WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
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At holiday parties, experience can outrank the dining, pg. 13 POTENTIAL 85 NEW JOBS: County commissioners are to vote next week on local support of up to $102,000 over five years beginning in fiscal 2018-2019 for a confidential project as a qualified target industry (QTI) and existing business. The project, for which the Beacon Council has applied under the state’s QTI tax refund program, is a European-based producer/ distributor of surfaces and materials used in commercial and residential architecture and design. When fully operational, the business promises to create 85 new full-time equivalent jobs paying an average of $66,100 with $6,000 in benefits and generate $33,019,055 in direct and indirect wages while the project is eligible for the award. The company aims to move its corporate headquarters from Sugar Land, TX, to Miami-Dade into a 23,000-square-foot site that would support distribution networks in the US and Canada. The company is also considering Texas.
How much condo do you get for your $26 million? pg. 15
The Achiever
By Catherine Lackner
STRINGS ON INCENTIVES: Companies that get state and county financial aid by creating jobs under the Qualified Target Industry program in Miami-Dade would have to hire county residents to fill at least 20% of those jobs under a proposal by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz before the county’s Economic Prosperity Committee today (11/10). The state gives tax rebates that cover 80% of the program’s job-creation incentives and the county covers the other 20%. Those incentives are routinely help the county’s economic development group, the Beacon Council, to lure new businesses with high-paying jobs and encourage other companies to expand jobs here. Until now, the county has never set rules about where the persons who fill jobs within the county must reside. COUNTER-TREND WAGE GAINS: As a 2.3% annual US growth in total employee compensation is nudging the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, South Florida registered compensation gains of just 1.9%, reversing a trend in which the Miami area was racing ahead of US compensation gains, according to figures the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released last week. A year earlier, the national annual compensation gain was just 1.9% while South Florida’s was 2.7%. In just wages alone, the national gain in September was 2.4% versus 2.1% here, also reversing last year’s 2.1% national gain versus South Florida’s 2.6% wage increases. JOB SKILLS GAPS: A Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce workshop will hear human resources officials from the One Community One Goal industries targeted for growth of higher-paid jobs explain to university representatives the skills gap their industries find in local graduates. The program is 9-11:30 a.m. Nov. 16 at the chamber, 1601 Biscayne Blvd. Advance registration is $35 for chamber members, $45 for others. Details: Danielle Bourgi, (305) 577-5464.
Luis de la Aguilera
Photo by Marlene Quaroni
President targets new markets for U.S. Century Bank The profile is on Page 4
Golden Glades transit hub to be ready in 2019 A multi-modal hub at the Golden Glades Interchange with a 920-space garage, 768 surface parking spaces, 20 bus bays and a 4,500-square-foot transit hub is expected to be ready by December 2019, a county legislative package says. The facility has been sought for decades to replace the present operation, which opened in the 1970s and is essentially a large surface park-and-ride lot. Plans call for much more, including 10,500 square feet of retail space, ticket vending machines, kiosks and other customer service amenities, bike lockers, improved pedestrian walkways and a waiting area, what’s termed a kiss-and-ride area for dropping off passengers, improved lighting and lush landscaping. The Golden Glades Interchange links major highways including I-95, Florida’s Turnpike and the Palmetto Expressway and major arterial roadways Northwest 167th Street, State Road 9 and US 441 serving Northeast Miami-Dade. The current park-and-ride site links Miami-Dade and Broward County buses, Greyhound buses, and Tri-Rail. The state owns the 35-acre triangular
Agenda
In Gables, safety hub to become a high-rise
site, which the Florida Department of Transportation manages. It’s bounded by SR 9 and the Tri-Rail line on the northwest, the I-95 flyover on the south and an I-95 connector on the east. But a Washington Economic Group study says the “intermodal connectivity… is not well served by limited on-site facilities and configuration of existing roadways.” Decades of studies have led to the new plan. The Miami-Dade County Transit and Mobility Committee was to vote this week on an agreement under which the Florida Department of Transportation would fund construction of the multi-modal transit hub and the county would maintain it, deriving all revenues from the site to offset its maintenance and operating costs. Those revenues would include rent from the retail and other uses as well as parking fees, advertising, and license and permit fees. The county spends $160,000 a year to operate and maintain the current site. The total would rise to $860,000 when the new hub is fully operating. If the county got
more than $860,000 in revenue from the site, the extra funds would be set aside for improvements and future operating costs. In a Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization study more than 20 years ago, the present site was branded “essentially a big parking lot with poor connectivity between modes.” The study also said that “the existing facility lacks passenger amenities, adequate lighting, landscaping and security.” As for future passenger amenities, The Washington Economics Group found that for retail “principal opportunities include a range of food and beverage services, business support services, and specialty and convenience outlets.” In a memo to county commissioners this week, Deputy Mayor Alina Hudak said that the county’s Department of Transportation and Public Works will manage the new hub “with oversight authority to enter into sub-leasing agreements with other transportation agencies or providers in the region, including Broward County Transit, Greyhound and Tri-Rail.” The state is to design the facility with county input.
Attention, developers: prime downtown Coral Gables land zoned for a high-rise will be on sale within 36 months. The city plans to raze its public safety building at 2801 Salzedo St. and build a modern one on Salzedo between Alcazar and Minorca avenues, now city parking lot 6, said City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark. The police and fire headquarters is outmoded, she explained. “It would cost $21 million to renovate, and we’d still have an obsolete building,” she told commissioners Oct. 25. After hearing that the building has structural issues, though none that immediately endanger those working there, the commission endorsed a plan to raze the building and offer to sell the lot. Because the neighborhood is already home to many high-rises, which in Coral Gables are capped at 14 stories, commissioners also agreed to rezone the site from governmental to commercial high-rise use. “The building is street-to-street, so a developer could have full floor plates on that site,” Ms. SwansonRivenbark said Monday. That, coupled with a desirable location and no re-zoning necessity, makes it very attractive, she added. The city will have a site plan prepared to lay out possibilities and will have a say on what eventually is built at the old fire and police station site. The city commission also authorized staff to negotiate for a 35,000-square-foot lot adjacent to lot 6. If the city can buy that land at a reasonable price, it could build an added parking garage with office space and retail on the ground floor. A slight citywide parking fee increase that wouldn’t kick in until Miracle Mile and Giralda Avenue streetscaping is done would finance the land buy and added construction cost, Ms. SwansonRivenbark told the commission.
AREA HOUSEHOLD SPENDING 11% UNDER US AVERAGE ...
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FINANCING FINALLY SET TO RUN TRI-RAIL DOWNTOWN ...
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CHAMBER TO GIVE CEO 3-YEAR CONTRACT, ITS FIRST ...
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TEN NEW MIAMI TROLLEYS TO HAVE GPS CAPABILITIES ...
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VIEWPOINT: REVIEW CHARTER, AND LET US VOTE ON IT ...
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FREIGHT LOGISTICS FIRM GETS INCENTIVES FOR 75 JOBS ...
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MIAMI PAVES WAY FOR UPCOMING BOAT SHOW ON KEY ...
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COUNTY GETS 400-PAGE SEA LEVEL RESILIENCY GUIDE...
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TODAY’S NEWS
WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
MIAMI TODAY
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Chamber to give new CEO a 3-year contract, its first ever By Susan Danseyar
The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s board is currently finalizing a contract withAlfred Sanchez, its newly named president and CEO, for an initial three-year term. Immediate Past Chair Christine Barney told Miami Today on Tuesday that the board put together a competitive package and is comfortable with the range presented to Mr. Sanchez for compensation and bonus. She didn’t cite the precise amount, as the contract discussions aren’t yet concluded, but reported former CEO and President Barry Johnson, who is retiring after 10 years, was paid $175,000 a year plus Alfred Sanchez gets 3-year deal. bonus opportunity.
