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Miami pol gets headache over name mixup

joanfleischman@yahoo.com

Miami political consultant Armando Gutierrez was not amused to find his name in news articles that said he'd been indicted on public corruption and money-laundering charges in New Mexico. Wrong Gutierrez. The Gutierrez under indictment is Texas-based and operates a political consulting firm with a similar name.

``Just a nightmare,'' says Miami's Gutierrez, 59, of Gutierrez and Associates. The original story in The Albuquerque Journal identified the indicted Gutierrez as a ``longtime south Florida political operative'' -- and that article got picked up by other news outlets. Gutierrez says he fielded ``hundreds'' of calls and e-mails. ``I was very, very upset.''

Albuquerque Journal assistant city editor Jake Rigdon says the paper ran a retraction on its website Friday and in print Saturday: ``The Armando Gutierrez indicted this week with former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron is not a Miami-based political consultant, as reported in Thursday's Journal. The Armando Gutierrez, 61, who was indicted worked in New Mexico as a consultant to Democratic candidates in New Mexico and now lives in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Miami-based Armando Gutierrez is a political consultant to Republican candidates and many local charities in the Miami area. He had nothing to do with the Secretary of State's Office in New Mexico and has not been indicted. He sponsors heart surgeries for children from Haiti and won a community leadership award from the FBI.''

The Journal's editor, Kent Walz, sent Gutierrez an e-mail apology on Monday. Walz told Gutierrez the paper has taken steps to ``keep the story that contained the error from coming up in . . . Google searches'' and to ensure that archive vendors NewsBank and Nexis have the correction.

Gutierrez says the reporters failed to do their homework. ``I call it Google journalism. They Googled `Armando Gutierrez' and my website came up.

``If they would have spent more than five minutes on my site, they would have realized that I was the wrong guy.''

SKY HIGH

Judy Reinach, 68, of Key Biscayne, is in a 60-second freefall after jumping out of a Cessna at 13,500 feet last Friday. ``I like adventure,'' she says. She also used the jump to raise money for her favorite charity, Miami Bridge Youth and Family Services, an emergency shelter for kids. Reinach hit up friends for donations, and has raked in $16,884.50. The money will go toward bunk beds and other furniture for the dorms on Miami Bridge's two local campuses, says Mary Andrews, the nonprofit's executive director.

Reinach shelled out $229 to SkyDive Miami in Homestead (plus another $99 for photos and a DVD). A first-timer, she jumped tandem with instructor Randy Melfi. ``The most exciting thing I've ever done in my life -- and remember, I've taken flying lessons,'' she says. She wasn't scared because she was too busy concentrating on smiling for the photographer who jumped out ahead of her.

Ed Scott, the U.S. Parachute Association's executive director, says there were 2.6 million jumps last year, with 30 fatalities, including three in tandem accidents. ``There's definitely a risk of hurting yourself,'' says Fred Whitsitt, Skydive Miami's VP and manager. That's why, Reinach says, she met with her lawyer a few days before the jump to sign her will and living will.

So, what's left on Reinach's adventure to-do list? ``I want to get my pilot's license.''

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