Walk held in honor of Trayvon Martin attracts hundreds including actor Jamie Foxx

Saturday was a day of remembrance for Trayvon Martin, as about a thousand people — including actor Jamie Foxx — united with the late teen’s family to march, pray, listen to music and hear inspirational messages, while pressing for justice in his killing.

The Trayvon Martin Foundation sponsored the “I am Trayvon Day of Remembrance Community Peace Walk,” to honor the unarmed, Miami Gardens teen fatally shot in Sanford on Feb. 26 of last year by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.

“We’re here to let the community, and particularly teenagers, know that they have the right to walk in peace without being followed, without being harmed and without being killed,” Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, told The Miami Herald at the start of the event at Ives Estate Park at 20901 NE 16th Ave. in north Miami-Dade. She said the walk would be held annually.

Fulton, Trayvon’s father Tracy and brother Jahvaris held up a huge banner and marched through the park as the crowd trailed them, chanting “I am Trayvon Martin.” Many wore T-shirts emblazoned with Trayvon’s picture, as the line snaked toward a bandshell.

Last Tuesday would have been Trayvon’s 18th birthday, which has inspired a series of activities all week in his honor, including a dinner Sunday night.

“This is not an event, this is a movement,” Reverend Jamal-Harrison Bryant from the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore told supporters at the bandshell. The goal, he said, was “justice for all people.”

The shooting of black, 17-year-old Trayvon by Zimmerman, an Hispanic, sparked widespread outrage, and led to protests and rallies nationwide, as well as ongoing controversy over Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.

Prosecutors say Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder, profiled the teen, who was wearing a hoodie and carrying a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Zimmerman said he fired in self defense. He is out on bond. His trial is scheduled to begin June 10.

“We did not come here today to grieve. We came to be energized and recharged,” Bryant told the crowd. “We came to make a commitment to Tracy [Martin] and Sybrina [Fulton] that we are not going to rest until we see justice for their son. Trayvon Martin has become all of our sons and our brother.”

Foxx, an Academy Award winning actor, wore a red t-shirt with Trayvon’s picture at the center, and said he came in support because he is a father.

“Every once in a while, something comes around that touches you like nothing else,” Foxx said, of Trayvon’s slaying.

“I wasn’t going to miss this day, and I’m not going to miss a day in the future when we can step out and remember Trayvon,” he said.

Trayvon’s parents expressed gratitude for Foxx’s appearance, as well as for the crowd’s support.

“We’re not going to stop fighting. We are going to fight for our kid. We are going to fight for your kids,” Fulton said. “It’s not just about us; it’s about all our kids.”

Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Jordan also took the stage, saying Trayvon’s parents “give a new definition to Stand your Ground: to stand for your children and to be committed to your children and to be committed to your community.”

Gospel singers, mime dancers and others performed, as the day unfolded with celebration, tinged with sadness and reproach.

“It’s a great event to keep the awareness, to keep the fight alive for Trayvon Martin and his family,” said Martin Maultsby, 40, who lives in Miami Gardens and is the director of the Florida Youth Football League. “Any time you can come out to support your cause, it lets the family know they are not in this fight by themselves.”

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Poll: Floridians favor Medicaid expansion

TALLAHASSEE --
The vast majority of Floridians want lawmakers to accept federal money to expand Medicaid, according to a new survey sponsored by the Florida Hospital Association and conducted by a Republican-leaning pollster.

Of 600 voters polled, 62 percent said the state should take the money and use it to reduce the number of uninsured Floridians. Nearly half of respondents, 49 percent, said they felt strongly about accepting the money. The survey was conducted Jan. 15-17 by Public Opinion Strategies and has a 4 percentage point margin of error.

The Senate's Select Committee on the Affordable Care Act will discuss Medicaid expansion during a meeting Monday. Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said he isn't swayed by polls because the feedback he receives directly from constituents is a mixed bag.

"I'm out talking to voters and to the people that I represent to ask them what they think, and that does persuade me," Negron said.

Hospitals generally support the Medicaid expansion, as well as the wider health care law, because more people would have insurance and therefore be able to pay for the services they receive. However, Florida legislators and Gov. Rick Scott have said they are worried about the long term costs of adding 1 million people to the Medicaid rolls.

They are not alone.

So far, only six states led by Republican governors have indicated that they will participate in the Medicaid expansion. This week, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Michigan Gov. John Snyder said they would like to accept the federal funding.

