Miami Today: Week of Thursday, September 8, 2016 by Miami Today

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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HEALTH UPDATE

County to borrow $735 million in vast Jackson upgrade, pg. 13 FLYING HIGHER: Miami International Airport passenger traffic continues to grow, with 2.75% more passengers this year than last through the first seven months of the year to total more than 26.7 million passengers arriving and departing combined, reported statistics reveal. The totals include almost 14.2 million domestic passengers, up 4.28% over the first seven months of 2015, and nearly 12.6 million international passengers, up 1.07%. Freight flowing through the airport, meanwhile, slipped a hair, down 0.07% for the year to 1,226,040 tons.

Miami Cancer Institute due for October move-in, pg. 16

THE ACHIEVER

FLYING MORE PLACES: Scandinavian Airlines is to launch new flight service at Miami International Airport on Sept. 28, flying three times a week between the airport and Copenhagen, Denmark, and four times a week linking with Oslo, Norway. The next day Dominican Wings begins weekly flights linking Miami and both Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Both airlines are new to the airport, officials announced. Last week the airport welcomed new international routes with four weekly flights to and from Bimini, Bahamas, by Silver Airways; three weekly links with Cologne, Germany, by Eurowings; and weekly non-stop flights to and from Paramaribo, Suriname, by Surinam Airways. WYNWOOD REIMBURSEMENT: Miami-Dade commissioners were expected to vote this week on a resolution by Chairman Jean Monestime urging Congress and the Florida Legislature to allocate funds for economic recovery packages to help the Wynwood business section recover from the effects of Zika and to reimburse Miami-Dade County for funds expended on mosquito control and outreach and education efforts. The resolution noted that Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Aug. 11 wrote Gov. Rick Scott requesting state funds for economic recovery packages and to reimburse the county for its spending. It also said that on Aug. 10 the Wynwood Business Improvement District had reported that Wynwood’s economy had already seen a 50% to 75% drop in revenue. NEWCOMERS TO SPUR HOME PRICES: Current home prices in Florida were down $42,000 compared to fourth quarter 2006 values, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s inaugural Florida Population Report. However, prices have risen $83,000 in the span of five years after bottoming out in 2011. According to the report, tight supply and pentup demand are driving price increases and pace of sales as new residents snap up homes in fast-growing metros.

John Murray

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Barry University provost seeks new educational paths The profile is on Page 4

City explores Brickell fire station-school combo BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Miami officials and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools are exploring options for a new school for Brickell, perhaps combined with a new city fire station. Talks are in the early stage. City and school officials met Friday and a consensus remains that a deal can be worked out. In addition, a private developer has expressed interest in a public-private partnership in the area. The item was subject of a sunshine meeting Friday at the City Hall office of Commissioner Ken Russell, at the request of Commissioner Frank Carollo. Mr. Carollo said he was “taken a little bit by surprise” when he learned that legislation had already been written and submitted to the school board. He said he wants the idea to move forward, yet “I’ve had no briefing.” He complained about lack of communication. “There’s something missing here, and I think it’s communication,” he said. Representatives of the city and school district first discussed a shared facility at a sunshine meeting July 13.

AGENDA

Mr. Russell said he too was a bit surprised to hear legislation was already being submitted for a school board vote. It was scheduled for the board’s consideration Wednesday. Lisa Martinez from the Office of the Superintendent said the draft legislation merely verifies what was discussed in July and asks the school board for permission to explore the idea. Fire Chief Maurice Kemp also voiced “surprise” by recent events and said it sounded like school officials were drafting their own memo of understanding while the city’s Department of Real Estate Asset Management was busy working on its own version. “Where will there be an intersect?” Mr. Kemp asked. Ms. Martinez said “there are not two versions” of the memo. “You may have seen different iterations” of the draft agreement, she added, but none of them negates the fire department’s concerns. The school board was being asked to authorize the superintendent to “finalize negotiations” and execute a memorandum of understanding with the city “to provide a

general framework under which a collaboration between the city and the board could be further formulated to co-develop and co-locate a new, expanded fire station and a future educational facility on the cityowned fire station No. 4 site (1105-1133 SW Second Ave.),” the agenda item reads. Chief Kemp said his primary concerns are continuity of service and compatibility. He stressed that there can be no interruption of service at the fully functioning fire-rescue station that’s now in that neighborhood. “The department needs continuity of use.” Mr. Kemp said he’s open to options but questioned the co-locating a fire station with a school, stressing that fire operations would take priority over school functions. “We can’t have kids loading and unloading in front of a fire station,” he said. The only public school now in the area is Southside Elementary at 45 SW 13th St. Commissioners Carollo and Russell said they remain open to all options. Mr. Russell suggested all parties move forward in good faith “but not get too far down the road that we leave an option behind.”

