MEDIA MAY 10 - OSTROW/HUIZENGA
Republicans Abandon Ostrow
"[Ostrow] said he was not a Republican or a Democrat, but that he was going to file as a Republican to run," said Chip LaMarca, chairman of the Broward Republican Party. "He actually said, 'If you are asking me if I am a Republican or support the Bush administration, the answer is no.'"
Ostrow, of Fort Lauderdale, said last week he thought that the Republican Party was going to get behind him, but LaMarca said that other than allowing him to speak at candidate forums the party hadn't intended on lending support.
"He certainly doesn't represent our message," LaMarca said...
Ostrow, 52, said Friday that he's "waiting for the dust to settle" from his arrest before deciding if he will continue in the race."
Topix: Ostrow
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HERALD
Broward public defender candidate: I didn't know coke was in pocket
"(Ostrow) said he did not know that a vial of cocaine was in his jacket pocket until Transportation Security Administration screeners found it and pulled him aside.
''I would not have put it through the belt if I thought something was in there,'' Ostrow said. ``That would have been ridiculously stupid.''
At the security checkpoint, Ostrow walked through the metal detector and was rechecked by a screener with a wand, as his belongings, including his blue blazer, were being examined on the conveyer belt.
It was then that the TSA employee noticed the clear vial with a light purple top in the right inside breast pocket of Ostrow's jacket.
The powder inside the glass vial was later tested and identified as 0.9 grams of cocaine, according to a police report.
As for his bid to become Broward's next public defender, Ostrow is unsure whether he will continue to pursue it.
''Based on my rapport with the bench and the judges, I feel that I can be a force that will take the office in a more positive direction,'' he said. ``But I have to reconsider that whole position, obviously.''
Serial Drunk Driver Huizenga Gets Another Break
"(Judge Michael) Kaplan has been somewhat lenient toward Huizenga, who has been arrested three times in 10 years for DUI.
In February, Kaplan allowed Huizenga to travel for three days to attend his ex-wife's funeral in Birmingham, Ala.
Huizenga spent one day at the funeral then used the freedom to travel to Palm City, Fla., to be with friends and family, a trip not stipulated in Kaplan's order.
Kaplan said Huizenga may have taken advantage of the court's ''generosity,'' but the judge did not consider the unauthorized trip a violation of his community control requirements...
Huizenga's recent trouble resulted from a December 2003 accident that occurred as he was leaving Bar Amici on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
He struck 71-year-old Irwin Feigenbaum, who was crossing the street to join his wife.
Feigenbaum suffered a concussion and a broken elbow...
But Assistant State Attorney Lanie Bandell argued that Huizenga has shown, with every break he gets, increasing signs of arrogance and anger.
She pointed to several e-mails Huizenga wrote to his community control officer about allowing him to travel.
In one e-mail, Huizenga chastised the officer for discussing a travel issue with Bandell.
''The e-mails are filled with nothing but arrogance and anger. These e-mails are borderline inappropriate,'' Bandell told Kaplan on Friday. ``We have to remember he is being punished. He got spared being put in Florida state prison. He should be thankful.''
JAABLOG: Equal Justice? (9/22/06)
Englander Henning Recuses Herself From BSO Case
DAILY BUSINESS REVIEW
Courts must make do with less money
"The courts won’t know exactly what effect the budget cuts will have on each circuit until after a meeting of the Trial Court Budget Commission and chief judges next week in Tampa...
Broward Chief Judge Victor Tobin hopes to avoid layoffs but is unsure about the number of furloughs. He expects the new complex litigation unit, drug courts and traffic programs to run normally without the public noticing any change.
Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said the cuts will push out more attorneys, leaving his office with “too few lawyers with too little experience handling too many cases.” He fears the end result will be innocent people going to jail or guilty people spending too much time behind bars. 
“It’s not as though we were cutting the fat,” he said. “We stopped cutting the fat years ago. This was a dismemberment.”
Finkelstein said his lawyers are taking on about 100 cases each, but he considers a manageable caseload 65. To help, his chief assistants and trainers have started taking cases. They started using tape recorders in depositions to skip fees for transcripts.