In addition to releasing the poll Friday, the Florida Hospital Association announced the launch of "The Florida Remedy," a campaign it is leading to influence lawmakers to support the Medicaid expansion.

"Floridians believe that everyone should have access to high quality, affordable health care, and this is a remedy the vast majority of voters support," Florida Hospital Association President Bruce Rueben said in a news release.

Under the Florida Remedy campaign, the state is urged to support the expansion now but vow to pull back if the federal government ever withdraws financial support. The campaign also ties the expansion debate into Florida's proposal to privatize Medicaid, which is awaiting federal approval.

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Miami changes course on acting city manager

There’s a slight change in plans at Miami City Hall.

Luis Cabrera, an assistant city manager and deputy police chief, will no longer fill in for City Manager Johnny Martinez later this month. Instead, the responsibilities will go to a different assistant city manager, Alice Bravo.

Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado had originally tapped Cabrera to be in charge while Martinez recovers from knee surgery. But on Thursday, Miami City Attorney Julie O. Bru said Cabrera could not be both deputy police chief and acting city manager.

Her reasoning: the Florida Constitution prohibits municipal employees from holding more than one office.

“In an abundance of caution, it would be prudent of you not to accept the temporary appointment of city manager or even in an acting capacity,” Bru wrote in a legal opinion addressed to Cabrera.

The city attorney did not, however, see any problems with Cabrera serving as both deputy police chief and assistant city manager. That’s because assistant city manager is not considered an office, she wrote.

Cabrera, who had asked the city attorney to weigh in, said he respected Bru’s opinion.

Martinez will be out beginning next week.

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Judge orders state to release emails in suit over Gov. Scott's plan for Tallahassee park

TALLAHASSEE --
Some governors left bronze statues behind. Others contributed a library or a sun room to the Governors’ Mansion.

Gov. Rick Scott envisions a legacy that would create Governor’s Park, across a six block by three and a half block area in downtown Tallahassee.

The boundaries of the proposal are contained in a memo and maps that state officials attempted to withhold from disclosure in a lawsuit filed by Tallahassee lawyer Steve Andrews as part of a fight over land that once belonged to Gov. LeRoy Collins.

Citing Florida’s public records law, a judge ordered release of documents that outline the park plan after reviewing 120 records that the Department of Environmental Protection tried to shield from public view.

"After conducting an in camera inspection of 120 emails, the court finds that 105 emails were public records … and improperly withheld from the plaintiff after a public records request,’’ Circuit Judge John Cooper wrote in his Jan. 29 order.

Andrews sought the records after filing a lawsuit against Scott and 15 other officials involved in the state’s attempt to block him from buying land where his office is located. The land in question is owned by the Collins estate and fronts Monroe Street, the north-south thoroughfare through the heart of the capital city.

The proposed park would surround the Governor’s Mansion and an adjacent site known as The Grove, the ancestral home of territorial Gov. Richard Keith Call and the final home of the Collins family.

The state bought the Collins home in 1985 with plans to create a museum and visitors center. Maps included in the email released Wednesday indicate that the park would include both mansions and about 120 additional lots now in private ownership in an area between Monroe and Bronough streets.

Andrews signed a contract to buy his office building for $580,000 after then-Secretary of State Kurt Browning signed a letter rejecting the state’s right of first refusal to buy the property. Scott’s office objected at the last minute, and Scott and the Cabinet voted to buy it a year ago in spite of the contract between Andrews and the Collins estate.

The lawsuit grinds on, with more than a dozen lawyers representing various state agencies and a separate lawsuit filed by Scott and the Cabinet against John Aurell, Collins’ son-in-law and executor of the Collins estate. The judge has rejected state accusations of fraud and breach of contract against Aurell, calling them without merit.

Andrews said the state will spend some $10-million if it proceeds with the park plan as outlined.

"It’s a lot of money when you think that Governor Collins’ legacy is that he was the first southern governor to advocate publicly for the passage of civil rights legislation,’’ Andrews said. "Even Gov. Charlie Crist refused to do repairs and paint the Governor’s Mansion because so many people in the state were losing their homes to foreclosure.’’

A spokeswoman for Scott did not respond to questions about the cost of the plan or explain why the records were withheld from public view.

The tradition of governors enhancing the mansion is longstanding. Some redecorated; others added a pool, tennis courts, fencing and a garage, often at state expense.

Since Gov. Bob Graham’s wife Adele created a private foundation, additions have mostly been paid for with private donations. The Grahams built a large sun room on the north side of the mansion.

