groups went after Gimenez personally in nasty, direct-mail pieces, vicious TV spots and brutal attacks on Spanish-language radio.

Some Gimenez voters peeled away, but most looked at Gimenez’s record and disregarded those attacks. Calling Gimenez a “communist” on Radio Mambi? Maybe a few impressionable viejos believed it, but nobody else. And the almost laughable accusation that this Carlos was merely a clone of the old Carlos, the one voters ousted? It just didn’t stick.

F- Palm Beach Post: CSI, Dogsh*t.

JUPITER — If your pooch poops, you pay.

Plagued with pets that do business in all the wrong places, dog owners in the Village of Abacoa, a condominium association of 458 units, must pay a $200 fee starting Aug. 1. The money will pay DNA Pet World Registry to take the dog's genetic fingerprint and keep the information on file.

Doggie droppings found in condo common areas will be collected and mailed in a plastic tube to the Knoxville, Tenn.-based company. If the poop matches the pooch, the owners can be fined up to $1,000. If they don't pay, a lien can be placed on their home, said Susan Nellen, property manager for Versa Property Management, which manages the condo near Roger Dean Stadium.

G- South Florida Business Journal: Classy.

The marketing department at Spirit Airlines is having some fun again.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was found guilty on 17 of 20 counts on Monday, and Spirit (NASDAQ: SAVE) came out with a new fare offer on Tuesday.

"We've got these fares and they're f-ing golden," the Miramar-based airline said.

The quote is a reference to Blagojevich getting caught on tape, talking about the wondrous opportunity of filling the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

Spirit's e-mail shows a grinning Blagojevich wearing shades and an orange shirt between some parted jailhouse bars.

H- CBS4: Video, Boeing 737 crosses LeJeune, no injuries.

I- WSVN: Cutting waste and fat.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- The Florida Highway Patrol is closing 10 stations Friday as part of the state's cost-cutting efforts.

.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It's a quiet Thursday morning in the South Florida blogosphere as we prepare to move into the July 4th holiday weekend. Here's what was posted while you slept last night. Enjoy your morning Sift.

A- Go Hydrology! says it's going to take a tropical storm to get us some sheetflow out in the Everglades.

It’s not a flow you can see, per se – unless you are at a bridge where it’s concentrated – but if you are in the center of a strand during its peak you’ll observe an infinitesimally small current move silently south.

B- Obalesque takes the very Republican and obese NJ Governor Christie to the woodshed for his recent remarks on gay marriage.

It’s not about what you believe in, you arrogant, self-centered, grandstanding blowhard. It’s about the protected Constitutional rights of the citizens of your state and this country. Your pea-brained beliefs are as irrelevant to this issue as your delusions about Camden’s aquarium transforming that cesspool of a city into an international tourist destination.

C- Under the Sun has the interesting story of bail bondsmen in Miami.

D- Beached Miami promotes their Sketchy Party tonight by visiting Joey's, the restaurant that's going to be supplying the food.

Now we introduce you to Chef Ivo Mazzon, the culinary saint behind the divine pizza at Joey’s, which will be served free and hot at Lester’s tonight. Chef Mazzon hails from outside of Venice and has been tossing pizza since he was a teenager. Earlier this week, I stopped into Joey’s kitchen to get a lesson from the master. Roll video.

.

Your Evening Sift

Traffic was a bear on the Turnpike this evening as U2 concert-goers converged on Joe Robbie [yeah, that's right, I'm done changing every year] for the big U2 concert. Heat, humidity and the threat of rain for an outdoor concert...jeez, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Let's begin this Hump Day Sift with Beached Miami's interview of Jessi Hector, the "daughter" side of Father/Daughter Records.

You and your Dad must share a special bond over music. Talk a little about your relationship and how you guys shared music over the years?

JH: Music has always been a huge part of my life and I have to thank both of my parents for that. They were young when they had me so they were still into listening to records and going to concerts when I was growing up in the late 70s, early 80s. A career in the music industry was all I ever wanted as soon as I was old enough to know what a career was. My parents had no qualms with dropping me off at concerts, helping me assemble my handmade zine, or buying me film to shoot live bands. They have always been super supportive!

B- Eye on Miami discusses what the new Miami-Dade mayor needs to do while the Rick Scott voters at Babalu [via Twitter] compare those who voted for Gimenez to "children of alcoholics."

After all the fervor and determination to remove Carlos Alvarez from office for his arrogance, political gaming, and disconnect from the people, the county voters inexplicably elected an arrogant, political gaming, and disconnected career politician in Carlos Gimenez. What's that old axiom that children of alcoholics tend to marry alcoholics?

C-Sex and the Beach somehow manages to get Anthony Bruno, owner of Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza, to hold a dressed up salami during her entire interview.

D- Lots of photos of Macy's food truck are up at Soul of Miami.

E- A new Brazilian place with lots of experience back in the Old Country is opening in North Miami, says Eater Miami.

Giraffas, a 30-year-old Brazilian based chain with over 350 restaurants, is opening its first stateside restaurant July 11. The menu is fast food casual and features burgers, steak sandwiches, shrimp, black beans and rice and salads.

F- There is a new bar opening in Lauderdale's Riverfront complex, according to FTL Collective. Really.

The upcoming Tap & Cork is just south of Argie’s Grill, right across the street from The Brick. From its window dressing it promises to be a beer, wine, champange, and sake bomb bar. I could be wrong, but from my semi-professional drinking at Himmarshee bars that makes it the only place to get a sake bomb downtown.

.

The Google+ Project

Do you get the idea that Google is trying a little too hard to put together a decent social networking tool?



