THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
ELECTION CENTRAL - COUNTY COURT - RUNOFF
The polls open today for EARLY VOTING. Over the next 14 days, you can cast your ballot at any of the 33 locations open daily from 7am until 7pm. To find a polling location, you can go to this link. If you pass on this opportunity, you must have ordered your Absentee ballot from the Department of Elections, or, you will need to show up to your own precinct on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
The only judicial race facing voters in Miami-Dade County is a runoff in County Court.
Group 29 (Judge Myriam Lehr retiring)
Christopher Benjamin v. Alina Salcines Restrepo
In the August primary, this was a three-person race. Christopher Benjamin received the most votes garnering 98,108 (39%) of the 253,299 votes cast. Alina Salcines Restrepo received 91,044 (36%). Former Judge Scott Janowitz was eliminated from the three-person race after collecting 64,147 (25%).
Christopher Benjamin has been a member of The Florida Bar for 22 years. He is Of Counsel with International Law Partners, LLP., and a panelist with the ADR firm of Salmon & Dulberg. He works in the areas of general litigation and serves as an arbitrator, mediator, and special magistrate. He has been a certified mediator and arbitrator for 15 years and in 2010 he was appointed as a Hearing Officer in the 11th Judicial Circuit’s Traffic Division where he served until 2020. In 2020 (and again in 2022), he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives to represent the people of District 107.
Benjamin has raised $111,096. Benjamin did not loan his campaign any money. Of note, in his Financial Disclosure, Benjamin lists his Net Worth at NEGATIVE -$292,937.
Alina Salcines Restrepo has been a member of The Florida Bar for 24 years. She has worked in a law firm with her brother who is also a lawyer and she has been a solo practitioner as well. She concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate, probate, criminal, civil, traffic, estate planning, and bankruptcy law.
Salcines Restrepo has raised only $35,014, but she has added $40,000 to her campaign in the form of a loan. She lists her Net Worth at $1,170,733.
The winner earns a six-year term and an annual salary of $186,034.
IN OTHER ELECTION NEWS .....
It looks like a dead heat heading into the final two weeks of the presidential campaign. Seven states will decide the election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada are the only states polling too close to call. In Florida, Rick Scott continues to hold a healthy lead in the polls over his opponent, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
What are your predictions on the outcome of the Presidential race? Regardless of who is declared the winner, will there be endless court battles in some of these key states? Will any of those cases end up before SCOTUS?
I see that Ariana is running against Safie for chief. That will be a close race.
ReplyDeleteAriana funded by the SAO?
DeleteI hope it’s not even close. Fajardo is disgusting. Watch her speak at federalist meetings GROSS. TERRIBLE. Sayfie is AMAZING.
DeleteFajardo is operating at Rundle’s request.
DeleteFajardo is paid off by KFR. This retaliation for the Corey Smith show.
DeleteUgh. I hope not. She's a monster and her cruelty on the bench is only matched by her ambition. I feel like Sayfie is very well-liked by the judiciary, no?
DeleteCap, wasn’t Benjamin an APD ?
ReplyDeleteAre mortgages considered part of net wealth? I owe over a $1m on my home loan so my net wealth would be negative too
ReplyDeleteYou need to make better financial decisions.
Delete@9:11 home is worth 3.5m
DeleteExactly
DeleteThe answer is (or should be) yes. Both assets and liabilities are considered in determining your net worth. So, if all you have is your home and your mortgage, your net worth would be calculated by subtracting 1 million dollars (a liability in your mortgage) from 3.5 million (your asset in your home), resulting in a 2.5 million dollar net worth.
DeleteI think Trump will win. I know too many people who voted for Biden last time and are voting for Trump this time. The bigger question in my mind is whether Trump leaves office at the end of the term.
ReplyDeleteJD is so cute
DeleteHopefully the outcome won’t be based on your circle. I know a lot of people who voted for Trump and are now voting for Kamala….. it’s all relative until we see…..
DeleteMe and Ben got the same networth. He’s got my vote.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Former President Donald Trump will have a lopsided win with about 330 electoral votes. He will win all States except California, New York, Washington, Oregon, Illinois and Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteRed Colorado, Vermont, and Massachusetts lol
DeleteI think the reason nobody is making comments is that nobody on this blog cares less about these two candidates.
ReplyDeletePresident Harris is my prediction.
ReplyDeleteBetting against the odds I see.
DeleteWe know Khalil
DeleteWill drive the Miami Cuban MAGA nuts
DeleteGuy is in trial and has a newborn, 7:35. Your obsession with him is weird and giving fan behavior. Are you same person obsessed with Shawn?
