#BecauseMiami: Failed City State

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: #BecauseMiami: Failed City State

Date: November 21, 2025
Location: The Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Key Guests: Andres Rivero (Attorney), Alex DeLuca (Miami New Times)
Main Topics:

1. Miami’s Trump Presidential Library Land Scandal
2. Local corruption, city management, and development
3. The controversial return of Miami cop Javier Ortiz
4. Miami’s socioeconomic transformation and civic dysfunction

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Episode Overview

This #BecauseMiami episode drills into Miami’s current civic controversies, focusing mainly on a failed attempt to give away public land for the Trump Presidential Library, the persistent corruption in city government, and the ongoing saga of Miami’s most notorious police officer. Through a combination of sharp analysis, local color, and incisive humor, the hosts and guests illustrate why Miami’s dysfunction is both a local punchline and a national cautionary tale.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Trump Presidential Library Land Controversy

(02:16 – 13:15)

Summary:
Billy Corben and attorney Andres Rivero break down the ongoing legal fight surrounding Miami Dade College’s attempt to give a prime piece of downtown property—valued up to $350 million—to a private group building the Trump Presidential Library, all in a backroom deal without proper public notice. The State of Florida tried to intervene, but lost an emergency appeal.

• Legal Background: The deal allegedly violated Florida’s Sunshine Law by holding an 8am, barely-publicized meeting and rushing the vote (07:18).
• Major Concern:
  • Lack of transparency and public process.
  • Enormous loss of value for the college and taxpayers (“They want to give it away to a billionaire politician... and they wanted to do it secretly...” - Billy, 06:07).
• Process Manipulation:
  • Board’s attempt to push through the deal with minimal attention (“They must be afraid of doing it in the open because maybe they intuited how unpopular it would be to give away maybe the most valuable asset of the public...” - Andres Rivero, 10:42).
• No Guarantee of a Library: The legal requirements don’t actually ensure a presidential library—just some component of a cultural center (11:10).
• Public Outcry: Even many Republicans oppose the deal’s structure, not the library itself.

Notable Quote:

"We got an injunction and they tried to get an emergency appeal… The third DCA said, 'nope, we're going to do this in the normal course. We don't see an emergency here, which I think is a good sign.'”
– Andres Rivero (03:36)

Timestamps:

• [07:18] – Details of secretive board vote
• [09:25] – Why not just do it openly?
• [10:42] – Motivations behind the secrecy
• [12:32] – The true market value and implications

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2. Miami as a “Failed City State” – Tech Boom, Corruption, and Real Estate Grift

(17:55 – 30:54)

Summary:
The panel pokes fun at both out-of-touch billionaires and local politicians, painting a portrait of Miami’s surreal economic boom, its real-world consequences for affordability, and its uniquely predatory brand of municipal government.

• Ken Griffin’s Miami: Billionaire CEO extols Miami’s virtues—education, safety, community—but the hosts point out this doesn't match Miami’s reality for most residents (“He referred to Chicago as… a failed city state; that I recognized. That spoke to me as Miami.” - Billy, 22:59).
• Jeff Bezos Roasts City Hall: During a business forum, Bezos embarrasses Mayor Francis Suarez by exposing the city’s infuriating, expensive permitting process (25:04).
• Miami’s Hustler Economy: Real estate is built on inefficiency and rent-seeking (“That’s where…Francis get[s] paid. That's where the grifters live…” - Billy, 27:33).
• Small Businesses Suffer: Ordinary entrepreneurs, unlike billionaires, can’t withstand or bypass Miami’s broken system (29:00).
• Civic Insight:
  • Miami functions by monetizing inefficiency, which de-incentivizes reform.

Notable Quotes:

“Efficiency doesn’t pay, just like preservation doesn’t pay. The idea is to kind of knock the old shit down and put up the new shit…”
– Billy (29:00)

“It's the rich people and the highest end folks that get away with almost whatever they want to do. Whereas the little guy or the little girl gets crushed by this system.”
– Billy (30:53)

Timestamps:

• [17:55] – Mocking political speeches on Miami as a haven for fleeing “South African communists”
• [22:59] – Satirizing Ken Griffin’s views
• [25:04] – Jeff Bezos’s public slam of Mayor Suarez’s failure to streamline the permitting process
• [27:33] – The business of inefficiency

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3. The Saga of “America’s Most Corrupt Cop,” Javier Ortiz

(33:02 – 48:32)

Summary:
Billy and journalist Alex DeLuca revisit the jaw-dropping story of Miami police captain Javier Ortiz, infamous for abuse complaints and shameless self-reinvention, who remains on the city payroll despite endless controversies.

• Ortiz’s Record: Over 50 citizen complaints, three suspensions, and $600k+ in civil lawsuit settlements.
• Shady Paper Trail:
  • Switched racial identification on police applications for promotions.
  • Used settlement loopholes to remain highly paid without working.
• Legal Shenanigans: Fired only for an overtime violation (not misconduct), reinstated by arbitration; city settles, pays him to work from home, allows outside employment.
• Settlement twist: Ortiz now sues the city to avoid forced retirement, claiming his non-disparagement clause was violated by city officials’ comments (40:53).
• Broader Issue: Systemic inability/unwillingness to discipline bad actors; the story reflects a city government rife with enablers as much as with outright corruption.

Notable Quotes:

“This guy was everywhere… he has cost taxpayers in excess of $600,000 in brutality lawsuits. He got promoted twice…”
– Billy (35:08)

“He sits at home. They're paying him to work at night from home, which means to do little or nothing at all. And during the day, he's allowed to get another job…”
– Billy (39:04)

Timestamps:

• [35:08] – Ortiz’s controversial record and identity switch
• [37:29] – Why he was finally fired
• [38:58 – 48:16] – Legal maneuvers, settlement fallout, and the city’s lack of accountability

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4. Miami’s Political Disarray and Identity Wars

(48:32 – 49:49)

Summary:

• As the episode winds down, the hosts sample Miami’s unique flavor of political infighting and cultural tension, including a wild right-wing soundbite demanding a Miami-born Cuban-American Congresswoman “go back to Cuba,” and an irreverent “only in Miami” moment.

