Miami Today: Week of Thursday, May 19, 2016

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016

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City of Miami office offering extended second time, pg. 15 HERE COMES THE SUN: Imagine a bike path that generates electricity. That’s what energy-conscious inventors have considered, and beyond. Miami commissioners last week directed the city administration to study “installing, maintaining and operating solar roads” that use advancements in photovoltaic technology to produce renewable and sustainable energy. The city manager has three months to complete the study. By affixing photovoltaic surfaces to roadways, new technology has the capability of converting miles of roadway that contribute to the urban heat island effect into a potential source of green energy, the resolution reads. Commissioner Ken Russell sponsored the legislation. “This could be the future.

Sunshine’s out there. We should be using it,” he said.

After Worldcenter deal flops, Macy’s still sits pretty, pg. 16

THE ACHIEVER

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

MORE TRANSPARENCY: County commissioners passed legislation Tuesday requiring greater finance transparency beginning in 2017. The ordinance, sponsored by Daniella Levine Cava, obliges elected officials and candidates in Miami-Dade to disclose when they solicit funds for a political committee by filing a statement of solicitation with the Elections Department or the clerk of their municipality. The Elections Department will publish the reports online and provide a link to municipal reports. This type of disclosure previously wasn’t required at the local level and will align county regulations with state law. In addition, commissioners passed a resolution sponsored by Ms. Levine Cava that requires elected officials to report to the Clerk of the Board if a conflict of interest exists with a matter the commission is considering. The resolution calls for commissioners to announce the nature of the conflict before the matter is heard, excuse themselves from voting and file a written disclosure of conflict with the Clerk of the Board within 15 days.

Currently, in the case of a conflict of interest county commissioners are only required to recuse themselves from voting.

MORE PLACES TO SLEEP: The Miami River Commission has supported the city police department’s homeless program. As city leaders are preparing to author the 2016-2017 budget, the river commission recommended continued funding for 75 shelter beds for the police intervention program, along with an additional 20 cots. Officer James Bernat, Miami Police homeless coordinator, told the commission just under 1,000 homeless persons live in Miami-Dade County and most – 640 – are in the City of Miami. The police department’s program has a goal of helping individuals transition into a life off the streets.

Laurent Fraticelli

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Preparing to open new Asia-oriented hotel in Brickell The profile is on Page 4

3 China airlines ask trade team for Miami flight

BY SUSAN D ANSEYAR

Three leading China passenger airlines expressed interest in nonstop Miami flights during a county-led development trip to mainland China and Taiwan in April, one of many outcomes participants said should reap long-term benefits.

Miami International Airport did well; meetings with government officials including mayors opened doors for the future; and mission members were widely welcomed in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, China, and Taipei, Taiwan, Manuel Gonzalez, county economic development and international trade director, told the Miami-Dade commission’s Trade & Tourism Committee last week.

With an objective to foster bilateral trade, commerce, tourism and cultural exchanges, it was the county’s largest trade mission to date, Mr. Gonzalez said.

Seven of 33 participants were from government, 25 from business. County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, chairman of the International Trade Consortium Board, led the delegation Mr. Diaz and Deputy Aviation Director Ken Pyatt led talks with three Chinese

AGENDA

Under gun, downtown rail on track

New planes key to nonstop Asia link, pg. 12 will grow to 630 million, 45% of total airlines – China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines – regarding nonstop service to Miami. All showed interest, Mr. Gonzalez said.

The trip was a landmark in ongoing pursuit of nonstop passenger flights to Asia, said Aviation Director Emilio González in a written statement. “The renewed interest by these Chinese airlines is very promising, and we look forward to continuing our discussions. There are now a number of strong prospects for the first Asia-Miami passenger route.”

Delegates also learned of China’s demand for US products, particularly through e-commerce.

“For the first time, we engaged in an investor forum and did a Chinese version of ‘Invest Miami,’” Manuel Gonzalez said.

The outreach paid off in a number of ways, he said. “By September, we’ll have a mission on industrial life sciences for the hotel industry coming here from our relationships made in Shanghai.”

China was our number-three trade partner in 2015 at $6.4 billion. County data estimate that by 2022 China’s middle class

population, and will consume $3.4 trillion in goods and services, 24% of gross domestic product.

Commissioner Xavier Suarez asked about barriers to trade and whether anyone addressed a $500 billion US trade deficit with China.

“Talking about two-way trade and investment will take more trips, but we have entrée to 1.36 billion people,” Manuel Gonzalez replied. “The Chinese have been told by central government they need to invest in foreign markets. They realize we all live in a world economy and are opening markets for consumer products.”

Relations formed on the mission can’t solve a $500 billion deficit, Manuel Gonzalez said, but “the biggest opportunity we have is e-commerce.”

A key thing the delegation heard, in addition to a direct Miami flight, is “they’re interested in P3s [public-private partnerships],” Mr. Diaz said. “They want to come in and do business with us, so this is the start of something.”

The goal was to wake everybody up to Miami-Dade, he said. “Anything we can do to bring these folks in will help.”

Under the gun to wrap up a deal for a Tri-Rail connection to the new MiamiCentral station downtown, county commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved reimbursing All Aboard Florida $13.9 million for costs, sealing their part of the bargain.

All Aboard had set Tuesday as a drop-dead day to seal the deal for the link to MiamiCentral, where both Brightline bullet trains and Tri-Rail commuter trains are to have their southern terminus.

The City of Miami and the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust both agreed last week to revised agreements.

The same will be asked soon of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, the Bayfront Park Management Trust, and both the Omni and Southeast Overtown/Park West community redevelopment agencies.

None is being asked to spend more than is already agreed.

