Miami Today: Week of Thursday, March 31, 2016

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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EDUCATION TRENDS

Higher education focus is key to lure Asian business, pg. 13 GAS BUBBLING UP: Gas prices in Miami rose 6.4 cents a gallon last week to average $2.13 on Sunday, 42 cents a gallon lower than the same date last year but 30.8 cents a gallon higher than just a month ago, GasBuddy tracking service reported.

Builders charter school ready to graduate first class, pg. 14

THE ACHIEVER

A NEW TUNE: The Miami City Commission has accepted the final plat of MELODY from Opera Plaza LLC and directed the city manager to file the documents with Miami-Dade County. The plat is a replat and a subdivision of the property on Northeast 14th Street between Northeast Second Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard. The 42,115-square-foot, or .966-acre, plat creates one tract of land for a multi-use development. The city’s Plat and Street Committee determined it conforms to the subdivision regulations of Miami 21 zoning. Melody Tower, a 36-story mixed-use residential project, was built at 245 NE 14th St., right across the street from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Along with providing 497 rental apartments, Melody is to have 8,500 square feet of ground floor commercial area and at least one restaurant with some outdoor dining in a landscaped plaza.

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

CRIME FALLS: Violent crimes in Miami-Dade County fell nearly 13% and non-violent crimes fell nearly 6% in the first two months of this year compared with the first two months of 2015, the Miami-Dade County Police Department reported. The only category of significant increase was homicides, which increased from 14 in January and February of 2015 to 18 in the same two months this year. In all, the county reported 916 violent crimes in the first two months of this year compared with 1,050 in the same two months of 2015. Non-violent crimes fell from 5,984 last year to 5,651 this year. The statistics cover only the work of the county police department and do not include municipal police departments.

YOUNG EMPLOYEES: Miami commissioners have accepted a $418,375 grant from Cities for Financial Empowerment Inc. to fund a 2016 Summer Youth Employment and Financial Empowerment Program. It will result in the hiring of up to 150 youths, ages 16-19, residing in low- to moderateincome areas in the city. The CFE Fund works to promote economic progress in communities around the world and focuses on initiatives that expand financial inclusion. The grant is to replicate an existing pilot program, working to improve the self-sufficiency of low/moderate income youth and increase their access to the financial tools and education that are fundamental to economic prosperity and success. Since the inception of the program the city has employed 230 and has generated more than $595,600 in economic impact.

Martin Mendez

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Spearheads IT change in health care, financial services The profile is on Page 4

Hotels checking in along Northwest 36th Street

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Back in the day, before the Airport Expressway, Northwest 36th Street was the major road in and out of Miami International Airport. The freeway changed much of that, leaving the once-thriving corridor a shadow of what it once promised to be.

But today, when new growth seems to be popping up all over Miami-Dade, developers are investing big money to build brand new hotels on 36th Street and a revival appears to be in the making.

Last week Miami city commissioners preliminarily OK’d rezoning of about a dozen connected lots along Northwest 36th Street.

The developer, Rebuild Miami Eden Park LLC, plans to construct a La Quinta hotel on Northwest 36th Street and a companion parking lot on property abutting Northwest 35th Street, according to attorney Iris Escarra.

Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort said he was pleased to see the hotel proposal and is encouraged by the rebirth of the area.

“Thirty-sixth used to be a main street,

AGENDA

Legislative team tallies a good haul

with lots of major stores. A lot had left the area but now are coming back. This project will help the area,” said Mr. Gort as he moved to approve rezoning.

Mr. Gort also noted the significance of 36th Street’s connection to the booming areas of Wynwood and the Design District.

The hotel property is about 250 feet from the intersection of Northwest Seventh Avenue and Northwest 36th Street (also known as US 27).

In a written proposal for the rezoning, Ms. Escarra characterized the hotel project as “a much needed private redevelopment initiative to serve this area.”

The developer promises a restrictive covenant to run with the land that will restrict the hotel to a height of eight stories, she said.

The covenant will also tie the back lots to the hotel, restricting the use to accessory parking to support the hotel.

“Access to the Parking Property will be through the Hotel Property, so as to limit the impact on the surrounding residential uses,” she wrote.

“Northwest 36th Street is a Major Thor-

oughfare which connects from Biscayne Bay on the East to the Florida Turnpike on the West,” wrote Ms. Escarra.

The area abutting Northwest 36th Street is no longer suited for residential uses and is better suited for lodging to revitalize the area and create jobs, she wrote.

Ms. Escarra told commissioners this hotel is one of three her firm is involved with, staking claims along Northwest 36th Street.

The other two are Aloft, a planned sixstory hotel with 125 rooms and about 9,000 square feet of retail and restaurant uses at 7220 NW 36th St., northwest of the airport and Milam Dairy Road (Northwest 72nd Avenue), and Triptych, a 20-story tower housing about 297 hotel rooms, more than 65,000 square feet of office space, 20,000 square feet of retail and a 368-space garage, rising at the intersection of Northwest 36th Street and North Miami Avenue.

Ms. Escarra told Miami Today she is proud her firm, Greenberg Traurig, is assisting on these key projects bringing new economic development to the city.

Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation leaders found the past session strongest in a decade, meeting short-term goals that include increasing public education funds as well as continuing cooperative work toward longterm initiatives to put the county in a stronger competitive position.

Each session the delegation sets priorities and each year has mixed results, said Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, current chairman.

However, he said, this session was the strongest in 10 years with the most priorities met, including allocations defeated last year: $3 million for Ludlum Trail Corridor, $2 million for the Underline, and the final $1.5 million to match the county’s to restore the Miami Military Museum & Memorial.

Main priorities each year are protecting Jackson Memorial, securing funding for local colleges and universities and protecting consumers from increased property insurance rates, which Rep. Diaz said were met.

Additionally, he said, the Legislature allocated $7 million to complete 3rd District Court of Appeal renovations along with record funding for the Everglades ecosystem and polluted springs through the Legacy Florida Act, which sets aside at least $250 million a year for 20 years for Everglades and springs restoration.

