MIAMI MIRROR TRUE REFLECTIONS

SunsetHarbourTowersandMayorLevinesShoppingCenter

THEROOTSOFEVILINSUNSETHARBOUR
BY
DAVIDARTHURWALTERS
30September2015
WhenCityofMiamiBeachCommissionerEdTobinwasrunningforthecitycommissionin2007,
hisfirmpreparedanoptionagreementwherebyScottRobins,hisclient,wouldpurchaseaBay
Road lot from the owner of Tremont Towing in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood, wherein
Sunset Harbour Towers condominium Tobin himself owned an interest in three units and
severalparkingspaces.Tobin,apparentlyviolatinglocallaw,acceptedcampaigncontributions
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fromScottRobinsgroupofcompanieseventhoughheknewthatScottRobinswasseekinga
rezoningofthepropertyandwouldneedtocomebeforetheCityCommission.
Sec. 2489 of the Ordinances of the City of Miami Beach provides that, No real estate
developer shall give a campaign contribution directly or indirectly to a candidate, or to the
campaigncommitteeofacandidate,fortheofficesofmayororcommissioner.
TheMiamiDadeCountyCommissiononEthicsandPublicTrustanditsprosecutingadvocate,
Michael Murawski, almost always lenient on political shenanigans on the beach, ignored that
apparentviolation,andtheCOEdismissedseveralcountsagainstTobinandissuedaletterof
instruction.Anothercomplaintbroughtagainsthimwouldbesimilarlydisposedofin2013.
Fineswhenimposedarepicayunegiventhepowerandwealthofthepersonsinvolved,yeta
conviction may have political consequences due to adverse publicity, which is rare given the
market needs of the only major daily newspaper and its television affiliate. Substantial
politicians may go to considerable expense to hire lawyers to represent them, or simply
badmouththeethicscommissionasincompetentandirrelevant.
Tobinhimselfhaspubliclyscoffedattheineptitudeoftheethicscommission,whichhasbeen
dubbed The Unethical Commission of Public Distrust in urban lore. The commission
frequentlyrequiresthatcomplainantsthemselvesconducttheinvestigationsthatitissupposed
to conduct with the legal tools it has; it often takes the word of officials for granted without
asking for rebuttals; it is overly lenient towards certain officials; it appears to violate its own
ethical standards with impunity; and then it has the gall to offer to teach ethics to
municipalitiesforafee.

ScottRobins,PhilipLevine,JonahWolfson,JimmyMorales

Scott Robins and his partner Philip Levine would ultimately assemble properties and sell $20
millionofairrightstothecity,resultingintheshoppingcenterandparkinggarageacrossthe
streetfromSunsetHarbourTowers.CommissionerTobin,bytheway,wouldbeinstrumentalin
theousterofCityManagerJorgeGonzalez,whoonbehalfoftheCityCommissionarrangedthe

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partnership or condominium agreement between the city and Robins/Levine although he

objectedtowhathebelievedwasanexorbitantsum,$20million,paidfortheairrights.

JorgeGonzalez

Forcedtoresignwithahandsomeseverancepackageinthewakeofascandaloverthearrestof
an handfulof code enforcement officers, Gonzalezclaimed that therewould always be some
corruptioninthelowerranksofgovernments,andthatherethehighestlevelofgovernment
hadbeencorruptedaswell.Thatwouldbehisboss,thecitycommission,whosecommissioners
he said had been fixing code compliance cases in return for campaign contributions. So he
maintainedthathewasoustedbecausehebuckedthewillofcorruptcommissioners.

ThemayorsSunsetHarbourareagivenpriorityforstormwaterprotection

Furthermore,heclaimedthattherootsofevilextendedintoSunsetHarbour,wheretodaywe
see the roads being raised around the mayors shopping center to protect the area from
stormwater, with considerable work being done by Lanzo Construction, a donor to the
scandalized PAC featuring the mayors alleged accomplishments. The flood control project,
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initiatedpriortohisadventbythepreviousregime,isthemainaccomplishmentadvertisedby
thePACandthemayor,aprofessionalpropagandist,viahispersonalvanitymayorwebsite.

Indeed, he seems to have taken his cue from Mussolinis popular swamp recovery program,
whichultimatelyfailed,nottomentiontakingcontrolofcommitteesandsuppressingdissent.
Atthebeginningofwhathasbeenaseveredrought,heclaimedthatthestreetswerebonedry
after a slight rain although nearly five square blocks were ankle deep in water. A more
substantialrainoccurringlateronthefullsuperorredmoonresultedintheclosingofseveral
roadsforflooding,buttheonesprotectedbythepumpsweredry.

LanzoConstructioncontributedfundstothestinkingPAC

Gonzalez concluded that corruption was given full sway with the faux reform regime led by
ClintonpalPhilipLevine.Hecharacterizedthemayorshenchman,citymanagerJimmyMorales,
a political insider shoed into the job despite the recommendation of several outsiders by a
professionalrecruitingfirm,asspineless.

