David Sutta's Blog

I had never heard the term affirmative taxes until yesterday. I was at a march led by civil rights activist Jesse Jackson through downtown Miami. The march was in protest of the high unemployment, mounting foreclosures, and rising debt in America. While 99% of the protesters were black, Jackson maintained this is not a race issue... it's an America issue.  Affirmative taxes, as it was explained to me, is the fair use of taxdollars for the rich and the poor.

If you are looking outside your window and wondering 'Who Dat' is you are not alone.  They claim to be Saints.  Yep.  A bunch of Saints drinking out of flowerpot sized margarita glasses on South Beach.  I guess it is sort of like being back home on Bourbon Street.  Even uptight Fort Lauderdale has rolled out the welcome mat allowing people to carry their cocktails up and down A1A.  They haven't done that in 13 years.  Not even for our Super Bowl in 2007.

Yes, the Super Bowl is back in town for the tenth time.  That's one in four Super Bowls for those of you keeping count.  They say they keep coming here because we know how to party.  Yes, those folks in New Orleans are apparently just a bunch of fakers.   Instead of flashing we just walk around South Beach naked.  Instead of throwing beads at people we throw club ads.  Instead of selling $1.50 shots we'll hook you up with the $20 bottle for a bargain $150.  And everyone pays it because they are in Miami.

Herald humorist Dave Barry put out a welcome guide this week for our tourists in town.  A guide he later retracted after the hate mail rolled in. He probably should have issued a warning guide for the rest of us.  Sort of a "beware of turn signals and people holding doors open for you".  I officially knew the tourists were arriving when I passed a car doing the speed limit on I95. As I flew by you could see the confusion on his face.  I knew exactly what was going on.  He was stuck in the express lane dilemma.  "There goes my exit.  How do I get out of here?"  I knew he was a tourist because he refused to come to a complete stop on the express way to cut through the plastic pole barrier.  Logic and law... oh how I've missed you.

It's great to have the football, the fans, and their manners here.  I'm sure there are quite a few people happy to have their money too.  This week I was most impressed with the NFL.  I don't know of a company or a person with that much influence.  They literally took over this town, commandeered our police and air space, changed liquor laws on the street, shut down Ocean Drive, and convinced companies to shell out millions for concerts, promotions, and TV ad space.  I sit here and wonder when did a game become America's biggest social gathering event of the year? 

A while back we did a story on Ric O'Barry (Flipper's trainer back in the day) and his starring role in the documentary The Cove.  Today it was announced The Cove is up for an Academy Award for best documentary.  I tip my hat to you Ric, OPS, and the whole gang who put this amazing story together.

I caught the movie at a private premiere at Miami City hall.  After seeing it I wrote here on the blog about it and did a story when it was released in local theaters. 

I just wanted to drop a quick update on my car situation.  A few posts down you'll see my brand new Toyota burned just six days after I bought it.  Yep, still can't believe it.  A week later the car was actually recalled for runaway gas pedals.   I figured a Toyota just wasn't meant to be.

As I started shopping for a replacement car over the last week I learned we, the media, are misreporting this recall.  Yes the recall affects certain models but not all models received gas pedals from the manufacturer in question.   Meaning some cars are actually ok.  In my case, I needed to find a model that had a VIN number starting with a J.  I learned this information from the dealer.  Of course I then went to the authority on whether this was true or not... Google.  After an exhaustive search (1,000's of articles) I found one news outlet in Springfield, IL who had validated the dealer's story. 53% of Toyota lines in question are recalled.

So I went to Toyota yesterday and purchased a recalled car that wasn't really recalled.  As I stood in the empty showroom I couldn't help but think about how Toyota royally screwed up here.  They really should have noted there were exceptions to their recall.  That not every car they sold in the last four years was doomed.  Their PR mistake which they are now paying for, along with dealers, salesmen, all the way down.  Can we kick the car industry anymore?  I guess this is the American car companies chance to gain market share.