Vice Chair Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez said members were very satisfied accomplishing almost all their short-term goals and developing long-term priorities for funding formulas in education, healthcare and transportation to put Miami-Dade in a better competitive position.

One of the most important outcomes for the county, he said, was $486 million for base public education funding.

“The trend every year has been less state funding and more from increases in property taxes,” he said. “We built on our continuing cooperation and coordination.”

AIG SETTLES MARLINS PARK ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIM ...

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CITING LANGUAGE, GERMAN CHAMBER LOOKS NORTH ...

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IF WE’RE READY, WE CAN GET FEDERAL TRANSIT AID ...

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CITY, SCHOOLS CREATE MARINE SERVICES PROGRAM ...

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VIEWPOINT: OH, THE SOCCER STADIUM PARKING VOID ...

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BUS RAPID TRANSIT TO BE SOUTH DADE’S FIRST STOP ...

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TIGER BEETLE CLAWS INTO MIAMI WILDS PARK PLANS ...

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PRIOR TO NEW BOARD, MIAMI ACTS ON VIRGINIA KEY...

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

THE INSIDER FEES FOR TOLLS: Miami-Dade County commissioners are to will consider legislation on second reading April 5 whether to require rental car companies to provide notice to customers of administrative fees associated with any toll charges or toll violations the customers incur.

NEW FIU TRUSTEE: Gov. Rick Scott has appointed former Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff to the Florida International University Board of Trustees, replacing Mayi de la Vega. His term began March 24 and ends Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. Sarnoff was elected to the city commission in 2006 and again in 2011, but could not Photo by Maxine Usdan run again under term limits. He is an attorney with Shutts & Bowen and a certified civil mediator. Last Miami-Dade, the city and team will share payout in disputed environmental claim over ballpark construction. year Gov. Scott appointed Mr. Sarnoff to the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the transportaMarc Sarnoff tion umbrella agency for Miami-Dade County.

LAND PURCHASE: The Flagami neighborhood may get a little public green space under a plan from the City of Miami. The city commission approved buying 601 SW 63rd Court from Kesler Dalmacy and Yveline Dalmacy to construct a pocket park to enhance the quality of life in the area. Up to $306,500 will be allocated from the park land acquisition fund to cover the cost of the land plus a survey, environmental report, title insurance and closing costs. The deal is contingent upon obtaining an appraisal stating that the property is worth at least $295,999. This is part of the city’s efforts to create more open public spaces and parks.

PERU BUYS GABLES OFFICES: The government of Peru has purchased a 15,875-square-foot office building at 1401 Ponce de Leon Blvd. in Coral Gables for $4.5 million for use as the nation’s consulate. The consulate had been at 444 Brickell Ave. in Miami, but that building is part of an assemblage ticketed for a multitower mixed-use development.

The Ponce de Leon building has four stories and 30 parking spaces. Ther sale price was equal Peru purchased this office building. to $283 per square foot. The site had previously been occupied by a New York-based diamond company but had long been vacant. Douglas K. Mandel of Marcus & Millichap led negotiations of the sale. Aurelio Del Corral of Great Properties International Realty represented the Peruvian Consulate.

MOVING UP: Elizabeth Mejia has become organizational director south with the national office of Communities in Schools after spending the past 20 years with Communities in Schools of Miami, the last 15 years of those as president and CEO. Communities in Schools of Miami will honor her at its “Reach for the Moon” gala on April 9. Communities in Schools is a dropout prevention program that connects students and their families to needed community resources and mentors and tutors students. The organization in Elizabeth Mejia Miami serves more that 20,000 pupils each year.

AIG settles Marlins ballpark claim

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

The Miami Marlins, MiamiDade County and City of Miami will share in an insurance payout for a disputed environmental claim over ballpark construction that was settled for far more than had initially been offered.

AIG Specialty Insurance Co. has agreed to provide a settlement of $2,910,142.13 to the Marlins and their affiliates for a $5.6 million claim on policies relating to construction of Marlins Park and associated public infrastructure, which county officials say is an excellent result that’s above and beyond the total of $535,142.13 the insurance company originally agreed to pay in 2012 before the parties mediated their dispute.

The distribution agreement is among Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, Marlins Stadium Developer LLC (the Marlins) Marlins Stadium Operator LLC, Florida Marlins and Double Play Co., collectively referred to in the legal documents as the “Parties.” The agreement distributes 73.3% of the proceeds to the

MASCOT MADNESS: Sports teams’ mascots are to race in Museum Park on Biscayne Boulevard downtown today (3/31) from 10 to 11 a.m. for a chance to win a donation to their respective charities as the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau launches its third annual Miami Sports & Wellness Month.

TWO DECADES: The 20th annual Miami Riverday festival will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at Lummus Park Historic District, 250 NW North River Drive. The free event includes river boat rides, kids’ activities, historic tours and reenactments, environmental education and more. Paddleboard and kayak races are planned. Live music is to be performed by Elastic Bond and the Spam All-Stars. Food and beverages will be sold.

NATURAL DEFENSES: The Nature Conservancy will partner with engineering firm CH2M and Miami-Dade County to establish two new pilot projects to design and model cost-effective coastal infrastructure for showing the role nature can play in reducing storm and flood risk. Wagner Creek Space will be assessed for flood risk reduction and a design plan for increasing useable green space and restoring natural systems; South Dade Wetlands, at the county’s South Wastewater Treatment plant, will be assessed for the quantified flood and storm risk reduction value of the mangroves and prediction of additional protection benefits of the infrastructure.

$2,304,377.62 into a countyowned capital reserve fund that is to be used for future capital projects at the ballpark.

For the past few years, the parties have been working with AIG to resolve the dispute over the $5.6 million claim the project submitted for expenses related to environmental issues, said Jose A. Galan, project director for Marlins Park and director of the county’s Internal Services Department Real Estate Division.

