Miami Today: Week of Thursday, May 12, 2016 by Miami Today

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

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HEALTH UPDATE

Solutions cited to stem US opioid abuse growth, pg. 13 MARINA REDEVELOPMENT: A marina on the Little River will be allowed to make improvements. Owner Marine Max East Inc. had requested a land use change and a rezoning on the property at 840 NE 78th St. Miami city commissioners approved the items April 28. The land use becomes Medium Density Restricted Commercial. Attorney Ines MarreroPriegues, owner’s representative, said the approvals mean the marina becomes a conforming use, and improvements are planned there. The matter lingered for a couple of years, due in part to the issue of riparian rights being resolved, according to the planning department.

Rail site contaminants bring environmental order, pg. 15

THE ACHIEVER

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

MEETINGS ON RECORDS RIGHTS: A series of six public meetings from May 24 to June 2 will be held around Miami-Dade County seeking community input on a proposed county charter amendment that would include the right to copy county and municipal public records within the Citizens’ Bill of Rights. The meetings are required by ordinance for any election that would amend the charter. The Strategic Planning and Government Operations Committee recommended the amendment April 12, and three days later Mayor Carlos Gimenez scheduled the meetings ahead of a potential June county commission vote to put the measure on the ballot. AWARDS FOR NONPROFIT WORK: The Sundari Foundation, which created the Lotus House shelter in Overtown for homeless women, youth and children, received the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Nonprofit Novo Award last week for organizations with revenue above $2 million and The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade, which focuses on developing female leaders and ending violence against women, won the award for under $2 million in revenue. Each received a $1,000 award, the only cash awards the chamber makes each year. CPA Ed Deppman, a director at Gerson, Preston, Robinson, Klein, Lips & Eisenberg P.A., was named the outstanding nonprofit board leader for helping lead Branches Inc. through a period of growth. MORE PUBLIC GREENSPACE: A new pocket park might pop up on a corner in the Shenandoah neighborhood after an April 28 vote of Miami city commissioners. They approved purchase of an 8,586.9-square-foot lot at 1301 SW 21st Ave. for $303,720 from Xanadu Properties 1301 LLC. The vacant lot is at Southwest 21st Avenue and 13th Street. The deal is contingent on a written appraisal. The $315,000 allocation includes money to cover the cost of a survey, environmental report, title insurance and related closing costs. The city plans to create a park there.

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Isabel Cosio Carballo

New head of South Florida Regional Planning Council The profile is on Page 4

Traffic fuels fiery drive for building moratorium BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

A county committee agreed Tuesday that policymakers must link land use with appropriate transportation now that growth has created horrific traffic congestion, particularly west of the turnpike, but split heatedly on whether a West Dade building moratorium would help. On April 7, Strategic Planning & Government Operations Committee Chairman Juan Zapata wrote to Mayor Carlos Gimenez strongly urging the administration to suspend construction in his district until traffic solutions upgrade quality of life. Excessive congestion weighs on all residents, especially in his district, Mr. Zapata told the mayor. In fact, he wrote, only residents of New York City face longer work commutes than those in the West End but “these alarming statistics will keep getting worse if you continue the irresponsible development.” Mr. Zapata said Tuesday he’s curious what the administration has done about such a serious problem that’s only getting worse. “It’s not like we’re about to break.

AGENDA

Tunnel plan under study for Brickell

We’re already broken.” A moratorium is a “big word” that will certainly upset some people, Mr. Zapata said in response to Commissioner Esteban Bovo Jr.’s concern for people in his district who work as builders. “But it’s the only legal term we have, so we can call it a breather to stop and change the rules on what can and can’t happen,” he said. “I think it’s time for the mayor to engage and engage fully. This is a message that our planning department needs to get serious about planning.” Mr. Bovo said he gets nervous when discussion turns to a building moratorium because he sees it as a nuclear device. “Years of poor planning have come home to roost,” he said. “We’ve linked development with roads without thinking.” The commission needs to make wise decisions, Mr. Bovo said, and realize a moratorium could have a ripple effect. He also cautioned that residents won’t take officials seriously until at least one of six corridors for the proposed rail transit “smart plan” is completed. Mr. Zapata, however, said he knows no other way to get the administration’s atten-

tion. “The point is that the administration has professional, paid staff who should have seen [the traffic congestion problems] coming and had solutions for a very complex problem,” he said. Mr. Zapata said he is particularly upset by Mr. Gimenez’s memo responding to his proposed extension of SR836 beyond the urban development boundary. “The mayor said my proposal requires careful scrutiny,” he said to Deputy Mayor Edward Marquez during Tuesday’s meeting. “That doesn’t sound like he thinks it’s a good idea. We can study all we want, but what will we do? If we can’t do this, I want to hear the alternatives.” Mr. Marquez took issue with the way Mr. Zapata characterized the administration’s work ethic. “The mayor is engaged,” he said. “We’ve consolidated departments to better coordinate and are working on multiple fronts.” Transit and Public Works Director Alice Bravo said the true solution is mass transit, and her department is working on a financial plan that will address how all six corridors for the “smart plan” will be built.

