Miami Today: Week of Thursday, March 3, 2016

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

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HEALTH UPDATE

Pharmacy college accepts its first 30 students, pg. 13 AIRPORT ARRIVALS SOAR: Passenger arrivals at Miami International Airport neared 2 million in January with international arrivals topping 1 million and domestic arrivals just shy of 1 million. The domestic arrivals rose 6.7% from January 2015 to 980,713 and international arrivals rose 2.2% from January 2015 to reach 1,004,826. Total arrivals were up 4.4% at 1,985,539.

Sylvester works to analyze firefighters’ cancer, pg. 17

THE ACHIEVER

AIRPORT NOTES RATED: Fitch Ratings has assigned an ‘F1’ rating to $200 million in Miami-Dade Aviation Department commercial paper notes designed to accelerate airport capital projects and take advantage of low short-term interest rates and favorable construction prices. County commissioners unanimously approved the program Feb. 2. The rating, Fitch said, is based on support provided by an irrevocable direct pay letter of credit issued by Bank of America that has an expiration date of March 2, 2019. Bank of New York Mellon is the issuing and paying agent for the county’s notes and is directed to request an advance under the letter of credit to pay principal and interest on maturing notes. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith is the dealer for the notes.

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

MAJOR CRIMES FALL: Crimes handled by Miami-Dade County police fell more than 13% in January, a report to Mayor Carlos Gimenez says, from 3,948 in January 2015 to 3,420 in January this year. Every category of crime fell except for murder, with 11 murders this January versus six in January 2015. WATERFRONT LEASE: City of Miami residents will be asked to vote on the Riverside Wharf project during the March 15 election. Early voting began Monday at these locations: City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive; Lemon City Branch Library, 430 NE 61st St.; Model City Library at Caleb Center, 2211 NW 54th St.; and Stephen P. Clark Center (SOE Branch Office) Lobby, 111 NW First St. The project consists of a complex of four riverfront restaurants and event spaces and a fish market and oyster bar to be run by Garcia’s Seafood, along with a new portion of riverwalk. It would be located along the 200 block of Southwest North River Drive and would include about 30,000 square feet of city-owned land, which triggered the referendum. The city commission, as well as the Miami River Commission and the city’s Waterfront Advisory Board, unanimously approved the Riverside Wharf project last year. Details: www.riversidewharf.com

Aileen Bouclé

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Heading county’s transportation planning organization The profile is on Page 4

City defends besieged redevelopment agencies BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

While community redevelopment agencies are being probed and criticized, Miami commissioners are defending the agencies and their tools for economic development. On the heels of a county grand jury report critical of the redevelopment agencies, Miami commissioners last week discussed their value and how to improve them. The five elected city commissioners serve as the board for each of Miami’s community redevelopment agencies, or CRAs. The very first grand jury recommendation was to appoint laypersons as full-fledged voting members on CRA boards. While they made no decisions last week, some commissioners seemed open to adding two members to each. Newly elected commissioner Ken Russell, who asked to discuss the grand jury report, suggested two more members “would create more debate on the CRA.” He added, “We need to be more accountable to others beyond ourselves.” Mr. Russell chairs the Omni/Midtown CRA and sits on the board of the Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA, as do his fellow commissioners.

AGENDA

Reversible traffic lanes future route

The 40-page grand jury report highlighted positive aspects of CRAs, including job creation and neighborhood revitalization, but said “one of the truths we have uncovered during our investigation is that while CRAs have excelled in [some] areas, for the most part, many of them have failed miserably in fulfilling their mission as to other aspects of their redevelopment plans.” CRAs, by state law, allow growth in property tax revenue (tax increment financing or TIF) to be reinvested within their boundaries. Taxes are split among the city, county and CRA, with the CRA getting 95% of the increment. There are 170 CRAs throughout Florida. “They’ve gotten quite a beating in the press, and their reputations are not golden,” Mr. Russell said. That is a shame, he said, “because they are tasked to do tremendous good” for a community. “I want to be clear, I in no way want to cripple the ability of the CRA to do good,” he said. Commission Chair Keon Hardemon, whose district includes Overtown, defended the CRAs’ work.

An attempt to force CRAs to spend revenues on affordable housing alone would be wrong, said Mr. Hardemon, because it would strip away money that could in other ways combat slum and blight. Commissioner Francis Suarez said serving on the CRA was “one of the most frustrating parts” of his job. “I felt the CRAs were not moving fast enough.” He praised the efforts of Mr. Hardemon, who since being elected in November 2013 has worked to get the CRA in Overtown to act. That has resulted in funding for housing rehabilitation, new affordable housing construction and job training, Mr. Suarez said. “I see a difference.” That CRA district was established in 1982 and Omni’s in 1986. Mr. Hardemon and others have said it took decades before the Overtown CRA generated revenues to reinvest. “Now that we’re doing it right, they want to take it away from us,” he said. “I will stand in the way of any recommendation that will halt growth of that community.” Mr. Suarez concluded: “[CRAs] can be a force for good – if we engage and make good decisions.”

Experts have begun a hunt for the best spots in Miami-Dade to try reversible traffic lanes and plan to target at least two by Sept. 30. Soon after commissioners Dec. 1 asked staff to pinpoint where to try reversible lanes, the Metropolitan Planning Organization set up an advisory team, said Transit and Public Works Director Alice Bravo. The committee that kicked off last week, she said, has the Florida Department of Transportation, Transit and Public Works and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority aboard. In about seven months, she said, the study will yield at least two corridors suitable for reversing lanes along with several ways to go about it. Sponsor Rebeca Sosa said the resolution was based on professionals recommending details. “I saw it [succeed] in Puerto Rico,” she said. “There was so much traffic when I was living there as a high-school student that it could take four hours to get home on a very small island.” With traffic problems permeating Miami-Dade, she said, “we all have needs but agreed to let the experts tell us where it’s best to do this rather than be provincial and [target] our districts.” Reversing lanes where a glut of traffic flows one way in the morning and another in the afternoon has worked elsewhere and Miami-Dade wants to try them, Ms. Sosa said. The advisory team will pick roads with a high directional split and limited driveways en route, Ms. Bravo said; examples abound. Ms. Sosa told commissioners the state transportation department has $42 million available and the commission wants to tap that to study reversible lanes. “That’s money [for the study] that we don’t have to find.” Ms. Sosa also asked Transit & Mobility Committee Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. to “keep up the pressure in your committee and look for updates.”

