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A look inside Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz' detention center

A look inside Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz' detention center

Boston Globe6 days ago
Florida raced to open the center, officially naming it 'Alligator Alcatraz' to play up its remote, swampy location, on July 3, eager to help President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown by providing more detention capacity. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that other states want to follow Florida's lead.
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Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, has positioned his state as particularly aggressive on immigration enforcement, deputizing state and local law enforcement to act as a 'force multiplier' for federal authorities.
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But opening the detention center in the Everglades was a move with little precedent that relied on emergency state powers. Until recently, the federal government has been responsible for housing immigration detainees, and it has largely detained people who recently entered the country illegally, or who have criminal convictions or outstanding deportation orders. But immigration enforcement has changed substantially under Trump, sweeping up people who were not the focus before.
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The Everglades facility serves as part of the local-federal immigration cooperation process known as 287(g). Under that system, local officials can arrest and detain migrants on behalf of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It is unclear, however, if and when detainees at the Everglades center would be transferred to ICE custody before being deported.
Most detainees at the center do not have criminal convictions, according to a government official with knowledge of the data who requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss it. At least some were transfers from local jails who had been taken into custody after getting pulled over for traffic violations; others had been transferred there from ICE custody.
Another government official who requested anonymity for the same reason said that in all, 60 percent of the center's detainees either have criminal convictions or criminal charges pending against them.
DeSantis is already considering opening another such facility in North Florida. The courts, however, have repeatedly held that immigration enforcement is a federal duty. Last week, the Supreme Court refused to revive an aggressive Florida immigration law blocked by lower courts that would have made it a crime for migrants without legal status to enter the state.
'States are not permitted to create their own immigration detention system,' said Lucas Guttentag, a former Justice Department official in the Biden administration. 'Everyone who values freedom and accountability should be deeply worried.'
Asked about the Everglades center, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said, 'Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens.'
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Although Trump made a splashy visit to the Everglades detention center two weeks ago, the federal government has distanced itself from the facility, saying it is Florida's responsibility. After environmental groups sued to halt construction of the center, Thomas P. Giles, a top ICE official, wrote in a statement responding to the suit that the agency's role 'has been limited to touring the facility to ensure compliance with ICE detention standards, and meeting with officials from the state of Florida to discuss operational matters.'
'The ultimate decision of who to detain,' he wrote, 'belongs to Florida.'
Detainees at the center do not show up in ICE's public database, making it difficult for relatives or lawyers to find them or know whether they have been deported. With 1,000 beds divided among fenced units that each house 32 men, it held about 900 detainees as of Saturday, according to members of Congress and state lawmakers. The vast majority were Hispanic.
Mass detentions have led to complaints of overcrowding and unsanitary and inhumane conditions at ICE detention centers across the country, though ICE has denied any problems. But some conditions at the Everglades detention center are specifically because of its rushed construction and remote location. It was built on an airfield with so little infrastructure that trash and sewage needed to be hauled away by large trucks.
State officials, who told lawmakers that they plan to expand the facility's capacity to 4,000 by next month, have dismissed detainees' descriptions of poor conditions as 'completely false.'
'The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,' Stephanie Hartman, deputy director of communications for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in a statement.
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Relatives and lawyers of detainees say they have not been allowed to visit. So far, detainees have been allowed to make unlimited calls at no cost, but they may be monitored or recorded. Some detainees and their relatives declined to be named for fear of retaliation.
Members of Congress and state lawmakers visited the facility by invitation Saturday, after Democratic state lawmakers had been denied entry earlier this month when they showed up unannounced. State Democrats have sued, arguing that they are entitled to such oversight.
After the tour, state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, described a bunk in an empty unit at the facility as 'better than my bed at home.'
Several Democratic lawmakers criticized the tour as 'sanitized' and said the conditions inside were worse than those in ICE detention centers. 'Every Floridian should be ashamed that our taxpayer money is being used to put people in these cages,' said Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Orlando.
The politicians' presence drew a modest crowd off US Highway 41, a two-lane road that crosses the Everglades from east to west. Among them was Benita Mendoza, whose husband, Jordan Márquez, who came to the United States from Cuba 19 years ago, was among the center's first detainees.
'He's always asking me, 'What time is it? What day are we in?'' she said, adding that Márquez, 43, told her he was not regularly getting his blood pressure medication.