Miami-Dade’s Metropolitan Planning Organization has named Atkins North America to study the feasibility of tunneling under the Miami River near Brickell Avenue, an idea discussed since 1965. The $200,000 study, which will evaluate engineering, geology, hydrology, construction methods and project cost, is due next March 1, a planning organization document says. Atkins was picked from a pool of prequalified consulting firms, sources said. Miami’s Downtown Development Authority members have long said that improper Brickell Bridge openings cause Brickell traffic jams. The group has battled with the Florida Department of Transportation and the Coast Guard to enforce lockdown periods weekday mornings, lunchtimes and evening rush hours. But business interests along the river say frequent bridge openings are vital for their economic survival. A March 2006 City of Miami study said the tunnel was feasible but that traffic volume didn’t warrant digging it then, said Francis Suarez, Miami commissioner and planning organization vice chair when the planning group first considered the tunnel study last year. “Obviously, nine years later, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of density in the Brickell and downtown corridor; I don’t think anyone can argue with that,” he said. “What’s coming in the next five to 10 years is also enormous.” The finished study will be submitted electronically “to be posted in the MPO website and for further reproduction and distribution,” the work order said. That’s good news for the downtown authority. “We’re going to try to use information from the tunnel study when we go to the Florida Department of Transportation and the Coast Guard,” said Executive Director Alyce Robertson in March. “We want to have that study in hand.”

SECOND COURTHOUSE TASK FORCE COULD DIG DEEPER ...

‘LEXUS LANE’ PERCEPTION DETERS CONGESTION RELIEF ...

LITTLE HAVANA TARGETS OK TO ADD SIDEWALK CAFÉS ...

HOTEL RATES NATION’S HIGHEST AS NUMBERS INCREASE ... 11

VIEWPOINT: TROUBLED COUNTY BUSES NEED MORE AID ...

ADDED TAX EXEMPTIONS PROPOSED FOR PRESERVATION ... 12

CAFÉ THAT NEVER OPENED EXITS BALLPARK SITE LEASE ...

MIAMI BEACH, WATER TAXI WORK ON PILOT CONTRACT ...

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

Little Havana targets vibrant beat of music, sidewalk cafes BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

The folks who help Little Havana pulsate are turning to City of Miami leaders to keep the beat alive. Area tourism boosters appeared before city commissioners to celebrate the growing popularity of the culturally-rich neighborhood with requests to help a friendly place be even friendlier. Specifically, they asked city officials to consider amendments to the zoning code that would encourage an active street life. Examples were rules that don’t discourage sidewalk cafes and music. Carole Ann Taylor, owner of Little Havana To Go Marketplace, said we are witnessing a transformation in Little Havana, a boom of cultural expression. Little Havana, she said, is becoming to Miami what Bourbon Street is to New Orleans, or Little Italy to New York. Along with being a business owner, Ms. Taylor serves on a number of boards, including the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. She said Little Havana has become a must-see destination and it’s important the elected leaders support the area as a historic tourist district. Ms. Taylor said 3 million visitors stop in Little Havana each year, the second most visited spot in the area after Miami Beach. Eating, drinking, dancing, music, snapping photos and soaking up the Cuban atmosphere, these are some of the main attractions drawing so many to the area, she said. Ms. Taylor said the zoning code impedes growth and should instead help fuel economic engines. She asked commissioners to author legislation necessary to

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Little Havana received national exposure from a cover New York Times travel section story last month.

Carole Ann Taylor: cultural boom.

Rolando Aedo: a tourist mecca. Willy Gort: thanks for promotion.

“create a compelling experience.” Little Havana is basking in the glow that can only come from a cover story in the travel section of The New York Times. Last month, the front of the newspaper’s travel section was devoted to Little Havana, headlined: “In Miami, Cuban Culture, No Passport Required.” Rolando L. Aedo, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, told commissioners the two-page

New York Times report was “quite spectacular.” The exposure was very valuable, he said, and helps the city celebrate the multi-cultural neighborhood that is a major part of Miami’s tourism success. Tourism is our Number One industry, said Mr. Aedo, and provides “lots and lots of jobs.” Little Havana is a tourist mecca, he said, and helps in the “selling of Miami.” Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort mentioned efforts of the Latin chamber of com-

merce in working with city leaders decades ago to establish the Latin Quarter and create Little Havana. Business owners helped push the area for its ethnic tourism, said Mr. Gort, and world-famous venues like Domino Park were born. “Thank you for what you’re doing. You’re doing a great job promoting Little Havana,” Mr. Gort said to Mr. Aedo and Ms. Taylor. Commission Chairman Keon Hardemon asked about rules

governing outdoor cafes and music. City Manager Daniel Alfonso said the city has issued permits for some outdoor cafes, but restrictions come into play, including the width of sidewalks to be ADA compliant and the city’s noise ordinance. At Mr. Hardemon’s request, Mr. Alfonso said he would have staff take a fresh look at the noise ordinance, with an eye toward allowing music in some areas. Commissioner Francis Suarez said he is very happy to see the attention paid to Eighth Street, or Calle Ocho, considered the main street of Little Havana and the location for a hugely popular street festival each year. Mr. Suarez noted other ways in which city leaders have supported Little Havana, including backing a proposal to make Calle Ocho a two-way street with a design more pedestrian and bikefriendly. Mr. Suarez commended fellow Commissioner Frank Carollo for his efforts to get funding for improvements to Little Havana sites like Domino Park and Tower Theater. “We have to support our vibrant corridors for our residents,” said Mr. Suarez. “That’s our brand … and we should keep investing in it.” Mr. Carollo agreed, and said he recognized how important it is to have Little Havana nationally showcased. “We should work with the businesses to be even better,” he said. Mr. Carollo said he supported looking at code amendments that would encourage even more friendly street life in the neighborhood, and said code enforcement should work with businesses in a spirit of cooperation.