Mr. Sanchez, who is traveling this week and wrapping up work in his position as outgoing CEO of the American Red Cross South Florida, is scheduled to begin at the chamber Dec. 5. This is the first time the chamber will work with its CEO on a contract basis rather than atwill, Ms. Barney said. Last week, she said Mr. Sanchez will oversee 29 communities along with more than 5,000 volunteers and a staff of 26 in his new role as head of the regional chamber for the Florida Keys to the Palm Beaches. Additionally, Mr. Sanchez is to eventually become involved with ongoing discussions the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is having with the Chamber of the Palm Beaches and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
on better ways to collaborate. Ms. Barney said the three have held meetings and will continue to do so for an exploration of the “right way to engage as a group on issues that affect the region.” At the same time, she said, each chamber will remain committed to local initiatives. It’s not a merger the three chambers are exploring, Ms. Barney said, but rather how to join forces and work together as a group, as a region. Mr. Sanchez is not yet participating in the talks, she said, but will when he formally comes on board in December. At this point, Ms. Barney said, there are a number of ways the chambers are discussing working as a group, whether that be a joint venture of some kind or other type of task force.
First adaptive traffic signals tested By Susan Danseyar
Miami-Dade’s Department of Transportation and Public Works took another step toward improving mobility as it recently began testing the county’s first adaptive traffic signals. Installed on Northwest 36th Street, between 71st and 84th avenues, the adaptive signals will automatically change signal-timing to improve traffic flow and keep signals synchronized as conditions change throughout the day. Equipped with cameras, they are designed to monitor the intersections and reprogram their own timing to respond more quickly to changing conditions. Alice Bravo, director of the Department of Transportation and Public Works, told Miami Today in June that smart traffic controllers can detect when vehicles are backing up at a red light and can automatically change the signal’s timing to balance the throughput at the intersection, thus keeping traffic flowing more smoothly. According to department officials, this smart traffic signal technology will help to further improve traffic flow, signal synchronization and
reduce congestion. The department plans to install more adaptive signals at major intersections and corridors countywide within the next year, as part of a larger five-year plan to improve mobility in the county. The county has been synchronizing street lights since 1976, said FrankAira, Traffic Signals and Signs Division chief, during a June 16 Transit and Mobility Services Committee meeting. The Transportation and Public Works Department is currently adding technology whereby high-speed communication will pinpoint problems and relay the data in real time to synchronize signals, he said. Mr. Aira said after tests the department will use the technology around the county. About 70 electrical technicians, system operators, traffic operation engineers and managers work fulltime “to ensure the signals are timed and operating optimally to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently on the arterials,” the Transportation and Public Works Department’s website says. “The new Advanced Traffic Management System, a state-of-theart, distributed traffic signal monitor and control system, helps to assure that optimum traffic signal operations” run countywide at all times.
Once completed, transit officials say, the advanced system will synchronize every traffic signal in the county, provide real time video monitoring and allow the traffic control center to adjust signal timing to let more cars flow on major roads and reduce side-street delays. The department, said Ms. Bravo this past summer, has been working toward the system since 2006. In the 1970s, signals were connected by a computer. “When something went wrong, we had to drive out and manually repair, re-sync the lights and were limited to 2,000 signals,” she told Miami Today. “Now, over 2,900 signals are connected and we’re able to log into them remotely.” The advanced system replaced the old urban traffic control system in 2012, Ms. Bravo said. “We’re still on a timetable regarding synchronization that makes it all work together. Based on the time of day, we have limited time to react.” Ms. Bravo said the next step is to replace computers at every intersection with adaptive equipment. “The computers at the signals can make real-time adjustments,” she said. “We’re also adding cameras and speed detectors in the field so
Photo by Marlene Quaroni
Alice Bravo said the next step is to replace the computer at each signal.
traffic engineers in our traffic control center have information and make can adjustments based on what’s happening at that moment.” The new signal equipment will also give priority to Metrobuses that might be traveling in heavy traffic in order to improve reliability for transit services. This past summer, the department unveiled the modernized Traffic Management Center, where transportation engineers oversee new traffic monitoring cameras and are improving the synchronization of signals. They use information from Waze, cameras and other traffic speed data
MONIQUE P. WILLS EWM Realty International's Brickell Office Multi-Million Dollar Producer
Monique Pennen-Wills has been one of Miami’s leading luxury real estate professionals for over 14 years, and today she is still as passionate about real estate and working with clients as she was on her very first day. Originally from Colombia, Monique is fluent in Spanish, English and French, and from the day she arrived in the diverse community of Miami 20 years ago, she knew she had found her new home and a city that was in the midst of an extraordinary period of growth and prosperity. As a businesswoman who understands the real estate market, Monique has developed a reputation of being knowledgeable, experienced, and having a strong focus on customer service and integrity. A believer that experience matters, she knows the market and has been through and navigated several real estate cycles successfully and is able to offer that experience to her customers. She has a history of successfully matching customers with their dream properties, helping sellers to find the perfect home and aligning investors with outstanding opportunities. With her deep knowledge of the greater Miami market she is able to help customers based on their criteria and is always quick to remind all of us that location is crucial in real estate. In constant motion, at any given time you will find her showing properties within the Brickell & Downtown corridor. Currently she has more than 27 active listings. Her hard work and dedication has paid off tremendously, with many happy clients as well as recognition within the industry.
Monique has been a top-producing associate since 2005, and has had the honor of being in the EWM Chairman’s Club for 8 consecutive years. She has also been recognized for having the highest number of units closed since 2010. If you ask her what has made her successful she will tell you “I have deep understanding of the market and I am honest with my customers about pricing and timing. Regardless of the dollar amount my personal philosophy has always been to provide the highest level of service. For many people, an investment in a property in Miami may be the biggest investment of their life”. She believes that with the changing conditions of today’s market there will come many opportunities for investors as well as first-time buyers. Sellers should understand these changing market conditions and adjust their expectations accordingly. Monique believes as a real estate professional you have to be able to adjust your business as the market shifts and be able to always provide white-glove service to your customers, listening to their concerns and their needs. The majority of her business and success comes from satisfied customers that refer her to family and friends looking to buy or sell real estate in Miami. Her professionalism, knowledge, service standard and integrity truly set her apart and enable her to standout within the industry and the community. Whether you are looking to buy your next home, or an investment opportunity count on Monique to be your real estate resource.
Contact Monique Today at 305.303.8387 or Monique@moniquepwills.com
feed to improve traffic flow. This process has already yielded mobility improvements. For instance, along US 1, daily congested hours have been reduced 25%, and northbound travel from Southwest 152nd Street to Southwest 16th Avenue has also been reduced an average of 10 minutes. “Only a year ago, we had to send engineers out into the field to monitor traffic and manually change signal timing. Today, these new adaptive signals can detect where traffic is becoming congested and adjust their own timing to maximize traffic flow and operational efficiency,” said Ms. Bravo in a written statement.
