Memorial Weekend is one of the most exciting times for fun and entertainment in South Florida. Traditionally, for the African American community the entertainment magnet which pulled visitors to the region, primarily South Miami Beach, was Urban Beach Week, a hip-hop music dominating event. However, with the increase in popularity of reggae music, over the past seven years a reggae music show has become the biggest event in Miami over the Memorial Weekend.
This event, a music festival aptly titled "Best of the Best International Music Festival" is a 10-hour explosion of the best in reggae, urban and other Caribbean music genres, held on the Sunday before Memorial Day at the Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami. This year's festival will be held on May 26.
Best of the Best has grown to be more than an iconic music event for Miami, as it has become a significant boost to the city's economy, adding millions of dollars to public and private businesses. On Tuesday several hotels, motels, guest houses, and car rental companies in the area attested to being either totally or almost maxed out in reservations. Reservation managers at hotels in the Miami area said the festival is one of the biggest events attracting guests to the hotels for the Memorial Weekend, and it's not unusual for guests who stayed at the hotels last year to make reservation for this year, "even before they check out."
The festival is also a boon for several small businesses, especially restaurants, bars and clubs in Miami and Miami Beach, and for vendors who have the opportunity to rent booths to sell a variety of food and other wares at the festival.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) accused Florida of making it difficult for some unemployed residents to get unemployment benefits. The DOL stated that beginning in 2011, federal officials found Florida violated the civil rights of unemployed individuals, mainly the disabled and persons who speak little English, by requiring them to apply online for benefits and take an "assessment" before qualifying to receive benefits.

The state's unemployment benefits provide relief for many residents as Florida's unemployment situation grew worse with the economic recession adversely affecting the region. However, there have been frequent complaints of difficulties involved in applying for the benefit relating mainly to the application process accessible only over the Internet.The recent announcement by the DOL was a revelation that the complaints were justified.

It was reported that in response to the DOL's accusation, Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has agreed to enter negotiations with DOL to make appropriate changes which, according to a DOL spokesperson, includes "ensuring all persons who have limited English proficiency or disabilities and are eligible for unemployment compensation, have fair and meaningful access to those benefits."
As of April, 2013, the unemployment rate in Florida was reported as 7.5 percent or 750,000 residents, but the rate in Miami-Dade County is close to 10 percent, including hundreds of English, Creole, and Spanish speaking Caribbean residents who have incurred difficulties in applying for and obtaining unemployment benefits.

Last week, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a statement that offered encouragement to persons who invested in OLINT, the failed ponzi scheme operated by Jamaican David A. Smith. Smith is currently serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence in Her Majesty's Prison Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands. In July 2012, Smith was found guilty in the Supreme Court of the Turks and Caicos Islands on two counts of money laundering and two counts of conspiracy to defraud.

The DOJ release indicated that persons who lost money from investments in companies operated by Smith doing business as Overseas Locket International Corporation (OLINT) and in other related companies, may be eligible to receive compensation from the United States Government.

Smith claimed that the companies were private investment clubs that purportedly traded in foreign currency on investors' behalf. Smith made false and fraudulent statements indicating that members could expect high returns on their investment with low risk to principal. Rather than investing the funds as promised, Smith used them for personal gain and paid returns using new investors' money, in a classic ponzi scheme.

Smith was also convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, in September 2011, on multiple counts of wire fraud and money laundering, in the case of United States v. David A. Smith, No. 6:10-cr-232-35DAB (M.D.Fla.). As part of his criminal sentence, Smith was ordered to forfeit assets seized by federal authorities.

Last week Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giminez informed county commissioners and the unions representing county employees that current projections show the county could incur a $50.7 million budget deficit. In order to meet this deficit Giminez plans to ask county employees to continue making concessions to their job benefits, including contributing 5 percent of their salaries toward meeting the cost of their county provided health insurance for another year.
Previously Giminez had said there was a possibility he would eliminate the 5 percent contribution paid by employees this year.
However, the continuation of the health insurance contributions and other concession that could be asked of county employees will have to be negotiated with the unions. Accordingly Giminez has directed his staff to schedule negotiation sessions with all of the respective unions to come to a possible agreement related to the concessions.
The mayor also projects there could be $15 million deficits in the county's fire-rescue budget and library budget respectively.
The mayor has indicated that if the 5 percent healthcare contribution paid by employees is discontinued it would increase the county's general-fund budget by $33.5 million, thus increasing the overall budget deficit to $84.2 million, should the county not cut back on the level of public services it provides.