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

Area hotel room rates nation’s highest despite added space BY MARILYN BOWDEN

Hotel room rates for the Miami area in the first quarter were the highest in the nation, allaying fears that the industry might face room-rate pressures due to an explosion of new hotel construction. According to STR, a data and analytics specialist in the hospitality field, Miami-Hialeah’s average daily room rate for January-March was $246.30. That’s 1.7% lower than the area’s 2015 average, but still higher than average daily rates during the same period in San Francisco ($235.57), Oahu, Hawaii ($220.41) and New York City ($202.07), Miami’s closest competitors. Miami also held the top position in revenue per available room – a performance metric in the hotel industry calculated by multiplying a hotel’s average daily room rate by its occupancy rate. While occupancy in Miami hotels fell from 84.8% in the first quarter of 2015 to 83.2% during the same period this year, Jan D. Freitag, STR’s senior vice president for lodging insights, advised that to interpret these numbers “we have to keep in mind that we had Easter in March this year, which has a positive effect on leisure travel but fewer group travels.” In general, Mr. Freitag said, the hotel industry is driven by supply and demand, and it’s in those statistics, if anywhere, that concern for the future of the local market might be found. “In the first three months of this year,” he said, “the number of rooms rose 3.5% over last year, but demand rose only 1.6%. “Demand is rather volatile, but supply stays with you for 50 years. One quarter does not a trend make, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.” Local hospitality experts remain bullish about the industry’s future. Rolando Aedo, the Greater

Hotel rooms sold rise 4.3% in year

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Guests at the Eden Roc enjoy the day on Miami Beach. Many factors influence how many guests visit.

Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau’s senior vice president for marketing & tourism, reported visitor increases of 9% on the domestic side, 7% from Europe and 3% from Latin America. “We are selling a record number of room-nights,” he said, “and that continues to drive a lot of our business.” The bureau lists 7,472 new hotel rooms in 34 projects slated for completion in the next three years – 2,634 rooms this year, 1,763 in 2017 and 3,075 in 2018. “Both the Marriott brand and the Hyatt brand are expanding their commitment to Miami,” Mr. Aedo said. “Adding more inventory will create more competition and more choices for visitors. The renovation and expansion of the Miami Beach Convention Center and hopefully a new headquarters hotel on Miami Beach will propel us to be even more successful.” “A number of factors influence occupancy, not just the increase in supply,” said Eric Beckman, assistant professor at FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. “There are different forecasts for the industry. Occupancy in

‘Occupancy in the Miami market overall is expected to go down a bit as opposed to last year because of all the new supply in the area.’ Eric Beckman the Miami market overall is expected to go down a bit as opposed to last year because of all the new supply in the area.” “In any market, it takes time for new product to get absorbed,” said Scott Berman, US hospitality & leisure practice leader at the accounting firm PwC. “There are other sources that are driving hotel perfor-

mance so far this year. “Certainly the situation in Brazil has impacted demand. So have currency fluctuations, the state of the dollar and stock market volatility. Transient leisure travel was quite lean in January and February, while group travel was okay but then fell off the cliff in March. “Even the Zika virus could be a factor,” Mr. Berman said. “Orlando has already been on the defensive, saying that things are going to be fine, but their future bookings appear to be off.” Statistics generally take into account only traditional supply, he said, but hotels are increasingly competing with short-term rentals. “Hotels are having to adjust to new strategies to try to keep their numbers up,” Dr. Beckman said. “For example, the Fontainebleau has addressed it by attracting more groups.” Because short-term rental properties are largely unregulated, he said, they are often perceived by the hotel industry as unfair competition. FIU’s hospitality school is involved in a study of the issue in different parts of the country.

Miami’s hotel rooms sold rose 4.3% in March from March 2015, according to figures provided by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. The total number was 1,383,625 rooms sold. At the same time, the monthly room supply rose 3.6% to 52,564 rooms from 50,752 rooms in March 2015. The revenue per available room in March fell 1% to $213.07 from $215.26, while the average daily room rate fell 1.7%, from $255.31 to $250.93. But average daily occupancy rose 0.7%, from 84.3% in March 2015 to 84.9% in March of this year.

“We’re looking at what the regulations are,” Dr. Beckman said, “and whether they apply to short-term rentals. Should they be held to the same standards of buyer safety as hotels? There are fire-safety codes in some municipalities that apply when you sell to a transient population. There is a push for a bed tax for short-term rentals in many areas. “Competition is good and helps make us all better, but at the same time we want the consumer to be safe. The whole lodging industry – especially hotels – is hoping for a level playing field.” “These types of issues are sporadic,” Mr. Berman said. “The good news is the US market has strengthened, and as long as Miami International Airport continues to add direct flights, that is also good for the overall hotel industry. “I think we’re going to be fine.”