“I cannot allow my lawyers to handle so many cases that they are constitutionally providing ineffective assistance of counsel,” he said. “The Constitution doesn’t say ‘right to counsel unless broke.’ ”
Finkelstein said he contacted a constitutional attorney about the possibility of rejecting cases based on the Sixth Amendment right to qualified counsel and an attorney’s ethical vow to provide competent and zealous representation...
On the other side of the courtroom, prosecutors also are feeling the pain. Broward State Attorney Mike Satz said this is the worst reduction he has seen during his 30 years in office."
NAPLES DAILY NEWS
Collier judge denies ex-prosecutor’s release from jail
"A Collier County judge on Thursday refused to release a former state prosecutor from jail on bond without reviewing a written report from a psychologist."
THE FLORIDA TIMES UNION
Jacksonville SAO Campaign Turns Personal
"Depending on who's asked, the latest skirmish in the race for state attorney is either a quest for the truth or a political dirty trick."
TAMPA TRIBUNE
"Excuse Court" To Be Featured On Court TV
"In 2006, the Hillsborough County court circuit developed a court division specifically to handle violations of probation. In courthouse hallways, the special division has come to be called "excuse court" because of the many elaborate stories defendants offer to explain their violations...
In the past, however, excuses have ranged from the wild to the inexplicable."
Gary, the story about the Republicans being behind you must have been a fabrication like the very idea of you running to win the Office of the PD for the right reasons. Come on out with it and tell the truth (about who put you up to this) as part of your rehabilitation and the trip to a cure will be shortened.
It's not like everybody doesn't know the answer already. Lets get rid of the real problem that continues to plague the Broward Judiciary once and for all. Maybe you can hasten Ross into retirement and help clean up the mess that he's had twenty years or so to create. It will never stop until the guy disappears from the scene. You know how these people are.
Facing the truth about the situation will lessen the burden you have to face with your most recent problem. Good luck. We all hope for the best for you.
''Based on my rapport with the bench and the judges, I feel that I can be a force that will take the office in a more positive direction,'' he said. "
Ha! And he's denying the coke was even his!!!
Birds of a feather!!!!!
Tell the truth Gary. Part of the problem is admitting you have a problem. Talk to Marcia Beach. She can help. But don't call Larry. I don't think he's going to be taking your calls for a while.
Hey poor black man - try doing what Huizenga did........and go to prison!
"In February, Kaplan allowed Huizenga to travel for three days to attend his ex-wife's funeral in Birmingham, Ala.
Huizenga spent one day at the funeral then used the freedom to travel to Palm City, Fla., to be with friends and family, a trip not stipulated in Kaplan's order."
Larry and Ross will run like scared rabbits, are you kidding? There's nothing like loyalty among the politicians in this town. And some say Judges aren't a political office. They'll turn their backs on him unless he comes clean and rubs it in their faces. We've all seen it for years. They run after those hefty pensions all their lives and anything that threatens it, then they run underground with the most stupid excuses you can imagine. Take Backman if you want a good example.
Ostrow will help establish a connection to the bench. After all, they are used to dealing with druggies. Maybe they can send Gary to jail? Oh wait, he's rich, my bad.
I almost feel sorry for all the old losers who used to run things around here. They are so pathetic, they can't ever catch a break. Then I think of how the poor and sick are brutalized here and I say "screw them."
I have no idea how that coke got there!!!
'I would not have put it through the belt if I thought something was in there,that would have been ridiculously stupid...
When I travel on a plane I do what anyone with any brains does...I stick it up my ass.
Gary you are such a dumb fck...
I am pissing myself reading your quotes. Yea take all the time in the world deciding what your next step is after all the dust settles....oh right, that decision has already been made for you. You're done junkie!!!
Larry: You didn't say anything about me, did you?
Areazza looks like he doing a little something as well. Have you seen him lately? Looking like he's got problems. That's what happens when you listen to these jerks. He's in way over his head. I predict he pulls out as well pretty soon. The schmo's a big time loser.
"They run after those hefty pensions all their lives"
They earn the pensions. Depression, insomnia, substance abuse, and a host of other fear based neuroses traditionally affects many jurists.
Too bad, I bet if they just stood up to Satz they would sleep like babies.
He's not pulling out. The name recognition going after a guy as famous as Howard is huge. He can use it to achieve his original dream at a later date, namely winning a spot on the school board or nuisance abatement committtee.
So Gary, be a man. What is it?