Former Gov. Bob Martinez raised money for a bronze manatee sculpture on mansion grounds, and former Gov. Lawton Chiles left a large bronze sculpture of children walking on a log. Former Gov. Jeb Bush used his fundraising ability to add a library.

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Jackson Health System, Kendall Regional battle over trauma

Kendall Regional Medical Center lost one battle in the trauma wars Tuesday at the Miami-Dade County Commission, but has launched a new attack in Tallahassee, asking state regulators to reject a Jackson Health System request that Kendall maintains would force it to close its trauma center.

With about 100 supporters packing commission chambers wearing red T-shirts saying “Kendall Trauma Saves Lives,” Commissioner Javier Souto asked his colleagues to reconsider a Jan. 23 resolution, passed 10-0, authorizing Jackson to take legal action to protect its trauma programs.

Jackson has been complaining that its Ryder Trauma Center has been losing about $28 million a year since the state allowed Kendall Regional to open a second Dade trauma unit in November 2011. State regulators, meanwhile, have delayed granting licenses for trauma centers at Jackson North and Jackson South hospitals.

Souto said his office had been bombarded by 4,000 emails complaining that the commission had acted hastily in granting Jackson legal approval. “A big chunk of people are very offended.”

Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz said many of the “thousands” of emails he received quoted a Kendall executive as saying that the commission resolution was intended to “force Kendall to close its trauma center.”

“That’s a lie,” Diaz said. The commission simply gave Jackson an ability “to defend itself.”

The motion to reconsider died on a 6-6 vote.

Mark McKenney, medical director of the Kendall center, issued a statement calling the commission vote “a shame.” During his center’s first 15 months, “we have seen more than 2,550 trauma patients. ... Kendall Regional is dedicated to providing care to a community of 2.5 million people that, as the seventh most populated county in the U.S., has been greatly underserved. The facts are clear about the need for trauma services, and we will continue to fight to provide these vital medical services.”

Meanwhile, the fight at the state level continues. In early January, Jackson asked Department of Health officials for an administrative hearing over state inaction on its two trauma-care licensing requests. Jackson complained that regulators have granted provisional licenses to Kendall and Ocala hospitals under a policy that state courts have ruled invalid.

The Jackson petition maintained that “all provisional licenses issued under the invalid trauma need rule should be revoked.”

On Monday, the Kendall and Ocala hospitals filed their own motions in the case, asking that Jackson’s petitions be dismissed because it “had no right” to request that the licenses of other centers be rejected. If those motions were rejected, the HCA facilities asked that they be allowed to intervene in the Jackson proceedings.

Also on Monday, Jackson Chief Executive Carlos Migoya sent an email to county and state political leaders saying that the trauma legal filings were “highly technical. It is vital to understand that Jackson has not initiated any legal action against any other hospital, hospital system or trauma center in this issue.” On Tuesday Jackson spokesman Edwin O’Dell said, “We are limited as to what we can say during these complex regulatory proceedings.” But he noted that the Health department had suspended Jackson’s trauma applications while approving others. “We seek a level playing field on which our community’s taxpayer-owned hospital system is treated fairly and can compete fairly.”

State regulators are now working to come up with a trauma regulation that courts will deem fair to all parties. Health officials have been insisting that Miami-Dade, with 2.5 million people, needs several trauma centers.

: On Tuesday, an advisory committee from the American College of Surgeons told Florida Health officials about steps they could take to come up with fair trauma regulations.

Jackson officials maintain that, with helicopter transport, its Level 1 trauma center is just minutes away from any place in the county and that it has a highly experienced trauma staff always on duty, while Kendall Regional, a Level 2 center, has to call in specialists to treat complex cases.

Herald staff writer Patricia Mazzei and Tampa Bay Times reporter Tia Mitchell contributed to this article.

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More mismanagement issues arise at Citizens Insurance

TALLAHASSEE --
State regulators knocked Citizens Property Insurance Corp. this month for unnecessary travel costs, failing to negotiate on multimillion-dollar vendor contracts and spending more than $10,000 a month on vacant office space.

The Office of Insurance Regulation’s “market conduct examination” — which reviews Citizens’ operations over the last two years — offers the latest evidence of institutional problems at the mammoth state-run insurer.

According to the report, Citizens has mostly followed its policies, but in some cases those policies were too lax, leading to expensive repercussions for the company.

