http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/m...ge-are-major-miami-political-players-10176950
To Miami-Dade County insiders, it was no shock when Munilla Construction Management (MCM) beat out three other competitors to win a $14.2 million bid to build a high-tech pedestrian bridge at Florida International University. That's because Munilla is not only one of the biggest contractors in South Florida but also one of the most politically connected thanks to years of shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to campaigns.
Investigators are still sifting through the wreckage from yesterday's deadly bridge collapse that killed six, and there's no clear answer yet what went wrong.
But questions are bound to be raised about Munilla's deep ties to local politicians, including U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez — especially because the firm has never been shy about turning its political generosity into favorable decision-making.
Just take a look at the last election cycle, when Munilla executives and entities dropped an eye-opening $25,000 into local campaign coffers, according to a Miami Herald analysis at the time. In fact, the firm was the only company the Herald found that had given generously to all six county commissioners running for reelection.
Not coincidentally, the county commission has steadfastly voted to back Munilla's ongoing legal protest that has held up an $800 million federal project to build a new I-395 bridge downtown.
The Munilla firm is owned by a large family including Pedro, Jorge, Juan, Pedro Jr., Raul, Fernando, and others. And as their business grew, so did their reputation as rainmakers for local politicos.
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The next year, the company's clubby political ties landed another patron in hot water. County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro — who is running for the GOP nomination for retiring Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's seat — voted to award Munilla a $25 million deal to build a test track for Metrorail cars.
The problem? Barreiro not only received max donations from four Munilla family members in the last election but also rented office space from the family and acknowledged he was "close friends" with them. But all of that didn't stop him from voting for the Metrorail deal, not to mention two earlier multimillion-dollar deals, according to the Herald.
The Munillas' political donations aren't limited to local races, though. They are especially heavy hitters in federal elections, supporting mostly Republicans. Jorge, Juan, Pedro, Raul, and Fernando have spent at least $420,400 among them on party-affiliated candidates and PACs since 1995, according to federal records. The biggest spender is Pedro, who has doled out at least $209,000.
The family has invested heavily in Diaz-Balart; they've given the Republican congressman at least $63,400.
And Diaz-Balart, who is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, was instrumental in building support for the bridge's creation. Last weekend, FIU praised the congressman, along with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for making the project a reality.
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To Miami-Dade County insiders, it was no shock when Munilla Construction Management (MCM) beat out three other competitors to win a $14.2 million bid to build a high-tech pedestrian bridge at Florida International University. That's because Munilla is not only one of the biggest contractors in South Florida but also one of the most politically connected thanks to years of shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to campaigns.
Investigators are still sifting through the wreckage from yesterday's deadly bridge collapse that killed six, and there's no clear answer yet what went wrong.
But questions are bound to be raised about Munilla's deep ties to local politicians, including U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez — especially because the firm has never been shy about turning its political generosity into favorable decision-making.
Just take a look at the last election cycle, when Munilla executives and entities dropped an eye-opening $25,000 into local campaign coffers, according to a Miami Herald analysis at the time. In fact, the firm was the only company the Herald found that had given generously to all six county commissioners running for reelection.
Not coincidentally, the county commission has steadfastly voted to back Munilla's ongoing legal protest that has held up an $800 million federal project to build a new I-395 bridge downtown.
The Munilla firm is owned by a large family including Pedro, Jorge, Juan, Pedro Jr., Raul, Fernando, and others. And as their business grew, so did their reputation as rainmakers for local politicos.
...........................
The next year, the company's clubby political ties landed another patron in hot water. County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro — who is running for the GOP nomination for retiring Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's seat — voted to award Munilla a $25 million deal to build a test track for Metrorail cars.
The problem? Barreiro not only received max donations from four Munilla family members in the last election but also rented office space from the family and acknowledged he was "close friends" with them. But all of that didn't stop him from voting for the Metrorail deal, not to mention two earlier multimillion-dollar deals, according to the Herald.
The Munillas' political donations aren't limited to local races, though. They are especially heavy hitters in federal elections, supporting mostly Republicans. Jorge, Juan, Pedro, Raul, and Fernando have spent at least $420,400 among them on party-affiliated candidates and PACs since 1995, according to federal records. The biggest spender is Pedro, who has doled out at least $209,000.
The family has invested heavily in Diaz-Balart; they've given the Republican congressman at least $63,400.
And Diaz-Balart, who is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, was instrumental in building support for the bridge's creation. Last weekend, FIU praised the congressman, along with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for making the project a reality.
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