The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 16

Hi LOCAL STATE MiamiHoraldcom I THE MIAMI HERALD 2B THURSDAY JUNE 30 2011 DANIEL SHOER ROTH VIEW FROM EL NUEVO HERALD FLA LOTTERY RESULTS I The man behind titanic reform SELECTED WED JUNE 29 Midday CaMr 3 8-2-2 Midday Play 4 7-01-2 Night Cavh 3 8-7-5 Nght Play 4 '5-1-8 2 Lotto (Xtra: J) 10-30-36-41-45-51 Fantasy 5 1-19-24-26-36 Powerball (Power 24-30-45-57 59 26 I Play 3) I TUESDAY JUNE 28 FANTASY S-7-22-32-3S debates he said "Certainly he was the fust one to stand up in this community and he deserves Braman told me Braman considers Gonzalez an example that illustrates why the County Charter should be reformed failed because he did not have the resources I Braman said citizen regardless of their financial circumstance should have the right to do what I One way or the other to have been relegated and forgotten is not something that robs Gonzalez of his sleep are forgetful not he said adding that he has no plan to run for mayor in August 2012 He might not make it to the office like Gimenez did But there is no doubt that Gonzalez will have an important place in Miami- Miami-Dade voters closed Tuesday an almost epic cycle launched by a citizen in his Coral Gables home's studio with only a telephone line and an Internet connection Carlos Gimenez uncorked the champagne and toasted his victory afte a close race Yet the real winner in this special election was someone whose name even appear on the first ballot One summer night in 2009 Lizaro Gonzilez attended a family gathering where guests were constantly complaining about flawed public management Tired of listening to such whining he blurted out an idea that popped into his head we need to do here is remove the Gonzalez told the group His friends take him seriously and laughed Almost two years later at a cost of millions of number of foreclosures in 2010 the Miami-Dade Commission approved Alvarez's budget including an increase in the property tax rate 1 This prompted tycoon Norman Braman who had used his fortune to fight local politicians to launch a recall campaign that effectively removed the mayor on March 15 Vanessa Brito and her political action committee Miami Voice joined the effort and succeeded in also removing Commissioner Natacha Seijas The former Hiaieah-area commissioner was an experienced figure with an 18-year county career who had survived a previous recall attempt some years before Braman and Brito are among the most popular and admired leaders among Miamians However Gonzalez faded into oblivion and felt forced to withdraw his mayoral candidacy after not being invited to the WEATHER Far-off Arlene brings rain to South Florida bone-dry first week of June Water managers warn it will take an exceptionally wet summer to make up for the driest preceding nine months in 80 years The National Hurricane Center meanwhile said Arlene was expected to make landfall along the central northeastern coast of Mexico early Thursday likely as a strong tropical storm but with an outside chance of strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane Rain was the most serious threat Forecasters were predicting Arlene could dump from four to eight inches of rain with 15 inches possible in spots and trigger potentially deadly flash floods and mudslides over the past few weeks that some water is again flowing south just a Smith said Miami-Dade Broward and Palm Beach counties all recorded at least drizzles with some areas receiving up to an inch of rain The East Coast could see another half inch- in each of the next two days forecasters said After a slow start to the annual wet season water gauges have begun rising in the past few weeks Through Wednesday the district had recorded 526 inches in June only 63 percent of the historic average for the month but a huge gain since a nearly BY CURTIS MORGAN emergan miamiheraldcom Far-off Tropical Storm Arlene threw a much-needed wet blanket across large swaths of South Florida on Wednesday and the stormy weather may continue through Thursday and Friday It be nearly enough to reverse the damage of a long deep drought that has dropped water levels in the Everglades lakes and well fields into danger zones but it is putting a small dent in a big rainfall deficit Still gauges are down a foot since January along the urban East Coast and even more across much of the region rain is very wel BOATING because the principles that propelled the recall have been forgotten may be a new mayor but there has been no change in the way the county Ls managed" he told me last week He is right There has not been even a shadow of a reform in part due to the fault Yet local politicians today know that unless they are accountable to taxpayers' they are liable to go down in flames On Dec 6 2009 Gonzalez launched a titanic campaign considering that he did not have political or financial platforms to collect the required 52108 signatures in barely 60 days to include in the ballot a proposal to recall Alvarez His initiative fell short he collected 48661 signatures but that planted the seed of a blooming movement Despite the economic downturn and the high particularly beneficial Radar-generated estimates showed the biggest downpours from two to four inches in the Kissimmee River Basin