This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

It was like an early Christmas present. Patrick Goddard, the Brightline CEO, was all smiles this week at two ribbon cutting ceremonies for the private passenger railroad’s newest stations in Boca Raton and Aventura. That’s all South Florida is getting for now, however, as Goddard trains his attention (get it??) on an upcoming 170-mile extension to Orlando. Did you know that train conductors make great thieves? They’re really good at covering their tracks. We’ll show ourselves out.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava created a feel-good moment by announcing the expansion of the area’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or ERAP. The goal: help more working families deal with rent increases and remain in their homes. Miami-Dade’s cost of living has exploded in recent years, and rents have followed the same up-up-and-away trajectory. Here’s hoping Levine Cava comes up with a more systemic fix. Meantime, we’ll blame the tech bros.

So here’s what happened: Circuit Judge Jared Smith ruled against a 17-year-old girl who sought a judicial waiver to obtain an abortion without her parents’ consent. He said she wasn’t mature enough, among other things. An appeals court overruled him. Then he was voted out of office. But he was just given a promotion anyway when Gov. Ron DeSantis named him an appellate judge. Boy, that escalated quickly, but Smith still ended up a winner.

Fort Lauderdale’s city attorney was ousted by the city’s commission this week in a 3-2 vote. That was after a close recount and complaints about how long it took for city commissioners to be sworn in. Boileau’s detractors said he should have helped shore up charter issues that caused the delays, while his supporters said he wasn’t responsible. Regardless, Boileau is without a job in the middle of the holiday season.

Sean Pierre Jackson was sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding the CARES Act small business loan program of $800,000. The former candidate for the West Palm Beach city commission, Florida Black Republican Caucus chair and former DeSantis 2018 campaign consultant must also pay back $661,986 of what he stole. He could have received up to 20 years, but admitted guilt almost immediately after being charged. Still, that restitution’s gonna be one heck of a payment plan.

These two members of the Jacksonville City Council now must run against each other if they want to be reelected. The matchup comes after a federal judge denied the city’s attempt to fix its city council district maps, instead accepting the maps proposed by a coalition of civil rights groups that sued the city. Those maps draw these two in the same district, meaning they will have to face off in order to stay in office. This could get ugly.