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MIAMI TODAY
VIEWPOINT
WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 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
Charter review is timely – without commission censorship Last week Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava made a strong case on this page for a county charter review. Today (11/10) she’s bringing the issue to a committee vote. We couldn’t Michael Lewis agree more that it’s time to review the charter, which is akin to a constitution for how the county is run. In fact, the charter requires a review every five years, and her measure is right on time. She suggests a 17-member review team, with one named by each of the 13 commissioners, one by the mayor, one by the chair of the county’s legislative delegation, one by the League of Cities and one by the clerk of courts. That’s about the best you can do – except to bar the mayor and commission from any choices, which would keep matters at arm’s length to avoid self interest in what a hand-picked charter review will turn up. We’ve in the past suggested tapping multiple organizations to each pick a task force member, but that won’t happen. The commission wants a thumb on the scale. It would help, however, if the legislation
specified that the mayor and commissioners couldn’t themselves serve, as one commissioner does in the City of Miami’s charter review. Commissioners’ valued knowledge and insight are outweighed by their clout in tilting outcomes to their own self-interest. We wonder, too, how Ms. Levine Cava’s dictum that “the Charter Review Task Force shall reflect racial, ethnic and gender balance and diversity” can possibly be guaranteed unless selecting persons and groups collude. Since each selector gets only one pick, balance has to come naturally, not through a guarantee. We’d also prefer more than a year-long study. The 2008 review had 18 months. And since some commissioners always lag in their task force selections, no charter task force in memory has started close to on schedule. But those are niggling concerns beside the one big flaw. In every charter review, county commissioners weed out key issues that never get to voters – in some reviews, they weed out almost everything. Even though they’ve picked the review team, they don’t want to trust voters to act on what charter reviews wholeheartedly recommend. The 2012 review was initiated with a resolution expressing the “commission’s intent to forward any recommendations of the task force approved by two-thirds vote of its membership for placement on the ballot of the next general election.”
That intent lasted until commissioners got the recommendations. Then they stripped away most of them. As Joe Martinez, a commissioner then who is returning to become one again, stated at the time, “A lot of these are overreactions. People are putting pressure on this board. If you put these thing in, you’ll tie your hands.” Or as Dennis Moss explained why task force items would not go to voters as promised, “We’re a representative body and some want to take that away. I got reelected so I represent the people.” The fact is, many impactful proposed changes directly affect commissioners’ self-interest. If they can cherry-pick what to send to voters they will make sure we never get to decide how many commissioners we actually should have, whether commissioners should be elected from districts but voted on countywide as used to be done, whether the current commission slush funds should be outlawed, whether commissioners should have any role in county contracting, whether the whole county should be incorporated into cities or other vital issues a task force could suggest. In short, what’s best for taxpayers is not always best for commissioners protecting their turf. Ms. Levine Cava’s legislation would merely forward all charter task force recommendations for commissioners to
do as they like. Unless she updates it to firmly guarantee that every two-thirds task force recommendation will go directly to voters at the next general election, no charter review will be meaningful. What we have gotten on ballots to date is anything that commissioners like that a charter team also recommended. Anything that commissioners like that the charter team rejects also goes on the ballot. But commissioners are the censors – if they say no, it’s no go. Commissioners are always free to propose charter changes to voters. That’s proper and good. The charter task force should have that same ability. Without it, we’ll get another sham, as we do every five years, with public-spirited folks debating for months on key issues that will never get on the ballot because seven commissioners disagree. As Mr. Moss said, the commissioners were elected. They should be proactive in suggesting charter upgrades. But they were not elected as censors to prevent the public from voting on what a charter task force – which is mandated in the charter itself – recommends. We encourage the Economic Prosperity Committee today to build trust in the commission by trusting the public to vote on how government should be structured. Guarantee that two-thirds recommendations of the charter review will also get ballot box review.
The complex path to a Nov. 15 vote on workforce housing
Most people agree there is a need for more workforce housing in MiamiDade County. What the building industry and some MiamiDade County commissioners seem to disagree about is how to accomplish Ben Solomon the same. In 2007, the commission adopted a voluntary workforce housing ordinance with the goal of adding more workforce housing units to the market. However, such ordinance was adopted on the cusp of the Great Recession, which had a devastating and long-term, negative impact on the Miami-Dade County real estate market, causing development to essentially halt for the next five years. Critics of the voluntary ordinance also say it was poorly drafted, lacked the right incentives for builders, and that such ordinance wasn’t implemented with proper rules until October 2015. Accordingly, many argue that the current voluntary workforce housing ordinance never had a real chance. Due to such lackluster results and the continued need for workforce housing, a Miami-Dade County commissioner has now introduced a Mandatory Workforce Housing Development Program that threatens to take 10% of developers’ projects away and require the same to be set aside as workforce housing units. Alternatively, such developers could pay the equivalent of a 10% tax into a county fund. Under the current version of the proposed mandatory ordinance, cities could opt out, so long as they have com-
The Writer
Ben Solomon is a real estate condo attorney and president of the BASF. He can be reached at Ben@ALG-FIRM.com. parable workforce housing programs. That would undoubtedly add more regulations to the already cumbersome development process. Ironically, it may also have a disproportionate effect on certain lowerincome districts in unincorporated Miami-Dade, where such mandatory ordinance would apply the most and likely deter developers from building new projects in such areas. Some legal scholars believe that the proposed Mandatory Workforce Housing Development Program is likely illegal under the US Supreme Court decision of Koontz because such ordinance amounts to an “exaction” or taking, and because there is no rational nexus between the charge to developers and the purported benefits they receive, which essentially amount to illusory density bonuses. Therefore, if passed, lawsuits would likely be filed against the county challenging the constitutionality of this new mandatory ordinance. Others believe that by taxing developers more, it will increase the overall cost of housing, as builders look to pass on such increased costs to their consumers, as well as may potentially result in a disincentive to build with commensurate reductions in construction job opportunities. Financing is also a major factor that needs to be considered carefully with this proposal. Not only are significant down payments required as part of today’s lending world, but it is ques-
tionable (and unknown) whether banks’ underwriting requirements can be met with this type of a mandatory workforce housing program. Discounted units under such programs would also likely hurt the comparable values of other owners in the same communities by decreasing the appraisal or market rates of non-workforce housing units. In fact, no studies have been performed by Miami-Dade County to ascertain the short-term or long-term effects of such program or the potential unintended consequences to our local economy, jobs or growth in an already stagnating real estate sales market. The Builders Association of South Florida (BASF) has spearheaded opposition to this proposed mandatory workforce housing ordinance, in collaboration with the Latin Builders Asso-
Letters
to the
Editor
ciation, Miami Association of Realtors and other influential industry groups. BASF has been working closely with various commissioners to propose a new voluntary workforce housing ordinance that its members believe would accomplish the goal of creating more workforce housing units without harming the market. At least one commissioner has also proposed a hybrid approach, where there would be a reduced mandatory requirement of 1%-2% with light incentives, and a competing voluntary program at 10% with much greater incentives. Such lower mandatory percentage would certainly lessen the strain on the market and provide competing programs for builders to choose from. This issue is currently scheduled to be voted on by the Miami-Dade County Commission on Nov. 15 and will likely have a widespread effect on the market.