which drains south into Lake Okeechobee the heart of the regional water supply Forecasters expect that the heaviest rains are likely to remain there as well as east of the lake over the next few days The lake so low water managers have had pumps to supply nearby farms has been slowly rising over the past week The most recent measure put it at 971 feet above sea leveL The Kissimmee Basin which had been too dry to help recharge the lake has been replenished enough of driving privileges on water and on land In some ways Fetterman said boating under the influence can be more dangerous than driving a car while intoxicated effects of alcohol are exaggerated by exposure to sun wind noise and the pounding of waves on the he said During the opening hours of Operation Dry Water boater Mauricio Varon was stopped by an FWC officer near Dinner Key Marina Though the safety check cost him 10 minutes of fishing time Varon said he un--derstood the dangers of drinking on the water and the need to police for BUIs Two years ago he said a friend died after crashing into mangrove trees while boating drunk I am captain in the car or in the boat I Varon said shows the display but eliminated the expense this year know where were going to get the money from until the last said Lorenzo Woodley of the Parks and Recreation department though he said he never believed the city would let the skies go dark Monday Lower budgets usually mean shorter and less-intense displays said Gary Avins of Firepower Displays Unlimited which is putting on the South Miami show alongside more than 20 others in the region But he said he I will out of his to I make sure all cities still get a great show even if it affects his own bottom line have gone up in- surance wages equipment fuel truck rentals and I'm still working with my same Ans said IN MV OPINION I hum I Shoi-r Hoth Oshoer a MumiHera'd com dollars Miami-Dade voters ushered out county Mayor Carlos Alvarez in the largest recall of a local politician in US history And it all began with the concerns of a citizen about the problems ailing his community and his dissatisfaction over hefty raises by Alvarez to his staffers at a time of steep budget cuts a testament to what any person can do to catalyze a major change in hisher community you have enough passion and energy you can start a said Gonzalez who continues to send out e-mails with his complaints and criticism of county government though few people seem to heed him anymore Gonzalez feels frustrated not because people no longer listen to him but come and will provide some short-term said Randy Smith spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District which oversees the water supply for 16 counties The rain came courtesy of a strengthening Arlene which was pumping moisture across the region as it swirled hundreds of miles away in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on track for landfall early Thursday in Mexico The National Weather Service in Miami-Dade expected more storms over the next few days with conditions turning drier in time for the July Fourth weekend For water managers the rainfall pattern shaped up as ter last weekend an elevated enforcement level that they plan to continue through Independence Day National statistics kept by the US Coast Guard show 17 percent of boat accidents are directly attributable to alcohol impairment In Florida 69 people died in accidents caused by alcohol in 2010 The number of alcohol-related accidents spikes during Fourth of July festivities Fetterman said In Florida waters marine officers can stop any recreational boat to check if the vessel has proper safety equipment If an officer develops a reasonable suspicion that a boat operator is alcohol-impaired that officer can take the boater back to land for a full field sobriety test If ultimately found to be boating under the influence boaters can be fined detained and stripped important for the city to Doral which spends $30000 on its show also has committed to keeping its skies just as bright even in dim fiscal times Although side events like music and games have been scaled back the fireworks budget remains unchanged Why? the Fourth of said Ana Isabel Garcia special events coordinator is by far one of our biggest events of the Not all cities have been so lucky In South Miami cutbacks had city officials scrambling to secure funding for their annual fireworks show in Palmer Park Two weeks ago a local bank stepped in to pick up the $8000 fireworks bill The town had spent $10000 in previous years on All events are on July Fourth and are free unless noted Personal fireworks pets or alcoholic beverages are not allowed in parks unless noted Fireworks start at 9 pm unless noted See other listings in this edition for more weekend activities I 0 Patrols aim to keep waters CONTACT US I i SUBSCRIBER SERVICE 1-800-843-4372 wwwNiamiHeraldcomservice ts your paper missing? 