Distributor seeks boost to hire 1,000 Miami-Dade County commissioners this week were being asked to approve up to $300,000 in job incentive funding for a confidential 1,000-job company expansion into Opa-locka for a company rumored to be Amazon. The Beacon Council, the county’s economic development organization, brought the project before the commission for approval of the incentives. The state would pay $1.2 million in incentives as well if 500 of the jobs were created over a four-year period along with the projected $198 million capital investment. While the site of the company’s high-tech fulfillment center was not stated in the application that went to county commissioners for their vote, the likely site is beside the county’s Opa-locka Airport on 120 acres owned by the county that are leased to the Carrie Meek Foundation. Amazon already has a 300employee center west of Doral and another is in the works. While the application lists 1,000 new jobs, incentives would only be paid on the first 500. As long-standing state legislation spells out, the state would oversee the creation of jobs in accord with its agreement and after the jobs were created paying at least 115% of the state’s average wage. It would then notify the county of its obligations to pay 20% of the total while the state pays 80%. As is typical of Beacon Council applications for incentives, this one is given a code name for commissioners to act on: Project Sol. The application says that the employees functioning in the warehouse and distribution space would receive an average annualized salary of $50,675, plus employee benefits averaging $7,601. The center itself would have more than 855,000 square feet of warehouse and distribution space. Construction would begin in the second quarter of 2017 with operations beginning in the second quarter of 2018.