Leave Youth Fair alone
“FIU should get as creative with land it already has…” Like going vertical with new buildings instead of expanding via a land grab. Or, investing in expanding online learning courses, which means anyone anywhere can take classes at FIU (if they can afford them) and not have to put up with the traffic crawl to the Everglades campus. Leave the Youth Fair alone. It’s embarrassing watching this thing play out and disheartening to see how FIU is so clueless about how it makes it look to the world. DC Copeland
Let FIU, Fair share land
The Fair and FIU should share the land. It’s that simple. They should be creative. The Fair is only around for about a month anyway. Daniel Louisdor
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WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
MIAMI TODAY
TODAY’S NEWS
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Miami eases way for upcoming boat show on Virginia Key By John Charles Robbins
City of Miami officials are working now on plans for the 2017 Miami International Boat Show on city-owned Virginia Key. The hugely popular show is just three months away. At its Oct. 27 meeting, city commissioners approved five agreements granting temporary access to certain locations on the island to the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) Inc., the company that puts on the annual event. As a condition to approval of the access agreements, the city manager’s office was directed to address an access issue that allegedly occurred during the 2016 boat show, the first year it was held on the key. The city owns the bulk of the barrier island and has several lease agreements with for-profit and non-profit entities. A revocable license that city commissioners approved in January 2015 granted the NMMA the right to use the land and water surrounding idled Miami Marine Stadium, and other adjacent city-owned parcels, to stage the annual show. The license authorized the creation of access agreements along Virginia Key, subject to commission approval, according to a staff memo from City Manager Daniel Alfonso. NMMA will pay the city 50% of profits obtained as a result of the boat show, as called for by the license, Mr. Alfonso wrote. Each access agreement says the city grants to NMMA temporary access rights to use the properties “for the purposes of staging, providing parking, providing shuttle service over, across, and through the premises and other ancillary uses for the 2017 Boat Show and future Boat Shows.” Esther Alonso of Virginia Key Outdoor Center LLC spoke at the October meeting, complaining that access to her business was cut off by activity related to the boat show. She has a license with the city to operate a recreational business at 3801 Rickenbacker Causeway, offering equipment rentals, paddleboard instruction and more. The center is on the northeast portion of the island, off of Arthur Lamb Jr. Road. Ms. Alonso said vehicles and staging activities tied to the boat show damaged a green field next to her leased site. She said her business suffered because of a lack of coordination between the city, the association and other leaseholders on the island. “I shouldn’t be affected by their lack of planning,” Ms. Alonso said. Commissioner Ken Russell said her complaints were reasonable and he asked that the city manager’s office look into the matter and make plans to avoid the same situation during the 2017 boat show. Mr. Russell said he’d like to see a list of lessons learned from the 2016 boat show and how they will be addressed the second time around. The five new access agreements were prepared by the city’s De-
Photos by Carmen Betancourt-Lewis
Boats line the docks at the first Miami International Boat Show visit to Miami Marine Stadium in February.
The parking area at the marine stadium was tented for the boat show.
partment of Real Estate and Asset Management. They include: nA grant to NMMA of temporary access rights to use a portion of city-owned property at 3801 Rickenbacker Causeway for stag-
ing, parking, shuttle service and other ancillary uses during the 2017 show and future boat shows. nA grant to NMMA of temporary access rights to use Marine Stadium Marina at 3501 Rick-
enbacker Causeway “for the purposes of providing parking, restrooms, exhibition space, concession space, and other ancillary uses, including but not limited to, installing and removing tents and providing demonstrations” during the 2017 show and future shows. nAn access agreement between the city, the Miami Rowing Club and NMMA, granting NMMA temporary access to city-owned property at 3601 Rickenbacker Causeway for operating food and drink concessions, staging, accessing and using utilities, providing rowing demonstrations and lessons, and other ancillary uses in preparation for and during the 2017 show and future shows. nAn access agreement between the city, Miami Virginia Key Beach Park Trust and NMMA granting NMMA temporary rights to use
city-owned property at 4020 Virginia Beach Drive for providing shuttle services and parking during the 2017 show and future shows. nAn access agreement between the city, Bayside Seafood Restaurant Inc. and NMMA granting NMMA temporary rights to use city-owned property at 3501 Rickenbacker Causeway for restrooms, exhibition space and concession space, including installing temporary tents, accessing and using utilities, preparing food and beverages, and other ancillary uses. Village of Key Biscayne officials have been at odds with the city since it allowed the boat show to use parts of Virginia Key. The barrier island links Key Biscayne to the mainland via the Rickenbacker Causeway. The city entered into a license agreement with the NMMA, and allocated more than $20 million to make improvements to the area around the long-closed stadium, with plans for other non-specified events on the site. Village officials and residents objected to the boat show on Virginia Key, saying it would worsen traffic and endanger wildlife and the environment. Opponents also voice concerns about the city’s future use of the property and waterfront stadium, saying the changes were too intensive. The city and the association touted a successful 2016 boat show in February, saying a big part of the positive outcome included water taxis and shuttles to reduce the number of private vehicles.
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MIAMI TODAY
WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
TODAY’S NEWS
Financing finally completed to bring Tri-Rail downtown By Catherine Lackner
The last piece of the financing puzzle to bring Tri-Rail trains into MiamiCentral Station next year fell into place Oct. 31 when directors of the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency agreed to fund $17.5 million of the project. The agency had previously pledged that amount, but concerns that it might be on the hook for a shortfall should revenue projections fail had cast a cloud over the final agreement. It’s a done deal, said Bonnie Arnold, spokesperson for the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Tri-rail’s parent, on Tuesday. Signed contracts are expected shortly, she said. At the meeting, Francis Suarez, agency board member and Miami commissioner, urged fellow directors to finalize the agreement, saying that having Tri-Rail come into downtown is just as important as renovating public housing and establishing a grocery store in a food desert, both of which the