All Aboard Florida, a subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, “has advanced construction of the commuter rail platforms and is incurring significant costs since the station has gone vertical and columns have been erected,” county transit chief Alice Bravo wrote May 2.

“If we are not able to execute agreements by the aforementioned date, All Aboard Florida has advised us that they will be forced to cease construction on the commuter rail infrastructure.

“Without a definitive plan of action and inter-agency coordination to pursue new agreements, we could forfeit this unique opportunity to bring commuter rail to the central business district.”

“We are in the process of confirming the other partners’ commitments to the timeline so we can continue construction at the station,” said Francois Illas, vice president of Florida East Coast Industries. “If this timeline is not met, we will have no choice but to stop construction immediately on the Tri-Rail station.”

PETITION’S BID TO CUT CAMPAIGN FUNDING HITS HOME ...

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DESPITE PROMISES, NO SOCCER PARK FOR VIRGINIA KEY ... 11

FRUSTRATION MOUNTS ON LACK OF TRANSIT ANSWERS ...

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LENNAR CAN BUILD HOUSING DESPITE ARSENIC ON LAND ... 11

VIEWPOINT: NO FREE PASS IN COURT FOR LAWBREAKERS ...

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PARTNERS FLOWER AS TEAM SPREADS MILLION ORCHIDS ... 17

92-MEMBER EXPORT TEAM SET TO BUILD MEXICO TRADE ... 7

MIAMI SPENDING $2.8 MILLION ON A NEWER HELICOPTER ... 18

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

3

Commission frustration mounts over lack of transit answers

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

County commissioners are voicing increasing frustration over what might be the public’s reaction to promises that something will be done about traffic congestion in Miami-Dade when there’s still no funding for viable solutions.

In fact, Transit & Mobility Committee Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. said on several occasions in the past few months he’s concerned a time will come when the half-penny tax to fund the People’s Transportation Plan (PTP), which voters approved in 2002, could be taken away from policymakers.

The PTP program, overseen by a Citizen’s Independent Transportation Trust, included 88 new miles of Metrorail; expanding bus service; adding 635 buses; improving traffic signals to reduce traffic backups; improving “major and neighborhood” roads and highways, including drainage; and providing funding to municipalities for road and transportation projects.

“It’s worrisome to me that in this building there’s not one mention or one item on our agenda that points to a transit alternative,” Mr. Bovo said during an April 13 Transit & Mobility Committee meeting. “We need to put pressure on ‘the man’ to get

‘We’ve studied everything and nothing has happened.’

Esteban Bovo Jr. something done and I’m not entirely sure who ‘the man’ is, but we as a committee have to start moving forward and decide if we’re going to build something, what alternative we’re going to offer the public.”

Mr. Bovo said Tallahassee “didn’t treat us kindly in some ways,” referring to funding for alleviating traffic congestion. Of the $40 million Miami-Dade got from the state this legislative session, he said, the money for transportation is all centered on road expansion, construction inspection consultants and traffic engineer consultants.

None is for mass transit, Mr. Bovo said, adding “Tallahassee shut down our TIF legislation when we’ve already talked about how implementing TIF corridors would more than pay for transit.”

Tax increment finance (TIF) assessment districts would have property owners living near rail lines paying an additional tax for transit development. Reports reviewed by the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the transportation trust have indicated the new lines would enhance property values.

At the same meeting, Xavier Suarez said “the two things in addition to TIF we tried to advance in Tallahassee were meant to give Miami-Dade a say in what we pay to the state.”

He said the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority toll collections come to $200 million annually and Miami-Dade’s drivers send $167 million in auto renewal tag fees each year. This is money that should come back to the county, Mr. Suarez said, except for the $50 million owed to the state.

His initiatives died during the session.

Commissioner Bruno Barreiro mentioned how much gas tax county drivers give to the federal government and don’t get back, adding that he’s “given up on trying to bring back the dollars”

‘We’ve never implied all six corridors will be built at the same time.’

Alice Bravo and thinks instead “we need to send up as little as possible and raise money here.”

A transportation trust report says that TIF corridors pay for themselves and the county could generate a substantial amount of money for mass transit from them, Mr. Bovo said. “We’ve studied everything and nothing has happened. Synchronizing lights and making our buses more efficient – it bothers me that this is the best we can do. This is not what I signed up for.”

Mr. Bovo voted to proceed with planning for all six transit corridors for the proposed rail

transit “smart plan” but joined other commissioners who said at the May 10 Strategic Planning & Government Operation Committee meeting that there’s still no funding for it.

During a discussion on committee Chairman Juan Zapata’s legislation that would urge the administration to suspend development in West Dade until traffic solutions upgrade quality of life, Mr. Bovo said years of poor planning have come “home to roost.”

He cautioned that residents will not take elected officials seriously until at least one of the six transportation corridors is completed.

But there’s no funding for even one of the corridors, several commissioners said, and they asked the administration how it makes sense to go forward with a plan when there won’t be the money to build it.

Transit and Public Works Director Alice Bravo said it’s not true there’s won’t be money for the smart plan. “We’ve never implied all six corridors will be built at the same time,” she said at the May 10 meeting.

Her department is working on a financial plan that will address how all six will be constructed, Ms. Bravo said, and is consulting with a group chaired by Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava that is also looking into the issue.

Military museum marches toward opening next year B Y M ARCUS L IM

million checks,” Mr. Atwood said. “This is a long process.

It’s not like turning on a light or a video game and you get the funds. This is a gradual process.”

With the funding approved, Mr. Atwood’s goal is for the museum to open to the public by next year.

“My goal was to see it open yesterday, but I can certainly visualize it opening by 2017 or 2018. I can visualize that very easily and very accurately.”