Sun-Sentinel:

To set its service apart from Facebook, Google is betting on what it says is a better approach to privacy -- a hot-button issue that has burned Facebook, as well as Google, in the past.

Central to Google+ are the "circles" of friends and acquaintances. Users can organize contacts into different customized circles -- family members, coworkers, college friends -- and share photos, videos or other information only within those groups.

"In the online world there's this 'share box' and you type into it and you have no idea who is going to get that, or where it's going to land, or how it's going to embarrass you six months from now," said Google Vice President of Product Management Bradley Horowitz.

"For us, privacy isn't buried six panels deep," he added.

.

Plum TV: The New Ferrari FF

Can't wait to see one of these beasts on the road...





.

SFDB Post Of The Week

SFDB selects its Post of the Week by going back and reviewing all the Sifts that we've done over the past 7 days. We find the best post of the week and note the runners ups as we judge them to be.

I hate to say it but things were a bit slow in the South Florida blogosphere this week. It's one of those weeks where I'm not able to get real excited about the Post of the Week. But having said that, there still were some good posts out there. Let's go.

Runners-Up:  South Florida Food and Wine took us along for an extended tour of Little Havana last week and told us about all the interesting and well-known eating and drinking establishments that she visited while she roamed. Miami Beach 411 posted a nicely balanced and informative piece on a place many of us know and love: Books and Books on Lincoln Road. Beached Miami did their usual stellar job with photos of last week's Critical Mass ride.


Winner:  When Carlos Miller got wind that the Fort Lauderdale Police Department was keeping photographers away from a movie shoot, you knew it was only a matter of time before Miller was in their face with his camera challenging their authority. Fort Lauderdale Photo Protest Proves Photography Is Not A Crime was the blog post that documented the culmination of a battle between photographers and the police in which the photographers eventually prevailed. Whether you agree with him or not, you still have to acknowledge Miller's work and talent for pushing the envelope and somehow managing to capture it all on film and eventually blogging about it. This week his efforts receives SFDB's Post of the Week honors.


'Til next time, keep on blogging!

.

SFDB Morning Chuckle

You can't grasp the stupidity of Fox News, its talking heads, and the stooges who sit around and try to seriously digest this sh*t...unless you watch Jon Stewart methodically and hilariously disassemble them like he does in this video from Monday night...

The Daily Show - Oh, for Fox Sake
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

-via Bark Bark Woof Woof


.

The Cooler

Are your ready for this morning's news? There's a lot of it. Here we go.

A- Herald: And the beat goes on.

Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado -- who last week blasted severance payouts to top city officials and argued that the city should be repaid – signed a memo in February authorizing City Manager Tony Crapp Jr. to collect six months’ pay and health insurance premiums if he quit.

Crapp resigned June 20 but turned down the severance package. On Tuesday Regalado acknowledged signing the one-paragraph memo, but said he was under the impression it only allowed Crapp to receive medical insurance for six months.

“The only thing he ever wanted was health coverage,” said Regalado. That, the mayor said, was “the only thing I agreed to.”

B- Herald: It's so Republican of him.

The calls have been coming most every week, the same amiable voice on the other side of the line.

“Hi this is Gov. Rick Scott. I wanted to personally call and share some very encouraging news about our efforts to get Florida back to work. ... Unemployment is down for five straight months, bucking the national trend.”

On Friday, Scott’s recorded voice told an undisclosed number of Floridians how he’s cutting property taxes, a reference to his cutting back water management districts. Before that it was about fighting drug abuse and vetoing “wasteful special interest projects” by fellow Republican legislators.

[...]

“We are all used to getting robocalls during campaign season, but to continue to get them AFTER the election is unprecedented and extremely disturbing! ... Funny how a guy that preaches limiting government intrusion in our private lives is DOING JUST THAT with this harassing robo-phone campaign,’’ e-mailed Republican Steve Allbitron of Palm Harbor.

C- Herald: Can you hear me now?

Cell phone service for AT&T customers in South Florida has been restored, an AT&T spokeswoman said Tuesday night.

The trouble began about 6 p.m., AT&T spokeswoman Kelly Starling said, affecting 3G and 4G voice service for customers from southern Broward through Monroe counties.

D- Herald: Video, Gimenez victory speech.

E- Herald: Morin.

F- Sun-Sentinel: Video, U2's 360 stage for tonight.

G- Palm Beach Post: Life in South Florida.

Nile monitor lizards are being spotted in West Palm Beach, and state officials are asking for the public's help in finding the large, predatory lizards.

Nine Nile monitors, native to Africa, have been seen in recent surveys of the area, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

Biologists with the FWC have began surveying and setting up trapping efforts for the lizards, which can grow to up to 7 feet long. The primary area of concern is the C-51 canal along Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, an FWC release stated.

H- South Florida Business Journal: Rainbow county.

While South Florida is known as a melting pot, Broward County is the most racially diverse in the region.

Detailed racial breakdowns from 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data indicates that 37 percent of Broward County residents are of a minority racial group. Palm Beach County is the second most diverse South Florida county, with 26.5 percent of residents representing a minority group, followed by Miami-Dade County, with 26.2 percent of residents a minority.

I- CBS4: Video, Miami's history for sale.

J- WSVN: Another aircraft airlift tonight.

On Wednesday at midnight, a crane will lift the Boeing 737 from Miami International Airport to LeJeune Road. The plane will then be tugged to nearby George T. Baker Aviation School. "It's an exciting night. They have a 737 come across LeJeune Road with a 500-ton crane," said Dr. Sean Gallagan of George T. Baker Aviation School. "It's awesome."

