Miami Today: Week of Thursday, March 17, 2016

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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Investors reveal diverse list of targets in county, pg. 14 BIG-NAME DELINQUENTS: Big-name developments have avoided paying Miami-Dade Water and Sewer connection charges so long that they have passed the county’s four-year statute of limitations, accounting for the vast majority of more than $3.5 million sitting on the county’s ledger as uncollected. Among the big ones that got away forever, according to a memo last week from Mayor Carlos Gimenez to commissioners, are the Loews Hotel, which owes $976,007 uncollectible, Yacht Club at Portofino $537,389, Sunny Isles Luxury Ventures (formerly known as Trump International Sonesta Beach) $467,794, Portofino Tower $319,423, and Bentley Hotel, $120,752. In 2015 the county collected only $58,110 in delinquent water and sewer connection charges, $45,610 from the Bentley Beach Condo Hotel and $12,500 from The Clinton Hotel. The mayor issued the report at the request of Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava.

Smaller Design District shops awaiting second phase, pg. 15

THE ACHIEVER

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

CONVENTION HOTEL FAILS: Miami Beach voters on Tuesday rejected a lease of city land for 99 years for construction of an 800-room, 25-story convention center hotel at 17th Street and Convention Center Drive. Approval would have allowed Portman Holdings of Atlanta to build the $400 million hotel behind the Fillmore Miami Beach to serve the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is now being upgraded. The measure won more than 50% approval, but a 60% yes vote was needed to permit the deal to go forward. Hotel proponents had said a convention center hotel was vital to bringing more major conventions to the center. RIVERSIDE REFERENDUM: On Tuesday, City of Miami voters approved by a wide margin a plan to lease city-owned land on the Miami River to a developer who plans a mixed-use fisherman’s wharf with restaurants. Voters were asked to approve a lease of 0.73-acre on the river to Riverside Wharf LLC, providing for $195,500 of minimum guaranteed annual rent and an investment of about $7 million in privately funded improvements, including construction of restaurants and the continuity of the public riverwalk, for a 30-year term with two 10-year renewal options. The plan includes a complex of four riverfront restaurants and event spaces and a fish market and oyster bar run by Garcia’s Seafood, along with a new portion of the riverwalk. PRIVATE ASSET MANAGEMENT: Miami law firm Cantor & Webb received the Best Private Client Law Firm Award at the annual Private Asset Management Awards in New York.

Scheffer Tseng

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

MD develops and markets wound-healing technologies The profile is on Page 4

Guyana grower plans river import-shipping hub BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

An established importer-exporter plans to redevelop a marine-industrial site on the upper Miami River, a move expected to generate new jobs and tax base for the area. The company plans to relocate to 32183250 NW N River Drive, a riverfront property with access to a rail spur and close to Miami International Airport. Dee Talford owns and operates two companies: Exquisite Import/Export Trading Co. Inc., doing business as ETC Logistics (USA), and Talford-Guyana Agro Industries. The operation in Guyana feeds the US company palm oil and soybeans. ETC Logistics USA, founded in 1988, operates as a trade stream service provider. As a contract worldwide shipper, the company is in global market trade, moving and transportation technologies. It also provides dry, refrigerated, flatbed and intermodal services. Mr. Talford met recently with the economic development committee of the Miami River Commission to explain his plans to move from North Carolina to Miami. About three years ago, a Beacon Council

AGENDA

City seeks waterways travel plan

representative reached out to him about relocating to Miami, he said. For about a year, Mr. Talford has been in talks with Brett Bibeau, River Commission managing director, about relocation. The company has offered to buy the riverfront site, Mr. Talford said. Talford-Guyana Agro Industries leases about 20,000 acres from the government of Guyana to grow African palms and soybeans. The company’s products include palm oil for cooking, butter and margarine, soy milk, soy oil and bio-fuels, and can be used in the manufacture of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. “Overall it is an environmentally-sound product,” he said. The plan calls for shipping the raw palm oil and soybeans from South America by tankers to the river site, transporting raw product by rail from the riverfront site to a New York refinery and transporting it back to Miami for packaging and shipment to sellers. About 75 packaging and processing jobs are expected here within five years, he said. “Already we’ve started hiring here in Miami,” Mr. Talford said – about 20 people so far. As for goals for sales of palm and soy

In the wake of use of water taxis to ferry thousands to the Miami International Boat Show last month, Miami commissioners are preparing to launch a study leading to a major waterway transportation system. Commissioners, buoyed by boat show numbers, directed City Manager Daniel Alfonso on March 11 to study what a waterways transportation plan would require. Boat show organizer the National Marine Manufacturers Association reported that its water taxis transported more than 53,000 people to the show on Virginia Key. City officials say that number reveals how valuable waterways can be for transportation in the city. Commissioner Ken Russell, chairing last week’s meeting, said successful use of water taxis was a great kick-off to discussing waterway transportation. “The question of ‘would people use it’ has been answered,” Mr. Russell said. Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort, a champion of public transit over waterways, authored the resolution that the commission adopted. A system that uses water routes on Biscayne Bay and the Miami River could help relieve traffic congestion on the roadways, Mr. Gort said. “Water travel works worldwide,” he said. The commission believes a balanced, integrated and multimodal transportation system is a priority, the legislation states. It directs Mr. Alfonso to conduct a study focused on manatee protection, no wake zone and safety considerations; existing ports and marinas and those in development; the system’s relationship with MiamiDade County and surrounding municipalities; use of various vessel types and the environmental impacts of each; and connectivity with other forms of transport such as Metrorail, Metro Bus and the network of trolleys.

products, Mr. Talford said, “We will try to get in all the major grocery stores.” The company now has two palm oil products in Walmarts in Mexico, he said. By cutting transportation costs, Mr. Talford said, his company can sell palm oil at a 30% discount. The company currently ships to the Port of Charleston. He said he plans to sell stock in the company soon. He said he is also considering using the EB-5 foreign investment program to generate money to help the company grow. “We wish you the best of luck,” said committee chairman Phil Everingham. Rob Piatkowski, a planning consultant with the Florida Department of Transportation, listened to Mr. Talford’s presentation. He said the department in September will study short sea shipping to evaluate freight uses on the river. Mr. Piatkowski said the study will look at connectivity to other transportation modes. Mr. Talford said the relaxation of trade restrictions with Cuba and the expansion of the Panama Canal could be “great busi- 80% attending boat show rode in water taxis or buses, city told, pg. 8 ness opportunities for us.”

