A Singular Voice in an Evolving City
WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
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METROMOVER MOVING: The Eighth Street Metromover station, which shut down a year ago to be integrated into Swire Properties Inc.’s Brickell City Centre, is in final stages of construction, said Karla Damien, public information officer for Miami-Dade County Transit. She said the station is scheduled to reopen in late September or early October. Enhancements include new escalators, a new elevator, a third-level open-space connecting walkway to Brickell City Centre, new stairs, improved landscaping and platform amenities, such as new signage, a new public-announcement system and new surveillance cameras, she wrote in an email. Although the county transit department operates Metromover, the project is primarily Swire’s. The company said it did not have an update available.
THE ACHIEVER
BY SUSAN D ANSEYAR
SIGN OF THE TIMES: A sign maker is setting up shop in a public garage downtown. The city’s Off-Street Parking Board has approved a lease with DR Signs Express LLC (d/b/a FASTSIGNS of Miami). The company is leasing 1,547 square feet on the ground floor in the Miami Parking Authority’s Courthouse Center Garage at 40 NW Third St. The five-year lease will have one five-year renewal, starting with a base annual rate of $38,675 or $25 per square foot with a 3% annual increase. The authority will reimburse the tenant $32.50 per square foot ($50,277.50) in exchange for the tenant making required improvements to the space. Opened in 2010, the multi-level garage has upper and lower office space and some ground floor retail. The largest office user is the parking agency, with about 10,000 square feet on the top floor. A law firm has part of the 11th floor, adjacent to authority offices. The garage is also the new home of The Miami Foundation, which is leasing all the available third floor office space. ENERGY PRICES DOWN, BUT UP: Miami area households paid less, on average, for electricity in July than they did the year before. Electricity cost an average of 11.6 cents per kilowatt hour this July, less than the 12.1 cents per kWh last year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average price of utility gas also went down, from $1.634 per therm last July to $1.518 per therm July 2015, but was still 62.7% higher than the national average. NEW LOCALES: The City of Miami Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) Administration Office and the Little Havana NET Office have relocated to provide better customer service and access. The NET Administration Office is now at 151 NW 27th Ave., phone (305) 960-5110. The Little Havana NET is at 1300 SW 12th Ave., phone (305) 960-4650.
Photo by Marlene Quaroni
Tim Rodgers
Looks at plans for $10 million Wolfsonian expansion The profile is on Page 4
Bus firm seeking county pact picks factory site BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS
A partnership formed to build eco-friendly buses has lined up a Miami-Dade County manufacturing site. Nopetro|OHL, a joint venture of Nopetro and Karsan U.S.A., plans to make costefficient buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). It has picked a Medley building where it hopes to begin work soon at 12300 NW 116th Ave. in Turnpike Park, adjacent to FL-821. “It’s a brand new industrial site, out by the turnpike… it is essentially a shell,” said Jorge A. Herrera, Nopetro’s co-founder and CEO. “Karsan (U.S.A.) identified the property and are finalizing everything now,” he said. The site, he said, has gone through preliminary design and is ready to be outfitted with equipment to build the buses. In March, Turkish brothers Claude and Jan Nahum of Karsan U.S.A. announced their ambition to establish a plant to build cost-efficient, eco-friendly buses. Nopetro, which bills itself as Florida’s leading compressed natural gas fueling infrastructure provider, teamed with Karsan U.S.A. to bid for a lucrative Miami-Dade
AGENDA
At airport, cruise hub on runway
government contract to supply transit buses powered by natural gas and the fueling stations to keep them humming. “We had our final presentation on Aug. 5, our comprehensive proposal,” Mr. Herrera said of Nopetro|OHL’s proposal to the county. “It’s a very compelling proposal… We’re the lowest cost provider, overall, also we’re the most innovative,” he said. “We are excited and cautiously optimistic about the results,” he said. A county committee evaluating the proposals is expected to announce a decision Sept. 11, he said. “Based on that timing, we can be in there as early as November,” he said about setting up manufacturing at the Medley location if awarded the county contract. If manufacturing begins around November, the first bus could come off the line around April 2016, Mr. Herrera said. This summer, while the county was considering proposals, Karsan U.S.A. worked with Ron Shuffield, president of EWM Realty International, to find a Miami-Dade site for the plant. The Nahums, who already make buses in
Turkey, told Miami Today in March they planned to establish a plant in the county whether or not they and Nopetro got the county deal, and that remains the goal. In June, Mr. Shuffield said the Nahums were looking at other opportunities to build buses and export to other locations across the country. Miami-Dade is attractive to the Nahums and many other industrial interests, due in large part to “our access to so many other global markets – all the potential we have,” Mr. Shuffield said. As part of the request for proposals, Karsan U.S.A. designed and built a CNGpowered bus adorned with the MiamiDade County logo, Mr. Herrera said. Karsan U.S.A. has already invested $7.5 million in what it calls Project Sunshine, he said. When the brothers and Mr. Herrera announced their joint venture, they said it could mean an initial investment of about $75 million to construct a plant and special fueling stations, with the plant employing 80 to 90 full-time workers. The company’s stated goal is to transform all Southeast US government fleets to natural gas.
The county may create a cruise visitor center at Miami International Airport, which officials say could add tourism by efficiently processing cruise passengers and luggage directly to PortMiami. The county’s Trade and Tourism Committee is to vote today (8/27) to direct the mayor to have the seaport and aviation departments join with cruise lines to develop a plan for the center for either individual or multiple cruise lines. The team would pinpoint airport space; costs of a center that processes cruise passengers who arrive at the airport to sail from PortMiami; potential funding sources; interested cruise lines; a timeline to begin operations; and other participants such as the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association. Resolution sponsor Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz said he’s long been talking with Port Director Juan Kuryla about the importance of a cruise visitor center at the airport. “People want convenience, and any time you can provide that for them, it’s a positive situation,” Mr. Diaz told Miami Today this week. “Water always finds the easiest flow.” The airport and seaport are the county’s top economic engines. The resolution says PortMiami welcomed nearly 4.8 million cruise passengers in fiscal 2014 and continues to expand as the world’s leading cruise port. The resolution notes that most PortMiami passengers who arrive by air land at Miami International. Several cruise lines already lease airport space to process passengers and others have expressed interest in doing so. Should the resolution pass the committee and the full commission Oct. 6, the mayor will be asked to report a plan within 60 days, including reasons if it’s deemed unfeasible.
AS WORLD TRADE PLUNGES 5%, FLORIDA’S DIPS A BIT ...
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COUNTY EYES A PROPOSED MEGA-COMPLEX ON PORT ...
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20,000 SIGN UP FOR TOLL-REBATE-ELIGIBLE PROGRAM ...
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CITY MAY EXEMPT SMALL BUILDINGS FROM PARKING ...