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

THE INSIDER JOBS DRAW IN NEW FLORIDIANS: An inaugural Cushman & Wakefield Florida Population Report states that jobs are the No. 1 reason people are attracted to Florida, driven in part by the economic challenges in Puerto Rico, where the population has declined 1.7% over the past year with most exiting residents settling initially in Florida. For the past 38 months, Florida’s job growth percentage has exceeded the national average, the report said. In the past 12 months, 244,500 jobs were added, a 3% growth rate, with most new jobs supporting healthcare, logistics and home construction markets and some retail and hospitality. NEW CONSUL GENERAL OF BRAZIL: The Consulate General of Brazil last week announced that Ambassador Adalnio Senna Ganem will replace Ambassador Hélio Vitor Ramos F. as consul general in Florida, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands, effective Friday. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Ganem has held positions in the Brazilian embassies in Peru, France and Panama, was the head of the International Relations Department of the State of São Paulo for three years and served as consul general of Brazil in Atlanta. FINAL FUNDING: Outgoing Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan C. Zapata, who did not run for reelection and is being replaced in office by Joe Martinez, is seeking to allocate $70,744.28 remaining in his office budget for the year ending Sept. 30. Commissioners were to vote on the change this week. The largest of the 24 recipients of the funds would be $13,545.87 for his commission district’s wall campaign, $12,161.83 for the district’s senior health fair that was held in July, $10,011.26 for the district’s allocation to the Parks, Recreation and Juan C. Zapata Open Spaces Department for landscaping at the West District Police Station, and $7,500 for the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce of Miami Inc. UNWRAPPING ALLAPATTAH: Investment interest in Allapattah keeps growing with a few new buyers and tenants moving in as well as new restaurants in the planning stages, according to Carlos Fausto Miranda, broker and president of Fausto Commercial Realty Consultants. He says he has closed some $32 million so far in the immediate area. Since mid-August when he spoke to Miami Today about starting to see a few years ago that investors who buy in transitioning neighborhoods and reposition them over time were “quietly” planning projects in Allapattah, he now has $15 Carlos F. Miranda million due to close in the next two months. Last month Mr. Miranda said once major projects in the neighborhood now under contract are announced, there will be yet another substantial jump in demand. This week, Mr. Miranda said a major deal closed Aug. 31. He said he due to a confidentiality agreement he can’t now reveal price or intent. QUICK WORK, QUICK PAY: A Miami-Dade Aviation Department program to funnel building trades contracts at a maximum of $200,000 each to small business enterprises for planned priority and emergency maintenance construction at the county’s five airports has resulted in two years in the awarding of $10.5 million in contracts and the issuance in $6.4 million of total work orders, of which $5.3 million had been paid at the time of a June report to county commissioners that was on the agenda this week. Work is to be paid within 14 days of the receipt of a proper invoice, the report said, with some contractors paid as early as three to five days from receipt. The program has 42 qualified contractors, and the department said it plans to expand it to 60 in 15 construction trades. OPA-LOCKA AIRPORT WORK: Miami-Dade’s Aviation Department is to spend $137,500 as its share of a $171,875 program to repair and rehabilitate the taxiways at Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport. The rest of the money is to come from the Florida Department of Transportation. The work is to include resurfacing or repairing the asphalt pavement, renovating the lime-rock base, upgrading the associate utilities and electrical circuits, upgrading centerline and other markings, and edge and hold-bar lighting. County commissioners were being asked this week to approve the payment. FORKLIFT IN THE ZONE: City officials in Miami have proposed creation of a special area at the Allapattah Produce Market for operation of forklifts and other similar heavy machinery. The legislation, sponsored by Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort, won preliminary city commission approval in July. The business is in Mr. Gort’s district. The ordinance would establish a Forklift Zone allowing for the use of commercial forklifts on public right-of-way, pursuant to regulations on insurance, speed, etc. The proposal says the area generally bounded by Northwest 12th and 17th avenues and Northwest 20th and 23rd streets, also known as the Allapattah Produce Market Area, is a thriving commercial center for the sale of fresh produce and a source of economic development for the city. Businesses there depend on the use of forklifts over a five-block radius in order to operate. A final vote is expected in September. CORRECTION: The 13-member county commission was scheduled at a special Aug. 9 meeting to authorize a signature count needed for Accountable Miami-Dade’s petition drive limiting campaign donations but the meeting was cancelled due to lack of a quorum. In attendance was Xavier Suarez, among several others including Chairman Jean Monestime. Minutes posted on the county’s website incorrectly listed Mr. Suarez as absent, an error that an Aug. 25 article repeated. CORRECTION: The numbers of condo units in Brickell City Centre buildings REACH and RISE were incorrectly stated in a Sept. 1 article. Each building has 390 condos, for a total of 780. CORRECTION: A 149,000-square-foot lease at the Flagler Station Business Park in Medley for Withers Transfer & Storage was brokered by Flagler Global Logistics and Newmark Grubb Knight Frank; and a 120,000-square-foot lease for Ace Transport in Bridgeport Crossroad West in Hialeah Gardens was brokered by Cushman & Wakefield. A Sept. 1 article misidentified the firms handling the transactions.

Photo by Maxine Usdan

The Coconut Grove Playhouse has been closed for a decade. The county is seeking a new incarnation.

National Register of Historic Places could list Coconut Grove Playhouse The register doesn’t protect buildings from destruction BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Miami’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board wants the Coconut Grove Playhouse, empty and unused since closing 10 years ago, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, citing its authentic design and associated standards for the designation in a resolution scheduled for a hearing Sept. 9 in City Hall. In January 2014, Miami-Dade won state permission to take over the mid-1920s building and look into redevelopment for a 300-seat theater; in April 2015, the county commission approved an operating agreement between Miami-Dade and GableStage for an initial 25 years in the redeveloped playhouse with three 25-year options to review. Commissioners also awarded a professional services award to Arquitectonica for architectural, engineering and specialty consulting. The National Register of Historic Places is an official listing of properties throughout the US that reflect the prehistoric occupation and historic development of our nation, states and communities. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect America’s historic and archeological resources. Meredith Beatrice, communications director for the Florida’s Division of Historical Resources, said the National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the US Secretary of the Interior. She told Miami Today on Tuesday it’s difficult to address what might be the ramifications for the county’s redevelopment plans, should the playhouse ultimately be listed, when the application is still in process. The designation would mean the