.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Miami-Dade County has elected a new Mayor but other than than that, things are pretty quiet this morning. Let's check out what was going on in the South Florida blogosphere as everyone slept.

A- Almost two dozen new photos await you at The Street.

B- Bark Bark Woof Woof posts a video that every American should see.

C- Eye on Miami was at the Gimenez victory party last night and shares a video and some photos.


.

Carlos Gimenez Wins!

Mr. Mayor

The Miami Herald:

Carlos Gimenez is the new mayor of Miami-Dade County.

The Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections continues to tally votes Tuesday night, but Julio Robaina has conceded victory to Gimenez, a former Miami-Dade County commissioner who has held a 51 to 49 pecent lead throughout most the night thanks in large part to a substantial early voting edge.

Score one for the Good Guys.

.

Your Evening Sift

You can follow along with tonight's election results right here, but make sure you catch your Tuesday evening Sift, too. Here you go.

A- Let's get rolling this evening with Miami Beach 411 questioning why so few people vote in South Florida.

And that, friends, is why we have one of the nation’s ugliest skylines full of empty condos. That is why our county commission continues to extend the development boundary into the Everglades, despite public support below 20 percent. That is why the culture of this city is maddening to anyone who is used to America. And that is why the only voice our elected officials will ever hear is that of the Latin Builders Association.

B- You get the feeling after reading The305.Com's review of Lime Fresh Mexican Grill that it's just okay.

But its good food that’s freshly prepared to your liking. Bigger than normal portion sizes and an impressive collection of hot sauces from dozens of brands that you can choose from. Hell, that’s my favorite thing about the place. The Pineapple and honey mustard ones are probably my top choice, but there’s much more to fit your personal preference. In fact there’s probably 70-100 different types of bottles of hot sauce to choose from.

C- Sex and the Beach goes fishing for tarpon on Florida's West Coast. Video included.

D- UVu Blog posts an interesting interview of Lorraine Mizzell, a Fort Lauderdale resident who participated in a series of protests, called "Wade-Ins," that helped integrate Lauderdale's beaches in 1961.

E- More on Macy's food truck at Under the Sun.

F- There's a few upcoming cooking classes and wine dinners posted at South Florida Food and Wine.

G- Discourse spends a coupla hours at the local DMV renewing his DL.

I had to go to the DMV to renew my 18-years-old pre-Real-ID drivers license. In theory if you have an appointment you should breeze right through, while droves of people without appointments — I counted well over 200 — wait and wait. But when I got there they inexplicably gave me a ticket for the non-appointment line. After 45 minutes, I asked why, given that I had an appointment, it was taking so long, and someone explained that I had the wrong ticket, and directed me to someone else who then gave me an “A” ticket instead of a “B” ticket. Some 15 minutes later, I was at the head of the line.

.

Micky D's Café Con Leche

Who's going to be the first South Florida blogger to give us their impressions of this, I wonder?

Starting today Café con Leche will make its U.S. McDonald’s debut at 168 McDonald’s restaurants located in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties.

“From time to time we enhance our menu with items that are local favorites and uniquely relevant to a community,” said Bianca Olivas, Vice President of Operations for the company. “Last year, several McDonald’s owners and operators in South Florida encouraged us to add Café con leche to our beverage line-up in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.”

The company did not provide a full list of restaurants; however, McDonald’s named two restaurants at 14301 Miramar Parkway in Miramar or 9501 NW 41st in Doral where customers will find Café con Leche for sale.

This actually may have been in the making for quite some time as Rando Miami reported back in January that there were some interesting things showing up on local McDonald's menus.

.

SFDB's Name That Spot #3 [UPDATED]

Name That Spot is a periodic feature in which SFDB readers attempt to identify the South Florida location of the photo that is displayed.

Past Correct Guessers...

South Florida Food and Wine: 1
Alex de Carvalho : 1


********

No one got it!

This Spot is in the parking lot outside of Alex's Flamingo Groves and Gift Shop at 236 North Federal Highway in Dania Beach.

.

SFDB Morning Chuckle

A deer gets loose in a North Carolina church and creates the expected mayhem.




-via the internets


.

The Cooler

Here's some of the more interesting news in this morning's mainstream media.

A- Herald: Macy's high-powered food truck.

Add Macy’s to the list of those catching the food truck craze.

The retail chain comes to Miami on Tuesday to kick off “Macy’s Chefs A-Go-Go,” a national food truck tour featuring some of the country’s top chefs, including Miami’s Michelle Bernstein, Todd English and Ming Tsai. Bernstein will kick off the event Tuesday night serving up Mexican-style shrimp ceviche with tostones and mojo-flavored guacamole.

[...]

The roster of high-profile chefs is expected to draw foodies to the Macy’s truck as it makes its way across the country from Miami to New York, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. They’ll find Cat Cora in San Francisco and Los Angeles and Rick Bayless in Chicago.

For the Tuesday event, Bernstein adapted her traditional ceviche and created a mojo guacamole that she’s never made before. She normally only cooks tostones at home — never in her restaurants.

“If I’m schvitzing in Miami, I tried to figure out what I would want to eat,” Bernstein said. “I can’t imagine anything more refreshing and exciting.”

B- Herald: Probably because of all those hurricanes that they've had to pay for the last few years.

When Paul Hobson received his State Farm Florida renewal this month, he was shocked to find the annual premium to insure his 2,200-square-foot house had increased to $2,715 from $1,092.

“That’s a 152 percent increase. I called to make sure the figure was right,” Hobson said. “Did the end of the world happen or something?”

The State Farm office he called in Jupiter assured him the amount for his St. Lucie West home was correct and due in August.