He told Miami Today last week that the City of Miami provided funding for the insurance policies the project took out with AIG for a “Contractors Pollution Liability Policy” for coverage from July 1, 2009, to May 1, 2012, and a “Pollution Legal Liability Policy” for coverage from Aug. 28, 2008, to Aug. 28, 2018.

Mr. Galan said it’s a successful outcome not only because the insurance company’s $2.9 million settlement is so much more than its original offer of $535,142.13 but also because the parties and AIG avoided costly litigation.

The utility of being a squeaky wheel

ON THE MOVE: Miami River Commission members were pleased to learn that Miami-Dade County is following their recommendation to move and preserve on old bridge that’s seen better days. The Tamiami BY CATHERINE LACKNER Swing Bridge on Northwest South River Drive at the Delaware Parkway, just north of Northwest 20th Street, will be moved to the city’s Sometimes the squeaky wheel Fern Isle Park, off Northwest 22nd Avenue. The bridge is to be does, indeed, get the grease. installed over a tributary of the Miami River, connecting to a new part In January, construction beof the park. It will be for cyclists and pedestrians only.

CASH TO GO: Friends of The Underline are celebrating the news that the ambitious project to turn the area under the Metrorail into an urban trail has received a $2 million appropriation from the state for construction in 2017. This is in addition to the $3 million committed by Miami-Dade County and $1 million each from the City of Miami and Florida Department of Transportation. The Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department partnered with Friends of The Underline to turn 10 miles of pathway beneath the Metrorail into a linear park with a bicycle and pedestrian commuter-exercise trail. The overall plan includes upgrades to the M-Path extending between the Miami River north of Brickell to the Dadeland South station. Phase One of The Underline is to begin in the Brickell area.

ballpark and 26.7% to the county and city.

The parties “have reasonably determined” 73.3% of the remediation costs were incurred in relation to construction of the ballpark and 26.7% in relation to construction of the public infrastructure work and want to allocate proceeds accordingly, the distribution agreement states, acknowledging that the city and the county each funded one-half of the public infrastructure work.

After reimbursement for attorneys’ fees and costs and the city paying the $50,000 deductible, the ballpark will receive $2,304,377.62, the county will receive $327,882.19 and the City of Miami will receive $277,882.19.

The city approved the settlement documents in February.

The county commission is to review and sign them April 5.

After all parties have signed and within 30 days of receiving the proceeds from AIG, the Marlins are to remit the agreed upon amounts to the city and county and deposit the

gan on the long-awaited renovation of Flagler Street from Biscayne Boulevard to the Dade County Courthouse, a project of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority. But almost immediately, contractors said they were having difficulty getting utility representatives to give clearance to dig.

“We have turned a page,” Eric Riel, leader of the authority’s planning, design and transportation team, told authority directors this month. The utilities responded to the complaints and work is moving forward again, he said.

“I believe the contractor will make up the lost time as construction proceeds,” Mr. Riel said. “We will get caught up.”

“I want to personally thank Alberto Parjus,” said Alyce Robertson, authority executive director. “Without him, I don’t know where we would be.”

At the urging of then-chair and city commissioner Marc Sarnoff, authority directors called Mr. Parjus, Miami deputy manager, to appear before them last September. The project –

which had been on the drawing board for five years at that time – was tangled in disputes and appeared stalled. Members of the Flagler Street Task Force said the city by turns deceived and ignored them.

But after Mr. Parjus got involved, a notice to proceed was issued by the end of the year.

The Flagler Street design will feature a railroad theme, highlighting Standard Oil tycoon Henry M. Flagler’s achievement in pushing the Florida East Coast Railroad past Palm Beach and into Miami, thus connecting the fledgling city with the rest of the world.

The sidewalk design alternates light and dark grey bands of concrete to give the effect of railroad tracks, and an actual railroad tie will be imbedded in the sidewalk to separate the walking surface from the street furniture and trees. The concrete was chosen because it is inexpensive, durable and easy to replace. Movable gates that look like those at railroad crossings reinforce the theme, can be used to close off streets for special events, and can be propped up vertically when not in use.

Flagler Street has long been a concern to downtown business owners. Many sidewalks have

been expanded, restricted or rebuilt over the years. In addition, street surfaces are uneven, and a failed pavers project has left many conflicting surfaces.

Because underground pipes, drains and utility lines were antiquated and in severe disrepair, the city had to replace those before the above-ground work could be tackled.

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TODAY’S NEWS

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If Miami is ready, federal funding for transit can be had, official says

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

There are federal transit funds ripe for the taking right now, Aileen Bouclé, executive director of the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization, has told two professional organizations in the past two weeks. But, she warned, the only way to get them is to have the groundwork laid.

“The federal government takes back funds from the states that didn’t use them” within a given time frame, she told a meeting of the Latin Builders Association March 16. “Then the government says, “Hey, states, what do you have that can move forward right now?’ If we had the environmental documents ready, we could aggressively pursue those Photo by Marlene Quaroni funds.”

Feds redistribute grants that states didn’t use, said Aileen Bouclé.

Environmental studies, a strict

government requirement, can take months or years to complete, but the county could move forward concurrently with several studies in hopes that at least one project is ready when funds suddenly become available, she said.

“When states receive funds but are not able to move their projects forward, those funds come back for any state to pursue, and that is happening right now,” Ms. Bouclé told the Chamber South business organization March 23.

“We can pursue them, but must have the ecological documents in shape.” It also helps to have the local and state funding matches in place, she told the group.

The returned money is far from the only federal funding available, she said. For fiscal 2017, $1.4 billion has been set aside for

10 New Starts projects for mass transit. Competition is stiff from cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Charleston and Denver. “These New Starts dollar go above and beyond the population funding” that states normally receive, she explained.

Another $950 million has been pledged for seven New Starts projects in Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Ana and other cities on which construction has not yet started. That is money that could conceivably come back into play if construction doesn’t begin on time.

