Innovate MIA puts spotlight on startup community

If you think the next week is all about art, you may be surprised to learn there are also six entrepreneurship events vying for your time.

And that is all by design.

In much the way that Art Basel helped put Miami’s arts community on the international map, organizers of the first Innovate MIA hope their weeklong grouping of events will shine a light on the city’s growing tech startup community and its position as the gateway to Latin America.

Many of the events — ending with Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference — are after Art Basel. That’s also why the third annual AVCC was moved to Dec. 13-14 from its previous mid-November dates.

“Our message is come for Art Basel, and stay for AVCC,” said Juan Pablo Cappello, a lawyer, entrepreneur and investor who is on the steering committee of the venture capital conference and several other Innovate MIA events. And all week, there will be plenty of opportunities for Miami’s entrepreneurs, creatives and investors to mingle with their counterparts from all over the Americas and beyond.

In addition to the AVCC, there’s Incubate Miami’s DemoDay, where its class of startups present their companies, the martial arts-inspired TekFight and HackDay, which dangles a $50,000 cash prize. Endeavor, the global nonprofit that promotes high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging economies, is bringing its two-day International Selection Panel to Miami, and Wayra, an international accelerator, is holding a one-day event to showcase its promising startups from Latin America and Spain. It’s all part of Innovate MIA week: “I don’t think anything like it has ever been organized here in South Florida,” Cappello said.

The AVCC will be the big draw, with about 300 people expected to attend the two-day event at the JW Marriott Brickell. The conference, themed “Data, Design & Dollars,” will feature thought leaders from all over the world, particularly Latin America, and presentations by 29 selected companies. This year, the format has been overhauled and energized, with lots of short talks and more time for question-and-answer sessions and networking, said Jerry Haar, associate dean of FIU’s College of Business, director of the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center and AVCC co-chair.

The AVCC’s 36 speakers include Martin Varsavsky, Argentine tech entrepreneur, investor and founder of Viatel, Ya.com, Jazztel and FON; Hernan J. Kazah, co-founder and managing partner at Kaszek Ventures and co-founder of Mercadolibre; and Jason L. Baptiste, CEO and co-founder of Onswipe. There’s also Michael Jackson, former COO of Skype and now a venture capitalist; Albert Santalo, founder and CEO of Miami-based CareCloud; and Bedy Yang of 500 Startups.

Chosen from more than 100 applicants, the 29 presenting companies hailing from all over the Americas will be giving either two-minute or five-minute pitches, fielding questions from a panel of judges and competing for prize packages valued at about $50,000. Eight of the startups are from South Florida: itMD, Kairos, Trapezoid Digital Security, Esenem, LiveNinja, OnTrade, Rokk3r Labs and Zavee.

The presenting companies have “proven innovation, proven management teams and the ability to scale well and be a pan-regional player,” said Faquiry Diaz Cala, president of Tres Mares Group and co-chair of AVCC. “The word is out this is a great place to come and pitch to great investors in addition to potentially being one of the prize winners.”

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FDNY safety inspector gets 2 1/2 years for pocketing bribes in day-care scam

A corrupt FDNY safety inspector was sentenced today to 2-1/2 years in the slammer for pocketing $61,000 in bribes to help a ring of crooked day-care center operators run a massive scam on the city.

Carlos Montoya pleaded guilty earlier this year to falsifying records and overlooking violations at centers run by "the Congregation," a group of Russian immigrants who soaked taxpayers for more than $1 million by falsely claiming to care for needy kids.

Defense lawyer Robert Osuna argued in court that Montoya, 54, only kept $5,000 from the bribes he was paid and passed along the rest to an unidentified architect who allegedly assisted him in the scheme.

Chad Rachman/New York Post

Carlos Montoya in January

But Manhattan federal Judge Paul Gardephe said, "whether he kept the money or chose to give it to someone else is not relevant," noting the "long history" of city inspectors who have been convicted of taking bribes.

"It must be understood by city employees with inspection responsibilities, that if they betray the public trust, they will go to jail," Gardephe said.

Montoya, a 20-year FDNY veteran who resigned in disgrace after his guilty plea, admitted making "a bad judgment."

"I apologize to my colleagues in the Fire Department," he said.

"We are a brotherhood, and I brought shame to their office and the city of New York, which I served so faithfully for so many years."

City Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn noted that Montoya was among six city employees convicted of taking payoffs from "the Congregation."

She said the case -- dubbed "Operation Paycare" -- "delivers the clear message that the city and its law-enforcement partners will uncover corruption and protect the safety of infants and children in city-administered day care.”

Mastermind and ringleader Liudmila Umarov is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty earlier this year to charges including mail fraud and bribery.

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Miami-Dade Commission reinstitutes prayer before meetings

Instead of a moment of silence, Miami-Dade Commission meetings soon will start with a nondenominational prayer uttered by a local religious leader or a commissioner.