DEVELOPERS’ AIMS SPUR GABLES TO PUSH US 1 PLAN ...

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MAJOR CONCRETE POUR KEEPS RAIL PLAN ON TRACK ...

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COUNTY EYES $15.52 SERVICE WORKERS WAGE BASE ...

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WYNWOOD WINS CHANGES, MANA PLANS ADVANCE ...

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VIEWPOINT: FLAWS IN STRUCTURE TRIGGER STRIFE ...

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COMMERCIAL LAND APPRECIATES NEARER TRANSIT ...

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CURRENCY PROBLEMS DON’T ROCK CONDO BOATS ...

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COUNTY EYES PROFITS FROM ‘MADE IN MIAMI’ SEAL ...

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 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

Seaport land conflict exposes flaw in government structure Conflict over mostly-bare land that is vital to PortMiami’s future has also laid bare a hidden flaw in c o u n t y government’s structure. The vacant port corner is a political football. It has multiple poten- Michael Lewis tial uses, some of which conflict with port needs. It has been touted as a soccer mecca, a mixeduse development site, an aviation fuel depot and more. County commissioners, some of whom champion uses for the site, voted last fall to require Mayor Carlos Gimenez to solicit proposals for rapid development. But he missed the deadline and then said he’d told Port Director Juan Kuryla to survey everyone involved at the port on needs for the land and he’d be back in April with findings. That led two weeks ago to commission cries of stalling. Some commissioners are livid that the mayor hasn’t followed their orders. That conflict exposes a flaw in structure, because the mayor must juggle two jobs. He is elected chief executive who is the county’s overarching leader, but he’s also the impartial manager of staff, responsible to both the executive branch – that is, to himself – and to the commission, which sets policies. That forced combination of elected chief executive and technocratic administrator who merely carries out policies that others establish flew apart at the seaport. The mayor is between a rock and a hard place. He must meet the 522-acre seaport’s vital future needs as one of the county’s two main economic engines.

Photo by Maxine Usdan

PortMiami land issue creates conflic t in mayor’s dual role as both leader and manager.

His port director is pleading for more scarce cruise ship berths and predicts port cargo will double within a decade. As both chief executive of the county and manager of its operations, Mr. Gimenez must target the best use of the port land to maximize total benefits. But as manager of county operations, the mayor must also carry out the commission’s wishes, and commissioners are hot to lease that port land to someone right now for a high figure. They don’t want to wait for Mr. Kuryla to talk with port users to decide what to do. The mayor and the port director are 100% right. They need to find the highest and best uses of land that might involve complex shuffling of uses at the port, the kind of revamp a legislative body can’t undertake. That’s an administrative and executive role. On the other hand, irritated commis-

L ETTERS Pushing high density living far from transit is insane Since we have the worst mass transit system in the country for our size, encouraging higher density when a building isn’t even walking distance to our very limited rail system is insane. Current zoning already ignores infrastructure, and the constant upzoning to it which the city is allowing, in spite of what was to be an ideal, “fixed,” nearperfect code, Miami 21 (according to the city, then). Not all developers have the deep pockets or interest in a mega project, planning encouraging ever more density when traffic already is one of the city’s biggest problems might be self-serving to some pitching it but is not in the public’s interest. Ray Stein

Development spot great What’s wrong with expanding the tax base? The location is excellent, walking distance to downtown, Metrorail, Metromover, the river, the heart of Little Havana and Marlins Stadium. Good job, board. Juan R. Rollo

sioners are also right. They ordered the administration to act on port land and their order wasn’t followed. That hasty order was ill-advised and potentially wasteful but an impartial bureaucracy still must obey. That’s the bind: the mayor as chief executive made a good call to scope out needs for the good of all, the commission as legislating body made its own call to move ahead without input, and the mayor in his role as manager rather than chief executive is required to do what the legislature orders. Our county’s structure created this conflict. The mayor has two roles that can pull in opposite directions. It wasn’t always that way. Until nine years ago a county manager was separate from the mayor’s office. The manager was to impartially run operations, reporting to both the commission and the elected mayor. The manager was to

TO THE

make government run day to day. That system worked. We had some great managers, some not so good, but the county always functioned. Then in 2006, when the commission was in disrepute, Mayor Carlos Alvarez said he couldn’t achieve much unless he was both mayor and manager. In January 2007 voters agreed. After that the manager’s office reported directly to the mayor and Mr. Alvarez still didn’t achieve much. But government had changed, and the conflict as the elected mayor and the appointed manager became the same person remains. So today we have the anomaly that a mayor who knows that the seaport needs land so sorely that space must be rationed is being ordered, when wearing his manager’s hat, to get rid of that land pronto to the highest bidder, regardless of a fit with port needs. As chief executive, if Mr. Gimenez heeds the commission’s hurry-up demand he’s irresponsible. As manager, if he impedes the commission’s orders he’s an obstructionist. He can’t simultaneously perform both roles well. Yes, commissioners, you’re correct: the mayor as administrator isn’t doing right by your order. The order is just plain wrong, but you have every right to expect it to be followed nonetheless. On the other hand, the mayor is doing everything right as elected chief executive in trying to safeguard and strengthen a vital economic engine. If commissioners and voters find this conflicting combination of manager and mayor as distasteful as we do, we would welcome a ballot question to return the structure to its old form, when an impartial manager made government’s nuts and bolts work regardless of political or policy conflicts. Until then, expect more sand in the gears of government.

