Miami Today: Week of Thursday, January 14, 2016

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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HEALTH UPDATE

Bills could alter the way surgery is handled within Florida, pg. 14 FINAL PERMIT GRANTED: Installation of temporary floating foam docks began last week for the Miami International Boat Show’s new home on Virginia Key. The US Army Corps of Engineers issued the show its third and final environmental permit, ensuring that the annual event will move forward as planned at Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin. The environmental permit is for the in-water portion of the show, put on by the National Marine Manufacturers Association. The boat show received its other in-water environmental permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Dec. 11, and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners voted to approve the show’s Class 1 special event permit on Dec. 15. Multiple, air-conditioned and open-air clear span structures will house the upland exhibits adjacent to the in-water portion of the show. The 75th annual Miami International Boat Show takes place Feb. 11-15.

State of medical reimbursement becoming more complex, pg. 15

THE ACHIEVER

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

SURTAX SPLIT: Miami-Dade County could seek $130 million in bonds to advance affordable housing and give each of the 13 county commission districts $10 million of the proceeds under a proposal by Commissioner Dennis Moss to go today (1/14) before the commission’s Economic Prosperity Committee. The bonds would be repaid from the county’s Affordable Housing Surtax Program revenues, acquired as a surtax on documents that transfer interest on real estate in the county.

The surtax program was established in 1984 to assist very low to moderate-income families to buy housing. Mr. Moss says in his resolution that his suggestion could provide an “immediate and substantial source of funding to address the need for affordable housing.” The resolution, if passed by the full commission, would ask the mayor to analyze the concept’s feasibility and report back within 60 days.

FACING MATCH POINT: Attorneys for the Miami Open tennis tournament organizer International Players Championship filed a request with the Third District Court of Appeal for a 14-day extension, which ends Jan. 21, to move for rehearing and a written opinion explaining its recent decision involving the Open. On Dec. 23, a three-judge panel in the appeals court upheld a lower court’s judgment against the tournament organizer, thereby preventing it from upgrading the Crandon Park facility where the Miami Open is held. The decision did not include a written opinion.

Kirk Wagar

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Miamian runs team of 300 as ambassador to Singapore The profile is on Page 4

Hold land bare as port needs clarify, mayor says

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Mayor Carlos Gimenez says since we can’t foresee the best use of valuable PortMiami land in coming years, it’s most responsible to hold bare land unused for a while.

After speaking with port officials, he told Miami Today on Tuesday, he realized there was no reason to negotiate with Miami officials about city deed restrictions on port land during a Jan. 5 meeting.

Instead, after learning that Port Director Juan Kuryla and Deputy Director Kevin Lynskey advised the port’s 36-acre southwest corner remain untouched until a use can be found to enhance port operations, Mr. Gimenez told Miami City Manager Daniel Alfonso and city attorneys that the county won’t pursue commercial development proposed there but only ventures tied directly to maritime use.

“We don’t know what the future holds,” the mayor said Tuesday. “The best use is to keep [the corner] as it currently is for future expansion that we may not know today will be necessary.”

The county and its port officials need to see results of the Panama Canal’s expan-

AGENDA

Across bay light rail tie gains steam

Mr. Gimenez said reports of a ferry Commissioners say they don’t want to be put service between Miami and Cuba from in corner on how to use vacant port land, pg. 12 sion, Mr. Gimenez said, and discuss ideas the port’s partners have for developing the coveted corner. “We have to first determine if the large ships coming in postPanama Canal expansion will have an impact on our seaport,” he said. “We’ll need to conduct a study of these factors and then decide what’s best for PortMiami.”

A 2011 plan describing potential uses came when the port needed money and was about to issue new debt, Mr. Kuryla said.

“Now, we don’t need the revenue to cover debt,” he said Tuesday. Between 2010 and 2013, port revenue soared 31%, he said, while expenses rose far more slowly.

Since the corner’s development is no longer vital for revenue, Mr. Gimenez said, “the prudent course is to hold it for a while until we know the best port use for the future.”

PortMiami doesn’t generate property taxes, the mayor said, but does support 200,000 jobs. “Along with our airport, the seaport is one of our biggest economic engines, so it’s important to manage it properly.”

PortMiami were premature. “That’s an example of a port use, but I’m not saying a ferry is the best one,” he said. “We have no plans to issue proposals for interest, but that does not mean in the future it might not happen.”

Mr. Kuryla said he’s received inquiries from firms in the past year that have licenses to operate ferries. A few, he said, have proposed service from the seaport but haven’t submitted plans.

Ferry service would require infrastructure work on the southwest corner along with studies of environmental impacts of the needed dredging. If a ferry terminal turns out to be a viable land use, Mr. Gimenez said, the line would decide where ferries would travel.

He acknowledged that a few commissioners have voiced desire to examine proposed commercial uses of the valuable port land despite the possibility of litigation.

The mayor said that “if the commission decides something else [contrary to sticking with maritime use], I’ll have to have negotiating meetings with the City of Miami.”

A long-debated plan for passenger rail linking Miami and Miami Beach appears to be regaining traction on both sides of Biscayne Bay. At its first 2016 meeting, the Miami City Commission is to consider today (1/14) an agreement with Miami Beach, the county and the Florida Department of Transportation for the beach corridor direct connection, called Bay Link.

It’s on the agenda from Commissioner Francis Suarez to discuss and from Mayor Tomás Regalado to act.

The city manager would be authorized to sign a memo of understanding with the county, state and Miami Beach to advance the light rail link, debated for decades, connecting Miami Beach with the mainland via the MacArthur Causeway.

The major transit project comes with a major price tag; in 2014 dollars an estimated $532 million to build and $22 million a year to run and maintain.

What may have spurred renewed energy was a company’s unsolicited proposal to Miami Beach in August to build and run a light rail system for South Beach.

In December, Miami Beach commissioners considered a similar resolution for a memo of understanding with the other parties but instead accepted receipt of the unsolicited proposal from Greater Miami Tramlink Partners for a light rail/modern streetcar in Miami Beach and authorized officials to solicit alternative proposals for the city project.

Meeting minutes note Miami Beach officials’ intent to continue to work with the state, county and City of Miami to pursue funds for the city project “and to pursue aggressively the remainder of the Direct Connect Project.”

The memo would have sought federal funds and required Miami Beach to pay $417,000 toward a $10 million federal environmental study. Miami’s resolution would also call for a $417,000 allocation.