COMMUTE TIMES DETER TALENT, TECH PANEL TOLD ...

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ROCKS AND STICKS ARE ‘ZOO DOO’ STICKING POINTS ...

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CITY STRIPS SPORTS AUTHORITY OF LAND CONTROLS ...

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THE FAIR ANALYZES TWO RELOCATION POSSIBILITIES ...

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VIEWPOINT: LET PUBLIC VOTE ON METROMOVER FARE ...

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REALTY HOLDS OWN AMID FALLING FOREIGN SALES ...

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MUSEUM BAILOUT WOULD ADD OFFICIALS TO BOARD ...

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COUNTY PULLS FILM STUDIO GRANT, RECYCLES CASH ...

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VIEWPOINT

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 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

Commission should let public vote to add Metromover fare the county have no rail service at all, much less free service. Fourth, visitors and tourists ride Metromover free. Fares would let them help repay us. In hotels we tax tourists extra, but we give them rail transportation absolutely free. Fifth, even at $2.25 we would subsidize riders. Fares never pay the full ride – true costs are far higher. But a fare lets users put some skin into the game. Of course, restoring a fare does assume that the commission won’t just empty the fare box to replace other transit spending rather than add to it, as it did in 2002 with the sales tax. Would commissioners behave more responsibly now? Another negative could be lost Metromover riders when a fare was tacked on. Use might take time to grow again, but it would, because when the Metromover works it’s far superior to driving around downtown or Brickell. “When it works” is a caveat for one writer to MiamiTodayNews.com, since the Metromover shuts for repairs far too often to rely on. The aging system does need more than standard upkeep, an investment to make from general county funds now and not from a new Metromover fare. Nobody wants to pay – when was the last time anyone wanted to pay for

something that’s free? – but everyone knows that they need more transit. It will be up to Ms. Jordan and like-minded commissioners to show voters why a fare is more than fair. Finally, officials say it used to cost more to collect a Metromover fare than the county received. But that was at 25 cents. At $1 or $2.25, collections would far exceed costs. We long since discarded turnstiles for Metromover. If the county found replacing them costly it could try an honor system without turnstiles. Transit systems elsewhere put fare loses in honor systems at 3% to 5%. Simple math would tell the county if that much loss would exceed the cost of turnstiles. Ms. Jordan’s measure is due a committee airing April 13, when she faces a fight. Already three commissioners have voted to not even discuss a fare. That’s three votes against more transit, three votes to subsidize Brickell and downtown at the expense of poorer areas elsewhere, and three votes for more traffic congestion. If those three commissioners and others who may be on the fence reconsider carefully, however, they’ll recognize a countywide benefit from letting the public decide in November whether a Metromover fare can be a small price to pay in the battle against urban gridlock.

Hand it to Commissioner Barbara Jordan, who long has advocated a Metromover fare. Restoring a fare is smart, equitable – and very hard. Back in 2002 when Miami-Dade voters levied a Michael Lewis half percent sales tax to fund more mass transit, a tradeoff was to end the 25-cent Metromover fare. The fare indeed vanished – but commissioners diverted most of the sales taxes to run older transit rather than add miles, while they pulled back other money that long had kept transit going. It was classic sleight of hand, like when voters OK’d a Florida Lottery to aid education. The state then moved existing education funds elsewhere, so the lottery did nothing but pick gamblers’ pockets. But just because others con the public too doesn’t make it more palatable. Meanwhile, with paid bus use in freefall, the free 4.4-mile Metromover has more than doubled rides from 4.7 million in 2002, when it had a fare, to

more than 9.9 million last year. Last year’s Metromover gain was a slim 25,000 boardings while county buses lost more than 4.5 million. More rail is vital but money is scarce. Even a $1 Metromover fare – less than half the bus and Metrorail rate – could add $10 million for transit. A Metromover fare the same as bus or Metrorail could top $22 million. Via preliminary legislation that advanced last week Ms. Jordan wants to restore a fare. It won’t be easy, because she needs 9 of the 13 commission votes followed by a public ballot OK in November. Good reasons to charge on Metromover include a rail lifeline. If the county could add $22 million a year fares, the cash could fund bonds to build rail in underserved areas. It could also finish the incomplete Metromover, sending it rolling into areas now brimming with residents and workers who could hop out of cars and onto trains, cutting core city congestion. Second, even at $2.25 Metromover would be a bargain, far better than pricy parking in downtown, Brickell and the Omni. Third, thousands of new downtown and Brickell condo residents now ride Metromover. These well-to-do riders can afford to pay when the poorest in

L ETTERS

Avoid Baylink disconnect but hail progress

TO THE

E DITOR

All studies show best use of port site is trade center Regarding your March 1 editorial about the seaport, I wonder whether you read the 2011-2035 PortMiami Master Plan, the 2013 Southwest Corner Master Plan and the numerous studies done by highly respected, nationally recognized consultants that in the last three years have analyzed the best uses for the southwest corner of the Port of Miami. Every study done, at the port administration’s request, with taxpayer dollars, indicates that the best use is a maritime trade center with a hotel that will serve the trade center and a marina. Experts have also said that, for many reasons, the southwest corner is not suitable for cruise or cargo operations. The studies suggest that the uses recommended will provide a mix in port revenue that will be more balanced and more stable than the port’s current twolegged cruise and cargo revenue streams, especially when competition stiffens in the next few years from ports like Port Everglades, Tampa, Jacksonville, Savannah, Baltimore and Houston. The county mayor should follow the instructions given by the BCC and not lose a minute more developing the southwest corner. One of the analysts involved in studying the port’s development plan recently went so far as to state that “the window of opportunity for developing the SW corner may soon close if the county does not act quickly.” For you to say that the proposal to move the development of the southwest corner forward is “plain wrong” without supporting facts is irresponsible and a disservice to loyal readers like me who take your opinions seriously. Reinaldo Cruz