E DITOR

Miami on the map in the minds of millions in the world, which equates to more tourism because, really, who wouldn’t want to visit a way-cool exciting city like Miami? DC Copeland

connection, you could have the rail line in the center and a northbound auto lane Add Your Views on the east of the track and the southHave an opinion bound auto lane on the west side. You on an issue of importance? would have a main east-west rail line into Miami, a spur to Miami InternaSend your letter to editor@miami todaynews.com, with Letter to the tional that linked up with the Miami Editor on the topic line. Beach Baylink and rail connection to the seaport from the airport. Can’t believe train manufacturing in Joseph Szot Miami! Excellent move. Will it continue to manufacture after all the Metrorail Why does it always have to be “ei- cars are built? Gerwyn Flax ther-or”? Why can’t the use of land be both port related and commercial? miamitodaynews.com For instance, why can’t a soccer FOUNDED JUNE 2, 1983 stadium be built over port related faciliVOLUME XXXIII No. 41 Wow, finally. Can’t wait to operate ENTIRE CONTENTS © 2016 ties? A sublime open air “bowl” that these new babies. To contact us: embraces our sunshine and the to-dieNews (305) 358-2663 James Birkins Jr. Advertising (305) 358-1008 for views of the downtown skyline Classifieds (305) 358-1008 could be the roof of a huge covered Subscriptions (305) 358-2663 Reprints (305) 358-2663 storage/convention space with a ceilEditor and Publisher / Michael Lewis We should let Miami Beach plan and ing of 20 feet or more. Offices and Vice President / Carmen Betancourt-Lewis hotel rooms could be built beneath the pay for any new connection to the mainsloping grandstands, encircling the sta- land. They’re the people cut off from the rest of the county by water. dium/terminal. Miami-Dade and the City of Miami When soccer isn’t played, the stadium could be used for just about any- need permanent rail service from HomeTODAY (ISSN: 0889-2296) is published weekly for $145 per thing, including exhibition space, con- stead north to rail in Broward and Palm MIAMI year; airmail: to Europe $190 per year, the Americas $145 per year. by Today Enterprises Inc., 2000 S. Dixie Highway, Suite Beach, out west maybe replacing Krome Published ferences and entertainment. 100, Miami, Florida 33133, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Miami, The location alone would make the Avenue. FL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MIAMI TODAY, If you want to keep the auto and truck 2000 S. DIXIE HIGHWAY, SUITE 100, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33133. stadium unique in the world and put

Port corner could handle both maritime, other uses

Rail manufacturing hailed

Finally, new rail cars

Let Beach pay for rail link

MIAMITODAY

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TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

City gives boat show ‘A’ ratings BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

What better way to get to a boat show than by boat. That seemed to be the consensus of many who ventured to the 2016 Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show at its new Virginia Key site. Show producer the National Marine Manufacturers Association lined up a fleet of water taxis in various shapes and sizes in a quest to keep vehicle traffic flowing to the island and beyond to Key Biscayne. The move was deemed very successful, with some 52,224 people transported by water taxi, according to Cathy Rick-Joule, boat show director, more than half of the 100,000-plus attendees. Miami Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort, who has champi-

Photo by Carmen Betancourt-Lewis

More than 100,000 guests at the Miami International Boat Show saw downtown Miami between derelict Miami Marine Stadium and boats.

oned expanding water transportation in the area, asked about the number who took advantage of the water taxis. The show was assessed at the start of the city commission’s Feb. 25 meeting, attending by Ms. Rick-Joule. “Everyone said the public transportation would not work. It worked fabulously,” Ms. Rick-Joule said. “The only problem was, we couldn’t keep up with it. It was more popular than we could have possibly imagined,” she said. But that is “fixable,” she said, “and we are

excited about that opportunity.” The five-day event was held over Presidents Day Weekend, on city-owned property and the water surrounding Miami Marine Stadium. Village of Key Biscayne officials have been at odds with the City of Miami for more than a year over relocating the show from Miami Beach to Virginia Key. Key Biscayne officials and residents feared unbearable traffic congestion on the only road in and out of their village: Rickenbacker Causeway. The city entered into a license

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agreement with the National Marine Manufacturers Association to stage the 2016 event on land and water surrounding the stadium. And the city spent more than $20 million to improve the area around the long-idled stadium into a flex park for multiple uses after the boat show. City Manager Daniel Alfonso was the first to bring up the show at the Feb. 25 meeting, when he said he wanted to thank and recognize city staff, police and others who worked hard to make the show succeed. “There was a lot of concern about how the boat show was going to go, and what issues there were going to be, but you know what?… It was really an all hands on deck effort,” Mr. Alfonso said, launching into a list of facts about the show. “We had over 100,000 visitors, folks came from 35 different countries, and over 200,000 hotel nights were registered related to the boat show in the surrounding area,” he said. The city manager referred to cooperative efforts of the association and city personnel. And he pointed out the association spent about $800,000 to hire off-duty police and to manage the traffic. “This was an unprecedented amount of resources devoted to it – and they stepped up. It worked out well,” he said. “The big question and the big challenge was about traffic. Traffic was not an issue. Traffic was not a problem during the boat show,” said Mayor Tomás Regalado. The mayor asked the boat show producer to come a March commission meeting to show an hour-by-hour report of how traffic flowed on the causeway during the event. “We want to show that by working together and organizing the traffic with Miami-Dade police, with City of Key Biscayne police and City of Miami police, it really worked,” the mayor said. “It was absolutely amazing to stand side by side with all of you to create this event,” said Ms. Rick-Joule. “Together we produced a spectacular, world-class boat show that attracted more than 100,000 people from around the globe, in a time limit no one believed was possible. Thank you for accomplishing what we believe no other city in the world could have accomplished.” The success of the water taxis to ferry attendees to and from the venue led Mr. Gort to mention plans to bring up a pocket item – one not on the agenda – related to water transportation, later in the meeting.