Miami wage, employment cost gains among highest in US Total employment compensation costs in South Florida rose 3.5% in the 12 months through March, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week. That’s among the highest in the nation for the metropolitan areas that the bureau surveys. Wages costs alone in the statistical area focused on MiamiDade and Broward counties rose 2.8% during the 12-month period, also among the nation’s highs. In the same 12-month period a year earlier, total compensation costs in the area had risen much more slowly, averaging 2.1%. Nationally, total compensation cost increases were far below South Florida’s pace, risSource: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ing 1.8%, and wage and salary increases averaged 2%. Los Angeles had the nation’s ries at 3.7%, followed by De- 3.5%. The highest total com- 3.3% in Los Angeles and De- a t t l e a n d 2 . 8 % i n S o u t h largest gain in wages and sala- troit, Miami and Seattle all at pensation cost increases were troit, followed by 2.9% in Se- Florida.

South Florida Employment Costs Rise 3.5% in Year

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

Author of ‘Jerusalem’ now details the 20 Romanov rulers BY MARILYN BOWDEN

Simon Sebag Montefiore, who entertained members of the Prologue Society a few years ago with his popular history “Jerusalem,” returns to talk about his new book, “The Romanovs: 1613-1918 – a compendium of political and personal biographies of the 20 Romanov rulers. The legacy of this dysfunctional family, he maintains, continues to shape modern Russia. Mr. Montefiore is guest speaker for a members-only luncheon at noon May 13 in the ballroom of the Riviera Country Club, 1155 Blue Road, Coral Gables. The Prologue Society is sponsored by Brickell Bank, Miami Today and Books & Books. (Details: theprologuesociety@gmail.com or 305-323-1154) The first Romanov tsar, Michael I, came to power as a teenager. He was chosen from a handful of claimants largely because the nobles felt he’d be malleable. “Let us have Misha Romanov,” a supporter is quoted as saying, “for he is still young and not yet wise; he will suit our purposes.” That’s not how things turned out, however. The Romanovs took to absolute power with alacrity.

Of Peter the Great (16821725), Mr. Montefiore writes, “He dictated everything, soon grousing that the senators were incapable of decision-making. This is the complaint of autocrats, from Peter to Stalin and Putin, who concentrate fearsome power in one man and then reprimand their assistants for not thinking for themselves.” The story of the Romanov dynasty is crowded with idiosyncratic personalities, fetishes and bizarre obsessions, as well as the expected plots, counterplots and assassinations. Mr. Montefiore, whose research is extensive, has an ear for the pithy anecdote. On the

night in 1762 when Catherine the Great seized power from her husband, Peter III, he writes, her carriage “rendezvoused with a carriage coming the other way, bearing, always important in a coup, a French hairdresser named Michel who arranged Catherine’s hair on the way to the revolution.” Many years later, the aging Catherine, known for her penchant for much younger lovers, reputedly said, “By educating young men, I do a lot of good for the state.” The author remarks: “It was certainly an unusual form of civil service training.” The depth of Mr. Montefiore’s research has resulted in reassessments of many of Russia’s better-known rulers. Nicholas II (1894-1917) and his wife Alexandra – much romanticized by some historians as well as scores of novelists and filmmakers – are presented in “The Romanovs” as imperious, intransigent and oblivious to the impression they made on their subjects, whose opinions, they felt, were irrelevant anyway. “Once again,” Mr. Montefiore writes, “the obstacle to saving the autocracy was the autocracy itself.” Though no tsars ruled Russia

Author presents the final Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, as intransigent.

after 1917, he concludes, “each of Nicholas’s successors – who ruled the same empire with many of the same challenges in entirely different circumstances – channeled, adapted and blended the prestige of the Romanovs with the zeitgeist of their own times.” Simon Sebag Montefiore is a British historian and fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His previous histories, includ-

ing “Potemkin,” “Stalin” and “Young Stalin” as well as “Jerusalem,” have won a variety of international awards and have been translated into more than 35 languages. ”The Romanovs: 16131918,” by Simon Sebag Montefiore, 816 pages, is $35 hardbound from Alfred A. Knopf Publisher. Details: www.aaknopf.com.

Added 50% tax exemption proposed for historic preservation Historic properties used for some commercial or non-profit uses could receive an additional property tax exemption of up to 50% of their assessed value under a package of historic preservation proposals that Mayor Carlos Gimenez has forwarded

to Miami-Dade commissioners. His proposal springs from a work group he appointed last October at the request of Commissioner Sally Heyman to recommend revisions to the county’s Historic Preservation Ordinance.

The group chaired by historian Arva Moore Parks returned with a long list of recommendations. The mayor divided those into three categories. One group, which he recommended for legislation now, included the added property tax exemption. Another

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group he said could enacted without changes to the ordinance. He recommended three others for further study. Those recommended for study all could have significant in shaping Miami-Dade’s wave of redevelopment of now-occupied sites in what is termed urban infill, as development that once pushed farther out into rural areas is now focused on the most-developed areas of the county. One of those three concepts that the mayor recommends for study would “create a mitigation/historic preservation fund through fees collected from the demolition of properties that are more than 50 years old.” A second recommendation would create a program that would allow the transfer of development rights as an economic incentive for historic preservation. It would allow the donation of transferred development rights to non-profit organizations. The third element that the mayor recommended for study before action would consider exemption of developers from unspecified portions of the county’s package of development fees if the development was saving or restoring an historic project. Among recommendations that the mayor suggested for action now by the county commission, one could allow any municipality to remove itself entirely from the county’s historic preservation jurisdiction if it can meet criteria to administer its own preservation program. If, however, the municipality later didn’t meet required minimum standards control would revert to the county.

