Alvarez Recall Vote Delayed By Commission

MIAMI (CBS4) - The Miami-Dade County Commission was supposed to meet Wednesday to discuss the plans for the upcoming recall election of Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. But as the clock ticked past the 9:30 a.m. start time only a few Commissioners showed up.

Eventually, six commissioners showed up at County Hall, but that was one short of the quorum needed to set the election.

"Members who are not here are on vacation," explained Commission Chairman Dennis Moss. "They had their vacations planned prior to the call of this special meeting."

The commission was meeting after Miami-Dade County Clerk Harvey Ruvin announced last week that enough signatures had been gathered to recall Alvarez. Alvarez welcomed the recall as a chance to let the voters decide.

According to the Miami-Dade County Charter, the commission must schedule a recall election date within 90 days of the certification of the signatures by the County Clerk.

Commissioners were frustrated that others didn't show up. Commissioner Barbara Jordan traveled from Jacksonville especially for the vote.

"It goes to show, you are damned if you do; damned if you don't," Commissioner Jordan said.

The Alvarez recall effort had nearly twice the number of voter petition signatures needed to force a countywide recall election by next spring end up being certified.

Alvarez says his legal team has found discrepancies with notary stamps and signatures but concedes it is not likely enough to derail a recall election.

The recall effort was organized and financed by businessman Norman Braman. He was angered over Mayor Alvarez's backing of a property tax rate hike mostly affecting those with longstanding homestead exemptions.

One commissioner who could have shown up to be the seventh vote needed for a quorum, didn't show up for a reason. Commissioner Carlos Gimenez didn't want to see two separate recall elections for Mayor Alvarez and Commissioner Natacha Seijas, who is also being recalled.

Seijas' recall signatures were certified last week as well and she responded by attacking Ruvin's character and made veiled claims of racism.

"Putting both recalls on one ballet is not unrealistic," said Commissioner Gimenez. "It will save us at least a half million dollars and that's the way it should be."

Incoming Commission Chairman Joe Martinez will now have to decide when they'll take up the recall election scheduling again. Martinez said it will probably be set the second or third week in January.

Barring no legal challenges and based on Martinez's timeline, it looks like the recall election will be held in March.