WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
A Singular Voice in an Evolving City
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COCONUT GROVE
City would base service groups at single waterfront hub, pg. 13 COMPENSATION COSTS JUMP: Total compensation costs for private industry workers rose twice as fast in Miami-Dade County in 2016 as they did in 2015, figures released last week by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Costs here rose 3.4% in 2016, but just 1.7% in 2015, the bureau reports. Nationwide, the total compensation cost increase in 2016 was 2.2%. Nationally, the largest increase in major cities was in Atlanta, where compensation costs rose 3.5%. Miami’s 3.4% gain was second in the nation, followed by Phoenix at 3%, Chicago at 2.9% and Seattle at 2.8%. For wages and salaries alone, the largest single component of compensation costs, Atlanta’s 2016 rise of 4.2% was highest in the nation, followed by 3.7% in Atlanta and 3.6% in Miami. The national average was an increase of 2.3%.
Surging area brings hot retailers, newcomers along for ride, pg. 15
The Achiever
By Susan Danseyar
NEW JOBS AT OPA-LOCKA: County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a grant agreement between CCRE Meek LLC and Miami-Dade for a $5 million grant from the economic development fund of Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond program. The Carrie P. Meek International Business Park at Opa-locka Executive Airport is the first project in the economic development program to be approved. Per dictates, it is to create new jobs in Miami-Dade for at least five years. The jobs, which the grantee has re-defined to exclude re-location, will be created by the grantee’s tenant but guaranteed by the grantee. GATORIZATION: The University of Florida this week was to dedicate UF Coral Gables, which it describes as “a rallying point for engagement in the South Florida community.” The site at 1 Alhambra Plaza will not offer instruction but plans to host events open to the public and provide information on University of Florida programs, research, and for enrollment in the university, both in physical classrooms at Gainesville 341 miles away and online. The university says it has offices in all of Florida’s 67 counties and has more than 20,000 alumni in Miami and 4,000 enrolled students from Miami. MORE CARE OFFICES: Baptist Health Primary Care expanded in January, adding new offices in Pinecrest and in Doral. The Pinecrest location in part of a new Baptist Health South Florida building at 13101 S Dixie Highway. The Doral location is at 9915 NW 41st St. The focus of Baptist Health Primary Care offices is prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of diseases. Patients can also renew prescriptions, get test results and use on-site labs for tests.
Lawrence Feldman
Photo by Cristina Sullivan
School board chairman wants businesses to chime in The profile is on Page 4
Mana’s three-way deal for high-rise downtown By John Charles Robbins
A three-way settlement reached by developer Moishe Mana, a second developer and the Miami Parking Authority could bring major high-rise residential construction to the heart of downtown one block from the new MiamiCentral transit hub. A key to the accord is a sublease of air rights, or the space above a planned parking garage. The settlement requires court approval. The three parties in this legal tangle are the parking authority – operated by the city’s Off-Street Parking Board – Grand Station Partners LLC and Mr. Mana’s North Miami Ave Realty LLC. At its Feb. 1 meeting the board approved a sublease between the companies and an amendment to a ground lease the authority has with Grand Station, which includes consent to the sublease. The sublease encourages the developers to work together to build out the east side of a city block, which is home to the parking authority’s headquarters, the Courthouse Center Garage at 40 NW Third St. The authority owns an abutting undeveloped site at 240 N Miami Ave. filled with
Agenda
5 firms lose airport bids as outsiders
grass, sidewalks and small trees. Mr. Mana owns lots on the block’s southeast corner. In early 2015 the parking board advertised for proposals to redevelop its adjacent lot and got two, from Grand Station Partners and North Miami Ave Realty and its affiliate Mana Miami. On staff recommendation, the parking board in May 2015 authorized authority CEO Art Noriega to negotiate with Grand Station for redevelopment of the land. On Nov. 4, 2015, the board approved a ground lease between the authority and Grand Station, over objections of Bruce Fischman, an attorney for North Miami Avenue Realty. Mr. Fischman alleged noncompliance in the way the parking agency was handling the matter, including errors in publishing the request for proposals. He said any further action on the property would be “illegal” without a re-publication. Shortly after the board’s November approval of the lease with Grand Station, North Miami Avenue Realty sued the parking authority. Then last week, Mr. Noriega presented the board with the negotiated sublease and amended ground lease. “We got there,” he said of settlement talks.