Timestamps:

• [49:29] – Viral, xenophobic commentary about “who gets to be American” in Miami politics

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the College Land Scandal:
  "Process is important and they shouldn’t be hiding it... There is no guarantee the way this is being given that a presidential library will be built there. The only thing... required is that a component of a library, museum or conference center be built within five years."
  – Andres Rivero (10:42)

• On Miami’s Economic Transformation:
  “If we were to make the government as efficient as Bezos is suggesting, we’d put the city out of business... so many people make money in that waste and in that grifting space.”
  – Billy (28:53)

• On Javier Ortiz:
  “He’s arguably that man, when he was the FOP president and he was running amok in this city, had a higher profile than any of the police chiefs... I think this guy stays on the job. I think he continues… with a scheme like this stay at home scheme for years and years…”
  – Billy (46:48)

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Episode Structure with Timestamps

• [02:16 – 13:15]: Land giveaway legal fight explained
• [17:55 – 30:54]: Tech-bro Miami, Ken Griffin and Bezos, structural corruption analysis
• [33:02 – 48:32]: The Javier Ortiz scandal examined in detail
• [48:32 – 49:49]: Miami’s political/identity mudslinging

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Conclusion

This episode highlights Miami as a city at the crossroads: world-class in ambition, notorious for its civic dysfunction. The panel peels back the layers of local news—corruption, shameless money grabs, broken government, and the persistence of bad actors—to paint a revealing, at times hilarious, portrait of twenty-first century Miami.
#BecauseMiami stands as both an explanation and a warning.

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For future Miami voters, residents, and political junkies, this episode distills the city’s turbulent politics, unaccountable leadership, and why, often, the only answer is, “because Miami.”

Transcript

[Jeremy]

Hey, friends, Jeremy here. The NBA on Prime is back tomorrow with another great Emirates NBA cup doubleheader. The night starts with Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers meeting Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers, a matchup that, if Tyrese Haliburton was healthy, probably would have been a potential Eastern Conference finals preview. Instead, you got Donovan Mitchell, who's averaging about 30 a game, and the Pacers, who were struggling. But those games on prime are always intense. And then it's down to Texas, as Anika Jokic in the Denver Nuggets as as Big Honey plays some of the best basketball of his career, which is certainly saying something. Get their first look at Kevin Durant and the new look Houston Rockets. If you're not a Prime member, that's not a problem. Just sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. Pacers, Cavs, Nuggets and Rockets coverage starts tomorrow at 6:30pm Eastern only on Prime. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.

[Roy]

Now's a good time to remember where Tequila's story truly began in 1795, Cuervo invented tequila Cuervo, what are you doing here?

[Andres Rivero]

Cuervo Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Roy]

Well, I do know that to be true. But even during ad reads like Cuervo, I think he could lay out especially for one of our great partners.

[Billy]

Sweet, delicious Cuervo.

[Roy]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion.

[Billy]

Cuervo.

[Roy]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all. Cuervo Cuervo the tequila that invented tequila. Proximo Cuervo.com Please drink responsibly.

[Andres Rivero]

Cuervo.

[Billy]

Black Friday savings are here at the Home Depot, which means it's time to add new cordless power to your collection. Right now, when you buy a select battery kit from one of our top brands like Ryobi or Milwaukee, you'll get a select tool from that same brand for free. Click into one of our best deals of the season and stock up on tools for all your upcoming projects. Get Black Friday Savings happening now at the Home Depot limit 1 per transaction exclusion supply full eligible tool list in store and online. Another setback for the state in donating land in downtown Miami for the future Trump Presidential Library an appeals court rejected Attorney General James Uthmeyer's request to overturn.

[Alex DeLuca]

A lower court's ruling blocking Miami Dade College from giving away the land. The lawsuit was based on whether the school's board of trustees violated Florida's Sunshine Law when It voted to give away.

[Billy]

The land without providing reasonable notice to the public. Andres Rivero of Rivero Mestre is The attorney representing Dr. Marvin Dunn, a friend of the show, in his case against Miami Dade College Board of Trustees. And now the state of Florida has intervened or is trying to to intervene anyway. Andres, I guess congratulations on this latest ruling from the third DCA last week. First, tell us what happened there. I guess what this is the attorney general of the state of Florida, James Uth Meyer, who has been a subject on this program in the past, mostly for his involvement in the Hope Florida scandal, which has become the subject of a criminal grand jury in Leon county and the possible alleged wire fraud and money laundering by a Republican representative in Tallahassee during the legislative session. All kinds of chicanery. And what is it that he is trying to do here and that the third DCA put a stop to the.

[Andres Rivero]

We got working with my, my co counsel, Richard Brodsky. We got an injunction against this transfer of land next to Freedom Tower for nothing. We got an injunction and they tried to get an emergency appeal to the third DCA where they thought would get a better hearing to overturn our tro. And the third DCA said, nope, we're going to do this in the normal course. We don't see an emergency here, which I think is a good sign that, that what we believe is true, which is the judge has made a careful decision. Pull up.

[Billy]

That's interesting. So was he, for lack of a better term, judge shopping? Was he looking for, like you said, a friendlier venue?

[Andres Rivero]

Oh, I don't think there's any doubt about it. I think they thought that they had the judges of 30 DC which by the way, are very good, very fair judges. I think they thought that because they were appointees of governor and the prior governor that they had a more favorable audience. But that court refused to do what they asked. So I think that again, is a good sign.