Republicans have claimed that the center requires less security than others because of its inhospitable surroundings, inhabited by alligators and invasive pythons. Neither animal tends to attack people, and Native Americans, including the Miccosukee tribe, have long made their homes in the Everglades.
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A busload of detainees, including Herrera, arrived last Wednesday but were not immediately processed. They were kept on the bus overnight, shackled at their hands and feet, with no food or drink, Herrera and another detainee said. Herrera had been told he was going to the Krome detention center run by ICE, closer to Miami, but arrived at the Everglades center instead.
The men were placed in one of eight fenced units inside a huge tent; those with serious criminal records were given red wristbands. Herrera, 55, was released from prison two years ago after serving time for carjacking. He has lived in the United States since he was 3 and has no record of citizenship in Argentina, where his family was from, making it difficult to deport him.
On Tuesday, guards told Herrera that he was being transferred, though they did not tell him where he was going.
The Everglades center was different from the federal prisons and ICE detention centers he had spent time in, he said: It had no posted regulations or contacts for an inspector general; no law library or religious materials, including Bibles; no outdoor recreation time, at least not for his unit; no commissary or vending machines. In the background during one phone conversation with Herrera, some men inside the unit could be heard yelling in Spanish, 'Libertad! Libertad!'
Alexander Boni, 32, a detainee from Cuba, said he had asked for a face mask after other detainees became sick but did not get one.
'We're desperate in here,' he said.
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Reuters reports: Read more here. Tariffs have started to hit US automaker General Motors (GM), who reported a fall in second quarter core profit of 32% to $3 billion on Tuesday. The automaker said tariffs have sapped $1.1 billion from results as it continues to grapple with President Trump's challenging trade war. Reuters reports: Read more here. Canadian boycott of US spirits hurts broader alcohol sales: Trade group American imports to Canada have dropped sharply due to Canadian provinces' boycott of US spirits amid the ongoing trade war with the United States, according to a Canadian liquor trade group. Reuters reports: Read more here. American imports to Canada have dropped sharply due to Canadian provinces' boycott of US spirits amid the ongoing trade war with the United States, according to a Canadian liquor trade group. Reuters reports: Read more here. AstraZeneca announces $50B US manufacturing investment, matching its big pharma peers Pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca (AZN) announced it plans to invest $50 billion in US manufacturing by 2030, in the hopes it will avoid steep tariffs on imported components manufactured abroad. Yahoo Finance's senior reporter Anjalee Khemlani looks at how AstraZeneca's latest US investment keeps pace with its big pharma rivals. Read more here Pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca (AZN) announced it plans to invest $50 billion in US manufacturing by 2030, in the hopes it will avoid steep tariffs on imported components manufactured abroad. Yahoo Finance's senior reporter Anjalee Khemlani looks at how AstraZeneca's latest US investment keeps pace with its big pharma rivals. Read more here Trump targeting trade loopholes risks 70% of China exports to US China's growth could be eroded due to President Trump's efforts to target the country via its trading partners across global supply chains, according to Bloomberg Economics. China is using other countries like Vietnam and Mexico more to make products for the US, a trend that accelerated after Trump's first trade war. China's share of total value- added manufacturing of goods destined for the US via Vietnam and Mexico surged 22% in 2023 from 14% in 2017. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. China's growth could be eroded due to President Trump's efforts to target the country via its trading partners across global supply chains, according to Bloomberg Economics. China is using other countries like Vietnam and Mexico more to make products for the US, a trend that accelerated after Trump's first trade war. China's share of total value- added manufacturing of goods destined for the US via Vietnam and Mexico surged 22% in 2023 from 14% in 2017. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. India-US interim trade deal prospects dim ahead of tariff deadline: Sources Hopes for a US-India trade deal before the August 1 deadline are fading, with talks stuck over cuts to farm and dairy tariffs, according to sources. Reuters reports: Read more here. Hopes for a US-India trade deal before the August 1 deadline are fading, with talks stuck over cuts to farm and dairy tariffs, according to sources. Reuters reports: Read more here. Orange juice importer says Trump's Brazil tariffs will raise US prices Orange juice prices join the list of products that could see price increases as a result of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Bloomberg reports: A US orange juice distributor is suing over President Donald Trump's move