FLORIDA BULLDOG Watchdog News You Can Sink Your Teeth Into
PRESS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: March 25, 2026 Source: FloridaBulldog.org — Independent Nonprofit Watchdog Journalism
Florida Bulldog, South Florida’s premier independent nonprofit investigative news organization, continues its mission of holding the powerful accountable with a series of in-depth investigative reports exposing corruption, conflicts of interest, and abuses of power across government and law enforcement. The following four articles represent some of the most significant watchdog journalism published by Florida Bulldog in recent weeks. Readers are encouraged to visit FloridaBulldog.org for full coverage and to consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support this vital public-interest reporting.
Congressmen Gimenez & Diaz-Balart Secured Millions in Federal Earmarks for Li’l Abner Developer While Accepting Hundreds of Thousands in PAC Donations
By Dan Christensen and Cassidy Winegarden | FloridaBulldog.org | March 22, 2026
In one of the most consequential investigative findings Florida Bulldog has published in recent memory, reporters Dan Christensen and Cassidy Winegarden have uncovered a deeply troubling intersection of federal earmark power and private campaign fundraising involving two of South Florida’s most prominent Republican congressmen. U.S. Representatives Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz-Balart, both representing Miami-area districts, used their authority on the House Appropriations Committee to direct a combined $10 million in federal housing funds to a for-profit developer — a man who, federal election records reveal, contributed $400,000 to their political action committees during the same period.
The developer at the center of this story is Raul F. Rodriguez, CEO of CREI Holdings LLC and the principal force behind the Li’l Abner III affordable housing project in Sweetwater, Miami-Dade County. The project, an eight-story, 326-unit apartment building valued at approximately $86 million, sits on the former site of the Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park — a community that, as recently as late 2024, housed approximately 3,000 working-class and elderly residents. Those residents were evicted in a prolonged, emotionally devastating displacement that drew widespread media coverage across South Florida television and print outlets.
What the public did not know during those months of wrenching evictions was that behind closed doors, both Gimenez and Diaz-Balart were actively lobbying the House Appropriations Committee on Rodriguez’s behalf. Florida Bulldog spent nearly a year combing through thousands of pages of public records — federal election filings, congressional earmark letters, county housing documents, and lobbying disclosures — to piece together a timeline that raises serious questions about possible violations of House Ethics rules governing the relationship between official congressional action and campaign contributions.
According to records obtained by Florida Bulldog, Rep. Diaz-Balart filed his first earmark request on April 29, 2022, seeking funds for the Sweetwater Affordable Housing Project without naming the developer or providing substantive detail. Despite asking for $20 million, he ultimately secured $4 million in Community Project Funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Eleven days after Miami-Dade County publicly announced it intended to request HUD release those funds to CREI, Rodriguez contributed $250,000 to the Mario Diaz-Balart Victory Fund — one of the largest single contributions in the fund’s history.
Similarly, Rep. Gimenez sought $10 million in earmarks for Abner III in May 2025. Just weeks after he submitted the request, Rodriguez contributed $150,000 to the Gimenez Victory Committee — a figure twelve times larger than any other single donor’s contribution to that committee. Gimenez’s earmark letter, like Diaz-Balart’s, certified that he had “no financial interest” in the project. The House Ethics Manual, however, warns that while political contributions don’t generally constitute a “financial interest” in the traditional sense, a contribution tied directly to official congressional action — such as an earmark request — may implicate federal bribery or illegal gratuity statutes.
Florida’s for-profit entities like CREI are prohibited from directly receiving congressionally directed spending. To work around that restriction, both congressmen designated Miami-Dade County’s Housing and Community Development department as the grant recipient, with CREI serving as a subrecipient. On February 3, 2026, Gimenez’s second earmark letter paid off: a $6 million appropriation was tucked inside the massive government funding bill that President Trump signed to end a partial government shutdown. To date, the funds have not been disbursed.
