Mayo on the Side

Soaring ambulance rates take us all for a ride

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:37:22 -0500

I've been lucky so far in life (knock wood). Neither I nor a family member has ever had a medical emergency that required an ambulance ride to the hospital. So I'm totally clueless when it comes to the financial aspects of government-provided EMS services.

As in, I had no idea that residents get billed for emergency ambulance rides after they call 911 and local Fire-Rescue crews respond. I thought it was like when you call the fire department when your house is burning, or when you call police if you see a prowler lurking. They come and provide the taxpayer-paid service, no additional bills to follow.

But ambulance rides are different, with government agencies allowed to bill residents for hospital trips. And those bills have been soaring, as cities and agencies have hiked rates dramatically in recent years, as I wrote about in my print column today.

John Goodman's biological children challenge girlfriend adoption

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:07:30 -0500

Talk about sibling rivalry. How would you like it if your father was sleeping with your newly adopted stepsister?

Apparently, in the bizarre case of Palm Beach County polo magnate John Goodman's adoption of his adult girlfriend, not very much.

A guardian for Goodman's two biological children has filed a legal challenge to Goodman's adoption of Heather Hutchins, 42, the Palm Beach Post reports.

Thank goodness someone is standing up for traditional family values.

I wrote about the unusual situation in a print column earlier this week, pondering some of the creepy parts of the deal.

I loved the headline that a copy editor wrote for the print version: "Adopting your girlfriend complicates the greeting cards."

As I wrote in the column, what happens on Valentine's Day next week? Does Goodman try to seduce his girlfriend-daughter with romantic roses, sinful chocolates and a bottle of expensive bubbly? Or does he just give her a platonic peck on the cheek with a card that says, "Love Dad."

Ick.

Obviously, with his trial for DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide stemming from a fatal 2010 wreck scheduled for next month, Goodman has a lot on his plate.

Now he's got some family discord added to the mix.

New Broward Inspector General starts to produce

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:35:31 -0500

The Broward Inspector General's office is still relatively new, and its field of scope incredibly wide -- misconduct, mismanagement, waste and fraud in Broward County government and municipalities.

Inspector General John W. Scott, a veteran prosecutor and investigator hired last year, made his first big splash this week with a damning report of the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office and former Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Perper, finding that thousands of pain pills had gone missing because of lax oversight and procedures.

It made for some good reading -- drugs and death, all that was missing was the sex and rock and roll -- but I still kind of shrugged. The investigation, based on a tip from a medical examiner's employee, began in November, the month after Perper resigned after Gov. Scott snubbed his reappointment. (Obviously, some notes of discord had been emanating from the office).

So basically this report takes some big swings against a pitcher who had already left the game. The most egregious acts were apparently committed by a rogue employee (fired in December), and the victims are dead. It's still useful, because interim Medical Examiner Darin Trelka and whoever gets the permanent job can learn from past mistakes to shore up the office.

But when it comes to waste and mismanagement, I'd like to see Scott and his staff take aim at current officeholders who are ripping off living taxpayers.

Should poor be able to use food stamps on naked M&M's?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:30:39 -0500

Figured I'd combine two topics into one for a mishmash Monday morning post: Super Bowl ads and proposed bills in the Florida Legislature that would bar the poor from using food stamps for junk food like candy, soda and potato chips (my Sunday print column topic).

If some legislators have their way, the poor wouldn't be able to use food stamps to buy most food/beverage products featured in Super Bowl ads.

Products like Diet Pepsi (whose ad featured Regis Philbin), Coke (whose ads featured cute animated polar bears), Doritos (whose ads featured a killer dog and slingshot baby) and M&M's.

The M&M ad might have been my favorite in the humor category, featuring a brown-shelled M&M and another one that stripped down to its chocolate innards.

In the drama category, I liked Clint Eastwood's Detroit/Chrysler/America pep speech ad, a stirring reprise to last year's winner from Eminem.

Otherwise, there were a lot of lame and so-so efforts from outfits that I can't even remember. A funny thing has happened over the last 5-10 years: the game has become better than the commercials.

And so it was last night.

So here are two questions for you: 1) What were your favorite Super Bowl ads?

2) Should the poor be barred from using food stamps on all sweetened drinks, cakes, ice cream and junk foods?

Trump endorses Romney -- Who cares?

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:04:32 -0500

So, egomaniac Donald Trump held a big news conference in Nevada announcing that he was endorsing Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination, and Romney came along to bask in The Donald's reflected glory.

To which I say: Who cares?