BECKHAM SOCCER LAND TALKS HAVEN’T KICKED IN ...

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CITY MAY CALL ON STATE FOR MIAMI CIRCLE’S CARE ...

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ADDING TO RIVERWALK WOULD GIVE BUILDING LIFE ...

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HOME RESALE GAINS REPORTED MOSTLY AT TOP END ...

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VIEWPOINT: WHERE DID 12 MILLION BUS RIDES GO? ...

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CITY MAY GIVE PARKING LOTS BUTTERFLIES AND LED ...

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DOWNTOWN’S TWO-LANE TRIP TO PROMENADE FUNDS...

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RESTAURANT IN GROVE PARK IN EX-CHAMBER HOME ...

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

THE INSIDER

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

Soccer land talks haven’t kicked in

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

TV STATION ON THE BLOCK: When the first-ever Television Spectrum Incentive Auction begins March 29, Miami-based Spanish Broadcasting System’s Miami station WSBS-CD, Channel 50, will be in play. The corporation announced Monday that the Miami station as well as one it owns in Houston will be up for auction “to potentially generate cash proceeds that are expected to be created by the auction process.”

The Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 8 began accepting applications for stations to be auctioned. The effort is for the FCC to buy back 600 megahertz wireless airwaves from broadcasters and repackage them to sell to the wireless industry. The auction is considered the agency’s most complex undertaking in its history. Sold stations would go off the air or share the airwaves with others. Most large wireless carriers are expected to participate. Spanish Broadcasting System owns 17 radio stations in Hispanic markets and MegaTV with over-the-air, cable and satellite distribution throughout the US.

While Miami Beckham United has shifted from seeking a soccer stadium on port land or near Marlins Park and intends instead to negotiate to buy countyowned land near downtown currently managed by the Water and Sewer Department at fair market value, subject to approval of the county commission, formal negotiations haven’t yet started, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Tuesday.

In early December, Mayor TRAINING PUBLIC SERVANTS: The county commission’s Economic Gimenez signed a non-binding Prosperity Committee is to act on a measure today (1/ letter of intent with international 14) to reinstate a training program in the mayor’s office soccer star David Beckham and for public administrators and ask the administration to his partners, confirming their identify its funding source as well as include the allocation in the next budget. For years, the nationally intention to discuss purchasing recognized Management Training Program created property on Northwest Sixth notable administrators including graduates Enterprise Street and Sixth Avenue as part Florida CEO Bill Johnson, Deputy Mayor and Public of the group’s effort to assemble Works & Waste Management Director Alina Hudak, enough land to eventually conAlina Hudak

Water & Sewer Department Director Lester Sola and Office of Management and Budget Director Jennifer Moon. Program funding ended during the economic downturn to save funds. However, the 2008-2009 budget, multi-year capital plan and five-year financial outlook included a goal of re-instatement of the program for four trainees. With numerous mid- to senior-level administrators retired since the program ended and 165 senior-level employees eligible to retire within three years, BY SUSAN DANSEYAR commissioners will consider reinstating the program.

struct a privately financed and owned Major League Soccer stadium in Miami’s urban core.

Mr. Gimenez said Miami Beckham United would be responsible for paying property taxes annually, just like any other private entity in the county.

On Tuesday, the mayor told Miami Today the state allows governmental entities to sell their property at market value without going to bid if there’s an economic value to the community.

Currently, he said, Miami Beckham United is doing due diligence with privately-held properties and isn’t yet ready to formally negotiate with the county for its property.

However, he said, the county is ready with an appraisal for the land when Beckham United formally asks to negotiate the purchase and will have a report

on the economic value the transaction would represent.

In a Dec. 4 statement, Mr. Gimenez said the transaction would be subject to the State Economic Development Statute and create a specific number of jobs for Miami-Dade residents during the construction process and permanent positions once work is completed.

“Although it has been nearly two years since David Beckham and his partners announced that their Major League franchise would be located in Miami, there have been well-documented challenges to securing a viable location for a stadium,” Mr. Gimenez wrote. “The signing of this non-binding letter of intent may be the most significant step in our collective efforts to make Major League Soccer a reality in Miami-Dade County.”

Land swap can elevate I-395 bridge

CULTURAL EXTENSION: The Miami-Dade County Commission’s Economic Prosperity Committee today (1/14) is to consider recommending the reappointment of Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust Chairman and CEO Adolfo Henriques to an additional four-year term on the Cultural Affairs Council. County code limits service on the council to eight years and requires a twothirds vote of the full commission to waive that limit.

Mr. Henriques, who was first appointed in September 2006, has already exceeded the eight-year limit by more than a year. Commissioner Esteban L. Bovo Jr. Adolfo Henriques is sponsoring the reappointment measure.

ANOTHER ART BASEL ENTRY: Miami-Dade commissioners are being asked to institutionalize an art show in the county administration building each year during Art Basel Miami Beach in order to lure “a sophisticated international crowd of gallerists, artists, and collectors” to see an exhibit of local art presented by the Miami-Dade County Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board. A resolution presented by Commissioner Rebeca Sosa to be considered today (1/14) by the commission’s Economic Prosperity Committee would make it commission policy that the exhibit, to be Rebeca Sosa entitled the “Art Miami-Dade” exhibit, be presented annually from Dec. 1-15 in the lobby of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW First Ave. The first such exhibit was hung in December in the lobby. If the committee recommends approval, the measure will face full commission action. The intent, the measure says, would be “to showcase the rich and diverse culture of Miami-Dade County and to promote local artists” when the world is watching the Art Basel art scene.