to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil starting next month. Johanna Foods Inc. is arguing that Trump's reasons for the levy increase — including support for Brazil's former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro — don't present 'unusual and extraordinary' threats that give him emergency authority to circumvent Congress' taxing power. The New Jersey-based company estimates that the Brazil tariffs would increase its costs for not-from-concentrate orange juice from Brazil by $68 million over the next 12 months and raise retail costs for consumers between 20-25%. According to the complaint, Brazil supplies more than half of all orange juice sold in the US. Read more here. Orange juice prices join the list of products that could see price increases as a result of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Bloomberg reports: A US orange juice distributor is suing over President Donald Trump's move to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil starting next month. Johanna Foods Inc. is arguing that Trump's reasons for the levy increase — including support for Brazil's former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro — don't present 'unusual and extraordinary' threats that give him emergency authority to circumvent Congress' taxing power. The New Jersey-based company estimates that the Brazil tariffs would increase its costs for not-from-concentrate orange juice from Brazil by $68 million over the next 12 months and raise retail costs for consumers between 20-25%. According to the complaint, Brazil supplies more than half of all orange juice sold in the US. Read more here. Brazil acknowledges possibility of no US trade deal by August 1 President Trump's August 1 tariff deadline is steadily approaching, and trading partners are preparing for multiple outcomes. Brazil, for example, is increasingly open to the possibility that a trade deal won't be reached in time. Reuters reported: Read more here. President Trump's August 1 tariff deadline is steadily approaching, and trading partners are preparing for multiple outcomes. Brazil, for example, is increasingly open to the possibility that a trade deal won't be reached in time. Reuters reported: Read more here. US steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs touts 'positive impact' of tariffs Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) CEO Lourenco Goncalves praised President Trump's protectionist policies on Monday, stating that the 25%-50% tariffs on foreign steel imports have had a "positive impact" on the US steel and automotive industries. The Section 232 steel tariffs "have played a significant role in supporting the domestic steel industry," Goncalves said during the company's earnings call. 'So far, there's no indication that the Section 232 tariffs will be used as a bargaining chip by the Trump administration as leverage in trade deals with other countries," Goncalves added. "We appreciate that and fully expect that the administration will keep in place and enforce these Section 232 tariffs." Goncalves said the only place where it's having a problem is with Stelco, the Canadian steel company it acquired in November 2024. The CEO urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to implement similar protectionist policies, saying that other efforts to curb unfair trade practices were "insufficient." Cleveland-Cliffs stock soared 11% in early trading Monday after the company reported record steel shipments of 4.3 million net tons for the three months ended June 30. Read more about how Cleveland-Cliffs' stock is trading. Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) CEO Lourenco Goncalves praised President Trump's protectionist policies on Monday, stating that the 25%-50% tariffs on foreign steel imports have had a "positive impact" on the US steel and automotive industries. The Section 232 steel tariffs "have played a significant role in supporting the domestic steel industry," Goncalves said during the company's earnings call. 'So far, there's no indication that the Section 232 tariffs will be used as a bargaining chip by the Trump administration as leverage in trade deals with other countries," Goncalves added. "We appreciate that and fully expect that the administration will keep in place and enforce these Section 232 tariffs." Goncalves said the only place where it's having a problem is with Stelco, the Canadian steel company it acquired in November 2024. The CEO urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to implement similar protectionist policies, saying that other efforts to curb unfair trade practices were "insufficient." Cleveland-Cliffs stock soared 11% in early trading Monday after the company reported record steel shipments of 4.3 million net tons for the three months ended June 30. Read more about how Cleveland-Cliffs' stock is trading. Bessent: Trump more concerned about quality of deals than making deals by Aug. 1 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday said the US wouldn't rush to make trade deals ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline for many of President Trump's sweeping tariffs to kick in. "We're not going to rush for the sake of doing deals," Bessent told CNBC in an interview. More from Reuters: Read more here. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday said the US wouldn't rush to make trade deals ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline for many of President Trump's sweeping tariffs to kick in. "We're not going to rush for the sake of doing deals," Bessent told CNBC in an interview. More from Reuters: Read more here. More signs that Europe is hardening its stance We detailed earlier (keep scrolling) how the EU is readying its plans for retaliation in case a trade deal with the US fails. The Wall Street Journal has a big report out today with some more details of those plans — and details on how delicate negotiations are on even thinner ice, as President Trump keeps wanting more. The report said the EU got a "surprise" when US officials said Trump would want a higher baseline tariff in any deal, likely north of 15%, after months of talks around a 10% baseline. That apparently prompted Germany, Europe's largest economy, to swing to more of an alignment with France, which has been pushing a harder line throughout the negotiations. 'All options are on the table,' a German official said. The official said there was still time to negotiate a deal but added, 'If they want war, they will get war.' More from the report: Read more here. We detailed earlier (keep scrolling) how the EU is readying its plans for retaliation in case a trade deal with the US fails. The Wall Street Journal has a big report out today with some more details of those plans — and details on how delicate negotiations are on even thinner ice, as President Trump keeps wanting more. The report said the EU got a "surprise" when US officials said Trump would want a higher baseline tariff in any deal, likely north of 15%, after months of talks around a 10% baseline. That apparently prompted Germany, Europe's largest economy, to swing to more of an alignment with France, which has been pushing a harder line throughout the negotiations. 'All options are on the table,' a German official said. The official said there was still time to negotiate a deal but added, 'If they want war, they will get war.' More from the report: Read more here. Stellantis warns of $2.7B loss as tariffs bite Big Three automaker Stellantis (STLA) warned on Monday that it expects a 2.3 billion euro ($2.7 billion) net loss for the first half of 2025, hit by restructuring costs, ebbing sales, and an initial hit from US tariffs. The Chrysler maker's US-listed shares slipped nearly 2% in premarket, mirroring a drop in its stock in Milan. Reuters reports: Read more here. Big Three automaker Stellantis (STLA) warned on Monday that it expects a 2.3 billion euro ($2.7 billion) net loss for the first half of 2025, hit by restructuring costs, ebbing sales, and an initial hit from US tariffs. The Chrysler maker's US-listed shares slipped nearly 2% in premarket, mirroring a drop in its stock in Milan. Reuters reports: Read more here. EU to prepare its retaliation plan as US hardens its stance on trade talks EU negotiators are scrambling to make a trade agreement with the US as the Aug. 1 tariff deadline closes in. But they are also stepping up preparations to strike back if the two sides fail to secure a deal. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. EU negotiators are scrambling to make a trade agreement with the US as the Aug. 1 tariff deadline closes in. But they are also stepping up preparations to strike back if the two sides fail to secure a deal. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Foundation run out of a townhouse won millions from Tallahassee, Miami-Dade. Why?
Foundation run out of a townhouse won millions from Tallahassee, Miami-Dade. Why?

Miami Herald

time5 minutes ago

  • Miami Herald

Foundation run out of a townhouse won millions from Tallahassee, Miami-Dade. Why?

From a West Miami townhouse, the A3 Foundation has spent its first two years in existence racking up nearly $2 million in government funding from Miami-Dade County and the state. This year, the nonprofit led by a top official in the city of Miami's government came out of Florida's legislative session with a $950,000 allocation of state money — nearly double what the charity had requested. Of that, $450,000 came from the 'sprinkle list' fund of unassigned state budget dollars controlled by House Speaker Danny Perez, a Miami Republican who is friendly with the foundation's president, Francisco Petrirena. Petrirena told the Miami Herald last week that he's earning $80,000 a year running the A3 Foundation while also working full-time as chief of staff to Miami City Manager Art Noriega. 'Right now, it's only me,' Petrirena said of his work for a foundation he formed in the fall of 2023 that has since secured millions of dollars in funding through the state and Miami-Dade County. In 2024 and 2025, the charity collected nearly $1 million from Miami-Dade in connection with CountryFest, the rodeo and farming festival hosted each year at Tropical Park by County Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez, a close friend of Perez. County emails made public this week illuminate how the A3 Foundation secured county dollars while largely staying out of the public eye, until it wound up the beneficiary of a Parks contract at last week's County Commission meeting. The emails show Rodriguez connected A3 with the signature county event in his district — and the county funding that comes with it. In a July 9, 2024, email to David Clodfelter, the county's budget director, for instance, a staffer in Rodriguez's office asked about getting a $421,000 check for the nonprofit. A3 had sent CountryFest invoices to Rodriguez's office, needing county dollars to pay event vendors. 