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3,200 NEW HOTEL ROOMS DUE IN COUNTY IN A YEAR ...
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EUE/SCREEN GEMS SET TO OPEN MIAMI’S FILM STUDIO ...
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VIEWPOINT: A ROADMAP FOR UM IN ITS HOME TOWN ...
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50 PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS ON COUNTY’S LIST ...
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MIAMI TODAY
TODAY’S NEWS
THE INSIDER
WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
Miami’s Top Trading Partners January-May 2015 Country
Imports (US Dollars)
Exports (US Dollars)
Total (US Dollars)
WHEN DOWN IS UP: The leisure and hospitality industry generated the highest percentage of non-agricultural job growth year over year among all industry sectors in MiamiDade even though the seasonally sensitive sector has lost jobs here every month since April, state figures released Friday show. Leisure and hospitality jobs in Miami-Dade increased 5.9% annually in July, up 7,500 jobs from July 2014 to a total of 134,800. But 137,100 were employed here in the industry in April, 136,300 in May and 135,700 in June. “The strength of the WIlliam D. Talbert III Miami brand continues to attract new travel and tourism infrastructure such as new hotels and restaurants,” said Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO William D. Talbert III. But the only sector in Miami that actually gained jobs from June to July was professional and business services, which added 1,200 jobs. Unemployment in July in the county fell to 6.1% from June’s 6.5%. STICKING TO SCHEDULE: A county committee was to vote this week on directing the mayor to evaluate bus schedules to determine adequate running time, headways, mileage and driver breaks and plan an upgrade. The resolution before the Transit & Mobility Services Committee, sponsored by Barbara Jordan, states numerous residents rely on Miami-Dade transit for all aspects of transportation including getting to work and medical appointments on time but bus schedules don’t realistically account for traffic, average number of stops and driver breaks. The lack of an accurate schedule, the resolution says, Barbara Jordan causes unnecessary waits and delays, and the absence of reliable scheduling disproportionately impacts riders who have BY MARILYN BOWDEN no option other than the bus. Should the resolution pass committee vote and then the full commission, the mayor will be asked to report on Due to economic turmoil afimproving bus route efficiency within 120 days.
Source: Enterprise Florida
As world trade plunges, ours dips
NEW WHEELS: The Off-Street Parking Board has authorized the purchase of new vehicles for the Miami Parking Authority. CEO Art Noriega recommended buying 14 passenger cars and trucks for the Operations Department in the parking agency’s ongoing effort to keep its fleet updated. The purchase will save on repairs and maintenance and reduce down time of the staff when vehicles are out of service, he told the board. The vehicles are being purchased from Gus Machado Ford, and the quoted price of $277,734 is available to the agency by piggybacking on a state government Art Noriega contract, said COO Alejandra Argudin. The price quote contemplated the extended warranty for all vehicles and the cost to obtain new license tags. In a separate move, the board approved the purchase of a new bucket truck for $116,754. POWERING HOMESTEAD: Miami-Dade is on its way to selling electricity to the City of Homestead Energy Services beginning in 2020. The county’s contract would essentially replace a Duke Energy contract set to expire Dec. 31, 2019. The county met with city officials Aug. 13 to discuss terms. The price for the 15 megawatts of energy the city is looking to buy from the county’s Resources Recovery Facility is being negotiated but will be subject to the greater an annual increase of 2.5% or the rise in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is greater, until 2020, said Paul Mauriello, county deputy director for waste operations at the Public Works and Waste Management Department. The facility’s potential energy output is 40 megawatts. The county hasn’t been able to secure a power sale deal since its contract with Duke Energy ended in November 2013, resulting in a $10 million revenue decline. Mr. Mauriello said the county hopes to have the contract approved by October. IT’S IN THE MAIL: Property Appraiser Pedro J. Garcia is mailing the Notice of Proposed Property Taxes (TRIM) to property owners. Included is a guide to proposed taxes as well as a letter informing owners who believe their property may be over assessed to complete an Informal Assessment Review Form. The TRIM Notice is available online at www.miamidade.gov/pa. The letter lists events where property owners can meet with the appraiser and his staff. Property owners should bring support documents. Sessions are 6 p.m. today (8/27), Point East Condominium, 2895 Point East Drive, Aventura; 6 p.m., Sept. 2, South Dade Cultural Arts Center, Lab Pedro J. Garcia Theater, 10950 SW 211th St.; 6 p.m. Sept. 10, West Dade Regional Library, 9445 SW 24th St.; and 6 p.m., Sept. 14, Milander Center, 4800 Palm Ave., Hialeah. The deadline to appeal with the Value Adjustment Board is Sept. 18. Tax bills will be mailed the beginning of November. IT’S A WRAP: A county committee is to vote today (8/27) on establishing a policy limiting checked luggage wrapped in plastic film that will be allowed into the baggage handling system at Miami International Airport. Should the Trade and Tourism Committee approve the resolution by Juan C. Zapata, the mayor will be asked to develop a process by which plastic film used by anyone other than the approved vendor can be approved for airport use. The resolution says passengers using material that hasn’t been tested and approved can cause injury to baggage handlers who cannot load bags onto planes properly, can cause difficulty in unwrapping for the transportation security administration – leading to processing delays – and could jam the baggage system and conveyor belts, resulting in delays and shutdowns. The mayor will also be asked to detail costs associated with the policy or the recommended process for evaluating plastic films. CORRECTION: Eddie Dominguez is senior vice president and director of marketing, communications and community relations at City National Bank. A news brief in this column last week truncated the bank’s name. CORRECTION: Miami-Dade entered into a port agreement with Marseille as a sister seaport during the recent mission to France. An Aug. 20 article on the trip mistakenly reported the airport entered into a sister relationship as well.