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driving before the July 4 weekend The increased patrols mark the local launch of Operation Dry Water a national anti-BUI (Boating Under the Influence) campaign we come across a boater under the influence going to test him and going to arrest said John Fetterman an official at the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators which coordinates Operation Dry Water In Miami-Dade police departments the Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission began putting more patrol boats in the wa THE FOURTH OF JULY BROWARD BankAtlantic Center 4th of July Celebration: Includes food and beverage vendors: a sponsor tent area a family fun zone with bounce houses games face painters and jugglers: the Brickman VIP Tent live music on the Ed Morse Sawgrass Stage including the Gin Blossoms beginning at 6 pm 3D fireworks glasses for the 9 pm display are available at the Sawgrass Mills booth while supplies last 5-10 pm Monday 1 Panther Pkwy Sunrise wwwbankatlanticcentercom Coral Springs Fourth of July Celebration: Entertainment and food available beginning at 6 pm Food and refreshments available for purchase: 6-9 pm Monday Mullins Park 10150 NW 29th St $3 parking fee 954-345-2200 or wwwcoralspringsorg Davie Independence Day Craft Fireworks Show: Features arts and craft displays live country music (Main Stage) bounce houses and climbing wall petting farm and free cake for residents (while supplies last) 6-10 pm Food and snacks available for purchase Pine Island Park 3801 Pine Island Rd wwwdavie-flgov Deerfield Beach 4th of July Celebration: Free concerts all day and a variety of food vendors beginning at 1 pm with Smuggling YoYos 1-3 pm Scott Ringerson with Elvis Experience" 4-6 and The David Band 7-9 pm Fireworks will be from the International Fishing Pier beach parking lot area Ocean Way and Southeast First Street free shuttle service from locations west of the Intracoastal 954-480-4430 or wwwdeerfield-beach com: Fun Fireworks Family Celebration at Gulfstream: Includes live music kids' zone featuring bounce houses face painting and pony rides food and buffet at $1776 per person at Ten Palms restaurant and fireworks' festivities begin at 4 pm Gulfstream Park Casino 901 Federal Hwy Hallandale Beach free parking 954-454-7000 or wwwgulfstreamparkcom 4th of July Celebration: Features kids' games and DJ Tony Tiru (1-6 pm) at Charnow Park 300 Connecticut St Musical entertainment at Hollywood Beach Theatre (Johnson Street and the Broadwalk) features country music with the Rodeo Clowns followed by Galo's Tribute to Santana (6-10 pm) 954-921-3404 or wwwhollywoodflorg Lauderdale-by-the-Sea July 4th Celebration: Monday free wwwlauderdalebythesea-flgov: Parade: Starts on Bougainvillea (behind Town Hall 4501 Ocean Dr) heads north to Pine Avenue east to El Mar Drive south to Palm Avenue west to Bougainvillea and north to Town Hall: 10 am Two giant waterslides on the beach at El Prado Plus a steel drum band noon-4 pm VFD hands-on fire equipment demo for kids El Prado parking pm Alley Oop skimboarding demo on the beach in front of El Prado Park 1-3 pm Sand castle competition for kids on the beach at El Prado Park Free hot dogs and watermelon provided by Village Grille and Aruba Beach Cafe 1-3 pm VFD full sea rescue demonstration with BS0 on the beach in front of El Prado Park pm Ice cream eating contest for kids followed by a burger eating contest for adults 4 pm BurgerFi 4343 Ocean Dr Fireworks off Anglin's Pier Pembroke Pines Independence Day Celebration: Bring blankets or lawn chairs Kids' area with free rides 6-8 30 pm and music by the Wesley Philips band Food and drinks available for purchase Pembroke Pines Recreation Center 7400 Pines Blvd 954-435-6525 or wwwppinescom FLORIDA KEYS i Big Pine the Lower Keys Fourth of July Fireworks: Beginning at 5 live music food and beverages games and activities for adults and kids Sugarloaf Airport mile marker 17 bayside Sugarloaf Key 305-872-2411 or wwwfla-keyscom Preworks Show on Blackwater Sound: Best seating at Sundowners and Senor Frijoles restaurants Caribbean Club and Marriott Key Largo Bay Resort all around mile marker 104 bayside: reservations recommended Call Sue Finney at 305-394-3736 for more information wwwfla-kevscom Islamorada Fireworks and Family Fun: Entertainment and family activities from 6 to 930 pm with fireworks following Founders Park mile marker 87 PlantationKeywwwfla-keyscom Key West HospiceVisiting Nurses Association July 4 Picnic: Free watermelon popcorn and co'd drinks live music a soent auction and kio games begin at 5 Buffet includes hamburgers and hot dogs: Casa Manna Resort Beach Club 1500 Reynolds St: buffet: $25 $10 kies 342 free for kids 2 and under general admission (no meal) tickets are $10 3C5-294-8812 or www fla-kevs com Marathon Beach Party Fireworks Show: 10 30 am parade from Marathon High 350 Sombrero Beacn Rd to the beach live music food Sombrero Beach 305-743-5417 or ipfo a ionaakeysmarathon com Cities keep firework FIREWORKS FROM IB shopping center is providing $5000 said Carol Cutt the marketing director Even when budget shortfalls force cities to cut funding for July 4th parties fireworks are often the last expense affected Homestead has downsized some live performances for its annual party at the Homestead Miami speedway But the thousands of residents expected to attend still will get to take in a $12000 fireworks display the same as last year Homestead decided to prioritize pyrotechnics what everyone comes out to see said event coordinator Eric Weiss can go and buy cheap fireworks but to be able to go out and see a whole display at a free evint.