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OnJune2,2013,beforeGonzalezwasshownthedoor,Imadethefollowingrecommendation
inatownforumemailexchange:
We should not be deceived into thinking that changing city managers is going to change a
longstandingculture,muchofitinformal.Whosoevertakestheofficewillhavetoadjusttothe
statusquounlessaradicalisbroughtinandgiventemporarydictatorialpowersexceptoverthe
budget (as in Rome). The salient features of his background should be courage,honesty, and
intelligence.Formaleducationandwhetherornots/heinhaledornotshouldbeattheendof
thelist.Jorgeshouldhaveremainedinhispositionforanotheryearinordertotakeadvantage
oftheimpetusforreformi.e.arealcrackdown,andsavesomefacetoboot.Obviously,certain
reformersdidnotwantthatcrackdown,andhaveinterestsrootedintheverycorruptionthey
pretendtorootout.Allthecurrentcommissionersshouldbereplacedassoonaspossiblewith
a slate of clean candidates. Perhaps Jorge should considering running for mayor on a strong
mayorcharterreformplank.
CommissionerTobinresponded:Canibuysomepotfromyou(sic)
SoJimmyMorales,asophisticatedHarvardLawgrad,formercityattorneyforthescandalized
CityofDoral,goodoldMiamiBeachhomeboy,waswheeledinascitymanager,cryingwhenhe
wasappointed.
Moralesiswellknownlocallyasaniceguywithanopendooraslongasheisgonealongwith,
and as a vindictive bureaucratic thug behind closed doors when resisted, but not nearly as
vindictiveasthedefactostrongmayorhedependsonweakcitymanagerscomeandgowith
strong mayors. He is praised by some as a moral man while others warn that his last name
shouldnotbeconfusedwithmoralityandthatmoralityshouldnotbeconfusedwiththeGood
ofethics.Ironically,thecitymightbebetteroffifhewerethepoliticalmayorandPhilipLevine
managedthecitybusinessunderthecitysweakmayor,strongcitymanager,fascisticcharter.
Tobin was allied with the faux reform majority purchased and led by Philip Levine as mayor.
Commissioner Jonah Wolfson was also instrumental in the capture of the citycommission by
thesocalledreformers.Hewasscandalizedbycontributionsfromthetowingduopolybasedin
Sunset Harbour, and from a beach concession monopoly, Boucher Brothers, to his wife
Andreasjudicialcampaignwhilehedeviouslyadvancedaradicalincreaseintowingfeesanda
nobidrenewaloftheconcessioncontract.Tobin,bytheway,hasoftenbeenatacrimonious
oddswithhim.
Wolfsonswife,incidentally,wasanassistantstateattorneyandhaslecturedonethicsforthe
countyethicscommission,whosedirector,JoeCentorino,washerformercolleagueatthestate

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attorneysoffice.The
eethicscom
mmissiondid
dnotrespon
ndtorepeattedrequestssastowheth
herit
hadlookedintotheccontribution
nsaspossibleeviolationsoflocalcam
mpaignfinanccereformlaw.

CommissionerTobinggraduatedfrompoliceacad
demy

nrecentlyw
waiveditsow
wnethicsreq
quirements andallowed
dMr.Tobin,who
TheCity Commission
nastatepro
osecutorin BrowardCounty,toapp
plyforajobwiththepo
olicedepartment
hadbeen
while sitting on the commission
n. He was apparently
a
b
becoming
diisgruntled with
w the mayoral
faction, wherefore
w
the
t mayor and
a commisssion highly recommend
ded him as the ideal police
p
officercaandidate.He
ereportedlyyfailedthep
policedeparrtmentseth
hicstest,and
d,citingpersonal
consideraations,decid
dednottobecomeapoliceofficer.
Now Maayor Levine and Commissioner Wo
olfson have been taken
n to task byy Mr. Tobin
n and
Commisssioner Deed
de Weithorn
n for solicitting political contributions from city
c
vendorss and
developeers. Mayor Levine,
L
who
o had waxed
d eloquent on
o Tobins desire
d
to be a police offficer,
nowrefeerstoTobinssfailuretop
passtheethiicstest,implyingthatheeisanuneth
hicalman.

R
Respectedpo
oliticaltelevisionreporterMichaelPutn
neyraisedhelllaboutthesttinkingPAC
P
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Levine andWolfsons excuse is that, unlike Scott Robins previous contributions to Tobin, the
donations were intended for a political action committee chaired by Commissioner Wolfson,
and that the funds received were not specifically earmarked for Levines reelection even
though most of the advertising expenditures lauded Levines alleged accomplishments. If
extortionorbriberywereatplay,themalefactorscouldbesubjecttocriminalprosecution,and
F.B.I.agentshavebeenseenmakingtheroundsagain.
The stench over the stinking PAC ordure has provoked the lazy county ethics commission to
open an investigation. Absent proof of a quid pro quo, the contributions probably did not
violate the ethics code because the code does not mention political action committees,
althoughthemotivationforthedonationsjustmaybeunethicalinahighersense,Wolfsonsays
hewillshutdownthePACandmakeproportionaterefundsofanyremainingmoney.Thatmay
provokepossiblydisgruntleddonorstotellallgivenapromiseofimmunity.
All the above leaves the question as to why the same commission, when examining the
previouscomplaintagainstacommissioner,namelyEdTobin,didnotfindprobablecausewhen
there was not political action committee at play, although the ethics commission advocates
discussionofthecasepracticallymirroredthecityscampaignfinancereformprohibition.We
mayhaveonebigballofwaxinthiscountyregardlessofpoliticalsubdivisions.
##
Readthespecificsaboutthefailureofthecountyethicscommissiontorespondtoquestionsas
towhyitapparentlyignoredthecontributionsofScottRobinstoEdTobinasSunsetHarbour
wasbeingputtogetherforhimandhisfriendPhilipLevine,thefuturemayorofMiamiBeach.

THEBLACKEYEOFTHEMIAMIDADEETHICSCOMMISSION
http://miamimirror.com/2015/09/theblackeyeofmiamidadeethics.html

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