Trump is the king of self-promoters, someone who loves himself so much that he flirted with running for president (until he realized his boom-bust business record would get scrutinized), offered to moderate a Republican debate (until nobody wanted to attend) and holds up the mantle of the wacky Obama Birther movement.

I don't know why Romney went along with this show.

After all, Trump's catchphrase as a reality TV star is: You're fired.

Not the best endorsement in an era of high unemployment, layoffs and downsizing.

Look, I know a presidential campaign brings all kinds of endorsements, from elder statesmen politicians to up-and-coming politicians. Certainly businessmen, celebrities, actors and artists can feel free to voice their preferences all they want.

But I shudder to think if The Donald's endorsement starts a trend. Can you just imagine Snookie, Kim Kardashian and The Housewives of Beverly Hills staging endorsement announcements?

As for the media's fascination with Trump, I'll never forget what the great Jimmy Breslin once said in a talk in South Florida: "You know what's wrong with journalism today? Nowadays, someone will say, 'Oh Donald Trump's on the phone' and reporters will drop what they're doing and treat him like some sort of royalty. 'Yes Mr. Trump.' 'You don't say, Mr. Trump.' " If somebody told me Trump was on the phone, I'd rip the f------ thing out of the wall and throw it across the newsroom."

If you adopt your adult girlfriend, are you guilty of incest?

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:04:32 -0500

Quick thoughts for a Thursday, also known as Mayo's Nays:

1. Did you see the one about troubled Palm Beach County polo magnate John Goodman adopting his adult girlfriend, perhaps in an effort to shield assets from a civil suit relating to his auto wreck that killed a Wellington man?

Can you say sleazy?

So that means he's now dating his daughter? Forget the pending DUI manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter charges against him. Shouldn't he be charged with incest?

2. Newt Gingrich likes to bash the media, but that didn't stop his campaign from courting media votes, or at least my vote. Imagine my surprise when I found not one, but THREE messages on my Sun Sentinel voice mail from Gingrich volunteers seeking Primary Day votes earlier this week. They read from scripts, asking if I would support and vote for Gingrich. Seeking votes from working media on their business lines is weird enough. But how do you explain soliciting votes for a closed primary from someone who's not a registered Republican? No wonder his campaign is in trouble.

3. The groundhog saw its shadow today. For Florida, that means six more weeks of snowbirds clogging our roads.

4. Wednesday was National Signing Day for high school football players, the single most overhyped day on the calendar. The only thing that strikes me as dumber is long-range hurricane forecasts. I find it hilarious that so-called experts rank various universities on their incoming crops (the University of Miami supposedly got a top-10 recruiting class this year). I mean really, trying to project how 18 and 19 year old kids are going to develop and adapt to the rigors of college football and new environments/temptations, etc. is about as sensible as figuring out how many storms there are going to be in a given year. To those who follow these signing religiously, I have three words: GET A LIFE.

Allen West: Crafty strategist or fleeing coward?

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:12:46 -0500

(UPDATED AT 3:55 P.M. WITH NEW INFO THAT WEST PLANS TO LIVE IN HIS NEW DISTRICT AND MOVE THERE LATER THIS YEAR, SEE BELOW)...

Depending on whose version you believe, lightning-rod rookie Republican Congressman Allen West's decision to abandon Broward constituents and his current district for the friendlier confines of northern Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie County is either a brilliant tactical move (West's spin) or a sign of pure cowardice (the spin from his jilted former opponents Lois Frankel and Patrick Murphy).

It's definitely a bit of both, but there's no denying it looks like a retreat from a Tea Party favorite and former Army officer who likes to talk tough.

Instead of facing possible defeat in a revamped coastal Broward-Palm Beach district that would tip more Democratic this go-round after redistricting, West is headed for safer Republican territory, even though he currently doesn't live there.

Then again, West doesn't live in the district he currently serves.

West lives in Plantation, in a district served by Democrat Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

West beat Ron Klein to win the coastal seat in 2010. By law candidates for Congress merely have to live in Florida to run, not in the districts they vie for.

No word on whether West plans to move this time. (UPDATE AT 3:55 P.M. -- Just heard from West's spokeswoman that West intends to move somewhere within his new district, possibly in northern Palm Beach County, over the summer. The family wants to wait until his teen daughter finishes her first year of high school. West's wife will transfer from her current position as a financial planner with Raymond James and Associates. "After 22 years in the Army, they're used to packing up and moving," said West spokeswoman Angela Sachitano.)