A broad provision that the mayor recommended for legislation would require historic preservation reports to include and the Historic Preservation Board to consider during decisions “any private plans for development or redevelopment of the property or area under consideration, including any new architecture or features proposed, for the same location; any applicable neighborhood or community revitalization goals, plans or objectives, including any existing policies in the local government’s comprehensive plan or other planning initiatives pertaining to... economic development, transportation, and housing; and the possible adaptive use of the property after designation...” The report recommended that economist Donovan Rypkema do an economic impact study for the county of local historic districts and how those districts affect property values. His company, PlaceEconomics, a Washington, DC, real estate and economic development consulting firm, for more than 25 years has measured the economic values of historic preservation. The report to the mayor by the advisory work group also requested that the county commission urge the Florida Legislature to make residential properties eligible for the economic property tax incentives for historic sites. Those incentives now are available only to commercial and non-profit peoperties. Other than Ms. Parks, the task force included Morris Broad, Regina Jollivette Frazier, Neisen Kasdin, Dolly MacIntyre, Becky Roper Matkov, Stanley Price, Lyle Stern and Ramon Trias.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

Health Update Need for more healthcare workers seen across the board BY CATHERINE LACKNER

The critical shortage of registered nurses is common knowledge, but robust employment opportunities exist across all sectors of health care and life sciences, said Jaap Donath, Beacon Council senior vice president of research and strategic planning. Internet job-posting data show that job openings for registered nurses dominate the listings, but “all throughout the healthcare field, from top to bottom, you see a need for healthcare workers,” he said. “That’s the case for every category, from doctors and nurses to

lab techs. Our population here in South Florida is growing, further increasing the demand.” As baby boomers reach retirement age, many are leaving healthcare professions at a time when an aging US population requires more medical services, observers say. According to data compiled by Economic Modeling Specialists International, a division of CareerBuilder, jobs in healthcare and social assistance are pegged to grow 6% between 2016 and 2020, as are positions in professional, scientific and technical services. The opportunities are not just in clini-

cal or bedside care, Dr. Donath said. Healthcare information technology is a mushrooming field, with Baptist Health South Florida maintaining a large information technology department. The life sciences – which focus on developing pharmaceuticals and other products used in health care, including biomedical devices, and on organizations and institutions devoted to various stages of research, technology transfer and commercialization – are a big industry in South Florida, Dr. Donath said, one that routinely exports products and research to other areas.

Fortunately, Miami has more than its share of medical schools and facilities that train those who want to specialize in healthcare, including a podiatry school at Barry University that is considered among the best in the US, he said. Miami Dade College, he added, has a program that trains a prodigious number of lab technicians each year. “If you compare the situation to that of 10 or 20 years ago, you see a real need for a variety of occupations in health care and life sciences today,” he said. “From our point of view, it’s one of the sectors that is growing very dramatically.”

Solutions can halt massive US opioid abuse, expert says BY CAMILA CEPERO

America’s opioid abuse problem, once thought to be a killer vice only for inner-city junkies, is now a country-wide epidemic affecting even Miami. The good news is that solutions are out there, according to a Baptist Health South Florida Al & Janie Nahmad Speaker Series: “Thought Leaders in Medicine” lecture last week. The US Drug Enforcement Administration reported in its 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) that drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury death in the nation, ahead of deaths from motor vehicle accidents and firearms. The report found that in 2013, more than 46,000 people died from a drug overdose, and more than half of those were caused by prescription painkillers and heroin. Both opioid overdoses and deaths, including those involving prescription pain pills and heroin, tripled in the US from 2000 to 2014, according to the January 2016 report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “A lot of people still have the perception that the heroin epidemic isn’t really hitting the Miami area,” said Dr. Paul E. Keck Jr., professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “People are still saying ‘this is an inner-city problem where people are using needles,’” he said. “Unfortunately, this is an epidemic.” Addiction, he said, is a genetic predisposition, just as some people are predisposed to heart disease or cancer. The problem arises when “the person with that predisposition to addiction starts using something that makes them feel good, and they are forever – for the rest of their lives – going to be vulnerable to that.” Untreated mental health problems are the leading conduit to

The heroin epidemic is entrenched in Miami, said Dr. Paul E. Keck Jr.

drug abuse – 85% of addicts have another mental health problem, often depression or bipolar disorder, Dr. Keck said. Of the roughly 330 million people in the US, about 31 million, or 10% of the population, will have an addiction at one time in their lives. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, drug abuse is estimated to cost US employers $276 billion a year, and three-fourths, or 76%, of people with a drug or alcohol problem are employed. Addiction is costing US employers an average of $1,700 per employee per year and posed a $215 billion burden on our nation’s healthcare system last year alone. “Addiction is a real science – a real neuroscience. These are diseases that need to be recognized and treated,” Dr. Keck said.

