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Home My WebLink AboutAppendix BAppendix B: Notice of Public Hearing MIAMI HERALD WEDNESDAYAUGUST1a,20211 PASSIM More Nation & World news, 27, 32-33A received donations of small plains and is importing oxygen "in low levels" because the shortage is worldwide, Portal Miranda said. He said that the gov- mment has created a working grog to monitor the situation. Diaz-Canel toured some of the military facilities on Monday and tried to strike a conciliatory tone, tweet- ing his thanks to the health- care workers "who are working full time in com- plex situations." The presidency's website announced that a small plant donated by Russia arrived Sunday and started producing oxygen Monday. T'..r State television showed Cuban leader - Miguel Diaz-Canel toured a medical oxygen -producing plant in Havana on images on Sunday night of Monday as authorities acknowledged an oxygen shortage amid a surge of COVID cases. military helicopters flying oxygen tanks to Holguin. Cuban doctors post video silence abbortout tthe Aker he shortage official of oxygen, critics in Cuba defending care, lashing meaquestioned why govern- ment haveecon- tingency plans to avoid out at the government's plant during a pandemic. depending on a sole oxygen • Others questioned how response to the pandemic bltianDf dODazsreffive- x NORA GAMEZ TORRES nramearorres@dnuevoneralam,n A group of defiant doc- tors in Cuba posted a rare video over the weekend criticizing the govern- ment's handling of the pandemic as COVID pa- tients continue to suffer from a lack of medicines and essential supplies. The video, featuring doctors from Holguin in eastem Cuba, came as the country's health minister publicly acknowledged an oxygen shortage amid a surge of coronavirus cases "I want to denounce the collapse of our health sys- tem in our hospital and many others," said Dr. Hector Alejandro Santieste- ban Fuentes, a second -year surgery resident at a hospi- tal named for Russian com- munist leader Vladimir Lenin. "his not a lie. No one is paying us It is the reality we are living today." Dr. Yuliet Consuegra Leyva, a third -year surgery resident at the same hospi- tal in Holguin, said the health personnel were "mistreated, every day, by the upper echelons, the authorities Actually, we are the ones sustaining this More than a dozen spe- cialists, residents, and in- terns from several hospitals in Holguin, including the head of intensive care at General Hospital Vladimir llich Lenin, Dr. Alejandro Eduardo Fortis Arafet, ap- peared in the video. The outspoken video is the latest example of how Cubans, including some working for the state, are becoming even more vocal after the anti -government protests that shook the island last month It's also more evidence that the COVID emergency is taking such a dramatic tun that health workers feel they need to speak out even at the risk of losing their jobs. The doctors were partic- ularly incensed by com- ments made by Cuba's prime minister Manuel Marrero, who blamed healthcare workers for discontent surrounding the COVID-19 response. In an official meeting in Cienfue- gos last week, Marrero said that the population was complaining more about mistreatment" and "ne- glect" of patients by the health workers than the shortage of medicines. "I publicly denounce that doctors are not to blame for the collapse of the health system in our country," said each of the participants in the video. The comments echoed those of other doc- tors who replied to Marrero with anger on social media. Rafael Alejandro Fuentes Sanchez, a general surgeon at one of the province's main hospitals, admowl- edged that the group feared government retaliation for making the video. "We are afraid, but we are not afraid of the pandemic; we are afraid of the government, of what it can do, and of the way it can react to the fact that we are speaking out to demand our rights and the rights of the people to have quality care," he said. On Sunday, the govern- ment finally acmowledged there is a shortage of oxy- gen to treat COVID pa- tients, as Cuban independ- ent media and the Herald have reported. The health minister, Jose Angel Portal Miranda, said there were "limitations with the medical oxygen cov- erage for patient care." He said the shortage was due to a broken part in the is- land's main oxygen -produc- ing plant, a breakdown that "nobody expected." In a local newspaper's July 29 report, there is a reference to the lack of oxygen in the centrally located municipality of Ciego de Avila due to the broken plant in Havana An official is quoted in the Invasor as saying the sit- uation was expected to last "until next month because the part that the Havana plant needs is imported from Germany, and it couldn't arrive earlier." For weeks, Cubans have been sharing stories of COVID patients in desper- ate need of oxygen on so - The Largest Antique Mall in South .Dade ntique Mall Y'A Fine, Costume & Vintage Jewelry, Disney, Lladro, Lalique, Lighting, lb,,, Furniture, Barware, Fine Art, Books Pottery, Paintings, Coins, LP's *0 Open 7 Days: Mon - Fri 10-5PM Sat 10-6PM, Sun 12-5PM 4 [estate Sales by AMY" Estate Liquidation and Moving Services www.AntlqueMallYall.co °.r• www.EstateSalesByAMY.com 305-969-0696 305-389-3425 sr 9845 E. Fern St., Palmetto Bay Turn left at US1 Si Fern St by Goodwill We Buy - Sell - Dealer Rental - Consign Estate S cal media. For instance, a woman from Moa, in Hol- guin, recorded a video showing five corpses wrap- ped in plastic bags and packing tape at a hospital morgue. "In Moa, everyone is dying because of the lack of oxygen," she cries in the video. The lack of medical oxy- gen comes as the island sees a COVID-19 surge, with one of the highest infection rates per person in the world. Authorities re- torted 9,169 cases and 65 deaths on Sunday, and more than 42,000 patients are being treated in hospi- tals Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel recently ad- mitted the public health system was overwhelmed. The health minister said that the government or- dered plants belonging to the military and other state institutions to produce oxygen The government ire from exporting doctors abroad in "medical bri- gades." For instance, a medical oxygen -producing plant sells for just $70,000 through Chinese online retailer Alibaba. Critics also pointed out that the govemment has drastically cut the public health budget in recent years. In 2020, for exam- ple, it only made new in- vestments for $80.4 million in public health and social assistance while funneling more than $4 billion to real