The museum aims to occupy the last remaining building of the Richmond Naval Air Station, which is on the grounds of Zoo Miami. The air station once served as the local US Navy headquarters during World War II and later became an Army and Marine Corps Reserve Center that was used as a training site for antiCastro freedom fighters, according to the museum’s official website.

The museum aims to not only be a preservation project but also to honor the military heritage of Miami from World War II until now, according to Mr. Atwood. That’s his main goal that has kept him fighting for nine years to see the museum open its doors despite the setbacks.

“Stupidity drives me, I’m just plain hard-headed,” Mr. Atwood said. “But honestly, this is the right thing to do.”

After facing setbacks in the past year, the South Florida Military Museum finally received good news when the State of Florida approved $1.5 million funding – money that’s not yet in hand.

The good news came after the museum was told a y e a r a g o Anthony Atwood that Gov. Rick Scott vetoed $1 million that would have allowed the museum to open its doors.

But this recent news came as a relief to Anthony Atwood, a Navy veteran who has championed the museum since 2007.

“This is a tremendous improvement and is very favorable for us,” Mr. Atwood said Tuesday. “We now have to continue our meetings with architects and contractors to lay out a plan of attack. So much can happen, though, between now and then.”

The museum is only able to use the funding after July 1, when the state’s fiscal year starts.

Mr. Atwood is aware that the process of finally getting funds will take a while, but he’ll continue to await the day the museum doors open.

“The process is much more Details: http:// tempered, much more diligent, much more scrutinized and www.southfloridamilitarymuseum.org/ they just don’t give out $1 home-1.html

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VIEWPOINT

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016

MIAMITODAY Miami Today is an independent voice of the community, published weekly at 2000 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 100, Miami, Florida 33133. Telephone (305) 358-2663

Memo to Genting: no free passes when you break the law Malaysian steamroller Genting has failed every other way to get OKs for a massive casino in Miami’s downtown, so now it has gone to court seeking to prevent the state attorney and the county from Michael Lewis jailing its operators when it opens illegal gambling here.

Nobody said these folks are anything but brazen. They’ve tried but failed for five years to buy enough state legislators to legalize what seemed likely to be the world’s largest casino, so why not do it illegally with court protection?

The incursion started in 2011 when operators of the Miami Herald, whose predecessors once stood as a firm bastion against casinos in Miami, sold out the Herald’s land to Genting for $236 million and bought in Doral a site that they’ve also recently sold.

Genting announced a massive casino resort on its Herald site and showed community leaders how beautiful it

would be, promising in the presentation that the resort would not be for locals who would lose their shirt but only the world’s wealthiest, who could afford to lose it.

Then, halfway through the presentation itself, Genting leaders interrupted one another to change course, announcing that they’d just bought the old Omni Mall near the Herald and would immediately make that a special vast casino just for locals even before the new resort casino rose.

But despite having in their pockets hired guns from large law firms and other prominent Miamians, Genting year after year has failed to get the Florida Legislature to buy into its grand vision of a Malaysian firm picking everyone’s pocket, rich and poor alike, and shipping the money abroad.

So Genting decided that if you can’t do it legally, do it illegally. Just get the courts to declare that you can’t be prosecuted and you then can get around state regulators and state law and the police and whoever. That’s the current gambit.

Genting wants to start its gambling right now in just 7,500 square feet of its Omni complex, part of the space where JCPenney once offered bargain pur-

chases. But a Genting victory would be no bargain, and penny is the opposite of what a Genting-style operation would cost the Miami economy in every way.

The complicated Genting gambit boils down to getting control of Gulfstream racetrack’s Broward license for a companion slots parlor, saying that the license actually covers Miami-Dade too, then moving the gambling to leased Omni space while continuing the concurrent horseracing that a slots operation requires at Gulfstream.

State regulators rejected this ploy two years ago and legislators again this year balked at anything that would win Genting its downtown Miami gambling, so the current step is to get the courts to say that’s OK, you can break all the applicable laws and we won’t bother you about it.

Of course, a slots and cards operation in 7,500 square feet would quickly morph into more and more and more. Genting hasn’t spent far more than $300 million on Omni and Herald land just for a small card room with slot machines. Once it had court protection from prosecution, the sky would quickly become the limit that Genting told us five years ago was its aim.

It’s no secret plot – just a plot that the judges ought to waste no time tossing

right out of court.

Up until now the Legislature has made our gambling laws. Genting’s owners see that our system of lawmaking isn’t working the way they want, so they’re asking the courts to make new laws just for them in a declaratory judgment that whatever laws they break, they won’t be penalized.

The fact that breaking some of those laws is a felony isn’t going to get in Genting’s way. The company is powerful and accustomed to buying whatever it wants, including land from a newspaper that got a bonus $8 million long after the deal closed. Is that buying land, or land and the press too?

The purported reason for the suit, it says, is that “Omni is in doubt as to its rights and seeks a declaration that the transactions and activities contemplated under the Omni Lease are lawful and the conduct of same shall not expose Omni to criminal liability…”

We’ll save the court the time and cost to reply, because Omni and its Genting owners need have no doubt whatsoever. Breaking the law is in fact breaking the law, and in this country we still prosecute lawbreakers.

That includes steamrolling operators of illegal gambling.

Thanks, planners, but do we need more years of studies?

Thanks to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), an organization dominated by all of the members of the county commission, MiamiDade County commuters, who have been loudly com- James McDonald plaining over the lack of transit options and resulting traffic congestion, can now breathe easily knowing the MPO has finally taken decisive action to solve our traffic woes. They approved what they call a “Smart” plan for transit.

This “Smart” plan is to study six corridors for light rail (“LRT”) – a study that will take six to eight years. In the meantime, nothing will be done.