“I could not be happier with the terms.” He said once all sides approve, the paperwork would go to the judge as part of a settlement. Grand Station had proposed a new eightstory parking facility for 350 vehicles, a 33-story multi-family tower with 258 apartments, and retail space. The lease is for 99 years. Base rent is to begin at $240,000 a year but won’t kick in for six years. The deal calls for a $750,000 deposit. The lease spells out the main gain for the authority: a six-level expansion of its existing garage, adding 355 parking spaces. The sublease says Mr. Mana’s company intends to build a high-rise mixed-use tower on its neighboring site with ground floor retail, a 150-room hotel with ancillary support, offices and residential. Part of the project will extend into the space above the Grand Station garage “by either using a cantilever method which would not change or impact Sublandlord’s original plan for this portion of the Parking Garage… or designing a building with structural elements which will rely upon certain components of the Parking Garage for support and foundation…,” the sublease says.
Giving jobs to locals means feeding their families, said County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa when asking the Aviation Department to consider firms here before she joined colleagues Tuesday in rejecting five contracts for signs at Miami International Airport. The department originally asked the commission to approve five contracts to make and install signs but got pushback when commissioners at the Jan. 19 Trade and Tourism Committee meeting discovered not only were the firms from out of town but staff had to travel to their turf to negotiate. If the companies wanted the contracts, Ms. Sosa said then, they could have at least come to Miami-Dade. “The best decision now is to make sure we don’t do this again,” she said Tuesday. “We have plenty of locals right here and we’re not using them. We must market them.” Dennis Moss also questioned the solicitation process the last time commissioners discussed the contracts. He said there are many sign companies in Miami-Dade and it’s puzzling they wouldn’t be interested in $1 million. Mr. Moss advised that companies come to the administration and discuss what keeps them from responding to proposals so the county can improve upon the solicitation process and hire “its own people.” On Nov. 12, 2015, a request for qualifications was advertised for up to six firms to make and install signs at the county’s airports. Nine statements came back but three were found non-responsive by the county attorney’s office for not complying with bonding capacity requirements. A fourth didn’t have the required license. A selection committee evaluated the remaining five and found them to meet qualifications, according to the administration’s notes. The Trade and Tourism Committee voted to reject all bids in January and expedite the release of a new request for qualifications, with an emphasis on including local companies.
NO CIRCUS, SAYS CHAIRMAN AS HE CUTS OFF SPEAKERS ...
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NEW BOAT TOURS TARGET NATIONAL PARK, MIAMARINA ...
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VOTE COULD BAR CITY FROM PRIVATE MEGA-PROJECTS ...
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3D IMAGING IS SPREADING THROUGH LOCAL BUSINESSES ...
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VIEWPOINT: DON’T BUTCHER STATE’S ECONOMIC BABY ...
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COUNTY PAVES WAY FOR LOW-INCOME INFILL HOUSING ...
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60% OF NEW COUNTY JOBS IN LOWER-PAYING SECTORS ...
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PORTMIAMI GLOBAL RECORD: 4.98 MILLION PASSENGERS ...