The report found that Citizens “does not appear to place any emphasis on price negotiation, instead relying on best and final offer” from its private contractors, who collect one-fifth of the $2 billion in annual premiums paid by policyholders.

Citizens is now pushing back against the state’s findings, arguing that it follows state law and has its own rigorous policies to get the best services at a competitive price.

“In situations not covered by [state law], Citizens conducts competitive solicitations using the same style of processes as state agencies (i.e., Invitations to Bid, Requests for Procurement and Invitations to Negotiate),” said spokesperson Christine Ashburn, in an email. Ashburn said Citizens president Barry Gilway has asked the state’s Insurance Commissioner to amend the report.

OIR also criticized Citizens for expensive travel and meals that surpassed federal and state guidelines for acceptable expenses. That finding comes on the heels of a Herald/Times investigation and a Chief Inspector General report highlighting lavish spending by executives, including $600-a-night hotel stays in Bermuda.

At the same time, Citizens has been squeezing homeowners by slashing coverage and raising rates, claiming that it does not have enough money to pay for a major hurricane strike.

“I really don’t get why they don’t have enough money,” said Gina Guilford, of Miami, whose homeowner’s insurance premium doubled last year. “Their rates have been rising steadily and there has been no major hurricane in years. Mismanagement is my guess. Why should any of us have to pay for a government-run insurance agency’s inability to manage funds and their employees?”

After media reports and the state’s Chief Inspector General documented Citizens’ corporate expenses, the company announced new policies to crack down on spending abuses.

Still, the OIR report fuels critics of Citizens and could hamper the efforts of some lawmakers who are determined pass major insurance reforms this year to help the state-run insurer raise its rates faster.

“This report further highlights the operational deficiencies, blatant disregard for state policies and lack of oversight and fiduciary responsibilities by Citizens Property Insurance,” said Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, in a statement.

Artiles has been critical of Citizens’ aggressive push to shrink its rolls and has been part of a coalition of South Florida Republicans and statewide Democrats voting against cost-hiking insurance legislation.

As Citizens seeks to shed many of its 1.3 million policies, it has been bogged down by a series of corporate scandals. Last year, Gov. Rick Scott twice called on his inspector general to investigate Citizens, after the Times/Herald reported on lavish travel spending and allegations of corporate misconduct. The company’s Office of Corporate Integrity was disbanded after it uncovered evidence of waste at the company, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in severance packages paid to executives who resigned amid scandal.

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Motorcyclist killed in multi-car crash on Interstate 75 in Broward

A motorcyclist was killed Sunday morning in an accident on Interstate 75 in Pembroke Pines.

The northbound cyclist, who was heading north on the highway around 5 a.m., slammed his 2011 Harley Davidson into the rear of an SUV just north of Pines Boulevard.

The impact sent the rider, who was not wearing a helmet, flying off his bike and onto the roadway, where he was struck by another oncoming vehicle. That driver, who did not realized what he had hit, drove on to the next exit where he called police.

I-75 was shutdown for hours as the Florida Highway Patrol conducted an investigation.

The name of the victim has not been released.

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Police investigating ‘suspicious’ death of elderly woman in Miami home

Police are investigating details surrounding the death of an elderly woman found inside her home near midtown Miami.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, Miami Police officers went to the home of Carmen Diaz, 78, whose adult son decided to visit her after not hearing from her in a few days, according to a news release. When he arrived, he found Diaz dead inside her home of 50 years at 120 NW 34 St.

Miami Police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes said although the death appeared “somewhat suspicious,” the department isn’t releasing details until the county medical examiner determines the cause of death.

WSVN-Channel 7 reported that the adult son found Diaz’s house ransacked and her body wrapped in a blanket in her bathroom.

Police confirmed the house was in disarray, but wouldn’t say if there had been a burglary.

The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner is currently investigating the scene.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Two men found shot to death, dog fatally wounded inside car on Miami street

An early morning shooting in Model City left two men dead and a puppy fatally wounded.

The shooting happened about 1:15 a.m. Friday at Northwest 41st Street and 13th Avenue, Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes said.

After responding to a 911 call about shots heard in the area, officers found a Buick Lacrosse "completely riddled with bullet holes" and two men in their 20s shot to death inside, Reyes said.

Friday afternoon, police identified the men as Joshua Whack, 26, and Eric Fussell, 23.

Also inside the car: a 4-month-old pitbull puppy who was shot in the head.

The wounded dog was taken to Miami-Dade Animal Services for treatment, where it was euthanized due to the severity of the injury.