Perhaps most striking to Florida Bulldog reporters was what the two congressmen did not do: neither Gimenez nor Diaz-Balart made any public statement as hundreds of their constituents were evicted from their homes over the course of months. News cameras captured weeping residents, sheriff’s deputies, and demolished mobile homes — yet both men remained publicly silent on the human cost of a redevelopment project they were privately and aggressively funding through federal channels. Neither congressman nor CREI’s Raul Rodriguez responded to multiple requests for comment from Florida Bulldog reporters.
This investigation stands as a landmark example of why nonprofit investigative journalism matters. Without reporters willing to spend nearly a year sifting through thousands of public records, the connection between the displacement of 3,000 Floridians and $400,000 in political donations might never have come to light. Florida Bulldog’s coverage has sparked immediate public interest and significant online engagement, with thousands of readers sharing and discussing the findings across social media platforms. Legal and ethics scholars contacted by Florida Bulldog described the pattern of contributions and earmarks as unusually brazen and potentially subject to federal review.
Attorney General Pam Bondi Seeks to Shield Her Lawyers from Bar Discipline Using a Florida Rule That Already Protects Her Own Law License
By Noreen Marcus | FloridaBulldog.org | March 15, 2026
In a development with sweeping implications for legal accountability in the United States, Florida Bulldog reporter Noreen Marcus has uncovered that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is actively working to extend a Florida Bar rule — one that has effectively insulated her own law license from discipline despite documented evidence of professional misconduct — to similarly protect the attorneys who work for her. The revelation raises profound questions about equal application of professional conduct standards and the independence of state bar associations when politically powerful figures are involved.
Bondi, who served as Florida Attorney General from 2011 to 2019 before being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the nation’s top law enforcement officer under President Trump, has faced scrutiny over her conduct in a number of high-profile legal matters. Despite what Florida Bulldog describes as documented evidence of misconduct, Bondi has faced no meaningful consequences with respect to her Florida law license — a situation that legal ethics experts say is attributable in large part to a Florida Bar provision that limits disciplinary proceedings against attorneys serving in certain government capacities.
What Florida Bulldog has now learned is that Bondi is not content to simply benefit from that existing protection herself. According to reporting by Marcus, Bondi is seeking to adapt the Florida rule so that it would extend to attorneys who work within her Department of Justice. This would potentially create a broad professional immunity for DOJ lawyers, shielding them from state bar discipline even when their conduct in federal government service might otherwise warrant investigation or sanction.
Critics of the proposal argue that it represents an alarming precedent — effectively creating a class of lawyers who operate beyond the reach of professional accountability mechanisms that govern every other attorney in the country. The Florida Bar’s disciplinary process exists to protect the public from attorney misconduct, and advocates for legal ethics warn that extending sweeping immunity to DOJ lawyers could compromise public trust in the administration of justice at the highest levels of federal government.
The story also highlights the broader structural question of what happens when sitting attorneys general — who wield enormous power over federal enforcement priorities, judicial appointments, and civil rights enforcement — face minimal professional accountability for their own legal conduct. Florida Bulldog’s reporting on this issue has prompted significant commentary from legal scholars, who note that the intersection of political power and bar discipline creates inherent conflicts of interest that most state bars are ill-equipped to navigate.
Marcus’s investigation draws on court records, bar filings, and legal scholarship to construct a detailed account of how the rule Bondi seeks to expand came to exist and how it has been applied — or not applied — in practice. The findings suggest that the Florida Bar’s existing framework for handling complaints against government attorneys is already permissive to an unusual degree, and that Bondi’s proposed expansion would further weaken what accountability mechanisms remain.
Florida Bulldog’s coverage of this story underscores why independent investigative journalism in the public interest is irreplaceable. The layered, document-intensive reporting required to expose the mechanics of professional accountability — or its absence — for the nation’s most senior law enforcement official is precisely the kind of work that only a committed, well-resourced newsroom can produce. Readers are encouraged to visit FloridaBulldog.org to read the full article and explore related reporting on accountability in Florida’s legal and political institutions.
