Broward Health Stunning Suspensions: The Shocking Fall Of Political Whiz Kid David Di Pietro

 

BY BUDDY NEVINS

 

 

The fall of one of Broward Republican’s bright, shining new faces was sudden and shocking Friday.

In an extraordinary act, Gov. Rick Scott suspended David Di Pietro as chair of the deeply troubled Broward Health Board of Commissioners.

 

David Di Pietro

David Di Pietro

 

It was an astonishing move for a governor to suspend someone who has not been charged with any crime.

The stated reason: Di Pietro was interfering in the state investigation of the troubled public health system.

Commissioner Darryl Wright, the chair of the commission’s audit committee, was also removed.

“This is an astonishing, unpresidented move,” one political insider with three decades of experience in Tallahasse.

“The only thing the governor seeks from his appointments is that they don’t embarrass him. The governor’s staff must have believed that David would end up embarrassing the governor and wanted to cut off the danger immediately. This was the governor’s staff protecting the governor,” the insider opined.

Forgoet Wright, who was largely unknown in politics. It was the collapse of Di Pietro’s political career that had Broward political types burning up their cell phones late Friday. An up-and-coming Republican political power in a largely Democratic county, the move against him by his former friend Scott was totally, 100 percent unexpected.

After three years as a Broward prosecutor, Di Pietro broke into politics in a big way in 2008 working in the law office of GOP high roller Bill Scherer. During the roughly three years he spent with Scherer, he ran political candidates and raised money for favored candidates.

Scherer has a large health care practice and knew Rick Scott from when the governor ran private hospitals. When Scott won the governor’s race in 2010, Scherer suddenly found he had a formidable friend in Tallahassee. That connection didn’t hurt Di Pietro.

Di Pietro struck out on his own and, with new friends in Tallahassee and his skill in raising money he learned at Bill Scherer’s side, became one of the go-do guys for Republican candidates. He still operated political committees and even helped favored candidates with legal problems like handling County Commissioner Chip LaMarca’s house foreclosure.

He was the Broward Republican Party’s general counsel for a time. He was GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Broward Chairman. And he helped manage LaMarca’s 2014 re-election.

In September of 2011, Scott appointed Di Pietro to the Broward Health Commission. The post is one of the most politically potent appointment in Broward since the seven-member body controls a budget of more than $1 billion annually.

In 2015, Scott named Di Pietro’s wife Nina Di Pietro to the Broward Circuit Court.

With his wife on the bench, his perch on Broward Health and a bevy of deep pocketed friends, Di Pietro had the political world in his hands, most of Broward’s insiders thought.

Di Pietro’s world crumbled on Friday with a stroke of Scott’s pen.

The link below is the suspension order from the governor’s office and associated documents:

Di Pietro

 

XXXXX

From: David Di Pietro <david@ddpalaw.com>
Date: Friday, March 18, 2016 at 7:07 PM
To:

Subject: David Di Pietro – Statement

March 18, 2016

The Inspector General’s letter contains false accusations against me.

The date of the letter is today and I didn’t receive a copy of the letter before the Governor issued his suspension.

I was not given a chance to respond to this letter before the Governor took his action.

The Governor’s action is based on a political agenda other than the truth.

The letter does not identify a single legitimate basis for my suspension under Florida law.

I am proud of my record of service on the Board of the North Broward Hospital District, and have spent the past 5 years fighting to bring transparency and good business practice to Broward Health.

This is a volunteer position. I don’t get paid for being a Commissioner. I have been honored to serve the public hospital of my home community where I grew up.

I have acted with integrity and in compliance with every legal and regulatory requirement. Broward Health’s employees and those who know me in the community know this to be true.

David Di Pietro



64 Responses to “Broward Health Stunning Suspensions: The Shocking Fall Of Political Whiz Kid David Di Pietro”

  1. Broward GOP whiz says:

    Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. LOL

  2. Bar Compliant Coming Next? says:

    Buddy do you think a bar complaint will be coming next?

  3. No one has fallen. says:

    Am I the only one who thinks that it looks bad on the GOVERNOR that he suspends the Chairman after he hires a democratic attorney and places a democrat at the new CEO? The politics that are at play are not within the board, but within the corrupt Governor’s office.

    Mr. DiPietro was one of the only people on the board that CONSISTENTLY fought for the district and the patients. He wanted Lynn out for no other reason but because SHE was the reason that doctors contracts could not be finalized, thus jeopardizing patient care directly.