Meantime, it might be time for his campaign to change the slogan at the top of his website.

"Go West!" it says.

More like, "Go North!"

Feel free to tell me what you think about West's decision below.

Mayo election live blog: Big night for Mitt, Fort Lauderdale incumbents

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:41:16 -0500

9:55 p.m. -- OK, time to put a ribbon on this puppy (I don't know what it is about election nights, but they always make me talk like Dan Rather): It was a big night for Mitt Romney, who hopes to seize the momentum and waltz to the Republican presidential nomination, and also for Fort Lauderdale incumbents Mayor Jack Seiler and Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, who romped to re-election.

It wasn't such a good night for Newt Gingrich, who gave a bizarre speech that didn't acknowledge a clear repudiation by voters. Remember Baghdad Bob, Saddam Hussein's press secretary who kept insisting Iraq was winning the war after the U.S. invaded, and that Hussein wasn't going anywhere? Seems like he might make a good press secretary for Gingrich, whose definance and unbridled optimism seem a bit unfounded.

Also not a good night for incumbent commissioner Jack McCluskey in Pembroke Pines, who lost to challenger Jay Schwartz, nor incumbent commissioner Tom Hasis in Lighthouse Point, who lost to challenger Earl Maucker, former Editor of the Sun Sentinel.

It also wasn't a good night for the tough new ethics rules in Broward municipalities, which voters rolled back in Wilton Manors, Hillsboro Beach and Sea Ranch Lakes, perhaps because of confusing/misleading ballot language that didn't mention the new rules. Thanks to the votes, elected officials in those municipalities will still be able to lobby in other Broward cities.

Live blogging Florida primary, local elections tonight!

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:09:40 -0500

Don't know how excited you are about today's Republican presidential primary in Florida, but we journalists are supposed to treat it like the Super Bowl (or at least the NFC Championship game -- if football conferences were political paries, I'd think the NFC is Republican and the AFC Democrats. Does that make any sense, or is the cold medicine getting to my head?).

In any event, check back later this evening for my live-blogging on the results, both in the primary and in local elections throughout South Florida.

Will Mitt Romney's nomination take on the aura of inevitability once again, or will Newt Gingrich shock the world one more time and make this a marathon?

Come back later and we'll analyze all the results..

Stadium homeless shelter bill is grandstand play

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:39:20 -0500

When I first heard about Sen. Mike Bennett's proposed bill that would punish tax-subsidized sports palaces if they weren't moonlighting as homeless shelters, I smiled wickedly and thought: brilliant.

As a fierce critic of public funding for sports facilities, I thought the bill seemed a great way to make a point about the perverse backwards welfare system that has enriched stinking-rich sports owners and athletes with public funds, often at the expense of social services.

But upon further review, as I wrote in my Sunday print column, it seems a grandstand play from Tallahassee that would mainly penalize the counties and cities that technically own most of these facilities and not pro sports teams.

The homeless shelter requirement for stadiums and arenas getting state tax rebates is part of an obscure law passed in 1988. Facilities are supposed to have homeless shelters for non-event nights, but the law hasn't been enforced.

As far as anyone knows, no state-subsidized sports facility serves as a homeless shelter. Some sports arenas have served as emergency storm shelters.

Bennett's intent seems fine -- it's time to stop the public stadium subsidy madness -- but there's a fairer way of doing it than belatedly going after the money the state has already paid out, on a technicality.

Maybe it's time someone files a bill to pull the plug on state sales-tax rebates for sports stadiums, arenas and spring-training sites, from this point forward.

Whose side are you on: Team Mitt, Team Newt or Team Obama?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:11:21 -0500

The Republican primary race is really heating up, with top contenders Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich criss-crossing Florida while trading barbs.

Gingrich's resurrection has been amazing, because just two weeks ago Romney's nomination seemed a foregone conclusion. But Republicans just can't seem to warm to him.

The Republican establishment has really been pummelling Gingrich lately, perhaps because they think he's unelectable with all his baggage, but the strategy might backfire in Florida.

Remember the 2010 governor's race, when Bill McCollum was the establishment darling and nearly everyone ganged up on newcomer Rick Scott, saying he was unelectable? We saw what happened in the primary and beyond on that one.

So nothing that happens on Tuesday would surprise me, especially given Florida Republicans' maverick streak.

Meantime, whose side are you on for 2012: Team Mitt, Team Newt or Team Obama? Feel free to post comments below with who you're supporting, and why.

Happy weekend.