Miami Beach Police Sergeant Built Multimillion-Dollar Private Security Empire While on Active Duty — And Misled His Superiors for More Than a Decade
By Francisco Alvarado | FloridaBulldog.org | March 12, 2026
A bombshell investigation by Florida Bulldog reporter Francisco Alvarado has revealed that Miami Beach Police Sergeant Luis Corps spent more than a decade constructing a multimillion-dollar private security business on the very streets he was sworn to police — all while violating conflict of interest laws and deliberately misleading his supervisors about the nature and scale of his outside employment. The investigation, based on a comprehensive review of financial records, police department disclosures, and business filings, paints a portrait of an officer who exploited his badge and his beat for extraordinary personal financial gain.
According to Florida Bulldog’s reporting, Sgt. Corps operated a private security enterprise that provided personnel to bars, nightclubs, and other entertainment venues in Miami Beach — the same establishments he was responsible for patrolling in his official capacity as a law enforcement officer. This arrangement created glaring conflicts of interest: a sergeant who was being paid by the very venues he was supposed to regulate, investigate, or respond to in cases of criminal activity or public safety violations.
Florida Bulldog’s investigation found that Corps accumulated millions of dollars in revenue from his private security operation over the years, far exceeding what state law and Miami Beach Police Department policy allow for secondary employment. Officers in Florida are required to disclose outside work, obtain prior approval from their departments, and refrain from employment that conflicts with their official duties. Records reviewed by Florida Bulldog indicate that Corps routinely underreported his earnings and misrepresented the identity of his private clients to department supervisors.
The implications of this investigation extend well beyond one sergeant’s misconduct. The story raises uncomfortable questions about the adequacy of oversight mechanisms within the Miami Beach Police Department and the degree to which supervisors were genuinely unaware of Corps’s activities over such a prolonged period. If a sergeant can operate a multimillion-dollar side business on the same city blocks he polices for more than a decade without meaningful scrutiny, it suggests systemic failures in departmental supervision, disclosure enforcement, and integrity monitoring.
Law enforcement experts note that outside employment in the private security industry is one of the most common and potentially serious sources of police corruption risk. When officers are financially dependent on the goodwill of venue owners or private clients, their ability to impartially enforce laws — from alcohol violations to assault to drug offenses — is compromised. The neutrality that is foundational to legitimate policing erodes when the officer’s paycheck depends on keeping the paying client happy.
Alvarado’s investigation is a model of the kind of painstaking records-based reporting that defines Florida Bulldog’s editorial mission. By cross-referencing business filings, financial disclosures, payroll records, and departmental correspondence, Florida Bulldog was able to assemble a detailed account of a pattern of conduct that had gone unaddressed for years. The story has attracted immediate attention from local officials and law enforcement watchdog organizations, and it is expected to prompt review of Miami Beach Police Department’s outside employment policies and oversight procedures.
Sgt. Corps’s case is a reminder that accountability journalism serves an essential function that internal departmental oversight mechanisms too often fail to provide. It is only because of reporters willing to spend months digging through records that stories like this one come to light — and only because readers and donors support nonprofit newsrooms like Florida Bulldog that such reporting is financially possible.
Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy Fails to Win Approval for Luxury Condo on Public Beachfront — But the Fight Is Far From Over
By Noreen Marcus | FloridaBulldog.org | March 6, 2026
Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy’s effort to place a luxury condominium tower on a stretch of public beachfront has suffered a significant setback, with a Broward County land-use panel declining to support the project despite the mayor’s personal advocacy on behalf of the developer. The story, reported by veteran Florida Bulldog journalist Noreen Marcus, reveals the behind-the-scenes pressure campaign mounted by Levy in support of the Related Group — the high-profile development firm led by Jorge Perez, one of South Florida’s most influential real estate figures — and the fierce community opposition that ultimately derailed it, at least for now.