fecting several key trading partners, international trade has been slow so far this year in the Miami Customs District, which covers airports and seaports from Palm Beach to Key West, said Manny Mencia, senior vice president of international trade & business development at Enterprise Florida’s Coral Gables office. “World trade is down,” he said, “and US trade, particularly on the export side, is under pressure. It’s off by about 5.2%. Statewide, imports are off by about 1% and exports by about 1.5%. So we are doing better than the nation, but still not as well as I would like to see it.” The culprit, Mr. Mencia said, is the world trading environment. “China and the European Union continue to be in some economic turmoil,” he said, “as well as some nations in the Western Hemisphere.” China is Miami’s third most active trading partner, he said, and its No. 1 supplier, accounting for 35% of imports into PortMiami. On the export side, “there is reason for optimism for Miami in particular,” Mr. Mencia said, “because the nations of Latin America seem finally to be beginning to come out of a slower period. Unfortunately, the two exceptions are Brazil and Colombia” – Miami’s top two trading partners. Exports to Brazil are off roughly 12.8% so far this year, he said, and to Colombia about 8.5%. “However, on the positive side of the house, exports to Mexico are doing extremely well – up 26%; to the Dominican Republic, up 11%; to Chile, 15%, and the nations of Central America are doing very well, too. So we may be beginning to see the rebound expected in the region beginning in 2016,” Mr. Mencia said. “But the fact that Brazil, our No. 1 trading partner, is sliding into recession is a challenge, so the outlook for this year is mixed.” Both Brazil and Colombia have significantly devalued their currencies in order to adjust to lower oil and commodity prices and the forthcoming increase in interest
‘South Florida is an exporter of services – education, law, engineering. If we’re exporting, say, data entry to Cuba, none of that is captured in trade statistics.’ Jerry Haar rates in the US, said Joseph Ganitsky, director of the University of Miami’s Center for International Business Education & Research in the School of Business Administration. Both are also affected by internal factors: in Brazil, a corruption scandal, and in Colombia, peace negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Brazil’s GNP will not increase at all this year,” he said, “and if the scandal continues the impact might be more severe. As for Colombia, growth will be around 3% this year. “All of the above is lowering our exports towards them. The rapid growth years are over.” China’s recent devaluation of about 5% is insignificant compared to Colombia’s 50% devaluation, Dr. Ganitsky said, “but when you’re talking about the largest economy in the world, 50% would have significant impact. They need more exports, but they cannot continue to grow at the same rate without increasing their domestic market” – and greater devaluation of China’s currency could trigger a trade war. Because South Florida is by and large an exporter of services, not merchandise goods, trade statistics fail to give a true account of the local economy, said Jerry Haar, professor in FIU’s
Department of Management & International Business. “Miami is a giant commercial air traffic control tower,” he said. “We are primarily a transshipment port; most of what we import or export is not produced here. “Of course trade is very important, but the jobs it creates are low-rate, low-skill and high-turnover. “What is far more important than trade is foreign investment, which creates jobs and is not volatile from one year to the next.” Dr. Haar suggests that Miami needs to broaden its definition of exports. “South Florida is an exporter of services – education, law, engineering,” he said. “If we’re exporting, say, data entry to Cuba, none of that is captured in trade statistics. “In terms of commodities, growth rates have not changed all that much, but what is the dollar amount of those other exports? How many do they employ, at what salary, and what taxes do we get from them? What is the economic multiplier that we get from that? “There needs to be some kind of reporting on the export of services, because that is where we really shine.”
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VIEWPOINT
MIAMI TODAY
WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
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University roadmap should drive straight to Miami’s core On paper, the University of Miami is now governed by a great new president, Julio Frenk. But then, on paper this season the Miami Marlins were championship contenders. Succeeding off paper in Michael Lewis the real world requires the kind of leadership for which Dr. Frenk was recruited. Which is why his first announcement was heartening: he said he’ll spend 100 days listening intently as he roadmaps the university’s future. He should get more than an earful: professors and university students are hardly reticent or lacking in strong opinions. His job will be to pluck the needlesharp wisdom from the haystack of ideas he’ll find himself buried in. Even more important than pulling together wisdom will be the ensuing prioritization. Not every good idea is practical, and not every practical idea can be accomplished simultaneously. Ideas will be many, but in goal-setting less is more.
It’s likely that university trustees have already given Dr. Frenk their own list of aims. Doubtless a scholar who has already been Mexico’s health minister and Harvard’s medical school dean has his own carefully drawn list as well. The last thing Dr. Frenk needs, in fact, may be a newspaper’s ideas about what he and the university should be doing. But just in case he hasn’t yet stumbled over the obvious, we want to make perfectly clear what Miami – as opposed to just the university itself – needs from the University of Miami. First, the university should be linking to the community in which it functions in as many ways as possible. Communities make great laboratories in which to put ideas and training into practice. The university gets a low-cost test tube of the practical; the community gains lowcost wisdom of the academic world. It’s a simple win-win. We can see academic training being practiced to spur new leadership, add to low-cost housing, alleviate traffic congestion, increase contacts with academics globally, stimulate economic growth, and spur gains for economic have-nots. Those are not the university’s responsibility, but since the university lives here too it will prosper as the community does.
The university’s president can also provide both personal leadership and a forum to convene in a single room leaders of multiple groups to cooperate at Miami’s highest levels. For example, Florida International University President Mark Rosenberg is next in line to chair the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Considering Miami’s paucity of leaders who cross lines, Dr. Frenk would do a public service by stepping off campus into a toplevel local leadership role, formal or informal. It also would benefit the community if the University of Miami were to strengthen its STEM programs – the vital areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We are unlikely to grow Miami’s economy in those areas without a steady flow of strong graduates for businesses to hire. We have a gap there today. It is also vital to Miami that the university keep strengthening its global impact in a multinational county that lives on the services it sells to every continent. We should attract globally not only top professors and students but also events that bring here world thought, business and government leaders, events that include Miamians and Miami institutions.
The medical school is a major contributor to Miami, but since that is Dr. Frenk’s strength and the medical school already consumes more than two-thirds of the annual university budget of about $2.8 billion yet enrolls only a few hundred of the 16,774 students, he will certainly emphasize medicine and health. But the university is still not among the American Association of Universities’ 60 research universities. Admission is by invitation only. Dr. Frenk should target entry. The prestige will serve the community well and equally serve Miami’s ability to recruit large new employers in research fields. As for the university’s high-profile football program, we’re sure others have advised Dr. Frenk. We’d simply warn that the team should be entirely studentathletes, not just athletes. Too often UM football has made national news for all the wrong reasons, starting with character. Under each of its first five presidents the 90-year-old university made major gains. On paper, we expect no less under Dr. Frenk – including a muchsharpened focus on an active role in leading its community. We can’t wait for him to announce after his first 100 days just how he has mapped the university’s next century.
County budget reflects priority to maintain, not reach higher I was the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami; I am the head of my household; I know that how one spends money reveals one’s priorities. For the county, the budget seems to reflect our priority to maintain, instead of Xavier Suarez reach higher. We seem not to push for what we could be, but only to maintain what little we truly have. The growing income disparity, a stubbornly high (and growing) poverty rate and inaccessible, unaffordable public transportation are the areas I thought the county was committed to addressing. Instead, its just more of the same. No imagination, no investments, no vision. On poverty, we created community redevelopment agencies to address slum and blight, but forgot to match their missions with the county’s resources to actually develop areas that are prime for a facelift. Meanwhile, we haven’t been protecting the cultural integrity of our neighborhoods and have allowed historic districts to be traversed by ugly overpasses. Addressing poverty requires big think-
L ETTERS
The Writer Xavier Suarez is a Miami-Dade County Commissioner. ing and coherent strategy, not just piecemeal fixes. Poverty amongst our children is a betrayal of our social contract; it is a badge of dishonor, a scarlet letter to be worn by us all. We can do better if we really align our words with our spending, or “put our money where our mouth is.” We can fix most of our problems with poverty and a growing chasm between classes by addressing two areas, housing and transportation. In July, I presented an affordable housing plan that marries public investments of $50 million with private investments to build affordable housing units to be sold at less than $100,000. This would be the first time that new affordable housing units would truly be affordable, by making sure we kept the monthly mortgage payments below $700. Right now, households that spend more than 30% of their income on rent are considered “overburdened” by the US Census Bureau. When we spend more than 30% of our income on housing we
TO THE
Help Wanted: all-powerful local Mass Transit Czar Quoting Miami Today, “The jam of solutions rivals the jam of traffic. Let’s get some adult supervision in government so that we’re all playing the traffic game with the same aim.” As I’ve said before, “What this dysfunctional little burg needs is a Mass Transit Czar.” His or her word is the final word. He/she coordinates everything.