But the item was postponed as the commission held a marathon meeting. In the recent past, Mr. Gort has discussed the value of using the area’s waterways for transportation, in further efforts to unclog the roads and highways in the area. Last year he tried to encourage the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization to study the feasibility of water transportation. Mayor Regalado said he’s looking forward to further conversation about advancing waterborne public transit. “As of now, there is no organized water taxi transportation in the City of Miami, or MiamiDade County for that matter. And we live with water, we are surrounded by water… it’s a no-brainer [and] it was the boat show that started this conversation,” Mr. Regalado said. The 100,279 attendees, up 4% over the 2015 show, helped the show celebrate its 75th anniversary. Exhibitors reported strong sales, with many citing increases from 20% to 400%, according to the association. The year show also sparked momentum to restore the Marine Stadium, with an estimated 100,000 people either being reintroduced to the landmark for the first time in years or seeing it for the first time. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Dade Heritage Trust and nonprofit Restore Marine Stadium Inc. jointly operated an informational booth in front of the structure, where they gathered 2,300 signatures in support of Marine Stadium restoration. Plans are under way for the 2017 boat show to be held at Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin from Feb. 16-20. Three days after the conclusion of this year’s show, the Village of Key Biscayne announced it had filed a new lawsuit related to the show, this time taking on Miami-Dade County government for allowing the show to turn public park land into an exhibition center. “While the Miami International Boat Show’s organizers tout the success of last week’s event, Miami-Dade County residents are left with what feels like a bad hangover,” said Key Biscayne Mayor Mayra Peña Lindsay on Feb. 18. “As city and county officials conduct their ‘post-mortem’ on its impacts, there is no appropriate decision but to relocate the boat show to a more appropriate venue next year,” she said. “With this lawsuit, we hope the county finally comes to its senses and puts the will of its taxpayers and need for public park land ahead of short-term profits.”

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

18-hour concrete pour keeps MiamiCentral station on track BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

An impressive parade of cement trucks wound its way into the heart of downtown Miami over the weekend to set the final foundation of the city’s new train station: MiamiCentral. The largest concrete pour for the entire six-block-long project took more than 18 hours, beginning the morning of Feb. 27. More than 550 truckloads of concrete were pumped into the final large foundation of the new Brightline train station. MiamiCentral is scheduled to open in mid-2017 for the start of express passenger service. The project is an inter-city passenger rail station and intermodal center for Brightline, which plans to launch its private passenger rail link from Miami to Palm Beach and eventually to Orlando. The new rail station will be integrated with the MiamiDade County Metrorail and Metromover systems, and is being considered a major transit hub for the city with connections to buses, trolleys, taxis and more. Approximately 150 workers poured 5,500 cubic yards of concrete into the steel-laden foundation, in the shadow of the county’s Stephen P. Clark Government Center tower and Miami-Dade Transit’s Government Center Station. Metrorail cars continued their

Photo by John Charles Robbins

More than 550 truckloads of concrete were pumped into the foundation of the new Brightline rail station.

north and southbound journeys as Metromover cars traversed and bisected the massive construction site while heavy-duty work progressed on both sides of Northwest Fifth Street. As the sun set Saturday, the sky and the bright lights at the construction site were reflected in the towering glass face of the federal courthouse. A fleet of about 100 trucks continuously brought concrete to the site during the pour. The work was managed by Suffolk Construction, the company that

is overseeing construction of the station and MiamiCentral. The transit-oriented development encompassing nearly 3 million square feet spans two sites: a 9-acre transportation hub downtown just east of the Miami-Dade County Hall, and a two-acre site in Overtown. MiamiCentral will include mixed-use development with residential, office, commercial and a retail concourse, while serving as a connector between Brightline’s passengers and

Miami’s existing public transport systems. Site clearing and demolition on the 9-acre station site began in late 2014. Following this pour, vertical construction will begin on buildings and train platforms. The Overtown site is also a mixed-use development with retail, commercial and parking to support and enhance the transportation hub. In Miami, the Brightline train platform will be elevated to align with existing public transporta-

tion systems, with retail spaces beneath. The design allows through streets to remain open to traffic and creates an atmosphere of walkability, while creating a landmark terminal, according to the company. The Brightline station is expected to open in mid-2017 when service on the new express inter-city service from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach will also begin operation. Service will begin with five four-car trains that will each carry 240 passengers. By June 2018 a total of 10 seven-car trains are to run, each carrying 356 passengers. The trains are to travel between 79 and 125 miles per hour. A later phase of the project is to include a mixed-use “super tower� on the southern end of the station. Draft plans show the super tower being home to 225,000 square feet of hotel use, 610,000 square feet of office space and 200,000 square feet of residential units. While construction of the station in Miami moves ahead, construction has also begun at sites that will be home to new stations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. The project is estimated to eliminate more than 3 million cars from the region’s roadways each year, according to the company.