    This is a VERY BAD move on behalf of the Governor and he will realize it when the district crumbles.

    As for Mr. DiPietro, he is one of the strongest and smartest people I have ever met. He has not and will not ever “fall”. Just watch.

    Check. Not checkmate, Governor Scott.

  4. crazy says:

    Who would have thought handing a billion dollar enterprise to someone in their early 30s would be a bad idea?

  5. Nlion87 says:

    No let’s shift focus to all the influence this guy has down at the courthouse. Afterall, it was his $$ and Scott connections that landed his wife Nina a seat on the judges bench downtown. There’s a lot of judges coming and going and playing musical chairs downtown. Coincidence? I think not

  6. Nlion87 says:

    Let me guess. His getting a nice big six figure golden parachute severance package rather than silver handcuffs to quietly go away and a gag order not to disclose the details of what’s really going on down at Broward Health.

  7. taxpayers lose says:

    of course no mention the job as Chair of the Broward Health Board of Commissioners was prudently overseeing and spending the tax dollars raised from the taxpayers.

  8. Glory Be says:

    Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

  9. Doctors says:

    I can attest to the fact that the medical staff of the various Broward Health hospitals are infuriated and beyond frustrated. Many of the physicians of the medical staff feel as though Mr. Di Pietro was a chairman that served with transparency and honesty. He always responded to complaints and grievances and did his best to correct the wrongs many others have done.

    Many doctors will continue to support you, David. We will continue to be heard.

  10. Finally says:

    David DI Pietro was a board member for Broward health he did not get paid. So he does not get a severance package. However his influence probably garnered him tens of thousands of dollars as he pushed the employees to send contracts to his friends and political cronies. He interfered with the daily operations of Broward health Which is by the governor threw him off the board. Now if they would just fire all of the executives give them no severance because they deserve none and start over the community and the patients would be better served.

  11. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    1. I admit I lack technical knowledge but I cannot find the link to the Governor’s letter or more importantly the Inspector General’s letter.
    2. When a Board member or members or staff or staffers interfere with investigations they must be re-assigned suspended or removed depending on the circumstances but NEVER left in place

  12. Owl says:

    David DiPietro is a great guy and a hardworking lawyer. As Chairman of the Board of Broward Health it was he who consistently advocated for cooperation regarding any investigation. It’s well known he inherited a mess when he took this position.

    To write that his “world crumbled” is ridiculous. David was a well-liked lawyer long before his Broward Health position and he’ll be an important lawyer long after. While I like reading your blog, Buddy, we can all agree that it’s a forum for opinion. To read some of the comments that suggest people receive severance packages for volunteer jobs, however, is proof that some peoples’ opinions are based on fantasy and should be disregarded wholesale.

  13. Talks like a politician says:

    My, oh, my. This is a perfect example of putting a political hack in charge of taxpayer dollars. A business person could have done a better job.

  14. flipper says:

    So who flips first? Di Pietro on Chip or Chip on Di Pietro?

  15. Stormwatch says:

    I’d bet a days pay that Scott is up to his neck in all the fraud being uncovered at Broward Health and DiPietro doesn’t wanna play ball. That showdown over whether to fire the general counsel was very telling. Is she the reason it’s taking so long to get contracts approved? What’s she waiting for? BH to close it’s doors and be sold to a private entity? One close to the guy in Tallahassee who’s running blocker for her. Thank you Buddy and Dan for some great reporting.

  16. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    @6 comments make no sense as the job is a volunteer post therefore no severance or “golden parachute”

    As for his age – neither here nor there.

    Whether a lawyer or hospital executive is a Democrat Republican Independent is a non-issue as law n medicine have no “partisan” way to practice a profession.

    No wonder the

  17. jimmy fallon, jr says:

    butter the popcorn! the struggle over who replaces Di Pietro and Wright has already started. reason being? whoever “controls” the board controls the public slush fund of contracts, legal work and consulting gigs. you don’t really believe cia is going to change anything do you? bh will now go from overpaying doctors to over paying lawyers and consultants (who will in turn funnel money to the docs).

    a nice little diversion from this greek tragedy will be watching who jumps in to challenge Nina Di Pietro. They’ve raised a nice amount of tainted dough but will it be enough?

    finally david himself is down … way down but not out. if trump wins the election david is back in the game.

  18. Part two says:

    History repeating itself. A must read.

    http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/are-we-really-in-good-hands-6311168

    FROM BUDDY:

    Broward Health has a governance problem. It has had it for over a generation under both Republican and Democratic governors.