The commission voted 8-3 Tuesday to reinstitute prayer before meetings, a controversial issue that sparked lengthy debate and commentary.

Voting for the ordinance were Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Jean Monestime, Rebeca Sosa, Xavier Suarez, Juan Zapata, Bruno Barreiro, Esteban “Steve” Bovo and Audrey Edmonson. Commissioners Sally Heyman, Barbara Jordan, and Dennis Moss voted against. Lynda Bell and Javier Souto were absent.

Diaz sponsored the item after 18 months of intense lobbying from the Christian Family Coalition and its leader, Anthony Verdugo. Verdugo called Tuesday’s vote the end of “eight years of discrimination.”

The last time meetings opened with prayer at County Hall was 2004. The practice ended at the behest of former Commissioners Barbara Carey-Shuler and Katy Sorenson.

It will start again before the commission’s Dec. 18 meeting.

On Tuesday, Diaz did agree to some changes in his proposed format: Instead of having the county clerk compile a database of local religious leaders to give the prayers, commissioners will rotate choosing someone or lead the prayer themselves. That will save the county about $26,000 in projected costs for the database. Sosa sponsored the change.

The commissioner can choose to lead a moment of silence instead of a prayer.

Diaz also changed his original proposal by moving the timing of the prayer, so it will be said prior to the roll call of commissioners, similar to the way it’s done at the state and federal levels of government.

Before the vote, Moss expressed dissatisfaction with the Christian Family Coalition and positions it has taken in the past that he said discriminated against blacks and immigrants. He noted that the group was an offshoot of the Christian Coalition that fought the county several years ago over an equally controversial human-rights bill.

“It’s like the nose of the camel under the tent. I have a real concern with the group that was pushing this issue,” he said.

Also opposed: the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which has warned the county that promises to keep public prayer nondenominational — instead of in the name of Jesus, for example — have fallen to the wayside in the past. The ACLU has not said if it plans to file a lawsuit.

Commissioners also gave the nod to construction of a massive warehouse and industrial park in the heart of the old Westview neighborhood, even as residents and their lawyer complained they were not consulted on new plans submitted by the developer, Rosal Westview.

Later Tuesday, commissioners are expected to take up Jordan’s push to take down an online database that shows the salaries of all county employees. Though Jordan said she supports the information being available to the public, she said removing it would diminish “safety and security” concerns. Heyman has joined Jordan as a cosponsor for the bill.

As part of a transparency initiative, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez started listing the salaries online earlier this year. The mayor has said he believes every government transaction should be online and available to the public. If the resolution passes, Gimenez could veto it, though he hasn’t stated his intentions.

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Video: Prince William Visits Kate in the Hospital

News broke Monday that royal bride Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is expecting her first child with Prince William, and ET has new footage of the prince visiting Kate at the hospital.

PICS: Baby on the Way: Will & Kate's Royal Romance

Her Royal Highness is hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum -- a severe form of morning sickness. William looked like he was in good spirits as he exited King Edward VII Hospital in London on Tuesday evening.

ET can confirm that the queen and other members of the royal family found out about Kate’s pregnancy on Monday. Sources tell People.com that the queen won't be visiting her granddaughter-in-law while she remains in the hospital, mainly because her visit would interfere with the running of the hospital.

Watch the video for more, and keep checking ETonline for the latest on the Duchess' health.

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The business behind the artist: Miami’s art gallery scene still evolving

This week, thousands of art collectors, museum trustees, artists, journalists and hipsters from around the globe will arrive for the phenomenon known as Art Basel Miami Beach. The centerpiece of the week: works shown at the convention center by more than 260 of the world’s top galleries.

Only two of those are from Miami.

While Art Basel has helped transform the city’s reputation from beach-and-party scene to arts destination in the years since its 2002 Miami Beach debut, the region’s gallery identity is still coming into its own.

“Certainly Miami as an art town registers mightily because of the foundations, the collectors who have done an extraordinary job,” said Linda Blumberg, executive director of the Art Dealers Association of America. “I think there’s a definite international awareness there. But the gallery scene probably has a bit of a ways to go. That doesn’t mean it’s not really fascinating and interesting.”

The gallery business, especially where newer artists are concerned, is a game of risk, faith and passion. Once a gallery takes on an artist who shows promise, they become an evangelist on their behalf, showing their work in-house and at fairs, presenting it to museums and curators and potential collectors and bearing the cost of that promotion.

For contemporary artists, most galleries take work on consignment, meaning they get a cut of as much as 50 percent when works sell. While local art galleries have been growing in number and popularity in the last several years — just try to find parking during the monthly art walk in Miami’s hot Wynwood neighborhood — even some of the area’s top art dealers say that while business overall is good, they struggle in the local marketplace.

