Former Marlins player Edgar Renteria sells Miami Beach home for $8.3 million

Former Marlins’ baseball player Edgar Renteria sold his sprawling Mediterranean-style Miami Beach home for $8,325,000, a record for Allison Island.

The 7-bedroom, 7-1/2 bath home at 6633 Allison Road, was sold in an all-cash transaction to MG Brown Co. LLC, according to One Sotheby’s International Realty, which represented both the seller and buyer.

The home, which boasts an expansive 200 feet of waterfront on Biscayne Bay, was custom built for the Colombian-born ballplayer, according to One Sotheby’s vice president Kevin Tomlinson, who represented the buyer.

Amenities include an infinity pool, a wine cellar, a movie theater, and an elevator. The house is on a 25,682-square-foot lot with a private dock. Closing on the property, originally listed at $8.9 million, was Dec. 21, 2012.

“It’s a record sale for that island,’’ said Mayi de la Vega, owner of One Sotheby’s, who was the listing agent. “We’re finding the trophy properties are really performing the best.’’

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Report: Crashes at red-light camera intersections are down

TALLAHASSEE --
Crashes are down at Florida intersections equipped with red-light cameras, according to a new state report.

A report of accidents compiled by the state from 73 different law enforcement agencies found that more than half of Florida agencies, 41, say accidents are less frequent at intersections using red-light camera technology. Crashes were more frequent in just 11 of the 73 jurisdictions while the rest saw no change or didn’t have enough information.

The five-page report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles contains data from Hillsborough County, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale and Miami and includes accidents between July 2011 and June 2012.

In that time, Miami issued 98,062 violations while Fort Lauderdale issued 19,544. Accidents at intersections with cameras were down in Miami but up in Fort Lauderdale, according to officials. The cities were not asked to detail how much accidents are up or down.

Most agencies also reported that traffic safety had improved throughout their jurisdictions “as drivers were more cautious when approaching all intersections.”

The statistics have been delivered to the Legislature, and are likely to influence debate on whether red-light cameras are in Florida to stay. Lawmakers have tried to outlaw the cameras in years past.

“The report provides information to lawmakers they can use to help them make decisions about red light cameras, if necessary,” said Kirsten Olsen-Doolan, a highway safety spokeswoman.

Although Florida legalized red-light cameras in 2010, the issue is constantly at play in Tallahassee. Camera companies employ dozens of lobbyists and pay big money to ward off lawmakers who want to halt what they see as government intrusion.

Charles Territo, a spokesman for American Traffic Solutions, a camera company, says the lobbyists are charged with correcting misinformation about traffic cameras.

“The hope is that over time, as reports like this show crash reductions, those who oppose the programs philosophically will at least agree they provide a significant safety benefit,” Territo said. “Drivers pay more attention and drive more safely when they know an intersection is being monitored 24 hours per day seven days per week, and that’s not something many police departments have the manpower to do.”

Red-light cameras came under scrutiny in St. Petersburg last month after city staffers prepared a hefty report for the City Council but left out the fact that accidents at intersections with the cameras had jumped by 10 percent.

Sen. Jack Latvala, R-St. Petersburg, former chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, believes accidents will decrease once people get used to the cameras — because they won’t get nervous and hit their breaks. St. Petersburg installed its cameras in November 2011 and is one of the newer programs in the state.

“I’ve always thought [the cameras] performed a valuable service, but we’ve never had enough data on the effects of them,” he said. “I think these results are more valued because they include the cameras that have been in place longer.”

But Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, who filed a failed measure in 2011 to ban the cameras, questions whether the data is driven by financial interests.

The state gets $70 from every violation caught on camera and local governments have also seen big revenue hikes. Law enforcement agencies issued nearly a million violations last year.

“If it was really about safety, then why is the money going toward filling budget holes?” asked Garcia, adding that he’s lost the fight to eliminate the cameras, but will work to alleviate their problems. “Why wouldn’t that money go back into education so we can actually increase safety?”

Some citizens have accused local governments of tampering with the timing on yellow lights to issue more violations. The cameras often don’t account for local rules about right turns on right lights. And sometimes a car owner gets a traffic violation even if someone else is driving the car, he said.

“There are still a lot of issues,” Garcia said. “And I think the Legislature has a right to ask those questions.”