BAHAMIAN HERITAGE MUSEUM: County Commissioner Xavier Suarez is sponsoring legislation that would allocate $10 million from the Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond Program to fund the restoration and development of one or more of the buildings on the Vizcaya Village grounds as the Bahamian Heritage Museum. The Economic Prosperity Committee is to vote on the resolution today (1/14), which the background information states would honor the Bahamian culture, history and stonemasons from Coconut Grove who helped create Vizcaya. One project Xavier Suarez voters approved for funding under the program was to restore and improve Vizcaya’s historically landmarked main house and gardens on South Miami Avenue in Coconut Grove, originally purchased by Charles Deering between 1910 and 1912 and completed by 1916, to make them more accessible and enjoyable. According to the resolution, the project’s original allocation was $50 million, of which $30,579,228 has been used, leaving $19,420,773 for the restoration of the village and its buildings, which has not yet been completed.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE TRANSPARENCY: The Miami-Dade Strategic Planning and Governmental Operations Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation that would require greater campaign finance transparency. If adopted by the full county commission in February, the ordinance sponsored by Daniella Levine Cava would require all elected officeholders and candidates in the county to report to the MiamiDade Elections Department or the clerk of their municipality when they solicit funds for a political committee or electioneering communications organiza- Daniella Levine Cava tion. The Elections Department would publish the reports online and provide a link to municipal reports. Under the proposed ordinance, candidates and officeholders would file a statement of solicitation form when they fundraise for a political committee or electioneering communications organization. This is currently not required at the local level and would bring county regulations in line with state law.

A committee is this week to approve exchanging countyowned land for a few Florida Department of Transportation sites so the state can reconstruct I-395 with its planned signature bridge from west of I-95 to the MacArthur Causeway while the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts maintains its view and receives space for parking in a nearby community park.

The placement and setback requirements of the Florida’s Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) long-awaited signature bridge and the performing arts center’s evolving need for parking would be accomplished with the proposed land swap, according to a memo by Michael Spring, senior advisor to the mayor and director of MiamiDade’s Department of Cultural Affairs.

The exchange would be for a county-owned 60,170-squarefoot parcel south of Northeast 13th Street between Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast Second Avenue for the FDOTowned property totaling 61,904 square feet immediately west of the county’s land between Northeast Second and First avenues.

Based on appraisals by the transportation department, the sites have an equal value of $27.8 million.

The swap would require the transfer of Safe Neighborhood Parks grant requirements from the land the county would give to FDOT to the one it would receive from the transportation department.

Additionally, the legislation to come before the county commission’s Economic Prosperity Committee today (1/14) asks for the release of a restrictive covenant for the county’s parcel to clear the title as well as recording a new one on property at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. where the arts center sits to correct the mistakenly identified address to the Arsht Center itself, a condition of the $750,000 grant awarded by the

Florida Department of Transportation rendering of I-395 bridge plan.

State of Florida Regional Cultural Facilities Grant program for the center’s construction in 2006.

This would preserve the view corridor at the front of the Arsht Center’s Ballet Opera House by restricting any permanent buildings from being put up on the property that would obstruct it.

Should the resolution pass committee, an amended and restated operating managing agreement with the Arsht Center, giving it additional authorization to use the exchanged property for parking and 35% for open park space, will be forwarded to the full commission for its approval.

According to Mr. Spring, FDOT’s planned signature bridge as part of the upgrade of I-395 will “become an icon for the South Florida community.”

Other county officials, however, have discussed specific challenges as well as whether the project should be sidetracked.

Miami City Commissioner Francis Suarez, a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization and vice chair of its Transit Solutions Committee, suggested to the committee in December that the project be delayed and the funds be used instead for mass transit.

“The city has been pushing for a signature bridge on I-395, which will cost $800 million,” he said during a meeting.

“There’s nothing really wrong

with [the current bridge]; it’s not a bottleneck and it doesn’t need to be done right away.”

Instead, Mr. Suarez suggested the $800 million would pay for Miami and Miami Beach’s portion and half of Miami-Dade’s for the Baylink rail system to connect the two cities across Biscayne Bay. “I look at this as an antiparochial idea,” he said, pointing out the signature bridge would be entirely in the City of Miami. “This is looking more on a regional level.”

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

TODAY’S NEWS

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Adding to riverwalk would extend temporary building’s life

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

A developer who plans a luxury condo tower at the mouth of the Miami River is willing to extend the public riverwalk westward to EPIC Residences & Hotel right away, opening up a section of the riverfront denied to the public for years.

In return, the developer hopes to get a life extension for a threestory building that was always supposed to be temporary and has far outlived its approved time limit, at 250-300 Biscayne Boulevard Way. The Miami River Commission on Jan. 4 recommended approval of a new temporary use permit for the building, which was used as the sales center for EPIC, a luxury high-rise built next door on the site of the former Dupont Plaza. The river commission’s support of the proposal is conditional.

If approved by the city, the proposal would mean a slightly smaller, remodeled version of the temporary building would remain there for up to three more years.

Today, the improved and landscaped public riverwalk extending from Bayfront Park wraps around the InterContinental and One Miami Condominium and ends abruptly at the old sales center site.

The latest proposal would extend the riverwalk west along the entire site, connecting with a portion of the riverwalk abutting the EPIC site and extending west under the Brickell Avenue Bridge, which winds its way to the South Miami Avenue Bridge.

In December, a representative of the developer proposed a temporary riverwalk along the site for about one year, after which the developer planned to closed it off again to the public while the tower was built.

The proposal presented to the river commission Jan. 4 calls for a temporary riverwalk not less than 5 feet wide along the entire site until the tower is completed and a permanent riverwalk built.

The ultimate benefits, once the new tower is complete and the sales center is demolished, will be an improved and landscaped public riverwalk with widths ranging from about 11 to 30 feet, and removal of electric transformers and high hedges along the riverfront, according to the developer.

In addition, tall and thick hedges along Biscayne Boulevard Way will be cut down to 4 feet tall to offer more open views of the waterfront.

The owner-developer, from Argentina, would have to include a complete and permanent riverwalk along the water’s edge as required by city code.

During the anticipated three years needed for permitting and construction, the riverwalk would be closed only during periodic construction deemed hazardous to the public, according to Lucia A. Dougherty, an attorney representing the developer.

One written condition says the riverwalk “will be open to the public except in the instance when construction creates a hazard for the public. In those

Photo by John Charles Robbins

The low-rise sales center at right would get a three-year extension on a life span it already has outlived.

instances the Owner shall coordinate the closing with the City of Miami.”

Architect Barbara Pederzoli said, “The intention is to keep the riverwalk open as long as we can.”

Frank Carollo, a Miami city commissioner and member of the river commission, asked the project architect if there were drawings of the remodeled sales center.

Told no, Mr. Carollo said, “I’m going on your hope.”

Ms. Dougherty said the project will be a “very upscale” residential tower and “we’ll make sure the sales center looks pretty good.”

River Commission Chair Horacio Stuart Aguirre, speaking of the sales center, said: “It’s not offensive to the eye, it’s just illegal.”