‘This will be the catalyst for mass transit in Miami and MiamiDade County.’
‘We’ve gotten to the point that everyone is all in. You’d be shaking the trees.’
Francis Suarez
Clarence Woods III
Keon Hardemon
agency has accomplished. “We need to sign the document and move on, because this will be the catalyst for mass transit in Miami and Miami-Dade County,� he said. “This is part of the holistic revitalization of Overtown. With all respect to the lawyers, this deal has been over-lawyered. It has become the sum of all of our fears.�
Projections are that the station will increase property values – hence tax increment revenues to the redevelopment agency – enough for it to meet the $17.5 million it has agreed to give, but there are no guarantees, said Keon Hardemon, agency chair and Miami commissioner. “We have a great responsibility to ensure neighborhood benefit comes
from tax increment dollars. I’m skeptical we can move forward� without some guarantee that the agency wouldn’t have to make up a shortfall. “If we move forward, we’re going to put community organizations at risk,� because money would probably be taken from them to meet the shortfall, he said. But Mr. Suarez said the present deal is the product of many negotiations and is probably the best that can be reached. “We pushed the envelope,� he said. “I really believe in my heart that this project will generate all the money we need� to meet the commitment. “We did this with the Omni CRA and the PortMiami Tunnel.� The Overtown redevelopment agency isn’t assuming the risk alone, he said. “This entity [All Aboard Florida] is already building the structure, even after the state welshed on its $20 million part of the deal. At the city level, we fought hard to put more People’s Transportation Plan money into it. Delays create financial issues.� He reminded the board that the original amount asked from public agencies, about $69 million, has been negotiated down sharply. All Aboard Florida, a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, is building five stations for its Brightline commuter trains and will allow Tri-Rail to use them in South Florida. “We have been consistently reduc-
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Public Notice Notice is given that a meeting of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, November 15, 2016, at 9:30 AM, in the Commission Chambers, located on the Second Floor of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 N.W. First Street, Miami, Florida, wherein, among other matters to be considered, a public hearing will be held at such time that the item is called on the following: Resolutions: t 3FTPMVUJPO DP EFTJHOBUJOH UIBU QPSUJPO PG 4 8 UI "WFOVF CFUXFFO 4 8 UI 4USFFU BOE 4 8 UI 4USFFU BT A #VSS 3PBE t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH UIF $JUZ PG /PSUI .JBNJ DPEFTJHOBUJPO PG /8 TU 4USFFU GSPN /8 UI "WFOVF UP /8 OE "WFOVF BT i-U %POBME 'SBODJT (BVHIBO 8BZw BOE DPEFTJHOBUJOH /8 TU 4USFFU GSPN /8 OE "WFOVF UP /PSUI .JBNJ "WFOVF BT i-U %POBME 'SBODJT (BVHIBO 8BZw t 3FTPMVUJPO QSPWJEJOH GPS UIF VQHSBEF PG TUSFFU MJHIUJOH TFSWJDFT BU B DPNCJOFE FTUJNBUFE DBQJUBM BOE mSTU ZFBS SBUF JODSFBTF DPTUT PG BOE BEPQUJOH B SFWJTFE "TTFTTNFOU 3PMM QSPWJEJOH GPS BOOVBM BTTFTTNFOUT BHBJOTU SFBM QSPQFSUZ MPDBUFE XJUIJO CPVOEBSJFT PG 3JWFSEBMF 4USFFU -JHIUJOH *NQSPWFNFOU 4QFDJBM 5BYJOH %JTUSJDU JO BDDPSEBODF XJUI QSPWJTJPOT PG $IBQUFS PG UIF $PEF 0SEJOBODF /P BOE 3FTPMVUJPO /P 3 t 3FTPMVUJPO QSPWJEJOH GPS UIF VQHSBEF PG TUSFFU MJHIUJOH TFSWJDFT BU B DPNCJOFE FTUJNBUFE DBQJUBM BOE mSTU ZFBS SBUF JODSFBTF DPTU PG BOE BEPQUJOH B SFWJTFE "TTFTTNFOU 3PMM QSPWJEJOH GPS BOOVBM BTTFTTNFOUT BHBJOTU SFBM QSPQFSUZ MPDBUFE XJUIJO CPVOEBSJFT PG -JCFSUZ )PNFT 4USFFU -JHIUJOH *NQSPWFNFOU 4QFDJBM 5BYJOH %JTUSJDU JO BDDPSEBODF XJUI QSPWJTJPOT PG $IBQUFS PG UIF $PEF 0SEJOBODF /P BOE 3FTPMVUJPO /P 3 "MM JOUFSFTUFE QBSUJFT NBZ BQQFBS BOE CF IFBSE BU UIF UJNF BOE QMBDF TQFDJmFE JO BDDPSEBODF XJUI UIF #PBSE T 3VMFT PG Procedure. The proposed ordinance listed below will have a Second Reading to be considered for enactment by the Board at the time and place speciďŹ ed above. t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUJOH UP ;POJOH BNFOEJOH 1PSUBCMF .JOJ 4UPSBHF 6OJUT SFRVJSFNFOUT SFRVJSJOH B DFSUJmDBUF PG VTF TIPSUFOJOH UJNF BMMPXFE GPS QMBDFNFOU SFRVJSJOH UP CF TFDVSFE BEEJOH TUBOEBSET GPS NBJOUFOBODF SFNPWJOH ;POJOH *NQSPWFNFOU 1FSNJU SFRVJSFNFOU SFWJTJOH DJWJM QFOBMUJFT SFMBUJOH UP BMM WJPMBUJPOT SFEVDJOH DJWJM QFOBMUZ GPS mSTU PGGFOTFT QSPWJEJOH GPS EFMBZFE FOGPSDFNFOU BNFOEJOH 4FDUJPOT BOE $$ PG UIF $PEF " QFSTPO XIP EFDJEFT UP BQQFBM BOZ EFDJTJPO NBEF CZ BOZ CPBSE BHFODZ PS DPNNJTTJPO XJUI SFTQFDU UP BOZ NBUUFS DPOTJEFSFE BU JUT NFFUJOH PS IFBSJOH XJMM OFFE B SFDPSE PG QSPDFFEJOHT 4VDI QFSTPOT NBZ OFFE UP FOTVSF UIBU B WFSCBUJN SFDPSE PG UIF QSPDFFEJOHT JT NBEF JODMVEJOH UIF UFTUJNPOZ BOE FWJEFODF VQPO XIJDI UIF BQQFBM JT UP CF CBTFE .JBNJ %BEF $PVOUZ QSPWJEFT FRVBM BDDFTT BOE FRVBM PQQPSUVOJUZ JO JUT QSPHSBNT TFSWJDFT BOE BDUJWJUJFT BOE EPFT OPU EJTDSJNJOBUF PO UIF CBTJT PG EJTBCJMJUZ 'PS NBUFSJBM JO BMUFSOBUF GPSNBU B TJHO MBOHVBHF JOUFSQSFUFS PS PUIFS BDDPNNPEBUJPO QMFBTF DBMM PS TFOE FNBJM UP agendco@miamidade.gov BU MFBTU mWF EBZT JO BEWBODF PG UIF NFFUJOH )"37&: 367*/ $-&3, $)3*4501)&3 "(3*11" %&165: $-&3, For legal ads online, go to http://legalads.miamidade.gov
ing the amount� of money asked from public agencies, said Javier Fernandez, attorney for All Aboard Florida. “We have the downside risk. Here you have a public agency [the regional transportation authority] without a profit motive. Its sole motive is to deliver the transit improvement.� Revenue projections have beenextremelyconservative,hesaid. Wilfredo “Willy� Gort, agency director and Miami commissioner, asked Clarence Woods III, redevelopment agency executive director, whether the other public agencies could accept more risk. “We’ve gotten to the point that everybody is all in,� Mr. Woods said. “You’d be shaking the trees.� “Everybodyhasperformedexcept us,� Mr. Suarez said. “I am not happy; maybe we shouldn’t more forward without a more structured deal,� Mr. Hardemon replied. “There is no such deal, and at some point we’ve got to cut [discussions] off,� Mr. Suarez said. “I don’t think the doomsday scenario is going to happen. The future isn’t guaranteed and can’t be written into a document.� “Context is important here,� said Vincent Signorelli, Florida East Coast Industries CEO. To allow the project to move forward and lock in construction costs, All Aboard Florida started construction without firm commitments from the agencies, he said. “It’s important to understand the leap of faith we took.� Mr. Signorelli said the company has spent $18 million and has been reimbursed slightly more than $1 million “all in the spirit of making sure this station – unlike other public projects – will be delivered on time and on budget.� All of the real estate components that will generate the anticipated revenue are under construction, he said. After nearly an hour of impassioned discussion, Mr. Hardemon asked Mr. Woods whether he believed the deal on the table is the best the agency will get. “Yes,� Mr. Woods said. “Then there’s nothing left to talk about,� Mr. Hardemon said, adjourning the meeting with the direction to Mr. Woods to sign the agreement.