estate, tourism, and `busi- ness services," according to official statistics. "The lack of oxygen in hospitals (#Cuba is literally choking) could have been foreseen by the govem- ment. Experts gave advance notice of this health disas- ter. And it could have been solved if they had invested in oxygen plants instead of continuing building hotels," said Cuban independent journalist Maykel Vivero. Miami man accused of servicing Venezuelan combat jets with `explosion suppressant foam' BYJAY WEAVERAND ANToanuNSAMADELGADo jneacer@ntanataaw.ca,n atelgada@lnueamliaailbmm It's not your typical South Florida weapons case alleging the export of missiles or assault rifles t0 a rogue nation. Jorge Nobrega is a pros- perous Miami businessman who sold foam to the Vene- zuelan air force —but U.S. authorities say this was a military -grade foam used to protect fuel tanks in its fleet of Russian -made planes from enemy fire. On Sunday, Nobrega was arrested. Now he's being held in a federal lockup on charges of violating U.S. presidential sanctions against the Venezuelan government and State Department weapons ex- port laws. He i5 also ac- cused of a money -launder - mg conspiracy for allegedly moving millions of dollars of illicit Venezuelan pay- ments through Venezuela, Thailand, Portugal and South Florida Nobrega, a U.S. citizen who had his first appear- ance Miami federal court Monday, faces detention before trial because federal prosecutors consider him a flight risk due to his wealth and intemational connec- tions. A detention hearing is set for Wednesday. Nobrega'a defense at- torney, Francisco Alfonso Marty, did not respond to a request for comment His client's case stands out among the array of foreign cormption and money laundering prosecutions brought in South Florida against various Veneruelan businessmen and govern- ment officials with connec- tions to the late President Hugo Chavez and current President Nicolas Madura. Nobrega, who has busi- nesses west of Mami In- ternational Airport and in Venezuela, is accused of exporting polyurethane foam to the Venezuelan nillitary and servicing its fleet of Russian Sukhoi SU-30 combat aircraft The "explosion suppressant foam" insulates the fuel tanks in the wings from f by strengthening the struc- tures and slowing shrapnel during enemy attadcs. The advantage of Nobre- ga's service is that the Venezuelan military did not have to send the wings to Russia to be repaired— the relining of the fuel tanks could all be done by his company in Venezuela, according to prosecutor Kurt Lunkenheimer. But Nobrega, who de- scribed his technique as akin to "dialysis," did not obtain a license or waiver from the U.S. govemment to export the foam to Vene- uela and service its mil- itary planes, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed Monday. Nobrega was recorded in phone conversations dis- cussing the purchase, sale and extort of the foam with a Homeland Security Investigations confidential source, and he also ex- changed WhatsApp mes- sages and emails with the informant, according to the criminal affidavit. Starting in 2018, Nobrega discussed the illicit export scheme and how to hide the pay- ments with the HSI source, the affidavit says. The following year, No- brega's company negotiat- ed with a U.S. company to buy supplies of the explo- sion suppressant foam, saying it was to be used for "non-military commerdal use" and that the end user was Chevron, the giant U.S. oil company, according to the affidavit. Nobrega was lying, pros- ecutors said. CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE OF HEARING TO IMPOSE AND PROVIDE FOR COLLECTION OF SOLID WASTE SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS Notice is given that the City Commission of the City of Miami will conduct a public hearing to consider imposing Solid Waste special assessments for the provision of Solid Waste services within the City of Miami for the Fiscal Year commencing October 1, 2021 and ending September 30, 2022. The hearing will be held at 5:05 p.m. on September 13, 2021, in the City Commission Chambers of City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida, for the purpose of receiving public comment on the proposed assessments. All affected property owners havea rightto appear atthe hearing and to file written objections with the City Commission within twenty (20) days of this notice. If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commissioners with respect to any matter considered at the hearing, such person will need a record of the proceedings and may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be made. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing special accommodation or a sign language interpreter to participate in this proceeding should contact the Office of the City Clerk at (305) 250-5361, TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service), at least seven (7) days prior to the date of the hearing. The assessment for each parcel of property will be based upon each parcel's classification and the total number of billing units attributed to that parcel. The total Solid Waste estimated amount to be assessed and collected for the Fiscal Year commencing October 1, 2021, is $24.609 million, while the full cost of Solid Waste services is approximately $43.253 million. The following table reflects the proposed Solid Waste assessment schedule: RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY RATE PER DWELLING USE CATEGORIES Sinyle Family & City -Defined Multi Family $3R0.00 Copies of the Solid Waste Assessment Ordinance, Initial Assessment Resolution and the preliminary assessment roll are available for inspection at the Office of the City Clerk of Miami, Florida, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida. Unless proper steps are initiated in a court of competent jurisdiction to secure relief within twenty (20) days from the date of City Commission action at the above hearing (including the method of apportionment, the rate of assessment and the imposition of assessments), such action shall be the final adjudication of the issues presented. The assessments will be collected on the same bill as ad valorem taxes. Failure to pay the assessment will result in either the commencement of foreclosure proceedings or cause a tax certificate to be issued against the property which may result in a loss of title. If you have any questions, please contact the City of Miami at (305) 416-1570, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. TODD B. HANNON CITY CLERK CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA Ad No. 36425