I'm still not sure why Miami City Commissioners had to wait to the very last day, very last hour to pick someone to fill Michelle Spence-Jones empty seat. I guess they are big on drama. If the debate had gone another 45 minutes there would have been forced to put on another $150,000 special election. I wonder if the embattled, former, commissioner would have ran a third time. As Chairman Marc Sarnoff put it... "We would be stuck in the same gerbil wheel."

My colleagues and I were wondering if Michelle was going to show last night. Perhaps she would throw up a big protest in front of the commission. Perhaps she would throw her hat in for an appointment. I bet Frank Corollo would have voted for her too!  Boy, would that have been a great chapter in this saga! When I asked Spence-Jones today if she considered doing that she said no, that this case was now for the courts to decide. She definately has the argument that the voters already did.

Spence Jones supporter Bily Hardemon escorted out of city hall after going over his two minutes to speak and refusing to back down.

I was amused by one of the people who wanted the appointment last night. Dufirstson Neree, a Harvard business school grad, who offered up a lot of great ideas. He made one simple mistake during his Q&A that cost him the opportunity to serve. In the news business we call it "burying the lead." Commissioner Suarez asked him "Why should we appoint you when you garnered just 66 votes?" Neree gave a one minute response explaining how he was qualified and what not. On his fading argument, he said "Oh, and in 2006 I got 3,000 votes." HELLO?! That's 700 more than the winner in this election! You buried the lead HARVARD!

After seven hours of debate and the clock ticking the commissioners were deadlocked 2-2. Suarez and Sarnoff wanted Pierre Rutledge, the director of operations for Miami-Dade Schools. Corollo and Gort wanted Reverend Richard Dunn, who brought his congregation to fill the room. Rutledge was the better choice but time was not on his side. Dunn was also a safe bet for anyone looking to seek higher office. Dunn is popular and won't create major waves in the district.

In the end Suarez and Sarnoff didn't have time to try to convince Corollo and Gort to change their vote because the clock was ticking. 55 minutes and their vote wouldn't count either!

I'm not saying Dunn is bad for district five. He's just more of the same. No? The district needs someone who is forward thinking. They need someone who has the ability to do more than fix problems as they arise. Someone who wants and knows how to bring industry to the community. Someone who is going to give the children from Liberty City and Overtown a reason to return after they escape to college. One can only hope that the November election brings fresh blood into City Hall and vision for district 5.

Last night CBS4 News broadcast for the first time in High Definition (HD).  While we were late to the party (other stations already doing this) we are happy to finally be here.   It's just our studio right now in HD but eventually this will all roll out into the field.  I can't wait.  Our stories will look that much better in HD.

We also rolled out the new set last night.  I like the colors and the layout... and I love the backdrop.  I may be a little impartial.  You see the skyline picture is one of my own.  CBS hired me to shoot the17x8 foot backdrop in November.  This shot is actually five pictures merged into one long panoramic.

I am extremely proud of this shot.  It's something to have people say "hey that's a nice shot".  It is another for someone to say "hey can we show that picture to hundreds of thousands of people... everyday".

I am excited for CBS4 as they take this major first step in HD.  I hope that we are fully HD (in the field, not just the studio) sooner than later.  I believe we have some talented artists here at CBS4.  After a slight learning curve, I think we will blow you away with high definition stories.

Click the story below for a behind the scenes look at CBS4's big changes.  You will need to tune in this evening to see this video in HD!

Miami Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announces a plan to turn the abandoned Baptist Hospital into a refugee camp.

Today the Superintendant of Miami-Dade Public Schools offered up an abandoned hospital for the relief effort. 

County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson just got back from Haiti and attended Carvalho's announcement.  She stood in front of the cameras to endorse the plan.  Off camera she looked overwhelmed.  The reality of Haiti will do that.     The politicians promised a concerted effort to help the people of Haiti now.  I'm sure they will do just that.  I wonder if we will see a tent city like we did after Andrew in Homestead.  It could very well be a possibility. But before we admit an entire nation into ours... shouldn't we be looking at where we are going?