$28.3 billion outstanding county debt up 8.7% in four years BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Miami-Dade’s total outstandincreased 8.7% compared with the continual upkeep of the four years ago, a rate that finan- county’s infrastructure to meet ing debt in fiscal 2011 was $13.434 billion. In fiscal 2015, which ended Miami-Dade’s debt in 2015 cial officers say is minimal given expanding needs. Sept. 30, it was $14.605 billion, which is 0.44% less than fiscal 2014’s $14.670 billion. That’s CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA approximately a billion more, NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING which Bond Administration Division Director Frank Hinton said ANY PERSON WHO RECEIVES COMPENSATION, REMUNERATION OR EXPENSES FOR CONisn’t a very big number when DUCTING LOBBYING ACTIVITIES IS REQUIRED TO REGISTER AS A LOBBYIST WITH THE CITY considering the ever-growing CLERK PRIOR TO ENGAGING IN LOBBYING ACTIVITIES BEFORE CITY STAFF, BOARDS AND population and consequent inCOMMITTEES OR THE CITY COMMISSION. A COPY OF THE APPLICABLE ORDINANCE IS AVAILcreased use of systems including ABLE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK (MIAMI CITY HALL), LOCATED AT 3500 PAN AMERICAN transit, roads, water and sewer DRIVE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, 33133. and solid waste, which the county must maintain. AT THE SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, TO BE HELD ON FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016, AT 9:00 A.M., IN ITS CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL, 3500 PAN The debt service each year – AMERICAN DRIVE, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33133 THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION WILL CONSIDER THE the amount of actual debt plus FOLLOWING ITEM RELATED TO THE REGULAR AGENDA: interest paid – is only partially paid by all taxpayers, Mr. Hinton A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION BY A FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE, CODESsaid. For example, of the $14.605 ,*1$7,1* 1: WK 675((7 )520 1: 7+ $9(18( 72 1257+ 0,$0, $9(18( 0,$0, billion owed for fiscal 2015, only FLORIDA, AS “GARTH C. REEVES WAY;â€? FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO 11.69% was paid by taxpayers TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE HEREIN DESIGNATED OFFICES. for general obligation bond debt, 17.17% by users (who include &RSLHV RI WKH SURSRVHG 5HVROXWLRQ DUH DYDLODEOH IRU UHYLHZ DW WKH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH ORFDWHG DW 3DQ visitors to the county paying fees $PHULFDQ 'ULYH 0LDPL )ORULGD GXULQJ UHJXODU ZRUNLQJ KRXUV 3KRQH for such things as professional sports and hotel room taxes) for 7KH 0LDPL &LW\ &RPPLVVLRQ UHTXHVWV DOO LQWHUHVWHG SDUWLHV EH SUHVHQW RU UHSUHVHQWHG DW WKLV PHHWLQJ our special obligation bond debt DQG DUH LQYLWHG WR H[SUHVV WKHLU YLHZV 6KRXOG DQ\ SHUVRQ GHVLUH WR DSSHDO DQ\ GHFLVLRQ RI WKH &LW\ &RPand 71.14% by users of such PLVVLRQ ZLWK UHVSHFW WR DQ\ PDWWHU FRQVLGHUHG DW WKLV PHHWLQJ WKDW SHUVRQ VKDOO HQVXUH WKDW D YHUEDWLP services as water and sewer, UHFRUG RI WKH SURFHHGLQJV LV PDGH LQFOXGLQJ DOO WHVWLPRQ\ DQG HYLGHQFH XSRQ ZKLFK DQ\ DSSHDO PD\ EH solid waste, the airport and seabased (F.S. 286.0105). port for revenue bond debt. Revenue must equal at least ,Q DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK WKH $PHULFDQV ZLWK 'LVDELOLWLHV $FW RI SHUVRQV QHHGLQJ VSHFLDO DFFRPPRGD150% of the county’s maxiWLRQV WR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ WKH SURFHHGLQJ PD\ FRQWDFW WKH 2IÂżFH RI WKH &LW\ &OHUN DW 9RLFH mum debt service or rates on QR ODWHU WKDQ WZR EXVLQHVV GD\V SULRU WR WKH SURFHHGLQJ RU 77< XVHUV PD\ FDOO YLD )ORULGD 5HOD\ services must be raised enough 6HUYLFH QR ODWHU WKDQ WKUHH EXVLQHVV GD\V SULRU WR WKH SURFHHGLQJ to collect that percentage, Mr. Hinton said. Todd B. Hannon The total outstanding debt City Clerk service for fiscal 2015 was $28.297 billion. It was $29.091 billion in fiscal 2014, $28.943 billion in fiscal 2013, $27.733 billion in fiscal 2012 and

$27.317 billion in fiscal 2011. However, Mr. Hinton said, there’s a caveat on debt service. “We can refund this debt,� he said, adding that last year the county’s refunding by issuing new bonds at lower interest rates reduced debt service by several hundred million dollars. Thus, he said $29.297 billion is the current number, but the county will refund that debt many times over the next 30 years. Fees are charged every time debt is refunded, of course, so the county won’t refund debt unless it is going to save at least 5% in debt service. Miami-Dade has been a member of the Sunshine State Governmental Financing Commission since 1987 and has borrowed funds for capital projects like the seaport and other county departments. For fiscal 2015, Sunshine State debt service includes $622.4 million. Other examples for fiscal 2015 include aviation revenue debt service of $10.4 billion, aviation general obligation debt service of $401.2 million, Causeway toll debt service of $59.7 million, Public Health Trust debt service of $529 million, seaport revenue debt service of $1.3 billion, seaport general obligation debt service of $116.2 million, solid waste of $135.9 million, transit of $2.7 billion and water and sewer of $3.4 billion. Total debt paid by taxpayers in fiscal 2015, Mr. Hinton said, was $1,904 per taxpayer.

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TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Commercial retail site value rises the nearer it is to transit BY CATHERINE LACKNER

As traffic becomes more tangled, commercial real estate within 1½ miles of mass transit is seen as more valuable, observers say. “This is a major shift that’s going to affect everything,” said W. Allen Morris, chairman and CEO of the Allen Morris Company. “Access to all forms of mass transit is very important for both residential urban properties and office space. People want to live and work near transit.” One of the attractions of the company’s 58-story SLS Lux in Brickell is that it is across from a Metromover station, Mr. Morris said. “We’re also planning office buildings in Miami, Orlando and Atlanta that all have a mass-transit component,” he said. The company’s planned development in Westside Atlanta – an artsy, gentrifying area similar to Wynwood – is contemplated to have its own trolley to get residents to rapid transit, Mr. Morris said. The service may

This is a major shift that affects everything, said W. Allen Morris.