[Billy]

You're saying the court did its job. The judges, they reviewed the pleadings. They, I don't know if they heard your arguments or not, but like they, and they determined what the most just course of action was. There are still, there are still good judges out there. It's funny every time, you know, I have to do, I have to do, I'm asked to do a sample ballot and post it online so that people have a guide if, if particularly for the races that are more obscure candidates that they're unfamiliar with and the judge races, which I think incidentally is terrible. Judges running for Office, I think is just generally a bad idea. They should not be in that, in that world, in my opinion. That said, we have, we have judges who we elect and nobody knows who they are. You know, none of the voters know who they are. So I take a lot of time and trouble to learn about them. I call a lot of friends in the, you know, in the Florida bar who I would deem to be conservative, who I would deem to be liberal. Liberal or at least left of center and right of center, because I don't judge a judge based on who appoints them. Because you talk to people and they say, hey, listen, there's good judges, they're bad judges of all kinds, but if they're fair, you know, I don't always win in front of them, but they listen to my arguments, they carefully consider them and they, and I think that that's, especially now more than ever, that is encouraging sign that the entirety of the judiciary has not been politicized.

[Andres Rivero]

Absolutely. And you know, sometimes it's underestimated in our system. And I do a lot of business cross border to Latin America. This is still a reliable system. And we have good judges on that third DCA and in our trial court. And we got a great one, Judge.

[Billy]

Mavelle Ruiz, that said, because clearly we've had Dr. Dunn on the program to talk about this issue and the concern about the gifting of a beautiful parcel right across the street here next to the Freedom Tower. Listen, I think for me, I'm somewhat indifferent in that. Like there's got to be a library, hotel and casino somewhere, you know, for, for to celebrate Donald Trump's presidency. And it might as well be in Miami or downtown Miami. The issue here, of course, is that you have a piece of property owned by a very important college. I say very important for the education of our community, very important to the economy of our community. They are in downtown Miami, which means there's not a lot of place to go. There's not. Property is scarce, property is expensive. They've got this parcel they bought many years ago for 24 million. It's now worth potentially up to 350 million in the market. And they want to give it away to a billionaire politician. And they wanted to do it secretly with a meeting that was not properly noticed. They rubber stamped it, they sent it up. I mean, this was pretty being shady, man. And you're not letting them get away with it. And so now what?

[Andres Rivero]

There is so much wrong with the way this went down. But the legal issue, just to be clear, with your audience. The legal issue is they tried to do it in the dark and we have a sunshine and government, government, law. What we're looking for is we're going to take discovery and we're going to find. How did this go down? How is it possible? You gave note, you gave no notice and then seven days later he had a unanimous vote at 8am they called the meeting at 8am, did the pledge, did a moment of silence and voted by 803 and then by 8 11. Uthmeyer has a slickly produced video about the whole deal. How do you do that? How do you know that you're getting the vote and that you can produce the video and put it out?

[Billy]

We're going to find out what you're saying. The fix was in. I think I'm putting the pieces together in my head very slowly.

[Andres Rivero]

I will say this. Given that notice, nobody who wasn't in on the deal could know what was going down.

[Billy]

So let me ask you this. Why not just on the part of the. The Miami Dade College Board of Trustees. And of course I know this went up to the cabinet, the governor's cabinet in Tallahassee where they're very quickly rubber stamped it as well. Why not just null and void the whole damn thing, notice it properly publicly hold a public meeting now it'll be a bummer because a lot of people will probably show up. I've seen the polling. Even Republicans are against this land grab in this way without getting at least fair market value for this piece of property. But they could listen to a bunch of angry people for a few hours and then rubber stamp it irregardless. And then it goes up to the total and they get rid of you, they get rid of Dr. Dunn, they get rid of all this Hazari. Why not just do that?

[Andres Rivero]

Besides everything else, we're lacking common sense in our state. And I'm a native. I'm a native and I love Miami. But this makes no sense. We suggested in court, Judge Ruiz said to him, why don't you just, you got the power, just call the meeting, right? And take your vote, take the heat. Sometimes things happen, Billy, I will say sometimes when you have 80% of the people against you, maybe that's why they want to do it. Why don't they just do it? Again, common sense. Just do it. You got the votes.

[Billy]

I'm wondering though, does this have to do with, I don't know, any of the folks on the board of trustees. They clearly were down to do this. However they did it, whether it was legal or not legal. You will litigate that. But they did not want the whole production. They did not want the media there. They did not. They were out by, what, 803? What are they? It was like pledge vote out. They did not want public comment. They did not want faculty. They did not want students. They did not want the former president of Miami Dade College, who helped facilitate this transaction in order to secure the future of this institution for the faculty and the students in our community and have room to grow. They clearly don't want that. So is that what this is about? They just, like, this needs to just have, like, let's just fight it and see if we can't. You know, like, basically it's like, worst case scenario, last step will be subjecting themselves to the scrutiny of their own community, which will include, if the polling is accurate, a majority of Republicans in Miami Dade who might want the Trump, you know, library, hotel and casino here. But not like this. Not with this kind of terrible deal for the, for the taxpayers.

[Andres Rivero]

Yeah, and I got a separate. Look, I'm just the lawyer who's saying you did it the wrong way and it is important. Like, process is important and they shouldn't be hiding it. But basically what you're saying is right. If the. They must be afraid of doing it in the open because maybe they intuited how unpopular it would be to give away maybe the most valuable asset of the public, the biggest public college in the United States with a massive minority student population. This is not like a rich, elite university. So maybe they wanted to hide what they did. We don't. We want to make it so that they have to confront the people whose land they're giving away for nothing. And this is really important. I need you and your audience to understand there is no guarantee the way this is being given that a presidential library will be built there. The only thing is required is that a component of a library, museum or conference center be built within five years. I don't want a hotel with the ticket booth for the presidential library at Mar a Lago to be in downtown Miami. We should get something out.

[Billy]

I don't have a dog in this fight. Obviously, I want Miami Dade to have the ability to grow, I think by student population. It's the largest university, by enrollment, is like the largest university in the country. It's just an important institution. I want them to have the ability to, you know, grow and prepare for the future. Barring that, I want them to have the money. I mean, they, they made a great deal here. As it turns out, buying this parcel for $24 million and having the potential in this market to make a third of a billion dollars from it. Like if nothing else, that should go to the university and the endowment or what, the account that enables the school, the faculty, the students to benefit from it. Isn't that capitalism? Isn't that free market?

