Miami Today: Week of Thursday, July 2, 2015

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00

HEALTH UPDATE

Healthcare battle lines form for 2016’s legislature, pg. 13 STILL SETTLING STADIUM SCORE: No arbitration date has been set yet for a dispute between Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins and Miami-Dade County over what should be counted as the team’s share of the stadium’s construction cost. According to Assistant County Attorney Gerald K. Sanchez, it might be a month before arbitration will be scheduled. At issue is the Marlins’ claim that $110.9 million should be counted toward the owners’ share for building the team’s Little Havana home. However, county auditors say part of the $110.9 million doesn’t quality as stadium spending. They are disputing 3.8%, or $4.2 million, of that total including about $207,300 the Marlins paid to Levy Restaurants, a Chicago-based company that serves food at Marlins Park; about $221,400 in expenses the Marlins list for retail technology experts; about $92,500 the Marlins paid to The Parker Co., a Miami-based company for global hospitality procurement and consulting; about $386,700 the Marlins paid to Atlas Sign Industries, a West Palm Beach-based sign manufacturing, design and installment company; and about $36,380 in legal fees the Marlins paid to law firm Holland & Knight. The stadium opened in spring 2012.

$270 million expansion could double Sinai’s surgeries pg. 15

THE ACHIEVER

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

AN ACCESS RUNS THROUGH IT: Miami commissioners have renewed a submerged lands lease with the state for continued use of state-owned submerged lands adjacent to city-owned property at 250 NW North River Drive, at Lummus Park on the Miami River. The state leases the submerged lands to the city at no fee for a 15-slip dock used exclusively for temporary day mooring of recreational vessels, with one slip for a law enforcement vessel and another exclusively for water taxis to drop off and pick up passengers. Overnight and permanent mooring are prohibited. The state continues to require that the city’s docks at that location be used solely for public recreational, non-commercial activities consistent with the grandfathered operation as a public docking facility, used in conjunction with the public uplands at Lummus Park. The lease extends to Jan. 1, 2018. MISSION DELAYED: The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Americas Linkage committee has postponed its mission to Brazil. The business mission was to depart June 15 to visit three Brazilian cities: Campinas, São Paulo and Porto Alegre. Hernando Gomez, committee chair, said the mission was postponed due to an increased interest from local businesses wanting to participate. Members and non-members are still able to sign up. The new mission departure date has not yet been determined.

Jeremy Mikolajczak

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Making Miami Dade College’s museum prominent The profile is on Page 4

City, county in line to pipe water to mega-marina BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS AND C ATHERINE L ACKNER

The city and county are working together to get water and sewer lines to mega resort and marina Island Gardens, under construction on city-owned Watson Island. Last week, without fanfare or a word of discussion, Miami commissioners approved an agreement with Miami-Dade County to bring public water and sewer service to 1050 MacArthur Causeway for Flagstone Island Gardens LLC. The move authorizes the city manager to negotiate and execute an agreement for water and sanitary sewerage facilities among Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami and Flagstone Island Gardens LLC. The vote was 3 to 1, with Francis Suarez out of the room at the time of the vote. Frank Carollo cast the only ‘no’ vote without comment. Mr. Carollo has been a critic of Flagstone and has voted and spoken against extending lease agreements because more than a decade had passed since the original agreement with little to no work on the project.

AGENDA

Monitoring developer’s hiring pact

The June 25 resolution says Flagstone Island Gardens LLC has leases on the property and has requested a tri-party agreement in order to get water and sanitary sewer services. The county has agreed to provide the services for the development. The city owns the 6.5-acre site on Watson Island and voters approved leasing the land to Flagstone for the development back in 2001. Numerous delays, including the economic slide and port tunnel dredging, have for years held back Flagstone’s plans. After 13 years of little to no work, Flagstone announced it had begun marine mitigation at the site May 22, 2014, which represented a formal commencement of work on the project, city officials confirmed. A new seawall has been built, along with dredging for the marina. The work has been accomplished amid litigation, Miami Beach elected leaders bad mouthing the project and community meetings where the developer’s lobbyist has defended the project in the face of critics. Some people simply don’t want it and say it’s too much development for the island, and will cripple traffic headed to Miami

Beach and its offshore islands on the MacArthur Causeway. But Island Gardens is finally moving forward at a brisk pace, Brian May, representative for Flagstone, told directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority two weeks ago. He said a pier and docks could be open as early as Sept. 1, with the entire project finished in time for Art Basel 2017. The development is eventually to comprise a deep harbor for mega-yachts, a residential component, two hotels, 12 to 15 restaurants, floating docks, a small shopping mall including a fish market, and a 100-foot public promenade, Mr. May added. The developer, Mr. May said, is dredging 13 acres of bay bottom to gain enough clearance for the big boats and in September will begin the utilities. “We’re in negotiations with a unique anchor tenant and two hotel flags,” he said. He said the developer has invested millions to this point and the majority of the lawsuits against it have been dismissed. “This will be the first-ever super marina in North America,” Mr. May said, “and it sits at the doorstep of downtown Miami.”

The Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency has hired a $430,000-ayear consultant to monitor minority job creation at Miami Worldcenter. The developer will pay the bill, said Clarence Woods III, CRA executive director. The mammoth mixed-use property in Park West is to get tax breaks as high as $6.889 million a year through 2030. Those breaks are tied to Worldcenter’s pledge to be a “direct pipeline to thousands of jobs and opportunities for small businesses,” said an agreement signed when the project was OK’d last year. “To my knowledge this is the first time [monitoring] is being done,” Commissioner Francis Suarez said then. “As mandated, we sent out a request for qualifications” for a company to serve as watchdog, Mr. Woods told CRA directors Monday. Six companies bid, he added, and Harold A. Johnson Consulting Group Inc. won. Job creation has been a goal of many inner-city projects, Mr. Woods said. “We always hope that’s happening, but unless someone complains, we have had no way of knowing.” “Does this company work for us or for Miami Worldcenter?” asked Frank Carollo, CRA director and Miami commissioner. Mr. Woods replied that the consultants will work for the agency. “That’s good, because they’re loyal to whoever pays,” Mr. Carollo said. “I think this is quite pricey, but we’re getting reimbursed.” According to last year’s agreement, construction workers will get at least $12.83 and electrical journeymen $30.11 hourly, and workers who have committed minor crimes won’t be disqualified by their records. Developers promised to hire neighborhood residents for 30% of unskilled and 10% of skilled jobs. If they can’t find qualified residents, they next must hire from low-income ZIP codes, then the county at large.

EXPRESSWAY TOLL REBATE MAY HIT 20% OF RECEIPTS ...

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PLANS FOR PARKING GARAGE ON VIRGINIA KEY PARKED ...

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AFTER THE GAMES END, ATHLETES TURN TO BUSINESS ...

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FARMERS’ MARKETS SPROUTING THROUGHOUT COUNTY ... 10

MILITARY MUSEUM TAKES HEAVY FIRE BY GOVERNOR ...

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ANTI-POVERTY FUNDS TO TRAIN KIDS IN TECHNOLOGY ...

VIEWPOINT: TRENDS IN OUR SHIFTING CONDO MARKET ...

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AFTER THE DRAMA, MIAMI GETS ITS NEW ART MUSEUM ... 23

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