the miami report: transvestite hooker edition...

Former Miami Commissioner Arthur E. Teele Jr. -- politically humiliated and facing two indictments with more to come -- walked into the lobby of The Herald building Wednesday evening and shot himself in the head. He died less than two hours later at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

During a 15-year political career, Teele became one of Miami-Dade's most influential politicians, serving on both the Miami City Commission and the County Commission. But his life ended in a cascade of arrests and humiliating disclosures that reached a crescendo in recent weeks.

Two weeks ago, Teele was indicted on 26 federal charges of fraud and money laundering -- his third arrest in a year. On Tuesday, a probation officer filed papers seeking to revoke his probation from an earlier conviction and send Teele to jail.

Wednesday brought the latest embarrassment: The New Times weekly published an excruciatingly detailed, 14-page spread describing Teele's alleged sordid relationships with crooked contractors, drug dealers and -- what bothered Teele the most -- a transvestite prostitute. The front-page headline: Tales of Teele: Sleaze Stories