Michael Lewis is right to be concerned about the Miami Beach Corridor (“Baylink”) rail connector ending up as “two rail systems” instead of one, seamless link. Having said that, we should rejoice Xavier Suarez over the positive news in the effort to connect both sides of the bay by some form of rail. This has, after all, been a dream that goes back at least two decades and that is the best, last hope of all who cross the bay for work, play, shopping, tourism or business. And there’s plenty of positive news. Let me list the elements briefly and then go back to the ideal of a seamless connector. In recent days, we the members of the Policy Executive Committee for Baylink (which includes the mayors of the county, Miami Beach and Miami, along with County Commissioners Bruno Barreiro and yours truly) have maintained in place a very fragile but essential multi-jurisdictional compact that allows Miami, the county and the state to begin the process of environmental analysis, while also allowing Miami Beach to proceed with its own environmental analysis, design and procurement. At first blush, this seems like a disjointed approach; yet the good news is that there is a new federal program (whose acronym is “POP” for Projects of Interlocking Programs”) that allows various jurisdictions to apply for federal funding in an aggregate fashion – meaning that the ridership for all segments can be included in the overall funding effort.

This POP application was the brainchild of Miami Beach consultant Jeffrey Boothe, who teamed with county Transportation Director Alice Bravo and Metropolitan Planning Organization Director Aileen Boucle in what so far seems a successful effort to keep the two sides of the bay from splitting asunder. Because of that, the environmental and planning studies (referred to as the “PD&E”) are proceeding apace. We are talking close to $10 million of already-funded design/ environmental studies, as necessary to be eligible for what could be 80% funding from the federal government. And we are talking a fast-track approach, by which the application to the feds must be completed by Aug. 15 and the decision to fund no later than two years after that. I should add that another challenge to seamlessness remains. I refer to the perceived need to have a major terminal in South Beach, of the kind referred to as “inter-modal” or “multi-modal” to indicate the junction of more than one form of mass transportation. This has a technical component and a political component. Let me explain. The technical component is the perceived need to have the elevated rail line cross from the south side of the MacArthur Causeway to the northern side, before landing on the north side of Fifth Street in South Beach. The political component is the perceived hope that many of those crossing from the main line will not continue into the convention center area but will instead walk to their workplaces and tourist attractions from the terminal on Fifth Street. The two components add up to a change of modality when the train arrives at the Fifth Street station, at

an elevated level, allowing some passengers to get off and connect to buses, trolleys, bikes and cars another level. That sort of disconnect should be avoided, if possible. Continuity of modality (called “seamlessness” in the transportation lexicon) generally leads to much higher ridership. (One estimate is that as much as 30% of the potential passengers are lost when there is a disconnect....) The discussion will continue on both fronts. For many years, this has been a sticking point that made the whole effort stagnate. That is the worst of all outcomes, and we are determined not to allow it to happen again. We are, after all, in a new era in mass transit in our county. The herculean effort to fund mass transit requires consensus. Our residents, visitors, commuters and businesses deserve no less.

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TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

80% going to boat show took mass transit, commission told BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Miami city commissioners were impressed last week by details of the mass transit plan put into place for the Miami International Boat Show in February. Held on the same weekend as the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, critics predicted massive

traffic jams and a potential cutting off of Key Biscayne from the mainland with the boat show traffic sharing Rickenbacker Causeway. Boat show and Miami-Dade County officials said the roads saw a modest increase in motor vehicles but no major problems from the influx of thousands of visitors.

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The boat show’s Maintenance of Traffic Plan was reported as effective, ensuring that traffic to and from Key Biscayne flowed throughout the event via lanes designated for Key Biscayne traffic. Alice Bravo, director of Transportation and Public Works for the county, presented the city commission with a post-event report on traffic during the show. Miami Mayor TomĂĄs Regalado had asked for the follow-up report. Highlights of the report included: The average travel time on the Rickenbacker Causeway was 6 minutes; average travel speed on the causeway was within the 40 mph range; and camera footage throughout the show showed Key Biscayne travel lanes and the entrance to the causeway had no delays. The boat show organizer, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, partnered with city and county police to handle the traffic. Partner agencies included the Miami Police Department, City of Miami Special Events, City of Miami Public Works, City of Miami Capital Improvement and Transportation, Miami Parking Authority, Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management Department, MiamiDade Transit, the Florida Department of Transportation, SunGuide, and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. More than 53,000 people were transported to the boat show’s new venue on Virginia Key by a fleet of water taxis, representing more than half of the 100,000plus who attended the event, according to the association. Another large number of attendees was transported to and from the city-owned site around Marine Stadium on shuttle buses. More than 78,000 people were transported by shuttle bus to the show site from downtown. Commissioner Frank Carollo said, “A hundred thousand visitors to the area and 80% use mass transit. I think that’s pretty impressive.â€? He said the success of alternate forms of transportation illustrated that “we can change the culture of using our carsâ€? to get everywhere. Mr. Carollo said he traveled on that Saturday afternoon to the boat show and saw no prob-

lems with traffic. “There was no backup,� he said. He’s attended the boat show for years, he said, when it was held primarily inside the Miami Beach Convention Center. Mr. Carollo praised the new event space on the water and land surrounding Miami Marine Stadium for being more conducive to a marine-related event. “It felt like a boat show,� he said. The coordination plan included: Public Transportation „ Free shuttle bus from Metrorail stations, hotels and park-and-ride locations. „ Free water taxis from Brickell, Coconut Grove, Downtown and Miami Beach. „Coordinated Metrorail and Metrobus prepaid 1-Day passes. „Temporary relocation of bus stop locations. „Freebies in-town travel in Brickell, Coconut Grove and Downtown. Traffic Control Plan „Restricted turning movements. „Special event traffic signal control. „Variable message signs directing traffic. „ Dynamic message signs alerting of congestion. Enforcement „Police presence at all intersections. „Pedestrian fence along the beach side to avoid pedestrian crossing at undesignated areas. „Operation of a central control center for the event. Parking „Restricted parking locations at the location. „Pre-paid parking. „ Park-and-ride locations within the city with free shuttle service. Officials used traffic cameras, high-tech monitoring devices and on-the-street observations in adjusting law enforcement personnel to various locations and duties with the goal of keeping traffic moving. Tracking devices were placed at South Bayshore Drive and 26th Road, and the traffic signal at the entrance of Mast Academy. Commissioner Francis Suarez said he would echo the praise from Mr. Carollo. Mr. Suarez said the traffic management plan that was put in place by the association, the city and the county was “robust�

and “on another level.� Mr. Suarez added, “It’s hard to dispute the facts and images. Kudos to the boat show people for taking it seriously, especially considering the waterborne transportation.� The association invested more than $800,000 in the comprehensive traffic plan, focusing a large part of the plan on the park-and-ride model, which proved effective with an estimated 80% of boat show attendees parking at designated offsite locations and arriving via shuttle bus or water taxi. The county study found there was an average of 5,000 additional cars on the Rickenbacker Causeway each day of the event compared to the same period in 2015, a figure that parallels the estimated 4,000 pre-paid boat show parking spaces that were available on Virginia Key and shuttle traffic. “We are very pleased with the extraordinary joint effort that was put forth by the NMMA, the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County,� said Ms. Bravo. “The success of the boat show traffic plan demonstrates that with good planning, coordination and dissemination of information, multiple agencies and organizations can develop and implement a plan that avoids significant traffic issues. This will be a model for other major events in MiamiDade County.� Ms. Bravo was joined by Cathy Rick-Joule, boat show director. “We demonstrated that you can move a lot of people using mass transit,� Ms. Rick-Joule said. While long waits were reported for some water taxis and shuttle buses, improvements were made each day to keep them moving more smoothly and the boat show organizers say they will be making additional improvements for the 2017 show to eliminate long waits. “We were excited to see so much enthusiasm for the parkand-ride service, especially for water taxis. We know that in many cases, attendees waiting for a water taxi were offered shuttle bus rides but were willing to wait to be able to arrive to the show by water,� Ms. RickJoule said. “We came away from the 2016 Boat Show with lessons on how we can eliminate long wait times for next year.�

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The Miami International Boat Show was on Virginia Key for the first time, causing fears about traffic jams.

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

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$45 million museum grant would put governments on board BY SUSAN D ANSEYAR

A county committee is to consider legislation this week that would approve a $45 million grant agreement with the Museum of Science for completing its new home at 1075 Biscayne Blvd. The upfront payment to the cash-poor museum so it can be finished and opened by late 2016 would be funded with proceeds from the sale of bonds secured by 3% convention development taxes collected countywide except in Surfside and Bal Harbour, and secondarily backed by available sales taxes. This plan, proposed by Mayor Carlos Gimenez, would convert the county’s previously pledged $4 million a year for operating expenses into $45 million toward construction costs. The mayor’s proposal to help complete the museum without additional Miami-Dade funding beyond what has already been planned for the project requires the county commission’s final approval after the Economic Prosperity Committee review scheduled today (3/17). Last week, commissioners adopted the ordinance without discussion, 9-2, on first reading. Chairman Jean Monestime and Juan Zapata voted against it. Rebeca Soso and Esteban Bovo Jr. were absent. The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, as it will now be called in honor of its biggest private donors, was to open this summer at downtown’s Museum Park with compelling programming and exhibition areas including a stateof-the-art, full-dome planetarium and the centerpiece, the coneshaped Gulf Stream aquarium. Last summer, the museum closed its former Coconut Grove home and construction for its new one was underway. The original project budget of $272 million included $165 million from the county’s voterapproved Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond program through a series of five grant agreements over a six-year period. Per dictates of the grant program, the museum guaranteed it had obtained by private fundraising the $107 million needed to complete the

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Signs at the former Coconut Grove site last September announced summer opening of the new museum.

capital project and cover moving and staff transition expenses. However, museum officials reported early in 2015 that about $40 million in secured pledges weren’t scheduled to be received in time to meet capital project expenses that were to serve as collateral for the part of planned bank financing. Subsequently, the museum selected a financial advisor to develop a plan for securing financing to complete the project by August. Ultimately, private money pledged to secure bank loans fell far short. On Oct. 8, representatives of the museum’s board requested further funding and assistance with the museum’s collateralizing of its financial plan through a county guarantee of its debt. The request was denied, as constitutionally the county cannot guarantee third-party debt. Additionally, museum officials said that day that the project budget had increased from $272 million to $325 million. On Dec. 3, 2015, the museum again requested county help with developing financing options and said without financing the only option was to stop construction. According to Michael Spring, senior advisor to the mayor and director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, in light of the

significant investment of bond funds to date and the consequences of stopping construction – not to mention the prospect of losing the opportunity to complete “this major civic and cultural institution� – a plan is being recommended that can complete the museum without requiring county funding beyond what has already been planned.

“This plan has been developed to ensure that these collective investments will result in the great museum promised to the residents of Miami-Dade,� Mr. Spring wrote in a memo to commissioners. The plan, he notes, requires that the museum commit to assuming full fundraising responsibility for operating costs on a

balanced budget without county support; ensure greater accountability and oversight by restructuring its board of trustees via an amendment of bylaws to allow for five county and three City of Miami appointees and county representation on the board, with county representation on the board including the district’s county commissioner, the county’s chief financial officer, the director of the Department of Cultural Affairs and two other at-large board appointments; and reduce its project budget from $325 million to $304 million. The new budget in the mayor’s proposed plan reduces costs by essentially scaling down some exhibition features: eliminating the external planetarium projector, planned exhibitions on both indoor and outdoor terraces, roof and plazas, with only basic plantings on the roof, and a major travelling exhibition booked for the museum’s opening; and reducing exhibitions in the Innovation Center. “The proposed plan can complete one of the most important civic and cultural projects ever undertaken by our community,� Mr. Spring said. “It ensures that the investment already made of more than $159 million of [General Obligation Bond funds] is protected.�

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MIAMI TODAY

COMMERCIAL & OFFICE SPACE

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

Investors reveal four diverse commercial targets in county BY CAMILA CEPERO

Current commercial investments by panelists at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s South Florida Real Estate Summit focus on Coconut Grove, North Miami, Little River, and the area around Northwest 79th Street and Northwest 32nd Avenue. The panelists, speaking last week about the future of South Florida commercial development, shared their interest in the four diverse commercial areas throughout Miami-Dade. Chris Weilminster, executive vice president of real estate and leasing at Federal Realty, spoke about his company’s investments in Coconut Grove, saying the assets they have invested in hold a lot of potential. Federal Realty and several partners acquired the 216,000square-foot CocoWalk Shopping Center on Grand Avenue in 2015. Main establishments in the retail center right now are Cinépolis USA, Gap, Gap Kids and Youfit Health Club. “The Grove is a shadow anchor to the success that CocoWalk would bring,” Mr. Weilminster said. “We also own some assets on Main Highway [and] on Commodore [Plaza],” he said, though he said he thinks that CocoWalk could be the center for the community. According to Mr. Weilminster, the most important factor to look at is whether the leasing rates in Coconut Grove will be competitive with other parts of the country. “Will the rates here become competitive with Boston [or] Silicon Valley?” he said.

Photos by Maxine Usdan

“Our next venture is on the Miami River,” said area investor Avra Jain.

Aly-khan Merali, executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief investment officer at Turnberry Associates, commented on his company’s investments in projects on the opposite side of Miami-Dade. “We are embarking upon the SoLç Mia development,” Mr. Merali said, speaking about the planned community to be built at 15045 Biscayne Blvd., just south of Aventura. He describes it as a “very accessible” 600,000-squarefoot lifestyle project that will be built over phases. Within its 190 acres will be school, office and retail elements that are meant to be approachable, such as boutique restaurants, bowling alleys and movie theaters, he said.

“That’s going to be a 5-, 10year plus project,” Mr. Merali said. Located between Bay Harbor Islands, Aventura and Sunny Isles Beach, the development is being advertised as “South Florida’s next iconic neighborhood.” “We also have our Ocean Club project on Sunny Isles that will be breaking ground in a few months as well,” Mr. Merali said. Turnberry Ocean Club will be an exclusive residential condominium tower in Sunny Isles, according to Jeffrey Soffer, CEO and chairman of Turnberry Associates. Avra Jain, founding member of Vagabond Group, spoke freely about her investments in Little River. “Our next venture is on the

Miami River,” Ms. Jain said. In 2015, Ms. Jain and her partners at Vagabond Group purchased the historic Miami River Inn. It dates back to the early 1900s and faces the river. “It is a spectacular urban oasis,” she said. Talking about her investment in developing the industrial area, she cited her driving force in the projects as the displacement of the groups that made Wynwood the South Florida attraction it is today. “We focused on the idea that in Wynwood... the creatives, the artists, and small businesses were getting pushed out,” Ms. Jain said. Along with her associates, she decided to find an area in Miami and buy enough of it so that like-minded people could be together, she said. When Wynwood began pricing galleries and charging tenants “$25, $35, $45, $60” per square foot, Ms. Jain decided to find a niche market where they “can afford to do leases between $18 and $25,” she said. “What we’re focused on is affordability.” With the artists and galleries already in the Little River neighborhood, Ms. Jain said she hopes to breathe new life into the community by bringing in food and beverage. “We believe food and beverage drives neighborhoods,” she said. “We have done very, very well,” Ms. Jain said, referring to their 60 acquisitions in the span of 14 months, culminating in 14 acres and the assembly of 230,000 feet of warehouse space. Future hopes for Little River include getting the attention of

Beth Azor is building beside land that her company sold to Walmart.

people from around the country. They are already doing so by attracting people from Los Angeles, New York and Brooklyn, Ms. Jain said. Beth Azor, founder and principal of Azor Advisory Services, said she had no assets in the types of neighborhoods the other panelists mentioned. “Our projects are quite different from my peers on the panel,” said Ms. Azor. Her most relevant project, she said, is on Northwest 79th Street and 32nd Avenue. Ms. Azor said she had up to 6 million to 8 million square feet on the books in South Florida, but is focused on developing this property into something that could benefit the entire neighborhood. “We are building a shadow anchor plaza or shopping center next to a property we sold to Walmart,” Ms. Azor said. They have already signed a lease with Ross Dress for Less and are negotiating with banks, fast-food restaurants and other apparel retailers, she said. “We are big believers in supply and demand.”

Edgewater mixed-use plan advances BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

A developer plans to bring a mixed-use project to the Edgewater neighborhood that will include retail and office space. The midrise, called Prodesa, would be home to about 137 residential units and rise at 444 NE 31st St., just east of Biscayne Boulevard. Compared with other residen19-story Prodesa will have garage, retail, offices with 137 residences. tial towers in the growing neigh-

borhood – existing and planned – Prodesa is low profile at 19 stories. The Arquitectonica-designed building will offer about 10,020 square feet of retail floor space and about 20,560 square feet of office space. A garage designed for about 275 vehicles will sit in the project’s podium. The city’s Urban Development Review Board recommended approval of the project. The site is just west of a large mixed-use development known as Paraiso Bay, a series of highrise condos from another developer but also designed by Arquitectonica. Arquitectonica founding principal Bernardo Fort-Brescia told the board that Prodesa is “a modest project” compared with the Paraiso plans next door. Prodesa is proposed by Metro Edgewater LLC, managed by Carlos Ortiz and Juan Antonio Pardo. Mr. Fort-Brescia said Prodesa will target a younger crowd searching for workforce housing near the waterfront. The project will have the added attractions of nearby Midtown and the Wynwood Arts District, he said. Prodesa will rise and extend from street to street with two frontages, said Mr. Fort-Brescia. The developer decided to design

the building with the north side as the primary front, he said. The retail will be on the ground level, he said, and offices will line lower levels of one side of the podium. The other sections of the podium or pedestal garage will be accented with green panels and perforated panels. Mr. Fort-Brescia said the patterns offer what will appear to be “zig-zagging” movement to the structure. Board member Dean Lewis said he liked the project and understood why the north side was chosen as the primary frontage. “It’s a lean building,” said Mr. Fort-Brescia. “We’re proud of doing these types of projects. They are needed in the city – particularly in this neighborhood.” Board member Fidel Perez suggested extending the use of the green panels to the west side of the podium, where the renderings showed a plain stucco wall. “You have an opportunity to continue the green,” he said, which will offer more dimension to the structure. Mr. Fort-Brescia said they would look into it. Board Chair Robert Behar said he agreed with Mr. Perez and believes the podium’s façade could be a bit softer, and he suggested taking the retail to two stories.

