Miami Private Investigator: Former Commander, FHP LT. Florida State Police

New site of flea market draws opposition
Exiled for a month from their old spots at the Flagler Dog Track in Miami, dozens of vendors hope to set up a new flea market on LeJeune Road, putting their potential new neighbors on war footing.

Police: 2 vandalized mosque
Miami-Dade police have charged two teens in the latest vandalism of a West Kendall mosque and school that has been targeted twice this year.

Pedestrians taking over Coconut Grove's Commodore Plaza on car-free Saturday nights
Commodore Plaza, the picturesque, one-block heart of the old Bohemian village of Coconut Grove, has been up and it's been down, and now it's halfway up again and could use a lift.

Volunteer quits top ranks at Burger King HQ for Habitat rooftops
A year ago, Stephanie Sylvestre had climbed the corporate ladder at Burger King, where she commanded a six-figure salary and lived in a comfortable home in Coconut Grove.

Tight budgets can't keep fireworks down
Sixty-thousand people are expected at downtown Miami's Bayfront Park for its flagship Fourth of July show Saturday, and tens of thousands more will go to Fort Lauderdale's offshore extravaganza. And despite well-documented budget issues facing local governments this year, dozens of other cities and organizations throughout South Florida will forge ahead with costly nighttime displays.

Honduras quits Organization of American States
The newly installed Honduran government withdrew from the Organization of American States Friday night, after a tense visit from the hemisphere's top diplomat who urged the return of nation's deposed leader.

Two teens arrested in West Kendall mosque vandalism
Miami-Dade police have charged two teens in the latest attack on an often-vandalized West Kendall mosque. Michael Derek Lobo and Juan Carlos Gonzalez-Vaca, both 17, were arrested Thursday night at Killian Senior High School, according to a police affidavit.

Police to be on lookout for DUI violations
DUI checkpoints will be set up Friday night in Miami Gardens, Doral and Medley. Miami Gardens police will set up a checkpoint at Northwest 27th Avenue and 160th Street, inspecting drivers for DUI violations from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. Saturday.

Review | Family-run Revales is a charming revelation
''Revales'' may not mean anything in Italian, or any other language that I know, but it clearly speaks to Miami Shores area diners hankering for well-priced comfort fare with a taste of the Mediterranean.

Vivid tastes of Argentina, Thailand and Spain
Northwest Miami-Dade is not exactly a foodie haven, but the cities of Doral, Miami Lakes and Hialeah offer ethnic variety, quality fare and budget options for diners who don't need the faux glamour of pricier areas.

Review | Food doesn't thrill at Grill on the Alley
The Grill on the Alley, a Beverly Hills landmark and growing chain that opened a link at Aventura Mall late last year, has that cozy, retro, supper-club feel down pat. Coffee-colored leather banquettes, curvy Deco fixtures and waiters in trim-fitting white jackets contribute to the dapper feel. Unfortunately, the fare is more off-the-rack than bespoke.

Review | Chic BLT Steak is a cut above
This recession-slammed season might seem a ridiculous time to open another pricey steak house on South Beach, and Laurent Tourondel might look like just another celebrity-chef name on the door. But the elegant new BLT Steak fills a need for superior fare and fine service on Ocean Drive, and it is the simplicity and quality Tourondel demands that elevate these highly allocated cuts of cow.

Carvalho: I'll open migrant schools
A day after two schools for migrant children were padlocked, Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho vowed to do everything in his power to reopen them.

Tight budgets can't keep fireworks down
Sixty-thousand people are expected at downtown Miami's Bayfront Park for its flagship Fourth of July show Saturday, and tens of thousands more will go to Fort Lauderdale's offshore extravaganza. And despite well-documented budget issues facing local governments this year, dozens of other cities and organizations throughout South Florida will forge ahead with costly nighttime displays.

South Florida families trace lineage to Revolutionary War patriots
George Washington -- founding father, first president, face on the dollar bill, distant cousin? B.B. Gould of Biscayne Park can lay claim to the honor.

Many students, not enough room at South Florida community colleges
There was a time when community colleges' open-door policy extended right up until the last day of registration. Procrastinating students might not get their first choice of classes, but they would still be able to get in.

Feds' corruption probe looks at top Florida officials
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating corruption allegations made by an indicted Fort Lauderdale insurance executive who, in a bid for a favorable plea deal, has named lawyers, lobbyists and fundraisers he claims plotted with him to thwart a state crackdown on him and his industry.

Judge won't release video of Donte' Stallworth hitting man
A Miami-Dade judge on Thursday refused to release surveillance video that captured NFL player Donte' Stallworth's car striking and killing a pedestrian who was crossing the MacArthur Causeway.

Old Grove watering hole, the Taurus, is new again
Regulars used to grab a seat at the Taurus Steakhouse and get a beer from bartender ''Butch'' Warren, who wore large glasses and a new costume every night.