  19. Was chip paid off? says:

    Interesting article about Di Pietro pal Chip LaMarca. So where did Chip come up with almost a half mil to pay off his foreclosure debt in full? This was just weeks before the infamous shade meeting Chip attended with Zimmerman on the 80 million dollar contract? This was not a reform Chip now owns the house free and clear.

    http://hellofla.com/2016/03/18/chip-lamarca-get-451764/

  20. Broward GOP whiz says:

    problem with DIPietro Is that he’s part of a corrupt system and seems incapable of admitting it even to himself.

    From Sun Sentinel 2/23/16-“A contract with Zimmerman Advertising, a firm of national stature whose flashy Fort Lauderdale headquarters overlooks Interstate 95, has drawn the interest of state investigators probing the Broward Health public hospital district.
    …A proposed expansion of the contract, potentially worth $10 million per year, received partial approval last December, after meetings held outside public view. The approval involved the efforts of a Broward County commissioner [Chip LaMarca] who was close friends with the chairman of the Broward Health board [DiPietro]. And it came amid warnings by Broward Health’s chief financial officer that Zimmerman used skewed numbers that disguised a bad deal for the district. Shortly after that, the CFO found himself out of a job. …LaMarca was hired last summer by the company’s founder and chief executive officer, Jordan Zimmerman, a major Republican donor whose company represents Party City, Dunkin’ Donuts and other national brands. For his first nine months of work, LaMarca earned $72,358, according to disclosure forms filed with the county….
    But at a Dec. 16 meeting of the Broward Health board, Chief Financial Officer Robert Martin questioned Zimmerman’s proposal, saying its numbers were skewed to make the company’s proposal appear more attractive. He said the proposal used a figure of $800 profit per patient night, twice the actual profit at Broward Health….three weeks later, Martin was out of a job. His severance agreement gave him $407,929, which is a year’s salary, and included statements that he would not disparage Broward Health and knew of no wrongdoing taking place there.”

    Of course none of this looks fishy to DiPietro, and the public should never pay attention to any of these facts.

    FROM BUDDY:

    Let me just crow for a second. Myself and Dan Christensen broke that Zimmerman story days before the Sun-Sentinel on Dan’s Floridabulldog.org website, one of my other outlets. We have written several more about it and plan to write more together on all aspects of Broward Health. The link to our first story is here.

  21. Broward GOP whiz says:

    @jimmy Fallon Jr … Besides saying he was for Trump to the sun sentinel and Browardbeat at the end of February, likely in an attempt to divert attention away from the ongoing Broward Health issues, DiPietro has had basically no involvement with the Trump campaign in Broward. Kinda surprised no one has figured out that LaMarca and DiPietro always back different presidential campaigns so they can have “access” to both camps -back in 2012 LaMarca backed Perry and DiPietro Romney – and this cycle both started with Jeb and then LaMarca went to Rubio and DiPietro said he backed Trump.

  22. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    The whole situation turns my stomach. What were these people thinking?
    As a Democrat I take NO JOY in this mess because this is NOT ABOUT a political party BUT ABOUT ACTIONS OF. INDIVIDUALS and the FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM TO BE STRAIGHT FORWARD WITH PUBLICLY ARRIVED AT ACTIONS. The Zimmerman Deal stinks to high Heaven n this private process is CLEARLY GOING TO END UP IN CRIMMINAL INDICTMENTS IF NOT CONVICTIOBS. TOO BAD MESSRS CHRISTIENSEN N NEVINS ARENT STILL WITH THE SUN SENTINEL

  23. just saying says:

    I posted this before and it was deleted and will post again. Chip’s wife’s younger sister (Chip’s sister-in-law) is a media advertising buyer at Zimmerman according to her linkedin profile. Chip’s company Z construction remodeled her LHP house a few years back according to the NOC on county website (notarized personally by Chip).

  24. Stormwatch says:

    Anyone who closely follows Broward politics knows that Buddy and Dan are the go to sources. They have been for years. I don’t know why anyone reads the Sun Sentinel anymore.

    DiPietro parlayed his job at the Scherer firm into making Scott’s A list. But then he decided to start covering his ass. That entails doing the right things. So he goes from Scott’s A list to his shit list. Somebody was bound to take the fall. Had Dipietro thought it was going to be him, would he have ever made that crazy Trump endorsement? Who was it that opined back on March 1 on another thread that if DP kept sleeping with all these big dogs, he was going to get some fleas. Scratch away.