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TODAY’S NEWS
MIAMI TODAY
The Insider STADIUM ZONING: County commissioners gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a new stadium zoning district, administered by the City of Miami Gardens and Miami-Dade, that would provide zoning regulations governing the district. A hearing on the ordinance, sponsored by Barbara Jordan, is Feb. 22. When Miami Gardens was incorporated in 2003, the charter contained pre-agreed conditions related to jurisdiction over Hard Rock Stadium and its surroundings. This includes preservation of county development approvals. In 2014, the city sued the county to enforce its right to greater jurisdiction over the stadium area. Barbara Jordan As part of a settlement, Miami Gardens presented an amendment to its charter that requires a zoning ordinance for the stadium properties that the county and city would adopt. WALKING ON WATER: County commissioners Tuesday approved the administration updating a previous feasibility study on waterborne transportation solutions as part of a comprehensive network throughout Miami-Dade. The administration will also prepare a plan to create on-demand and fixed-route waterborne transportation. All commissioners were enthusiastic about the study. Bruno Barreiro said he hopes the analysis will include waterways of Biscayne Bay and downtown. “There are a lot of moving parts to this,” he said. “We need to get this done.” Bruno Barreiro
NEW LARKIN RESIDENCY PROGRAMS: Larkin Community Hospital has received initial accreditation of two residency programs, in anesthesiology and in diagnostic radiology. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved training 16 medical residents in diagnostic radiology, effective in January, and 12 in anesthesiology, effective July 1. Larkin is the state’s third-largest teaching hospital and the largest teaching hospital for osteopathic physicians in the nation. NEW REALTY LEADERS: The Miami Association of Realtors has installed Christopher Zoller of EWM Realty International as its chairman of the board for 2017 and the association’s Realtors Commercial Alliance has installed José María Serrano, owner of New Miami Realty Corp., as its 2017 president. The Miami Association of Realtors is the nation’s largest realty association Christopher Zoller with 45,000 residential, commercial José M. Serrano and international realty members. REALIGNING SHORELINE: County commissioners on Tuesday approved a Class I permit application by Miami-Dade to install a new seawall and to dredge and fill tidal waters along the north side of PortMiami in Biscayne Bay. The commission also authorized 10 years to complete the work. The existing seawall is over 50 years old, according to the resolution, and has reached its design life. VITAL COLLABORATION: Some VitalMDGroup physicians are to begin providing care in Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center multi-disciplinary breast cancer clinics on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus and in Deerfield Beach and Plantation. as part of a strategic collaboration announced last week. VitalMD and its wholly owned medical practices of more than 500 affiliated physicians, who focus on women’s health, will collaborate with the University of Miami Health System. “This initiative is a natural fit for the University of Miami Health System as we expand our care into more communities,” said Steven Altschuler Steven Altschuler, UHealth’s CEO. “Bringing academic specialty care and research to VitalMD affiliate practices’ patients will create a network of services that run the continuum of care and further enhance our mission to improve access for more patients.” THEATRICAL HONORS: Citing its economic impact on the city, 157 main stage plays and 87 Carbonnel Awards for the theater, Coral Gables Mayor James Cason on Friday presented the key to the city to Executive Director Barbara Stein as Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater celebrated its 30th year of production with the opening night of “Carousel.” Ms. Stein, who began the playhouse with her husband and Board Chairman Lawrence Stein in 1988 in a Kendall shopping center, moved it to the city’s playhouse on Miracle Mile in 1995. “We’re privileged Barbara and to be in the city,” she said. Lawrence Stein
INTRO TO TOMORROW’S JOBS: County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously passed legislation declaring Feb. 11, 2017, and each year hereafter STEM Day, in recognition of the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. GAS TRICKLES DOWN: Gasoline prices in Miami have fallen 1.5 cents per gallon in the past week and 8.1 cents in the past month but at an average of $2.38 per gallon at the pump still average 47.6 centers per gallon more than a year ago, according to GasBuddy price tracking service. INDEPENDENT REVIEW: Under direction of the county’s Office of Community Advocacy, the Independent Review Panel Working Group is back. Created in 1980 in the wake of the McDuffie race riots following the acquittal of four Miami-Dade police offers in the death of African-American Arthur McDuffie, Miami-Dade attempted change by creating the Independent Review Panel. It was defunded in 2009 during budget cuts brought on by the economic crisis, but funds were found in the 2016 county budget for the panel, which is empowered to hold hearings, prepare reports and propose recommendations regarding serious complaints and grievances against county employees, agencies or instrumentalities. For the panel’s work plan for 2016-2017, see https://www.dtsc.ca.gov/GetInvolved/ReviewPanel/upload/ Independent-Review-Panel-Work-Plan-April-4-2016.pdf CORRECTION: The Feb. 2 article on Miami International Airport’s new Ocean-to-Air Trans-shipment Program should have identified the quoted vice president of Customized Brokers as Kimberly Wakeman.
WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
No circus, no sideshow, Bovo says, cutting off county hall vocal attacks By Susan Danseyar
Chair Esteban Bovo Jr. said Tuesday during a Miami-Dade County Commission meeting that he’ll always take issue when someone uses public comment periods to launch an attack on an elected official, and he cut people off to move on to business at hand rather than “turn the meeting into a circus.” Members of the public can speak freely Feb. 22 when the commission discusses legislation urging the Florida Legislature to require law enforcement officers to issue a civil citation rather than arrest first-time misdemeanor juvenile offenders, Mr. Bovo said. He apologized for offending anyone by asking that a man be removed from the commission chambers after heated commentary. “It’s not that I didn’t Esteban Bovo Jr. want anyone to speak, but that I didn’t want this turning into a sideshow,” Mr. Bovo said. “We will deal with this issue another time; it will be a long meeting when all your comments can be expressed.” Many people stood up to address the resolution, sponsored by Sally Heyman and co-sponsored
by Vice Chair Audrey Edmonson. A few spoke ardently, including a member of the Miami-Dade Democratic Committee, who said he’s deeply concerned with the way “we criminalize people in our community” as well as how the chairman was conducting the meeting with “censorship that’s unconstitutional.” The issue appears to draw strong response. Others implored the commission to adopt the resolution, saying it’s not uncommon for young people to make a mistake but their lives shouldn’t forever be wrecked by one foolish slip-up. According to the resolution, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Civil Citation program offers youths who make a mistake an alternative to arrest that does not leave a juvenile record accessible by the public. To participate, a youth must “take responsibility for the mistake and admit wrongdoing; and is required to complete community service hours and other sanctions that may include letters of apology, counseling and payment of restitution to the victim.” Rather than arresting a youth who is involved in common misbehavior, the resolution states, the Juvenile Citation Program offers early intervention, counseling, education and other appropriate community interventions without the harshness,
baggage and expense of an arrest. Florida statutes allow that law enforcement officers may issue a civil citation to juveniles for certain violations or arrest juveniles for those violations. Miami-Dade implemented a similar juvenile citation program that was responsible for a 23% reduction in juvenile arrests and referrals to the Juvenile Justice System from 2007 to 2015. On average, the cost to MiamiDade taxpayers of an individual completing the program is less than half the cost of arrest and detention, the resolution reports. Three bills filed for the 2017 session of the Legislature provide that one or more civil citation or similar diversion programs would be established in each county that must individually or collectively serve all juveniles who are alleged to have committed a violation that would be a misdemeanor if committed by an adult. The bills would require law enforcement officers to issue a civil citation in lieu of arrest to first-time misdemeanor juvenile offenders who commit misdemeanor offenses including possession of alcoholic beverages, criminal mischief, battery, retail and farm theft, loitering or prowling, disorderly conduct, and possession of cannabis or drug paraphernalia.
As unbid SkyTrain contract OK’d, commission argues for competition
By Susan Danseyar
After months of heated discussion and deferrals, county commissioners Tuesday approved a renewed four-year contract with Crystal Mover Services to operate and maintain Miami International Airport’s North Terminal Automated People Mover system. However, the Aviation Department didn’t get the go-ahead without questions and admonishments to improve upon the bidding process going forward. Crystal Mover has been operating and maintaining MIA Mover, known as SkyTrain, but commissioners said at their last meeting and in committee they want more open competitive bidding. Aviation Department Director and CEO Emilio Gonzalez said the contract began in 2010 and a commissioner asked if it could be combined with one for the Miami Intermodal Center. Then, he said, the Transit Workers Union (TWU) filed a Emilio Gonzalez grievance asserting it’s required to be provided the opportunity to handle the operation and maintenance on the MIA Mover with Transit Department employees. Mr. Gonzalez said his department was waiting for theTWU grievance dispute to be resolved but, when it wasn’t, the airport could wait no longer before the renewal option expired and needed action to have the agreement. “It’s not just your department,” said Commissioner Jean Monestime.