“You will notice some repetition on the lists,” Ms. Bouclé told the Chamber South group. “Some cities are very good at getting federal funds. Great for them! But if they can do it, we can do it too.”

State weighs how useful $325,000 carpooling subsidy was

BY CAMILA CEPERO

The Florida Department of Transportation’s 826/836 Carpool Incentive Program ended months ago, but the positive effects of paying people to carpool to work still linger.

The objective of the program was to ease traffic congestion by promoting ride sharing during the construction of new connections between the Dolphin and Palmetto expressways, also known as state roads 836 and 826.

The $560 million project, which began in 2009 and was mostly completed in the fall of 2015, was meant to enhance safety, increase capacity and increase the efficiency for motorists using the interchange.

The project was a joint effort between the Florida Department of Transportation, which controls SR 826, and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, which owns SR 836. Motorists can now

directly transfer from northbound 826 to westbound 836.

The carpooling program was established to relieve some of the congestion in one of the nation’s busiest highway interchanges.

When the program started in March 2012, the department was offering $25, $50 and $75 per person for two-, threeand four-person carpools. However, there wasn’t enough initial interest, said Jim Udvardy of South Florida Commuter Services, which ran the program on behalf of the department. That’s when they doubled the pay-out rates to encourage people to consider it, he said.

“Not everybody was able to qualify every month,” Mr. Udvardy said. The program had an application process that included verifying employment and proving that travelling through the 826/836 interchange was a logical commute.

People had to participate at least 16 working days of the month, so applicants

who were taking extended vacations or had other circumstances preventing them from using the state roads for at least 16 days weren’t eligible.

On average, 850 people participated each month. The single-month high was 944 people. Traffic in the construction zone was reduced by about 400 vehicles a day, which is slightly underwhelming considering it was used by an average of 430,000 vehicles each day.

In 2015, the program paid commuters $325,000 in federal funds allocated to the overall 826/836 construction mitigation plan.

“The federal government does have funds to apply to major constructions that are going to provide additional congestion alternatives,” Mr. Udvardy said.

Now that the project is finished, the program has been evaluated to see if it could be a model for future large-scale construction projects.

“One of the things that were encourag-

ing was when we did a follow-up survey of people that were in the program, we found that out of the people that had never carpooled [before], 64% said they would continue to carpool just because of the added values and benefits,” Mr. Udvardy said.

The department doesn’t offer other programs that include directly paying people, but it found that some types of benefits or incentives lead to positive results.

One of the incentives the department currently has is for commuters who regularly use express lanes. They have the option of registering their carpool and, in turn, not having to pay the express lane tolls.

Even though they aren’t being directly financially rewarded, Mr. Udvardy said, they are saving money by not having to pay tolls, which can add up to big savings on its own.

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

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We’ve got no kicks about soccer, but oh that parking void!

Sports might have the ultimate stadium concept in David Beckham’s plan for soccer.

For his Overtown stadium there would be no government subsidy. There would be no Michael Lewis free land.

That leaves absolutely nothing to dislike when Major League Soccer returns to Miami after failing the first time around.

But there would also be no parking for fans, few dining spots and slim retail.

If Mr. Beckham and associates can profit on far-from-prime land with few amenities and no monetary help from government, that’s great.

One thing certain: soccer in Overtown won’t freeze out job-generating industry dying to open there, so anything the Beckham syndicate can do to create jobs and earn a profit there is a plus.

We haven’t seen the color of the $220 million the group estimates as stadium costs and doubt they’ll come up with it easily, but if they don’t ask the public to back bonds or pitch in taxes, that’s their business. If they make it, great. If not, they’ve got $18.95 million in Overtown land to resell.

But we’re skeptical of the plan for 25,000 fans a game to walk from Metrorail blocks away or from parking farther out.

Walking to soccer en masse is a tradition, but not in Miami and certainly not in Overtown.

Besides, any stadium would have other uses, like concerts. Concertgoers have no tradition of walking miles in and out again.

Miami, to put it politely, is not a place

Rendering shows how the soccer stadium might fit into its Overtown neighborhood.

where hardy souls walk everywhere.

Even those who run miles for exercise won’t walk blocks out of necessity. We are born attached at the seatbelt to our cars.

Again, the stadium is being sold as a private development with totally private funds with no public subsidies. Pardon the skepticism, but that’s not the way pro sports do things, especially in Miami.

And what about the $60 million that new stadiums draw from the state as a subsidy?

If lack of subsidies is real, however, we have no quarrel with a business plan that seems terribly flawed. If the Beckham group is betting only its own money on Miamians suddenly stretching their legs for miles to and from a game, that’s their bet, win or lose. It should never be allowed, however, to become the public’s bet.

When the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts was planned we objected editorially to the removal of a garage from plans with the specious

L ETTERS Convention hotel ‘no’ vote kills a dream of upgrade It will take years and years for any “train” to be approved for Miami Beach.

Nor is widening sidewalks an answer to anything. (Reminds me of the woman I spoke with after a community meeting who said that the answer to all our woes was “more roads”… but that’s the level of understanding I have come to expect from the average Miami Beach voter.)

Voters [on a convention hotel lease] were deceived by some very slick marketers and those with personal political agendas. This Portman plan was a gift, one that would have – excuse the cliché – kept on giving to Miami Beach taxpayers.

Miami Beach, even with the gorgeous new convention center underway, will be unable to compete in any meaningful way – will not be a serious player – with the many world-class convention facilities out there. It is a competitive field!

And it usually includes dedicated on-site hotels that cater to conventioneers and offer those all-important blocks of rooms to conventions – something no hotel on Miami Beach currently offers).

RIP to the city’s dreams of such a convention center hotel that, together with the new convention facility, would

reasoning that concert-goers would park downtown and just walk over. They still don’t walk, the center’s two beautiful halls are painfully underfilled for fine performances and the public still subsidizes the center more than $8 million a year.

Now, a decade later, the Arsht Center is about to get its first dedicated parking, though we have no details about who will pay to build it. The garage should add attendance, though by now the subsidy has become a permanent feature in the county budget that might not disappear as the center adds paying guests.