Dania Beach neighborhood quietly resigned to airport expansion

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:55:57 -0500

For my Thursday column, I revisited the Melaleuca Gardens neighborhood in Dania Beach, the enclave of 400 homes that will be most impacted by the new south runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which broke ground this week.

The thing that struck me most: the lack of For Sale signs, and the mood of quiet resignation.

For a long time, these residents made a lot of noise opposing the south runway option. They packed county commission meetings and planted signs in their lawns, "NO AIRPORT EXPANSION." The thing that never made sense to them was why the commission seemed hellbent on choosing the expanded south runway, the most costly and disruptive option, instead of going with the twin parallel northern runway.

"I think history will show the county made a huge mistake," resident Bob Anton, a former Dania Beach city commissioner and former Broward Sheriff's Office commander, told me. "But that's all water under the bridge now."

I know some people say, 'This is what you get for moving next to an airport,' especially in an area where homebuyers were able to get a lot more bang for the buck (including prime waterfront/canal access) because of the noise next door. But I'm also sympathetic to longtimers, people who've been here since the late 1960s and early 1970s, who came when the airport was a mere blip.

They say they never expected the airport to swallow the neighborhood whole.

The next contentious battle involves the upcoming "noise mitigation program," and the disparate way neighborhood residents will be treated based on noise maps. Neighbors just yards apart will get differing amounts, based upon the plan that's awaiting federal approval. Some will just get soundproofing improvements, like new windows and doors. Others might also get cash, up to 20 percent of their homes' assessed values.

Are ethics code foes distorting the truth?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:32:26 -0500

As part of the effort to weaken Broward's tough new ethics code in some local municipalities, are some officials distorting the truth to rally support for their cause?

I ask because it seems salary-disclosure requirements might not apply to appointed advisory board members, contrary to what Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick told me in an interview on Monday.

My colleague Brittany Wallman is trying to clarify the situation. From our reading of the ethics code, which took effect for Broward municipal officials on Jan. 1, the salary-disclosure requirement applies only to elected officials, not members of advisory or other boards (like community development or planning/zoning boards.)

For my print column that ran Tuesday, Resnick told me that many qualified board members would resign if they had to divulge their outside income, including one long-serving woman who told him her salary was nobody's business.

It sounded like an onerous requirement to me for volunteer experts who serve their cities, so I was sympathetic.

But if it turns out not to be part of the code, I have to wonder if ethics foes are using scare tactics to get support for ballot questions diluting the new code that voters will face in three Broward municipalities next week: Wilton Manors, Hillsboro Beach and Sea Ranch Lakes.

Politicans need to choose: Lobbying or public office, not both

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:59:19 -0500

The topic of my Tuesday column was upcoming ballot initiatives in three Broward municipalities to undo strict new ethics rules that took effect Jan. 1.

It stems from the reluctance of some local politicians, namely Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick, to have to give up private lobbying jobs that entails going before other cities and elected bodies in Broward.

To me, this makes sense, because we've seen too many problems when politicians wear too many hats and moonlight as lobbyists and consultants.

If it means people like Resnick have to make a choice -- either public office or lobbying, but not both -- fine. After all, nobody says they have to serve.

Public service sometimes entails sacrifice and restrictions.

The lobbying ban seems reasonable to me. What do you think?

Eric Brody -- A human being, not just a cause

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:59:35 -0500

The name Eric Brody has come up a lot in news coverage over the last few years, as his family fights to get a multimillion claims bill passed by the Florida Legislature.

The problem is that we've come to know him by a single defining phrase -- wheelchair-bound and brain-damaged since a horrific wreck with a Broward Sheriff's cruiser 14 years ago, in 1998 -- and his cause.

For my column that appeared in print on Sunday, I wanted to show him as a human being, and also show the toll that the ordeal has taken on his parents, Chuck and Sharon Brody.

He was a high school senior driving home from his job at Sports Authority in the Sawgrass Mills mall when the whole family's world changed, as Chuck said, "whoosh -- in 10 minutes." Fourteen years later, Brody, 32, spends his days in the family's modest Sunrise home, keeping himself occupied with his computer, his TV and his Wii games (he says bowling helps him with his coordination with his good arm, the right one.)

When I arrived to spend some time with them the other week, Sharon greeted me with some "It's a small world" news. Turns out her sister lives around the corner from the house I grew up in in Brooklyn, married to a man whose younger sister used to babysit me.

The thing that struck me was how Eric's small bedroom has that time-standing-still quality, with old furnishings and knicknacks from his high school days, before the accident. It's almost as if they're stuck, unable to move forward.