Mr. Aguirre asked, how river commission members can explain to the public “how we let it go five, six, seven years.”

Ms. Dougherty noted a new owner-developer is now involved.

The City of Miami found the three-story nautical themed structure in violation of the city charter and zoning code waterfront development setback requirements several years ago and ordered that the building be demolished, according to river commission officials.

The parcel changed hands last summer when Riverwalk East Developments LLC bought the 1.25-acre site for $125 million, a record for a property of that size in South Florida, according to broker CBRE. River commission members debated the width of the temporary riverwalk, with some objecting that 5 feet would be too narrow.

Manny Prieguez said he’d be willing to “give them 5 feet now” to aid in construction, in order that “at the back end we get something decent.”

“That’s my opinion, too,” said member Ernie Martin. “The developer has recognized that the river has economic value.”

At the committee meeting in December, Dr. Martin said the

river commission had an “ambivalent relationship” with the previous property owner, who did not remove the temporary building when ordered.

The continued existence of the structure “blocks the continuity” of the city’s growing and beautiful riverwalk, said Dr. Martin, who was encouraged by

the proposal to extended the riverwalk.

At the Jan. 4 meeting, Dr. Martin noted the “long history of grievances” with the former property owner and that the sales center has been “a sore thumb to us for so long,” but said now there is “a new day and a new owner.”

Bruno Barreiro, a Miami-Dade

county commissioner and river commission member, favored the proposal.

“In the end [we get a riverwalk] that ties seamlessly at both ends… from EPIC to Museum Park, we’ll have a clear [walkway] on the water,” Mr. Barreiro said.

Other conditions in the river commission resolution include that the sales center must be demolished within three years of the approval of the new temporary use permit, and within 10 days of the issuance of the permit the owner must post a bond, letter of credit or cash escrow of $100,000 to insure demolition of the sales center.

The site at 250-300 Biscayne Boulevard Way is part of an earlier approved Major Use Special Permit under city zoning rules, as part of the EPIC project.

That special permit will need to be amended for the new owner to begin construction.

More detailed plans for the tower itself are to come back before the river commission and its committees for review and comments later this year.

The overall goal of the riverwalk is to extend a public pathway from Biscayne Bay west and northwestward to an area near Miami International Airport, on both sides of the river.

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

MIAMITODAY Miami Today is an independent voice of the community, published weekly at 2000 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 100, Miami, Florida 33133. Telephone (305) 358-2663

To persuade Gus to hop back on the bus, upscale its image In 1975 Paul Simon wrote the enduring lyrics “Hop on the bus, Gus.” Enduring elsewhere, but not in MiamiDade, where we’re hopping off the bus by the millions.

D e s p i t e Michael Lewis traffic that grows rapidly worse, fewer and fewer of us will board a bus. Comparing 2008 with last year, the county tallied 12,388,813 fewer bus rides – a steep 14.6% plunge. Much of that drop came before gas prices fell.

Think of it: more than 12 million times last year people who once rode a county bus decided not to.

And the trend continues: in October, the first month of the current fiscal year, 10% fewer people rode the bus than in October 2014.

This is not a blip – this is a rush out of the bus.

It’s not that mass transit repels us.

Metrorail use rose 1.5% last year and 2.6% the year before. Metromover rides rose 0.2% last year and 3.6% the year before.

Metrorail and Metromover serve small slices of the county but more of us now use them. Buses, which blanket the county and still account for more than two-thirds of all transit rides, are getting a resounding thumbs-down.

That should frighten the heck out of you. We’re cramming a rising population onto the same roads just as more and more of us abandon buses and also take to the road.

There are three possible reasons buses are failing:

Photo by Maxine Usdan

A county bus at the Brickell Metromover station, left, followed by a City of Miami trolley.

1. They’re the wrong way to get around. They merely clog already congested streets.

2. Our system isn’t run well. Buses are infrequent, serve the wrong areas, are unpleasant and all the other complaints that riders voice.

3. Buses aren’t sold well enough.

They have a lousy image, including the root meaning of lousy.

Unfortunately, we need buses. Even if we prefer rail, it could never handle all the nearly 106 million public transit trips taken in Miami-Dade last year. Buses must remain our transit backbone – and we have an aching back.

New county transit head Alice Bravo says she’s hard at work fixing complaints ranging from reliability of service to route locations and then comfort.

L ETTERS Tavern on the Green-type dining for Watson Island I would love to see a “tavern on the green” type restaurant in the Watson Island park. A seaplane basin is unique. I believe many people would be interested in dining while watching the planes take off and land.

Watson Island has one of the most interesting and scenic viewpoints from the downtown Miami skyline, Fisher Island, the cruise ship terminals along with the Arsht Center, PAMM and soon to open Frost Museum of Science.

Perhaps a rotating restaurant showing all these beautiful sights should be included in the planning. What a beautiful way to see all that Miami has to offer in one 360degree rotating restaurant.

Sharon Dresser

Watson Island can be both a park and seaplane base Why can’t Watson Island space be both, a park and a seaplane base? An inspired design could easily incorporate both, since very few seaplanes fly in and out of there each day (of course, when Havana opens up for business, I would expect to see more planes flying in and out).

The “park” surrounding the base could

But that brings us to the third pillar of transit success: image. Reverse the image and you reverse the trend of riders hopping off the bus in droves to become more drives.

The classic case of image is riders who hop off buses only to hop aboard those cute trolleys that cities operate with funds from our half percent countywide transit tax.

Why is bus riding a pain while trolley rides aren’t? It’s partly that trolleys are free. But the big reason trolleys are winners and buses are losers is image.

Trolleys are attractive, buses aren’t.

You might ride a trolley but probably not a bus unless you had no choice. Trolleys (really just buses in makeup) are old-timey and cute, filled with people like you.

TO THE

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Send your letter to editor@miamitodaynews.com, with Letter to the Editor on the topic line.

be an active “historical aviation park” that memorializes the spot (Chalk’s is the oldest licensed airline in the world) and encourages people to watch the seaplanes land and take off in Government Cut (something unique to the world) maybe from picnic blankets surrounding the landscaped site, maybe from indoors through floor-to-ceiling windows above the seaplane terminal.

Or all of the above.