As for soccer, everyone favors it. The team plans to buy land from the county at market value for part of the site and wants to buy land from the City of Miami for staff parking – they say soccer fans will walk but know that they won’t walk to work themselves. All of that is fine at market prices if the land isn’t needed for public purposes and nobody will pay more than they will.

Then comes city zoning. It’s a ques-

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E DITOR

lic park with a forest of royal palms inside and outside the glass atrium).

Still, without an elevated mass transit station that connects to the elevated tracks in downtown Miami’s new Grand Central Station, the project will only lower the quality of life for anyone living on the beach.

DCCopeland

No on convention center until Beach fixes its traffic

have brought a higher level of visitor to Miami Beach.

Time for some common sense, free of political manipulation, folks.

Traffic. Which streets will the hunJo Manning dreds of new convention center hotel employees use to go to work? Will they be dropped off because there isn’t enough hotel employee parking? If so, will their spouses drive elsewhere on our streets, If [Miami Beach City Manager] Jimmy making even more traffic jams?

Every resident who drives in Miami Morales is looking for a solution, may I suggest the city consider building the Beach experiences horrible traffic. Want hotel on TOP of the convention center; proof? Just save your Google Maps maybe only two floors with an open traffic screen. Red everywhere for “park” between the perimeter rooms backed-up streets. Better than a traffic that is covered with an atrium, much study done in April a few years ago for like the newer cruise ships (which the three days! Real facts. Real information. convention center is as long).

I am not aware of much about the The original hotel site can then be turned into a park with hotel’s park-like convention center hotel, but I know that atrium spilling into the park (the hotel’s I’m stuck in traffic every single day. lobby becomes an extension of the pub- Misinformation from the city and hotel

Build hotel atop the center; still, elevated transit vital

tion whether to zone for a stadium for 25,000 people with no parking at all. That issue must deal with neighbors – what happens when fans try to park in front of their homes and stores? It’s fine to assume fans will ride Metrorail or walk from parking lots elsewhere, but we know that they won’t all do it. And how do concerts and other uses fit into the neighborhood?

Little Havana residents were fine for years parking Orange Bowl fans on driveways and lawns at $10 a pop. Maybe Overtown entrepreneurs would too.

This is the Beckham group’s fourth try that the public knows of to get a site.

They’ve gone from ultra-prime waterfront to a mediocre site beside Marlins Park and now to land nobody wants in Overtown.

It would be a pity if this can’t work.

Soccer appeals to many in Miami, even the second-tier games in this league (calling something Major League doesn’t make it so).

But the Beckham group aren’t Miamians. They’ve gotten such warm applause at places like the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce that they might not be prepared for our economic realities.

One is that Miamians don’t back losers, and every team at some time becomes a losing team. This is not Chicago, where the Cubs fill every seat, win or lose. Ask the Miami Marlins where the fans are – they’re somewhere else.

That reality needs to show up in the Beckham group’s business plans.

To the investors, we believe soccer can be a Miami amenity and we welcome you as we do every enterprise investing its own money to achieve success. Get your permits and build your $220 million stadium.

But you’re going to learn soon you need parking to prosper.

backers about how this hotel will “make traffic better” doesn’t ring true when there is no hotel, no conventions, and it takes me an hour to drive to South Beach from North Beach.

I’m voting No at every vote on this until we really fix traffic, and not by approving a $60 million per mile light rail that is outrageously expensive and which we can’t afford.

Rick Kendle

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

Plans for Miami Wilds theme park beside ZooMiami have been cut into two pieces for endangered beetle.

Tiger beetle claws Miami Wilds

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Miami Wilds LLC, approved for a $13.5 million county Economic Development Fund grant, has modified its plans for a theme park in the ZooMiami area should the Miami tiger beetle be listed under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this month its proposal to list the beetle as endangered after review of the best information possible.

Thought to be extinct for over three decades, biologists found the beetle living in pine rockland in 2007 close to land where the proposed theme park was planned. Other populations of the beetle were subsequently found in the vicinity.

Paul Lambert, a member of Miami Wilds LLC, said this week the project has already been impacted just by the proposal to list the beetle as endangered.

Last summer, project partners began evaluating a phased approach – in two parts – to accommodate upcoming environmental surveying on federallyowned land where the Coast Guard has facilities. Development was originally planned there as well as on county-owned Zoo Miami land in South Miami-Dade.

In July 2015, Mr. Lambert said Phase I development, all taking place within existing county property, could include a water park, limited lodging and some retail.

Phase II, he said, could later include development on the adjacent Coast Guard land that would include the theme park and significant retail.

On Monday, Mr. Lambert said the federal review will eventually provide specific boundaries for the beetle’s habitat but the Fish and Wildlife Service doesn’t yet know what they are. “We can’t move forward unless we know the habitat of the beetle,� he said. “Both the government-owned Coast Guard land and ZooMiami property have pine rocklands, so we’ve already implemented two levels of modification.�

Miami Wilds LLC’s footprint has been shrunk to stay away from any forested area, Mr. Lambert said. “As a stand-along project, it’s still viable as long as Phase I doesn’t fall within the boundary of the endangered species, so for the portion on county-owned land, we’ll only build on zoo property that’s paved or mowed.�

At this time, he said, Miami Wilds LLC recognizes that the Coast Guard portion will take more time to come to fruition for

a number of reasons, including the potential for the endangered beetle found immediately adjacent to the land.

Therefore, Mr. Lambert said, plans for Phase II are on hold and the project is focusing primarily on Phase I. County staff and Miami Wilds LLC are currently negotiating a lease for the county-owned land before going to the county commission for final review and approval.

Mr. Lambert said the entire project was to bring 2,700 to 2,800 jobs for the two properties combined.