  25. Jack timmins says:

    Bring out the “body bags”.

  26. Omg says:

    Great reporting Dan and Buddy
    David and Chip have pissed a lot of republicans off. As I hear it, there are emails that will doom them both. Keep digging.

  27. Alice McGill says:

    Is this political whiz kid the same DiPietro who is serving as Board Chairman at the Museum of Art, which owes Broward County many stacks of dollars? If so, why are his political hands in so many pots of taxpayer dollars?
    Time for a change.

  28. The Crow Flies but the Owl Knows says:

    Crow for a minute Buddy?
    Excuse me, but as a longtime marketing and advertising insider, I would say that whatever web of lies that you think you “broke” is completely misguided and without fact. It actually minimizes the advertising industry that pays for all of the salaries of the journalists and writers of newspapers and even this online rag.

    This is not a “loose with the facts” industry like the online blogosphere. We all know that the Broward Health advertising was practically charity work for Jordan Zimmerman and his roughly $4 billion mega-agency. They took over a less than $2 million annual contract at the request of the late CEO of the health system. When it became clear that the client had to actually spend a fraction of the industry standard (7%-8% of gross revenue of Brow Health would have been $91 to $104 million), they looked at a minimum media plan of $10 million for one year. When our industry does a plan, this is usually planned up front, but the media is a pass through and goes directly to the television, radio, newspaper, periodical, web, social media and digital outlets where the ads are run.

    Nobody else would have even tried to do this deal because it wasn’t worth it and most people knew that place was corrupt from the inside out, but Zimmerman was heard saying he saw the good in doing it for our community. They have great doctors and nurses, but the crooks in the C-suite never let the marketing company brand it properly so people would pick them first. Instead Holy Cross, Cleveland Clinic and Baptist Health are eating their lunch right in their backyard.

    All of the recent news articles suggest that they need to fill the beds and do more business at the outpatient centers and walk-in clinics. Isn’t that what Zimmerman was attempting to do? What a shame.

  29. Stormwatch says:

    Owl knows nothing..what rock did you just crawl out from under? If you’re such an insider, how come you never got in on the 71 million no bid contract? The one guy who knew it was BS got a nice pay out to go away. Then again, you’re probably a Zimmerman employee, which would explain you trying to sugar coat him being a big part of all this fraud. No bid contracts worth millions and fund raisers for the chairmans wife? Some of us don’t need to be all the way at the end of the tunnel until we see the light. Especially with real journalist like Buddy and Dan leading the way. GFY!

  30. telling the truth says:

    @23 and
    @25
    wish there was a ‘Like’ button to agree with you on Buddy Nevins and Dan Christensen investigative reporting. So true.
    I haven’t bought or read a sun-sentinel in years – like going back to about 2009 or 2010 when the whole newspaper changed (re-sized print sheets, more white space than ink, etc.)
    If not for Browardbeat, Broward Bulldog and My Acts of Sedition (thank you Chaz Stevens MAOS) the shenanigans and worse corruption and fraud in Broward would never be known.

  31. Karma says:

    David,

    With your experience in the healthcare field, maybe you could catch on as a Legislaive Aid with Rep. Julio Gonzalez

  32. Lynn B. says:

    Although the recent suspensions, bond downgrades and financial challenges are a challenge in the public perception, they should not distract anyone from the proposed valuation of the district for possible privatization. Commissioners Sheela VanHoose and Rocky Rodriguez will make motions to replace current Board leadership and for the public sale of Broward Health to private competitors are concerning. A public sale means ad Valorem taxes decrease by +$140 million and 7500 employees locally. Taxes go away and 7500 public sector jobs cut become new Gov Scott private sector jobs! Nice work. Except the political engineering to remove opposing Commissioners who are seeking transparency, public health and community support. Just my thoughts as a neutral 3rd party at BH Corporate.

    Have additional to report. Send it here-

    Compliance Hotline 1-888-511-1370 … Broward Health has a Vice President Chief Compliance Officer/Privacy Officer, …

  33. Chaz Stevens, Satan's Buddy says:

    Then, there’s this.

    https://www.myactsofsedition.com/blog/2016/03/20/maos-files-formal-fdle-complaint-chip-lamarca/

  34. Further Watching says:

    And now as all the arguing continues, the board is considering a no-bid deal with a Huron Consulting company. Here we go again!