At the same time they approved this so-called “Smart” plan the MPO refused to even consider approving a grant application already prepared by staff for a federal TIGER (Transportation Invest-

L ETTERS

The Writer James E. McDonald is the vice mayor of the Village of Pinecrest. ment Generating Economic Recovery) grant for $15 million for upgrading bus service on the South Dade busway to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

The grant, if won by Miami-Dade, would be matched by the state for approximately $40 million and the county would contribute another $40 million to create a state-of-the-art BRT system for the South Dade busway servicing Homestead, Florida City, Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest with Metro at Dadeland Station South.

The current bus service carries approximately 15,000 riders per day. The commute times are long from Homestead, Florida City and Cutler Bay. A state-of-the-art BRT system would have significantly reduced commute time while providing commuters with new vehicles,

TO THE

Free trolleys hurt buses There’s no good reason we don’t have what San Francisco has – a mobile, gps based app that shows, accurate, in real time, to the minute, when your bus or any other will arrive.

Regarding ridership falling, how many passengers do the free trolleys, which run on the most major routes, take away from bus ridership?

Ray Stein

Deregulate jitneys now One year daily bus rider here. No one in Miami-Dade Transit cares that a bus

E DITOR

is smelly, late or doesn’t come at all because it only affects working-class people who won’t speak up.

Meanwhile, the county actively suppresses independent bus services (jitneys) from operating. These jitneys provide a clean, reliable service and the money they generate stays within our community. The county uses regulation to protect its monopoly on group transportation and force users to use its unacceptable product.

Deregulating jitneys is something they could do right now and doesn’t involve costly investment in rail that will never happen.

Thomas Lindhart

air-conditioned stations and pre-board paying like Metrorail to speed the process and reduce travel time.

All around the world, BRT has proven to be quite successful, sustainable and affordable as compared to the cost of light rail, and, importantly, as BRT ridership increases it leads to necessary upgrade to light rail in order to carry the increased passenger loads generated by BRT. For example, the Ottawa, Ontario, BRT system is being converted to LRT; the Richmond BRT line in Vancouver, BC, was converted to LRT in 2010; the Orange Line BRT in Los Angeles is being converted to LRT because of capacity increased needs, even though the public wants to keep it as BRT! The VIVA BRT line in York, Ontario, almost 50 miles long, is being considered for LRT. Significantly, the BRT line in Cleveland, known as the Health Line, is wildly successful and has generated more than $15 billion in economic development along its route.

You might ask, why on earth would the MPO not apply for a TIGER grant that, if awarded and matched by both state and county dollars, would have provided relief in two years for commuters from deep South Miami-Dade and spurred economic development along the route?

The answer is, with the exception of the Village of Pinecrest that supported the TIGER grant application, no other elected officials or cities along the busway supported the application because of a strong desire to have light rail and a fear that should the busway be upgraded to BRT, then LRT might never happen.

In other words, because of a fixation to have LRT (notwithstanding that ridership levels aren’t sufficient to presently support LRT) and contrary to objective facts about what is happening in other cities, and contrary to the recommendation of the professionals at Miami-Dade

Transit and Public Works Department, not one elected official from South Miami-Dade, with the exception of the Pinecrest Village Council, spoke out in favor of even applying for the Tiger grant and accordingly, the $15 million that might have been awarded to Miami-Dade will go elsewhere!

Commuters from south county will get no relief, at least for a decade, if at all. Had we been awarded a TIGER grant and had BRT been implemented, ridership along the busway would have increased to the level necessary to make LRT viable, all the while vastly improving transit service and helping to take cars off the road.

And let’s not forget, when the light rail corridor study is completed in six to eight years, we will see the battle of which corridor goes first and how to come up with the billions to pay for it all.

In the meantime, South Dade commuters, you can thank the MPO for providing the leadership we need to solve our traffic ills and make our county more sustainable and attractive as a place to live!

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016

TODAY’S NEWS

92-member export team set to build Mexico trade

BY MARCUS LIM

Despite Bill Johnson’s nearing departure as Enterprise Florida president and CEO, he’ll lead a 92-member export development mission to Mexico City from May 23-26, bringing 35 Florida businesses to match with Mexican companies and seeking to expand cargo links between ports in Florida and Mexico.

Alan Becker, vice chair of Enterprise Florida’s board, said Mr. Johnson’s resignation won’t impact the mission and he’ll still head the visit as Florida Secretary of Commerce until June 24.

“Bill Johnson is an excellent salesman for Florida business so he will do a fantastic job,” Mr. Becker said. “Enterprise is extremely experienced with foreign trade missions, so I expect this to be a very successful trip as many Enterprise trips are.”

The companies on the mission have never done business in Mexico before, said Manny Mencia, Enterprise’s senior vice president of international trade & development. The aim of the trip is to introduce them in order to expand their business in the country.

“Florida companies are using the mission to penetrate and expand on to Mexico,” Mr. Mencia said. “This is what Enterprise does – we help Florida companies overseas.”

Some of the 92 Florida delegates work for 35 companies that are participating in Enterprise’s gold key matchmaker program that sets up oneon-one meetings with potential Mexican clients and partners.

Other delegates will work on the secondary objective of building traffic between the ports of Florida and Mexico. According to Mr. Mencia, a strategic alliance between the Florida Ports Council and Mexican maritime authorities is likely to be formed.

“There is a protocol agreement being finalized between our ports and theirs that will be signed at the end of the mission,” he said. “It is a corporation agreement that they will together develop and research market opportunities for ships.”

Four key ports hope to ensure this by sending their executive directors. They include Steven Cernak of Broward

‘Mexico is a good target market right now because their economy is doing better than many of the economies in Central and South America.’