Phase I, to be built on the county-owned land, was to bring 403 of those jobs. Mr. Lambert said that number has not changed. “We are close to an agreement with the county for leasing land,� he said. “From our perspective, but for the beetle issue we would be moving forward with Phase I and Phase II.�

Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation have destroyed an estimated 98% of the historic pine rockland habitat in MiamiDade County, with only two known Miami tiger beetle populations remaining, according to

the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Staff from the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management said development at Miami Wilds that might affect the Miami tiger beetle would require approval from the Fish and Wildlife Service to avoid, reduce or mitigate potential impacts to a protected species or to ensure actions don’t negatively affect protected species or modify their habitat.

Depending on the proposed impact of the project, staff said via email, the Fish and Wildlife Service may require the property owner or applicant to minimize the impact and modify the site plans to avoid negatively impacting the beetle.

Mr. Lambert the project made changes to the project to avoid negatively impacting a protected species well before notice of the specific boundaries where the beetle lives, and it has no intention of disturbing the beetle’s habitat.

The county commission had long sought development of a major attraction beside ZooMiami.

The Miami Wilds project was chosen several years ago from among applicants to negotiate for and develop the attraction.

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

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11

Ports booming to lead local economy, chamber summit told

BY CAMILA CEPERO

Miami International Airport and PortMiami are booming as Miami’s most important economic engines and tools in positioning the area as a gateway to the Americas, Bill Johnson, Florida secretary of commerce and president & CEO of Enterprise Florida, told the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s International Business Leadership Summit last week.

“For international business interests, the future is here in Florida and it’s here today,” said Mr. Johnson, who resigned his post this week.

Florida is home to 19 commercial airports and 15 seaports, most of any state. Miami International Airport is the second busiest US gateway with 20.1 million international passengers, trailing only John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to the Airports Council International.

The airport has more carriers than any airport in the world, 100 as of September 2015.

“There’s more airlift out of this airport into points south than all the US airports combined on a daily basis,” Mr. Johnson said, speaking of the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The airport saw 44 million persons enplaned and deplaned in 2015, up 8.32% from 41 million in 2014. It was the largest passenger count growth in the airport’s history.

“It remains one of the busiest US airports in terms of freight.

It’s been probably the top airport in the hemisphere in terms of air freight for the last 20 years,” Mr. Johnson said.

In a Miami-Dade Aviation Department report, the airport was listed as number three among US airports in total cargo, defined as freight and mail, with 2.2 million US tons. Memphis International Airport, which is the FedEx global hub, held the top spot and Louisville International Airport, UPS’s global hub, was second. That makes Miami’s third ranking even more impressive since the airport is not the worldwide hub of any global delivery service.

Photos by Maxine Usdan

More flights go from Miami to points south than all other US airports combined, the chamber was told.

“Of course, our seaport is the second largest economic engine in our community,” Mr. Johnson said. The port started 2016 strong, reporting cargo traffic up 20% in January alone. This equaled hundreds of millions of wealth, he said, and the creation of many high-paying jobs.

Increased cargo traffic is credited to larger vessels now able to enter the port after deepening its main channel in anticipation of the Panama Canal’s expansion.

The state has invested $1.4 billion in improving the port’s infrastructure.

“You’ve got the most modern port, not only in Florida – and Florida has 15 seaports, more than any state in the US – [but] one of the most modern ports on the East Coast of America, and of course it has some of the best infrastructure anywhere. So obviously we’re pleased. This port, finally, is beating ports like [the Port of Charleston], so [it’s] beating out major competitors in the Southeast,” Mr. Johnson said.

A US Army Corp of Engineers report shows that PortMiami is the only Eastern seaboard port south of Virginia to have the same accommodating deep waters.

A ribbon-cutting celebrating completion of the deepening of the port’s channel last September was attended by Gov. Rick Scott, Mayor Carlos Giménez and port Director Juan Kuryla.

With a $77 million grant from Gov. Scott and the Florida Department of Transportation, the port was dredged to 50 feet to allow super post-panamax ships to enter. According to Mr. Johnson, the port is already receiving the super post-panamax ships.

The port has also invested in a Florida East Coast Railway onport rail facility to provide the port direct access to the railway network and its intermodal terminals, which provide distribution, transloading and warehousing along the East Coast. The approximately $50 million project is funded through a four-way partnership among the US Department of Transportation, providing $22.767 million; the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida East Coast Railway, each providing $10.9 million; and PortMiami, providing $4.8 million.

“Rail service from that port Rail from the port can reach 70% of US population, summit was told. can reach over 70% of the entire Among US airports, MIA is No. 1 for international freight with 1.92 million tons. It’s the world’s 10th busiest for international freight.

“Last year’s record exceeded the year before by over 2 million tons of cargo, and of course, this is despite slowing economies in key Latin American and European countries,” Mr. Johnson said. “[The airport’s] international network continues to grow.”

“The airport welcomes new carriers. [There was] new service to Austria, Turkey [and] Colombia just last year alone.

This year, a German carrier will... [have] daily service to Cologne. Starting in May, Scandinavian Airlines will launch firstever service to Copenhagen.”

Mr. Johnson commended aviation Director Emilio González for strong leadership and efforts to making the airport thrive as the community’s No. 1 economic engine.

Mr. Johnson should understand those efforts well. As a Miami-Dade County executive he was at lone time interim director of Miami International Airport. Later he directed PortMiami.

The US Chamber of Commerce recently listed PortMiami as one of the top fastest-growing ports in the nation, said Mr. Johnson. “Last year, cargo TEU’s were up 8%... that’s a big number.”

US population in one to four days,” Mr. Johnson said. The railway also serves Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach.

“That’s resonating around the world. We will save you time

and money here in Florida,” Mr. Johnson said, “in the transshipment business and in the movement of product.”

The Panama Canal is to open in late June, he said, and that bodes well for all of Florida but in particular South Florida.

“A deeper canal means market share shifting from the West Coast of the US to the East Coast, which is exactly what we planned for,” and in 2006 when the plan was to wait until the Panama Canal expansion was finished, Mr. Johnson said, “the leadership of this community said no... and invested billions and billions and billions... into the infrastructure of the airport and the port, making our airport and seaport some of the best in our nation.