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WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
Ten new Miami trolleys to have real-time global positioning capabilities By John Charles Robbins
A recent city report on Miami’s trolley system acknowlThe city’s current 34 trolleys also will be equipped with the new global positioning system capabilities. edged the need to improve GPS tracking to feed real-time data to a website trolley tracker and CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA to a mobile application. Last month, city commisNOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING sioners took a big step toward making those improvements. A public hearing will be held by the City Commission of the City of Miami, Florida on November 17, 2016, They unanimously approved an at 9:00 AM at City Hall, located at 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida, for the purpose of granting agreement with Limousines of the following: South Florida Inc. to provide A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANtrolley operations services. AGER TO EXECUTE A GRANT OF EASEMENT, TO FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT The deal includes spending COMPANY, A FOR-PROFIT FLORIDA CORPORATION, FOR A PERPETUAL, NON-EXup to $343,990 to set up adCLUSIVE TEN (10) FOOT WIDE EASEMENT OF APPROXIMATELY SEVEN HUNDRED vanced public transit manageSIXTY NINE (769) SQUARE FEET OF CITY-OWNED PROPERTY LOCATED AT 3805 ment technology, including real-time global positioning NORTHEAST 6TH AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA (A/K/A ALBERT PALLOT PARK), FOR system capabilities, and outTHE CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF UNDERGROUND ELECfit the city’s 34 rubber-tired TRIC UTILITY FACILITIES, WITH THE RIGHT TO RECONSTRUCT, IMPROVE, ADD TO, trolley vehicles with the new ENLARGE, CHANGE THE VOLTAGE AS WELL AS THE SIZE OF AND REMOVE ALL OR technology. ANY OF THE FACILITIES WITHIN SAID EASEMENT; FURTHER CONTAINING A RETen newly ordered trolleys VERTER PROVISION IF THE EASEMENT IS ABANDONED OR DISCONTINUED. include factory installation of The Miami City Commission requests all interested parties be present or represented at the meeting the upgraded technology. and may be heard with respect to any proposition before the City Commission in which the City ComAdditionally, the agreement mission may take action. Should any person desire to appeal any decision of the City Commission with calls for spending up to $76,539 respect to any matter to be considered at this meeting, that person shall ensure that a verbatim record a year for the hosting platform of the proceedings is made including all testimony and evidence upon which any appeal may be based and maintenance to support the upgraded transit management (F.S. 286.0105). technology on all 44 trolleys. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons needing special accommodaCommissioner Francis Sutions to participate in this proceeding may contact the Office of the City Clerk at (305) 250-5361 (Voice) arez spoke of the popularity no later than five (5) business days prior to the proceeding. TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay and success of the free trolley Service) no later than five (5) business days prior to the proceeding. system, how it’s already been expanded with plans for more growth. Ridership has been averaging about 380,000 boardings each month, he said. Todd B. Hannon The software and hardware City Clerk upgrade will help passengers #25315 and city officials “see things in a more dynamic fashion,” he said. “We’re living in an age when CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA people want to know exactly NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING when they get on [the trolley] and when they get off,” Mr. The Miami City Commission will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 9:00 A.M., Suarez said. to consider the award of a contract to the non-profit organization listed below through Anti-Poverty grant For the city, the upgrades will funds from the District 5 share of the City of Miami’s Anti-Poverty Initiative Program. Neighbors and Neighhelp measure on-time perforbors Association bridges the economic and social gap in low-income disadvantage neighborhoods by mance of the trolleys, he said. providing financial and technical assistance to small businesses throughout the City of Miami, mentorship, Commissioner Wifredo “Wiltraining, and work readiness skills; and, to consider the City Manager’s recommendations and finding that ly” Gort said he supports the competitive negotiation methods are not practicable or advantageous regarding these issues: upgrades but again pushed for a comprehensive plan for the • Neighbors and Neighbors Association (NANA) trolley service focusing on connections with other modes of Inquiries regarding this notice may be addressed to Malissa Treviño, Project Manager for the Office of public transportation and conCommunity Investment, Office of the City Manager, at (305) 416-1005. nections with trolley services This action is being considered pursuant to Section 18-85 (A) of the Code of the City of Miami, Florida as in neighboring cities. amended (the “Code”). The recommendations and findings to be considered in this matter are set forth in Mr. Gort said he’s talked the proposed resolution and in Code Section 18-85 (A), which are deemed to be incorporated by reference about this a long time, and the city needs to examine how it can herein and are available as with the regularly scheduled City Commission meeting of November 17, 2016 maximize its trolley service. at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida. “There are areas underThe Miami City Commission requests all interested parties be present or represented at the meeting and served,” said Mr. Gort. may be heard with respect to any proposition before the City Commission in which the City Commission Mr. Suarez agreed and remay take action. Should any person desire to appeal any decision of the City Commission with respect minded everyone that the city to any matter to be considered at this meeting, that person shall ensure that a verbatim record of the began the service with just three proceedings is made including all testimony and evidence upon which any appeal may be based (F.S. trolley routes, which have been 286.0105). expanded to 10. And Mr. Suarez referenced In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons needing special accommodations discussion earlier this year about to participate in this proceeding may contact the Office of the City Clerk at (305) 250-5361 (Voice) no later making the service city-wide than five (5) business days prior to the proceeding. TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service) no with routes to the west and north. later than five (5) business days prior to the proceeding. A staff report estimated initial costs to add a Flagami route and one for Little Haiti would be more than $2.6 million. Mr. Suarez suggested the city Todd B. Hannon manager begin looking at how City Clerk to undertake a final expansion #25318 of the trolley service. Photo by Maxine Usdan
The latest report showed proposed dates of 2017 to buy trolleys for Flagami and Little Haiti routes and launching those routes in 2018. A background memo on the improvements says the city needs to upgrade its computeraided dispatch and automatic vehicle locator system by adding advanced transit management technology, including real-time GPS to track the location of each trolley vehicle, provide continuous live views of the interior and exterior of each, as well as digitally record and download video and data, furnish high accuracy passenger counts, and create an audio-visual annunciator system with voice and board display triggered by GPS location of each trolley. As part of the technology upgrade, a smartphone application will be developed exclusively for the system, and the public website will be enhanced and reconfigured, the memo says. The upgraded technology will provide management and analytical tools to track performance service goals and outcomes, including: Trolley vehicle speed and location. Headway analysis. A route planning tool. Estimated time of arrival at next route stops. Customized reports requested by local, state and federal transportation administrators. The smartphone app will be an interactive tool by which riders will access dynamic route maps, stops, and continuous estimated time of arrival for each stop. The application will interface with both Apple iOS and Android platforms and be free in the application center. “Overall, the city’s intent, by upgrading to public transit technology, is to improve system reliability and positively transform how residents and visitors interact with its transit system,” the memo says. In related action, the city commission accepted two allocations from the Florida Department of Transportation as one-time payments to help support the trolley service. They approved a joint participation agreement with the state and accepted a $145,000 contribution for operating costs associated with the Little Havana trolley route, and authorizing allocation of $145,000 in matching city funds from the city’s share of the transit surtax. The commissioners also approved a joint participation agreement with the state and accepted a $75,000 contribution for operating costs associated with the Wynwood trolley route, and authorizing allocation of $75,000 in matching city funds.
WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
GOOD LIFE IN MIAMI/LUXURY GIFTS
MIAMI TODAY
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How much condo do you get for $47 million or $26 million? By Camila Cepero
Miami is home to some of the grandest and priciest condos in the country – or, at least, not every US city can say that it typically sees a new record-breaking multi-million dollar real estate transaction every two years. But how much exactly are these condos going for and what do buyers get for their money? In September 2015, Miami’s residential real estate market saw its biggest sale in history when a 12,516-square-foot penthouse in Miami Beach’s Faena House closed for $60 million, or $4,794 per square foot. The eight-bedroom and ninebathroom residence, which features a 70-foot-long infinity pool on the 9,900 square feet of outdoor terrace, closed for $10 million over the asking price. The 42-unit Faena House building offers amenities like an inhouse spa and fitness center, private club and concierge service. Miami’s previous biggest deal was a mansion on Indian Creek Island that went for $47 million in 2012. In the condo world, a unit at the Continuum in South Beach held the previous record after selling at $27.5 million, or $3,342 per square foot, in 2014. Earlier this year, the Beach House at Regalia, a 17,015-squarefoot condo, hit the market for $35 million. The condo is in the 39-unit Sunny Isles Beach tower at 19575 Collins Ave. The residence is comprised of the entire third and fourth floors of the luxury tower and has six bedrooms, six full bathrooms and two half-baths. It was the most expensive listing in Sunny Isles and among the five priciest in Miami-Dade County. Today, Miami’s luxury condo developments sprawl throughout the county, from Turnberry Ocean Club residences in Sunny Isles Beach to L’Atelier in Miami Beach. In October, a three-level, fourbedroom and six-bathroom penthouse at the Miami Beach EDITION was listed for $25.999 million by the Jills of Coldwell Banker. The 5,246-square-foot unit boasts a custom-made staircase, a fireplace, a rooftop terrace and direct ocean views. The Turnberry Ocean Club Residences at 18501 Collins Ave. are to include 154 three-, four-, five- and six-bedroom units when delivered in 2018. Listed by One Sotheby’s International Realty Development Division, pricing is to start at over $4 million and run through to $35 million. Each residence will have direct oceanfront and bay views and six stories, totaling 70,000 square feet, exclusively dedicated to a wide array of amenities, including a signature Sky Club on the 30th, 31st and 32nd floor. Ownership also affords membership privileges at the nearby Turnberry Isle Resort and Country Club. Currently, L’Atelier Miami Beach at 6901 Collins Ave. has a penthouse going for $25 million. The 7,945-square-foot condo features six bathrooms, seven full bathrooms and one half-bath and is selling for $3,147 per square foot. For those on a budget, a 16th floor 4,600-square-foot unit is going for $9.559 million and a
This is the lobby at Turnberry Ocean Club Residences, where condos run from over $4 million to $35 million.
fifth floor 2,300-square-foot unit is going for $3.859 million. One Sotheby’s 2016 Trends mid-year report defines the luxury condo market as the top 50% by average home price.