Realty values rise with proximity to transit, says Marcie Williams.

expand to serve neighboring buildings, he added. The appeal of less time driving is undeniable, he said. “It’s a function of money and time. People are voting with their feet and their dollars and choosing to not drive as much. Millennials don’t think a car is necessary, especially if they live in Brickell and go to work right there.” Empty-nesters are joining the younger generations in their desire to use mass transit, even if they don’t live in the urban core.

The Grove Station Tower rental complex is beside a Metrorail stop. next to the Coconut Grove

Some are opting to live in walkable communities that offer shopping and entertainment nearby. “More people are discovering they don’t need to get into the car for four or five days,” he said. If the trend of developing office and residential space along transit lines takes off, the day might eventually come when the family car “is something you take out of a space and dust off to use on weekends,” Mr. Morris said. Marcie Williams, president of

Rivergate KW Residential, agrees that values rise depending on proximity to mass transit, but she questions whether 1½ miles is a valid radius by which to judge the economic impact of being close to transit. “Being on a stop is where the difference really comes in,” she said. “The value is going to be graduated depending on how close you are to that starting point.” The company’s Grove Station Tower rental project is

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Metrorail station. If a multi-family unit is immediately adjacent to a station, a landlord can charge 20 cents more per square foot per month than competitors further away, she added. If space along a transit line isn’t available, a developer should look for a site that is not more than a block or two away, she said, or that has access to a trolley stop. “You’re not going to get such a large premium,” but that can be ameliorated by adding bike features or other amenities that attract mass-transit commuters, Ms. Williams said. “Miami developed in a sprawllike fashion that has not been conducive to anything but driving around,” said Daniel Espino, a land-use lawyer in the Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman law firm. “When we talk about multimodal transportation, rail lines, and reversible lanes, we’re treating the symptoms as opposed to the cold. People don’t live where they work, but if we couple housing solutions with multimodal transportation, we’re going to begin to change mentalities and lifestyles.” There are pockets, like Brickell and downtown, where transitoriented development has flourished, but until this style of development becomes the norm, he sees urban cores in developing in suburban settings, such as Doral. “People are willing to pay to be surrounded by employment, shopping and dining that is accessible by alternative means of transportation,” he said. “Doral will be the next area.” A system of bikeways, in tandem with Lyft and Uber ridesharing services, will be heavily used as alternative to getting behind the wheel, he said. “In addition to the time saved, there’s the health component: biking means less stress and more money.”

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

13

Health Update First 30 students accepted at county’s only pharmacy school BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Larkin Health Sciences Institute College of Pharmacy is right on schedule for an August opening and has already accepted 30 students for its first class. The private, non-profit school is expecting 80 to 100 students this year and eventually 120 per class, which is the maximum the newly renovated facility can accommodate, said Dean Gary Levin. He said the college is still accepting applications through May 18. The 44,000-square-foot building at 18301 N Miami Ave. is almost complete, Dr. Levin said, with the conversion of 30-seat classrooms into larger ones suitable for medical training that can hold 120 students. Larkin Community Hospital bought the former Everest University building for $5.5 million, President Dr. Jack Michel told Miami Today last year. Rather than wait for the groundbreaking on the 48-acre site the hospital bought on the Naranja Lakes community near Homestead for its health sciences campus, he said it was more cost effective to renovate the building than build a new facility. Dr. Levin said last week the building required several hundred thousand dollars for renovations. It’s part of Larkin Community Hospital’s 10-year strategic plan to move the college of pharmacy to the Naranja Lakes campus, he said, at which time the name will change to Larkin University along with growth in programs.

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Dean Gary Levin at the 44,000-square-foot building that will house the new Larkin college of pharmacy.

So far, the college has 16 fulltime employees, Dr. Levin said, and will hire another six to eight by August. Within the next two or three years, he said, the staff will grow to 35 to 40. Several weeks ago, Larkin Health Sciences Institute College of Pharmacy was approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) for a comprehensive on-site evaluation April 27-29. The goal of the visit, Dr. Levin said, is for the ACPE team to recommend at its June board meeting that the college move forward to pre-candidate status. A pre-candidate status allows the college to start classes, Dr. Levin said. A year later, ACPE

will send a team to review the college for candidate status, he said. Pharmacy colleges can’t receive full accreditation until one class has graduated. However, Dr. Levin said, candidate status allows students coming out of Larkin Health Sciences Institute College of Pharmacy to sit for boards in any state. The first college of pharmacy in Miami, Larkin Health Sciences Institute College of Pharmacy will grant graduates a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy, Pharm.D, in a three-year period including summers. The college’s website states that although students will complete degrees in three rather than

in active learning activities to allow the large amounts of information learned in pharmacy school to be applied regularly, limiting the need for excessive memorization. “Application of knowledge is a proven methodology for long term retention,” the program description goes on to say. “In addition, there are many clinical training opportunities that exist within Larkin and the MiamiDade area, limiting travel outside of the Miami area only to those students who desire to do so.” The primary goal of the college is to promote and foster pharmacy education to create compassionate and knowledgeable pharmacists who will be prepared to pursue a multitude of career options including postgraduate education. Dr. Levin said the scope of pharmacy practice is changing in Florida, “which will allow pharmacists to help alleviate the pressure of our primary-care physician shortage in underserved areas of the state and nation.” Currently, he said, Florida law allows hospital pharmacists to immunize adults and order lab tests to perform their duties. However, Dr. Levin said, bills are now pending on the state and federal level that, if passed, will permit pharmacists to be involved in comprehensive medication management as full members of a health-care team.