Perhaps there isn't enough time to consider how to restore and rebuild Haiti.  But I hope someone is considering this is a crisis that could last upwards of a decade.  Moving people to America for five, ten, fifteen years is hardly temporary.  I wonder if the tent cities need to/will go up in Haiti, outside of Port-au-Prince.  It certainly would afford the Haitian people the opportunity to rebuild their country (with the world's help).  However the last place I want to be during a hurricane is a tent city!

What a predicament. 

Marleine Bastien, executive director and founder of Haitian Women of Miami

I think it's great that we can open an abandoned hospital and fill it with people who really need somewhere to go.  I worry though about the effect of speediatrics in the long term. 

Check out my new car!

No, this is not a joke.  That's my six day old Toyota with less than 20 miles.

So my birthday ended with a lot more than some candles on fire.  I got the call around midnight from my wife while on a photo shoot. "The fire alarm is going off!" she said.  A quick phone call to the community security office I learned a car was on fire.  I called my wife and reassured her she was safe.  I didn't think it was my car, my new car, on fire!

The fire department believes it started with the security patrol golf carts.  The regularly plug them in in our parking garage.  Apparently it caught fire... caught the Audi next to us on fire... and caught my car on fire.

An up-close look at what's left of the golf cart!

So we added the car to our insurance policy.  Yes, hadn't even added it yet because we were not going to be driving the car until February when my current lease was up.  It was sitting the garage.  Nothing was going to happen... right?  It turns out you have 30 days to add a new car purchase to your insurance.  So we were covered, Thank God!

Yes the homeowner association is responsible.  Their insurance will pay after our insurance goes after them.

I'm still out the first car payment and tag transfer.  It killed me to pay it last night.  The salesman at the dealership felt bad.  He couldn't believe the pictures.  Neither can I.

This morning we learned the cat is pretty much out of the bag.  (Don't worry it's not pissed) TV insiders have been whispering about changes on the way here at CBS4 for weeks.  Monday we sort of confirmed it with a temporary set. 

The temporary set is shoved in the corner of the studio, while we build out the rest of the room.  Yes construction is well under way right now. 

I have been anticipating some of these changes for a long time and am eager to see them finally become reality.

I'll post some pics of our progress soon... including my own personal photography contribution to CBS4's new look! 

Today I stood in the auction room in Downtown Miami where thousands of homes have been sold to the highest bidder (and as of late that's the bank). 

The clerks were selling dozens of properties and the auction room was empty?  Not a single person shouting.  Not a single person throwing a certified check at the clerk.  "It's the wave of the future" clerk Harvey Ruvin told me. The clerk officially took his foreclosures online today... selling people's demise a dozen at a time.  An hour and fifteen minutes after the auction began it was over.  48 homes sold with the click of a mouse.  Soon Harvey will flip 2,000 foreclosures a week, up from the 450 he averages doing it the old fashioned way.  It's certainly is a quick way to clear the glut of distressed properties. 

The online auction is not new but new to foreclosures.  Miami-Dade's experiment is thus far the largest county to do it and Florida is the first and only state in the union to do it... thus far.  Don't worry; everyone is watching us to see if it works.  If it does, well, watch out.  Call your stockbroker now.

Looking back it seems to have started with email and AOL, then MP3's, then knick knacks sold and bought from a place called Amazon but nowhere near South America, then it was online content, and now it's the way we all do business.  The internet.  It's changed the way we work, play, and function.  Today I poise the question could it change the landscape of cities too? Are Downtowns becoming irrelevant?  We had the great industrial revolution that built these places up.  Are we in the midst of the great technical revolution that tears this all down?

It certainly appears we are headed that way.  Let think about this.  Starting today you can bid, purchase, and own a foreclosure without stepping foot out of a McDonald's with WIFI.  Do you really need to go Downtown for anything?  I know I am being a bit drastic here but it seems like that is where we are headed.  Pretty soon you will be able to file a lawsuit online.  The clerk is also considering letting employees work from home... online.  Can you imagine that one day you may go to court over a webcam?  Don't think it could happen?  It already does at the local jails for bond hearings.