“Port Everglades is booming [and] growing. All of our Florida ports are doing well. All 15 [of them],” he said, with billions being invested in airports in Tampa and Orlando.

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13

Education Trends Higher education focus key to attracting Asian business

BY CAMILA CEPERO

Focus on higher education is the key to attracting and retaining future Asian business leaders, panelists at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s International Business Leadership Summit said last week.

Americans should do more to attract the best and brightest students from Asia, panelists agreed, and the focus should be on offering Asian students opportunities to pursue higher education in America, a brand that America is known for.

“The American success story is that of first-generation immigrants who come here with little and succeed and give back,” said Somnath Bhattacharya, dean of the School of Business at St. Thomas University.

Most engineering and business programs in American universities were created because there were Asian students who were interested in coming to this country and receiving their higher education here, he said.

One of the worst examples of why these programs are beginning to shrink, he said, is because once the students receive their degrees, they are allowed 18 to 24 months of temporary work permits, after which they are no longer welcome in this country.

“Guess what these entrepreneurial and highly-skilled people do? They go home... and they set up entrepreneurial ventures there that compete directly with our enterprise here,” Dr. Bhattacharya said.

Asians who get degrees but can work only briefly go home and compete with us: Somnath Bhattacharya.

One way to attract students is to appeal to Asian parents’ number-one priority, which is the desire for their children to have the best education possible, said Erik Bethel, managing director of Interval Ventures. In order to have them stay in Miami after completing their education, he said, there needs to be a foundation built that can make them feel comfortable enough to stay.

American universities need to partner with Asian universities

and create study abroad programs, said Angie Ki, ND, chief business development officer of American Da Tang Group. She said the focus should be on enlightenment, not profit.

“Students love them [but we need] to make them affordable,” Dr. Ki said.

If students have no opportunity to stay, said Philip J. Spiegelman, principal of realty brokerage International Sales Group, they will naturally be attracted to go back home. He

proposed reaching out to students as they’re graduating and offering them the opportunity to work and giving them a chance at a career that will let them create a life here.

“Providing them a future to stay is part of the commitment we have to have in order to grow our communication as a bridge between two cultures,” Mr. Spiegelman said.

“At St. Thomas right now we have 72 students from China alone, and then there are others

from Vietnam and Bangladesh and Saudi,” Dr. Bhattacharya said.

Internship programs are instrumental in teaching students how America and Asia do business said Charles Cheng, vice president of TMCell and founder of Asia Connect Media Corp.

“I think the best way for anybody to learn is to actually do it... Going on internships and actually working in doing business in a field that interests them” is vital, Mr. Cheng said.

“We have trade missions that go to Asia [and] we need to emphasize the education component of it... I’m happy to see these missions, but I very rarely see missions have even a tertiary focus on education, and that needs to change,” Dr. Bhattacharya said.

This year at St. Thomas, Dr. Bhattacharya said, the School of Science is starting a program in big data analytics, with eight to ten students who will be moving to Miami from India or China to enroll.

“What we’re trying to do is look at international business as a conduit to attract new... students. We are trying to create majors and disciplines that actually have some relevance to Asian studies,” Dr. Bhattacharya said.

“If you ask [the] Chinese... what is the most important thing for them... [the] number-one [most] important thing is the children’s education,” Dr. Ki said. “The real deal is getting the education system good [here]... Then you got them.”

City, schools link to create marine service technical program

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Here in Miami, we are pretty much surrounded by water.

Surprising then that we don’t have many educational offerings that provide skills for the marine industry.

That is about to change.

The Miami City Commission last week approved an agreement with the School Board of MiamiDade County to create a permanent local Marine Service Technology Program at Lindsey Hopkins Technical College.

The program is designed to provide students with maritime skill sets in order to fulfill the demand of the numerous maritime jobs in the Miami community.

The seed money for the new program is an allocation of $235,905 from the city’s District Three anti-poverty initiative funds.

The Marine Service Technology Program is to begin in August and be initially open to

‘Can you believe there’s no existing program?’

Frank Carollo 20 students.

District Three Commissioner Frank Carollo authored the legislation that is the catalyst for the new educational program.

“Can you believe there’s no existing program?” Mr. Carollo said to his colleagues.

He said Miami is one of most aquatic and vibrant cities, boast-

ing Biscayne Bay, PortMiami and the Miami River, and yet there’s no marine service educational program.

“We see a need for this,” Mr. Carollo said.

“I worked with the Miami-Dade School Board and staff to establish a new and long-lasting program to further job skills and foster more economic prosperity for an essential industry,” he said.

The resolution says MiamiDade has a billion-dollar marine industry. Equipment and fixed assets required to start the Marine Service Program will cost an estimated $335,905. The school board has committed to acquiring the other $100,000.

The Miami Bayside Foundation is also supporting the program. The foundation has a reputation for awarding scholarships to help minority students attend technical colleges in the area, including Lindsey Hopkins.

School board member Lubby Navarro thanked Mr. Carollo for bringing forward the legislation

‘It is highly technical and we need trained people.’

Horacio Stuart Aguirre and the city for taking up such an important educational initiative.

“There is a big need for maritime trades [education]… It is lacking in our community,” she said.

Nathan Kurland, chairman of the foundation board, also commended Mr. Carollo for laying the groundwork for this new

educational program.

Mr. Kurland said the area is home to 51 boatyards yet has no educational program to train persons in how to repair boat motors.

He said the new program is Pell Grant supported and will help area residents to get well-paying jobs in the community.

Horacio Stuart Aguirre, chairman of the Miami River Commission, praised Mr. Carollo, Ms. Navarro and Mr. Kurland for their work to establish the program.

Mr. Aguirre said he’s spoken with more than 30 businesses in the marine industry and all cite a strong need for qualified technicians in marine service.

The marine industry, like so many others, has changed, he said. “It is highly technical and we need trained people,” said Mr. Aguirre.