  35. @27 or the owl says:

    Now I see why Zimmerman is so successful because that’s a load of great sounding spin, but the giant hole in your “story” is that if it was such a bad deal and nobody else would take it then Zimmerman could have done the whole process through a legal open bid or Rfq or even itn and walked into the contract as the only competitor.
    But they didn’t. Makes you wonder why!

  36. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    @ 27 is repeating b.s. the con men use to justify POINTLESS tax payer spending on services that line the pockets of vendors who BUY THE VOTES OF ELECTED N APPOINTED OFFICIALS because honest appraisals of these services would show the services would be useless or wasteful or duplicate other services or all tbree.
    Hospitals dont get patients because of advertising BUT BECAUSE OF PHYSICIAN REFERRALS in the Main AND NO PHYSICIAN IN SOUTH FLORIDA TO MY FAMILY OR FRIENDS EVER SUGGESTED NORTH BROWARD.
    DO YOU THINK MT SINAI GETS PATIENTS BECAUSE OF ADS? Do you think my cousine in Palm Beach County was operated on at JACKSON because of advertiding? Do you think my Cousins in Monroe n Palm Beach County go to Hospitals because of advertising?
    WOULD YOU CHOOSE YOUR HODPITAL BASED ON ADVERTISING?
    And Jordan Zimmerman does NOT own the firm. He sold it. That firm us now run by a French Morrocan Jew for a family of French-Russian Jews who include one of the Socialist Party’s strongest campaigners AGAINST SLEAZY GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS N WASTEFUL SPENDING.
    Someone should drop the dime on Zimmerman n call Paris.
    AND MISS MCGILL YOU TOOK THE WORDS OUT OF MY MOUTH. THE B.S. CHILDRENS MUSEUM IS CONTROLLED BY DI PETRO AS WELL. HES A PLAGUE IN BROWARD CO.

  37. Zimmerman is not a saint says:

    Nice try, Mr. Owl. The facts are the facts. Read the minutes from the Dec. 2015 commission meeting and it’s very clear what Zimmerman did in order to serve their own interest by jacking up the advertising budget and their compensation. Shame on them for using national norms and not asking their client for actual data (e.g., average profit margin per night, average occupancy, and even their actual number of beds). I’d say it was a rookie mistake but I don’t think it was a mistake — it worked in their favor to use national numbers to justify an ROI which was a five-fold increase in the ad budget. And the morons in charge at Broward Health, all clueless, bought into it hook, line and sinker. Mr. Martin brought this to the board’s attention and was then fired.

    As a self-proclaimed “longtime marketing and advertising insider”, you must know how challenging it would be to spend $10 million in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market. In fact, even if they bought TV for 365 days a year (disastrous if they did given BH is a tax-payer assisted entity and there would have been public outcry), they’d still have about $3-$4 million left over.

    And finally, you stated “nobody else would have even tried to do this deal because it wasn’t worth it.” Please. That’s just laughable. Don’t make Jordan Zimmerman out to be a saint who stepped up to the plate and helped them, out of the goodness of his heart. A retainer fee of $1.9 million a year based on a $10 million budget equates to a 19% fee. Standard ad agency compensation is 15%, and typically lower based on a budget that size. I can assure you that, if given the chance, many local ad agencies would have jumped at the chance for that deal.

    It is you, Mr. Owl who is misguided, without fact, and delusional.

  38. City Activist Robert Walsh says:

    #19 -so what are you saying “you scratch my back, i’ll scratch yours’ …. So your saying Zimmerman Inc. …lamarca’ sister inlay… a paid off house…You think or imply rather that there is a paper trail, show me, put up or shut up.. As far as atty.Dipietro gets shit canned by Gov>Scott and David is deemed the crook. I not following wasn’t it Mr.Dipietro who wanted full transparecy, wasn’t Dipietro who brought the investiagtion forward etc. Oh there is a rat, i’m just not so sure its Dipietro.

  39. FWIW says:

    I heard a rumor- don’t know if there is any truth to it- that LaMarca has a wealthy family including an uncle who is a priest (another corrupt organization- the Catholic church- but that’s another story) that gave him the money to pay off that mortgage. I think his wife’s family is pretty well off too.

  40. @37 says:

    You forgot public entities get the lowest rates so it’s probably even more than that.

  41. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    As those who follow events over the past few years especially from Messrs Christiensen n Nevins Di Pietro was the CAPTAIN OF NOT ONE BUT TWO SHIPS THAT WENT OFF COURSE.