the traditional four years, “due to the design of the curriculum students will have approximately 25% more contact time than traditional programs.” The block curriculum will allow students to learn in a focused format so they can concentrate on one major topic at a time, according to the program description. Additionally, “there will be several courses that will be taught longitudinally over the year in order to apply the knowledge that has been learned within each block.” Details: Applications acIn a typical day, the program description says, the class will cepted through meet with faculty, engage in di- www.ularkin.org dactic teaching, and participate www.pharmcas.org

Jackson transformation pacts OK’d Health system approves $68 million of $1.4 billion capital plan BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

After focusing for five years on the future of Jackson Health System and its massive needs, its trustees last week approved close to $68 million for contracts toward what officials describe as a transformative $1.4 billion capital plan for each of its campuses as well as a new facility in Doral. Five contracts were awarded to architectural and engineering firms, along with consultants, to renovate existing buildings and build new ones at the county’s public hospital network’s campuses in Miami, North Miami and South MiamiDade. Additionally, part of the money will pay for construction of Jackson West, a 27-acre property that’s to have a 100bed hospital, children’s outpatient center, free-standing emergency room and urgent care

center along with a wellness center and physician clinics. “We’re not just building facilities,” said Public Health Trust Chairman Joe Arriola said at the Feb. 26 board of trustees meeting. “We’re building a future.” He and Jackson Health System President and CEO Carlos A. Migoya said approving the contracts brings Jackson Health System closer to its MiracleBuilding Bonds project envisioned by Miami-Dade voters in November 2013, when they approved increased property taxes to pay back $830 million in bond proceeds. The vision, Mr. Arriola said, is to be more competitive and provide excellence in transplant, critical, rehabilitation, trauma and pediatric care. The estimated costs for the expansion projects include $253.1 million for the new Jackson West in Doral and $157.7 million for a new rehabilitation

hospital at Jackson Memorial, according to Mark T. Knight, executive vice president and chief financial officer. In June, he is to bring trustees a report with updated, more accurate costs for each project, but he said they will be close to the current estimates or “we stop” and ask architects to revise the design to cover projected costs. Moving forward with the new and renovated facilities, Jackson Health System is in good financial shape, with January volumes favorable to prior years and outpatient visits remaining strong, Mr. Knight said. The balance sheet has remained level, he said, with funds all going to the capital program. At this time, Mr. Knight said Jackson has 49 days of cash on hand. “That’s amazing,” said Mr. Arriola. “It’s not all that long ago that we were talking about Photo by Maxine Usdan Approval of contracts brings Jackson nearer goal: CEO Carlos Migoya. just seven days.”

14

HEALTH UPDATE

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

Smooth medical coding shift may aid patients, providers BY CATHERINE LACKNER

After several delays, a federally mandated coding system that changed requirements for documenting patient diagnoses finally kicked in last Oct. 1. So far, there has been minimal disruption, and the change might even benefit some providers and patients, observers say. The mandate required all clinics and hospitals to switch their systems to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, or ICD-10, from the former ICD-9 system. The coding systems are the way in which physicians and other providers document patient diagnoses. While ICD-9 had about 14,000 clinical diagnosis codes, ICD-10 has about 68,000. “ICD-10 was implemented as planned, and a valid ICD-10 code is required on all claims,� said Charlotte Barrett, assistant vice president for health information integrity at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, in an email last week. “While ICD-10 was a significant change, there were no major issues reported with the transition. The industry consensus is that most providers and payers were prepared and the go-live went better than expected. However, if providers did not have their staff adequately trained or

Photo by Maxine Usdan

“There were no major issues reported with the transition in coding�: Charlotte Barrett of Miller School.

they did not update their electronic health record or billing system, they would have been negatively impacted. “It should be noted that at least one major payer allowed physicians with small practices to submit claims after Oct. 1 in ICD-9 for a brief period of time,� Ms. Barrett added. “The payer scheduled coding workshops for these providers to

assist them in the transition.� Also, the American Medical Association and Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services announced a one-year moratorium during which claims could not be denied because of noncompliance with the new coding requirements, she said. But for the most part, “Providers are now required to report valid ICD-10 CM codes on

all claims for date of service,� she said. “Providers on electronic health record systems may have experienced little impact because the new codes were included in upgrades to their systems. However, the change did require additional specificity for the providers’ documentation and if that specificity was missing, then they had to spend the additional time

to capture the additional elements. For example, breast cancer would require documenting the right or left breast and whether it was the upper or lower quadrant of the breast.� The driving force behind the switch is to provide more numerical data about diseases and conditions for which patients are seeking treatment, proponents say. The more specific, quantitative diagnoses will help improve population health research, they say. So far, “it is too early to determine how private payers will respond,� Ms. Barrett said. “Locally, there has not been a noticeable increase in denials due to ICD-10 codes. It has been reported in other geographic areas that insurers have denied claims due to the use of unspecified codes.� What’s the point of it all? While it may be more time-consuming for doctors, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, “the increased specificity of ICD-10 will allow providers to create refined patient care protocols, facilitate research on very specific conditions, and assist patients, physicians, payers, and other organizations to develop metrics that will contribute to the evaluation of the quality of patient care,� Ms. Barrett said.