E DITOR
Period. No one, not even a mayor or commissioner, can overrule what the Czar says. Oh, yeah, said Czar should be someone well-respected in the mass transit community, someone who actually has had successful experience in the field and not someone appointed by one person, or someone whose only qualification is knowing the right people or contributing to campaign funds. DC Copeland
have very little disposable income to spend on other things like vacations, clothing, food, healthcare and transportation. Addressing poverty is not just a function of reducing the burden of housing but it also should be addressed by creating a more functional, less expensive transportation system. Too often, the location of affordable neighborhoods comes with the tradeoff of inaccessible public transportation. If we want people to seize all of the opportunity that this county has to offer, we need to, at the very least, make getting there more feasible and less of a hassle. For example, living near Homestead or Palmetto Bay or the West End might be the most affordable option; yet, commutes are regularly over an hour or the tolls rack up hundreds per month. This makes living away from the center of the county just as expensive and definitely more cumbersome than living in the center of everything, where rent continues to skyrocket. People do not really have options. The county is bringing in an extra $120 million this year; why not spend one-third of it on building more mass transit? I propose we spend $40 million of it on mass transit projects. We desperately need this investment to help mitigate our transit woes. County residents cannot continue to waste their time in traffic and their money on tolls if we want our economy to grow for everyone. Improving quality of life for residents should be a top priority for the county government. We are blessed with the
nicest beaches in the world, a myriad of rich cultural histories and people who have an unusual strength fashioned from what brought us all here in the first place. These are the ingredients for a community full of stability and rich with opportunities as vast as anything imaginable; yet, our neighbors are still not experiencing the comfort that comes with financial security. These problems are not insurmountable. The fix lies in us prioritizing what will do the most good for the most people. We can start by setting the standard via our budget. The investments that I have proposed, $50 million for housing and $40 million for transportation, are only a start to fixing problems that have been brewing for decades. These fixes are not going to drastically alter millions of lives tomorrow, but they will be the first step in us codifying our priorities into law and setting our sights on making Dade County better than it is and closer to what it could be.
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TODAY’S NEWS
WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
MIAMI TODAY
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County to weigh proposed private complex at corner of port BY CATHERINE LACKNER
A proposal to put a $240 million maritime center – which would include convention space, a hotel, a yacht marina and related facilities – in the southwest corner of PortMiami could pump $76 million into county coffers in lease payments and taxes over 10 years. Miami-Dade’s Trade and Tourism Committee is to take up the proposal of Miami Yacht Harbor today (8/27). County staff recommends approval, and if the committee agrees, the county commission must rule. The three-phase complex would cater to the maritime industry, said Opal Jones, an equity partner in the project, which is being steered by MITC-2015, a Florida corporation that has Rene Lacomb of West Palm Beach and Jean Claude Verite of Miami as principals. The hotel would serve cruise and mega-yacht crews and tempt passengers to stay in Miami longer, while the convention center would become the pre-
The county is being asked for land at lower left for a $240 million complex with convention, hotel space.
mier showcase for new maritime concepts, Ms. Jones said. Repair and refueling stations, duty-free shops, restaurants and other uses would serve the marine industry, she added. “Crews need places to stay and eat. We’re growing the economic pie for everybody; we just want a slice before we serve it up.” The deal is complicated, and would require MITC-2015 to
move the site’s current leaseholder, the non-profit Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC), to another part of the port. City of Miami officials would have to approve because of provisions under which the city gave the port to the county in 1960. MITC-2015 would sign a 45year lease with the option to renew for another 45. It might obtain more land: MSRC had originally leased 8.69 acres in
Ousted school principal retains title, pay level BY CARLA VIANNA
The former principal of North Miami Senior High, who was recently removed from school staff after publicly siding with a white police officer in a racially sensitive subject, has been relocated to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools North Region Office. There, Alberto Iber will continue carrying his title as high school principal, although he won’t belong to any particular school staff. His salary remained the same, said John Schuster, a public schools spokesman. Mr. Iber is now a “principal on special assignment,” meaning he will be tasked with a variety of administrative duties, including assisting other high school principals when needed, Mr. Schuster said. There are four region offices within the county (north, west, south and east), and each employs teachers on special assignment, directors and a regional superintendent. Mr. Schuster could not confirm whether the position is temporary. Mr. Iber was removed from his position at North Miami when he publicly defended white policeman David Eric Casebolt, who waved a gun at black teens outside a community pool in
McKinney, Texas. “He did nothing wrong,” Mr. Iber commented on a story posted on the Miami Herald website. “He was afraid for his life. I commend him for his actions.” The comment, which displayed Mr. Iber’s Facebook picture, name and title, was removed within a few hours but not before gaining the community’s attention – and subsequent backlash.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho released a statement saying “Insensitivity – intentional or perceived – is both unacceptable and inconsistent with our policies,” and said that school employees are “held to a higher standard.” Daryl Branton, who was vice principal at North Miami during Mr. Iber’s tenure, replaced him as high school principal on July 15.
OMNI & MIDTOWN REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCIES PLEASE ALL TAKE NOTICE that a Board of Commissioners Meeting of the Omni & Midtown Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agencies is scheduled to take place on Thursday, September 10, 2015 @ 12:00 p.m., or thereafter, at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, FL 33133. All interested persons are invited to attend. For more information please contact the Omni & Midtown CRA offices at (305) 679-6868.