'David per our conversation attached is the invoice that needs to be paid to A3 Foundation Inc for the 2024 CountryFest show,' Aldo Gonzalez, Rodriguez's legislative director, wrote. 'Can you please confirm this and make the payment as soon as possible please.' Rodriguez did not respond to a question on why Miami-Dade is using A3 to pay county dollars to CountryFest vendors. Online records show A3 began collecting county payments in the spring of 2024, six months after Petrirena filed papers forming the nonprofit in September 2023. Nearly two years later, the foundation's mailing address in state records remains at the West Miami townhouse, where an accountant not listed on A3's organizing documents runs a home business. The Herald visited the townhouse last week and, after nobody answered the door, left a letter requesting copies of the foundation's latest tax returns — documents that federal law says should be available for public inspection. The Herald has not received a response. As of Tuesday, A3's website had no contact information and blank entries under the page titled 'Our Programs.' That hasn't stopped it from getting a steady stream of dollars from Miami-Dade. Funded with budget allocations by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and County Commission nonprofit grants, the charity has so far received about $980,000 from Miami-Dade, according to an online database of county payments. County records show commissioners allocated about $270,000 to the A3 Foundation over the last two years, utilizing funds reserved for charities and nonprofit events. The awards are granted by County Commission votes, which are typically perfunctory at the end of a meeting. Rodriguez sponsored the largest donations to A3, worth $100,000. Now, the foundation's local funding is causing friction at County Hall, days after Levine Cava unveiled a 2026 budget proposal with steep cuts in grants for charities across Miami-Dade. Following a Herald story last week on last-minute legislation on a Parks Department contract that requires a vendor to make annual payments to A3, County Commissioner Eileen Higgins is asking Levine Cava to freeze the deal until the board can revisit its July 16 vote, which guarantees the foundation $250,000 a year. The payments to A3 would come from Loud and Live, the production company that last week secured the county contract to operate Tropical Park's equestrian center, home to CountryFest and other ticketed events, in exchange for paying rent and a revenue share to Miami-Dade. The A3 payments are a requirement of the contract, which was presented to the board by Rodriguez in legislation that passed by a wide margin last week. 'After reviewing the media reporting and attempting to learn more, I have found limited publicly available information regarding the organization's track record, including the services delivered, people served, and documented outcomes,' Higgins, a candidate for mayor in the city of Miami, wrote in an email to Levine Cava, a fellow Democrat, on Sunday. 'The article has understandably prompted questions from constituents.' In a response to Higgins on Monday, Levine Cava wrote: 'Thanks for sharing these concerns and we will review right away.' Payments from Miami-Dade and Florida A3's website offers no information on charitable work performed by the foundation. The website offers a brief mission statement for the charity: 'The A3 Foundation is a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture, advocating for educational opportunities, and creating awareness of community priorities.' Petrirena has not responded to inquiries since a brief phone interview last week. The 20-year contract for Loud and Live is forecast to generate at least $24 million for Miami-Dade's Parks Department, with the Doral company also required to pay A3 monthly installments worth $5 million over the life of the deal. The contract stipulates that if the Parks Department pays to upgrade the 50-acre equestrian center, the A3 payment requirement increases from $250,000 to $300,000 per year. The contract negotiated by Levine Cava's staff included the terms requiring the payments be made to an unnamed charity, but mention of A3 Foundation as the recipient did not come until Rodriguez added the legislation to the July 16 commission meeting agenda. Higgins joined the majority in approving the item, which Rodriguez added to the agenda late enough that any commissioner could have requested a delay until the board's next meeting. While no commissioner asked for more time to review the contract, two voted against the agreement without comment: Juan Carlos Bermudez and Micky Steinberg. Neither responded to requests for comment from the Herald. The vote came the day after Levine Cava unveiled a 2026 budget proposal that cuts more than $40 million in nonprofit grant funding, part of the mayor's plan to close a $402 million deficit in the county's tax-funded budget. In a statement, Rodriguez defended the required A3 payments in Loud and Live's contract as a good way for Miami-Dade to use private dollars to fund a charity that can help the community. 'The A3 Foundation is an ag-focused nonprofit organization that, while new, has served our community well,' said Rodriguez, a first-term Republican whose suburban district includes Tropical Park. 