[Andres Rivero]

Billy, listen. But the thing that's so important is for your listeners is don't get fooled again. You're going to hear there's politicians on that board and they're saying, oh, it's just a parking lot. Billy's making the point. That piece of land was bought for $24 million. It's worth somewhere between 200 and $350 million. Don't let them fool you. Businesses, capitalist businesses would land bank. That's a tremendous investment, Bill.

[Billy]

He's got.

[Andres Rivero]

You got this, Billy. Why would you make a tremendous investment, get your college ahead and then give it away for nothing? And maybe not even get a library. It makes no sense. Our public officials in this county, I'm a native, do this all the time. They take our land and they give it away. Don't let them fool you again.

[Billy]

And they give it away to rich people, to billionaires. They don't give it away to people who really, who really need it, would really benefit from it. It just makes rich people even richer. That's the thing too. Donald Trump's a rich guy. He's constantly reminding us of that. And he's that much more richer. I don't know. As of this year, by several multiples, in fact. So buy it, man. Not to mention he's getting hundreds of millions of dollars donated to presumably some sort of foundation specifically for the purpose of building and operating a presidential library. So use some of that. Benefit this community, benefit the city, benefit your constituents, benefit what is effectively community colle and faculty. And before we go, I want to ask you kind of a personal question. You mentioned, you know, this is not Harvard or even University of Miami. This is not a rich private institution with a significant endowment and a ton of don't because I have a lot of successful alumni who do give back and contribute. But beyond that, Marvin Dunn is also not a billionaire or millionaire. He is a, an author, former educator, a community activist. And you seem very fired up up about this. Like this feels like this is not a gig for you or a money generating client or job for you. But you seem very passionate about this. I wanted to ask you kind of about that. I mean, listen, everybody means it costs money. To sue. And it costs money to be involved in litigation. I don't need to get into your. Your finances or your deal with Dr. Dunn, but this to me feels like something, at least in the pro bono state of mind. Is this like a passion project for you?

[Andres Rivero]

Yeah, Billy, I don't have any. There's no. This is pro bono. And Richard Broski, too. I want to make sure I mention him. He's my co counsel. And Dr. Dunn, this is what he's doing. He's a brave man because there's a lot of people I've talked to and a lot of. A lot of affluent lawyers who are afraid to get involved now. You know, things are the way they are now. Friends of mine who are afraid to be involved or they won't do it because it's for free. We need to step up. Our judiciary system is still sound. And hey, remember at the end, I'm talking right now about the notice. Let's just do it the right way. They have the power. Let's do it the right way.

[Billy]

Angela Rivera of Rivero Mestre, you can find him at rivero mestre.com thanks so much. Good luck. Come back and update us sometime soon.

[Jeremy]

All right, Smirnoff, Official vodka of the NFL. World's number one vodka. Chris Cody, you're with me here.

[Billy]

Smirnoff.

[Jeremy]

Wow, you're on the money with Smirnoff.

[Billy]

Smirnoff.

[Jeremy]

I'm gonna ask you, Chris, what's your favorite game day food?

[Billy]

Smirnoff.

[Jeremy]

That's your favorite game day drink. What's your favorite game day food?

[Billy]

Smirnoff.

[Jeremy]

All right, here's the deal. Game day is everything. The noise, the rituals, the passion, the dip, the wings, the dip again.

[Billy]

Smirnoff.

[Jeremy]

Smirnoff belongs in that mix. Because if you're tailgating or hosting or just sitting there checking your fantasy lineup every 30 seconds, you need.

[Billy]

Fair enough.

[Jeremy]

Otherwise, it's not a real game day. They've been doing it since 1864, which is. I don't even want to do the math. It's a long time. It's like when Greg Cody was born. They're award winning, they make cocktails super easy, and they're all about bringing fans together. So, yeah, we do game days. That's their thing. And if you're over 21, you should, too. Why?

[Billy]

Chris Smirnoff.

[Jeremy]

Grab a bottle of Smirnoff at your local retailer and head to smirnoff.com to find recipes of delicious cocktails perfect for Game day Smirnoff. Please drink responsibly. Smirnoff number 21 vodka distilled from grain, 40% alcohol by volume. The Smirnoff Company New York, New York. Please do not share with anyone under legal drinking age. Hey friends, Jeremy here. The NBA on Prime is back tonight with another great Emirates NBA cup doubleheader. The night starts with Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers meeting Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers, a matchup that if Tyrese Haliburton was healthy, probably would have been a potential Eastern Conference finals preview. Instead you got Donovan Mitchell, who's averaging about 30 a game, and the Pacers, who were struggling. But those games on prime are always intense. And then it's down to Texas as Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets as Big Honey plays some of the best basketball of his career, which is certainly saying something. Get their first look at Kevin Durant and the new look Houston Rockets. If you're not a Prime member, that's not a problem. Just sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. Pacers, Cavs, Nuggets and Rockets coverage starts tonight at 6:30pm Eastern only on Prime. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Billy]

For generations, Miami has been a haven for those fleeing communist tyranny in South Africa. I mean, if you take a look at what's going on in parts of South Africa. Look at South Africa.

[Jeremy]

What?

[Billy]

What's going on? Look at South America. What's going on? You know, I'm not going to. We have a G20 meeting in South Africa. South Africa shouldn't even be in the GS anymore because what's happened there is bad. I'm not going. I told him I'm not going. I'm not going to represent our country there. That shouldn't be there. Take a look at what's happening in different parts of South America. Take a look at what's happening in different parts of the world.

[Roy]

What the is he talking about?

[Billy]

They're coming all over the place.

[Roy]

What the is he talking about that's flowing South Africa.

[Billy]

They're fleeing the communism of South Africa to come to Miami. It was in Miami. It was abf. I used to suffer from abf. Then I changed my diet. My little Kaopectate. Some exercise, a little Kaopectate. I got over my my abf. ABF is America Business Forum.