playhouse is recognized as having historic significance, Ms. Beatrice said. The Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation Board certainly maintains the playhouse has historical significance. The resolution on the Sept. 9 agenda states the playhouse was “found to possess integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association,” hence meeting all criteria required in the city code. On Oct. 5, 2005, the board designated the playhouse a historic site. According to the Florida Division of Historical Resource’s website, a listing on the National Register of Historic Places is primarily a planning tool in making decisions concerning development of communities to ensure the preservation of buildings, sites, structures and objects that are significant aspects of our cultural and historic heritage. A listing doesn’t impose any obligation on the property owner, in this case Miami-Dade, or “restrict the owner’s basic right to use and dispose of the property as he or she sees fit.” It does, however, encourage preservation of significant historic resources in three ways: by encouraging consideration of its historic value in future development planning, by imposing limited protection from activities involving funding, licensing or assistance by federal agencies that could result in damage or loss of its historic values, and by making the property eligible for federal financial incentives for historic preservation. Listing may make a property eligible for a federal income tax credit; a listing may make a property exempt from certain Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements and eligible for some Americans with Disabilities Act and building safety code adjustments. Listing in the National Regis-

ter doesn’t automatically preserve a building or keep it from being modified or even razed. The federal and state governments won’t attach restrictive covenants to a property or seek to acquire it because of its listing in the National Register. The playhouse, at 3500 Main Highway, was constructed in 1926 as a movie theater and opened in January 1927 as part of Paramount Pictures. In the 1950s, it was under new ownership and converted to a proper theater. The 1,500-seat regional Coconut Grove Playhouse reopened on Jan. 3, 1956, with the US premiere of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” starring Bert Lahr and Tom Ewell. The playhouse was well attended for many years, until closing in 2006 due to accumulated debt. Funding for Arquitectonica's services will come from county Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond funds. GableStage is to raise money to cover all operating and program costs for the proposed 300-seat theater.

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

Spain’s office in Miami on 30-year drive to add trade links BY CAMILA CEPERO

The Trade Commission of Spain in Miami is continuing a 30-year drive to foster economic and business links between Spanish and US companies – particularly those in Florida – by facilitating everything from market research to trade mission trips to local partnerships. Established in 1983, the office is one of only five Economic and Trade Offices created by the US Spanish Embassy throughout the US. Additionally, it’s part of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness’ global 100-office network, which operates under Spain’s Institute for Trade and Investments (ICEX). Located in Coral Gables since its founding, the trade commission shares its building with Spain’s consulate. “Our general mission is to promote Spanish trade and investment,” said Inmaculada Gutiérrez, trade commissioner of Spain in Miami. More specifically, the office promotes internationalization of Spanish enterprises by assisting Spanish companies seeking to trade in the South-South- I. Gutierrez eastern US and helps US investors explore opportunities in Spain. The office takes a three-step approach to accomplish its goals, Ms. Gutiérrez said: Support companies by providing economic and trade information, conducting specific market research, making reports, preparing agendas, facilitating participation in trade shows and organizing trade missions, workshops and seminars. Support the Spanish administration, providing information about business opportunities in local markets and coordinating official visits of Spanish government or high state officials.

The Trade Commission of Spain had this booth at eMerge Americas, a high-tech trade meeting in Miami.

Foster economic relations with local authorities and businesses. To this end, the office partners with local organizations and institutions such as the Beacon Council, chambers of commerce and universities. The trade commission’s Miami staff of 20 includes officials (Spanish civil servants with an economic and trade background who are appointed for a specific period), permanent staff (local professionals and officers with vast experience in trade) and interns. “Florida and particularly Miami-Dade are a highly attractive entry door to the USA market for Spanish enterprises and a strategic platform for doing business in Latin America,” Ms. Gutiérrez said. “At the same time, we share strong historical, cultural and economic ties and many similarities. We are gateways for international trade and commerce [and] location is a strategic factor in both cases.”