DC Copeland

Don’t let film studio harm a nearby children’s home The Miami Ocean Studios will be a great future project and business for employment needs in the Northwest community, and I know that our County Commissioner Barbara Jordan is trying very hard to bring business that make sense in her district.

My biggest concern is that His House Children’s Home that is located in the same parcel does not lose any of its leased facilities.

Jose Pepe Cancio

Manhattan’s well-dressed executives and theatergoers ride buses regularly but when they’re in Miami they wouldn’t dream of boarding our buses. Image.

As long as we think the bus is not for people like us but for “them,” the only people who will ride buses are those with no choice.

In national studies, the image of bus riders is people who can’t afford a car or gas, the elderly, the disabled, youngsters and students, those riding to menial jobs, those of low income, minorities, and people who are “not like me.”

“Not like me” is the stigma. As one woman in her 20s said in one study, “I felt like I was too good for the bus.”

That’s the kiss of death. People who ride buses “aren’t like me” and “I’m too good for the bus.”

On the other hand, trolley riders seem to be “just like me” and trolleys fill up.

And people don’t feel that they’re too good for Metrorail and Metromover, where ridership is growing.

The county can shift bus routes, increase frequency, upgrade shelters, add reliability, educate the world on routes and speed up buses. All that can help.

But if you want Gus to hop on again, buses need a complete image makeover, from their looks to expanding the kinds of people who are willing to ride.

A few months back Art Noriega, who runs Miami’s parking system, vowed to use nothing but public transit for a month to check out how it works. Unless we can get those who run a lot of other things around here to hop onto the bus themselves, the image that buses are “not for people like me” will only get stronger and the Guses will keep hopping off – right onto those congested roads.

E DITOR

Signature bridge is nice but Baylink rail link vital This region NEEDS Baylink. While it would be nice to have a “signature bridge” on I-395, it doesn’t seem appropriate to spend public dollars for this bridge if we can get commitments to reallocate them to non-car transportation infrastructure between Miami and Miami Beach.

By all means, spend what is needed on the I-395 corridor to restore connectivity between communities, but if it’s at all possible, please save the rest to move Baylink forward!

Irwin Seltzer

Don’t strip bridge funding The I-395 and signature bridge project will undoubtedly complete the Downtown and Entertainment District area with amazing astonishment and beauty.

To take the funding set aside for this long-needed, preplanned project is irresponsible and an unnecessary diversion of public funds, and an affront to everything for which good government stands.

A private Baylink train company should put up their own money to fund a for-profit light rail. We have already had one too

many giveaways of our tax dollars with the Marlins stadium.

Alex Hacker

Put rail capacity on bridge Has anybody demanded that they build the bridge with the capacity to be retrofitted in the future with a light-rail transportation system into Miami Beach – as has been recently mentioned by the mayor of Miami Beach?

Lazaro Priegues

MIAMITODAY miamitodaynews.com FOUNDED JUNE 2, 1983 VOLUME XXXIII No. 34 ENTIRE CONTENTS © 2016

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TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

11

Rail service helps port post 15% gain in containerized cargo On-dock intermodal rail helped PortMiami as it posted an increase of 15% in containerized cargo movements last fiscal year.

The port handled a total of 1,007,800 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, of cargo in the year that ended Sept. 30, as Asian trade rose with multiple weekly service through three of the world’s four major cargo alliances.

Having spent more than $1 billion in capital infrastructure, the seaport now offers super post-panamax gantry cranes that can service cargo up to 22 containers wide and up to nine containers above deck and up to 11 below.

Part of the investment, upwards of $50 million, was the on-dock intermodal rail service, featuring three tracks each 3,000 feet long for the Florida East Coast Railway connection to the port, which was restored in 2013 after years of inactivity when past port directors said rail service to the port was outmoded and unnecessary.

Commodities carried range from garments to waste paper to refrigerated cargo.

The railway “currently moves about 45,000 containers annually at PortMiami and has the available capacity to handle up to 225,000 boxes yearly,� Jim Hertwig, the railway’s president and CEO, said in a statement last month.

As of July 28, the rail service had transported 8,420 cargo container units northbound from the port and 10,257 southbound into the port. The rail service was also moving empty containers for major shipping lines. “We found a niche in the market,� Robert Navarro, port director for the railway, told Miami Today last summer. “Not only do we move loads, we will move empty containers for the [shipping] lines – what they call repositioning.�

Juan Kuryla: larger ships arriving.

Shipping lines move their empty containers, or empties, from one port to another. The port’s rail service has taken containers as far as California.

The rail service was operating seven days a week except for major holidays, Mr. Navarro said.

Establishing on-dock intermodal rail service has opened new markets for both the port and the railway, allowing containers at Port Miami to be loaded directly onto waiting trains, with the railway delivering truck-like service via its Cocoa terminal in Brevard County to the north and FEC Highway Services, the railway’s trucking arm.

The railway and the port together offer two-day delivery within the Southeast and say they can reach 70% of the US population within four days. “Today we are well positioned to support vessels capable of hauling more than 10,000 TEUs and will continue to promote multi-modal shipping and support global trade into and out of South Florida alongside our partners at PortMiami,� Mr. Hertwig said. “More than 10% of the TEUs handled at PortMiami are now delivered to or depart from the docks via a [Florida East Coast Railways] train,� Mr. Hertwig said, “an amount that could reach 25% when the larger post-

Photos by Maxine Usdan

Three 3,000-foot-long tracks connect the Florida East Coast Railway to the port after years of inactivity.

panamax vessels call at PortMiami.�

The port is now welcoming larger vessels, said Port Director Juan M. Kuryla, as the only major global trade hub south of Virginia capable of handling the larger post-panamax ships.

Mr. Navarro said he’s done business with all major shipping lines but would like to add more cargo volume.

The rail service can carry up to 240 40-foot-equivalent-units on its 9,000 feet of track. When a train leaves the port, it rolls straight across the PortMiami bridge, crosses Biscayne Boulevard, then goes west to the Hialeah Rail Yard, where it is connected to the national rail system.

Said Mr. Kuryla, “Growth of international trade and commerce at PortMiami is only getting stronger.�

CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA NOTICE OF VACANCIES ON THE HISTORIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION BOARD

In accordance with Section 62-27 of the Miami City Code, as amended, no appointment shall be made by the City Commission to membership on the Historic and Environmental Preservation (HEP) Board until the City Clerk has given notice of the vacancy in a newspaper of general circulation in the City at least 30 days’ prior to the making of an appointment.