Alan Becker

County’s Port Everglades, Wayne Stubbs of Port of Panama City, Paul Anderson of Port Tampa Bay and Juan Kuryla of PortMiami.

“This shows the importance of our ports’ needs to increase business with Mexico,” Mr. Becker said. “This is important trade so [the ports] are bringing their top person.”

He also mentioned the importance of establishing trade by sea as the most efficient method, rather than the trade by road that Mexico employs across the border of the Southwest.

“Mexico has not been one of the more active markets for Florida, and we think we can change that,” Mr. Becker said.

“With some of the border problems, trade by sea to Florida can be more effective with Mexico than some of the more delayed trade by the road through the border. This is part of the case we will be making while we are there.”

Health businesses have also identified the importance of the trip, as organizations such as Unipharma LLC, the University of Miami Health System and PharmaTech LLC are some trying to expand their network in Mexico.

Mr. Becker said the trip focuses on Enterprise’s core mission of bringing companies to expand and promote trade in Florida and helping the state’s own companies to export. He praised Mexico as a place of high interest for this.

“Mexico is a good target market right now because their economy is doing better than many of the economies in Central and South America,” he said.

Enterprise hopes the trip to Mexico will yield results to expand on the foreign trade economy in which, according to Mr. Becker, Florida currently leads all other states.

“To open up markets to Florida goods is critical because ‘There is a protocol what helped small and agreement being finalized that’s mid-sized companies grow,” between our ports and Mr. Becker said. “We more than theirs that will be signed any other state participate in The percentage of at the end of the mission.’ exports.

Florida business exporting is Manny Mencia higher than any other state and we want to see that grow.”

MIAMI TODAY

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA PLEASE ALL TAKE NOTICE THAT a meeting of the City of Miami Commission has been scheduled for Thursday, May 26, 2016, at the City of Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida 33133. A private attorney-client session will be conducted under the parameters of §286.011(8), F.S. The person chairing the City of Miami Commission meeting will announce the commencement of an attorney-client session, closed to the public, for purposes of discussing the pending litigation cases of: Miami-Dade County, et al. v. Florida Power & Light Company, et al., Case No. 3D141467, before the Third District Court of Appeal; City of Miami v. State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection, et al., Case No. 15-747, before the Division of Administrative Hearings; In the Matter of Florida Power & Light Company Turkey Point, Units 6 & 7, Docket Nos. 52-040 and 52-041, before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and In re: Nuclear Cost Recovery Clause, Docket No. 160009, pending before the Florida Public Service Commission. This private meeting will begin at approximately 3:00 p.m. (or as soon thereafter as the Commissioners’ schedules permit) and conclude approximately one hour later. The session will be attended by the members of the City Commission: Chairman Keon Hardemon, Vice-Chairman Ken Russell, and Commissioners Wifredo “Willy” Gort, Frank Carollo, and Francis Suarez; the City Manager, Daniel J. Alfonso; the City Attorney, Victoria Méndez; Deputy City Attorneys John A. Greco and Barnaby L. Min; Litigation Division Chief Christopher A. Green, and Assistant City Attorneys Kerri L. McNulty, and Xavier E. Alban. A certi¿HG FRXUW UHSRUWHU ZLOO EH SUHVHQW WR HQVXUH WKDW WKH VHVVLRQ LV IXOO\ WUDQVFULEHG DQG WKH transcript will be made public upon the conclusion of the above-cited, ongoing litigation. At the conclusion of the attorney-client session, the regular Commission meeting will be reopened and the person chairing the Commission meeting will announce the termination of the attorney-client session.

Todd B. Hannon City Clerk #22799

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TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

11

Soccer field vow kicked out of Marine Stadium Flex Park

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Children won’t be playing soccer at the Miami Marine Stadium Flex Park any time soon – if ever.

About a year ago, as City of Miami officials worked quickly to secure the Miami International Boat Show for Virginia Key, a promise was made that the proposed flex park next to idled Marine Stadium would be transformed into sporting fields 31 days after the boat show vacated the property.

That did not happen, and some city commissioners aren’t happy about it.

The city owns most of the barrier island, and allowing use of the land around the stadium for the boat show has led to bad blood with neighboring Village of Key Biscayne and a flurry of litigation. Village leaders fear over-use of the stadium and grounds, leading to a crippling addition of traffic on Rickenbacker Causeway, the only road in and out of Key Biscayne.

City commissioners approved spending more than $20 million to create the flex park – from a new hard surface to electric connections and acres of elaborate tents – with its first use being the 2016 boat show in February.

At the end of the commission’s May 12 meeting, Commissioner Frank Carollo brought up the flex park. He mentioned the administration’s promise of soccer fields 31 days after the boat show cleared the property.

The boat show came and went.

The 31 days came and went. No soccer fields.

Word surfaces that the administration wants to go a “new direction,” said Mr. Carollo, yet the topic is not brought back to the commission.

“I think we need to have that discussion,” he said.

“I agree. It was part of the deal,” said Chairman Keon Hardemon. The promise of a large park space with artificial green turf helped persuade the commission to forge ahead with expensive improvements to the site, he said.

“If not for this, there may not have been a flex park,” said Mr. Hardemon.

Drawings circulated at the time Miami commissioners approved boat show plans showed soccer fields.

City Manager Daniel Alfonso said the effort to secure the boat show for the site “was done somewhat hurriedly,” on a directive from commissioners.

Once engineers and workers began making improvements, slope and drainage issues made it difficult to apply artificial turf, he said.

“Astroturf will not work,” Mr. Alfonso said. “We can’t put green turf on top [of the new hard surface]… it won’t be a level field.”

Mr. Carollo said the commission should have been informed when those issues arose. He said it’s a problem that the administration is going a new direction without involving commissioners – the policymakers.