#22695
Pieter A. Bockweg, Executive Director Omni and Midtown Community Redevelopment Agencies
Notice of Public Budget Meeting NOTICE IS GIVEN that a Public Budget Hearing will be held by the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday, September 3, 2015, at 5:01 PM, regarding the County’s Budget and proposed millage rates for Fiscal Year 2015-16. The hearing will take place in the Commission Chambers, located on the Second Floor of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 N.W. First Street, Miami, Florida 33128. All interested parties may appear and be heard at the time and place specified. Miami-Dade County provides equal access and equal opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its programs or services. For material in alternate format, a sign language interpreter or other accommodation, please call 305-375-2035 or send email to agendco@miamidade.gov. HARVEY RUVIN, CLERK CHRISTOPHER AGRIPPA, DEPUTY CLERK
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1991, but in 2007 gave back 2.35 acres to the county. In the new deal, MITC-2105 might be allowed to lease and develop both MSRC’s current land and the returned parcel. “We would love to have the entire piece,” Ms. Jones said. The first phase could open 18 months after permitting, she added. Broward-based Tutor Perini would be the construction company. Miami-Dade would pay no expenses connected with the deal and the rent MITC-2015 offers is $400,000 more than what
MSRC is paying, she said. The southwest parcel is sought-after. A 2011 port master plan said commercial uses could be allowed, giving rise to rumors that the county wanted to put office buildings or other uses there. In early 2014, then-PortMiami Director Bill Johnson and Charlotte Gallogly, president of World Trade Center Miami, met with officials at AmCham Shanghai to present a timeline for developing 48 acres in six phases. If it had gone forward, the plan would have added 300,000 square feet of retail, 4.6 million of office space, 1.2 million of hotel space, and nearly 1 million of residential. Later that year, a group of investors led by soccer legend David Beckham proposed a stadium for the site, which Miami’s Downtown Development Authority endorsed, saying office buildings there would unfairly compete with property owners downtown. “We are in line with everything they wanted in the master plan,” Ms. Jones said Monday. “We’re asking to negotiate with MSRC, and simultaneously with the county, for the property.”
Ross Report on Real Estate by Audrey Ross Latest Design Trend: Nanny and Housekeeper Rooms One of the latest design luxury trends in Miami’s luxury market: attached quarters for nannies and maids. Developers taking notice of this need have begun to design residences that offer attached suites with private entrances and separate bathrooms to serve as housekeeper or nanny quarters. Architects and developers constantly re-think and re-imagine how to design to accommodate changing lifestyle needs. The influx of buyers who are choosing Miami as their permanent residence and have additional staff has developers rethinking designs.
or housekeeper. At first, to compensate, buyers bought a smaller separate unit for their staff. Today’s luxury homeowners want their staff close by, but not “on top of them” either. It’s important to the buyers to have sense of separation. Not having separate quarters has been a major drawback to buying a condo instead of a single family home. Luxury market buyers want the comforts and service buildings offer with the spatial adjustments of the single family home. It’s a desire influencing architecture.
When families look for a home, an often heard complaint is the lack of separate quarters for their nanny
In recent years, the tastes and preferences of off shore buyers have continued to impact design trends
www.miamirealestate.com
especially in Miami. Today’s luxury buyers have high standards and expectations. They want their living space to conform to their lifestyle, rather than having to adjust their life to their living space. Today’s world is quickly evolving in terms of the confluence of design, lifestyle and technology. Miami’s developers continue to take notice and pivot to meet the market demands. For professional advice on all aspects of buying or selling real estate, please contact me at aross@miamirealestate.com or 305-960-2575, or come by the office at 355 Alhambra Circle, 9th Floor, in Coral Gables.
12
MIAMI TODAY
FINANCIAL TRENDS
WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
Ripples from China, Greece swaying globalized Miami BY CARLA VIANNA
Although Greece’s debt crisis and China’s volatile stock market are phenomena occurring thousands of miles away, Miami’s increasingly global business and financial communities feel the ripple effects of issues toying with the global economy. While the contagion effect by Greece may be minimal, China’s ups and downs are felt worldwide. “It’s not what happens in Greece, it’s what happens after,” said Tom Balcom, founder of 1650 Wealth Management, a private wealth management firm. “Are other countries going to leave also? Who absorbs the loss, and how will that affect the markets?” Mr. Balcom spoke of fears surrounding a Grexit, or a Greek withdrawal from the eurozone. However, since Greece is such a tiny part of the currency union, direct impact would be minimal, local economists postulated. The Greece economy is actually as big as that of the Miami metropolitan area. The European country’s gross domestic product was about $282 billion in 2013, while the Miami metro area had a GDP of $281 billion, fact-checking site Politifact reported. “The effect is psychological,” said James Cassel, chairman and
Photo by Maxine Usdan
Manuel Lasaga: The local economy will feel repercussions if China’s instability weakens global growth.
co-founder of Cassel Salpeter & Co., an investment banking firm. “The Greece economy doesn’t have a direct relationship with South Florida.” China on the other hand is the world’s second-largest economy, and its increasingly volatile stock market coupled with the recent devaluation of the Chinese yuan has shocked markets across the globe. Fears that China’s economy is slowing have sparked heavy selling in all markets, the Wall Street Journal reported. It’s been a tumultuous week for the US stock market, which plunged
Monday and felt a spot of relief Tuesday. “Some of these currencies have an effect on the real estate market,” Mr. Cassel continued. “The weak Euro might mean less Europeans buying in South Florida.” There’s a push from developers in Miami hoping to attract Chinese investors, perhaps to cushion an expected European and South American slowdown. Miami – often referred to as a safe haven for international money – may attract flight capital from those in China uncom-
fortable with the long-term prospect of the economy and Chinese government’s reactions to it, Mr. Cassel said. As the Chinese currency is adjusted or manipulated, he said, it will affect both the purchasing power in the US and its export potential. When the dollar is strong against the yuan, the US can buy more Chinese products but it also stunts US exports, he explained. On the flip side, he said, the US economy is strengthening, so more product will be absorbed domestically.
“To be overly concerned about a market that was up 150% and is now down 50%, to me, is a little bit naive,” said senior investment strategist Jonathan Hill with Gibraltar Bank about the Chinese market. “The recent turmoil is unwelcome, but we have been consistent in anticipating this hike in volatility,” read an email Mr. Hill sent to his investors and clients last week. The email calls the situation a “short-term disruption” and points out that traditionally light summer-trading volumes can leave markets vulnerable to “outsized swings,” which is common in July and August. Ultimately, the Chinese slowdown can affect the growth of international trade and investments with South Florida’s three major partners: Central America, South America and Europe, said Miami economist Manuel Lasaga. Repercussions will further spill over to the local economy if China’s instability affects global growth, he said. Mr. Lasaga points to the lack of transparency in how the Chinese economy is faring in the midst of its apparent slowdown as a reason for increased volatility in the market. “I do think China should continue to grow 6% to 7% this year,” he said. “It’s still going to add momentum to the global economy,” but the momentum will be slower than anticipated.