[Roy]

You might remember Pepto Bismol in that building.

[Billy]

It was right across the street here at the FTC's arena. Forced you to Take refuge here in the, in the building actually for days on end because you could not leave. Was on lockdown. And so this America Business Forum had illustrious guests from all over the world, including the President of the United States, who really wanted to speak to the South Africans of Miami who, who fled communism. I don't. I don't even know. I mean, now, at the risk of sounding like Matthew McConaughey at the end of A Time to Kill, I'm going to say, now imagine it was Biden who said that dumbass shit. I mean, now just imagine that people would be like, 25th amendment, 25th amendment. Just amazing. But that wasn't the only highlight, Roy, of what was happening across it. Did you not get across the street at all for any of these events?

[Roy]

No.

[Billy]

It's a shame. It's really a shame. It's also a shame that like Triumph the insult comic dog didn't, didn't go over there and cover.

[Roy]

Yeah, Michael, what was. Robert Schmidt.

[Billy]

Seriously. So one of my favorite things about the pandemic and what it did to Miami as all the Roscoe and man bros who were, me too, out of Silicon Valley and wherever else they came from, you know, the tech bros and the Miami coin people and everything coming down here, there was this whole trend, this almost sub genre of Twitter and social media where people who have been in Miami for three days wanted to tell us what Miami is and like, wanted to redefine Miami really in the consummate, almost Miami hustler way to give him a tip of the hat to sell more people on coming to Miami to kind of make the Miami tech hub thing happen. And so a lot of people didn't necessarily come here to Miami because they wanted to contribute to community and help build this place up, but rather they couldn't buy the government they wanted back in whatever home city or home state that they came from. So it brought a lot of good with it. It brought a lot of investment with it. It also brought a lot of bad hombres and had a, a lasting impact on Miamians that I think by and large has not been positive because people who live here can't afford the houses that they built with their own hands. But one of the more humorous descriptions I thought of Miami comes from Ken Griffin, one of the richest men in the world, the CEO of Citadel, who is building a multi billion dollar like high rise to, to move some sort of part of their base of operations. I think their main headquarters is still in like New York and maybe still a bit in Chicago. But you just have to hear him describe a Miami that is, like, unrecognizable to those of us who have been here. Right. And so if I look at Miami and I look at why Miami is so successful, the focus on education, the focus on public safety, these are safe streets. We live in a safe city. The focus on community. This is a city that has great pride in what we've accomplished together and what we will accomplish ahead. I've lived in a failed city state. I lived in Chicago for 30 some years. You can't live in a city awash in violent crime and feel proud to call that place home. So I'm grateful for the leadership in the state of Florida and from this great city of Miami. This is a great place to call home. I mean, I do. I don't necessarily disagree with the last, very last thing that he said, but, like, what is what? Education, safety. When he did say, when he referred to Chicago as like, a failed city state, that I recognized the idea of a failed city state, that spoke to me as Miami.

[Roy]

Now, now, you remember the end of seven, Morgan Freeman said, the world is a fine place and we're fighting for. And he agreed with the second part. Yeah, that's basically that.

[Billy]

Yes, I agree with that. Yes, it's a cool place to live, but, like, I didn't recognize anything else that he said. Now, a guy like that, though, to his credit, with that kind of money and that kind of power, is attempting to will that as well. Like, with just sheer force of personality, is like, trying to manifest that not just with his words, but with, like, kind of, like inspiring other people. And he's investing a lot of money down here, to be fair, but, like, that's not what Miami is. Now, that might be what Miami is like in his dreams and what he's attempting to help to build here, but that is not in any way recognizable as the city that we. Well, like I say, everybody outside of Miami loves to hate it, and all of us in Miami hate to love it. But you'll never believe who else was there. Roy, do you know?

[Roy]

No.

[Andres Rivero]

Who?

[Billy]

Oh, so, yes, you remember Francis Suarez Ponzi Postalita job, the underhanded man child fail son. He was there actually, actually conducting some of the interviews. And you have to see this humiliating clip of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez being clowned to his face by the third richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, also a Miami and by the way, graduated from Palmetto Senior High School and his first job was working at a local McDonald's here. He is now. He's done pretty good for himself. Miami should have a AI application that reads your building permit for a new house or a new building. And it should give you a yes or A no in 10 seconds. And if the answer is. And if the answer. And if the answer is no, it should tell you the six things you have to change to get a yes. And why does it take months and months and months to get a building permit?

[Roy]

It doesn't make any sense.

[Billy]

Just describe the business that I would love to create. Exactly. Bezos is straight up roasting Francis. Like, he might as well be in a kahachina, this guy, okay? Calling out his incompetence and corruption. And Francis Suarez is. He thinks it's hilarious. He's laughing and he's clapping. He's like covering his face like. Like it's hilarious, bro. Like how broken and corrupt this city is, bro. How can I help myself, bro? In Miami, we are definitely not woke. So. So he doesn't, you know, he not only doesn't get the joke, he doesn't get that he is the joke. And then he has the absolute audacity to say, this is the business I'd love to create. For serious, bro, Then why haven't you? He's been an elected official in the city of Miami for 16 years. And during that time, he's done nothing but exploit his public position for private profit. His net worth exploding from negative $100,000 to over 12 million now. And during his tenure, Miami has become a notorious shakedown town, a predator city where government officials victimize their own residents and business owners. Remember we had Daniel Figueiredo on the show, the owner, well, along with his wife, Rosa, of Sanguich, a fabulous local restaurant chain or sandwich chain. And he talked about opening a 500 square foot restaurant right across the street, an outpost in Bayside here in downtown Miami. It took him like three years just to get that little 500 square foot restaurant open. So if Francis Suarez wanted to do something other than help himself, where has he been? How can I help? And then he says the quiet part out loud. A big building in Miami is a multibillion dollar enterprise. So you're talking about half a billion. A billion dollars in lending costs. Yes. The daily carrying cost, one day of interest, 200 to $400,000 per day. Yes. So every day that it takes, it costs the developer, the ultimate user, $400,000.