It is intended that members and alternate members of the HEP Board be persons of knowledge, experience, mature judgment, and background; having ability and desire to act in the public interest; and representing, insofar as may be possible, the various special professional training, experience, and interests required to make informed and equitable decisions concerning preservation and protection of the physical environment. Additionally, Board members must either be permanent residents of the City of Miami, work or maintain a business in the City of Miami, or own real property in the City of Miami. %RDUG PHPEHUV PXVW EH DSSRLQWHG DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH IROORZLQJ TXDOL¿FDtions: • One member shall be an architect registered in the State. • One member shall be a landscape architect registered in the State. • One member shall be a historian or architectural historian TXDOL¿HG E\ PHDQV RI HGXFDWLRQ RU H[SHULHQFH DQG KDYLQJ demonstrated knowledge and interest in county history or architectural history. • One member shall be an architect or architectural historian having demonstrated knowledge and experience in architectural restoration and historic preservation. • One member shall be an experienced real estate broker licensed by the State.

‡ 2QH PHPEHU VKDOO EH D SHUVRQ H[SHULHQFHG LQ WKH ¿HOG RI EXVLQHVV DQG ¿QDQFH RU ODZ • Three members shall be citizens with demonstrated knowledge and interest in the historic and architectural heritage of the City and/or conservation of the natural environment, and may also qualify under any of the above categories. • One alternate member shall qualify under one of the above categories.

Public, professional, or citizen organizations having interest in and knowledge of historic and/or environmental preservation are encouraged DQG VROLFLWHG WR VXEPLW WR WKH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH &LW\ +DOO 3DQ American Drive, Miami, Florida, 33133, a completed nomination form LQGLFDWLQJ WKH QDPH DGGUHVV DQG TXDOLÂżFDWLRQV RI SHUVRQV IRU FRQVLGHUation as prospective appointees to the HEP Board. Application forms are DYDLODEOH LQ WKH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH DQG RQOLQH DW WKH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV ZHEVLWH (http://miamigov.com/city_clerk/Pages/Board/Board.asp).

A Florida East Coast Railway train loaded with containers crosses US1 near the AmericanAirlines Arena.

F ILMING These film permits were issued last week by the Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory & Economic Resources’ Office of Film and Entertainment, (305) 375-3288; the Miami Mayor’s Office of Film, Arts & Entertainment, (305) 8603823; and the Miami Beach Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment-Film and Print Division, (305) 673-7070.

Chori Perros Productions LLC. Miami. Ballers Season 2.

IN

M IAMI

Crandon Park Beach.

Matador Content LLC. Los Angeles. Real Women of Telenovelas. Miami Beach Driving Shots.

Raw TV. London. Someone Like Me. Florida City.

Joy Collective Ltd. Brooklyn. B-Roll. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.

Elevision Vision Chengdu Co. Ltd. Sichuan. Enjoy Travel. Miami Beach citywide.

N House Productions. Miami. Carters. Countywide.

Select Services Inc. Miami. Geox. Miami Beach citywide.

Miami Daylight Studios. Miami Beach. Aspex. Hobie Beach.

First Option Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Winners Canada. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.

2b Management. New York. Onward/23 KU. Crandon Park Beach.

Tether Production Inc. Miami. Tether. Amelia Earhart Park.

Pro One Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Bon Prix.

Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.

P. Studios Productions Inc. Miami Beach. GQ. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.

All nominations from the public must be received by Friday, February 12, 2016 at 4:00 PM. Applications from the public received by the deadline will be given due consideration by the City Commission.

7KH QDPHV DQG TXDOLÂżFDWLRQV RI SHUVRQV VXEPLWWHG E\ WKH SXEOLF WR WKH City Clerk will be available for review on Wednesday, February 17, LQ WKH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH RU RQOLQH DW WKH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV ZHEVLWH (http://miamigov.com/city_clerk/Pages/Board/Board.asp).

The City Commission will consider making appointments to the HEP Board at the City Commission meeting presently scheduled for March 10, 2016.

For additional information on the application process please contact Nicole Ewan, Assistant City Clerk, at newan@miamigov.com RU 7RGG % +DQQRQ City Clerk

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

13

Health Update More emphasis on hospital-sponsored wellness programs

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Hospital room nights have been declining for at least a decade, and the Affordable Care Act has built-in incentives for institutions that promote a healthy lifestyle, so hospital-sponsored wellness programs now enjoy heightened emphasis.

But “this is not a recent mission for us; it has been ongoing for more than 20 years,” said Thinh Tran, chief medical and quality officer, corporate vice president and director of wellness initiatives at Baptist Health South Florida. “We recognize that health is more than disease management.”

Baptist has created a name for itself in the wellness sector.

“We’ve been providing thousands of free walking and running clubs, Pilates, and various other programs for the community – for free – for years now,” Dr. Tran said.

At the new West Kendall hospital, Baptist has partnered with ZooMiami and other area employers. “We come together to address how you keep employees healthy; for instance, serving healthy food, reasonably priced.”

The hospital is home to a Health Hub, an area in the lobby where walk-in clients can have free screenings for hypertension, weight, blood sugar, cholesterol and other variables, as well as have their medical history evaluated by a medical professional.

The program has funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Florida’s Department of Health.

“They really can give you a profile when you’re standing there, with a nurse or practitioner to guide you through those numbers,” Dr. Tran said. Sometimes, patients are referred to a doctor, or there might be a “green” prescription for a lifestyle change, which will be tailored to that individual, he explained.

Plans are to put the model on the road in a series of mobile clinics, Dr. Tran said. “We can take that same level of assessment to the community, rather than have patients go to clinics.”

Baptist Health South Florida has partnered with Florida International University’s medical school to provide service to the underserved population in the neighborhood around South Miami Hospital, one of its seven hospitals.

“Teams go into homes to conduct needs assessments and we address why they don’t have access to healthcare,” Dr. Tran said.

“A lot of health systems are turning to prevention rather than strictly treating acute illness, partly because of the shift in payment model,” he explained.

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Wellness has been a mission of Baptist Health South Florida for more than 20 years, said Thinh Tran, director of system wellness initiatives.

“Because of the Affordable Care Act, there is lot of accountability for health systems, doctors, hospitals and insurance companies to stress prevention rather than episodic care. It reduces cost, and the reward is coming back to you, rather than the hospital being penalized.”