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Design District, awaiting second phase, ‘a work in progress’ BY CATHERINE LACKNER

With only part of the construction completed on the upscale outdoor Design District mall, some shop owners eagerly moved in last fall. Tom Ford, Fendi, ECJ Luxe and Hermès had opened by the end of the year. Lanvin moved into its permanent space. Saint Laurent, Tory Burch, Tod’s and Loro Piana also signed leases. But has their gamble paid off? The first tenants to lease space in the upscale outdoor mall had certain advantages, said Lyle Chariff, principal of Chariff Realty Group, whose company is very active in the area. “They Photos by Maxine Usdan locked in their locations,” he Luxury brands “aren’t going anywhere,” said Paco Diaz. “It’s premature to judge what’s going to happen.” said. It was widely assumed that they would benefit by walkby traffic from better-known luxury retailers that had also set up shop. A crucial second phase, set to deliver this December, will bring in more high-ticket retailers. Until then, “it’s a work in progress,” Mr. Chariff said. “Half of it is not built. Smaller tenants that don’t have the draw may not be able to stay in the game. Some of them are saying they can’t hold out.” But that is by no means the case for all, he stressed. “The big boys – Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Celine – are doing lots of business,” he added. “They are doing very well.” The first tenants to lease space in the upscale outdoor mall had certain advantages, said Lyle Chariff. Dacra, the developer of the

luxury shopping village, has also signed specialty stores such as perfume house Creed (its first location outside New York), cult skincare line Aesop, and the first US location of high-end Italian marble furniture showroom Citco, which will feature a collection by starchitect Zaha Hadid. The Design District will also be home to the only Florida locations of Joseph, Alice & Olivia, Zilli and Isabel Marant, the only US location for Sevan Biçakçi, and the original flagship of Be Miami, a high-end sneaker and contemporary street wear retailer. Overall, Mr. Chariff said he is “extremely excited” about the center’s prospects and what it will bring to the area. “It’s called construction, not destruction,” he said. “It’s premature to judge what’s going to happen there based on what’s there now,” said Paco Diaz, senior vice president in the retail division at CBRE. “The restaurants are not all in yet; it’s still under construction.” The parent of several upscale brands, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, known as LVMH, is an investor in the Design District, he said, and so has a stake in seeing the center succeed. “The luxury brands aren’t going anywhere. I think it’s going to be very cool when everything is done.”

Coral Gables office market ‘is both terrifying and exciting’ BY CATHERINE LACKNER

The office market in Coral Gables “is both terrifying and exciting,” says Tom Byrne, broker-associate at EWM Realty International. There are 49 buildings with at least 5,000 square feet of vacant space, he said, and new product being delivered to a market that has an overall office vacancy rate of 11%, he added. His office is in the 355 Alhambra Circle building, which has a 30% vacancy “and is one of the finest office buildings in the city,” he said. “You could not ask for better.” And in other class A and B buildings, “there are large chunks of space available.” Meanwhile, 300 Ponce de Leon, part of the Mediterranean Village mixed-use project, will add 245,000 feet of office space; 1575 Sunset Drive in the city’s southern end will bring another 58,000 square feet, and 2020 Salzedo will add 33,000 square feet of office space. On the other hand, rates don’t seem to be declining, Mr. Byrne said. That’s borne out by a fourth-quarter 2015 report by JLL, which puts rents at $37 per square foot; $39 for class A space. That rate is bested only by the office markets of Aventura ($44 and $46 respectively) and Brickell ($42 and $46). In addition, Mr. Byrne said, recently signed large leases have

49 Gables buildings have at least 5,000 feet vacant, said Tom Byrne.

absorbed a great deal of space. Quirch Foods moved from Doral to Coral Gables, taking 30,000 square feet in the Bacardi building at 2701 LeJeune Road, and AMC Networks leased 16,000 square feet in 2020 Ponce de Leon. “Quirch Foods was exciting because it’s a home-grown company that outgrew its headquarters and moved here,” Mr. Byrne said. Two recent sales underscore the area’s desirability, which is closely linked to its quality of life and stable real estate market. The Alhambra, at 2 Alhambra Circle, sold for $199 million to Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, while Prudential Real Estate Advisors paid

$83 million for 355 Alhambra Circle. “This is exciting, because it proves that institutional investor interest is strong,” Mr. Byrne said. The city has also proven popular with people who work there, especially those who live nearby. “People want to be in Coral Gables, close to the center of the world and close to their homes,” Mr. Byrne said. A central, amenity-rich location was also a prime draw for Philippe Houdard, co-founder of Pipeline, a co-sharing office space at 95 Merrick Way. Before leasing 14,000 square feet there, the company looked throughout South Florida (it also has a Doral location). “We have 100 members, many

Photos by Maxine Usdan

A central, amenity-rich location was a key draw for Philippe Houdard.

of which live within walking distance or a short commute away,” Mr. Houdard said. “It’s close to the residential area but also has this dense business community, with a multitude of shops and restaurants nearby, close to Miami International Airport. “The city seems very for-

ward-thinking,” with the renovation of Miracle Mile and Giralda Avenue and other projects rolling out, he said. “They seem to want to make it more dynamic, with businesses staying open later, block parties and so on. It was just the perfect location, at the perfect time, for us.”