[Roy]

Yes. And that doesn't count the frustration, of course.

[Billy]

Which is infinite. Which is infinite infinity. You see? Vapid nipple Baby with the brain of a mosquito. Oh, Miss Francis. Mr. Mayor, you're brilliant. You are super smart. Here's the thing, Roy. It's in that $400,000 a day that he was talking about. That's where people like Francis get paid. That's where the grifters live and, and make their living. The real estate lawyers, the architects, building code inspectors, the ToS, the Primos, the expediters, the people in charge are all invested in the broken system, so they have no incentive to fix it because it makes them so much money. And honestly, Roy, if you think about it, that wasting corruption is a significant part of, of the Miami economy. So if we were to make the government as efficient as Bezos is suggesting, we'd put the city out of business. Like, we'd put, like. The economy would probably just collapse here because so many people make money in that waste and in that grifting space there.

[Roy]

Yeah, you're absolutely right.

[Billy]

Thank you.

[Jeremy]

Right.

[Roy]

We don't do efficiency well here.

[Billy]

No, I mean, it doesn't. Efficiency doesn't pay, just like preservation doesn't pay. The idea is to kind of knock the old shit down and put up the new shit, because it's in that period of redesigning and creating the, the plans and hiring architects and hiring land use attorneys and real estate lawyers and lobbyists to go. Then you have to go to the Planning Zoning Appeals Board. Then you have to go to the City Commission, then you have to go to the County Commission. You got to go to Durham. Then you got to, you know, and here's another thing I would point out. You notice that Francis Suarez opens by saying, like, oh, like, bro, like, like these big, big buildings, bro, like, like, like, that's like a, like a billion dollar, like multibillion dollar project in a high rise. He's going right into a multibillion dollar high rise, like luxury condo or, you know, class A office space. You know what? He's not talking about the small businesses where most people try to make their living in this town, like I said, a 500 square foot restaurant. Those small business owners who have to spend years that they don't have and hundreds of thousands of dollars that they don't have. I don't feel so bad for a major duty developer, a billionaire who has to spend $400,000 a day financing a building that's their business. Some small business owner who just wants to get a permit from the city to open a sandwich shop or to open a store or an art gallery or a little restaurant, whatever it may be they don't have the time, they don't have the money, they can't grease the wheels the way city officials can shake down wealthier clients. But what's really up about it is of course it's the rich people and the highest end folks that get away with almost whatever they want to do. Whereas the little guy or the little girl gets crushed by this system.

[Andres Rivero]

Hashtag.

[Billy]

Because Miami. It's one of the few things I probably won't miss about Francis Suarez, but it certainly marks his tenure. And to see him being called out to his face by the third richest man in the world. And he just laughs, just laughs. And he's. I know he doesn't get it, but he is laughing at all of us and the way that not only took advantage of us, but we let him take advantage of us. And there was absolutely no accountability for it whatsoever. What does Zyn give you? Not just smoke free nicotine satisfaction, but real freedom. Freedom to do what you love and choose your rewards. With Zinn Rewards, you can redeem points for premium, premium tech outdoor gear and gift cards to your favorite retailers. Find your Zinn and keep finding rewards that fit your [e-mail] rewards warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[Roy]

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[Billy]

As far as Captain Carr. She loves to, you know, she loves to call me a Latin male. I'm a black male. Yes, I am. And I am non Hispanic. I was born in this country. That's how I feel. I have a question for you.

[Andres Rivero]

Sure.

[Billy]

So you classify yourself today as a black male? Yes. When you applied for the police department, did you classify yourself as a black male or a white male at the time? I think I put white male. I don't know if. Well, I know I put white male, but I don't know if I put Hispanic. No, I know. Listen, I know who I am, but it's also. It's also. I'm sorry. You put down Hispanic male, didn't you? Okay. As a man, I stand by it. When did you have this, you know, coming to with God moment that you were black? When did God tell you? Well, I learned that there's people in my family that are mixed and that are black. I see. Let's just. Let's not talk about the degree of blackness. Oh, no, you're blacker than me. That's obvious. And if you know anything about the one drop rule, which started in the 20th century, which. Which is what identifies and defines how you doing what a black male is, or a Negro, you would know that if you have one drop of black in you, you are considered black. So you're probably black. Can we do a DNA?

[Jeremy]

No.

[Billy]

You're poly black.

[Jeremy]

No.

[Billy]

Nobody sent me here, nor did the city manager. I am my own man. That's right. And you're. You're your own black man. I know. Yes. So now I'm being attacked.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Billy]

Half of my family's Jewish. Probably didn't know that either.

[Andres Rivero]

Thank you.

[Billy]

You're five minutes inspired. Mr. Ortiz claimed that he was a black. Now here is Jewish black. I'm afraid maybe next month will be, you know, black, Jewish woman. I don't know. That is a classic Miami clip.

[Roy]

This guy, man, he's back.

[Billy]

Your boy. Your boy, Roy. Javier Tease. That's who you're hearing the voice of Captain Javier Tees. This was years ago when he went to a city commission meeting. So Javier Tease is known as Miami's most corrupt cop. The most controversial cop, the most notorious cop, for a while, the most powerful law enforcement officer, I would say, in the city of Miami because he was just untouchable. The guy has something like over 50 citizen complaints, 20 use of force incidents, three suspensions, a termination. He has cost taxpayers in excess of $600,000 in brutality lawsuits. He got promoted twice, apparent after in a 2014 lieutenant's exam. At a 2017 captain's application, he claimed to be a black male, despite the fact that his original Paperwork. His original application to the Miami Police Department accurately identified him as a white Hispanic. And there was an FBI and FDLE investigation in which he was accused by multiple fellow officers for having engaged, this is a quote, engaged in a pattern of abuse and bias against minorities, particularly, particularly African Americans. And he also, of course, joined Ron DeSantis paramilitary force, the Florida State Guard, some years ago. And that's because when he got fired, it was basically bullshit, according to an arbitrator. And he was allowed to come back onto the force, but with a caveat. There was this settlement, this crazy settlement. Alex DeLuca of the Miami New Times is joining us. She broke the story this past week that Javier Ortiz, who was supposed to retire on November 7th as a result of this settlement, which we'll talk about, is going nowhere. He is planning on sticking around here in Miami and continue to be a police officer, very handsomely paid one at that hashtag, because Miami. Alex, let's start with this settlement because this is ridiculous. So he gets fired and then goes to arbitration, as is the contract, you know, with the police department. And the arbitrator says you can't fire him, you have to hire him him back. Because these were bullshit grounds. Because they didn't fire him, Roy, for any of the abuse or any of the complaints. What did they fire him for, Alex?