Our financial institutions treat Fed rate hike as fait accompli BY CARLA VIANNA
The Federal Reserve’s policysetting meeting last month hinted that the anticipated rate increase is on its way, although exactly when the Fed will touch rates was left up in the air. While federal officials continue discussing whether the economy is ready for a rate adjustment, local financial institutions are already functioning on the assumption that an increase is soon to arrive, said Carlos Fernandez-Guzman, president and CEO of Pacific National Bank. “I think for the most part, the markets all around – not just the community banking sector – have taken it for granted that [the increase] was going to happen,” Mr. Fernandez-Guzman said. “We are all acting in our pricing and forward-pricing as if the 25-basis-point increase will happen, but now we’re beginning to think that that may be postponed.” In preparation for the rate increase, which would raise the near-zero rate for the first time in nearly a decade, banks have adjusted their loan pricings, Mr. Fernandez-Guzman said. They’ve edged their loan pricing upward according to when those loans will mature, aiming to take advantage of higher rates. “That happens fairly quickly when you start to get a feeling that rates are going to rise,” he said.
Photo by Maxine Usdan
Carlos Fernandez-Guzman: “Markets...have taken it for granted that [the increase] was going to happen.”
Banks are leaning toward floating-rate loans, also known as variable loans, in which rates are flexible. The interest rate on a variable loan, as opposed to a fixed-rate loan, can be adjusted more frequently and subsequently be priced at the new, higher rate once the Fed changes the rate environment. “They want to be able to reprice their assets, their loans, at a higher rate, and also they’re looking now for people to go longer on CDs, or Certificate of
Deposits,” said Tony Villamil, founder and principal of The Washington Economics Group. In other words, banks are trying to lock in deposits at today’s rates. “On the asset side, the loan side, they’re trying to shorten the loan duration so they can reprice at a higher rate. Because if you have short-term loan, and the Fed moves up, by time those loans come due, [banks] can price it on the higher rate.” Mr. Villamil said. “They would like
to see more variable loans that move with the Fed.” When the Fed raises interest rates, a corresponding increase is expected for prime rates, mortgage rates, car loan rates and money market rates. Although the economy’s improvement was noted by federal officials during the July meeting, economic data weren’t sufficient to move forward with a rate increase. “Most judged that the conditions for policy firming had not
yet been achieved, but they noted that conditions were approaching that point,” the meeting minutes read. The Federal Reserve’s main goal is to stabilize and maintain balance within the US economy. One factor officials take into consideration when raising rates is inflation, which has yet to reach the Fed’s 2% target. “Some participants expressed the view that the incoming information had not yet provided grounds for reasonable confidence that inflation would move back to 2% over the medium term and that the inflation outlook thus might not soon meet one of the conditions established by the Committee for initiating a firming of policy,” the minutes read. Although the decision for a rate increase is being made on a meeting-to-meeting basis, Mr. Fernandez-Guzman said banks will continue to anticipate the change. A survey by the National Association of Business Economics showed 77% of respondents believe the Fed will raise rates, but only 37% believe it will happen as soon as next month, the Associated Press reported. “[The Fed’s] intent has been very definitively stated: We are going to raise rates. Timing will depend on economic data,” Mr. Fernandez-Guzman said. “It’s going be very difficult for us to say it’s not going to rise, so let’s back off on these decisions.”
WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
FINANCIAL TRENDS
MIAMI TODAY
13
Commodity prices vital to our South America trade partners China’s weakness rebounds here BY CARLA VIANNA
Miami’s international trade may weaken in coming months due to plummeting commodity prices, which slid to a 13-yearlow this month, according to the Bloomberg Commodity index. As of Tuesday, commodities slightly edged back upward. Miami’s major Latin American trade partners such as Brazil, Colombia and Peru are commodity export-driven economies, whose growths are slowed by falling prices. “As commodity prices decline, they export less,� said Tony Villamil, founder and principal of The Washington Economics Group. “They buy less from the US. There’s less trade flow. Commodity prices are very important for the economy in South America.� China, a global driver of commodity prices, is suffering an economic downturn with the bulk of financial scares transpiring within recent weeks. As China buys less raw material to produce its own products, the Latin American countries relying on commodity exports lose their biggest market. All eyes are watching China’s volatile stock market and the devaluation of its currency. Fear of a global setback crept into stock markets around the world, all of which continued to plunge as of Monday. Commodity prices were hurt again by the weakest Chinese factory data since the global financial crisis. Oil had the longest run of weekly declines in almost 30 years, while copper, nickel, zinc, aluminum, tin and lead also fell, Bloomberg reported. “Commodity prices, excluding oil, are down 40%,� Mr. Villamil said. “There might be more financial capital coming in, but we will see less actual trade and visitor activity.� Origin exports, or goods produced in Florida and sold abroad, were down 1.5% year-to-date compared to last year. US exports were down more than 5%, said Manny Mencia, senior VP of the International Trade & Business Development division