As of July of this year, 12,984 condos were for sale in MiamiDade County the $1 million to $5 million price range. Around 381 had been sold as of the same time period last year, at an average of
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$803 per square foot. Around 1,285 condos in the $5 million to $10 million range were up for sale. Roughly 30 had closed, at an average of $1,651 per square foot.
Roughly 535 condos in the $10 million and above price range were for sale, with six closed, at an average of $2,252 per square foot. South Beach saw an increase in price per square foot compared to the same time period last year, with all but one of six luxury buildings south of Fifth Street on Miami Beach seeing an increase. Continuum South saw an increase of 29% to $2,448 per square foot; Continuum North increased 8% to $2,034 per square foot; Murano Portofino increased 60% to $2,330 per square foot; Portofino Tower saw a 57% increase to $2,006 per square foot; Icon South Beach increased 20% to $1,212 per square foot; and Murano Grande, the only one that went the opposite way, decreased 6% to $1,270 per square foot. There was a 51% increase in price-per-square-foot between $1 million to $5 million condos and $5 million to $10 million condos; and a 27% increase between $5 million to $10 million condos and $10 million and above condos.
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November 24
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TODAY’S NEWS
MIAMI TODAY
WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
Bonds bid for Miami-West Palm rail link slows legal action By Catherine Lackner
Lawyers for All Aboard Florida, the federal Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Department of Justice have been granted an extension until Dec. 7 to file their response to a motion for summary judgment filed Oct. 21 by lawyers for Martin and Indian River counties. The counties, along with some individual residents there, are trying to block the second leg of the planned All Aboard Florida rapid train service between West Palm Beach and Orlando, saying environmental approvals were never secured and that USDOT's 2014 award of $1.75 billion in private activity bonds for the passenger train project was improper. The plaintiffs filed for summary judgment “in an effort to begin to finally complete this lawsuit,” said Stephen Ryan, a partner with McDermott Will & Emery LLP, which represents Martin County, when the motion was filed. The defendants based their extension request on a new application for private activity bonds that they said would render the current action moot, according to court documents. They said the new bonds would be used for the first phase of the project, which is the rail line between Miami and West Palm Beach. They also said they would consider applying for a new round of private activity bonds for phase II. “[All Aboard Florida] has just now informed the court that it is also considering a new private activity bond allocation request of $1.15 billion to fund phase II,” said a motion by Mr. Ryan opposing the extension. “Defendants should not be allowed to delay on the promise that they
cleared the way for the suit. The actions will be “the first lawsuits ever to challenge a private activity bond allocation from the U.S. Department of Transportation,” said a story by Shelly Sigo in the Aug. 17 issue of The Bond Buyer. In addition to the objection over the private activity bonds – which generally are issued for projects that have some public benefit – the plaintiffs’ attorneys also questioned whether any other financing was contemplated, and have alleged that the project could not be completed without the bonds. The Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program, an alternate federal plan, requires the environmental review, but the issuance of private activities bonds does not. The All Aboard Florida would run initially from this downtown Miami site to West Palm Beach to the north. plaintiffs, along with an anti-train group called CARE FL, said the are intending to shuffle the deck Mr. Ryan’s motion goes on to 14 days to file a reply brief. The 32 planned high-speed trains daily in an effort to evade a definitive say that the defendants failed to case will then be ready to go to would harm public services and judicial determination that the disclose material facts and that the judge for a ruling, Mr. Ryan archaeological sites. original private activity bond they could be trying to force the has said. All Aboard Florida plans to allocation violated the National plaintiffs to re-litigate the case. In August, a ruling by U.S. Dis- begin train service from Miami Environmental Policy Act.” After Dec. 7, the plaintiffs have trict Judge Christopher R. Cooper to West Palm Beach next summer, and is building stations along the route. If all goes as planned, the service would be extended to Orlando later in the year. Both counties are considering their next steps, said the story in The Bond Buyer, though Dylan Reingold, attorney for Indian River County, said Judge Cooper’s ruling was a “really significant victory.” “Martin County is very pleased with the decision and believes that the public will have more information as a result of the court action than they’ve ever had before about the project,” Mr. Ryan said in August. Citing the litigation, a spokesperson for All Aboard Florida has declined All Aboard Florida’s Brightline rail is geared to eventually go from Miami to Orlando with just two stops. to comment.
80% at Gables traffic huddles hail 25 mph residential limit By Catherine Lackner
It’s been a divisive election season, but Coral Gables residents are united on one thing: 80% of attendees at traffic workshops want the speed limit on residential streets lowered to 25 miles per hour. Those are some of the results the city gathered from seven neighborhood workshops in September. “We asked every individual who participated in the Multimodal Transportation Workshops where they stood on the issue,” said Jessica A. Keller, assistant Public Works Department director of transportation and sustainability. “We will be presenting a plan for implementation at the next commission meeting,” she said via email. At that meeting, set for Nov. 15, the
commission is to determine further action. Miami-Dade County has approved the change, should the city decide to move forward with it, she said. Some other findings from the workshops: when asked how they would like to see transportation dollars spent, 26% of participants voted for public transit, 25% for improvements for pedestrians, 19% for features that would help cyclists. Traffic-calming and flow-management devices each won 15% of the vote. There was also strong support for extending the Coral Gables trolley, creating protected bike lanes and clearly marked crosswalks, and building more traffic circles. Efforts to change the speed limit in the city’s residential districts go back to 2001 and ramped up last summer. In August, the
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city commission voted 4-1 (with Jeannett Slesnick dissenting) to investigate lowering it from 30 miles per hour, despite the cost to change speed-limit signs. Police Chief Ed Hudak told the commission then that his department analyzed data from 2015 through July 31 of this year. There were 523 Jeannett Slesnick accidents involving residents, compared with 2,824 in which nonresidents were drivers, he said. Residents received 156 speeding tickets and 125 warnings during that time, while non-residents got 943 citations and 744 warnings. “We believe [lowering the speed limit] will create an overall calming of traffic,”
he said, but the police department can’t enforce it unless the city erects new speedlimit signs. Ms. Keller said then that it would cost $165,000 to $180,000 to replace about 600 signs, but several commissioners said they thought the cost might be higher, even if the city utilizes existing poles. “We need to enforce the speed limit we have,” Ms. Slesnick said then. “I keep saying we don’t have enough police officers on the road.” “Give us an opportunity to develop a plan of attack,” City Manager Cathy SwansonRivenbark told commissioners. “You can see in the budget that we’re addressing more aggressive traffic enforcement, not to delay this but to roll it out. We will find the money that is required for the signs.”