After commercial release, MIAMI cell demand is on rise BY B LANCA VENEGAS

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MIAMI cell demand is on the rise after a successful national release early last year and continuous better-than-expected positive results in patients with bone defects. According to Dr. H. Thomas Temple, professor and senior vice president for translational research and economic development at NOVA Southeastern University and medical director of the University of Miami Tissue Bank, thousands of patients in need of bone repair and regeneration in the US have been treated with the MIAMI cell

with no adverse outcomes whatsoever as a result of its use. “I was really surprised,� Dr. Temple said, “I was a little bit skeptical because a lot of these things come out with great promise and then you start hearing about complications.� “This is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do,� he added. In addition to regenerating bone, Dr. Temple explained, the MIAMI cell regenerates the blood vessels that support the bone, which makes the cell different and transformational. Among its multiple applications, the MIAMI cell treats patients who are undergoing spine

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fusion, have large bone defects, un-united fractures, as well for dental applications where there are large defects in the jaw. “It [the MIAMI cell] is making bone in a very robust way,� Dr. Temple said, “Unlike other molecules that make bone indiscriminately, this makes bone right where you need it and really restores bone quality and function.� One of the challenges now is keeping up with demand, Dr. Temple said, as it is finding a niche base in orthopedic oncology, as well as in spine, foot and ankle bone regeneration. “There are a couple of centers around the United States where the use has really exploded and in Florida it is doing quite well,� he said. No changes have been made to the MIAMI cell since its commercial release, as a result of limits and restrictions by the Food and Drug Administration. “We are limited by the FDA’s restriction that we can’t expand the cells, we can’t concentrate them with magnetic separations,� Dr. Temple said. “We are still using the same more primitive way of isolating them.� According to previous Miami Today reports, the MIAMI cell is unique compared with other stem cells in that it is highly inducible and potent since it shares traits with embryonic stem cells, and the process used to isolate it allows for a very pure MIAMI cell concentration. Generally, when stem cells are isolated, the mixture comes with other cells that might cause inflammation in the patient. “It’s been very successfully

Photo by Maxine Usdan

“This is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do�: H. Thomas Temple.

commercially because it works,� Dr. Temple said. “We are planning on improving the way we deliver it as well as the purity of the cell products that are going into it.� “We follow these very closely

and, if there’s any adverse effect whatsoever, they get reported to us and we report them to the FDA,� Dr. Temple said, “but we see nothing. Not a single complaint. I am very pleased about that.�

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

19

96% retail occupancy in Miami tops Florida BY CATHERINE LACKNER

A booming economy, lack of space and considerable barriers to entry have made retail space tight throughout Miami-Dade County, observers say. “Miami’s job growth is continuing, with an unemployment rate of 6%, a 17.8% increase year-over year,” said the 2015 ICSC Florida Retail Report compiled by JLL. “Employment is supported by the diverse local economy which is expanding at rapid speeds. Currently there are about 27.3 million square feet of office, hospitality, retail and multi-family product under construction contributing to increased economic growth. Miami leads the state in retail performance with the highest occupancy rate, at about 96%, some of the lowest vacancy rates in the nation, at about 4% and the roughly 1.3 million square feet of retail product under construction.” The more noticeable rate hikes occurred downtown, a 50% increase. the report noted, from $50 per square foot at the end of 2014 to $75 per square foot in mid-2015. Coral Gables and Brickell were tied for next place, with a 26% increase each. In Brickell, rents soared from $125 to $158 per square foot, while in Coral Gables, they increased from $36 to $46 per square foot between year-end 2014 and mid2015. Vacancies are about 5% in the county’s hottest retail neighborhoods, which include the Aventura, Dadeland and Coral Gables areas, as well as in Miami Beach and Doral, said Rod L. Castan, president of leasing and management services for the Courtelis Company. There is especially strong demand for high-visibility, groundfloor spaces of 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, targeted by fastcasual restaurant chains like Chipotle, Moe’s, Panera Bread and the like, he added. “Millennials are driving a lot of the demand for quality offerings. People have less time and are more on the go,” he explained. Wynwood and downtown are seeing a raft of high-end clothing and accessory stores, and Miami Worldcenter announced recently it’s shifting its retail component from a mall to exterior stores. “That’s a product of the residential development in Brickell, downtown and Coconut Grove,” Mr. Castan said. “There’s more demand for unique and highfashion concepts in apparel. It’s working well in the Design District, where quality marquee brands are moving in.” He predicted retail will surge in Doral, which already has easy access to Dolphin Mall and Miami International Mall. “There are thousands of new rooftops going up, and a major lifestyle project,” he said, referring to CityPlace Doral, a joint project of the Related Group and the Shoma Group, which will house

retail, restaurants, a gourmet grocery, movie theater and other uses. A reflect of consumers’ desire for unique and better products is the entry of Wawa into Southeast Florida, where the combination gas station and convenience store is to open 20 to 30 new units soon. “It offers a better quality of food, and has an almost cult-like following,” Mr. Castan said. “The Wawa rollout will take a lot of corners.” Retail is booming, particularly in Brickell, and it will only get better with the opening of Brickell City Centre, said Scott Sheron, a retail broker for JLL. “The restaurant sector is very active, from fast-casual to fine dining,” which is a reflection of the population boom in Brickell and downtown. “There’s been tremendous residential growth over the past three years, and also growth in the number of daytime workers, business

Booming Brickell retail will get an added shot in the arm when Swire opens its Brickell City Centre mall.

travelers and overnight guests.” That’s driving rents up, he said, particularly in Brickell, where buildings have not traditionally featured walk-up retail space. Downtown, landlords are achieving maximum rates for top-quality ground-floor retail, he said. Though Brickell is now plagued by seemingly insurmountable traffic problems, the situation will improve when

Brickell City Centre opens, bringing 2,000 parking spaces to the area, Mr. Sheron predicted. “That will take a lot of cars off the road and free up space, keep rents on the rise and retailers and restaurateurs looking for opportunities.” On Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, skyrocketing rates have some observers sitting on the sidelines, he said. Retail space for lease can fetch $400 per

square foot, and sales prices for buildings have been recorded at $6,000 per square foot, which requires intense revenue generation to justify the tenant’s occupying that space. “This trend has forced out some restaurants,” Mr. Sheron said, citing the demise of the Van Dyke Café, which was replaced by a Lululemon store. “The Van Dyke Café was a long-term tenant, and a wonderful café.”

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MIAMITODAY A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

24

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016

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