…And we didn’t even get a lousy tee shirt!
But we did solve the mystery of why North Miami Beach taxpayers paid Councilcritter Frantz Pierre a “per diem meals allowance” of $777.00 so he could attend a “Leadership & Management Seminar in Port-au-Prince.”
As promised, City Clerk Pamela Latimore went straight to the source and dug up the details of L’il Frantzie P’s alleged “seminar” so that I could report back to my readers.
On June 2, 2014, the Sporkweasel of NMB was invited by one Marie Geralde Zamor of the City of Tabarre to be a guest speaker at an event at the Hotel Club Indigo in Port-au-Prince.
So, let me see if I understand this correctly.
Ms. Marie Geralde Zamor invited The P Man to speak at a “weeklong seminar” consisting of “workshops” that were “centered on Leadership and Management” so that he “will appreciate the cultural exchange with [his] sister city?”
HUH?
Even more puzzling is her comment that Frantzie “will bring back to North Miami Beach a better understanding of [his] constituents of Haitian descents [sic].”
IS SHE FREAKING SERIOUS?
Like Frantzie doesn’t have enough of an “understanding” of his “constituents of Haitian descents [sic]???”
AND WE SPENT OUR HARD EARNED TAX DOLLARS ON THIS BULLSHIT?
NEWS FLASH: If anyone has an “understanding” of EVERYTHING Haitian, it’s L’il Frantzie P!
In fact, the ONLY freaking thing he gives a flying rat’s ass about is his “constituents of Haitian descents [sic]!”
I MEAN, SERIOUSLY…WTF?
Pee-Aire departed from Fort Lauderdale Airport on Friday, June 20, 2014 and returned on Sunday, June 29, 2014. You can view the letter AND a copy of Frantzie’s airline ticket by clicking RIGHT HERE.
Curiously, although Madam Zamor’s invitation is dated June 2, 2014, Frantzie’s airline ticket was issued on May 30, 2014. I’d love to know how this trip was approved by the Powers-That-Be at City Hall three days BEFORE Frantzie presented actual written documentation with which to submit his request. Will someone please come up with a rational explanation for this?
Based on the fact that the airline ticket was sent to Frantzie via email from city employee Elizabeth “No Relation to Frantz” Pierre, unless I hear otherwise from the Clerk, I am going to assume that North Miami Beach taxpayers also picked up the tab for his flight in the amount of $452.60.
If this is the case, as I also asked the Clerk, why wasn’t it included in the list of Frantzie expenses in the email from the City’s Finance Department on July 11, 2014?
Did we at least get a meal on that flight?
Just asking.
A further examination of Frantzie’s expenses got me thinking.
(I know, Frantzie. That’s never a good omen.)
For one thing, $5,000.00 of the expenses for which he was reimbursed were classified as donations. I’m wondering if the City of North Miami Beach received the tax exempt benefit of these donations. Or, if L’il Frantzie P was stupid enough to claim them on his personal tax returns and then get reimbursed by the City. I’m hoping for his sake he did not, because I’m pretty sure the Internal Revenue Service would consider that to be tax fraud. It might be worth dropping a quarter on my peeps over at Treasury to ask their opinion.
Just saying.
Here’s the other thing. In my most humble opinion, not a single one of the items I listed in yesterday’s column benefit the residents of the City of North Miami Beach. Those include Frantzie’s:
- $1,229.60 Vacay to Haiti.
- $2,609.87 Washington DC trip to watch the Presidential Inauguration.
- $500.00 sponsorship of the “Orchestre Tropicana d’Haiti and Tabou Combo.”
- $1,000.00 sponsorship of the “Haitian Senior Stars Solidarity Group.”
- $1,000.00 donation to the “Empowerment Church for toys and toiletries for needy families.”
- $1,000.00 donation to a “Grant to provide snacks & refreshments to 92 at risk students.”
- $1,000.00 donation to a “5000 Role Models of Excellence.”
- $1,000.00 donation to a “Shalom Development Center.”
- $500.00 donation to a “Roaring Tigers.”
- $749.17 sponsorship of the “United Haitian American Artists.”
- $400.00 sponsorship of the NON-EXISTENT “corporation” dubbed “IHCD, Inc.”
- $500.00 donation to that sham of a “non-profit,” “Actions for Better Future.”
- $150.00 registration fee to the INACTIVE SINCE 2009 corporation “Broward County Black Elected Officials, Inc.”
We shelled out all this dough and not one red cent of it benefited the City of North Miami Beach in any way whatsoever!
Therefore, on behalf of the taxpaying residents of North Miami Beach, I am hereby submitting a bill to Councilcritter Frantz Pierre in the amount of $11,638.64, payable in cash, cashier’s check or money order. Definitely no personal checks!
And one last thing. At tomorrow night’s City Council Meeting, Councilwoman Marlen Martell placed an Item 14.2 on the Agenda entitled, Policy Discussion Regarding Council’s Allowable Travel and Expenses.
You go, Girl!
