4 July 18-24, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ MIAMI-DADE RED LIGHT? GREEN LIGHT? COUNTY EYES $72 MILLION PUBLIC TRANSIT UPGRADE. BY THEO KARANTSALIS M iami-Dade County is mulling whether to shell out $72.7 million to upgrade its public transportation system with new fare collection devices, ticket vending machines, and other equip- ment with an eye toward connecting to nearby counties’ transit networks. If approved, the project would be carried out under an initial six-year contract with Il- linois-based Genfare, a 40-year-old company that supplies transit equipment to dozens of agencies in the U.S. and Canada. The Miami-Dade Transportation, Mobil- ity and Planning Committee advanced the deal at its June 12 meeting in a unanimous vote. Members include county commission- ers Eileen Higgins (District 5), Danielle Co- hen Higgins (District 8), Juan Carlos Bermudez (District 12), Sen. René García (District 13), and Raquel Regalado (District 7). A memo signed by Miami-Dade Chief Op- erations Officer Jimmy Morales says the mul- timillion-dollar upgrades are essential to ensure public transportation runs smoothly in years to come. “Due to the age of the system, the equipment is experiencing frequent failures and requires repair, thus taking station lanes or buses out of operation, directly impacting service delivery to patrons. Additionally, failures that occur during active bus routes may require operators to wave passengers through without payment, resulting in impacts to revenue collection,” the memo states. For the project to be approved, the con- tract must receive a favorable vote from the Miami-Dade County Commission, and fund- ing has to be greenlit by the Citizens’ Inde- pendent Transportation Trust (CITT), a body that oversees the county’s half-penny surtax for transit projects. (CITT says the item was deferred at its June 26 meeting.) The deal would roll out in three phases, starting at the South Dade Transit Way. The first phase includes fare collection equipment, gates, ticket vending machines, fareboxes, and a monitoring system, accord- ing to the 56-page memo. In the second phase, Genfare would upgrade some 900 fareboxes on Miami-Dade’s fleet of Metro- buses. In the third phase, 270 fare gates and 120 ticket vending machines at Metrorail sta- tions would be replaced. Genfare beat out three other candidates for the contract. The company negotiated with Miami-Dade and the Department of Transportation and Public Works over a se- ries of 20 meetings between January and April 2024. Though he supported advancing the con- tract, Commissioner Bermudez urged the Department of Transportation and Public Works to have more frequent meetings with commissioners in advance of recommending large-scale contracts. “It would be a wise thing, when you have $72 million being spent, to let us know why, how, and when,” Bermudez said at the June 12 meeting. The county would have options to renew the contract through two, additional four- year terms. The county expects to enlist an- other vendor to install software upgrades. “A competitive solicitation is expected to be advertised this year for replacement of the software system,” says the memo, which was issued by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s office. Commissioner Regalado said the project is part of Miami-Dade’s long-term vision to cre- ate cross-county transit passes that would let bus, train, and shuttle riders hop about Mi- ami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach coun- ties. Currently, riders who venture over the county border face challenges with different payment systems, according to Regalado. “The fact that this would be a tri-county payment, one EASY card, all three counties, where you can hop on and hop off a train, a metro rail, a bus, a trolley, really will change the entire dynamic of transportation,” Re- galado said at the June 12 meeting. “All the counties are really looking for- ward to this,” Regalado said. “We want to connect.” CITT approval could pump $51.2 million in “People’s Transportation Plan” funding to- ward the equipment upgrades. The remain- ing $21.5 million is slated to come from the county’s Department of Transportation and Public Works budget. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Metrorail trains chug along near Government Center station. Photo by John Coletti/Getty Images ▼ MIAMI-DADE TAINTED LOVE NORTH MIAMI BEACH WOMAN ARRESTED IN ALLEGED ROMANCE SCAM. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN T wo women, one of them a North Miami Beach resident, have been arrested for defrauding multiple victims as part of a long-running scheme, according to an unsealed federal court complaint. Prosecutors in Manhattan say 48-year-old Rosanna Lisa Stanley and 37-year-old Gina Guy duped at least 16 “elderly and other vulnerable victims” into sending them more than $7 million during a 15-year scheme. Stanley was arrested in North Miami Beach on June 25, Guy in New York City that same day. They face charges of wire fraud, con- spiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to com- mit money laundering, and money laundering. Each charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. “As part of the scheme, Stanley and Guy lured the victims, who were nearly all elderly in- dividuals, into purported romantic or close per- sonal relationships through in-person meetings, phone calls, text messages, and an online dating platform,” the complaint reads in part. Prosecutors say the women told the men they needed the money for things like organ transplants and nonexistent businesses, includ- ing a Florida catering company. One victim who thought he was involved in an exclusive, romantic relationship with Stanley paid her rent and living expenses and showered her with gifts after she claimed she needed “money for basic necessities,” prosecutors claim. Stanley allegedly racked up thousands of dol- lars in charges on the man’s credit card without his permission after she received his online bank login and physical credit card. The man also gave Stanley $220,000, which she told him she needed for her catering busi- ness. There was no catering business, prosecu- tors say; Stanley used the money to pay off loans on a boat and a luxury car. According to the complaint, Stanley de- frauded at least $1 million out of another victim she met through her “purported astrology business in Manhattan.” She allegedly provided “psychic services” to the victim, telling themtheir money was “tainted” and that they needed to transfer the funds to her to “protect” it from bad influ- ences. “Over time, Stanley also convinced the victim to provide [her] with more and more money on the basis [she] could help the victim reach [their] desired life,” the complaint states. Guy allegedly defrauded four men, whom she met in person and on an online dating website, out of at least $908,000. Prosecutors say she told three of the men she needed money for a kidney transplant and scammed the fourth into agreeing to transfer his mother’s funds “to another bank that offered a better interest rate on funds on deposit.” According to the complaint, Guy spent her ill- gotten gains on pricey meals, luxury goods, rent, and utilities. Yet another elderly victim sent the women thousands of dollars, ostensibly to purchase a dressmaking business in New York City. “As alleged, Rosanna Lisa Stanley and Gina Guy callously defrauded elderly victims who were simply looking for companionship,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a press release. Romance scammers have been preying on lonely and elderly victims across the nation for years. In 2023 alone, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 64,000 reports of romance scams, with losses exceeding $1.1 billion. In May, a South Florida woman was arrested after she al- legedly funneled money on behalf of romance scammers from 2019 to August 2023. [email protected] PROSECUTORS SAY THE WOMEN TOLD THE MEN THEY NEEDED THE MONEY FOR THINGS LIKE ORGAN TRANSPLANTS AND NONEXISTENT BUSINESSES.