  42. Owl says:

    Government agencies consider just one company for a job for any of a number of reasons. Urgent action may be needed or a vendor may have specialized expertise or be a company proven in the field. Zimmerman Advertising qualifies under each of these criteria. In such cases, “no bid” contracts save time in procuring equipment and services, save money in hiring search teams and, particularly when a locally based company is selected, allow for a seamless transition.

    It’s interesting to read the comments and note the political nature of this blog piece. But, who is the number one supporter of “no bid” contracts in the history of our country? Obama. And, this is of course despite his repeated campaign promises to the contrary.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/no-bid-us-government-contracts-jump-9-percent-despite-push-for-competition/2013/03/17/9f6708fc-8da0-11e2-b63f-f53fb9f2fcb4_story.html

    Additionally, nearly all of his “no bids” have been abject failures. But, never a word by these commenters about that.

    Conversely, the “no bid” contract here did not fail. The commissioners sought to elevate Broward Health to national status rather than having the entire advertising concept rest on the shoulders of a local athlete. By giving Broward Health national exposure and continuing to elevate the quality of patient care, all of our citizens benefit. Moreover, issues related to the contract were still up for debate and Mr. DiPietro was active in promoting transparency and cooperation.

    Finally, as an aside, my previous comment (at #12 “Owl”) raised none of the issue that my detractors address in their responses. I continue to welcome the discussion as this blog is open for varied opinions, but I wonder if they all learned to read in schools that Superintendent Runcie oversees….

    FROM BUDDY:

    A no-bid contract in the public sector opens government to criticism and charges of favoritism. Interestingly enough, several years ago Zimmerman was forced to compete with at least one other firm for a Florida Lottery contract, something they didn’t have to do at Broward Health. They lost. When the contract was bid again, Zimmerman didn’t compete, according to reporter Gary Fineout.

  43. Not the Owl says:

    I have to had it to the anonymous attack dogs on this blog. Unlike the Sentinel where Buddy used to work, people don’t have to include their name on this cyberblog.
    The personal attacks are so obvious as to who they are. One appears to be one of the commissioners that has been crowing around town at their successful manipulation of our corrupt governor,

    On the Zimmerman deal, if you went to the meetings you would know that there is no “deal” for $71.4M. They do the regular media and Broward Health has an inside guy named Ben Porritt who Elsanadi got a no-bid deal for $500K to be the inside guy. He’s married to one of Eddie Pozzuoli’s employees named Heidi Armstrong. Rumor has it Benny Boy was a GW Bush guy in the White House and has tried to parlay that into a steady stream of political cash. Maybe he is planning to take over the advertising when Zimmerman walks away from the crumbling Brow Health?
    Did a little more checking while I was watching the last board meeting circus, and it seems he was the social media guru for LaMarca’s successful campaign. I follow Chip on social media and it doesn’t look like he even needs a consultant. That guy is everywhere in Broward and posts like crazy.
    As a doc, I am so sick of

  44. Not the Owl says:

    I have to hand it to the anonymous attack dogs on this blog. Unlike the Sentinel where Buddy used to work, people don’t have to include their name on this cyberblog. The personal attacks are so obvious as to who they are. One appears to be one of the commissioners that has been crowing around town at their successful manipulation of our corrupt governor,

    On the Zimmerman deal, if you went to the meetings like most of us do from the medical staff, you would know that there is no such deal for $71.4M. Our late CEO wanted to do a large TV/radio/newspaper media purchase so some of the people who pass by our hospitals to go to Memorial or Cleveland or Holy might remember us. They do the regular advertising like the fancy Zachariah billboard that popped up. Zimmerman is good, but they aren’t the only ones doing advertising and marketing for us. Broward Health has an inside guy named Ben Porritt who Elsanadi got a no-bid deal for $500K to be the his guy. He’s married to one of Fast Eddie (Pozzuoli) employees named Heidi Armstrong. Rumor has it Benny Boy was a GW Bush guy in the White House and has tried to parlay that into a steady stream of political cash. Maybe he is planning to take over the advertising when Zimmerman walks away from the crumbling Brow Health? Then I did a little more checking while I was watching the last board meeting circus, and it seems he was the social media guy for Lamarca’s reelection campaign. He likes to tell use that win to get political business. What’s strange is I follow Chip on social media and it doesn’t look like he even needs a consultant. That guy is everywhere in Broward and posts like crazy. Pretty impressive compared to the other commissioners. Maybe he has to because he’s a GOPer.