“Our problem is that we have to do lots of art fairs in order to connect with the market that we need to connect with to sell the work that we have,” said Fredric Snitzer, a Miami-Dade gallery owner for 35 years. “The better the work is, the harder it is to sell in Miami. And that ain’t good.”

A handful of serious collectors call Miami home and store their own collections in Miami, including the Braman, Rubell, Margulies and de la Cruz families. But outside a relatively small local group, many gallerists say, their clients come from other parts of the country and world.

And some gallerists point out the troubling reality that even the powerhouse Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin could not stay open in Miami for more than a few years.

“The fact that big galleries have not been able to sustain their business models in South Florida tells you we’re obviously not at this high established point,” said gallery owner David Castillo. “It’s not like we’ve arrived, let’s sit back and watch Hauser & Wirth open down the street.”

Still, Miami’s gallery business has come a long way since the early 1970s, when a few dealers on Bay Harbor Island’s Kane Concourse were selling high-end pieces but the local scene was hardly embraced.

Virginia Miller, who owns ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables, first opened in 1974 to showcase Florida artists, though her focus soon added an international scope. She and other longtime observers credit several factors for Miami’s transformation, including the community’s diversity, the establishment of important museums, the Art Miami fair that started 23 years ago, the presence of major collections and, of course, Art Basel Miami Beach.

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Family of worker killed in MDC garage collapse has filed suit against contractors

Family members of one of the workers killed when the garage at Miami Dade College West campus collapsed have filed a lawsuit against five companies involved in the construction.

The garage was almost complete when a part of it collapsed on Oct. 10, killing four workers.

Samuel Perez, 53, was driving a cement truck and the time of the collapse and was trapped by the rubble in the truck’s cab.

It took rescue workers 17 hours to reach him, after amputating his legs to free him. He did not survive. He died three hours later in the hospital.

Now his widow Migdalia Lopez is suing Ajax Building Corporation and other companies contracted for the project. Allegations include gross negligence, failure to comply with safety standards and rushing the operation to meet a deadline.

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J.K. Rowling's 'The Casual Vacancy' Coming to TV

J.K's Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, her first post-Harry Potter novel, is being adapted into a BBC television series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rowling will collaborate closely on the project, with the number and length of the episodes to be decided.

Related: J.K. Rowling Gets Political In New Novel

The Casual Vacancy, which came out in September, is set in a small English town called Pagford. The book starts with the death of Parish Councillor Barry Fairbrother, which leaves an empty seat on the town’s council, and leads to the "biggest war the town has ever seen."

Rowling herself says she is pleased that the novel is coming to the small screen rather than getting a movie adaptation.

"I always felt that, if it were to be adapted, this novel was best suited to television, and I think the BBC is the perfect home," she said.

Video: Behind the Scenes of the Final 'Harry Potter'

And clearly, the BBC is happy to have her.

"It's a book of such richness that -- through humor, social commentary and, above all, fantastic characters -- says something insightful and entertaining about the country we live in," controller of BBC Drama Ben Stephenson said in a statement.

The series is expected to air in 2014.

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R train to Whitehall resumes for first time since Sandy

AP

Service on the R train to the Whitehall Street Station resume today for the first time since Sandy.

The MTA resumed R train service today to Whitehall Street station in Manhattan for the first time since the system was shuttered for monster storm Sandy.

Trains had been stopping at 34th Street because of serious damage to the Lower Manhattan station and the line’s signals system.

“The resumption of service to the Whitehall Street station will restore a vital link to Midtown’s West Side for Staten Islanders and also ease crowding along the Lexington Avenue Line,” said Governor Cuomo.

There is still no Brooklyn-Manhattan R train service because of flooding damage to the Montague Tube, which carries the trains under the East River.

Service between the two boroughs is expected to resume by the end of the month.

“Transit workers continue to work around the clock to bring the Montague Tube back online, which will complete the R Line link from lower Manhattan to Downtown Brooklyn,” said MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota.

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com

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The business behind the artist: Miami’s art gallery scene still evolving

This week, thousands of art collectors, museum trustees, artists, journalists and hipsters from around the globe will arrive for the phenomenon known as Art Basel Miami Beach. The centerpiece of the week: works shown at the convention center by more than 260 of the world’s top galleries.

Only two of those are from Miami.

While Art Basel has helped transform the city’s reputation from beach-and-party scene to arts destination in the years since its 2002 Miami Beach debut, the region’s gallery identity is still coming into its own.

“Certainly Miami as an art town registers mightily because of the foundations, the collectors who have done an extraordinary job,” said Linda Blumberg, executive director of the Art Dealers Association of America. “I think there’s a definite international awareness there. But the gallery scene probably has a bit of a ways to go. That doesn’t mean it’s not really fascinating and interesting.”