In April, regulators granted State Farm an average 18.8 percent rate increase, but as Hobson discovered, those averages mean little because there is no cap. Some homeowners are being hit with huge increases.

"This is only the beginning. The rates are being approved quicker and easier on behalf of the insurance industry. It’s quite sad," said state Sen. Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey), who has been an advocate for consumers on insurance. "We have a governor now who is sympathetic to the insurance industry."

C- Herald: Morin.

D- Sun-Sentinel: "It's still a couple miles away."

When it comes to lightning, females are cautious and males are reckless.

The result: Between 1995 and 2008, lightning killed 648 people, and of those, 82 percent were male, according to AccuWeather.com.

"Men take more risks in lightning storms," said John Jensenius, of the National Weather Service, adding that males are less willing to walk away from recreational activities or sports.

E- Palm Beach Post: WTF?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Highway Patrol troopers came close to wearing the green uniforms of Sheriff’s deputies this past legislative session.

The jobs of more than 1,500 troopers were almost given to local sheriffs.

It would have been the biggest outsourcing in recent history and it was backed by Governor Rick Scott. It was the sheriffs, not the patrol that pushed back and said no.

“If a deal was worked out, the funding might be here one year and the funding could disappear in the next legislative session,” said Florida Sheriff's Association President Harrell Reid.

The switch could have potentially raised local property taxes, but the fight is not over.

Tucked into a Senate bill is legislation requiring a study of consolidating all law enforcement functions, everything from the FHP to the Fish and Wildlife Commission, Agricultural agents and more.

That same legislation moved Florida Department of Transpiration officers who inspect large 18-wheelers to the Florida Highway Patrol.

F- South Florida Business Journal: Cool.

Rick Case Automotive Group said it plans to open the first new Fiat dealership in South Florida on July 1 in Weston.

G- TC Palm: A woman scorned.

MARTIN COUNTY — A Stuart man said his live-in girlfriend chased him with a machete Sunday as part of a rampage during which she wrecked their home, according to an arrest affidavit.

Dominque Brogan, 35, of the 7600 block of Southeast Fork Drive, Stuart, was being held without bail Monday at the Martin County Jail on a domestic aggravated assault charge.

H- TC Palm: Life in South Florida.

Arlene Brown calls herself a "nimby", short for "not in my backyard."

"I think that if you want to have chickens, we ought to have chickens," says Brown. "But you should have them in an area that's conducive to chickens which is not an 80 by 125 lot in the city of Port St. Lucie."

The city council agreed, voting not to change the current animal ordinance.

That means chickens won't be allowed to roost in Port St. Lucie backyards.

.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It's Election Day in Miami-Dade County and you'll see that Blogging Black Miami provides 5 reasons to vote for Carlos Gimenez in the Sift's "A" notation. I would add two more: Luther Campbell didn't endorse him and the Cuban-American hardliners like Robaina. With that commentary, let's move on to your morning Sift.

A- On this Election Day, Blogging Black Miami gives us five reasons to vote for Carlos Gimenez.

5. Carlos Gimenez is not under investigation by the IRS. As much as Julio Robaina would like to distance himself from the allegations surrounding his involvement in shadow banking, loansharking or a Ponzi scheme, this issue has a tremendous stickiness factor and that's not good for Robaina. He says he is a victim, let's see how that plays out.

B- Superbee thinks he has Lyme Disease.

I mean, it makes perfect sense. My father is one of the world's foremost experts on the disease, and when I was in Maryland two weeks ago, I (stupidly) went hiking in Patapsco Valley State Park without wearing tick repellent and wearing flip-flops. And shorts. Maryland is like the Lyme Disease Capital of the World. But Lyme, CT can keep the name. "Maryland Disease" just sounds stupid.

C- Justice Building Blog's list of nominees for best barbecue in South Florida is weak.

No bones about it, good barbecue is important. As we wind down in anticipation of the 4th of July holiday there's no time like the present to put the ribs on the table and decide which joint in South Florida is the best.

D- Ipanemic decides he wants to drown in a sea of onlive love.

Honestly, I think at this point that I am so far away from the middle of that bell curve in just about every aspect of life that it’s going to take a god I don’t believe in to somehow put her in front of me. Because she’s going to have to be, uh, special. Not like olympics special. And not special special. Special in the sense that she would have to be…

I’m a lot of person to take. A really good female friend told me once that whoever dated me would have to be very patient. I mean, I’ve had a homeless girl leave me to go back to the streets! I kid. Although… true story. But not really.

E- All Purpose Dark identifies a "classy spot" to hang out in the next time you stop by the Grove.

F- The effects of fire in the swamp are shown to us at Go Hydrology!

G- Bark Bark Woof Woof reviews the beginnings of three of the Republican nominees for president.

Every campaign has its "oops" moments, and ultimately, to quote the old song, it's not where you start but where you finish that matters. In the case of these three, however, the start of their respective campaigns reminds us that it's not just the campaign that has to win over the voter, it's the candidate, and each of them has so many flaws to begin with -- Mr. Gingrich can't control his mouth, much less his stunning lack of self-awareness; Mr. Huntsman's views will never get the votes of the Republican base that is essential in the early primaries; and Ms. Bachmann will never get beyond the base in the primaries to attract the moderate and independent voters that make up general election base -- that even if each of them had started off without a hitch, a year from now they'll be in the footnotes of history along with those of the campaign of Fred Thompson, who stood a better chance of being re-elected as the New York District Attorney if he'd stuck to his old job.

H- Redland Rambles describes a little bit of the work that goes on in some of the heirloom tomato fields after the season is over.

.

