| RIPTIDE | ▼ FLORIDA UNMISTAKEN IDENTITY U.S. Capitol — most recently the group’s Mi- ami-born leader Enrique Tarrio — one lesser- known figure seen with them that day appears to have multiple ties to high-profile GOP politics in Florida and beyond. In the months since the insurrection, on- A line sleuths, including the group Sedition Hunters, have played a key role in helping to identify January 6 insurrectionists, such as Weston’s own #Tweedledumb. Recently, they’ve zeroed in on a woman they dubbed “#PinkGaiterPBG,” who appears to have been photographed inside the Capitol sport- ing a baseball cap with an American flag and a black-and-pink gaiter and later alongside Proud Boys Gabriel Garcia and Ethan Nor- dean (both of whom have been arrested and charged with felonies in connection to the in- surrection). Twitter user @ne0ndistraction claims #PinkGaiterPBG is actually Barbara “Barby” Balmaseda, a Florida International Univer- sity (FIU) student and South Florida GOP strategist who interned for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio between 2018 and 2019, worked as an organizer on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2018 cam- paign, and served as campaign manager for Ileana “LGBT is not a permanent thing” Gar- cia’s controversial 2020 Florida Senate race. In a Twitter thread posted last week, @ne- 0ndistraction shared older photos of Bal- maseda and images of #PinkGaiterPBG side-by-side, pointing out similarities in ap- pearance, mannerisms, and accessories, in- cluding a distinctive ring Balmaseda wore at GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA NEED FOR SPEED T 44 BRIGHTLINE WANTS ITS TRAINS TO GO EVEN FASTER. BY ALEX DELUCA he Brightline travels at speeds up to 79 mph, but that’s apparently not fast enough. With the intercity route’s expansion to Orlando and then Tampa, Brightline’s senior vice president of corporate development, Christine Kefauver, recently told various news outlets that the higher-speed train will reach speeds up to 125 mph between West Palm Beach and Orlando, and up to 150 mph between Orlando and Tampa. The news follows a spate of Brightline crashes in South Florida. So far, 11 people have been struck and killed since Brightline resumed Screenshots via @MIAagainstFash/Twitter and Facebook Online sleuths claim South Florida GOP strategist Barbara Balsameda (right) is “#PinkGaiterPBG.” previous rallies and that #PinkGaiterPBG ap- pears to have worn at the Capitol on January 6. A former Vice City Proud Boy who was at the Capitol on January 6 and spoke on condition that he not be named for fear of retaliation, confirms to New Times that Balmaseda was there with Garcia. “Barby was there,” he says. Balmaseda did not respond to New Times’ requests for comment via Facebook, email, and phone. Rubio, DeSantis, and Garcia did not respond to New Times’ requests for com- ment via email. Balmaseda has not been charged in con- nection with the riot, nor has she addressed the allegations publicly. Since last week, her service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach in November, after a pan- demic-induced hiatus. In December 2019, the Associated Press called Brightline America’s deadliest train per mile. According to Mike Arias, a public roadway safety advocate, simply reducing the train’s speeds at busy crossing stations would be the best and cheapest solution to save lives. He says he recently wrote to Brightline officials offering solutions to make the train crossings safer, in- cluding slowing the trains to roughly 10 miles per hour at least half a mile away from busy cross- ings to allow train operators more time to brake if a vehicle or pedestrian is on the tracks. Brightline didn’t immediately respond to New Times’ request for comment via email, though it appears they’re not taking Arias’ advice. LinkedIn and Twitter accounts appear to have been deactivated. Balmaseda is listed as director at-large on the website of Miami Young Republicans. Until recently, she served as regional director for Young Conservatives for Carbon Divi- dends (YCCD), a self-described free-market climate advocacy campaign. A spokesperson for YCCD tells New Times that Balmaseda is no longer working with the group. Her name, photo, and bio, which appeared on the site just weeks ago, have been taken down. “We condemn the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th,” a spokesperson for YCCD tells New Times via email. “This information “It would definitely be a major setback for “IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE A MAJOR SETBACK FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.” public safety,” Arias, a retired traffic officer for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue with 40 years of experi- ence, tells New Times. “When you are increasing the travel speed by a mere, you know, 15 or 20 mph, the injuries are go- ing to be that much more severe.” Of course, slowing down would mean com- muters wouldn’t reach their destinations as quickly. The 230-mile trip from Orlando International Airport to Miami Cen- tral Station will reportedly take only three hours. A motorist would be lucky to arrive a half-hour later, and that’s assuming no traffic or construc- tion along the way. [about Balmaseda’s alleged participation in the insurrection at the Capitol] was recently brought to our attention on March 13th. We weren’t previously aware of it.” According to both parties’ Facebook profiles, Balmaseda is involved in a relationship with Brandon Diaz, executive director of the Miami- Dade GOP. Diaz did not respond to New Times’ requests for comment via Facebook and email. An FBI spokesperson declined to com- ment on the identity of the woman photo- graphed wearing the pink-and-black gaiter inside the Capitol building or to disclose whether an investigation has been opened into Balmaseda, citing the ongoing investiga- tion into January 6 attack. Arias also suggested installing cameras at each of the region’s nearly 180 crossings so that conductors and crew have enough time to react to hazards on the tracks. If Brightline moves forward with its plans to increase speeds, Arias says, he would suggest in- stalling elevated crossings in more populated ar- eas to allow the trains to run at full speed without the risk of striking vehicles, pedestrians, or bicyclists. He understands that the privately run rail route is likely considering the price tag that would accompany such safety initiatives. “But that should not, by any means of the imagination, take precedence over public safety just to save a couple of minutes of travel time for heaven’s sakes,” he says. [email protected] DID MARCO RUBIO’S FORMER INTERN STORM THE U.S. CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6? BY ALEX DELUCA s members of the far-right Proud Boys are being prosecuted for their roles in the January 6 attack on the MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 MARCH 31 - APRIL 6, 2022 MIAMI NEW TIMESNEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com