In 2015, bilateral trade between the US and Spain reached more than $25 billion. Spanish exports to the US increased by 7.2% and amounted to $12.9 million in 2015. The US is the sixth most popular destination for Spanish exports, making up 4.6% of the market share, and is the fifth largest exporter to Spain, over $14.3 billion in 2015. Spanish exports to the US are mainly in industrial technology, environmental energy production and chemical. In 2015, Spanish imports to Florida surpassed $1 billion, 20% over the previous year. Spain is the fourth largest European exporter to Florida, and the state is the sixth most popular destination for Spanish exports in the US; Florida exports to Spain grew more than 12% last year. Spain is the 11th largest investor, in terms of stocks, worldwide with over 2,000 Spanish companies investing

abroad. The US is the third most popular destination of Spanish foreign direct investments. More than 800 Spanish firms have a presence in the US. Of those, more than 300 have a base in Florida, with over 60% of Spanish companies in Florida choosing South Florida, and particularly Miami, to settle into. The US is the No. 1 investor in Spain in terms of stocks. More than 1,300 American subsidiaries are operating in Spain, employing roughly 150,000 people. Spain is also the ninth largest recipient of foreign direct investment worldwide. “[This shows] the confidence that foreign investors have in our country,” Ms. Gutiérrez said, adding that some of their confidence comes from knowing that: Spain’s economy is 13th largest in the world, the fourth largest in the Euro area and fifth largest in the European Union. Spain is one of the largest

European markets, with over 46 million consumers, while at the same time offering free access to the world’s largest market, the European Union, with more than 500 million consumers. Spain offers business opportunities in the automotive, biotechnology, information and communications technology, pharmacy, aerospace, logistics and transportation, environment and water treatment, chemical, nanotechnology, agro-food and real estate. “In order to attract new foreign direct investment projects and investors, Spain improves business climate and regulatory environment, thereby facilitating business activity in Spain,” Ms. Gutiérrez said. “There are wide and complete range of aid instruments and incentives.” The recent launch of the “program for foreign entrepreneurs to establish their start-ups in Spain,” formally known as Rising StartUp Spain, which was created partly with help from ICEX, serves as a prime example, she said. “For the last few years, Spain´s start-up ecosystem has been growing fast and it is emerging as a destination of choice for an increasing number of entrepreneurs ready to innovate and collaborate in a most conducive environment,” Ms. Gutiérrez said. The program offers free workspaces in Madrid and Barcelona, €10,000 (roughly $11,143.50) in prize money to cover initial start-up expenses, easier access to visa and residence permits and mentoring to help members connect with potential investors. “The program will help entrepreneurs who are thinking on taking their innovative project to the marketplace to come to Spain,” Ms. Gutiérrez said. “First-class universities, topnotch business schools, highly skilled human capital and substantial capital funding, public and private, create the right conditions for their start up to grow.”

Agricultural police may use amphibious all-terrain vehicles The county police department’s Agricultural Patrol might soon be doing much of its work in patrolling about 440 square miles of land via amphibious all-terrain vehicles. County commissioners this week were to act on a resolution by Commissioner Dennis Moss asking Mayor Carlos Gimenez to study the use of such vehicles for law enforcement and report back to the commission on the findings within 90 days. The vehicles, according to the commissioner’s resolution, are “small, off-road vehicles that are designed to float and capable of traversing swamps, ponds, streams and dry land.” The Agricultural Patrol Section of the Miami-Dade Police Department is comprised of three squads of officers who patrol from Southwest Eighth

Commissioner Dennis Moss asks county to study agricultural patrols in amphibious all-terrain vehicles.

Street south to the Monroe cording to Commissioner Moss: County line and from Biscayne Investigates burglary, theft Bay west to Everglades National and criminal mischief of farm Park. equipment. The Agricultural Patrol, ac Patrols groves, nurseries,

apiaries, produce and U-Pick fields. Investigates cruelty to farm animals, assaults, disputes concerning agriculture-related is-

sues, incidents involving exotic animals and illegal dumping. Gathers intelligence on cockfighting and illegal cantinas. Inspects groves, fruit stands and vehicles transporting produce and plants. Gathers lost or loose farm animals. The Agricultural Patrol, Mr. Moss said in his resolution, also assists regular investigative units of the county police department by accessing hard-toreach areas that “would otherwise be impenetrable by ordinary law enforcement equipment and vehicles.” The patrol, Mr. Moss said, “may benefit from being able to use amphibious all-terrain vehicles” in the county’s rural and agricultural areas. The resolution documents do not indicate how many vehicles might be used or their cost.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

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TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