The gallery business, especially where newer artists are concerned, is a game of risk, faith and passion. Once a gallery takes on an artist who shows promise, they become an evangelist on their behalf, showing their work in-house and at fairs, presenting it to museums and curators and potential collectors and bearing the cost of that promotion.

For contemporary artists, most galleries take work on consignment, meaning they get a cut of as much as 50 percent when works sell. While local art galleries have been growing in number and popularity in the last several years — just try to find parking during the monthly art walk in Miami’s hot Wynwood neighborhood — even some of the area’s top art dealers say that while business overall is good, they struggle in the local marketplace.

“Our problem is that we have to do lots of art fairs in order to connect with the market that we need to connect with to sell the work that we have,” said Fredric Snitzer, a Miami-Dade gallery owner for 35 years. “The better the work is, the harder it is to sell in Miami. And that ain’t good.”

A handful of serious collectors call Miami home and store their own collections in Miami, including the Braman, Rubell, Margulies and de la Cruz families. But outside a relatively small local group, many gallerists say, their clients come from other parts of the country and world.

And some gallerists point out the troubling reality that even the powerhouse Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin could not stay open in Miami for more than a few years.

“The fact that big galleries have not been able to sustain their business models in South Florida tells you we’re obviously not at this high established point,” said gallery owner David Castillo. “It’s not like we’ve arrived, let’s sit back and watch Hauser & Wirth open down the street.”

Still, Miami’s gallery business has come a long way since the early 1970s, when a few dealers on Bay Harbor Island’s Kane Concourse were selling high-end pieces but the local scene was hardly embraced.

Virginia Miller, who owns ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables, first opened in 1974 to showcase Florida artists, though her focus soon added an international scope. She and other longtime observers credit several factors for Miami’s transformation, including the community’s diversity, the establishment of important museums, the Art Miami fair that started 23 years ago, the presence of major collections and, of course, Art Basel Miami Beach.

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Two dead after bus crash at Miami International Airport

What began as a day of prayer and fellowship turned into a surreal scene of stunned, bloodied passengers and twisted metal.

There was the sickening sound of crunching metal early Saturday as a busload of Jehovah’s Witnesses was low-bridged by a concrete overpass at Miami International Airport, peeling back the top of the vehicle “like a can of sardines.”

Airport workers running to the scene found shocked passengers thrown into the aisle or trapped in their seats by the wreckage.

Riders in the front rows were crushed — two of them killed, others seriously injured.

The driver of the bus, 47-year-old Ramon Ferreiro, took a wrong turn off LeJeune Road, entering the airport by mistake, then rolled past multiple yellow signs warning tall vehicles. He drove on, approaching an overpass whose sign said “8ft-6in”. The driver either didn’t see it, couldn’t read it, or realized it too late.

The bus stood 11 feet tall.

“The last thing he should have done is to keep going,” said Greg Chin, airport spokesman. “That goes against all logic.”

Ferreiro, whose driver’s seat was lower than those of the passengers, was not injured.

One passenger, 86-year-old Miami resident Serfin Castillo, was killed on impact, and all 31 others were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. Thirteen ended up at Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center, where one of them, 56-year-old Francisco Urana of Miami, died shortly after arriving.

Three remained in critical condition Saturday night, and three had been released.

Luis Jimenez, 72, got a few stitches on his lip and hurt his hand. He said the group left the Sweetwater Kingdom Hall about 7 a.m., bound for West Palm Beach.

“I was sitting in the back when it happened,” Jimenez said. “We were on our way to an assembly and lost a brother today. I’m very sad.”

Delvis Lazo, 15, a neighbor and member of the same congregation, described Castillo as a “nice, old man.” He often saw Castillo at religious gatherings, and their families have known each other for more than 15 years.

The last time Lazo saw him was about two months ago, as he prepped for a talk before his congregation.

“He gave me a thumbs up, told me that everything was going to be all right,” he said.

The bus, one of three traveling to the Spanish-language general assembly on Saturday, had been contracted by the congregation, which has fewer than 150 members.

According to public records, the bus belongs to Miami Bus Service Corporation, a Miami company owned by Mayling and Alberto Hernandez that offers regularly scheduled service between South Florida and Gainesville, often used by University of Florida students. At the home address listed for the company and the owners, Mayling Hernandez told The Miami Herald that passenger safety is her primary concern.

“At this time I’m worried about the driver and the families of the victims. I’m praying for them,” she said. “My job is to worry about the safety of the passengers who are our clients. What we do requires a lot of responsibility. I didn’t know the passengers but that doesn’t mean I’m not suffering.”

Neighbor Armando Bacigalupi described the owners as “caring people” and said he had seen buses park briefly in front of the house.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the company has two drivers for its three passenger motor coaches.

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