“Unfortunately, the trauma was severe,” said Animal Services spokeswoman Xiomara Mordcovich.

Police are still investigating the shooting. Reyes said it’s too early to tell if the incident was gang-related.

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Driver falls asleep at wheel, crashes into patrol car in Broward

A woman who fell asleep while driving after midnight Thursday plowed into a highway trooper’s patrol car that had its lights flashing at an Interstate 95 exit ramp, police said.

Laura Cohen, 23, was driving north toward the I-95 ramp to Davie Boulevard in Broward at 12:25 a.m., according to an Florida Highway Patrol report.

A trooper was sitting in his car, parked at the exit ramp to signal warn drivers that the road was closed for construction. The construction area was marked with traffic cones, reduce speed signs and flashing arrow boards.

Cohen, who had apparently fallen asleep, drove her 2010 Toyota Yaris through the traffic cones and crashed into the back of Trooper Byron Johnson’s car.

Cohen and Johnson were treated for “very minor injuries” on the road, FHP spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky said Thursday.

Cohen was ticketed for careless driving.

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Miami police officer charged with sexual battery and kidnapping

On the same day it announced the firing of an officer for shooting an unarmed motorist, Miami police said on Wednesday a second officer has been arrested and charged with armed kidnapping and sexual battery.

Police said detectives from the Internal Affairs Section culminated an investigation by arresting Officer Luis Hernandez, 27, a seven-year member of the department, on a warrant issued by a Miami-Dade judge.

According to the warrant, Hernandez is being charged with one count of armed kidnapping and one count of armed sexual battery by a law enforcement officer.

No details were released on the attack.

But Miami Herald newspartner CBS4 has learned the incident occurred in 2010 when Hernandez was transporting a woman who had been arrested after getting into a bar fight with a co-worker. The woman is undocumented. After being processed, Hernandez was transporting the woman to jail. Enroute, Hernandez is accused of stopping his cruiser and sexually assaulting the woman, who reported the attack.

Hernandez is being held without bond.

Earlier Wednesday, the department fired Officer Reynaldo Goyos for the shooting to death of unarmed motorist Travis McNeil two years ago.

This story will be updated as more details become available.

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After a testy discussion, the board of the Jackson Health System approved by a vote of 4-2 a global agreement intended to resolve several major tensions between management and SEIU Local 1991.

The deal now goes to the Miami-Dade Board of County of Commissioners for final approval.

The agreement, reached earlier this month, means management will stop exploring outsourcing physician and some other services in the Jackson Memorial adult ER., but might still explore getting outsiders to provide pediatric services at Jackson Memorial as well as all ER services at Jackson North and South.

Other parts of the agreement involved Jackson nurses’ shift schedules and leave time. Some nurses who had been reduced to part-time will get their full-time status back.

At its Monday board meeting, Chair Marcos Lapciuc called the deal “fair and balanced” that resolved many problems, including formal union grievances and a federal lawsuit filed by SEIU.

“I’m really troubled,” said board member Michael Bileca, a healthcare executive and a Republican legislator. He said he wished that concessions to the union were based on Jackson’s performance. He’s troubled that the system still has only 12 days of cash on hand and “pent-up capital demands.”

Bileca feared that a feeling is “starting to creep in ... [that] we have arrived, we can revisit things, we can take our foot off the gas.”

Stephen Nuell, a board member and attorney, said he was concerned about some legal aspects of the settlement. He and Bileca voted no.

Lapciuc, Joaquin del Cueto, Darryl Sharpton and Mojdeh L. Khaghan voted yes.

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Driver in tow-truck fatality sued

The widow of the college dean killed when his car, being towed form his Lauderhill driveway, ran him over, has amended the wrongful death lawsuit she filed on Thursday against the towing company and a “John Doe’’ driver, to name the driver.

He is Kenneth Jay Schraff, according to papers filed Monday in Broward Circuit Court. Public records identify him as a 48-year-old Lauderdale Lakes resident.

Schraff was at the wheel of a wrecker Jan. 16 when Elias Konwufine of Lauderhill, an associate dean at Keiser University, fell under his own Mercedes-Benz. The 38-year-old father of three, a native of Cameroon, died later at a hospital.

The suit, on behalf of Francisca Konwufine and her children, also names Superior Lock & Roadside Assistance, Sure Fire Auto, and Capitol Towing, interrelated companies, as co-defendants.