Baptist Health South Florida has launched the Miami Heart Study to take “a longitudinal look” at heart attacks and coronary disease, Dr. Tran said. Patients will be followed for many years in a model that is similar to that of the Framingham Heart Study, an ongoing cardiovascular study of 5,209 adults in Massachusetts that began in 1948 .“We’ll see what guidelines need to change, and may even be able to reverse the course of some coronary disease,” Dr. Tran said.

“We strongly believe that you have a choice between preventing what’s going to happen or waiting until it does,” he added.

“Diseases cost a lot more to the health system. Prevention is the right thing to do and fiscally responsible; that’s why we’ve been on this journey for 20-plus years now.”

“Hospitals are set up to treat illness (and provide a small selection of diagnostic procedures that cannot be provided elsewhere), and to get paid for doing so.” said Santiago G. Leon, broker and employer resources consultant for ACC Hall International Inc. “A population that is free of the kinds of illness that hospitals treat would leave hospitals empty – so hospitals as they are currently financed actually have a positive financial interest in the poor health of the population,” Mr. Leon said.

Hospitals that work within a fixed annual global budget, as do hospitals in Canada, have a different set of financial motivations, he added.

“Hospital admissions and patient days have been declining, and Medicare and Medicaid (and, to a lesser degree, private insurers) have been squeezing hospitals hard on length of stay and costs per unit of service.

“As a result, hospitals have been doubling down on expanding services on which they can make money, like specialty product lines. Emergency room services may not be profitable themselves, but they lead to a certain number of admissions.

These efforts to fill beds have no significant impact on the health of the surrounding population, but they do help fill beds and keep staff and equipment busy,” he said.

“Hospitals’ wellness activities like screenings, nutrition classes and exercise programs have some beneficial impact on their participants, but these participants are typically not the least healthy segment of the population,” Mr. Leon said. Such activities, however, build customer goodwill that the hospitals hope will turn into elective admissions, he added.

“The most farsighted and bestcapitalized hospitals are building patient-farming systems in the form of primary care networks and accountable care organizations,” he said. “To the extent that these organizations have a financial incentive to reduce costs and eliminate gaps in care, they are motivated to have a positive impact on the health of their members.

“The part of the population on whose health hospitals have the greatest impact is their own employees,” Mr. Leon said. “On this measure of performance, hospitals vary greatly. A hospital that is a great place to work will have a positive impact on the health of its employees.”

‘The most important component of our strategy to create a healthy population is developing a strong network of primary care physicians,” said Steven Sonenreich, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. “The relationship between the primary care doctor and patient is arguably the most important indicator of health, because you’re having an annual physical and taking good care of yourself. So many people who don’t have any relationship with a primary care physician do not avail themselves of screenings and regular checkups.”

Over the next five to seven years, he said, Mount Sinai will build about 30 primary care centers, mostly outside of Miami Beach, where there is still a proliferation of primary care doctors, many of whom have their offices in two buildings on the medical center campus.

It has been said that 80% of healthcare dollars are spent to treat a handful of chronic illnesses including diabetes, but there is a shortage of endocrinologists in Miami to treat that disease and conditions affecting metabolism, respiration, movement and growth, Mr. Sonenreich said.

“We’ve developed a large endocrinology practice to respond to the diabetics in our community as part of our strategy to develop the strongest medical staff possible. It’s important for people to

‘The most important component of our strategy to create a healthy population is developing a strong network of primary care physicians.’

Steven Sonenreich

have access to an endocrinologist.”

Primary care physicians and some specialists, like endocrinologists, find it challenging to run practices when their rates of reimbursement by public and private payers are low, Mr. Sonenreich said. “We’ve embarked on a strategy to make sure the community has coverage in those areas. Individuals tend to gravitate to those areas where they can make a living, so where reimbursements are low, that can drive shortages. Without efforts to proactively subsidize them, there can be very limited access.”

Mount Sinai has the advantage of having an in-house physician training program to serve as a recruitment tool. “We have a longstanding, respected program, and we are trying to capture people who graduate and offer them an opportunity to go into practice.”

The medical center owns some, but not all, of the practices in its medical office space.

“It’s a combination,” Mr. Sonenreich said. “Some lease space from us; others don’t want to have the challenge of running a practice and prefer employment.”

Wellness is stressed to all staff members. “We start with our employees; we’re very active in encouraging them to have a healthy lifestyle. Several years ago we stopped employing people who use tobacco, and we’re creating a smoke-free campus,” Mr. ‘Hospitals’ wellness said. The cafeteria activities like screenings, Sonenreich features healthy food, he added. nutrition classes and Employees who don’t smoke and participate in biometric exercise programs have pay lower insurance some beneficial impact on screenings premiums. “We use a carrot to their participants, but encourage people to behave in a more healthy fashion,” he said. these participants are “We’ll reach out to the commutypically not the least nity to create awareness that all healthy segment of the of us – especially those of us in healthcare – should pursue a population.’ healthy lifestyle, exercise and eat Santiago Leon the right foods.”

14

HEALTH UPDATE

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

20 more months of work as nonprofit health systems merge

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Baptist Health South Florida will be expanding services to Palm Beach County when its merger with Bethesda Health Inc. is complete in October 2017, which officials say will strengthen both organizations’ missions to improve the health of their respective communities.

It’s a mutually beneficial situation for the two not-for-profit health organizations, said Wayne Brackin, chief operating officer for Baptist Health South Florida.

He told Miami Today last week that Baptist Health will now have a presence further north and the smaller Bethesda Health will gain a partner with like-minded ideals. “Bethesda is a similar nonprofit health organization serving its local community,� Mr. Brackin said. “They were looking for a partner and we knew

their leader, which started the conversation.�

It made sense to have a partner in Palm Beach, he said, and the two organizations signed an agreement to merge last fall, pursuant to a 24-month transition.