DNA solves 1980 Miami-Dade murder
A DNA match led police to a man who raped and killed a Miami woman almost three decades ago, authorities said. Police said Bruce Albert Tessier, 69, confessed to the 1980 killing of 20-year-old Dana Maria Lindenberg.

Northbound lane of U.S. 1 in Florida Keys reopens
The northbound lane of the 18-Mile Stretch connecting Key Largo to the mainland is now open after being closed around the clock since June 18 for repairs.

Herbert Venture Partners office to be near UF
The University of Florida's efforts to bolster its biotechnology brand got a boost earlier this month with news that a healthcare and technology venture capital fund will open an office near UF's Gainesville campus.

Prescription drug overdose deaths soar in Florida
Florida continues to see a rapid rise in fatal overdoses caused by prescription-drug abuse -- a trend fueled by a cottage industry of cash-only pain clinics -- while deaths from illegal drugs wane, according to a report from the state's medical examiners released Tuesday.

Bond sale for stadium falls short
The long-awaited sale of bonds to pay for a new baseball stadium in Little Havana fell short Tuesday, prompting a scramble at County Hall and a last-minute pledge by the Florida Marlins to cover the difference.

Many of the new companies in Florida are unregulated
The influx of new property insurance companies that have added $4.3 billion to the pool of capital available on the Florida market, consists mostly of so-called surplus insurance lines that typical homeowners can't use.

U.S. money going for reefs
An underwater nursery project to restore the struggling coral reefs along Florida's southern coast and the U.S. Virgin Islands will receive $3.3 million in national stimulus funding, according to an announcement Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

United Way conducts online census of gay community
United Way of Broward has launched an Internet census to glean detailed information about South Florida's large gay community. Among the very personal questions asked:

Consumer confidence falls in Florida, nation
Florida consumer confidence fell slightly in June, but it's not expected to fall much further in the months ahead, a survey's director said Tuesday.

Crist's high court pick puts him in political center
The fourth African-American to ever sit on the Florida Supreme Court formally took his seat Friday in a ceremony that helped cement Gov. Charlie Crist's reputation as a centrist.

Senator criticizes Florida's privatization initiatives
The state's decision to consider a no-bid contract extension for a controversial human-resources company has renewed criticism from a leading state senator who says privatization initiatives have cost taxpayers $200 million with little to show for the money.

Boost in tuition set for 11 Florida colleges
Gov. Charlie Crist on Monday signed into law one of his top priorities of 2009: a bill that allows all 11 state universities to increase tuition by as much as 15 percent a year.

Crist signs controversial growth-management bill
Gov. Charlie Crist on Monday approved changes to Florida growth laws that supporters say will strengthen the economy and opponents predict will increase urban sprawl and traffic gridlock.

Florida officials' salaries to be cut 2 percent
When Gov. Charlie Crist proudly announced that he was vetoing a pay cut for 28,000 state workers, there were some salaries he couldn't save from the budget ax: his own, state Cabinet members' and those of about 1,000 judges, prosecutors and public defenders in the state.

Another indictment for former House Speaker Ray Sansom
A grand jury investigating Ray Sansom's ties to a Panhandle college issued a second round of indictments Wednesday, accusing the ousted House speaker of lying about a developer's plans to store aircraft in a taxpayer-funded building.

Gov. Charlie Crist: Florida budget is best it can be
Breaking a pledge against raising taxes, Gov. Charlie Crist signed Florida's $66.5 billion budget into law Wednesday and barely used his veto pen.

Developer in Ray Sansom scandal indicted
A grand jury Wednesday indicted a private developer at the center of a political storm involving former House Speaker Ray Sansom and a $6 million airport project.

Girl, 16, fakes kidnapping in Fla.
Authorities in central Florida say a teenager looking to avoid trouble called 911 and said she had been kidnapped.

Pinellas Co. beach closed over holiday weekend
Swimmers are being warned to stay out of the water at a Pinellas County beach this Fourth of July weekend.

Deputy injured in Turnpike crash
Authorities say a 23-year-old Orange County Sheriff's Office deputy is in serious condition after a four-car crash on Florida's Turnpike.

Product pitchman Mays' funeral held in Western Pa.
Television product pitchman Billy Mays was remembered as a pop culture icon at his funeral at a church in McKees Rocks, the tiny suburb where he was born and raised just down the Ohio river from Pittsburgh.

3 Fantasy 5 players share $212,714 top prize
Three winners of the "Fantasy 5" game will collect $70,904.95 each, the Florida Lottery said Friday.

4 decades later, freedom rider returns to Miss.
Corey Carter could hear snippets of music in his head - a calm and subtle melody that hadn't found its shape. The 19-year-old college student simply needed a hero to visualize before he could finish his composition for wind ensemble.

Suspect in videotaped beating violates probation
A Lakeland teen convicted in the videotaped beating of a central Florida classmate has been arrested for violating her probation.

Deputies take 76 dogs from puppy mill
Authorities say they've confiscated 76 dogs after raiding an illegal puppy mill in Hollister.

South Florida PI

Miami Private Investigator