“I’ve seen too many of these when contractors come and we quickly approve their package without a competitive bid. It’s the process that concerns me.” Rebeca Sosa also warned she doesn’t feel comfortable with procurement that isn’t “open and competitive.” In the future, she said, it’s her hope that something like this does not happen again, where commissioners are asked to authorize a contract that, in effect, is already necessary to approve, given the tardiness. Commissioners debated whether to authorize a two- or four-year extension of the contract but Mr. Gonzalez said with just two years, he would have to take trains offline. “From a safety perspective, this is not what’s in the best interest for the airport.” Jose “Pepe” Diaz said the community needs the best it can get for the money it’s paying and discussed the savings of four versus two years. Although he concurred with colleagues, Mr. Diaz said there’s no way he couldn’t see a $7 million savings with a four-year contract. “The process will improve moving forward, but it’s best to go with this given the savings and guarantees,” he said in reference to Crystal Movers having complete control over selling parts for the trains. “And this is not tax money, it’s generated at the airport. I find it hard to believe this is not a win-win for everybody.” Dennis Moss said there was to be a review every two years, detailing why Miami-Dade workers can’t be trained to run SkyTrain as the original agreement states. He said he’s upset the directive wasn’t followed.
Mr. Gonzalez agreed reports were not completed but said now the Aviation Department “will be playing catch-up and doing it, going forward.” In fact, he said, the transportation department helped put some numbers together and he has the draft of a first report now completed. Once he goes over it, Mr. Gonzalez said, commissioners will have copies at their Feb. 22 meeting. When this contract runs out in four years, Mr. Gonzalez said, the Aviation Department will have a competitive bid as originally planned.
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MIAMI TODAY
VIEWPOINT
WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Miami Today is an independent voice of the community, published weekly at 2000 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 100, Miami, Florida 33133. Telephone (305) 358-2663
Speaker looks to throw out state’s baby with the bath water A war on economic development led by the speaker of Florida’s House could leave the state’s economy in shambles by reducing new high-paying jobs to employ our fast-growing workforce. Speaker Richard Corco- Michael Lewis ran is attacking not only the state’s two key development arms, Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, but also 38 regional development and tourism agencies, as we detailed last week. It’s part of Mr. Corcoran’s assault on what he calls corporate welfare for the top 1%. To end that, he would shut down Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida and seems intent on squashing local and regional agencies that also aim to create more good jobs. That’s “the dumbest idea I’ve heard in my time in the Florida Senate,” Sen. Jack Latvala of Clearwater responded last week to the aim to kill both state agencies, to which Mr. Corcoran replied: “Atremendous intellectual argument on his part.” We can’t mind-read what Sen. Latvala might have replied, but better arguments abound for the state continuing to bring jobs
and tourists into Florida than for letting others woo them while we sit on our hands. Those who oppose development agencies object that they spend state money to reward companies that create good-paying jobs in targeted industries in Florida. That’s a fair argument – even though jobs are only rewarded after they exist – and if other states and regions didn’t pay job incentives we shouldn’t either. It’s like disarmament: if others didn’t build armies we wouldn’t have to. But it’s hard to be the only one to disarm, or to stop paying incentives for new jobs. Doing so unilaterally puts you at a huge disadvantage. Even if Florida were to cancel job incentives, however, development agencies would remain vital, because incentives are only a sliver of their tool chest, just as armaments are only a part of how nations deal with one another. In nations there is also diplomacy, just as in economic development the really big part of the job is marketing. In Miami-Dade, for example, the Beacon Council ushers in site selectors from around the US that larger companies hire to seek expansion sites. I’ve ridden with them as Beacon Council officials educated those key players on our advantages, some only obvious if you had data the Beacon Council supplied on everything from school quality to projected population growth. That’s marketing the area. Another aspect of marketing is simply