For patients, there will be access to medical services in more than one location so they don’t have to leave their homes in either Palm Beach or MiamiDade, Mr. Brackin said. “We’re ‘Bethesda is a similar developing the Miami Cancer nonprofit health Institute, which will open a year from now, so patients will have organization serving its access to clinical trials and cer- local community. They were tain technology that may not be looking for a partner and we available in Palm Beach.�

Most of the activity early on knew their leader, which was looking at each other’s sys- started the conversation.’ tems from the standpoint of inWayne Brackin formation technology, to determine what’s the same and what needs to change. “We’ve been tic facilities and joint ventures working together on outpatient with doctors in ambulatory surstrategies [urgent care, diagnos- gery centers] that have been

successful in Miami-Dade and Broward counties which we might bring to Palm Beach,’ Mr. Brackin said. “We’ve also done physician recruiting and will be together at the Susan G. Komen [South Florida Race for the Cure event Jan. 30] in Palm Beach.�

For the next 20 months, Mr. Brackin said, the health organizations will continue to concentrate on ways of integrating. “We expect to close in October 2017 and will be steadily working,� he said. “It’s a good timeframe because we’re not closing tomorrow so we don’t have to rush.�

Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, will still be principally headquartered in Coral Gables. Mr. Brackin said he expects some opportunities for new facilities as part of the merger.

When the agreement was signed to solidify affiliation

plans, the healthcare organizations released a joint statement. “While significant challenges are ahead in healthcare, it is essential to forge partnerships that can ensure our organizations remain on the leading edge as providers of quality medical care,� Roger L. Kirk, president and CEO of Bethesda Health, said at the time. “As not-forprofit hospitals, we share similar missions and a common vision for improving the health care of our respective communities that can be significantly strengthened by this affiliation.�

Brian E. Keeley, president and CEO of Baptist Health South Florida, said his organization was very optimistic about the steps it was taking to affiliate with Bethesda Health. “Together we will develop and share best practices that can only enhance our commitment to our patients, employees and the communities we serve.�

Two bills could alter the way surgery is handled in Florida

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

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Two bills currently before the Florida Legislature would have far-reaching consequences for traditional hospital if they become law, observers say.

One would increase the length of time patients could stay in ambulatory surgical centers; the limit now is 23 hours. The other would create a completely new entity, the recovery center, where patients could stay for 72 hours after being discharged from an ambulatory surgery center or a hospital.

With both measures, the hospital industry has financial and safety concerns, said Keith Arnold, a senior principal and lobbyist within the Fort Myers office of the Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney law firm who represents “safety-net� facilities, mainly nonprofits and public hospitals. “If you need overnight care after surgery, it’s no longer an outpatient procedure, and that patient needs resources that

must be available at a moment’s notice,� he said. “We are concerned about the quality of the care that would be rendered.

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It’s inherently dangerous for a patient to stay overnight in anything other than a hospital in the event that patient needs nursing care or the resources that are available 24/7, 365 days a year, in a hospital.�

Lengthening the hours of service sounds innocuous enough. “It may seem like a small change, but the intent is very clear: to allow ambulatory surgical centers to be more hospital-like,� Mr. Arnold said.

The other concern is that these centers would “cherry pick� well-heeled patients and procedures that are the most lucrative, while hospitals have to provide some care to indigents, and public hospitals ultimately provide a great deal of care that is uncompensated, he explained. “They will take the patients who have resources, and that flies against the mission of public and not-for- profit hospitals. It’s cherry-picking in the worst kind of way. �

The 72-hour recovery facility “is a new categorization,�

Mr. Arnold said. “They are theoretically cheaper and more costeffective than allowing the pa-

tient to remain in the hospital.

Again, there are concerns with quality, and whether insurance carriers would try to dictate standards of care to them.�

Three days of recovery in a center “means you must have had a fairly significant procedure,� he said. “If that’s required, you want to have your loved one in the most comprehensive medical facility possible.�

There is also a financial angle, he said. “It becomes an economic impairment to hospitals,�

Mr. Arnold said. “Both bills have a similar effect. They put safety-net institutions in the position of deciding whether to go head-to-head with these corporate interests. Do we want to compete with a physician group or other corporate entity? It diverts limited resources that could be spent on keeping up with the latest technology, replacing aging facilities or caring for chronically ill people.� “The hospital industry is concerned with legislation that creates an unlevel, unfair playing field, said, Linda Quick, former president of the South Florida

Hospital & Healthcare Association and now president of Quick-Bernstein Connection Group, a consulting firm. “I think everything in Tallahassee is going to be quid-pro-quo this year. There are a significant number of hospital-hostile pieces of legislation, for a variety of reasons. Some come from the governor’s task force, and some from the governor himself.�

There will probably be some horse trading between hospital groups and corporate entities that want to run hospital-like facilities, she predicted. “I get the impression some of these bills will pass, some will fail and some will get rained out,� she said, meaning they will never make it out of advisory committees to see a vote on the floor of the Florida House or Senate. “I am not close enough, on a daily basis, to say which will be which, but I can’t imagine that Bruce Rueben or Tony Carvalho would allow all of them to pass,�

Ms. Quick said, referring to the leaders of the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida respectively.

Part of the problem with the legislative items is that they reflect an imperfect understanding of the nature of medical economics, Ms. Quick has said.

Creating more facilities gives rise to excess capacity – industry shorthand for more supply than demand. Because they are required to offer an entire menu of services regardless of whether there are patients to pay for those services, hospitals have tremendous overhead, observers say. When there is excess capacity, facilities compete for highly skilled employees and other resources while the number of patients is divided among more competitors.

Unit cost ultimately rises, “which is the opposite of what the legislature is trying to do,�

Ms. Quick said this week.

24

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

Have you, your company or organization been recognized by your professional peers with an honor in 2015?

Then Go for the Gold!

You are a potential candidate for Miami Today’s 17th Annual Gold Medal Awards.

A panel of top-level, Miami-based judges will select Gold, Silver, and Bronze individual and organization winners who will be honored at an invitation-only reception and dinner. Winners will be featured in an exclusive Miami Today Gold Medal Awards special section published in 2016.

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Nominations must be submitted by January 31 Send this form and no more than two 8 1/2 x 11 pages of supporting materials to: Miami Today Gold Medal Awards

By Mail: 2000 South Dixie Highway, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33133

By Email: jallen@miamitodaynews.com or go to www.miamitodaynews.com and click on the Gold Medal Awards application link Person, Company or Organization: Award honoree received in 2015:

Upon what was the award based:

Honoree contact name: Address of honoree: Phone:

Fax:

Email: If you have questions, contact Janel Allen at jallen@miamitodaynews.com or (Honoree cannot be employed by or be a subsidiary of the honoring organization. Gold Medal winners from

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