He said the river commission strongly endorses and supports the new program.

“This can only strengthen our marine industry,” said Mr. Carollo.

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MIAMI TODAY

EDUCATION TRENDS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Latin Builders’ charter school about to graduate first class

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Over the past four years, watching students progress through the Latin Builders Association Construction & Business Management Academy Charter High School in Hialeah Gardens has been “like watching a baby grow up,” said Bernie Navarro, board chair of the school, which is set to graduate its first class.

“We wanted to give back to the community, so by starting our own charter school we are educating the next group of leaders,” said Mr. Navarro, who is past president of the Latin Builders Association and founder and president of Benworth Capital Partners, a Coral Gables real estate investment company.

Of 40 students in the first graduating class, 10 have been accepted to an accelerated program at Miami Dade College, which aims to prepare them to attend a top-tier college of their choice.

The academy, which focuses on construction management, is the first known charter school in the US to have a business association as its partner.

About 200 students take core high school courses and focus on one of three tracks: business, marketing or entrepreneurship for real estate companies.

A similar school is now being set up in Iowa. “We’re their model,” Mr. Navarro said.

When the association first came up with the idea, mem-

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

In the works is a parallel vocational school that will prepare students for the trades, said Bernie Navarro.

bers approached two companies that run charter schools locally and were told the launch would take four to five years.

“We didn’t have that kind of time,” Mr. Navarro said, so he approached Alberto Carvalho, Miami-Dade Schools superintendent, with the idea. The school was up and running in a matter of months in a surplus building the school system owned.

It is a Title I school with 93% of students receiving free lunch because of economic need, “but these kids are ready to take on the world,” Mr. Navarro said.

“They have a hunger to get ahead.”

In addition to educating them, the association provides ample networking opportunities, including trips to Florida International University and to the association’s monthly lun-

cheons. “It’s taken me a lifetime to be exposed to the type of people they meet,” Mr. Navarro said. “Presidents of major companies walk through these halls. Our students have to be ready to meet this community.”

Also in the works: a parallel vocational school that will prepare students for the trades.

“We are on the management side, but there will be no stigma

attached to the vocational side.

It will all be under one roof, in one campus,” Mr. Navarro said.

The trade school is about two years out, said Alex Lastra, senior managing director of Atlantic/Pacific Development and current Latin Builders Association president. Details are still being worked out with Miami-Dade Public Schools, but the demand is there, he said. “We haven’t implemented it yet, because you don’t want to rush into this.”

Miami-Dade Schools used to have a program like this and doesn’t anymore, “so we think there’s a gap,” he said, in schools that educate carpenters, electricians, plumbers and the like.

Whenever there is a boom, a labor shortage isn’t far behind, he added. “A lot of people think the trades are not glamorous, so they don’t want to get involved.

But these subcontractors do very well, and wages are sometimes better than for white-collar jobs. We want to expose students to the potential.”

The eventual plan is to relocate the builders association’s headquarters to the school – probably in a facility the association will build – to maximize networking opportunities. “We think our members will provide mentoring and internships”” Mr. Lastra said. “That’s the intent of having it all on one campus.

“We were founded for job creation,” he said, “and we want this to be a job-creating machine.”

Fifth campus on the way for unique collegiate high school

BY CAMILA CEPERO

A fifth campus is coming this fall for the School for Advanced Studies, the collegiate high school unique in Miami where students can graduate with both a high school diploma and an Associate of Arts degree.

Since the school’s initiation in the 1988-89 school year as a combined effort of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Miami Dade College, it has graduated more than 10,000 students.

Last year’s senior class had a 100% graduation rate, and 59% of graduates were admitted to a Top 50 college or university.

The school’s population consists of 600 students at four Miami Dade College campuses. The school graduates 275 students every year, with 98% of last year’s graduating class earning their Associate in Arts degree.

The average teacher to student ratio is 25:1, which helps emphasize the school’s core value of attending to each student’s individual needs. The students receive help with their scholarship research and college compatibility research.

“What we’re doing here is trying to put them on a track where they are satisfying all of their prerequisite [coursework],” said school Principal Omar Monteagudo. By doing this, he said, they are able to begin taking classes in their desired majors as soon as they begin college.

The annual college forum of the School for Advanced Studies has students meeting with college deans.

The school has formed partnerships with Ivy League universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University and Dartmouth College.

“Every year in May we have a college forum that is held at one of our campuses, which we host,” said Mr. Monteagudo.

Universities with which they have partnerships “send their directors and deans for the weekend.”

A typical day at the School for Advanced Studies begins with high school classes, then some college classes, and then the rest of the high school classes in the afternoon, Mr. Monteagudo said.

The reason its students take more classes than any other high school student is because of an agreement between Miami Dade College and Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

The student’s college courses are taught by college faculty,

meaning that the students take the college classes amongst actual Miami Dade College students. Their high school classes also take place on the college campus but are exclusively for School for Advanced Studies students and are taught by high school faculty.

“Our attrition rate is less than 1%, which I think is very important,” Mr. Monteagudo said.

The model is intended to be a two-year program, Mr.

Monteagudo said, which is the reason the school only accepts applications from 10th graders who have two years of high school left and can therefore earn a minimum of 36 college credits.

The school prides itself on facilitating growth and maturity by giving the students freedom and independence. Unlike students who take dual enrollment where college teachers teach on high school campuses, School for Advanced Studies students are more mature because they have been functioning in a typical college environment.

“We have guidance counseling departments [and] they actually teach courses geared toward transitioning students,” Mr. Monteagudo said. They focus on the basics of college acclimation, including time management and stress management, he said.

The August opening of the new West campus school will be an addition to the existing schools in the college’s Homestead, Kendall, North and Wolfson campuses.

The application process includes taking the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test, which evaluates reading, writing and math skills.

The students receive free tuition and fees, free textbooks and materials and may receive free school bus and Metrorail transportation funded by MiamiDade County Public Schools.

24

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