Your Evening Sift

I took a drive up to Deerfield Beach today and visited Charm City Burgers for the second time. While the burger business has taken a decidedly upscale turn in South Florida, it's nice to still have a basic burger joint to head to when the urge arises. I'm off to fine me a nice martini to close out the day. Enjoy your evening and your evening Sift.

A- Discourse endorses Carlos Gimenez for Miami-Dade County Mayor.

There are, however, two good reasons to vote for Gimenez, one negative and one positive, and they suffice. First, the surprisingly valid negative: Gimenez is not Julio Robaina. Robaina, an open believer in old-fashioned ethnic politics and in the legal sorts of vote-buying, would be a lousy choice even if he didn’t seem ethically challenged and in some danger of indictment. Second, given Gimenez’s ideological baseline, he deserves credit for consistency and technocratic competence. Gimenez was, for example, one of the lone voices against the ill-conceived stadium giveaway. Other so-called conservatives piled on to what they must have thought was the populist gravy train.

B- Some things never change as this old Roseanne video from 1992 demonstrates over at Bark Bark Woof Woof.

C-  There's a new coffee house and espresso bar that is open in downtown Miami, according to Eater Miami.

D- Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA is here, according to South Florida Beer Blog.

The beer will be hitting shelves around South Florida this week. It is VERY LIMITED so there will only be one case at each of these stores and will probably be limited to only one bottle per person.

E- Under the Sun gives us their take of Beached Miami's Sketchy Miami project.

Sketchy Miami is on a mission to draw a portrait of every person in Miami. Just submit a photograph of yourself here along with some basic information and a local artist will sketch your portrait. Once the artist has recreated your mug in a medium of his or her choosing, the portrait and the original photo will appear on the site.

F- Rakontur posts a short video about the abandoned Apollo-era rocket factory in the Everglades.


.

SFDB Viral Video

Hey, Mom, you missed the President's call.




.

SFDB Love Note To 15th Street Fisheries

Dear 15th Street Fisheries,

Love your salmon, I really do. But I really hate sitting on your dockside patio for 15 minutes waiting for one of your waitstaff to notice me and my girlfriend. This even as they passed by numerous times and made eye contact without acknowledging our presence.

And what is it with closing at 9 PM on a Sunday night? Seriously? This isn't Gainesville or Tallahassee or even Naples...we're in Fort Lauderdale where 20 miles down the road restaurants are open until the wee hours of the morning and less than a half mile down 15th Street, another great seafood place by the name of the Southport Raw Bar keeps their kitchen open until 1 AM.

No, Southport doesn't have valet parking. No, they don't have a pretentious upstairs where you get a wonderful view of the Intracoastal and the same piece of fish that you get dockside for twice the price. But Buddy and his staff know how to treat their customers.

And they also know that Yuengling is one word.

.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

I'm still in a weekend mode thus the late morning Sift and altered posting schedule. Things will get back to normal here at SFDB tomorrow as I return to the Daily Grind *sigh*, so until then I appreciate your patience. With that, here's your morning Sift.

A- Food for Thought starts this Monday morning out with their usual articulate description of a recent vegan meal they enjoyed.

Prior events have had decidedly more carnivorous themes, including Wagyu Beef and "Kiss My Pork Butt" dinners, and this was, I believe, the first time Chef Brana has done a vegetarian themed dinner. I didn't know when I signed up that the dinner would in fact be not only vegetarian, but entirely vegan, with no animal products whatsoever.

B- In their latest rant against FDOT, Transit Miami documents a few more crashes on Biscayne Boulevard and claims that if the roadway had a slower design speed the accident rate would go down because, I presume, people would not break the speed limit any longer.

Before someone mentions enforcement as the solution, please allow me to preemptively say that we need to design our roadways in order to achieve the speed we desire people to drive. In the case of Biscayne Boulevard, the design speed should not exceed 35 mph. The FDOT must stop practicing wishful thinking and begin designing roadways that discourage speeding and do not require enforcement. Properly designed streets enforce themselves.

C- The Chowfather gives his impressions of the latest Cobaya dining experiment that was held 2 weeks ago at Area 31.

The latest dinner took place on June 13, 2011 at Area 31, located on the 16th floor of the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami. Chef E. Michael Reidt recently returned to Miami to run the kitchen at Area 31 after successful stints on the west and east coast. When I heard that Chef Reidt was returning to the area, I was excited because I knew he was not only very talented but had Cobaya-esque skills.

D- Shorter Searching for Signs...

Julio Robaina is shady and dishonest but I'm voting for him anyway because Carlos Gimenez supporters robocall me.

E- Sex and the Beach highlights a relaxing waterside community to visit if you're ever traveling on the west side of the state.

Last weekend, on my way to Cape Coral from Orlando, I found myself in that happy place, behind the wheel of a sweet ride, not having to rush anywhere.

A friend recommended I stop by Casey Key, where I ended up spending three hours doing a whole lot of amazing nothing.

F- Eye on Miami shows us how Carlos Gimenez has attracted the support of the entire Miami-Dade community.

G- Bark Bark Woof Woof defends Michele Bachmann.

Regardless of what I or anyone may think of Michele Bachmann as a presidential candidate or what her chances are of winning the Republican nomination, and regardless of what part of the spectrum her ideas and interpretations of reality may come from, Chris Wallace of Fox News asking her "Are you a flake?" was way out of bounds.

H- Man or Maniac has some thoughts on the new cigarette warning labels.

So now the question is, if this is who we are, when do we start slapping pictures of morbidly obese people on McDonald's Happy Meals? How about sticking a photo of a mangled corpse on the side of our cars?