“Opioid use in America used to be an inner-city junkie problem. It wasn’t relevant to most people,” he said. “Presently, our best data indicates that about 2 million people in the US suffer from substance abuse disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers (OPR) – Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, Percocet, Vicodin – things that doctors prescribe for pain relief.” Despite only making up less than 5% of the world’s population, Americans consume 80% of the global opioid supply. That translates into about 110 tons of addictive opiates annually. One reason for the massive opioid usage is chronic pain, Dr. Keck said. Roughly 100 million people in the US, onethird of the population, suffer from a chronic pain disorder. “This breaks down to annual opioid overdoses of 18,893 from pain reliever pills and 10,574

related to heroin,” he said. “Almost half a million people, 467,000, are addicted to heroin in this country right now.” Pill mills, which are mostly non-existent nowadays, contributed largely to the epidemic, Dr. Keck said. Pill mills are operations in which a doctor, clinic or pharmacy prescribes or dispenses narcotics without a legitimate medical purpose. These doctors use their prescription pads to flood their communities with illegal narcotics. After having their only source of prescription Oxycontin shut down, addicts were left with no choice but to turn to a cheap, dangerous and illegal, but readily available, alternative: heroin. Thus was born the heroin epidemic. “Heroin is very cheap at $10 a bag,” Dr. Keck said. “It only costs $10, cheaper than it costs you to get Oxycontin, even if you could get it.” “In a survey of people who used heroin, 94% of those in treatment for opioid addiction said they chose to use heroin because the oral opioids were far more expensive and harder to obtain.” Prevention and treatment can pave the way to solving the opioid epidemic, Dr. Keck said. The search for answers needs to be supported and, like many other national crises, the focus needs to be on solutions and not blame, he said. “First, we need more research on pain, pain management, and next generation analgesics,” Dr. Keck said, adding that there’s been some advancement in safer drugs for pain management. A proliferation of prescription drugs like Naloxone, an opioid antagonist used to treat a narcotic overdose in an emergency situation, will be a crucial weapon against skyrocketing overdose numbers, he said. “The ability to get it by prescription, I think, is potentially going to save a lot of lives.”

Fortunately, there are effective treatments for “getting people off of opioids and keeping them off,” he said, “but there aren’t as many as we would like.” Methadone, a drug used to help with detoxification in people with opioid dependence, has been incredibly successful, Dr. Keck said, with about 80% probability that people will not relapse. Drugs like Vivitrol, a brand name for naltrexone, have also been successful, he said. They work by attaching to certain opioid receptors in the brain and blocking the pleasurable feelings associated with taking opioids. Advanced training is necessary for physicians, nurses and allied health professionals to view addictions as brain-based biological illnesses, admittedly triggered by environmental stimuli, but still diseases of the brain that need treatment, Dr. Keck said. Ultimately, there needs to be more of a focus on prevention, education and outreach, he said. “Prevention education is a pretty clear thing we ought to be teaching.” “Law enforcement, I think, really needs this help. I think we need changes in what law enforcement does when somebody is found with heroin. And I’m not talking about selling it – that’s a whole different matter. But diversion to treatment programs is going to be far more successful, far more humane, and probably ultimately less costly than putting them in jail,” Dr. Keck said. “Hopefully we will have a more enlightened approach in that regard.” “The good news is that we can help people,” he said. “People are terrified of going into withdrawal and terrified of having to go into a detoxification program. So it takes a lot of courage and a lot of support and pressure and sometimes and intervention to get people the help they need.”

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

HEALTH UPDATE

MIAMI TODAY

Rail site soil contaminants, including arsenic, trigger order BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

After finding contaminated soil where MiamiCentral is under development, the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management has notified All Aboard Florida that it must report remedial action it takes but future construction at the site can go on if plans clearly identify that the areas will be accessible for monitoring and remediation as necessary. The Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) outlined in a letter to All Aboard Florida the rehabilitation action required by county law on its downtown land near the northwest corner of Northwest Eighth Street and First Avenue. The site is currently fenced, and All Aboard Florida was ordered to conduct further soil sampling in two-foot intervals or less to determine if there’s evidence of a direct exposure risk to soil contaminated by arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. “We’ve worked closely with Miami-Dade County and appropriate agencies since the inception of this project and are following the regulatory framework put in place for issues such as these,” All Aboard Florida spokeswoman Ali Soule said Tuesday. In March, Wilbur Mayorga of DERM’s Environmental Monitoring and Restoration Division sent a letter to James R. Hertwig, president of Florida East Coast Industries LLC, that explained the arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels collected from an on-site soil stockpile that originated from an adjacent excavation on the south end of the parcel (north of Northwest Eighth Street and west of Northwest First Avenue) exceed accepted cleanup target levels and ordered him to submit two copies of a site assessment report for the division’s review within 60 days of the March 11 letter. Headquartered in Coral Gables, All Aboard Florida – which is developing the downtown depot and other structures on the site of Miami’s former rail depot to serve a new railway linking Miami to Orlando – is a whollyowned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries LLC. All contaminated soil was properly and safely deposed of and trucked to an approved off-site landfill, an All Aboard Florida spokesperson said, and any required dewatering was done through a properly engineered and designed water treatment system. DERM officials told Miami Today on Tuesday that it’s not uncommon to find certain constituents such as arsenic in soils in the vicinity of former or current rail lines due to historic operations (e.g., the spraying of pesticides for weed control, etc.). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may be associated with the incomplete burning of organic material including coal, oil, gasoline and garbage, they said, and are also found in crude oil, coal tar, creosote and asphalt. However, DERM officials said

Photo by John Charles Robbins

A concrete pour engulfs MiamiCentral’s site less than two weeks before the notification letter was sent.