The proposal would have placed a luxury residential tower on public beach property in Hollywood — a move that residents, community groups, and public land advocates condemned as an inappropriate privatization of shared coastal resources. Florida’s beaches have long been a flashpoint in the ongoing tension between development interests and the public’s right to access and enjoy coastal lands. The prospect of a high-rise luxury condo occupying public beachfront in a city where residents have historically enjoyed open access to the shore generated unusually intense opposition from across the political spectrum.
According to Florida Bulldog’s reporting, Mayor Levy found himself in an awkward position: caught between an existing contractual relationship with the Related Group and the fierce resistance of residents who viewed the project as a betrayal of the public trust. Rather than stepping back from the development, Levy chose to make the project a personal priority — appearing before the Broward County land-use panel in an attempt to secure the approval needed to move the condo forward.
The panel’s rejection of the proposal represents a victory for public land advocates and community members who argued that no private development — regardless of how lucrative or high-profile the developer — should be permitted to occupy public beach property in perpetuity. However, Florida Bulldog’s reporting makes clear that the fight is likely far from over. Developers with Jorge Perez’s resources and political connections rarely accept a single adverse ruling as the final word, and Mayor Levy’s continued support for the project suggests that additional attempts to secure approval may follow through different channels.
The story is particularly significant in the context of South Florida’s ongoing housing and development crisis, in which soaring property values, aggressive development activity, and the gradual privatization of public spaces are transforming communities up and down the coast. When public officials use their offices to advance the interests of wealthy developers at the expense of community land rights, the consequences ripple far beyond any single project. They establish precedents, erode public trust, and signal to development interests that political support can be traded for private benefit.
Noreen Marcus’s reporting on the Hollywood beachfront controversy exemplifies the kind of sustained, community-focused investigative coverage that Florida Bulldog provides to residents who would otherwise have no independent voice documenting how decisions about their shared public resources are made. The story has resonated deeply with Hollywood residents and with coastal advocates statewide, and it continues to generate significant reader response.
ABOUT FLORIDA BULLDOG
Florida Bulldog is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization serving South Florida and the state of Florida. Founded by award-winning journalist Dan Christensen, Florida Bulldog is staffed by veteran professional journalists committed to providing authoritative, in-depth reporting in the public interest. Florida Bulldog covers government, politics, the courts, education, business, the environment, health, and public safety — with a special focus on stories that powerful institutions would prefer to keep hidden.
As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, Florida Bulldog operates entirely through the generous support of readers, donors, and foundations that believe in the value of independent watchdog journalism. Every dollar donated directly supports the reporting, research, and publication of public-interest stories like the four featured in this press release. Florida Bulldog accepts no advertising that influences editorial content and is beholden to no political party, corporation, or government entity.
Florida Bulldog is a proud member of the Investigative News Network (INN), a national collaboration of nonprofit journalism organizations. Membership in INN requires meeting rigorous operational and editorial standards and reflects Florida Bulldog’s standing as one of the country’s leading regional investigative news outlets.
To read the full text of any of the four articles featured in this press release, and to explore Florida Bulldog’s complete archive of investigative reporting, please visit: www.FloridaBulldog.org
To support Florida Bulldog’s ongoing investigative journalism with a tax-deductible donation, please visit: Support Florida Bulldog — Donate Today
Your contribution — of any amount — directly funds the kind of accountability journalism that keeps elected officials, law enforcement, and powerful institutions honest. Florida Bulldog is one of Florida’s only independent, nonprofit newsrooms dedicated exclusively to investigative public-interest reporting. We cannot do this work without you.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For general inquiries: Mail@floridabulldog.org
Editor and Founder: Dan Christensen dchristensen@floridabulldog.org Phone: 954-603-1351
Director of Development: Kitty Barran kbarran@floridabulldog.org Phone: 954-817-3434
Mailing Address: Florida Bulldog P.O. Box 23763 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307
Florida Bulldog delivers fact-based watchdog reporting as a public service essential to a free and democratic society. Nonprofit · Independent · Nonpartisan · No Fake News © 2026 Florida Bulldog Inc. | FloridaBulldog.org