If the Congress honestly believes that these labels are a responsible and necessary approach to keeping Americans safe and healthy, then they are negligent in their duty if they don't mandate similar labels for other potentially dangerous products.

.

Your Evening Sift

What happens when it's a slow, rainy Sunday and you're the only one posting anything of substance in the South Florida blogosphere? You get your own evening Sift! Here's your evening Sift featuring The305.Com.

A- The305.Com posts a 1955 Miami-Dade tourism video as part of their Old School Sunday features.


.

All Purpose Dark Gets Some Attention

South Florida blogger Sara Liss aka/All Purpose Dark has a nice profile up at the soon-to-be-defunct 944 Magazine. I met Sara years ago at a Christmas blogger get together hosted by Miami Beach 411 and remember her as very engaging and someone who made it a point to try to stop and chat with everyone in the room.

Make sure you check out 944's write up...before it's gone.

.

Driving Around South Florida

So when you see this at University and Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines...

....questions naturally arise.

Thank goodness for the internets. And YouTube.


.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Coffee tastes especially good this morning for some reason. Let's get the day started with a pretty decent Sunday morning Sift.

A- There is no better way to start out this morning's Sift that to announce that there are goats for sale at Redland Rambles.

When I went to see the kids, they were only a few weeks old and in that awwww how cuuuute stage. Now they are four months old, bigger but still cute, and Hani is looking to sell them — but only to the right buyer. “Not to eat, and no santeria!” he said. He’d like to see them go to a herd where they can grow up and live out their lives.

B- Beached Miami has the latest from Psychic Mirrors...groovy tracks included.

On Saturday, the 10-piece Miami collective, spearheaded by Mickey de Grandy (aka Ryan de Grandy) and featuring members from Kabuki Iron Kolors and Capsule, announced the release of a 7” through Miami’s Cosmic Chronic Records.

C- South Florida Food and Wine places Chef Douglas Rodriguez in their spotlight.

South Florida Food and Wine: When did you realize that cooking was your passion?

Douglas Rodriguez: I was raised in Miami and grew up with the sights, smells, and tastes of Cuban/American cuisine. I developed a passion for food at a very early age – 6 years old! By age 10 I had a collection of cookbooks, pots and pans and was developing and preparing original dishes. I have always loved to cook and knew I would be a chef even as a child.

D- The Miami Bike Scene shares a video and a slideshow of images from Friday's Critical Mass ride.

A group of about 450+ cyclists attended Friday evening's Miami Critical Mass ride which took them through Little Havana, The Roads, Coral Gate, Shenandoah, Brickell and Downtown. Once again the rain and cloudy skies did not deter these cyclists from their last Friday of the month ritual.

E- Eye on Miami shows us how Julio Robaina's absentee ballot efforts are being funded by out of town PAC's. Wonder why?

.

SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

Junip, Without You


.

Your Evening Sift

I spent part of the day boating around the waterways of Fort Lauderdale so I am here to tell you that Wayne Huizenga owns fully half of the canal properties in this town. According to the information supplied by our tour guide, taxes on just one of his properties is $1,000 a day. Anyway, I'm off to get in more trouble. Here's your evening Sift.

A- The Miami Herald has had to eat crow a couple times over the years when it comes to the qualifications and decision-making of Carlos Gimenez, as Random Pixels demonstrates.

It's not the first time the Herald has had to apologize to Gimenez.

Gimenez was appointed as Miami's city manager in 2000, after Donald Warshaw was ousted from the job.

The Herald wasted no time in opposing Gimenez's appointment...not once, but twice.

B- Ipanemic turned 42 yesterday. You know what to do!

I’m actually really happy to be this age. Totally looking forward to the coming few months. And 42 is a year of abundance, I was recently told. One day in and so far, so good. Here’s to a good year.

C- Worst Pizza dissects Puccini's Pizza of Boca Raton.

Upon picking up the slice for my first bite, I noticed right away that the bottom of this Sicilian slice was cooked properly. It had some awesome texture and just felt good in the hands when I picked it up. The inside of the slice was a bit too airy in my opinion and that was a little disappointing. It needed more weight.

The sauce was nice and sweet with just a small hint of bitterness. The cheese was probably the part of the slice that I liked least. Although it was cooked correctly, and dripped over the sides of the slice like a decently cooked Sicilian slice should, it just didn’t have the “quality” taste I was looking for, at least in my opinion.

D- Beached Miami does their usual good job photographing the monthly Critical Mass ride in Miami.

Friday night’s 14.3 mile Critical Mass through Little Havana, The Roads, Coral Gate, Shenandoah, Brickell and Downtown drew about 500 riders. It also drew Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Carlos Gimenez, who showed up with a team of supporters at Government Center to smile at young people before the ride started.

.

Sad News From Zoo Miami

A baby gorilla whose arrival on Father’s Day was heralded as Zoo Miami’s “most significant birth of the year” was found dead Friday morning.

The gorilla, the second offspring of mother Kumbuka, apparently passed away overnight. Zoo officials discovered the body early Friday. It was so young that zoo staff had not been able to establish its gender.

Gorillas tend to be protective of their young, and zoo officials had to temporarily immobilize Kumbuka before they could take custody of the body, said spokeswoman Lauren Vandenberg.

Nikon Miami had posted a couple photos (including this one) of the baby gorilla just 2 days after it was born.


-via The Miami Herald

.

South Florida Cartoons

Jim Morin, The Miami Herald


.

SFDB Morning Chuckle

Yeah, but how many of his neighbors were run over?


-via The Daily Wh.at


.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Light, light Friday night in the South Florida blogosphere. Enjoy.

