House Candidate Flouts Traffic Laws…Repeatedly
BY BUDDY NEVINS
House candidate Michael Gottlieb appears to believe he is so important that he is above some laws.
Traffic laws.
Michael Gottlieb
Gottlieb is one of five candidates running in Plantation/Davie based Florida House District 98 to replace Democratic state Rep. Katie Edwards of Plantation, who is retiring.
Long before Gottlieb was running for office, he was running from traffic laws.
This is not just the case of a driver caught in a speed trap going a few miles over the limit. He was not pulled over by some overweight rustic sheriff in a cowboy hat hiding behind a tree with a radar gun.
Gottlieb has more than a dozen traffic tickets in the past 20 years in just Broward and Palm Beach County. Browardbeat.com has no idea whether he has more charges in Miami, in Memphis or anywhere else.
The charges include speeding, driving with expired tags, driving without insurance, running red lights and careless driving.
A criminal defense attorney, Gottlieb apparently believes that he can disregard the law when it suits his interests.
Just a sample of Gottlieb’s charges:
- Running his Porsche into the back of a stopped vehicle in 2011.
- Going 50 mph over the speed limit on Nob Hill Road because, according to the 2013 Davie Police report, he was “late to football practice.”
- Failing to have proof of insurance three separate times.
- Speeding 20 to 40 mph over the limit three different times in 2014.
- Driving with an expired license tag.
And on. And on.
All but two of his tickets over the past 20 years were dismissed in court. So technically, he was not guilty of anything. Technically.
Yet, doesn’t it appear that Gottlieb believes traffic laws can be bent to suit him?
Want more proof?
What arrogance!
I’m so important that rules don’t apply to me, Gottlieb is writing on Facebook.
I’m reminded of the late New York City hotel owner Leona Helmsely, who infamously said, “We don’t pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes.”
I believe that Gottlieb’s driving record is indicative of someone who is so self-absorbed he doesn’t believe he has to follow rules. Those rules are for other, less important people.
It’s up to House District 98 voters to decide whether to send such a person to Tallahassee.
August 9th, 2018 at 11:23 am
Wow now we are examining traffic tickets.As an officer of the court u would assume he knows the law etc.However, when he ligataited these infractions apparently they were all dismissed.
August 9th, 2018 at 3:24 pm
Buddy;
I am beginning to think you have a vendetta against Mike Gottlieb. I have known Mike for years and consider him a friend. He is a superb lawyer and I think, even though he is a Democrat, will make one heck of a good State Representative. Yet everything you post about him is is negative, bordering on nasty. You may prefer his opponents that’s your right, but going after a guy for SPEEDING tickets, that’s a little petty. I could understand DUI’s, but speeding tickets. If he speeds, it is certainly not a reflection on his disregard for the law, but more a symptom of how South Floridians drive. I am sure you never speed yourself, of course. I would hope that you would evaluate what you are writing about this race, I have great respect for you as a journalist, so it surprises me that you seem to be so unfair in this particular case.
FROM BUDDY:
I could care less who wins that race or almost any race. It will make absolutely no difference in my life if he wins or doesn’t win. I have written a lot about Gottlieb because there is so much to write.
I view the tickets as an issue of character. This appears to be a guy — I have never met him and never heard of him before the election. — who believes he is above the traffic laws. A few tickets, okay. But more than a dozen! Would he want his children to have a driving record like his?
And what about his ridiculous Facebook post? Really. Do you want a state rep who blathers all over the Internet like, ah, Trump?
August 9th, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Sure wish he would post a media message when he is going to be on the road so I can get the kids & dogs in. Just what we need in the neighborhood, another arrogant immature irresponsible jackass speeding.
August 9th, 2018 at 4:32 pm
Decidedly unimpressed with this guy.
August 10th, 2018 at 7:10 am
Why doesn’t anybody comment on how Gottlieb is trying to buy the race? I have received seven pieces of mail from him in the past two weeks. He is spending too much money for such a seat. Why is that?
August 10th, 2018 at 10:30 am
Buddy,
I appreciate your exposing information we should know about people running for elective office. But there are bigger stories than traffic tickets. There is a guy running for judge (Richard Brian Kaplan) that had domestic violence restraining orders taken out against him….. He is running for JUDGE. You should focus your talents and energy on exposing this guy. The voters need to know.
FROM BUDDY:
You made some serious allegations. Kaplan had a messy divorce in 2005. He was alleged to have committed domestic violence but the case was dismissed because “the Evidence Presented Is Insufficient Under Florida Law (Section 741.30 Or 784.046, Florida Statutes) To Allow The Court To Issue An Injunction For Protection Against Domestic Violence.”
I’ve literally looked at dozens of divorce cases at the Sun-Sentinel and other publications following up on tips like this. They almost always don’t meet my standards for publication. Any allegations tied to a divorce is hard to prove. They tend to be he-said, she-said.
I was recently leaked an allegation against a candidate embroiled in a divorce. I told the political consultant that I’m not going to post serious personal allegations that can ruin somebody’s reputation without proof. Proof is not just the spouses word in a divorce! Charges are sometimes placed in a divorce to gain leverage.
The consultant who tried to leak the allegation in the latest case fed it to another website after I turned it down. And the allegation ended up on the Internet, posted on a website widely known as willing to publish anything for a price.
August 10th, 2018 at 11:24 am
I absolutely loathe people who are so anti-social that they think traffic and parking laws don’t apply to them. This guy is a jerk.
August 10th, 2018 at 1:50 pm
what do the traffic records of his opponents look like? just wondering why you have such a vendetta for this ONE candidate. this article prompted me to check only Broward County for his opponents traffic records. even more convinced now that you have something against this one guy…
August 11th, 2018 at 10:27 am
Buddy, I’m shaking my head over here. So, you won’t publish a story about a lawyer (running for Judge))who had domestic allegations ‘filed’ in court that were dismissed, because the Allegatons ‘were insufficient’. But you decide to run with a story about a lawyer (running for House Rep) with traffic tickets filed that the majority of were dismissed. If your issue is dismissal for insufficient evidence, why didn’t you choose to run with only the traffic tickets were upheld. Buddy I’m also curious why you haven’t run stories about other candidate’s traffic ticket history ( this election cycle), not just in this race. There are others in and out of his race with traffic tickets, dismissed and or not dismissed. You can certainly understand why based on these facts it appears that you are indeed biased against Michael Gottlieb
FROM BUDDY:
Michael Gottlieb arrogantly posted a picture on Facebook bragging that he illegally parked at the courthouse. That alone speaks to his character. His entire driving record, plus the police reports, also were made available to me.
The allegations made against Gottlieb were made by various sworn police officers again and again. The allegations against the lawyer were made by his aggrieved now ex-spouse. Totally different.
August 13th, 2018 at 7:34 am
That was not a good habit. He supposed to be a public servant and should follow rules. Not run away from his offense.
August 14th, 2018 at 1:05 pm
I will tell more about this guy called Michael Gottlieb. He is arrogant and he thinks is above the law.
He is ALWAYS speeding in our community, located on Nob Hill Road, even when children are playing on the streets.
He never complied with our community rules, never. His house is completely dirty, he does not want to pressure cleaning.
His dog, used to be unleash in our community barking.
This guy is a great pest. Do not vote for him.
August 28th, 2018 at 8:18 am
Gottlieb harassed voters at the West Broward Regional early voting location by demanding they vote for him. He accosted me as I walked in, grabbed my arm and started arguing with me when I said I was supporting another candidate. ARROGANT PIG!!!!