PAHs and arsenic are known carcinogens. The likelihood of potentially adverse effects on human health can be attributed to several factors: exposure pathway routes, the degree of contamination and length of time a person is exposed to the contaminant as well as the physical and chemical properties of the contaminated soil, among other circumstances. The report DERM requires was due May 10. One objective, DERM officials said, is to establish the vertical and horizontal extent of the contamination in soil and, if applicable, groundwater. The report must include a timeline of the excavation activities at the site; whether any of the excavated soil has been disposed off-site and, if so, how it was disposed, where and analysis of the waste; groundwater sampling for contaminants of concern via the installation of shallow monitoring wells in appropriate locations; along with soil and groundwater samples analyzed for arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, a subset of which is analyzed for a number of environmental hazards including metals, herbicides/pesticides. The letter also reports some excavations at the site were inadvertently dug to the water table. Thus, the water had to be pumped out to another excavation to allow for continuation of development. However, that “de-watering activity is considered an inappropriate groundwater extraction event because the site is adjacent to a known contaminated site and an appropriate permit was not obtained for dewatering activities,” Mr. Mayorga’s letter states. Therefore, DERM requires that the site assessment report also include a timeline indicating the number of times and duration of inappropriate dewatering activities that took place and clarify if any further dewatering is planned at the site. All dewatering activities were ordered to immediately cease and All Aboard Florida was ordered to contact Mayra De Torres of DERM’s Water Control Section within five days of receiving the March 11 letter to obtain an “after-the-fact dewatering permit.” Additionally, the site assessment report must include a soil management plan, health and

safety plan and dust control plan for the site; a scaled map that clearly depicts the extent of all sampling locations for all excavations, property boundaries and pertinent surface and subsurface site features along with the historical and proposed development features including all proposed drainage features and utility lines; and a $1,350 review fee. “Be advised that DERM does not object to future construction/development at the site provided that any future development plans clearly identify the

source area(s) and areas that will be assessable for future assessment, remediation and/or monitoring,” the letter states. “Furthermore, be advised that [federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration] regulations must be followed by workers during construction to minimize exposure to the contamination existing at the site.” According to DERM officials, the assessment work All Aboard Florida must do requires – among other tasks – the collection of soil samples to determine

the degree and extent of the contamination. “DERM will have a better understanding of the degree and extent of the impacted media once SAR is submitted for review,” a department spokesperson said. “Once the report is reviewed, DERM will provide comments/directives on the next phase of the cleanup.” All Aboard Florida is an intercity passenger rail project that will connect Miami to Orlando with intermediate stations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. One of its four stations, MiamiCentral’s primary function is home to a new passenger rail service called Brightline. The Brightline station is expected to open in mid-2017. Work is more than 40% completed at this time, All Aboard officials said this week. Service on the new express inter-city service from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach is also scheduled to begin in mid-2017. All Aboard Florida parcels extend northward from Northwest First to Eighth streets, generally west of Northwest First Avenue. The linear stretch was once home to the city’s main train depot. The company estimates the project would eliminate more than 3 million cars from the region’s roadways each year.

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

Shutters must come down downtown, but aid funds vanish BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Ready or not, all businesses within the Downtown Development Authority’s boundaries must now remove opaque shutters or guards from doors and windows to comply with a city ordinance passed two years ago. The ordinance also applies to businesses within the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District. “From the beginning, I have fought tooth and nail against this,” said downtown authority board member Jose Goyanes, owner of Metro Beauty Center and Churchill’s Barbershop. “The small guy doesn’t have the money for this.” For several years, the authority funded a façade program that helped owners meet the costs to remove the opaque shutters and install impact glass. But now, there is only enough money in the fund to pay for removal of the shutters, said

Mr. Goyanes, who chairs the authority’s Service Program Delivery Committee. “The façade program doesn’t cover everybody,” for both removal and replacement, authority chair and Miami Commissioner Ken Russell noted. Proponents say removing the shutters will beautify downtown – Mr. Goyanes conceded that they are graffiti magnets – and make it look less fortress-like after dark. Some businesses might not have problems when they remove the shutters, Mr. Goyanes said, recalling that his former restaurant, La Loggia, experienced minimal negative impact when the shutters were removed. “But if you own an electronics store, you’re going to feel unsafe. The merchants can say to the city, ‘OK, I’m removing my shutters; now are you going to send more police?’ They’re Photo by Maxine Usdan Shutters like these, shown in 2014, have been outlawed in downtown Miami as well as in Coconut Grove. not. It’s a delicate situation.”

Miami Beach, Water Taxi Miami negotiating pilot contract BY MARCUS LIM

Water Taxi Miami aims to introduce a one-year pilot program to take commuters to and from Miami Beach’s Purdy Avenue Dock by water, adding a route for traveling between Miami Beach and downtown Miami. This would add a route for the water taxi that has been operating since 2012 and currently links Bayside Marketplace, Miami Beach Marina and Sea Isle Marina. The Miami Beach City Commission approved the pilot program. Service is to be offered Fridays through Sundays, tentatively from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the ability to extend time and increase days if demand warrants. José González, Miami Beach’s director of transportation, said the waterborne taxi is a good alternative and a more relaxing way of commuting, mentioning that the water has a calming effect and that it saves commuters from going through weekend traffic. “This connects residents and visitors alike from Miami Beach to the city of Miami in lieu of using our very congested causeways and is a more stress-free way of commuting,” Mr. González said. A launch date has yet to be announced as the City of Miami Beach and Water Taxi Miami negotiate an agreement. Mr. González said a contract is being drafted and he hopes ser-

Photo by Maxine Usdan

“We may have to consider it a whole separate route” to Purdy Avenue, said Water Taxi’s Max Vlessing.

vice will be launched within 60 days. “The concept of a one year pilot water taxi service was very well received by our city commission and it is something that the water taxi company felt would be a proven way for them to start the service, build ridership and ramp up the service slowly,” Mr. González said. “And that is the intent and goal for the pilot service, to be enhanced to be a permanent fulltime water taxi service.” The city issued an invitation to negotiate for a public waterborne transportation service concession and the owner of Water Taxi Miami, Max Vlessing, was the sole proposer, identifying the need to have waterborne transportation.