A- New photos are up at The Street.

B- Turns out that Governor Scott is a big help to President Obama...over at Bark Bark Woof Woof.


.

Your Evening Sift

TGIF, readers. It's a special weekend for me and I'm going to be running around South Florida trying to enjoy a bunch of things that have made life here bearable. Nothing major or grandiose, of course, because if there's one lesson I learned this far down the road is that it's the little things in life that makes it all worth it. Enjoy your Friday evening Sift.

A- Let's start out this evening Sift with some photos from San Francisco courtesy of Brickell Life.

B- Rick Scott is kryptonite to other Florida Republicans, The Reid Report says.

A TPM chart shows that of all the tanking Republican governors, Scott is the “tankingest”, with his approval rating down 20 percent, leaving him as probably the most unpopular governor in America...

C- Eye on Miami showed up at a Julio Robaina-sponsored breakfast at Moe's Bagels on Thursday and took her camera.

Apparently the open house-free breakfast yesterday was actually a closed private affair in a back room at Mo's Bagels but I was in the mood for some galuptzi so I went anyway and sat in the main restaurant just to watch (and photograph of course).

D- Makoto is a hit with All Purpose Dark.

I love me some Makoto, that's for all the world to see. Since they opened a few months ago I've been back half a dozen times. Which is more than I can say for most openings in town. I usually go once at the beginning and then get distracted by other openings.

E- Random Pixels shares a Miami video.

F- Tony Segreto gets 'tooned by Beached Miami.

G- Coconut Grove Grapevine posts lots of photos from last night's food truck rally at the Miami Science Museum.

I saw so many Grovites last night, as well as so many people from outside the area, who were like kids in a candy store. They were giddy. While so many people in the Grove want to keep the trucks out, the joke is on them, because the locals are leaving the Grove to follow the trucks and so are many potential Grove visitors. So while the Grove sat empty last night, it was a totally hip, hopping scene at the Miami Science Museum just up the road which went well into the night with laughter and happy people -- young, urban happy people, with plenty of money to spend.

.

Flashback Friday

1983...




The B-52's, Legal Tender


.

The Big Picture: Japan Three Months After The Quake

The Boston Globe has an amazing set of photos showing the progress that Japan has made in the approximately 90 days since the quake and tsunami.

Check it out.

.

Semper Fi

I'm wondering if the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps [pictured right] is also a socialist, Birkenstock-wearing hippie.

Sgt. Maj. Barrett also tackled questions on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s ban on gays serving openly in uniform. The Department of Defense is preparing to implement repeal, and Sgt. Maj. Barrett addressed that issue directly.

“Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution is pretty simple,” he told a group of Marines at a base in South Korea. “It says, ‘Raise an army.’ It says absolutely nothing about race, color, creed, sexual orientation.

“You all joined for a reason: to serve,” he continued. “To protect our nation, right?”

“Yes, sergeant major,” Marines replied.

“How dare we, then, exclude a group of people who want to do the same thing you do right now, something that is honorable and noble?” Sgt. Maj. Barrett continued, raising his voice just a notch. “Right?”

[...]

“Get over it,” he said. “We’re magnificent, we’re going to continue to be. … Let’s just move on, treat everybody with firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion and respect. Let’s be Marines.”

Indeed.


- via The Wall Street Journal

.

SFDB Morning Chuckle

A Palin Supporter impersonator heads out to the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, to find other Sarah Palin Supporters but instead finds hope for America.




-via The Daily Wh.at

.

The Cooler

Come and get your morning news! Enjoy this morning's Cooler.

A- Herald: Getting their piece of the pie.

Gourmet food trucks are welcome in North Miami, but city officials want to make sure they pay.

North Miami officials are attempting to crack down on food truck vendors in the city, which have been allowed to operate without any permits or city-imposed fees.

A popular weekly food truck rally, the Biscayne Triangle Truck Round-Up, draws about 4,000 every Tuesday to the grounds of Johnson & Wales University, 1701 NE 127th St. While some city officials and residents support the community event, they say the city failed in regulating the trucks.

The city council will vote Tuesday on whether to adopt an ordinance that would require food trucks to obtain licenses and special permits for events held in the city.

If the ordinance passes, food truck vendors would be required to pay a $167 annual fee and a one-time $50 fee for a background check.

The council may also consider an additional permit fee that would be used to create programs or incentives for brick-and- mortar restaurants affected by the food trucks.

B- Herald: Bad and really bad news.

The news that Miami commissioners were now facing a $54 million shortfall for next year’s budget had barely sunk in Thursday when they learned that a hiring freeze put in place two years ago wasn’t much of a freeze at all.

And as the bad news flowed, commissioners directed their discontent at former City Manager Tony Crapp Jr., who they learned had violated city policy by paying hefty severances without commission approval to two former top executives who quit voluntarily.

The result: The five-member commission unanimously passed a resolution forbidding severance payouts to anyone who resigns, told City Attorney Julie Bru to create an ordinance that would outlaw the practice, then ordered her to use all means necessary to recover any of the payouts.

[...]

Meanwhile, on the budget front, the news was frosty: Not only had shortfall projections skyrocketed from $22 million in December to $54 million now – which is more than 10 percent of the city’s total operating budget – but commissioners learned Miami had hired 200 new workers since a hiring freeze was ordered in May 2009. And though no one was able Thursday to pinpoint exactly what that has cost the city, the unexpected news had commissioners straightening up in their seats.

“Two hundred positions is almost five percent of our labor force,” said Commissioner Francis Suarez. “That’s not a small amount of turnover.”