of Enterprise Florida Inc. “We are outperforming the nation,� Mr. Mencia said. “We are less dependent on the Chinese market.� So far this year, trade between Florida and China has declined about 5%. It’s an indirect effect, Mr. Mencia explained. The strengthening dollar hinders the purchasing power of countries in Latin America, which affects Miami’s southbound trade. A stronger dollar, on the other hand, increases the US’s ability to purchase from other countries. “From the perspective of Latin America, the US is now once again reemerging as an excellent alternative market,� Mr. Mencia said. “The country in Photo by Maxine Usdan Latin America that is feeling the “It is a matter of to what extent Latin America is affected by what goes on in China,� said Manny Mencia. hangover of the commodity downturn in China the most is Brazil. Nevertheless, it looks as if most of our traditional markets in Latin America have recovered to an extent.� Florida’s exports to Chile (15%), Peru (10%) and Mexico (26%) are all up through June compared to the same period last year, according to data collected by Enterprise Florida. Central American and Caribbean countries that don’t rely as much on commodities are performing better than average for those areas in terms of growth, Mr. Mencia said. Brazil and Colombia, however, Florida’s largest and third-largest markets, are not keeping up the pace. More than two-thirds of South Florida’s international trade is with Latin America, Mr. Mencia Photo by Marlene Quaroni said. Aside from exports and “As commodity prices decline, they export less. They buy less from the US,� explained Tony Villamil. imports, Miami provides an estimated $30 billion worth of services to other countries. “So, it is a matter of to what extent Latin America is affected by what goes on in China,� Mr. Mencia said. “Imports from China are a little bit off [for Florida]. Exports to China are somewhat down. The big deal is how it’s affected and how it might continue to affect some major exporters of commodities in Latin America, first and foremost Brazil, but also Colombia.�
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14
TODAY’S NEWS
MIAMI TODAY
WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
Public Notice NOTICE IS GIVEN that a meeting of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled on Tuesday, September 1, 2015, at 9:30 AM, in the Commission Chambers, located on the Second Floor of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 N.W. First Street, Miami, Florida, wherein, among other matters to be considered, a public hearing will be held on the following proposed ordinances/resolutions: Ordinances and Resolutions: t 3FTPMVUJPO providing for the upgrade of street lighting services at a combined estimated capital cost and ďŹ rst year rate increase cost of $230,000.00 t 3FTPMVUJPO OBNJOH UIF OFX 1VCMJD )FBMUI 5SVTU 3FIBCJMJUBUJPO 'BDJMJUZ A’The Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial’’ t 3FTPMVUJPO DPEFTJHOBUJOH UIBU QPSUJPO PG /8 CMPDL BU JUT JOUFSTFDUJPO XJUI 'POUBJOFCMFBV #PVMFWBSE BT ‘’JosĂŠ Milton Way’’ t 0SEJOBODF approving, adopting and ratifying non-ad valorem assessment rolls, rates and assessments for the street lighting Special Taxing Districts in Miami-Dade County, Florida, for the Fiscal Year commencing October 1, 2015 and ending September 30, 2016 t 0SEJOBODF BQQSPWJOH BEPQUJOH BOE SBUJGZJOH special assessment district rates for Special Taxing Districts, including CVU OPU MJNJUFE UP TUSFFU MJHIUJOH NVMUJQVSQPTF NBJOUFOBODF TFDVSJUZ HVBSE BOE DBQJUBM JNQSPWFNFOUT SPBE NBJOUFOBODF special taxing districts for the ďŹ scal year commencing October 1, 2015 and ending September 30, 2016 t 0SEJOBODF BQQSPWJOH BEPQUJOH BOE SBUJGZJOH OPO BE WBMPSFN BTTFTTNFOU SPMMT SBUFT BOE BTTFTTNFOUT GPS UIF Security Guard Special Taxing Districts in Miami-Dade County, Florida, for the Fiscal Year commencing October 1, 2015 and ending September 30, 2016 t 0SEJOBODF BQQSPWJOH BEPQUJOH BOE SBUJGZJOH OPO BE WBMPSFN BTTFTTNFOU SPMMT SBUFT BOE BTTFTTNFOUT GPS UIF Multipurpose Maintenance Special Taxing Districts in Miami-Dade County, Florida, for the Fiscal Year commencing October 1, 2015 and ending September 30, 2016 t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUJOH UP acceleration of Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department projects for the consent decree and Capital Improvement Program; amending Ordinance No. 14-77 to eliminate sunset provision and provide for automatic renewal on a yearly basis t 3FTPMVUJPO calling Special Election in proposed Lake Hilda Multipurpose Maintenance Special Taxing District for the purpose of submitting to qualiďŹ ed electors residing in such Special Taxing District, for their approval or disapproval t 3FTPMVUJPO calling Special Election in proposed Special Taxing District for the purpose of submitting to qualiďŹ ed electors residing in Lake Patricia Multipurpose Maintenance Special Taxing District, for their approval or disapproval t 3FTPMVUJPO approving signiďŹ cant modiďŹ cation of Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond Program Project No. 241 – ‘’Unincorporated Municipal Service Area – Future Multi-Use Facility’’ to reduce its allocation by $1,500,000.00 and addition of new Project No. 353 – ‘’Biscayne Shores & Gardens Community Center’’ to be funded with $1,500,000 of surplus funds from Project No. 241 t 0SEJOBODF granting petition of Interlaken Community Development District A %JTUSJDU PS A 1FUJUJPOFS to expand the boundary of the district established by Ordinance No. 11-101 t 3FTPMVUJPO SFOBNJOH UIF #PYJOH $FOUFS BU 5SPQJDBM 1BSL BT UIF Muhammad Ali Boxing Center t 3FTPMVUJPO SFOBNJOH UIF CBTFCBMM mFME BU 5SPQJDBM 1BSL OFBSFTU UIF JOUFSTFDUJPO PG 4PVUIXFTU UI 4USFFU BOE TPVUIXFTU OE "WFOVF BT UIF Orestes “Minnieâ€? MiĂąoso Field Ordinances creating and establishing Special Taxing Districts and Resolutions adopting preliminary assessment rolls for: t Grand Floridian Estates Multipurpose Maintenance and Street Lighting t 3FTPMVUJPO adopting preliminary assessment roll QSPWJEJOH GPS BOOVBM BTTFTTNFOUT BHBJOTU SFBM QSPQFSUZ MPDBUFE XJUIJO CPVOEBSJFT PG B 4QFDJBM 5BYJOH %JTUSJDU LOPXO BT Grand Floridian Estates Multipurpose Maintenance and Street Lighting Special Taxing District t Lake Hilda Multipurpose Maintenance t 3FTPMVUJPO approving, adopting, and conďŹ rming preliminary BTTFTTNFOU SPMM QSPWJEJOH GPS BOOVBM BTTFTTNFOUT BHBJOTU SFBM QSPQFSUZ MPDBUFE XJUIJO CPVOEBSJFT PG B 4QFDJBM 5BYJOH %JTUSJDU LOPXO BT Lake Hilda Multipurpose Maintenance Special Taxing District t Lake Patricia Multipurpose Maintenance Special Taxing District t 3FTPMVUJPO adopting preliminary assessment roll QSPWJEJOH GPS BOOVBM BTTFTTNFOUT BHBJOTU SFBM QSPQFSUZ MPDBUFE XJUIJO CPVOEBSJFT PG B 4QFDJBM 5BYJOH %JTUSJDU LOPXO BT Lake Patricia Multipurpose Maintenance Special Taxing District t Walden Townhomes Street Lighting Special Taxing District t 3FTPMVUJPO approving, adopting, and conďŹ rming preliminary assessment roll QSPWJEJOH GPS BOOVBM BTTFTTNFOUT BHBJOTU SFBM QSPQFSUZ MPDBUFE XJUIJO CPVOEBSJFT PG B 4QFDJBM 5BYJOH %JTUSJDU LOPXO BT Walden Townhomes Street Lighting Special Taxing District t Flagler Station North Multipurpose Maintenance and Street Lighting Special Taxing District t 3FTPMVUJPO approving, adopting, and conďŹ rming preliminary assessment roll QSPWJEJOH GPS BOOVBM BTTFTTNFOUT BHBJOTU SFBM QSPQFSUZ MPDBUFE XJUIJO CPVOEBSJFT PG B 4QFDJBM 5BYJOH %JTUSJDU LOPXO BT Flagler Station North Multipurpose Maintenance and Street Lighting Special Taxing District t Jesus Subdivision Street Lighting Special Taxing District