DeleteAttorney General Aileen Cannon? She is number one on the transition team list. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteThere has never in the history of this nation been a less qualified person’s name mentioned for this distinguished position. If she were to be named AG, it’s really time to move to another country. Dispute that
DeleteMerrick Garland, the 3 DEI supremes, Comma-la, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Admiral Richard Levine
Delete9:18 , yes your debts including your mortgage are in the equation but so is the equity in your home included, so w todays home valve you likely have a positive net wealth
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting comment on this post is Fajardo v. Sayfie. It deserves its own post. What’s the word under ground?
ReplyDeleteDirty Politics
DeleteWhen Fajardo returned to the bench she expected Sayfie to give her seniority for the years she wasn’t on the bench and give her the assignment she wanted. That didn’t happen.
DeleteFajardo aiming for federal appointment to district or 11th when Trump wins. She thinks being chief judge will help her. Sayfie will soundly win and Ariana will again leave the bench. Good riddance!!!
ReplyDeleteThe State wants fajardo to win because they think she and Wolfson screwed them in Smith.
ReplyDeleteFajardo V Safie is like a strategic proxy war started by the SAO.
DeleteDoesn’t the State realize they screwed themselves?
DeleteThe state is SO butt hurt over the Honorable and Courageous Judge Wolfson doing the RIGHT thing in the face of absolute misconduct by the SAO. She threw them a bone by not going further. She should vacate the judgment next.
DeleteShe should have disqualified the entire office and let another SAO review with fresh eyes. Rather than being thankful they continue to trash her.
DeleteNo the state is in complete denial for a million reasons. More careers will be lost.
DeleteTrump is a lock
ReplyDeleteI don’t think so.
DeleteIt’s too close to tell really.
DeleteI heard an ASA smelled like crap during a trial this week.
ReplyDeleteFajardo should stay out of the mess created by the SAO - she will lose support for her ultimate goal of becoming state attorney
ReplyDeleteComments are lagging behind.
ReplyDeleteTrump will win because we care about our children
ReplyDeletePlease stop. You care about power and patriarchy. (And perhaps fetuses?) You do not care about children after they’re born or you wouldn’t support a man that wants to dismantle the department of education, Medicaid, loan forgiveness, DACA.. if you cared about children, you’d care about child care affordability, our broken foster care system, our oppressive juvenile justice system, lack of healthy meals at schools, LGBTQ rights, not banning books.
DeleteStop acting like oppressing women means you care about children. You don’t.
Kamala will win.
DeleteKamala Trump blah blah blah. We have survived four years of Obama, two years of Trump, two years of Biden. Can you really say your life is better or worse with either of these clowns. Focus on local politics where it matters.
Delete8:34 did you forget presidential terms are 4 years not 2?…
DeleteLol do you know how long a presidency term is?
Delete“I think Trump will win. I know too many people who voted for Biden last time and are voting for Trump this time. The bigger question in my mind is whether Trump leaves office at the end of the term.” Are you kidding? Have you seen how old Trump is? Check out his physical condition. He’s leaving in a box The man had 24 months left, tops.
ReplyDeleteThe republicans will soon have the house the senate the Supreme Court and the presidency. And at some point we will have to reflect and ask ourselves why did this happen. Or you can just insult the other side !
ReplyDeleteBarack Obama
DeleteInsulting the other side is all people do on this forum.
DeleteWhat side are you on?
DeleteSo the SAO wants Fajardo in. Fajardo will allow crooked ASA’s to withhold evidence and not give defendants a fair trial. Why is Fajardo so Kathy loyal?
ReplyDeleteVote yes on 3. Keep ASA’s stoned so they relax during the day.
ReplyDeleteThey are doesn’t seem to work
DeleteASAs getting stoned? Like that never happened before. Didn’t a certain former narcotics ASA from back in the day smoke tons of weed?
DeleteHow many of you light up a joint after dealing with the bull shit?
ReplyDeleteHow many cops and politicians do you believe Trump will order attacked by the deplorables when he loses? Do you think he’ll ask the remaining proud boys to go after JD as well?
ReplyDeleteProbably none. You are brainwashed by the liberal media.
DeleteFajardo is dangerous and has an agenda. She recently spoke at a Federalist Society meeting with Steve Talpins and Zack Smith. Smith is a legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation — the authors of Project 2025. He also wrote a book called Rogue Prosecutors (summary: investigates the “progressive prosecutor” movement, exposing the frightening results of silencing victims and empowering criminals.)
ReplyDeleteThis is who Fajardo and the higher ups at the SAO associate with. She is bias and prejudice and has no place on a bench.
The federalist panel seemed annoyed to have invited Dan Tilly, FL ACLU director who was speaking facts and statistics and curtailing their disgusting rhetoric.
This is the panel where Talpins emphatically exclaimed that the recidivism rate is 0% if he puts you in prison for life.
Have a watch (bring your barf bag):
https://youtu.be/jJXhb7zViM4
(If you take a pic of the link you can highlight and paste from the pic in your phone)
Duh. Of course Fajardo is paid for by the SAO. Retaliation for the Corey Smith case.
ReplyDelete