C- Herald: Photo of panty-wearing passenger at Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

His name is Howard, and he likes to fly while dressed in women’s lingerie.

That’s about all that is known of the mystery U.S. Airways passenger catapulted to international prominence this week via Internet blogs after he was photographed at Concourse E, Gate 9 of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on June 9 while waiting to board a flight to Phoenix.

Howard’s distinguishing characteristics: He smiles with his mouth closed, and he was dressed in nothing more than blue women’s lingerie, black stockings, high-heeled shoes and a tasteful, transparent white sweater. He accessorized with a black choker, and a wristwatch.

Greg Meyer, an airport spokesman, said there is no dress code that would prevent Howard or anyone else from flying in lingerie, as long as it does not compromise the safety of the flight or fellow passengers.

“There’s not a lot we can say or do,’’ Meyer said. “It’s a very diverse community, and people come in all sorts of garb.’’

D- Herald: Too bad, so sad.

Fireworks erupted at an otherwise perfunctory meeting of the Miami-Dade Republican Party this week when a committeeman raised his hand and asked, “Are we broke, basically?”

Technically, no. But the party has a mere $1,097.11 in the bank — up from $25.81 in January — and is laying off its executive director to save money.

“We have expenditures that are unsustainable,” the party’s chairman, state Rep. Erik Fresen of Miami, said Wednesday night to the members of the local GOP, also known as the Republican Executive Committee.

E- Herald: New electronics distributor for SoFla.

A new player in the consumer electronics industry is making a major market push: hhgregg will open 10 stores over the next week stretching from Jensen Beach to Pinecrest, including Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Aventura and Hialeah. Soft openings of individual stores will begin this weekend, with an official grand opening scheduled for July 14.

Another three Miami-Dade locations are in the works for next year. Homestead is already a lock and the company is searching for locations in Kendall and Doral.

F- Sun-Sentinel: But no new taxes, thank goodness!

The cost of attending college is rising swiftly again at Florida's 11 public universities.

Students will have to pay 15 percent more in tuition this fall, after the Florida Board of Governors on Thursday allowed each university to add a 7 percent "tuition differential" to the 8 percent increase already approved by the Legislature in April.

Student fees are going up as well, bringing the required costs of college to an average of $5,440 per year for a full-time student taking 15 hours a semester. Some universities, such as Florida State University and the University of South Florida, are charging as much as $5,800. For five universities, it's the fourth year in a row for a 15 percent increase.

G- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

H- NBC Miami: Life in South Florida.

On June 6, Fumero allegedly pulled over an unidentified woman by flashing a fake police badge, an arrest report stated.

The woman, who was driving on a suspended license, began crying after Fumero threatened to take her to jail for the violation. He was also wearing a holster and a gun, the report stated.

Fumero then kept up the charade by asking the woman to have a seat in his squad car, a Mercedes he had stolen, police said. He told the woman that he would not book her if she agreed to have sex with him, the report said.

The woman agreed and the two went to a hotel, the report stated.

Cops eventually found the stolen Mercedes with the phony police badge inside.

.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

TGIF, readers, and welcome to Friday. The SFDB Weekend Widget is up and running in the right sidebar and we have the weekend mindset here at SFDB. Let's get today rolling with a solid morning Sift.

A- Obalesque discovers that right wing blogs are the fertile breeding area for bullsh*t.

Yes, by all means, “imagine the outrage” because that’s what this story is: imagination. Delta has no such policy in place, and, for that matter, neither does Saudi Arabian Airlines. Furthermore, Delta doesn’t even fly into Saudi Arabia. Maybe they were confusing Delta with Gefilte?

B- Redland Rambles shares some information on what may be one of the ugliest caterpillars you'll find anywhere.

The caterpillar’s ugly looks were actually its main defense from getting eaten. A bird would look at that and wouldn’t think it’s food. The caterpillar also had another way of defending itself, Robert said as he touched its back. It immediately arched up a bit and something that looked like a red forked tongue came out of one end. It’s called an osmeterium and it gives off a noxious odor to repel its predator.

C- Miamism has spent some time collecting images of the colorful and unique Miami Beach lifeguard stands.

D- Bark Bark Woof Woof has a great video that demonstrates the differences in thinking between Republicans and Democrats on so many different levels.


.

Your Evening Sift

Things are winding down for the weekend around the South Florida blogosphere so not much in your evening Sift tonight. The SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar has been updated and will be kept up to date through the weekend. Enjoy.

A- We'll begin tonight with Spokes 'n' Folks and their link to a nice map of the Virginia Key mountain bike trails.

B- South Florida Theatre Scene posts their regularly scheduled wrap up of this week's theater news.

C- Go Hydrology! presents even more evidence that water levels are varying widely in the swamp.

D- Random Pixels offers some advice to Miami-Dade's new mayor.

Decisions. Over the next 18 months, you'll have to decide on many complex issues. Before making any decision, ask yourself one question: "What would Carlos Alvarez do?" Then, do the opposite. I don't think that needs any further explanation.

E- The Chowfather says pizza fans ought to take notice of Kings County Pizza in North Miami Beach.

Their Pizza has a perfectly crisp crust, a nice chewy and tasty dough and a perfect sauce to cheese ratio. For some reason, I find that most places down here tend to under sauce their pies. If I wanted a white pizza (which I hate and don't really understand) I would order one. It should be noted that the sauce is more spice (oregano & basil not heat) than sweet if that matters to you. I did notice that the tip didn't point down and there wasn't any oil dripping off which I personally like but not imperative.

F- Beached Miami gives us an idea of what's showing at some of the smaller indie theaters around Miami-Dade this weekend.

.