“Right now, we haven’t decided,” Mr. Alfonso said.

“We already decided the direction and it was not followed,” Mr. Carollo said.

Mr. Alfonso eventually said, “I agree. We should have come back earlier.”

Mr. Hardemon agreed the work was done quickly but asked, “Was the space ever evaluated?”

Mr. Alfonso said staff believed it was possible to convert the space back to a turf-covered area, but when they began work to bury footings for the large tents and put in the drainage fields “things came up.”

Because of a change in elevation at the site, it would be very

‘We already decided the direction and it was not followed.’

Frank Carollo difficult to make the area into level playing fields, “so we started looking at other options,” he said.

Uses at the flex park beyond the boat show were never defined, though some city officials talked of youth and adult soccer leagues possibly using the large area south of the stadium.

Commissioners last year were shown colorful renderings depicting players using four sideby-side soccer fields next to the stadium.

“Our intent is to come up with an organized plan,” Mr. Alfonso said of the open space. He said some groups have expressed interest in using the tents and the site, including one planning a

Dolphins fan fest. The space could also be used for auto shows, a home show or events tied to Art Basel, he said.

“We’ll put a calendar together,” Mr. Alfonso said of events for the flex park. The boat show will remain the biggest user, he said, and perhaps “smaller, less invasive” events can fill in the other days.

He cited, as an example, a paddleboard competition held on a recent weekend at the site.

The city manager said he intends to take these ideas to the newly established Virginia Key Advisory Board and then the city commission.

Mr. Alfonso said he will discuss with the new board members “how to best activate that space.”

It is one of several issues to be considered by the new board.

The commission established the advisory board in January to advise the commission on the mission, vision, business plan, governance and operation of the island and basin, the implementation of the Virginia Key 2010 Master Plan, and the restoration of Marine Stadium, abandoned and deteriorating since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

In an email to Mr. Alfonso on May 11, the advisory board’s chairman, Gregory Bush, mentioned the importance of referring any impending actions related to Virginia Key to the new board “before they are put be-

fore the commission or are implemented by your administration.”

Mr. Bush also informed the city manager of the advisory board’s May 2 vote requesting a deferral of any decision on the current request for proposals process related to the marina on Virginia Key “until our board has made its recommendation to the commission.”

Mr. Bush also said the board should be provided with the 2010 Virginia Key Master Plan that was adopted by the city commission in July 2010.

In a response email written the same day, Mr. Alfonso wrote in part, “The Marina RFP has being ongoing for some time.

There are two protests of the Award from the losing bidders.

The Protests will be heard at Commission on May 26.”

The advisory board’s next meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. May 24 at City Hall.

Mr. Alfonso concluded his email to Mr. Bush writing, “We intend to go to the meeting on the 24th and speak to the board about the key issues you mentioned. Looking forward to our working together.”

Mr. Alfonso copied the response email to all five city commissioners and Mayor Tomás Regalado.

The new board has also invited city Planning Director Francisco Garcia to make a presentation on the master plan.

The board is also being asked to review a fund-raising proposal to generate money for restoration of the marine stadium. Commissioners briefly discussed the matter May 12 but deferred so the new board could consider the idea.

Heineken USA reached out to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to partner in a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to assist with renovation of the stadium. The campaign might include auctioning off some of the stadium’s seats.

Commissioner Ken Russell suggested the parties go before the new advisory board, noting there could be concerns about naming rights, sponsorships, signage or other related issues tied to Heineken’s involvement.

All of the commissioners and Mayor Regalado support restoring the stadium.

Lennar housing site can rise despite arsenic contamination

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Developers can proceed with a residential community on a Northwest Dade agricultural site near the planned American Dream Miami mega mall, provided the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management reviews plans to ensure environmental contamination found there isn’t spread.

Arsenic was found in soil samples at the vacant site and the owner must rehabilitate the land to comply with clean-up levels county code requires, environmental resources (DERM) officials reported in a memo to Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who represents the district in Northwest Miami-Dade.

An April 15 letter was sent Lowell S. Dunn, referred to as the property owner.

Online reports indicate Mr. Dunn died in November 2006 and his wife, Berry Dunn, sold the property to Lennar Homes, which submitted a required assessment of soils report to DERM on Feb. 25 and a sampling and analysis plan on April 7.

The soils contain concentrations of arsenic that exceed the Miami-Dade County soil cleanup target level, DERM officials told Miami Today. “The consultant for the property owner contends that the arsenic is naturally occurring from muck and not from an anthropogenic release,” they said in a written statement. “DERM is requiring further testing to evaluate their contention and ensure proper assessment and remediation of the site.”

Arsenic is a known carcinogen, DERM officials said. The likelihood of potential harm to human health can be attributed to

several factors: exposure pathway routes, degree of contamination and length of time a person is exposed to the contaminant, and physical and chemical properties of the contaminated soil.

Attorneys Cristina Lumpkin and Howard Nelson of Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP represent the property owner.

Neither responded to repeated requests for comment last week and early this week.

Only arsenic contamination in soil has been documented at this time, DERM officials said.

Historic aerial photographs of the Dunn Two Lakes property, located west of Interstate 75 on the north side of Northwest 154th Street, indicate the southeastern portion of the northern lake previously contained an animal slaughterhouse along with sheds and equipment, and suggest

there was land clearing of trees or shrubs on the northwest corner, possibly using chemicals.

Therefore, additional soil samples must be collected and analyzed for a number of contaminants.

The time required for remediation can’t yet be estimated, DERM officials said.

However, development can continue as long as developers notify the division of work that might affect the environment.