If you agree that there’s a real problem with the way your tax dollars are being squandered with little or no oversight by whoever is supposed to be in charge, I strongly urge you to attend the meeting and voice your opinion at public comment. I definitely plan on going.
If for no other reason than to watch Frantzie squirm.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Go Marlen!
Where are the authorities?
They’re at a leadership seminar in Haiti.
LMAO!
Love that you have public records access in NMB! Pamela Latimore is great – I bet she is not ELECTED like Etienne in North Miami who is not answerable I understand to his manager or city council
No, she is not elected. Pamela does a really good job, too!
pamela is great. but she is a has nothing to do with public records access at all. she’s the spokeperson- not anyone who will get you records or information. nomi is famous for horrendous access to public records – and lack of transparency…people complained about it a recent meeting and speak with local journos… try to get this kind of info out of nomi as you did here and you’d be waiting a very long time….if you’d even get it. maybe a complaint to states attorney is all citizens can do since etienne is elected and no answerable to manager, etc.
along with forensic audit, nomi needs to get transparency in their public records ….
Go get them ! You rock ! ou have to destroy these haitian – mañeses, we are sick and tired of there voudoo and thiefs in Santo Domingo
Why would anyone go to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere to “learn” management techniques? Judging by Pierre’s track record, we can see the results of what he learned every time we pay for one of his trips.
Pierre forgot to supply the seminar itinerary. I got a copy of it so here it is:
Hotel Tabarre Grand Poupon Conference Center
Day 1
Morning
Part 1 How to set up a Non-Profit Corporation.
Part 2 How to obtain taxpayer funding.
Lunch
Afternoon
Part 3 How to claim non-existent kids for your charity.
Part 4 Bring in the big bucks by using the words “needy” in your grant applications.
Cocktail Hour
Day 2
Morning
Part 5 Receipts, how to fake them.
Part 6 Using a group business address to cut down on office expenses.
Lunch
Afternoon
Part 7 Registering voters at your personal residence.
Part 8 Attending Presidential Inaugurations.
Cocktail hour
Day 3
Morning
Part 9 Confusing the finance director..it’s ok.
Part 10 Public Speaking in a language no one understands
Lunch
Afternoon
Part 11 Justifying your taxpayer funded trip, it’s not hard to do.
Part 12 Networking with other seminar attendees.
Merci , Bon Voyage..
Oh. My. God. I am seriously LMAO! Brilliant!
Why is so much money going to particularly one nationality? How much city tax money is going to other nationalities? I say equal donations!
Why should any city be in the donation business period? We pay our taxes in order to receive services. When we make donations we do so voluntarily. We aren’t donating our tax dollars – we have no choice.
The City of NMB has enough problems providing the services that our residents need [See: NMBPD, for example]. We don’t need to be financing The P Man’s vision of a “Haitian sister city.” He wasted over $11,000.00 of our tax dollars. I want a refund!
What can we learn from the City of Tabaree that we can use in NMB? Wikipedia has a 1 line description on their website. Did he stay at the Hotel Club Indigo? It’s a pretty nice place. He could have flown on Sunday not Friday but if I was staying at the Hotel Club Indigo with the title Vice Mayor of the City of North Miami Beach, I guess I would go Friday also to get the royal treatment. for as long as possible. This is outrageous.
In case anyone isn’t aware, the title of “Vice Mayor” means absolutely nothing either in NMB or North Miami. Every member of both councils get a bite at that rotating apple. Frantzie just happens to be the Vice Mayor du jour until the next one in line gets to don the tiara. In fact, this position requires absolutely no special qualification or talent, so it’s not even as impressive as the job of the Miss America Runner-Up, who gets to rightfully step in if the winner trips up.
In North Miami, the sitting Vice Mayor won a bonus round in the aftermath of Lucie’s arrest. Philippe Bien-Aime got lucky because it was his turn at bat when it all hit the fan. North Miami residents should breathe a sigh of relief that the Vice Mayor wasn’t Marie Steril at the time. OMG!
Hmmmm. I’m surprised The P Man hasn’t tried to get George arrested by now. Perish the thought!
isnt that the hotel andre pierre and his friends ( who wanted to build the skiing thingy at biscayne landing) own together? isnt that the same group who now plan to build a same hote in biscayne landing?
Only two people commented on this at the Council Meeting tonight. Pierre didn’t even show up for the meeting. I would like to see everyone’s expenses on a report that should be posted for anyone to see, not have to do a public records request.
For a city that is claiming fiscal issues, why should all of the council’s contingency fund be spent before the end of the year. Money not used would return to the city’s general fund, and carry over to next year. Councilwoman Spiegel has asked that before the fiscal year ends, that all remaining contingency funds be transferred to purchase computers for two of the youth centers. I say it should be saved for now. Also, to the departments who have not used their budgeted funds for supplies (office, maintenance, etc…) usually spend them so they have an initial supply to begin the new fiscal year. I say save it, as well as look harder at what is actually used to better streamline the budget so as not to overspend next year. We are supposedly facing a two to three million dollar shortfall as it is now.