It alleges that Schraff was negligent when he drove away from Konwufine, as Konwufine tried to negotiate the return of his car, which had been parked partly on a swale in violation of a homeowners association rule.

State law requires a wrecker driver to allow a vehicle’s owner to make a reasonable offer to settle the matter before towing. The lawsuit said that Schraff never gave Konwufine the chance, and drove away so recklessly that he endangered Konwufine.

Public records show that Schraff has an extensive felony arrest record in Florida. He plead no contest to third-degree felonies in 2003 including burglary, larceny and grand theft. A woman identifying herself as his mother answered his home phone, said he wasn’t there but had been told by his attorney “not to talk to anyone.’’

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Brush fire threatens homes in Southwest Miami-Dade

Firefighters are battling a brush fire in Southwest Miami-Dade as crews continue to keep the flames from spreading to nearby homes.

The fire broke out at 1:07 p.m. Sunday in the area of 112th Avenue and 224th Street. As of 5:09 p.m., no homes are being threatened, said fire department officials.

Streets in the area have been blocked off, according to CBS4.

While the fire department has not called for mandatory evacuations of nearby homes, several homeowners are voluntarily leaving the area. The Florida Department of Forestry said the cause of the fire is still unknown.

This story will be updated as more details become available

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Chocolate lovers take part in the annual festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

If you haven’t had your fill of chocolate yet, might be time to head out to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

Large crowds gathered Saturday for samples of the sweet treats, chef demonstrations and even a Chocowalk at the seventh annual International Chocolate Festival.

Besides edible treats, the event – which lasts until Sunday at 4:30 p.m. – offered lectures about cacao crops and methods of making chocolate around the world.

The Festival featured Santiago Peralta, the founder of Pacari Chocolate, who was named Outstanding Chocolate Maker for 2013 by The Fine Chocolate Industry Association. Peralta, who is from Ecuador, is the first Latin American to win that honor. The chocolatier spoke Saturday about preserving a native form of cacao and sustainable production practices in the chocolate industry. He will give another lecture Sunday at 2 p.m.

Events Sunday include chocolate yoga and an interactive workshop for kids.

For more information, visit http://www.fairchildgarden.org/Events/?date=01-2013&eventID=657.

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Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz considering bid for governor

Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz looks ready to run for governor and has spent the past three weeks lining up support from strategists, financiers and elected officials.

Diaz, who hasn't taken calls from The Miami Herald for three weeks about his plans, finally returned a text message on Friday and said he wasn't ready to speak about the matter, in part because he was attending a charity golf tournament.

Diaz met Friday morning with top Democratic strategist Jeff Garcia, who said he'd like the former mayor to run.

"His potential candidacy presents a unique opportunity for Democrats and Floridians to take the state in a completely new and positive direction," said Garcia, U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia's chief of staff who met Friday morning with Diaz. "I'm excited he's considering running. It adds something new and fresh to the field."

Diaz, mayor from 2001-2009, would be the only Democratic Hispanic candidate among those who have announced or are considering a bid to challenge Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, helped President Obama win his reelection campaign in Florida.

If elected, Diaz would be the first Democratic Hispanic governor. The state's first Hispanic governor was a Republican, Bob Martinez, from 1987-1991.

Diaz has made no formal announcement for the election, which is still nearly two years away.

Former Democratic state Senate leader Nan Rich, of Weston, has announced her intention to run. Former state CFO and the last Democratic governor's candidate, Alex Sink, is mulling a run as is former Gov. Charlie Crist, a former Republican, who helped President Obama's campaign in Florida this year.

Diaz was a big help to Obama's Florida campaign as well. In the waning days of the election when he cut a Spanish-language ad rebutting a spot from Republican Mitt Romney's campaign, which suggested the president was a socialist.

As a past leader of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Diaz has some close allies in top spots. He has approached Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown for support and wants to hire some of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's campaign team.

New York Mayor and media tycoon Michael Bloomberg wrote the forward to Diaz's book, Miami Transformed, which Diaz is promoting.

Diaz is also on good terms with former Baltimore Mayor and current Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who recently stepped down as head of the Democratic Governor's Association.

One Democratic source said the DGA is nervous about a potential Crist candidacy because of the former Republican governor's "baggage."

But Diaz has some, too, according to his critics in Miami-Dade, home of the largest block of voters in the state.

His successor, Republican Tomas Regalado, faulted Diaz for leaving the city's budget in bad condition.