    As a doc, I am so sick of the public health system being the butt of jokes and these stupid blogs, terrible corruption and crooked executives in the suite. They couldn’t care less about health care, but the guy that seemed to really care and want to make a difference by bringing the dirty deeds into the sunshine was Dipietro. Now our corrupt POS gov takes him out? I heard David was one of his biggest supporters. What a shame that this guy listened to a politically motivated OIG or maybe it was Slick Rick who was pissed that David and three other members voted to bring in a great local lawyer Mitchell Berger who happens to be a HUGE DEMOCRAT!
    He let that one go, but when they appointed the best CEO for the job-Pauline Grant, maybe Silly Rick decided that was one too many democrats and Billy Rubin called up his Chief of Staff Melissa Sellers to get the OIG to remove our gladiator Dipietro. Either way, this blog and the other crap that’s been written are totally missing the real crime at our health system.

    Next post we will introduce some of those real seedy low lifes, like Dan Lewis who wanted Nask to give him over one million dollars for a job he had no training or education for! Maybe we can also talk about the real problem…the a-hole thief that the FBI and Wayne Black were on to, causing the formation of a grand jury. It’s almost like the Broward School Board all over again. Sad, but true people.

  45. scotty mac says:

    I Have had dealings with David Di Pietro
    in the past. I have always found him to be
    a person of deceit and dishonesty he would say
    anything to get his way and make others look at fault. despite the truth, I’m glad to see the midget is getting what he deserves…. way to go big shot ,,

  46. scotty mac says:

    way to go little man ,,, its called karma LOL

  47. For shits and giggles says:

    If Lamarca had family money to pay off the notes on his home the why would he have allowed himself to be exposed as a deadbeat who hadn’t paid his mortgage though out the latest election? Makes no sense.

    If Chip had access to family money, why did he go almost 5 years not paying the debt? Chip admitted to Brittany Walllman during the election his construction company was non existent and he was a consultant working from his house. Ruling out family money, where else does this guy come up with almost a half million to pay off his mortgages a few weeks before the Zimmerman ahade meeting at NBHD.

    Chip filed his Form 6 with the State on or before Dec 31, 2015. He has a copy now. Come on Chip don’t make everyone wait until July 1 when the State publishes the document, show it to us now. It has to show where the income came from to pay off the mortgages.

    If Chip has nothing to hide, he will produce a copy of his 2015 Form 6 now.

  48. @44 says:

    DDP was a Bill McCollum, Charlie Crist guy. Just like all the other former power playing Broward Republicans. Then came Rick Scott and Marco Rubio who took the winds right out of their sails.
    Blow away little guys. Blow away….

  49. Jacksonville says:

    Dear Buddy,

    With regard to the Florida Lottery advertising contract you mention in response to #42, my understanding is that one was bid on by three companies. St. John’s, Zimmerman and Pyper, Paul. Eventually Piper, Paul dropped out. St. John’s was selected over Zimmerman and that selection was contested. A settlement was reached. Part of that settlement involved Zimmerman moving on. It’s all from 2009 I believe. Low bid doesn’t always win….

  50. @FWIW says:

    Even if that were true, any gift to a public official has to be disclosed. Even from a rich uncle.
    A death would leave a paper trail from probate.
    If any of this were true, chip would stand up with the documents and clear his name. He hasn’t because he’s either lazy, stupid, or corrupt.

    FROM BUDDY:

    Let me make it clear. Chip La Marca has done nothing except owe money on a mortgage and then pay it back. He has until July to file state-mandated forms disclosing the details of this payment.

  51. FTL Voter says:

    If Chip is claiming he got a $450,000 gift from a distant relative, he’s going to need to prove it pretty soon. Maybe he should come forward now and show the proof to the media to put this to rest. Alternatively, silence doesn’t look good. Did he declare it on his gift reports? The Feds can get bank records so everyone should know soon. Or will Chip decide he wants to resign to spend more time with his family (or lawyers)?

    FROM BUDDY:

    Once again, I repeat.

    Let me make it clear. Chip La Marca has done nothing except owe money on a mortgage and then pay it back. He has until July to file state-mandated forms disclosing the details of this payment.

    These attacks are La Marca are off topic.

  52. Hospital 1 says:

    The best hospitals are Baptist and Jackson- I see someone mentioned Mt Sinai, ha, that’s where you check in and don’t check out.

  53. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    “The Owl” makes only ONE valid point “it’s like the SCHOOL BOARD”.