[Alex DeLuca]

It was in September 2022. It was an accusation of violating the department's overtime policy that finally hit him in. So it was nothing having to do with his interactions with the public, really. And that was one of the first moves that the newly appointed, then a newly appointed chief, Manny Morales, had made when he first took on his role as police. So yeah, it wasn't anything having to do with his interactions with the public, which was the most controversial part of his career with mpd. It was the overtime.

[Billy]

So nobody bothered to fire him for cause. Before they fire him for cause for this, it goes to arbitration. They say no, you have to hire him back. But then the, the incompetent and I think unethical city attorney's office engages in this like settlement with him for full salary, full benefits, full pension for a certain amount of time. But he doesn't have to work, he doesn't have to show up. He basically stays home and is allowed outside employment on top of that. Am I getting this rightish?

[Alex DeLuca]

Yeah, he was seemingly, he has been seemingly confined to some sort of night, late night desk job. He was stripped of his gun. He was made to work directly under the chief. But yeah, I mean under the settlement he Got to keep his rank as captain, he got to keep the pay that came with it. He was also awarded, like, several months of back pay for the time that he was out. So.

[Roy]

Yeah, so he basically got the Vic Mackey treatment at the end of the Shields run.

[Billy]

No, I. It was a much better deal than that. In fact, originally, the former police chief, George Collina, he got the rubber room treatment, he got the Vic Mackey treatment there, because basically Colleen is like, listen, it's too late to fire him for any of these other incidents, incidents that he arguably could have or should have been fired for before. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to just relegate him to, like, a back office. I'm going to pay him, he's going to be under my command. I'm going to, you know, be able to discipline him if he screws up again, but he's going to have no power. He's not going to be on the street engaging with people. You know, we're not going to get any, hopefully any more of these complaints about him, you know, physically abusing people or violating people's constitutional rights, which he used to do, allegedly all the time, right across the street at the FTX arena during Heat playoff runs and all sorts of crazy shit at Ultra over here. He was running amok, according to these complaints. But what happened was, is the new chief comes in and says, oh, I'm going to make an exam. I'm going to fire this guy. Finally. Listen, if you come for the King, you better not miss. When you miss with a guy like this, he comes back more emboldened and powerful than ever. So they couldn't allow that to happen once his termination got reversed. So instead they said, listen, we'll just pay you. He doesn't work, dude, I'm sorry. He doesn't work for the city. He sits at home. They're paying him to work at night from home, which means to do little or nothing at all. And during the day, he's allowed to get another job. So all the taxpayers are doing is paying him to basically get another job, I imagine, and work somewhere else. We've invited Javier Ortiz on the show. He has never accepted any of our invitations. And it turns out maybe the reason why is a clause in this contract. Because this settlement, rather, Alex, it required him. It was a certain number of years, right? And then he had to. It was a compulsory retirement. So what was supposed to happen and what didn't happen and why?

[Alex DeLuca]

He was supposed to retire last week on November 7, but now he is suing the city. He filed a lawsuit on November 6th. He's claiming that the city has breached the non disparagement clause of the settlement agreement. And he's claiming this happened when Commissioner Joe Corollo made disparaging remarks about him during, I think it was a radio show, and called him, quote, unquote, the most corrupt cop in America. And then also apparently city attorney George Weissong called him, quote, unquote, a former, well, almost former police captain. And Ortiz's claiming that these were disparaging remarks that breached the non disparagement clause of the agreement.

[Billy]

So, Roy, I wanna make sure you got this clear that, that it could very well be because of. That Javier Ortiz can claim that he was defamed. Not defamed, but he was disparaged when Joe Carollo expressed his otherwise constitutional free speech right to call this guy. What the, what he said the most corrupt cop in Miami was.

[Roy]

Yeah. What you called him earlier.

[Billy]

Yeah, yeah. Well, but this is a pretty popular quote. There's articles and headlines and national news stories. It was an article in Politico years ago. We had Mark Caputo on the program to talk about it, about how bad cops stay in power and stay in their jobs. And it was almost entirely about Javier Ortiz. But the point is, is that Joe Carollo, basically, and I'm, I can agree or disagree with Joe Carollo, but he's entitled to his opinion. He's not entitled to his own facts or to, or to lies or defamation. But this is clearly not that. But, but it may, to Javier Ortiz and his attorney's point, violate the non disparagement. By the way, I don't think that there should be a non disparagement in an agreement with a government because what you're doing is you're saying that these elected government public officials cannot speak openly and freely about another, in this case unelected, but still public official getting six figures a year. He will get six figures a year from the taxpayers of Miami for the rest of his life because of his very handsome some pension here. And so I think that was a up on the part of the city attorney's office, in my opinion.

[Roy]

Right. It's not like you're leaving a private corporation like a media company and going to another media company. You say something about the old media company that you work for. It's not, it's not that.

[Billy]

Boy, that sounded very personal. That was a, that was like a hyper specific example there. No. Are you, are you thinking of anyone or Any company in particular and is there anything you'd like to say?

[Roy]

No, I think I'm gonna keep that too much.

[Billy]

You learn the Corolla, you learn that, you learn the Javier lesson. Just on your little Twitter account, little.