Regalado noted that as mayor, Diaz spent more money than Miami took in, draining the reserves from $120 million at the beginning of his tenure to just $20 million by the end.

"He's going to have a hard time explaining the way he left Miami," Regalado said.

Regalado also faulted Diaz for pushing for a new stadium for the Miami Marlins baseball team.

Diaz won't, however, need to explain anything after recently changing his party affiliation from independent to Democrat, Regalado said.

"Thankfully, Charlie Crist has already done that," he said.

Other Miami movers and shakers, though, say Diaz did an excellent job in trying times.

"Manny is a visionary leader who has never lost his footing or his roots," Eduardo J. Padrón, Miami Dade College president, said in blurb about Diaz's book. "He epitomizes the immigrant success story and the fruition of the American Dream."

At a recent Miami fundraiser for a Los Angeles candidate for mayor, Eric Garcetti, Diaz was introduced as "Gov. Manny Diaz." Diaz did nothing to quiet the talk, according to people in the room.

Miami Herald reporter Kathleen McGrory contributed to this report

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Florida National Guard chief endorses women in combat

The Florida National Guard’s top officer on Thursday endorsed the Pentagon’s decision to clear women for combat roles in the U.S. military.

Maj. Gen. Emmett Titshaw Jr., who holds the title of Adjutant General of Florida, called it a “historic decision” in a statement from headquarters in St. Augustine and said the Guard supports it.

Women are currently excluded from 12 military specialties in the Florida Army National Guard, the statement noted — including infantry, field artillery and Special Forces. The Guard said it was ready to make the change, and awaiting instructions from higher headquarters.

Florida Guard women soldiers have for years already served on the frontlines in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Guard statement added. Female Florida soldiers are also currently “serving in support of operations in Southwest Asia and around the globe,” it said.

“Our formations in Florida are combat tested and all Soldiers and Airmen, women and men alike, have served dutifully and with distinction in any task given. The Florida National Guard will work with the respective services to ensure a full understanding of implementation guidance and comply with the directed timelines.”

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the decision to lift the ban on women serving in combat at a Pentagon news conference on Thursday. He described woman as integral to the military’s success, noting they have demonstrated a willingness to fight and die along men in combat.

“The time has come for our policies to recognize that reality,” Panetta said Thursday at a Pentagon news conference with Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Panetta said that not all women will be able to meet the qualifications to be a combat soldier. “But everyone is entitled to a chance,” he said.

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Jury on Thursday to deliberate Rilya Wilson murder trial

Jurors will begin deliberating Thursday in the Rilya Wilson murder case, trying to decide whether her foster mother killed the 4-year-old, then told a slew of lies to cover-up the child’s demise.

Geralyn Graham, 67, is charged with aggravated child abuse, kidnapping and first degree murder. She faces life in prison.

Defense lawyer Michael Matters, in his final argument Wednesday, ripped the state’s key witness, Robin Lunceford, a convicted armed robber who testified that Graham confessed in jail to smothering the girl with a pillow.

“Every bit of the story she concocted about my client is absolutely unbelievable,” Matters told jurors. “She graduated from prison life with a master in manipulation and a doctorate in deceit.”

Lunceford, an eccentric con who was doing life in prison, testified in exchange for a 10-year plea deal on armed robbery case.

The body of Rilya, whose disappearance sparked turmoil at the Florida Department of Children and Families, has never been found.

Miami-Dade prosecutor Sally Weintraub said Lunceford learned intimate details known only to a few people. That included an episode — backed up by other witness testimony — in which Graham grew angry because Rilya wanted to dress as Cleopatra, not an angel, for Halloween.

“Robin Lunceford is big, loud, aggressive, obscene, in-your-face, unpleasant. The kind of person you might just write off,” Weintraub told jurors. “How you feel about her is not what you have to consider … what the testimony is, the defendant’s words, that’s what you must consider.”

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Recalled Mayor Carlos Alvarez wins — in bodybuilding contest

Former Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez is back, in rare form, displaying bulging muscles from his pecs to his calves, bronzed from head to toe, dressed in the skimpiest of black briefs.

After almost two years of seclusion, Alvarez reemerged in November Hulk-like, taking home first prize in the National Physique Committee’s South Florida “Over 60s” Master’sbodybuilding competition at Miami’s James L. Knight Center.

Event promoter Sergio Pacheco said Alvarez’s victory over five other men qualified him for the more prestigious Junior National Master’s competition.