“We are looking together with the city to turn the water taxi into waterborne transportation to be able to transport people from one side of the bay to another without them using their cars,” Mr. Vlessing said. A 38-passenger boat and a 49passenger boat under Water Taxi Miami embark every hour and a half, offering two routes. The yellow route is commonly taken by commuters. The green route, for those who want to see more of Miami, additionally ferries passengers to Virginia Key. The new service at Purdy Avenue Dock will be included in the yellow route that travels among Bayside Marketplace, Miami Beach Marina and Sea Isle Marina. According to Mr. Vlessing, that option may change.

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local residents could dip to $5 because he wants to encourage commuters to use this form of transportation, which also helps cut fuel costs. “When you think about it, the amount of people the boat moves means that many would not have to drive a car. This saves using fuel and is better for the environment and the economy,” he said. “That is why we have a pilot, to see how many people would use this. We will see what we need to adjust and will accordingly adapt and try to make our services better every time and to fill in the blanks along the way,” Some already showed that they’re receptive to water transportation: during the 2016 Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show in February, 52,224 guests were ferried by water taxis to the event in Virginia Key. “The amount of people using the water taxi shows that we definitely have a need for waterborne transportation, especially in Miami, where we are surrounded by water,” Mr. Vlessing said. “We hope the need will give us a long-term commitment to the City of Miami Beach.” Mr. González said he hopes there will be a future for the pilot program in Miami Beach’s plans. “The city’s goal,” he said, “is to expand the pilot as a permanent commuter based water taxi service.”

“We may consider it as a whole separate route, depending on the amount of people who are going to take this,” Mr. Vlessing said. “The more routes and stops you put in between, it will take longer to get from one side to another. We will operate as conveniently as possible for the riders.” Fares for adults and children over one year of age will be $15 one-way and $30 round-trip. According to the City of Miami Beach, Miami Beach residents identified by the address on their driver’s license, senior citizens and military service members will have a discounted $10 oneway and $20 round-trip fare. A monthly pass is to be $95 along Details: (305) 600-2511 or with a $295 annual pass option. Mr. Vlessing said prices for www.watertaximiami.com

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

FIU hospitality school seeks partners to serve Asia’s booming hotels BY MARILYN BOWDEN

As Asia’s hospitality industry takes great leaps forward, FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is looking into partnerships with Asian institutions that can lead to expanded opportunities for its students. “We look for partnerships with other institutions that can facilitate exchange programs,” said Mike Hampton, Chaplin’s dean. “We want our students to get an appreciation for what is happening around the world and at the same time create opportunities for students from other parts of the world to see how the hospitality industry is managed here.” One strategic move, he said, was to become part of Hotel Schools of Distinction, a global alliance providing partnerships in Europe and Latin America. “We want to get some in Asia as well,” he said, “so our students will have a greater variety of options.” The rapid growth of the Asian hospitality sector suffers from a severe talent shortage, Dr. Hampton said. “More than 2,000 hotels are in development across the Southeast Asian region. Each will need a team of perhaps 300 people. Cruise lines are relocating ships there – and thousands of workers per ship will have to be trained. Then there will have to be shoreside operations to manage what happens when they come into port. “India is another area just going crazy with development. So there is more and more demand for talent at all levels.” To assist with this crisis, Chaplin’s Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Education and Research recently hosted Visionary Leadership Forums in Singapore and Shanghai, Dr. Hampton said, with speakers from across the industry spectrum addressing key issues. Chaplin’s involvement with Asia goes back a decade. Since 2006, the school has run a hospitality program in the port city of Tianjin in northeastern China. In 2014, Dr. Jinlin Zhao, Chaplin’s director of graduate programs, spent six months in Macau, a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China often called the Las Vegas of Asia. In addition to collecting information for further collaborative opportunities, Dr. Zhao taught three classes of Ph.D. students at City University of Macau and since his return to Miami continues to oversee doctoral students there. “Danqing Liu, one of our faculty members on our China campus, was accepted into their doctoral program,” Dr. Hampton said. “Dr. Enju Suh – an expert in gaming who is on our faculty here – is going to the University of Macau and other stops in Asia to gather data.”

In 2013, Chaplin arranged internships in Macau for a group of US hospitality students. Dr. Hampton said the school plans to repeat that with another group of eight to 10 students in the summer of 2017. The program will be open to both undergraduates and graduate students. “FIU internships are somewhat different from many,” he said. “They involve taking a responsible assignment to solve a problem. We want them be able to demonstrate problem-solving and communications skills, the ability to think at a higher level to assess a situation and come up with potential solutions. “An FIU internship is not just a job. It’s an academic experience supervised by a faculty Photo by Maxine Usdan member who holds them ac- FIU seeks to ally with Asian hotels, said Dean Mike Hampton, “so our students will have a greater variety countable.” of options.” Rapid growth of Asia’s hospitality sector, he said, has created a severe shortage of talent.

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