Contact Brittany Alana Davis at bdavis@tampabay.com or 850-323-0353.

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6 takeaways from Google’s antitrust settlement with US regulators

Google Inc. has settled an U.S. antitrust probe that largely leaves its search practices alone. In a major win for Google, the Federal Trade Commission unanimously concluded that there is not enough evidence to support complaints from rivals that the company shows unfair bias in its search results toward its own products.

Below are six of the biggest takeaways from the decision announced Thursday:

— Google promised to license hundreds of important mobile device patents to rivals that make gadgets such as smartphones, tablets and gaming devices, on “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms,” the FTC said. Google got the patents as part of its $ 12.4 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility last year. The patents cover wireless connectivity and other Internet technologies.

— Upon receiving a request to do so, the online search leader pledged to stop using snippets of content from other websites, such as the reviews site Yelp Inc., in its search results. It had already scaled back this practice before the FTC settlement after a complaint from Yelp that triggered the FTC probe. Under the agreement, specialty websites such as those on shopping and travel can request that Google stop including such snippets in the search results, while still providing links to those websites.

— Google pledged to adjust its online advertising system so marketing campaigns can be more easily managed on rival networks. Some FTC officials had worried that Google’s existing service terms with advertisers make that difficult.

— The FTC’s unanimous conclusion that Google does not practice unfair “search bias” to promote its own properties against competitors is a major victory for the online search leader. It means it won’t have to change its search formula, considered to be the company’s crown jewel.

— Not everyone was happy with the results. FairSearch, a group whose members include rival Microsoft Corp., said the FTC’s “inaction on the core question of search bias will only embolden Google to act more aggressively to misuse its monopoly power to harm other innovators.”

— Next up, European regulators are expected to wrap up a similar investigation of Google’s business practices in the coming weeks.

Wireless News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Inside Jennifer Lopez's Harper's Bazaar Photo Shoot

Sun kissed and stunning, Jennifer Lopez graces the cover of the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar.

ET was behind the scenes with the Puerto Rican bombshell as she was photographed sexily soaking up some rays in Turkey for the spread, on stands January 8.

Related: J.Lo Dishes on Her Infamous Grammy Gown 13 Years Later

In the magazine, Lopez showcases her killer bod in designer duds like Giuseppe Zanotti, Tom Ford, Jimmy Choo and Balmain amid the picturesque backdrop of Istanbul.

Watch the video for an inside look at the gorgeous photo shoot, plus get ET's inside scoop into J.Lo's plans for the Golden Globes. Hint: we've confirmed a certain handsome someone will walk the red carpet with the 43-year-old actress and singer!

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Off-duty cop shot in Bronx during apparent car dealership robbery

An off-duty police officer was shot in the leg tonight while chasing a suspect in the Bronx , police sources said.

The officer was running after the perp on Boston Road in Bronxwood, around 6:32 p.m., when the gunman hid behind a parked car, according to a witness.

As the officer ran by, the assailant popped up and shot the cop, the witness added.

The shooter then fled through a used car lot.

The NYPD officer was rushed to Jacobi Hospital and is reported in stable condition, sources added.

The suspect remains at large.

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The return of the cranes: Miami-Dade construction projects on the horizon in 2013

The cranes are coming back to Miami.

The battered construction industry is going higher in the new year after showing strong signs of life in 2012. Will Miami feel more like Manhattan in a few years? It just might.

So far, there has been more talk than action, fewer shovels in the ground than grand announcements. Even so, construction is underway on a dozen new condominiums in Miami-Dade County — something that seemed beyond the realm of possibility not so long ago.

Commercial building is picking up, too, particularly in Miami’s hot new urban core.

The construction sector, which posted 62 consecutive months of job losses in Miami-Dade as of November 2012, is expected to finally begin adding jobs in 2013.

By far the centerpiece project to date is Brickell CityCentre, a $1.05 billion shopping and mixed-use project that broke ground in June 2012 and will span three blocks just west of Brickell Avenue to the south of the Miami River.

The 5-million-square-foot mega-project by developer Swire Properties will include a department store, luxury shops, restaurants, a hotel, office towers and condominiums. It is expected to be connected with bridges and covered walkways and to cement downtown Miami’s emerging image as a trendy place to work, live and play.