'If private entities are going to partner with our county for profit, it's important that those entities give back by way of supporting our local nonprofits. I am grateful for the work that A3 does and am proud to support them.' A3 Foundation has received tax dollars for Tropical Park's CountryFest County records show A3 serves as the clearinghouse for Miami-Dade dollars used to fund CountryFest, a springtime event put on by Loud and Live. Once a county cattle show, Rodriguez rebranded the event as CountryFest after winning his District 10 seat in 2022 and turned it into a Tropical Park jamboree with live music, a VIP saloon with open bar and a food truck village. Visitors to the two-day event that started April 26 walked under a welcome sign with Rodriguez's name on it. When Rodriguez's office requested the $421,000 check for A3 last summer, the funds came partly out of the Parks Department's $250,000 allocation for CountryFest, according to the correspondence released from the county's Clerk of the Court and Comptroller's Office. The remaining money came from federal COVID stimulus aid that Miami-Dade was using to boost nonprofit funding, the correspondence said. Attached to the email was a one-page invoice from A3 using the townhouse address, listing a $421,000 charge for vendor payments. In March, another check request came from Rodriguez's office for $300,000, again with a one-page invoice from A3 weeks ahead of CountryFest starting. Also included in the backup materials for the check request is legislation Rodriguez had passed in 2024, waiving the county's bid requirements and purchasing rules for CountryFest. 'We ask that you please process this invoice as soon as possible as they need to start paying for things related to this event,' Gonzalez, the Rodriguez aide, wrote to the county's budget office on March 25. It's not known why Rodriguez wanted a foundation to collect county dollars for CountryFest instead of Miami-Dade paying Loud and Live directly. As a nonprofit, A3 could accept tax-deductible sponsorship dollars for CountryFest. But A3's website makes no mention of CountryFest or its ability to put on an event that attracts more than 25,000 attendees a year. Also unclear is how the foundation got its name. 'A3' does have a potential connection to CountryFest's main patron and official host. Rodriguez and his wife have three children, each with a name that starts with 'A,' according to the Rodriguez biography still available on a webpage for the Florida House, where he served between 2018 and 2022. Rodriguez did not respond to a Herald inquiry about whether the foundation's name is a nod to his family. It's not known if Rodriguez has a friendship with Petrirena, but they share a friend in Perez. Rodriguez has described Perez as his best friend. In an interview, Perez said he knows Petrirena and is friendly with him. The two worked together at Doctors HealthCare Plans, where Perez is general counsel and Petrirena was a manager before starting as the city of Miami's in-house lobbyist at the end of 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile. In a Sept. 18, 2023, post on his private Instagram account, Petrirena shared a photo of himself standing with Perez on the Florida House floor the day that fellow Republicans formally voted to put Perez in line to be speaker the following year. Of his then-colleague and fellow Cuban American, Petrirena wrote: '3rd Cuban American in the history of Florida to serve as speaker. Proud of you bro, and to be part of this historic moment.' The post came seven days after Petrirena filed papers with Florida to form the A3 Foundation and weeks before he started his job with the city of Miami as director of government relations, overseeing the city's lobbying efforts in Tallahassee. While working for Miami to boost state funding, Petrirena also was seeking state dollars for A3. Last year, he filed a request for $500,000 for A3 in the 2025 state budget but ended the session empty-handed. The A3 Foundation filed another $500,000 request this year, and lawmakers included the money in spending bills in the Florida House and Senate. Then Perez added more when he released his list of funding awards from a pot of money that's traditionally been granted to House speakers. A3 was at the top of the alphabetical list, giving the foundation $450,000 more in state funds than it asked for. That landed A3 with a $950,000 allocation in the budget Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law last month. In an interview, Perez said he picked A3 for the additional dollars from his so-called 'sprinkle list' because of what he said is the foundation's plan to bring agricultural education to Miami-Dade residents with developmental disabilities. 'There are going to be multiple organizations on the 'sprinkle list' that are autism-centric,' Perez said. A3's status as a charity in Miami-Dade also made it a good choice for extra state dollars, he said: 'I wanted to make sure we brought home money to the Miami area.' Perez said his personal connections with Petrirena played no role in the allocation. 'There are many elected officials who know many people that receive funds from the state,' Perez said in an interview Monday. 'He did not receive this because he is friends with the speaker. He received it because it is an organization that is going to immerse agricultural education within the disabled community.'

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