Miami set to approve impact fee financing for Underline BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Miami city officials have crafted an agreement with Miami-Dade County that will provide funding for portions of The Underline, the plan to transform land under the county’s elevated Metrorail system into a linear park, urban trail and living art destination. At their meeting today (9/8), Miami city commissioners are to consider approving a memo of understanding with the county to fund a portion of The Underline Project with park impact fees from new development. The impact fees would come from new development within 1,000 feet of The Underline and would not exceed $50 million, according to the proposed agreement. The county controls the land under the Metrorail, property that is about 100 feet wide and runs the length of the tracks. It is designated a Rapid Transit Corridor and also referred to as the M-Path. Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department has partnered with Friends of The Underline to turn 10 miles of pathway beneath the Metrorail into something special. The initial plan includes upgrades to the M-Path between the Miami River north of Brickell and the Dadeland South station. About half of the 10-mile route is in the City of Miami. The project’s vision is to enhance connectivity, mobility and biking safety for hundreds of thousands of Miami-Dade residents and visitors. In October 2014, county commissioners endorsed The Underline and provided an implementation and funding plan for it. One year ago this week, city commissioners approved a $200,000 allocation to the county to help pay for the master plan work on The Underline.

Rendering shows a proposed Grove Gallery section of the 10-mile-long Underline that starts at the river.

At that time, commissioners discussed future funding support for the project. That action and discussion are noted in this week’s resolution. At that Sept. 10, 2015, meeting the commissioners directed City Manager Daniel Alfonso to negotiate a memo of understanding for funding of phase one of The Underline using up to $1 million of city park impact fees attributable to construction within 500 feet to the east of phase one of the project. The $200,000 contribution for planning and the framework for future funding using impact fees came at the urging of former Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, whose term ended last year. The resolution prepared for today’s meeting notes that the estimated cost of the entire project is about $100 million, and roughly 50% of The Underline Project is in the city. “Enhancing this recreational space within the city will provide numerous benefits to the

surrounding community,” it says, and the city now wishes to support the project at a larger amount, up to $50 million. Those dollars are to come from city park impact fees collected from new development “that have paid or will pay impact fees” within 1,000 feet of The Underline, the resolution says. In the last year, the project has gained support from public and private entities, and The Underline’s master plan design team, James Corner Field Operations, has been sharing preliminary drawings and plans at a series of community meetings. Meg Daly, founder of Friends of The Underline, has said that phase one of The Underline would begin in the Brickell area. In February, the project received $75,000 in donations from Pinnacle Housing Group and 13th Floor Investments with The Adler Group. The money was earmarked toward the first implementation of the project, “Brickell Backyard,” which is a

are such an important part of our company’s culture and The Underline will be a living display of this, a safe place where cyclists, walkers, artists and families all come together,” she said. Also this summer, the Knight Foundation announced The Underline as a winner of the Knight Cities Challenge, a competition that seeks new ideas from innovators and how they plan to improve the future of their city. The award brings $250,000 to the project, for a sports field and gym as part of The Underline. On Aug. 23, county leaders joined Friends of The Underline to kick-off a pop up preview of The Underline’s “Brickell Backyard” fitness area. This event, at Brickell Metrorail Station, 1001 SW First Ave., showcased the first stage of development. Event goers were encouraged to walk or ride a bike or take transit to the celebration. Activities included a ribbon-cutting for the site’s mini “pop-up gym,” free workouts on the outdoor fitness equipment, yoga demonstrations and opportunities to view the park renderings. The preview event is the forerunner of the future “Brickell Underline Park” to be anchored on The Underline’s north end at the Miami River, near Brickell Avenue. When completed, the proposed park is to feature picnic areas, park benches, native vegetation, a nature-inspired playground, a dog park, a basketball court and art installations. Mixed-use parks are also planned for other segments of The Underline, as well as two trails, one for pedestrians and the other for bicyclists. City commissioners have urged the county to designate the Rapid Transit Corridor as park and recreation space.

section under the Metrorail from the Miami River to Southwest 15th Road. Amenities for this portion are to include picnic areas, a dog park, an outdoor gym, a play area and climbing wall. Additional highlights are to be the River Room on the bank of the Miami River and the Hammock Trail Park adjacent to Simpson Park. Pinnacle Housing Group donated $50,000 while 13th Floor Investments and The Adler Group partnered to contribute $25,000. In July, Florida Blue announced a $115,000 donation. That money was also earmarked for the “Brickell Backyard” portion. “The Underline is an extraordinary example of businesses and communities coming together to support a healthy lifestyle and Florida Blue is proud to be joining this effort,” said South Florida market president Details: Penny Shaffer. www.theunderline.org “Innovation and collaboration