"I didn't know the coke was in my pocket, or, I am going to face it like a man."
Be honest with your constituents. WAS THE COKE YOURS? If you are going to run, it would be nice to hear you staring off with the truth.
I guess Ostrow isn't qualified to be the PD. He only had .9 grams of coke while Howard had a "Trafficking" amount on him and was high as a kite (DUI) when he crashed into a Sergeant's unmarked FLPD cruiser.
Maybe Gary can work as Larry's TV bailiff (sorry, I meant court deputy) if the show ever materializes. Having a wing man who knows how to score is verrrry important in LA. Gary would be perfect for Larry's entourage.
Did Huizenga even get violated for skipping out on house arrest? Did he have to go to jail with a no bond hold like everyone else or was this some behind the scenes fix up?
Couldn't have been a violation - how could he be early termed if he had a violation?
Marc Gold better be buying everyone lunch next week. Over 2 mil and more coming!
Arreaza isn't a bad guy, he's just extremely gullible. A few Howie haters blew smoke up his ass long enough to convince him that he could win. That's why he ran for vice-chair of the republican party a few years back and got blown away. That's why he ran for the school board with four others and finished dead last. That's why he ran against Charlie Kaplan and Ken Padowitz for Circuit Judge in 2006. At least in that case, he came to his senses and pulled out. There's still time for him to pull out again. When will he come to his senses?
I didn't know he ran so often. Has he run more than Jim "Can't Get Elected" Lewis?
Barbara has got to be one of the finest lawyers in town.
Remember when Jim Lewis dressed up as the KKK member for Halloween right before he ran against Schrieber for PD.
Gary: 'Hey man, you holding. I need some white for the weekend.'
Dealer: 'Yeah, I can hook you up. How much you need.
Gary: 'How much you got?'
Dealer: 'Dude, I'm good. Got some really pure sh*t in yesterday. What's your plans?
Gary: Man, you won't believe this sh*t, I'm heading up to Tallahassee to put in for Public Defender.'
Dealer: 'Awesome! Better load up then. Dude, when your the Man...don't forget us little people.....'
Gary: 'Dog, pleeeese....."
THERE WOULD BE FAR FEWER LAWYERS if THE BAR and the JQC fired cover up queens ADRIA QUINTELA and BROOKE KENNERLY........ end judicial immunity........jail JAY SPECHLER.
THERE WOULD FAR FEWER corrupt druggie lawyers if we fired JOHN HARKNESS.
Good one Gary. Why don't you just issue a cry for help instead of carrying a purple topped coke vial through airport security. Your judgment is severely compromised if not nonexistent all together.
Call J. Hurley immediately. His Tallahassee connections will be able to make it look like it never happened.
He'll drop out now that he has to pay for his defense. Two weeks, max. Not even.
And his candidacy had Cyberpops all in a lather too. Well, that's them apples for you.
Cyberpops can still salivate over Arreazza, until he drops out too. Money problems I hear.
"winning a spot on the school board"--he already tried that already...and lost.
when did jay hurley become the go-to-guy. his self-proclamations of all of his connections are just what they are--self proclamations.
watch...he won't even get out of the jnc for the county seat because his "brother" charlie doesn't want to have to take the blame when he doesnt' the get the seat.
So was Howard finkelstein a dealer in cocaine and pot when he smashed into that police cruiser, some public defender, looks like ostrow would not have fit in as public defender, he was a user not a seller, like they say howie was or was
What a lie. By the way, was Sprinkles a weed dealer?
I bet if Sprinks sold bags they was always light. He strikes me as that kind of guy.
You guys are so obvious. How does Gary Ostrow getting busted for coke in Tallahassee the same day he registers to run have anything to do with Howard, 'Sprinkles', or, anyone else? I don't care what Howard did because time has proven his character otherwise. Gary Ostrow has a long row to hoe in front of him and his own comments demonstrate this - he has no appreciation of what he has even done, or, the steps he needs to take to help himself. He is clearly in no position to be taking on the role of a public figure who stands in defense of the indigent.
Thanks Howard, but Gary is going to put you through this election.
Hmmmm...sounds personal...to someone
The placing of cocaine is Ostrow's jacket is obviously the work of the COCAINE FAIRY who is similar to the TOOTH FAIRY. Happens to my clients all the time.