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WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
TODAY’S NEWS
MIAMI TODAY
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Italy’s ambassador targets links to cruise, marine industries
By Camila Cepero
Italian Ambassador to the United States Armando Varricchio this week made his first official visit to Miami since easing into his position in March. He made stops to better understand the Italian influence in South Florida and brainstorm ways to strengthen the nation’s presence here. After his Saturday arrival, he visited PortMiami and made a stop at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The Italian marine industry is an important component of the country’s links with South Florida, Mr. Varricchio said. Since fall 2013, MSC’s Divina cruise ship has been positioned at PortMiami. MSC Cruises is an Italy founded, Swiss-registered, global cruise line with headquarters in Geneva. It’s the world’s largest privately owned cruise company, employing 16,300 people worldwide with offices in 45 countries. The Divina was the first MSC vessel to serve the North American market and provides cruises to the Caribbean year round. “The Italian cruise industry is particularly active here,” Mr. Varricchio said, “and the Italian marine industry is a very important component of the boat show.” “We have always had a traditional presence in South Florida, but I can see, even since my last visit in 2004, how much this presence has increased, not just in terms of numbers but in quality,” he told Miami Today. “So I can see huge potential, and as the ambassador of Italy, I’m more than interested in exploring opportunities.” Growing investment interests by Italian entities will spur the need for an increase of a larger Italian presence. As South Florida’s economy grows and more Italian developments are attracted to the area, there is expected to be an increase not only in human capital
Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio visited to brainstorm ways to strengthen his nation’s presence.
but in physical presence. As Miami Today reported in August, an unprecedented 500 Italians a month are registering as foreign residents within the Consulate General of Italy in Miami’s jurisdictions throughout the Southeast US and Caribbean, with most settling in to call Florida home. From 2013 to 2016, registrations in the jurisdictions increased by nearly 24%. Specifically, there was an increase of 9% over 20132014 and 2014-2015 and 5% from 2015 until July 2016. As of July 2016 there are 32,597 Italian residents in the consular jurisdiction, with 27,743 of those,
or 85%, in Florida – up 7% in the state since 2014. “This is an important trend that I noticed throughout the most dynamic parts of the US,” Mr. Varricchio said. “On top of the many millions of Americans of Italian descent, what we can see nowadays is the growing presence of a new generation of Italians who find here opportunities.” “Very often they are highly educated and highly skilled, so when they arrive here they can find new job opportunities in the most attractive positions,” he said. “In the case of the Miami area, and generally speaking of South Florida, of course this is a sign
of the ability of this part of the country to attract talented people. There’s a growing economy, and a growing economy attracts the best and brightest.” In 2014, Italy exported $40.8 billion in goods and services to the US, accounting for 8% of Italy’s total exports. The same year, Italy imported $16.4 billion, roughly 3.5% of its total imports, from the US. Nonetheless, Mr. Varricchio said, there is room for improvement. “I think we still have to do something in terms of increasing our investments,” he said. “We have important activities in the
health sector and of course we have many consumer goods, but I think that we might explore opportunities in infrastructure and public works.” Miami has earned its reputation of being the gateway to the Americas by way of its enduring trade and tourism relationships with many countries in Central and South America. According to Mr. Varricchio, this facet of Miami can only serve as a magnet for Italian businesses. “When it comes to large investments and prominent business operations, you always want to position yourself in areas that provide access to larger markets – so not just local or national, but broader than that,” Mr. Varricchio said. “Miami is a natural gateway to Latin America, where we have a trade presence in many countries, on top of a traditional presence in South American countries.” “Now we are strengthening our relationships with Mexico,” he said. “We have many Italian companies who have made many important investments in Mexico. Miami in this respect is an interesting observation point.” The ambassador also commends Miami’s openness to outsiders and its “natural ability to present opportunities for an inclusive society where different components can bring their own identity and their own contributions.” All in all, Mr. Varricchio said, there is nothing but positive growth on the horizon for ties between South Florida and Italy. “Italy is also interesting forAmerican investment because we are a springboard for [gaining] access to a larger European market,” he said. “And then, given our location, we provide access to the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe.” “What we cover between Italy and Florida, because of our geographical positions, are very large markets, and the opportunities are there for a natural connection.”
With election over, county ready to debate a ballot issue By Susan Danseyar
When county commissioners next meet, the election will be over so legislation opposing policy behind the solar energy ballot question – deferred when some commissioners said it is inappropriate to comment before the public voted – can be discussed. Sponsored by Daniella Levine Cava, the resolution asks the 13 members to state they disapprove of and oppose the policy underlying Amendment 1, titled “Rights of Electricity Consumers Regarding Solar Energy Choice.” Presented to voters on the Nov. 8 ballot, Amendment 1 is sponsored by an organization called Consumers for Smart Solar At the Oct. 18 meeting when the legislation was eventually deferred, Ms. Levine Cava said her purpose in sponsoring it was to show that the commission will not abide by deception “largely bankrolled by the utilities, $20 million to that effect,” and that it will not have Miami-Dade left in
the dark ages. Her resolution said that Amendment 1 purported to provide a choice for solar power in its title but no new solar rights were provided. It was opposed by over 100 groups and Ms. Levine Cava said no newspaper that she knew of supported it. Other commissioners said that while they, too, had problems with the Amendment, they did not feel it proper in their position as elected officials to take a public stance on a ballot question before the public went to the polls. Many, however, said they had no problem voicing their opinion after the election. On Nov. 15, the board will get a second chance – after the voting is done – to oppose the amendment sponsored by Consumers for a Smart Choice, which the resolution states is primarily financed by the state’s big power companies, and that they oppose current net metering policy. The exact language commissioners will be discussing is that Amendment 1 as stated was “detrimental to the
Daniella Levine Cava’s measure asks the 13 commissioners to state they oppose the policy of Amendment 1, which was placed on Tuesday’s balloting statewide.
board’s previously expressed support for efforts to increase solar energy generation and other forms of renewable energy in the state of Florida.” Amendment 1, according to Ms. Levine Cava’s resolution, was to insert in the Florida Constitution an “unsupported, misleading and inaccurate presumption that solar rooftop customers are ‘subsidized’ by solar customers, which can be
used to weaken or eliminate the state’s net metering policy.” Solar photovoltaic energy offers many potential benefits including lower electricity costs for homeowners, businesses and governments; local jobs and economic development; reduced dependence on imported fuels; pollution-free electricity generation; no water use; and contribution to a more resilient electric grid, the resolution states. “Florida spends billions of dollars each year producing carbonbased fuels from other states and countries to power its homes, businesses and vehicles while solar power will keep energy dollars in the state and create goodpaying local sales, installation and maintenance jobs,” it says. “Florida has the third-highest potential for rooftop solar energy generation in the United States, but currently ranks 14th in the nation for installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industry Associates.” Florida has the greatest potential for rooftop solar power of any
state in the eastern US yet, with 9 million utility customer accounts, Florida has fewer than 12,000 customer-sited solar systems, the legislation reports. “New Jersey has over 43,000 customer-sited solar systems but only half the population of Florida and does not enjoy the same abundance of sunlight that exists in the ‘Sunshine State.’” Moreover, voters on Aug. 30 passed Amendment 4, titled “Solar Devices or Renewable Energy Source Devices; Exemption From Certain Taxation and Assessment,” which was presented as the result of unanimous passage of a House joint resolution by both the Florida House of Representatives and Senate on March 9. According to the resolution before commissioners on Nov. 15, Amendment 4 authorizes the state legislature to exempt solar and other renewable systems from both residential and commercial property appraisals and from the tangible personal property tax effective Jan. 1, 2018, and for the subsequent 20 years.
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