Homestead Air Reserve Base hard economic engine to tap Miami-Dade County efforts to get the federal government to allow limited civilian use of the Homestead Air Reserve Base as a county economic development tool could take up to three years, Mayor Carlos Gimenez has told county commissioners. The county submitted its request in March, but it has a long path through bureaucracy before the county will learn if it is successful. The mayor’s memo said the process could take from one to three years. The Dec. 1, 2015, resolution by Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Dennis Moss seeking the right for civilian use of the air base’s runways and taxiways originally called for the county administration to conclude the deal in 120 days. Told by the county administration that the process could take up to a year, the legislation orders the mayor to conclude the deal in a year.

It could take Miami-Dade County up to three years to learn if it can get limited civilian use of the air base.

Now, it appears, that oneyear limit was far too hopeful. The mayor reported to commissioners for this week’s meeting that the official county request for a joint use agreement

at the base was submitted March 11 to the Homestead Air Reserve Base, where officials reviewed it and forwarded it to the Air Force’s Headquarters of Operations.

After the Headquarters of Operations reviewed it, on June 2 it forwarded the request to the Federal Aviation Administration, where it sat when the mayor wrote his report.

But more steps remain, he wrote. After the Federal Aviation Administration reviews the request, the Homestead Air Reserve Base will then forward it to the Air Force Reserve Command for approval. Then it would go to the Secretary of the Air Force, who, if he approves the request, would simply give the authorization to begin negotiations. The Homestead Air Reserve Base, the mayor wrote, “has indicated they are trying to expedite the approval process to begin negotiations.” Meanwhile, as ordered, the mayor reported that he will update the county commission every four months on progress. The original request for the joint use agreement by Commissioners Diaz and Moss did not indicate what economic development uses might be made of the air base facilities should the agreement finally make it to approval.

HEALTH UPDATE

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

Legislative health aims leaning heavily to reruns BY CATHERINE LACKNER

The first staffers are to move into the Miami Cancer Institute in mid-October, with patients due in January.

Cancer Institute nears completion BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

With rapid construction, the state-of-the-art Miami Cancer Institute is near completion. In midOctober the first round of employees will be moving in, said a spokesperson for Baptist Health South Florida. Doors are expected to open for patients just after the first of the year, commencing about Jan. 16. Miami Cancer Institute will feature cutting-edge research, clinical trials and technology, including the only proton therapy treatment in South Florida. The sleek $430 million center is rising at 8900 N Kendall Drive, adjacent to Baptist Hospital of Miami. The modern institute brings Baptist Health’s outpatient cancer services together under one roof to offer 305,000 square feet of clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Its 140,000-square-foot research building will house an extensive clinical trial team on a dedicated floor, a genomic medicine laboratory, additional clinical space planned for bone marrow transplant patients and a unique outpatient palliative care clinic, among other services. The institute will be home to South Florida’s first proton therapy center, offering a sophisticated treatment that destroys cancer cells with highlytargeted radiation while avoiding healthy tissue and minimizing side effects, making it particularly effective in treating childhood cancers and adult cancers of the brain, liver and

lung, as well as certain leftsided breast cancers and prostate cancers. The 220-ton proton therapy cyclotron arrived in June. “The arrival of the cyclotron signifies the beginning of the most sophisticated cancer treatment technology in the history of our organization,” said Brian E. Keeley, president and CEO of Baptist Health South Florida. “This historic milestone is not just one for Baptist Health to celebrate, but one for our entire community as we come together in the fight against cancer.” Arrival of the proton therapy unit changes patient care in South Florida, said Michael J. Zinner, M.D., founding CEO and executive medical director of the institute. “Miami Cancer Institute will be among the very few facilities worldwide to provide every available radiation therapy technology all in one location,” Dr. Zinner said. “Combined with our commitment to caring for patients from their diagnosis, through their complex treatment and onto survivorship, we ensure that we’re right alongside them and their families during this journey.” The proton therapy treatment is expected to commence closer to summer 2017, according to the Baptist Health spokesperson. Baptist Health says it is assembling a roster of world-class cancer experts for Miami Cancer Institute. Team members include Leonard Kalman, M.D., deputy medical director and chief medical officer; Michele Ryder, R.N., chief operating officer and chief nursing