t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH BEPQUJOH BOE DPOmSNJOH QSFMJNJOBSZ BTTFTTNFOU SPMM QSPWJEJOH GPS BOOVBM BTTFTTNFOUT BHBJOTU SFBM QSPQFSUZ MPDBUFE XJUIJO CPVOEBSJFT PG B 4QFDJBM 5BYJOH %JTUSJDU LOPXO BT Jesus Subdivision Street Lighting Special Taxing District All interested parties may appear and be heard at the time and place speciďŹ ed. The proposed ordinances listed below will have a Second Reading to be considered for enactment by the Board at the time and place speciďŹ ed above. t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUJOH UP UIF South A Municipal Advisory Committee created to study the possible Incorporation of a Municipality in the South A Area t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUJOH UP UIF South B Municipal Advisory Committee created to study the possible Incorporation of a Municipality in the South B Area t 0SEJOBODF amending Article XXXI of the Code to locally adopt the spirit underlying the principles of the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, an international treaty; amending Section 2-477 of the Code to authorize the Commission Auditor to gather data regarding economic development, health and safety, and education of women in Miami-Dade County; amending Section 2-269 of the Code to authorize the Miami-Dade County Commission for Women to analyze such data and to report to this Board t 0SEJOBODF amending Section 12-27 of the Code to Special Elections for General Obligation Bond Referendum t 0SEJOBODF Selating to the Rules of Procedure of the Board of County Commissioners; amending Section 2-1 of the Code; requiring the County Mayor to provide a written social equity statement regarding any proposed County Ordinance and place such statement on an Agenda with the proposed Ordinance prior to public hearing on the Ordinance t 0SEJOBODF amending Section 4-7 of the Code, eliminating requirement that air ambulance rates be established by Miami-Dade County t 0SEJOBODF BNFOEJOH 4FDUJPO PG UIF $PEF QSPWJEJOH EFmOJUJPOT SFMBUFE UP 4BOJUBSZ 4FXFS $PMMFDUJPO BOE 5SBOTNJTTJPO 4ZTUFNT BNFOEJOH 4FDUJPO PG UIF $PEF SFMBUJOH UP PQFSBUJOH QFSNJUT BNFOEJOH 4FDUJPO PG UIF $PEF QSPWJEJOH DBQBDJUZ NBOBHFNFOU PQFSBUJPO BOE NBJOUFOBODF SFRVJSFNFOUT GPS UIF WPMVNF TFXFS DVTUPNFS 4BOJUBSZ 4FXFS $PMMFDUJPO BOE 5SBOTNJTTJPO 4ZTUFNT GPS UIF DPOTFOU EFDSFF CFUXFFO .JBNJ %BEF $PVOUZ UIF 6OJUFE 4UBUFT PG "NFSJDB UIF 4UBUF PG 'MPSJEB BOE 'MPSJEB %FQBSUNFOU PG &OWJSPONFOUBM 1SPUFDUJPO The County Commission’s ability to consider enacting the foregoing ordinance is contingent upon the Metropolitan Services Committee, at its August 26, 2015, meeting, forwarding the ordinance to the Commission in accordance with the Commission’s Rules of Procedure. All interested parties may appear at the time and place speciďŹ ed. A person who decides to appeal any decision made by any board, agency, or commission with respect to any matter considered BU JUT NFFUJOH PS IFBSJOH XJMM OFFE B SFDPSE PG QSPDFFEJOHT 4VDI QFSTPOT NBZ OFFE UP FOTVSF UIBU B WFSCBUJN SFDPSE PG UIF QSPDFFEJOHT JT NBEF JODMVEJOH UIF UFTUJNPOZ BOE FWJEFODF VQPO XIJDI UIF BQQFBM JT UP CF CBTFE .JBNJ %BEF $PVOUZ QSPWJEFT FRVBM BDDFTT BOE FRVBM PQQPSUVOJUZ BOE EPFT OPU EJTDSJNJOBUF PO UIF CBTJT PG EJTBCJMJUZ JO JUT QSPHSBNT PS TFSWJDFT 'PS NBUFSJBM JO BMUFSOBUF GPSNBU B TJHO MBOHVBHF JOUFSQSFUFS PS PUIFS BDDPNNPEBUJPO QMFBTF DBMM PS FNBJM agendco@miamidade.gov.
)"37&: 367*/ $-&3, $)3*4501)&3 "(3*11" %&165: $-&3, For legal ads online, go to http://legalads.miamidade.gov
Photo by Marlene Quaroni
The Omni Community Redevelopment agency owns the studio facility.
EUE/Screen Gems set to open city film studio BY CATHERINE LACKNER
The Florida Film & Television Center, a studio facility that has been in the planning stages since 2011, is set to open next month, said Chris Cooney, chief operating officer of EUE/Screen Gems, which has been contracted to run the complex. The Omni Community Redevelopment Agency owns the facility at 50 NW 14th St. “We’re now in range for a midSeptember opening,� though an actual date has not been set, Mr. Cooney said. When it is, an official grand opening will be announced, he added. Formerly called the Miami Entertainment Center, the complex will house two sound stages of 15,000 square feet and about 12,000 square feet of office and storage space, along with editing suites. Construction cranes have lifted pre-fabricated walls into place to support the roof, which was raised to a height of 50 feet, considered a crucial production requirement. EUE/Screen Gems, based in New York City, operates film studios in Atlanta and in Wilmington, NC. “Miami and South Florida offer tremendous crews, a great population of content and idea people. But what was missing was a facility that would handle the big ideas,� Mr. Cooney said when the contract was signed. EUE/Screen Gems Studios leased the building for 10 years with an option to renew for nine more, and is to pay $100,000 per
year and 11% of gross sales in excess of $750,000 once it is up and running. The agency will reimburse EUE/Screen Gems up to $11.5 million in development costs. EUE/Screen Gems’ Wilmington studio is the largest production studio in the US east of California, with 10 sound stages comprising more than 150,000 square feet, according to a redevelopment agency release. Since 1985, more than 350 film, television and commercial projects have been shot there. The Atlanta studio complex contains 10 stages in 138,000 square feet of production and flex space. It has hosted more than 20 scripted television shows and feature films since it opened in 2010.
FILMING IN M IAMI These film permits were issued last week by the Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory & Economic Resources’ Office of Film and Entertainment, (305) 375-3288; the Miami Mayor’s Office of Film, Arts & Entertainment, (305) 8603823; and the Miami Beach Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment-Film and Print Division, (305) 673-7070. 44 BLUE PRODUCTIONS INC. California. Tentatively Rock and a Hard Place. Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. HIGH NOON PRODUCTIONS LLC. Denver. Quinceanera. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide, Unincorporated Miami-Dade County. Community Films. Culver City. BSCA. Greynolds Park, Greynolds Park Golf Course. Mesquite Productions Inc. Homestead. Bloodline Season 2. Mesquite Production Inc. Sharp Entertainment. New York. 90 Day FiancÊ. Fire/ Rescue Headquarters. Cinemat USA. Doral. Talia’s Kitchen. Espaùola Way/ Plaza De Espaùola. Waka TV. Dublin. Vogue Williams Wild Girl. Training & Treatment Center. Glickman Media. Sunny Isles. Voices for Children PSA. Miami-Dade County Children Courthouse. Paragon Production Services Inc. Miami Beach. Babson College. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.