Miami Today: Week of Thursday, May 21, 2015

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00

BANKING & FINANCE

Realty investors hedge, borrow using foreign currencies, pg. 15 RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT: Miami-Dade is starting from scratch in the search for firms that will establish a red light camera program for the county’s police department, now that the Metropolitan Services Committee voted to recommend the full board reject proposals received to date. Given the time elapsed since the January 2014 proposals submission date, all will be rejected without prejudice to the proposers. If approved by commissioners, the mayor or his designee will issue a new solicitation within 60 days. The program, anticipated at no cost to the county, would be funded through revenue generated by the citations issued. The program would be deployed in phases, with the initial phase of 50 cameras. Additional cameras would be added in increments of up to 50 cameras for up to a total of 150 at the county’s discretion.

Credit card companies chip in to avoid financial fraud, pg. 17

THE ACHIEVER

BY SUSAN D ANSEYAR

FREE SUNPASS: The Miami-Dade County Office of Community Advocacy will partner with the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) to give away free SunPass-minis every month at the Stephen P. Clark Center in downtown Miami. The giveaways will take place the third Thursday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. beginning today (5/ 21) in conjunction with the Office of Community Advocacy’s monthly DMV to Go events in the Clark Center lobby, 111 NW First St. Residents can receive free SunPass-minis for all vehicles in their household and activate them on-site by using a credit or debit card and filling out an activation form including vehicle information. Residents also can activate the devices at home. MDX representatives will provide information about the SunPass Tag Swap Program in anticipation of battery-operated SunPasses becoming obsolete after Dec. 31. Details: Office of Community Advocacy, (305) 375-5730. HIDING THE UGLY: The Miami-Dade Metropolitan Services Committee unanimously asked the county commission to set a policy to minimize negative aesthetic impact before granting a license or easement for utility lines and equipment on county property. Many times, utilities have placed above-ground lines and equipment in areas that are easily seen and unappealing, the resolution says. But in many cases, county staff said, it’s possible to minimize ugly looks by shifting the lines and equipment, adjusting the way they’re installed or camouflaging them with foliage and landscaping. If the full commission approves, the mayor’s office would negotiate with utility companies on ways to cover up or minimize unsightliness of utility lines and equipment before granting an easement or license.

Michael Wohl

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Developing affordable housing to fill vast shortfall The profile is on Page 4

Little Havana trolley route rolls by verbal detour Miami trolley routes took a circuitous, bumpy trip as city commissioners last week agreed to start service in Little Havana, Wynwood and Coconut Grove within six months. Facing a June 1 deadline to seek up to $1.5 million from the Florida Department of Transportation to add more trolley-like buses, commissioners sparred over the length of the Little Havana route before deciding to go west only to 37th Avenue. Then Commissioners Frank Carollo and Francis Suarez literally shook hands as Mr. Carollo declared “It was a consensus.” Ironically, Mr. Carollo – whose district covers the eastern part of the route – had sought to run the route further west to 57th Avenue deep in Flagami, represented by Mr. Suarez. But Mr. Suarez, who hadn’t been told of the push west in advance, said that “with a heavy heart” he was shocked that Mr. Carollo had gone to a senior center in his district to drum up support for the plan. Like a boxing referee, Chairman Willy Gort stepped between their verbal punches dealing with failure to talk in advance and the countervailing sunshine law, which bans

AGENDA

Arena land stays under market rate

Pledges of two free trolleys, funding swayed tion estimates it will have $1.5 million this year for new routes, with the money commission to add Coconut Grove route, pg. 3 intended for three years of operation. private talks between commissioners without formal notice. All the commissioners and outside speakers agreed on the need for Little Havana trolleys. William D. Talbert III, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau president and CEO, said half of Miami-Dade’s visitors are international and that in a survey they ranked Little Havana the area’s tenth most important attraction. Earlier, he noted privately that 28% of international visitors saw Little Havana as a destination, as did 11% of domestic visitors, who ranked it the 11th most important attraction. The final route will go directly past the InterAmerican Campus of Miami Dade College at Southwest Eighth Street and 27th Avenue. Its student leaders spoke up for the route, with two calling for fares of 25 cents to $1 on the now-free system if needed to get a route to the campus. City administrators told commissioners that the Florida Department of Transporta-

Much of the rest, said Deputy Manager Alice Bravo, would come from the city’s slice of a half percent surtax on retail sales that is dedicated to transportation, with the general fund covering the balance. But sales tax funding, she said, can’t keep the current seven trolley routes running for much longer, much less fund the shortfall on new routes, because the transportation department funds wouldn’t cover the full cost of the three new routes. Commissioners have refused since the trolley system was instituted in 2012 to charge fares. They have been using up reserves to keep it going from a decade of surtax funds that they had squirreled away starting in 2002 – and that money, Ms. Bravo said, is fast running out. Faced with no plan to keep trolleys running into the future, Mr. Suarez again said, as he had at an April 23 meeting, that the city must establish a transportation trust to help pay for the trolleys and other transportation.

Miami-Dade won’t collect what an appraisal says is 187% more than it now does on four waterfront acres behind American Airlines Arena. Commissioners were to raise fees Tuesday to do business on the countyowned site called Parcel B, but a number of commissioners voted no, saying that didn’t set a lower non-profit rate. Currently, the county issues permits to stage arena events to concert operators and Basketball Properties Inc., a Miami Heat entity that manages American Airlines Arena. On July 17, 2014, the commission asked the mayor to have an appraiser find the fair market value of the property and use it to propose a fee schedule for third parties using it. Realty brokerage CBRE’s appraisal showed the county could collect about $230,000 a year, 187% more than it gets now. On March 10, the Strategic Planning and Government Operations Committee approved new fees 6-0: A $2,000 deposit for valet parking and $4,000 a day. A $2,000 deposit for concert staging and $1,100 a day. A $5,000 deposit for circus staging and $1,300 a day. A $5,000 deposit for carnivals and $18,000 a day. A $5,000 deposit for concerts held there and $36,000 a day. A $2,000 deposit for parties and $2,500 a day. The committee recommended that the full commission approve. On April 21, however, the commission voted 10-1 to defer discussion. Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, who represents the area, was the first Tuesday to say she couldn’t support the increase because Parcel B was the only property being singled out. “This parcel is no more unique than any other except it’s on the water,” she said. “I’m not going to support [the fee schedule] unless we do this everywhere.”

BRIDGE OPENINGS IN LOCKDOWN TIME MORE FREQUENT ...

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REIN IN HOMELESS TRUST, DOWNTOWN AUTHORITY ASKS ... 9

VIEWPOINT: ARCHITECTURE PRIZE COULD ELEVATE CITY ...

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COUNTY HOUSING SUPPLY AND DEMAND FIND BALANCE ... 11

MIAMI OPEN BLAMES COUNTY FOR POSSIBLE DEPARTURE ... 7

COUNTY TO HIRE COURTHOUSE PARTNERSHIPS TEAMS ...

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BUS FACTORY IS MOVING FORWARD IN SEARCH FOR SITE ...

SKYRISE OBSERVATION TOWER RESHAPING BAYFRONT ...

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