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officer; Minesh Mehta, M.D., deputy director and chief of radiation oncology; Miguel Villalona Calero, M.D., deputy director and chief scientific officer; and Jeff Boyd, Ph.D., director of translational research and genomic medicine. In late July, Baptist Health announced two others joining the staff: Cancer specialist Vy Dinh, M.D., and palliative care specialist Mariana Khawand-Azoulai, M.D. Dr. Dinh is a hospitalist oncologist who cares for cancer patients who are hospitalized. As part of the institute’s cancer support services team, Dr. Khawand-Azoulai will provide outpatient palliative care, including pain and symptom management and psychosocial support. In addition to the services at Baptist Health, a Hilton Hotel is to open in 2018, offering out-oftown patients and their families convenient access to care. Miami Cancer Institute has announced plans to join the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance, a partnership that will ultimately enable cancer patients to access potential breakthrough therapies in South Florida. Baptist Health South Florida is one of the largest healthcare organizations in the region, with seven hospitals, nearly 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, and Baptist Health Quality Network. The not-for-profit, faith-based Baptist Health has about 16,000 employees and 2,300 affiliated physicians. Details: www.BaptistHealth.net

Though many of the healthrelated measures likely to be proposed during the Florida Legislature’s 2017 session are being re-introduced from previous sessions, next year may hold some surprises, said Keith Arnold, a senior principal and lobbyist in the Fort Myers office of the Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney law firm. For one thing, the November election may sweep as many as 40 new legislators into office. “One of the challenges is the constant turnover of the Legislature,” Mr. Arnold said. “This year, one-third to one-half of the legislators might be new. But it’s an opportunity to educate them.” Significantly, there could be a strong attempt to water down or eliminate the state’s Certificate of Need, or CON, process (which mandates proof of need before facilities can be built or expanded) in favor of a “free market” or “deregulated” approach, he said. Though the effort has been tried and failed several times, “This might be the year,” Mr. Arnold said. “We are constantly defending the CON.” The process is intended to prevent excess hospital capacity – industry shorthand for more supply than demand. Economics in the healthcare industry do not work the way other economic systems do, a fact that observers say is not well understood in Tallahassee. Excess capacity drives costs up because hospitals have tremendous overhead. With excess capacity, facilities compete for highly skilled employees and other resources while the number of patients is divided among more of them. Unit cost ultimately rises. Patient care suffers, observers say, because hospital staffs that do specific procedures frequently have better outcomes than do staffs at hospitals where a variety of performing are performed, some only rarely. “In my opinion, the CON is

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Said attorney Keith Arnold, “One of the challenges is the constant turnover of the [state] legislature.”

necessary and important,” said Pedro “Joe” Greer, professor and chair of Department of Medicine, Family Medicine, and Community Health at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. He is also founding chair of the university’s Department of Humanities, Health, and Society and associate dean for Community Engagement. “This is about patient care.” Also likely to be filed again is a proposal to allow ambulatory surgical centers – where patient stays are now limited to 23 hours – to lengthen stays to 72 hours. Mr. Arnold said this spring that the concept has been floated in Tallahassee for several years and is not likely to go away. Hospitals, especially those that provide care to indigent patients, are concerned that private, forprofit entities, most likely physician groups, would create minihospitals to serve well-heeled or well-insured patients, leaving the safety-net hospitals to deal with the under- or uninsured. “Throughout the history of all commerce, no one competes to serve the poor,” Mr. Arnold said last December, when the measure was making its way to the Legislature. “Jackson Memorial Hospital will not have the ability to compete with a 72-hour recovery center.” A push for more transparency in hospital bills also didn’t gain traction last year and may come before the Legislature in 2017. “I firmly believe the hospital industry should get behind some sort of consumer-friendly billing system,” Mr. Arnold said when the bill’s fate looked shaky at the end of the 2016 session. “It’s extremely complex, even for those of us in the industry. It takes a significant amount of time and energy to try to understand what’s covered, what’s not covered and what the patient’s obligation is.” “We are meeting next week to form our legislative strategy,” said Steven D. Sonenreich, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center. The legislative session is to run from March 7 to May 5, 2017.

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