“Development can occur concurrent with site assessment and remediation,” officials said, “provided that plans related to dewatering, drainage, soil management, and/or construction are reviewed and approved

by DERM prior to development to ensure the contamination is not spread and all contaminated media is appropriately handled and addressed.”

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MIAMI TODAY

15

Wynwood special area getting a final massage

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Miami is seeking a partner who would build new city offices and could develop on its current river site.

City office deals get second delay

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Developers eyeing the Miami River as the next hot locale for growing Miami have some additional time to put in an offer to purchase a prime riverfront parcel – the city government’s administrative building.

Miami Riverside Center is at 444 SW Second Ave. Earlier this year the city hired CBRE Inc. to solicit interested parties to submit proposals for the relocation of the city’s administrative facility, and subsequent disposition of the existing facility.

The goal is to obtain new Class A office space for the city’s administrative offices within city limits. In addition, proposers are encouraged to acquire the existing Miami Riverside Center.

On Monday, the city announced a revised deadline date, from May 17 to 2 p.m. June 20.

This is the second extension on the solicitation.

Since the original posting of the offering memorandum for the sale of the Miami Riverside Center and request for proposals for a new administrative facility, there have several addendums regarding deposits, restrictions, bonds and other items. Those details are available on the city’s website.

The city’s Department of Real Estate and Asset Management, working with CBRE Inc., is looking for qualified development teams or joint ventures to purchase the existing office building, which will be vacated upon completion of a new facility, or design, construct, structure a lease to own agreement or convey to the city a more than 375,000 gross square foot office building on private or cityowned land.

Miami Riverside Center is 374,661 square feet, comprised of the 194,679 square foot building, and 179,982 square foot garage. The site is 3.15 acres, which includes the building site and vacant land to the south.

The high-profile parcel is next door to city-owned open green space with three boat slips.

The 23-year-old building is deemed “unable to fully and satisfactorily meet the city’s future operating and client service needs.”

The city hopes to have a new office building constructed, or may purchase an existing facility to house multiple city departments. The city may also enter into a lease to own transaction structure, according to the solicitation.

The city’s new office facility is anticipated to take approximately two years to complete,

with a move-in no later than spring 2019, according to CBRE. City Manager Daniel Alfonso has said land along the river has become very valuable and that the Miami Riverside Center is not the “highest and best use” of the site, which with the public benefit program could hold up to an 80-story building.

It was last fall when Mr. Alfonso said city officials were considering a property sale or swap as they look for a new home for the growing government operations.

Sale or lease of the city riverfront land would require voter approval.

According to the Miami-Dade County Tax Appraiser’s Office, the building and land at 444 SW Second Ave. has a market value of more than $22.2 million. The land at 460 SW Second Ave. – the open green space with three boat slips – has a market value of more than $9.8 million.

Having won unanimous approvals of a Special Area Plan by the Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID) and Miami’s Planning, Zoning, and Appeals Board, Mana Wynwood developers are “working with city staff to finalize key details before presenting to the city commission,” said Dylan Finger, project manager.

The special area designation provides various entitlements for Moishe Mana’s 30-acre project, which would run from Northwest Second Avenue west to I-95 between Northwest 22nd and 24th streets. The purpose of the designation is to allow sites greater than 9 acres to be master-planned to better integrate public and private improvements and infrastructure.

The first phase, planned for 2337 NW Fifth Ave., would include a 200,000-square-foot combination beauty academy, boutique hotel, restaurants, showrooms and other space. The structure would become corporate headquarters for Luxury Brand Partners, a firm that is partnering with Mr. Mana to build the academy.

About 2,500 residential units are to come later, and the project incorporates parking garages and Mana Commons, an open-space parcel of about 168,000 square feet that would be available to the public and also for special events.

In March, the BID wrested several concessions from the developer in exchange for its support.

They included a promise to graduate the height of buildings in the western zone depending on how much of the base construction on the eastern side had been com-

FOR LEASE

pleted or is underway.

Once 25% of the eastern zone is out of the ground, 16-story buildings are cleared to rise in the western zone; once 30% is completed, buildings in the western zone can be 20 stories tall. Finally, when 35% of work is underway on the eastern side, a 24-story residential tower can rise in the western side.

The developer’s team also agreed that a maximum of 25% of the residential units (excluding the hotel) in the eastern portion would be developed within the next seven years. Then maximum allowed density – in keeping with the rest of the agreement – will be allowed in the western portion. They also agreed that $4 per bonus square foot will be paid to the Wynwood Public Benefits Fund, and to several other concessions.

“The Mana team has been working on the project for more than a year and we have been collaborating with the city, the Wynwood community and key stakeholders along the way,” Mr. Finger said.

“Mana stakeholders are extremely pleased that the project has been a collaborative effort.”

“The team at Mana is thrilled by the support we have received from the Wynwood community, and we will continue working together on the process moving forward,” said Shai Baitel, the project’s director of strategy. “We are excited to work with our neighbors to grow the influence of Wynwood and Mana in South Florida and around the globe. Mana will be successful because we have truly collaborated with the community and our plans contain elements and ideas from our neighbors.”

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016

After Worldcenter deal flops, Macy’s sits pretty downtown

BY CAMILA CEPERO

Macy’s says it will continue operations at its downtown Miami location in the wake of losing a potentially prime new location in the 27-acre Miami Worldcenter mixed-use project scheduled to break ground soon just north of downtown Miami.

The project, which was originally expected to include an enclosed mall, scrapped those plans in favor of the development of a high street plan.

Now, the Macy’s downtown location continues business as usual, said Macy’s regional spokesperson Melissa Goff.

“There is nothing new as far as our location in the downtown Miami area,” she said.

Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, owned by Macy’s Inc., were planning to develop 300,000 square feet of retail in the originally planned 760,000-squarefoot enclosed mall, with 195,000 square feet of that space being exclusively for Macy’s.