In Brickell alone, three new condominium projects already are under construction: Jorge Perez’s Related Group is building Millecento, a 42-story tower with 382 units, and MyBrickell, a smaller project with 28 stories and 192 units shoehorned onto a 0.4-acre site. Newgard Development Group is building BrickellHouse, a 46-story, 374-unit project.

More building, much more, is coming.

“We’re going to see a lot of cranes popping up in the first and second quarter, and a year from now, we’re going to see cranes all over the skyline,” said Tom Murphy Jr., chairman and CEO of Coastal Construction, a large Miami builder that is involved in various projects, from hotels to condominiums. “I believe we as a community — South Florida, especially Miami — will build more in the next 10 years than we did in the last 15.”

Among a long roster of projects, Coastal was tapped by developer DACRA for a major renovation project in the Design District, which in 2012 marked the arrival of luxury fashion retailers such as Cartier, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Christian Dior and Prada, adding a new dimension to an area already known for home furnishings and restaurants.

DACRA president and CEO Craig Robins has a broader plan to bring in 40 to 50 luxury brands to the Design District by 2014. The area will have a pedestrian promenade, rooftop gardens and public plazas, in keeping with Miami’s emerging urban scene.

The focus on commercial development in Miami’s urban core, is all about providing more services to cater to the new residents who want everything within walking distance.

Spanish developer Espacio USA will break ground in 2013 on the first phase of a $412 million mixed-use project at 1400 Biscayne Boulevard. Starting with one 103,000-square foot office tower, the project will eventually include retail shops and residential units.

“It’s becoming much more of a New York lifestyle, and we’ll continue to see that,” said Ron Shuffield, president of Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realtors in Coral Gables.

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What to do with leftover Christmas trees

The presents have been opened and family pictures have been taken. Now it’s time to throw away the trees that filled South Florida living rooms with festive lights and the smell of Christmas.

Rather than putting the tree out with the trash, residents in some parts of Miami-Dade County have the option to turn their tree into mulch. Think of it as a seasonal circle of life. December’s holiday cheer will help nourish spring flowers of the new year.

“It’s good for the environment,” said Miami-Dade Public Works spokesperson Gayle Love. “This is really the best way to manage these trees.”

Residents in unincorporated Miami-Dade County and nine participating municipalities can take their trees to one of the 13 trash and recycling centers or two home chemical collection centers that are open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The trees will be mulched in the middle of January, and the sweet-smelling mulch will be available for free on a first-come-first-serve basis. People must bring their own containers to pick up the mulch.

In Broward, residents may take their trees directly to a participating park where it will be mulched and used for park landscaping.

The “Chip-a-Tree” initiative received more than 9,000 trees last year, and this year will be accepting trees until Jan. 21. Hours vary, so call the park before taking the tree.

In Miami-Dade, more than a hundred trees had been brought to that one center in the past few days, said Miami-Dade spokesman Frank Calderon, speaking from the Eureka recycling center Wednesday. He said total numbers would be hard to predict, but people had been coming in with a tree “every few minutes.”

Trees destined for the mulcher must be free of lights, tinsel and ornaments, Calderon said.

In Miami-Dade County, trees that are chopped up and put in green waste carts or left on the curb will go to the Resource Recovery Facility in Doral to be converted into biomass fuel.

Residents in the City of Miami can leave their trees on the street, separate from regular trash, and the Solid Waste Department will pick them up until Jan. 31. These trees will also be recycled for mulch, which will be available for free at the Virginia Key Mulch Facility.

Even though Christmas is over, come mid-January, the smells of the season will come back, this time in South Florida gardens.

“It’s very fragrant when it’s mulched,” Love said. “It keeps the Christmas spirit alive.”

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Laura Wasser Hollywood Divorce Lawyer

Laura Wasser has an A-list client roster that would make a Hollywood talent agent green with envy, but she's not making celebs money as much as she's helping them keep the assets they already have.

PICS: The 10 Most Shocking Breakups in Hollywood

When Ashton Kutcher, Kim Kardashian, Heidi Klum, Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears and Ryan Reynolds saw their marriages take a turn for the worst they turned to the first name of Los Angeles firm Wasser, Cooperman & Carter -- a divorced mother of two sons, who represented herself in the split from her former husband not long after graduating from Loyola Law School.

Wasser landed Maria Shriver a reported $100 million settlement in the case against Arnold Schwarzenegger and won a reported $425 million settlement for Mel Gibson's ex Robyn Moore.