Pacheco, who owns Pacheco’s Physique Gym in Hialeah, said he had heard the former mayor competed in an event a few weeks earlier in West Palm Beach, but had no idea he had entered the Knight Center contest.

“When I saw him walk in, I said, ‘Wow, I know him,’ ” Pacheco said.

The former mayor and county police director was recalled from office in March 2011 by 88 percent of the electorate, after constituents had a hard time wrestling with a series of raises he awarded his inner circle and with his backing of the new, $634 million Miami Marlins ballpark in Little Havana.

Since the recall, Alvarez, 60, has rarely been seen in public. He has been spotted spending lots of time at a tony gym at Merrick Park in Coral Gables. Deanna Clevesy, a spokeswoman for Equinox Gym Coral Gables, confirmed Tuesday that Alvarez works out there, but refused to share details on his regimen.

Spotted on the field before the Marlins’ inaugural game at the new ballpark last April, it was apparent Alvarez had been hitting the barbells — muscles ripped from his short-sleeved shirt, various media reports noted.

Peter Potter, who judged Alvarez to victory at the Knight Center, said there was no mention of Alvarez’s mayoral past in his bio, just a mention that he was the former police director. Potter initially had no idea of Alvarez’s former life.

“One of the other judges who lives in Miami pointed out to me’’ that Alvarez was the former county mayor, Potter said. Alvarez “didn’t broadcast it.”

The mayor’s bodybuilding victory was first reported Tuesday by the Miami New Times.

Michael Sansevero photographed the event. He said Alvarez forked over $75 for pictures and video.

“I was kind of surprised when I saw him,” Sansevero said. “He must always have been in good shape, but he was in real good shape.”

Alvarez, whose current employment status is unknown, could not be reached for comment.

Alvarez spent 35 years with Miami-Dade County, the first 28 in the police department, where he worked his way up to the top job.

When the former mayor left office, he was earning salary and benefits worth $325,309, county records show. His last financial disclosure put his net worth at $1.74 million.

Alvarez’s annual police pension pays him $180,216, and he received a one-time payout of $287,879 for entering an early retirement plan.

Alvarez also participated in a retirement investment plan during his seven years as mayor, during which the state matched his contributions. Numbers weren’t immediately available for that plan Tuesday.

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CrimeWatch: Son asks mom why no one saw Sandy Hook coming

Today is the second anniversary of the death of Miami-Dade police officers Roger Castillo and Amanda Haworth, who were killed while serving an arrest warrant. I extend our thoughts and prayers to their families, theses officers died protecting this community and we should all be extremely grateful for their sacrifice.

Words will never easy the pain and suffering for the family, but may they know that this community holds them in their heart. I know I do. Rest in peace, officers Castillo and Haworth. You will never be forgotten.

During the last couple of weeks, I have received several emails from parents regarding the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Many emails were filled with anger and helplessness along with fear of the unknown. There was one email that I want to share with you because it relates to our Youth Crime Watch program in the schools. This mother wanted me to share so that parents understand that our children are very astute and understanding of serious situations.

Dear Carmen,

I want to share with you something that happened with my son after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

My son attends an elementary in the north area of the county I don’t want to give the name. But my son is a member of your Youth Crime Watch program, this is his second year being involved, and he is in the sixth grade.

Needless to say he was very upset because he couldn’t understand how someone could kill so many kids, but what really bothered him was why no one had known about [shooter Adam Lanza]. I tried to explain to him some of the facts of the incident. His answer: “Mom, at our Youth Crime Watch club we learn from McGruff the do’s and don’ts when there is danger, especially reporting to teachers if we see something that is not right. Someone must have known something.”

My son is not and was not scared to going back to school, because he knows that his club members have vowed to always keep their ears to the “ground” and speak when something is not right. At the same time he spoke about the “school bus shooting,” another tragic incident. He stated that lots of kids knew this kid had a gun, yet no one told a teach or police officer. My son wants to grow up to be a police officer, and that makes me fearful since it’s such a dangerous job, but I will support his efforts as he grows up.

My son has learned much from your Youth Crime Watch program, and I am very grate full for the efforts you and your staff have produced in his school. I truly feel that your efforts, and those of the school counselors that handle this program will help in keeping our kids safe and I pray that they never see themselves in this situation, but I am confident that his small group of students are in the forefront of helping to make his school safe. I truly hope that our superintendent and School Board members recognize the work you all do for our children.

S. Coleman, North Dade

Congratulations to this mom for having a great conversation with her son!

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