Alex Daoud

Former Miami Beach mayor and ex-jailbird Alex Daoud came back on the scene this year with his tell-all book, Sins of South Beach, in which he wrote about the good old days of Miami Beach politics when cocaine and cash-filled envelopes fueled City Hall. The book is an unabashed account of politics in Miami Beach before the ethics police came to town and spoiled all the fun. But the arrests of four City Hall employees on charges ranging from bribery to money laundering in the last couple of years — three of them as recently as March — show that the way local government is run may not have changed as much as the current politicians would like you to think. These days, Daoud is working on a second book, which he says isn’t about local politics. Here are some of his picks for the best of 2008.

Favorite local politician?

I’d have to say Raul Martinez. He’s a winner who’s fought against all the odds. He withstood an indictment and survived that, got re-elected continuously, and now he’s running for Congress and hopefully he’s going to win. The guy’s phenomenal.

Least favorite local politician?

I’d have to say Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. She was her husband’s [Dexter Lehtinen’s] political power when he was U.S. Attorney. [During his 3 ½-year tenure, he heard the cases of Manuel Noriega, religious sect leader Yahweh Ben Yahweh and Raul Martinez.] It’s all in my book. Ileana and Dexter Lehtinen, that’s a Machiavellian couple. Count and Countess Dracula.

Best current Miami Beach commissioner?

There are two. Jonah Wolfson was phenomenal. He came knocking on my door asking me to sign his petition. He didn’t know who I was and I said, “Well, are you sure you want me to sign it?” He was really funny. He said, “Can you vote?” I said “Sure I can vote. Do you want to me to sign it? I’ll be happy to sign it.” Then he called me up afterwards when he found out who I was and he said, “My gosh, I should save the signature.” I thought he ran a fantastic campaign. I thought [Mayor] Matti Bower ran a phenomenal campaign, too.

Best political scandal of the last year?

I think, hands down, that has to do with the courage that Michael Stern had to out all the corruption in the Building Department at City Hall. This is one of the real problems you have with the city manager form of government. The people we elect are not the ones who run the city. I’d much rather have a strong mayor form of government. The person you elect is the person who runs the city.

Best local charity?

Oh, wow. Sins of South Beach. Buy a book, support a corrupt politician.

Best bar?

I don’t drink. I’m a teetotaler, so I don’t know, but they tell me the hook-up place is the Polar Bar on Lincoln Road. That’s where all these guys get hooked up, I understand. I don’t know, I’m old and fat — I couldn’t get hooked up with a handful of pardons in a women’s prison.

Best current Miami Beach lobbyist?

Hands down, Harold Rosen. That guy has survived everything. Meyer Lansky, he survived. He survived my indictment. He survived everything possible. The guy is phenomenal. And when I got out of prison, he didn’t want to see me anymore. It was amazing. After I’d kept my mouth shut and kept him out of jail.

Best place to take a tourist?

Well, it’s a horrible thing to say, but most people want to go see the Versace mansion. It used to be Al Capone’s home they wanted to see. And the Holocaust Memorial is a beautiful place to take tourists and everyone else. I was proud that that was done while I was mayor.

Where did you sleep with lobbyist Lucia Doherty? Was it in Miami Beach City Hall?

No, no, no, I don’t have that bravado. I would like to think so, but no, I would never like to get caught. I slept with her the first time at her house.

Were you dating her or was it just a sex thing? 

No, there were feelings. I wouldn’t just give it up easily. I mean, come on, I had to be romantic. What did you think I was, a tart?

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