However, Macy’s never officially announced the plans for its current downtown location,

even during negotiations for the new Miami Worldcenter store, Ms. Goff said.

In late 2006, however, Macy’s complained to Miami’s Downtown Development Authority and the city about downtown’s appearance and safety issues, raising concerns that the national retailer could leave the urban core.

“While the recent economic development is encouraging, our store and company’s divisional headquarters need to be in an environment that is conducive to success,” Ms. Goff said during the early discussion of downtown’s retail problems.

In the 10 years since, the store has been generally ambivalent about keeping its downtown location.

“We have never announced that the downtown location was moving or closing,” Ms. Goff said.

Macy’s leases the space it occupies in the two buildings on the southwest and southeast corners of the South Miami Avenue and Flagler Street interPhoto by Maxine Usdan section that connect by an elMacy’s never announced its plans for its downtown store even as it planned to enter Miami Worldcenter. evated walkway.

MiamiCentral announces its trainload of downtown eateries From chocolate to dumplings, bagels to smoked meats, and hot dogs to empanadas, Central Fare in the heart of MiamiCentral promises to satisfy a train station full of tastebuds.

Last week, MiamiCentral announced a list of food businesses signed to occupy the 11acre mixed-use development in the heart of downtown.

Opening in summer 2017, Central Fare will encompass about 50,000 square feet on the first and second levels of MiamiCentral.

Central Fare, described as a “dynamic, urban marketplace,” is to offer up multiple culinary experiences – featuring chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, Richard Hales of Blackbrick Chinese, and Andres Barrientos and James Bowers of Miami Smokers, among others.

Featuring six restaurants and more than 20 food and retail purveyors, Central Fare and the Voltaggio restaurant are being designed by hospitality design and concept firm AvroKO. “Mirroring the vibrancy and cultural diversity of Miami, Central Fare will reflect the eclectic energy of its residents and travelers, providing authentic, wellcrafted experiences bringing together food, beverage, ideas and community,” said David McIntyre, senior vice president of operations for MiamiCentral and Brightline.

“This will be the new gathering place, a unique culinary destination, showcasing the talents of both local and national artisans, tastemakers and chefs,” he said.

MiamiCentral will be home to the Brightline express intercity passenger rail service, with eventual connections to Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando.

Multiple eateries planned for Central Fare would include a location for Little Havana’s Azucar Ice Cream.

The sprawling facility will join Metrorail, Metromover and others modes of public transportation, and be augmented by a mix of commercial real estate, offices and apartments.

The signature dining experience will be Monger by the Voltaggio Brothers, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio’s first collaborative restaurant in Florida.

Both known for their time on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” the two have also been featured on programming for the Cooking Channel, Food Network and the Travel Channel.

The 10,000-square-foot restaurant will feature separate kitchens and coordinating dining areas to represent three distinct resources: fishmonger, butcher, and green grocer.

Guests will be able to curate their own meals through an interactive menu inspired by the grocery list.

“MiamiCentral and Brightline are transformative projects and we knew right away that we wanted to be a part of it,” said Bryan Voltaggio.

“We have family in Florida and visit often. Creating a signature dining experience in South Florida is an important next step for us, and Monger will be unlike anything we’ve done before, and a capstone for Central Fare’s already compelling offerings,” Mr. Voltaggio said.

According to MiamiCentral, the culinary lineup at Central Fare will also include: Azucar Ice Cream Company: Cuban-American Suzanne Batlle has created an ice cream and sorbet boutique that has received accolades.

Blackbrick Chinese: Richard Hales is chef/owner of Blackbrick Chinese, Sakaya Kitchen, Dim Ssäm à gogo and

Bird & Bone. Hand-made dim sum and special dumplings, house-made noodle bowls and local farm-driven fried rice dishes will be served.

Doggi’s: Making food with love and fresh ingredients, Yoleida Galiano and her sons, Giovanni and Carlos Esteves, from Venezuela, are working to make the arepa as famous as the taco – offering more than 20 varieties. Items rounding out the menu include empanadas, patacones, pepitos, hot dogs and cachapas.

Miami Smokers: The Hog Bosses – Chefs Andres Barrientos and James Bowers – are on a mission to bring timeless curing and smoking techniques to Miami consumers. They utilize the most sustainable and locally-available products with old world techniques to create all natural bacon, artisanal charcuterie, smokehouse sandwiches, sausages and bacon-

infused desserts.

Romanicos Chocolate: Founder Alejandra Bigai draws on the flavors of her childhood in Venezuela to create quality confections using only real chocolate.

Rosetta The Italian Bakery: Rosetta combines a mix of history, the highest quality ingredients exclusively made in Italy, and timeless traditions to create authentic Italian sandwiches, pastries, focaccia and more.

Toasted Bagelry & Deli: Toasted’s homemade bagels combine the professional touch, New York and New Jersey taste, with a Miami twist. Twin brothers Islam and Khaled prepare fresh baked goods daily. Menu items include a large selection of bagels and toppings, omelets, deli sandwiches, salads and panini’s.

Two weeks ago, MiamiCentral announced the anchor tenants for its flagship office facility at Two MiamiCentral. The office tower includes 190,000 square feet of Class A office space.

The anchor tenants are Ernst & Young LLP, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services; and Regus, the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces.

In addition, Florida East Coast Industries will relocate its headquarters from Coral Gables.

“We consulted with worldclass architects to design and create an office environment that is highly integrated with inbuilding connectivity to a range of transportation options, including access to our Brightline inter-city, express train service,” said John Guitar, senior vice president of business development, for MiamiCentral and Brightline.

MiamiCentral was designed

by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.

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MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016

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