[Roy]

Billy, it seemed to me that he had that non disparagement violation in his back pocket and decided to bust that out on the deadline where you're supposed to retire.

[Billy]

On the eve of retirement, he busts out this complaint. Alex, all of the disparate, allegedly disparaging remarks that he cites in this complaint are all years old, aren't they?

[Alex DeLuca]

Well, yeah, one of them, I think the remark that Carollyo allegedly made was 2023 and then the rem made by Wisong was more recent in February, so.

[Billy]

But the White song are, by the way, no love lost between me and Weiss Song. I think he's a mob lawyer ghoul. But the reality, I mean, he makes Vicki Mendez look competent. Tricky Vicky, you already know Tricky Vicky. How could I not have that cart a little. A little more handy. Do you have that one handy?

[Roy]

No, I don't. Happy forum.

[Billy]

That was not the one I was looking for. That was definitely not the one I was looking for. You know the one I was looking for for. You are a vile little man. That's what I was. That's what I was looking for. So Weiss Song said he referred to Ortiz as a, quote, former, well, almost former police captain. That's not disparaging. That is actually not even an opinion that was 100% factual. This was in February of 25. He was supposed to retire in November. Of like, how is that disparaging?

[Alex DeLuca]

Good question.

[Billy]

Thank you, Alex. I live for that kind of validation. So. So have you talked to Ortiz, to his attorney? Do we know what's next here? Has there been any comment from the city?

[Alex DeLuca]

So they haven't really played ball with us. I have not heard back from Ortiz's attorney or Ortiz himself. The city also didn't comment for our story. I asked if they could respond to the complaint filed by Ortiz and they haven't responded. So all big question mark right now.

[Billy]

More importantly, here's. Here's a fun suggestion. You may want to give a call to Emilio Gonzalez and Eileen Higgins, the. The two finalists, if you will, the candidates in runoff for the next Miami mayor. They are presumably going to help hire the next city manager and or police chief. I would be very surprised if both of those people did not resign. In fact, after the runoff election in the city of Miami on December 9, seeing the writing on the wall. I can't imagine either of these candidates are going to keep any old Miami Mafia folks around, see where they stand on Ortiz. I mean, Ortiz was there when, when Emilio Gonzalez was the city manager. And I would love to know about how Eileen Higgins feels about Javier Tease. He's arguably that man, when he was the FOP president and he was running amok in this city, had a higher profile than any of the police chiefs than anybody ever knew in the country. I mean, this guy was everywhere. And so I'm sure that Eileen Higgins and Emilio Gonzalez have a take on this and I'd love to get them on the record. In fact, if we have them here before election, I will, I will certainly ask them, and far be it for me to tell you how to do your job, but you did tell me I asked a good question, so I thought I'd offer some.

[Alex DeLuca]

No, but it's a good suggestion. I mean, especially right now with the runoff election coming up. So.

[Andres Rivero]

Yeah.

[Billy]

And certainly with the city not commenting and Ortiz and his attorney not commenting, I suspect my bet here, I don't know what DraftKings has the odds at here. I think this guy stays on the job. I think he continues. I don't even know know if this settlement would be null and void presumably, but he could continue with a scheme like this stay at home scheme for years and years and years, continuing to collect a salary, arguably collect a salary or, you know, outside income from another job. Also, I don't even know how that works legally when you're a police officer, okay. Sworn on duty, paid by the taxpayers and you have an outside job, is there some kind of liability, you know what I mean, on the part of the, the, of the taxpayers of the city. Like that could be its whole other mess. And I don't trust the city attorney as far as I can throw him to ensure that there will not be some kind of future liability on the part of the city as evidenced by the current case, which is that the city and the taxpayer are liable for this. Curry, what's next for you on this is a, you know, a developing story. Alex, what do you think?

[Alex DeLuca]

Well, keeping an eye on the court docket, I think you have a good suggestion in reaching out to Eileen and Emilio and seeing what they have to say about this whole situation and just the future of their administration. So. And whether it'll include some of the people who have allowed or helped allow Ortiz to stay on the force as long as he has. So, yeah, yeah.

[Billy]

This is a city of, of Enablers as well. In addition to the. In addition to the corrupt and the complicit, there are the people who have allowed this chicanery to flourish and be the name of the game around here. Alex DeLuca, thank you. Keep up the good work at Miami New Times.

[Alex DeLuca]

Thank you for having me.

[Billy]

We will be off next week for the Thanksgiving holiday. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Roy.

[Roy]

Thank you. You as well.

[Billy]

Thank you very much. And our Miami moment this week, the MAGA influencer from Daily Wire, Matt Walsh has some choice words for Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, who, by the way, edification as you listen to this, was born in Miami. Miami cocaine's Latinos made history. Just one year ago, one in two Hispanics gave President Trump and the Republican Party a chance for the first time ever. I've been warning it. If the GOP does not deliver, we will lose the Hispanic vote all over the country. In New Jersey and Virginia, Hispanics moved back more than 25 points to the Democratic Party. When we show up, we win. When we forget them, we lose. This is our wake up call.

[Roy]

We need to keep the House of.

[Billy]

Representatives in the hands of the Republicans.

[Roy]

What do you mean by our? What do you mean by we, Maria? Okay, you're Cuban. Your greatest priority is to destroy our national sovereignty and identity. So there's no we here. You're not American. You clearly don't like this country or identify yourself with it. You want to talk about we? Go back to Cuba and talk about we. How dare. Get the hell out.

[Billy]

Seriously.

[Roy]

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[Andres Rivero]

Cuervo? Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Roy]

Well, I do know that to be true. But even during ad reads like Cuervo, I think you could lay out, especially for one of our great partners.

[Andres Rivero]

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[Roy]

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[Andres Rivero]

Cuervo.

[Roy]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all. Cuervo.

[Andres Rivero]

Cuervo.

[Roy]

The tequila that invented tequila. Cuervo.com Please drink responsibly.

[Andres Rivero]

Cuervo.