asking businesses around the globe to operate here. Not all of them get – or even seek – incentives for creating jobs. Incentives are often almost incidental. Then there’s cutting red tape. Development agencies help businesses surmount regulatory hurdles to build and expand. The best development agencies focus on the business climate. Speaker Corcoran is on target in saying we need better schools and infrastructure to lure business, but it’s not either-or: we need to both improve the business climate and market that improvement elsewhere. New jobs, after all, don’t just flow through the door. Salesmanship helps. Not everyone is going to move for sand, sun and sea, and our other assets are less evident. Think of simple tools like brochures and area economic reports. Economic development groups create and distribute that material to likely targets. Another element of marketing is to dispel misconceptions. In Europe, the old Miami Vice image of a crime-ridden community is just now being replaced by an Art Baselinspired image of culture. Organizations like Visit Florida do that. Proactive marketing in group trips and individual visits also boost our tourist and business environment around the globe and nation. Not all these efforts succeed, but cut them all off and you can be certain of large economic falloff. Finally, development agencies join with
business, civic and educational groups to upgrade an economic climate, just as tourism groups improve tourist climates. In MiamiDade, efforts like One Community One Goal to target key jobs and Miami Nice to improve visitors’experience stem from such agencies. We agree with Speaker Corcoran that marketing efforts don’t always maximize benefits. But the best response is to improve, not stop trying. A bill that would slam the door on economic development at the state level was to be heard this week in the House Careers & Competition Subcommittee.As the bill flows ahead, business should tell legislators why visitors and jobs don’t all migrate in naturally, and how our development and tourist arms don’t cost us money – they bring us far more than we spend. At the same time, business should look seriously at paying a larger slice of the cost of those agencies instead of the present 10% to 15%. It can’t plausibly be called corporate welfare if business is paying more in than incentives pay out. If we stop promoting tourism and the climate in which to establish jobs, Speaker Corcoran will be able to say that he led the fight to halt not just corporate welfare but the welfare of the state and its residents. Businesses statewide must band together to finish Sen. Latvala’s explanation about why shutting off a big spigot for jobs and visitors is the dumbest move Florida could make.
The Writer
financial services. While Miami has an embryonic tech start-up scene, it has a long way to go to reach critical mass. Ranked No. 2 nationwide in spawning new start-ups, Miami also ranked a disappointing No. 2 from the bottom in survival and growth of those businesses, according to one recent study. Why the high failure rate? Education. Schools, colleges and universities need to revamp their offerings to develop job skills of the future. Make available a highly educated and skilled workforce. Computer sciences, entrepreneurship and financial literacy should be mandatory curriculums in primary schools. Financial literacy. Lack of financial literacy is a nationwide problem. According to one poll, 20% of Americans spend more than they make and 54% don’t have a rainyday fund. Becoming financially literate is critical for surviving and thriving in life. In addition to educational institutions and volunteer organizations, employers
need to provide financial literacy programs – it reduces employees’ financial stress, absenteeism and increases productivity. Miami politicians and planners need to offer compelling incentives for businesses to relocate here. Ask, “What would it take to attract a Google, Tesla, an Apple or IBM; the plethora of hedge, private equity and venture capital funds; and other such employers to set up meaningful operations here?” Create the requisite infrastructure and a large-scale job creation ecosystem to transform the city from “not just a fun place to visit but a great place to work, a great place to start businesses.” There are learnings from how cities like Houston and Austin and Pittsburgh transformed themselves. Throw away traditional mindsets and start thinking like innovators and disruptors. Accomplish the Three Things and Miami will truly have a chance to become one of the great places to live, and work.