The desk at her Century City office is free of clutter and empty of anything that could potentially be flung across the room, as tensions tend to run high.

"There is crying and there is screaming and there is yelling," says Wasser, who is a firm believer in pre-nuptial agreements. "And then hopefully there is the epiphany moment where they say, 'You know what? I want to get this done. Let's move on.'"

Wasser has a book coming out soon, which gives advice on dealing with failed marriages. Watch the video for more.

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Man who allegedly hit 4 pedestrians at New Year's Eve party claims he was being chased by mob

He says it was all a wild Goose chase.

The alleged drunken driver who mowed down four pedestrians outside a Brooklyn club’s wild New Year’s Eve party claims he was fleeing a violent mob, angered that he accused them of stealing his bottles of pricey vodka, his attorney said today.

Staten Island carpenter Charles Amado, 34, was slapped with attempted murder charges at his Brooklyn criminal court arraignment for plowing through four fellow club-goers after the bar brawl spilled out onto a Bay Ridge sidewalk, prosecutors said.

Amado and his girlfriend, Andrea Jobity, 39, were partying at Lounge 93 when their bottle of expensive Grey Goose vodka was stolen right off their table. A bartender replaced the stolen booze, and then Amado caught somebody stealing that bottle, too, defense attorney Lance Lazzaro said.

The hijacked hooch sparked a fight and club security booted Amado, his girlfriend, and about 15 others outside, where the fight continued on 93rd Street at Third Avenue.

Jobity was punched in the face, the lawyer said.

“These people were coming after them with bats, bottles, you name it. So he took off in his car,” said Lazzaro. “Mr. Amado says that he would have been in a coma or dead if he had stuck around.”

Amado drove up onto the sidewalk and hit three pedestrians, then reversed and hit another, prosecutors said.

“Charles Amado and Andrea Jobity got into their car and drove headfirst into a crowd,” said ADA Theresa Shanahan. “Charles Amado then passed out and Andrea Jobity took the wheel. She reversed and hit more parked cars, then she passed out as well.”

Jobity was charged with driving while intoxicated and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Both she and Amado posted bail and were released, Lazzaro said.

But one of the pedestrians struck by Amado’s car said she didn’t buy his explanation for the crazed driving.

“That’s bulls---. I understand you probably had a lot to drink, but why would you drive into people?” said Vanessa Encalada, 27. “Everybody was trying to run away and he just accelerated forward. He hit me and then he reversed back. I was bleeding.”

Encalada said a friend hit by Amado still hasn’t regained consciousness.

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Portion of Macy’s Flagler Street property sold

In a deal that could have implications for the future of Downtown Miami’s anchor retail tenant, a New York real estate investment firm paid $15.5 million to acquire about 60 percent of the property that now houses Macy’s Flagler Street store.

The acquisition by Aetna Realty Group includes the 48,000-square-feet of land that was first leased to R.W. Burdine back in 1917 for the Burdines store. The property was currently owned by 23 heirs of Richard and Harriet Ashby, who signed the initial 99-year lease with Burdine.

The sale was motivated by the impending expiration of that lease in 2016, said Lewis R. Cohen, a shareholder at GrayRobinson, who represented the Ashby family in the transaction that closed on New Year’s Eve.

Over the years, Macy’s has grown the downtown store well beyond the Ashby portion. Aetna has also made a commitment to purchase the remaining portion of the building that is currently owned by Macys, Cohen said. But that deal hasn’t closed yet.

“That deal is a sure thing,” Cohen said. “They could not have closed with us without having an agreement with Macy’s completely nailed down.”

Macy’s spokesman Jim Sluzewski said this transaction doesn’t impact Macy’s lease and he declined to comment on any other pending transaction regarding the property the retailer owns in Downtown Miami.

“It’s business as usual,” said Sluzewski, who would not discuss Macy’s long-term plans for Downtown Miami beyond the expiration of its lease.

But Cohen said Macy’s is in the process of finalizing a short-term deal with the new owners.

“They intend to stay for at least the foreseeable future,” Cohen said. “For a minimum of five years they’ll be there and possibly longer.”

Macy’s long-term future on Flagler Street has been in doubt since 2007, when then Macy’s Florida chairman took city leaders to task for the deplorable conditions downtown and threatened that the retailer might leave.

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