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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Miami holds its own amidst falling international realty sales BY CAMILA CEPERO

Miami was able to hold its own even as Florida mirrored national trends with fewer international sales but significantly higher dollar volume of residential sales to foreigners in 2015, according to a market update by Teresa King Kinney, CEO of the Miami Association of Realtors, at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s South Florida Real Estate Summit. Compared to national figures, Miami’s international market remained strong through 2015, she said. Of all Miami residential sales, she told the summit crowd last week, 22% in Miami went to international buyers compared to the national average of 4%. Similarly, “36% of the Miami dollar volume was international sales,” Ms. Kinney said, compared to the 8% national average. The mean purchase price in Miami for international clients in 2015, she reported, was $499,600. Ms. Kinney said that nationally the number of sales to international customers fell 10% – from 232,600 sales to foreigners in 2014 to 209,000 in 2015. However, the dollar volume of sales to foreigners rose 13% – from $92 billion in 2014 to $104 billion in 2015. Similarly, Florida tallied fewer international sales in 2015 but at significantly higher dollar volume. Florida international sales dropped to 44,000 in 2015 from 52,300 in 2014. The dollar volume of international sales rose to $23.7 billion in 2015 from $15.7 billion in 2014. The reason for the drop is the strong dollar, Ms. Kinney said, as foreign currencies dwindling against the dollar raised the cost of US homes for international buyers. The most significant effect on international clients was exchange rates – 53% of international clients claimed that exchange rate changes had a “very significant effect in 2015,” Ms. Kinney said. In 2014, only 39% of international clients claimed the same. “We are seeing fewer sales to Canadians but about the same amount to Chinese buyers,” Ms. Kinney said. Figures show that 16% of international sales of US real estate came from China and 14% came from Canada. “Canada has always been number one as Florida buyers,” Ms. Kinney said. In 2015, however, 11% of foreign buyers were Canadians, a steep drop from 32% in 2014. The steepest rise came from Venezuelan buyers, up to 18% in 2015 from just 3% in 2014. The average price of property purchased in Florida by all international buyers is $538,000, with the Chinese spending the most, at an average of $1,064,800. “One-fifth of all international sales in the country were made in Florida,” Ms. Kinney said, referencing a figure confirming that 21% of international residential buyers purchased in Florida. The second top state was California, with 5% fewer buyers than Florida.

South Florida leads the entire Florida international market, claiming exactly half of international sales in 2015, with Miami’s 36% of the state’s international sales and Fort Lauderdale’s 14% of the state’s international sales. South Florida was rated the number one market in the US for overall international real estate demand. In Miami-Dade, it was Venezuelan clients who purchased the most property in 2015, with 26% of all international sales being from Venezuela, a jump from 16% in 2014. In fact, Latin America boasted the most international buys in Miami-Dade at 76%, with the next largest percentage being from Asia/ Oceania at only 16%. The next top three Latin American countries for international clients following Venezuela in MiamiDade were Brazil with 14%, Argentina with 12% and Colombia with 8%. Foreign buyers preferred condominium properties. In 2015,

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Weaker foreign currencies cut our sales, said Teresa King Kinney.

52% of foreign buyers purchased condominiums compared to 30% single-family detached homes, 11% townhouses, 5% commercial property and 2% land or other properties.

Overall, the decline of the national number of sales to international customers is because most currencies weakened against the dollar. This caused the cost of US homes to be

higher for international buyers because of exchange rates. For example, a US existing home purchased for 211,000 Canadian dollars in 2014 cost 252,000 Canadian dollars in 2015. More notably, a US existing home purchased at 451,000 Brazilian reals in 2014 cost 583,000 Brazilian reals in 2015. Argentinean buyers are facing the biggest blowback because of a change in currency rates from the Argentinean peso to the American dollar. In January 2015, 1 US dollar was equal to 8.63706 Argentinean pesos; in January 2016, 1 US dollar was equal to 14.0035 Argentinean pesos. This equals a 62.1% change in currency rates. This effect translates into Argentineans finding that purchasing property in Miami will be 62.1% more expensive for them in 2016 than it was in 2015. “Yeah it’s okay,” Ms. Kinney said of the decline in total US sales abroad. “We are hoping the blip only lasts a year.”

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County pulls grant from film studio and recycles funding BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

County commissioners last week rescinded a $10 million allocation awarded to Miami Ocean Studios Enterprises, thereby making the money available for reallocation to eligible projects in line for economic development grant funds. The project’s developers don’t control the site where it was to rise and, therefore, don’t meet requirements of the development grant from the voter-approved $2.9 billion Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond program. The startup film complex Miami Ocean Studios LLC was in line for a portion of the $75 million pot from taxpayer-supported bond debt funding intended to encourage private sector development that uses allocations for infrastructure improvements and promises economic development with long-term benefits within a community that would create jobs. With the $10 million grant, Miami Ocean Studios LLC principal Rodolfo Paiz in January 2015 said if all went according to plan, the studio complex comprising 11 sound stages and 1.5 billion cubic feet of water in 10 giant tanks, as well as office and production space, would rise on 160 To place an ad, call (305) 358-1008 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday - Friday Or Fax it to (305) 358-4811

Miami Ocean Studios Enterprises was to get $10 million but negotiations for land it needed fell through.

acres of county-owned land in an unincorporated area known as County Club of Miami at 20000 NW 47th Ave. by early 2018. But negotiations for the land fell through. Other problems with the project surfaced later last year. In September, the county administration reported on the 10 projects in line for portions of $75 million in development grants. At the time, none met all criteria commissioners had requested and they were split in three groups: needing little additional negotiation, needing significant additional negotiation and needing significant additional negotiation as well as a county lease for site control. Miami Ocean

Studios fell into the third category, which seemed least hopeful for success. The project developers changed the original number of 2,684 permanent fulltime jobs to 50 over a five-year period, with the remainder of the 2,634 being indirect jobs. Commissioners are currently awaiting the administration’s final report, estimated to be ready late this month, on where negotiations stand for the remaining active projects originally approved as “game-changers” in local economic and job development. A cluster of alternative projects already has won commission approval for slices of the funding if

