Miami Beach city commission candidate Mark Weithorn is so desperate to win the election, he’s been stooping to even lower new lows.

Then again, considering who his political bed-mates are, no one should be surprised.  Weithorn has been linked to such shady players as Randall Hilliard, Stephen Cody and Pedro Diaz, as well as a slew of questionable political committees.

Two such committees are Common Sense and Alliance for Better Representation, Electioneering Communications Organizations (ECOs) registered with the Florida Department of State.  Mark has used the ECO Common Sense to steer local elections, including the last city council election in North Miami Beach.  Alliance for Better Representation, which allegedly donated $13,316.73 to Common Sense, was terminated on April 30, 2015.

The Registered Agent and Treasurer for both committees is a lawyer by the name of Mark Herron, of the firm Messer Caparello, P.A., located at 2618 Centennial Place, Tallahassee, Florida 32308.

Mark Weithorn’s henchman, Stephen Cody, filed the political committee Save Miami Beach with the City of Miami Beach for the purpose of getting Mark Weithorn elected to Group V of the Commission on November 3, 2015.

Interestingly, yet another Electioneering Communication Organization, the disingenuously named Miami Beach Advisory Council, was filed with the City of Miami Beach on December 26, 2014.

Even though this ECO was not filed with the Florida Department of State, its Registered Agent and Treasurer just happens  to be very same Mark Herron, of the firm Messer Caparello, P.A. in Tallahassee associated with Mark’s other two political committees.

What a coincidence!

Even more of a coincidence, a perusal of the Campaign Treasurers Reports for the ECO Miami Beach Advisory Council (all of which you can view by clicking here), reveals payments to some of the same companies listed on Mark Weithorn’s Campaign Treasurers Reports (all of which you can view by clicking here), as well as those expended by Mark’s ECO Common Sense.

For example, both political committees obviously paid fees to Mark Herron’s law firm, Messer Caparello, P.A. for his representation.

Mark’s campaign and his two political committees paid large sums to Image Plus Graphics, Inc. in North Miami for “direct mailing.”

Both Mark and the ECO Miami Beach Advisory Council have paid TONS of money each ($7,500.00 and $13,500.00, respectively) to a Miami Beach-based business called Triumph Fundraising, Inc..

As an aside, Triumph Fundraising, Inc., a Florida corporation, was formed only last year by one Rebecca Johnson, who runs her company out of Condominium Unit 8, 1619 Lenox Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, a residential condominium owned by GIAMMY & CHIARA LLC, a Florida Limited Liability Company, which hasn’t paid the real estate taxes on the property since 2012, thereby screwing the City of Miami Beach out of its share of tax revenue.

I’m guessing that Ms. Johnson’s Trumph Fundraising, Inc. probably hasn’t paid any Business Tax Receipts to the City of Miami Beach, either.  But there’s no way to know since Miami Beach’s website doesn’t have the BTR search feature up and running yet.

Nevertheless, Triumph Fundraising, Inc. is making a killing from Mark Weithorn’s run for city commission.

And despite his hypocritical outrage over Miami Beach Commissioner Jonah Wolfson’s political committee, Relentless For Progress, which was terminated on September 30, 2015, #DirtyPolitician Mark Weithorn is still using political committees as tools to win the election.

Ironically, only today the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust endorsed a proposed amendment to a Miami Beach ordinance regarding Political Action Committees.

A Summary released this afternoon stated, “The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust (COE) today gave its support to a proposed amendment to a City of Miami Beach ordinance that would prohibit the Mayor and City Commissioners and candidates for those offices from soliciting campaign contributions for Political Action Committees which donate to city candidates.  That message was shared at the City Commission meeting this afternoon when the item was presented for first reading.  The proposal would extend an existing ban on contributions from city vendors, lobbyists or real estate developers.  The change, proposed by Commissioner Jonah Wolfson, came in response to controversy over a Political Action Committee established by Wolfson and Mayor Philip Levine that raised $1.5 million dollars from local businesses and lobbyists to support certain candidates and issues in the upcoming Miami Beach election.  The account was recently closed down by Wolfson, and the donations refunded.  The COE has jurisdiction to interpret and enforce local campaign finance rules and had been investigating whether that PAC violated an existing city law prohibiting campaign donations from those who do business or lobby the city.   Adoption of the ordinance change would eliminate the need for Ethics Commission action on the legality of the PAC donations.”

If this ordinance passes upon a second reading, it will definitely put a monkey wrench in Mark Weithorn’s highly questionable fundraising activities.

If #DirtyPolitician Mark Weithorn’s pushing of the ethics envelope weren’t shady enough, he held a “Halloween Party” yesterday at a senior residence in Miami Beach, while slipping ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN MATERIAL under the doors of the tenants’ rooms.  Mark’s campaign workers distributed copies of sample ballots, hand-marked with “MUST VOTE FOR” Weithorn and his slate-mates, and campaign flyers without the printed political disclaimer required by Florida law.

Even worse, solicitation at this private building is prohibited!

The property manager was so incensed by this illegal activity that she shut down the party and banned all future political events at the building.

What a guy!

#DirtyPolitician Mark Weithorn has already proven he’s incapable of running a clean campaign.

Just imagine the damage he could do if elected.

Please vote responsibly on November 3, 2015!

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”