    1. A public that DOESNT CARE
    2. The rich n educated AVOID THE PUBLIC SERVICE
    3. FEW IF ANY PROFESSIONAL STAFF or BOWARD MEMBERS HAVE IVY LEAGUE or degrees from FIRST CLASS institutions unless politically correct admissions NOT IN MEDICAL FIELDS.
    4. NO BID CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES THAT ARE NIT EMERGENCIES – does any one think “adverting” is an EMERGENCY SERVICE?
    5. ON THE PAD EMPLOYEES DEFEND THE INSTITUTION

    Have I missed anything?

  54. Shut up zimmerman says:

    Thou protest too much

  55. Judge Di Pietro says:

    The s@it has officially hit the fan. What if the bar gets wind of this supposed corruption? How can one continue to practice law successfully (as mentioned above) without a license? This has to be bigger than DDP & LaMarca but they will end up getting beat the hardest with the big mans thick cock.

  56. Retire Di Pietro says:

    Meanwhile: Young At Art partnership with county still on shaky ground http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-young-at-art-troubles-20160318-story.html

    Guess who the wizard Chairing this Board of this flailing institution is. Yep David strikes again.

  57. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    @52 is referringto A SiNGLE famous incident SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
    The senior care heart disease facilities ARE SECOND TO NONE.
    Unlike North Broward the Board at Mt Sinai is composed of the BEST PEOPLE not political hacks. N nobodies

  58. Oh Buddy says:

    If Lamarca led Young David down the primrose path for $$$ to get out of his foreclosure (which I think he did) criticizing LaMarca is completely on topic.
    Just saying.

  59. CUre says:

    This just in… Commissioner Christopher Ure had Broward Health interim CEO hire Hill &Knowles PR firm in no-bid contract to run a personal editorial for him using Broward Health tax dollars. Look for it to air soon. Then see who pays the bill.

  60. A TOTAL JOKE says:

    So, I just had the ‘pleasure’ of reading Commissioner Ure’s little editorial in the Sun Sentinel.

    Does he really think that people are going to take him seriously? If you have been to any meeting, you would see that he is incapable of putting his thoughts together in a cohesive statement. He was actually heckled at the last meeting for talking in circles and being incapable of answering a question in less than 20 minutes. There is no way in the world that he wrote that article. Maybe a publicist wrote it for him.

    Irony is the topic of that editorial. Lecturing about transparency when he voted to have discussions about an FBI investigation in the shade, among other topics he wanted discussed in the shade.

    Give me a break, Ure. Your little article was a nice attempt at looking important and caring, but I’m not buying it.

    When you learn how to speak at the level of an 8th grader, please feel free to speak up. Until then, please, just stop talking.

    FROM BUDDY:

    Having attended several Broward Health meetings in the past months, I found Christopher Ure to be extremely long winded. He may not be a politician, but he has already developed one of the most detestable traits of one: The ability to talk endlessly and say nothing. Even after his endless comments on every subject, he had the ability to take all sides of an issue.

    It was also clear to me and many in the audience that Ure has been jockeying to replace David Di Pietro as the leader of the commission long before the governor’s actions removing Di Pietro last week.

  61. tell the truth says:

    not a CPA or IRS employee but any sums over $10k have to be declared for taxes.
    The 2015 IRS tax filings MUST match the July 2016 disclosure.
    An insurance payout/settlement is tax free.
    Any other funds/income is that ad taxes must be paid.
    even if just 20% on 400k is 80K to the Feds/IRS.

  62. Finding out fas who your says:

    I feel sorry for DiPietro.

    Chip LaMarca couldn’t tie his shoes in the morning without the advise and counsel for David. Everyone knows that David was the calm and pragmatic one who pulled Chip and Eileen of the edge when their emotions anger and inherent bad judgment got the best of them. David swore Chip in after the last election. I find it interesting that no one has wondered aloud why Chip has not come out in support of a man he called his brother.

    FROM BUDDY:

    Again, this post is not about Chip La Marca.

  63. hospital1 says:

    @57 Cardiac care is good in South Florida or the programs would be shut down. For what it’s worth- Baptist Hospital’s Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute is probably the best in the world.
    Interesting that the single famous incident from several years ago has not been forgotten.

    FROM BUDDY:

    Let’s not forget that some of Broward Health’s hospitals lagged behind Memorial Healthcare and private hospitals in patient safety, according to a 2015 report. Browardbeat.com’s post on this is here.

  64. In the know says:

    BUDDY: Oh but Blanche it is about Chip, it is. Read the bulldog article. Chip is in this up to his chinnie chin chin.

    FROM BUDDY:

    I don’t have to read the bulldog article. I wrote it.