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the previously-approved projects fall through. As of Jan. 14, four revised grant agreements were in the county attorney’s office under review and two were to be forwarded to the attorneys Jan. 15, according to Leland Salomon, a deputy director in the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. Speaking at an Economic Prosperity Committee meeting that day, Mr. Salomon said Aviation Corporate Hanger decided not to proceed. In September 2015, the projects that staff listed as needing little additional negotiation to complete were: Larkin Health Sciences cam-

pus in Naranja, slated for $5 million to aid construct an Osteopathic School of Medicine, school of pharmacy, school of nursing and school of dentistry, as well as create a charter high school for life sciences and a residential student housing component. RiverLanding Miami, with a $7.5 million grant to construct a mixed-use development, including a linear park on the Miami River, with about 426,000 square feet of vertical retail, 500 marketrate rental apartments and 2,500 parking spaces at 1400 NW North River Drive along with pathways around the project, a seawall, river walk, roads, sidewalks and public signage lighting. Skyrise Miami, for $9 million, for a project that is to construct an observation tower at 401 Biscayne Blvd. and attractions including a private club, nightclubs, restaurants, interactive exhibits, ballroom and private events spaces, amusement rides, the Skyrise theater and retail shops. Westview Business Park, a $7.5 million grant to help construct retail and industrial space totaling up to 2 million square feet north and south of Northwest 119th Street, west of 22nd Avenue and east of 27th Avenue.

Dissolution of Marriage STATE OF INDIANA SS: COUNTY OF DUBOIS IN THE DUBOIS CIRCUIT COURT CAUSE NO. 19C01-1512-DR-00596 In Re: The Marriage of Marelys Barbia Fuentes Petitioner and Aldo Arango Fuentes Respondent Summons by publication TO RESPONDENT: ALDO ARANGO FUENTES You are hereby notified that you have been named as the Respondent in a petition for the dissolution of your marriage to the person named as the petitioner, which was filed in this court on December 30, 2015. A final hearing has been assigned on the 4th day of May, 2016, at the hour of 1:00 p.m. You are advised that you have certain legal rights with respect to the proceeding that has been initiated against you and that if you do not appear in Court or assert you legal rights, a judgment by default may be entered against you. Issues involving the division of property will be addressed by the Court and may be determined in your absence. Dated: March 2, 2016. ___________________ Bridgette Jarboe, Clerk Dubois Circuit Court Jacob P. Wahl RIPSTRA LAW OFFICE 481 Main Street P.O. Box 767 Jasper, IN 47547 3/17, 3/24, 3/31/16

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RE: The Florida Educator Certificate of:

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION STATE OF FLORIDA, OFFICE OF FINANCIAL REGULATION

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF ROWAN, IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE, DISTRICT COURT DIVISION, FILE NO. 16CVD403 ERLINDA DUARTE CHAVER, Plaintiff Vs PRACER ACOSTA, Defendant TO: PRACER ACOSTA, the above named defendant: TAKE NOTICE that a Complaint seeking relief against you has been filed in the above entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: That the plaintiff be granted a FULL CUSTODAY, CARE AND CONTROL OF PRADI KIMBERLY who is 17 years old, such other and further relief as plaintiff may be entitled. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than the 10th of April, said date being forty (40) days from the first publication of this notice; and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought, This the 1st day of March, 2016. Butler, Quinn & Hochman By Christine Camacho Attorney for Plaintiff 4801 Independence Blvd, Suite 700 Charlotte, NC 28212 Tel: 704-569-9800 x 265 State Bar #43761

Fictitious Name Notice Under Fictitious Name Law Pursuant to Section 865.09, Florida Statutes NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under GLOBAL EMISSION SYSTEMS, INC. located at 1966 NE 123 Street, #305, in the County of Miami-Dade, in the City of North Miami, Florida, 33181, intends to register the said name with the Division of Corporations of the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida. Dated at North Miami, Florida, this 24th Day of March, 2016. Global Hydrogen Powered Hybrid, Inc. Owner

Brandie Patel 1351 Northeast 191 Street, E119 Miami, FL 33179 Notice is hereby given to Brandie Patel, Respondent of an administrative complaint seeking disciplinary action against her Florida Educator Certificate. This notice shall constitute service of the administrative complaint, which shall be filed with Education Practices Commission. If Respondent wishes to respond to the administrative complaint, she must contact Professional Practices Services at 850/245-0438 by April 8, 2016. Respondent who fails to file a written request for a hearing by this date shall waive her rights, and the complaint will be considered by the Education Practices Commission for final action.

Notice of Action RE: The Florida Educator Certificate of: Loucile Auguste 1330 Northwest 174th Street Miami, FL 33169 Notice is hereby given to Loucile Auguste, Respondent of an administrative complaint seeking disciplinary action against her Florida Educator Certificate. This notice shall constitute service of the administrative complaint, which shall be filed with Education Practices Commission. If Respondent wishes to respond to the administrative complaint, she must contact Professional Practices Services at 850/245-0438 by April 8, 2016. Respondent who fails to file a written request for a hearing by this date shall waive her rights, and the complaint will be considered by the Education Practices Commission for final action.

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NEWORLD FINANCIAL CORP., AND BLADE BENJAMIN, PRESIDENT Administrative Proceeding Docket No. 56616 Neworld Financial Corp., and Blade Benjamin, President 990 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 501 Miami, Florida 33132 YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an Administrative Complaint (with Notice of Rights) has been filed against you by the State of Florida, Office of Financial Regulation, for failure to comply with certain requirements of Chapter 494, Florida Statutes. As such, your written defenses, if any, must be received at the address provided below by 5:00pm ET, on March 28, 2016. FAILURE TO RESPOND AS PRESCRIBED will result in a default entered against you regarding the allegations and penalties contained in the Administrative Complaint, including but not limited to Respondent’s Mortgage Lender and Loan Originator license revocation. A copy of the Administrative Complaint may be obtained from, and your response must be filed with the Agency Clerk of the State of Florida, Office of Financial Regulation as follows: GIGI HOLDER, Agency Clerk State of Florida, Office of Financial Regulation Post Office Box 8050 Tallahassee, FL 32314-8050 Email: Agency.Clerk@flofr.com Tel: (850) 410-9889 Fax: (850) 410-9663 A copy of your response should be sent to: Pury Santiago, Assistant General Counsel State of Florida, Office of Financial Regulation 200 East Gaines Street, Suite 550 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0376 Tel: (850) 410-9887 2/25, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17/16

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