Intellectual capital, education, financial literacy lure best jobs “Miami is the most unequal big city in America,” reads the headline from a recent Bloomberg study on distribution of household incomes. At first glance it’s obvious that an influx of wealthy people, Rajan Chopra seeking refuge from oppressive taxes and regimes elsewhere, claiming residency in Miami has distorted the income inequality gap. Yet, there is a disturbing truth behind the headline that begs the question: Why has Miami failed to create higherpaying jobs? First, Miami has an image and jobcreation problem. The city is still viewed as a tourist destination and a playground for sun-seekers and partygoers. It is not seen as a serious venue for formation or relocation of future growth-oriented businesses. The current jobs are primarily in the real estate, hospitality, entertainment and tourism sectors. Throw in a smattering of personal wellness, fashion, arts and shopping operators and that pretty much sums up the providers of employment opportunities. All low- to middle-income jobs. Financial services jobs? Yes, there are a few, but Brickell Avenue is not exactly Wall Street. Second, Miamians have a work-leisure balance problem. It’s a local cultural issue. Less work, more play is the preferred choice. Clock-watching, late-toappointments or no-shows are the norm that reeks of a lousy work ethic. Pray tell, which high-paying employer is going to put up with that? Third, there’s a lack of financial literacy. Miami people tend to live paycheck-topaycheck. Affordability be damned, they must project that outward image and
Rajan Chopra is a former Wall Streeter turned leadership coach and advisor. He advises CEOs, senior executives and investment managers on leadership and strategy. Learn more about him at www. chopracoaching.com. attitude of success and indulge – even if they can barely afford to. There’s a high correlation between financial literacy and financial wealth. What needs to be done to create higherpaying jobs in Miami? Three things: Intellectual capital. It’s essential that Miami attract the formation, and relocation, of businesses that are creators of jobs of the future. Think technology, technology, technology – in all its manifestations. Computer sciences, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, medicine and health care delivery, renewable energy, telecommunications, knowledge sharing, and
L etters
to the
End stale economic focus
E ditor
rupt. Commissioners that engage in this behavior should be arrested, and removed from office. Let’s hope that charter reviewers will mandate that commissioners be removed from any involvement with the bidding process. Gerwyn Flax
Accountability for our tax dollars also should include inquiry into jobs realized, industry, sector, salary and location.Actual impact on local economy and ability to diversify our economic should be a part of the criteria used to determine whether to fund economic development programs. I’m tired of seeing the stale, outdated “One Community One Spending money on studies is a waste of Goal” focus when it is tech and sustainable, time and funds. That money should be prioriclean energy that are the 21st century drivers! tized to get the ball rolling. It doesn’t take a Cindy Lerner Ph.D. in urban studies or engineering to know Miami badly needs mass transit infrastructure and to reduce urban sprawl. It just keeps on Fixing the bidding process to ensure choking our roads. one company wins over the other is corGrato de Cardenas
No transportation studies
Get commission out of bids
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TODAY’S NEWS
MIAMI TODAY
WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Boat tours deals set for Biscayne National Park, Miamarina By John Charles Robbins
Miami city commissioners have approved deals that involve boat tours to nearby Biscayne National Park, and agreements for boat tours based at Bayside Marketplace’s Miamarina. The National Park Service operates Biscayne National Park and is working to enhance the visitor experience, increase visitation and facilitate access to the northern end of the park. The park has determined that a tour boat concessioner, operating from the city’s Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove, is the best way to accomplish these goals, according to a staff memo. The city-owned marina is at 3400 PanAmerican Drive, just southwest of City Hall. “The City, as owner and administrator of the Marina, wishes to support the Park’s goals and facilitate the desired expansion of visitor services for Miami-area residents and visitors needing ready access to the Park,� the memo reads. Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a memorandum of understanding between the city and US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, acting through the superintendent of Biscayne National Park, for a park-authorized concessioner, who
Photo by John Charles Robbins
A boat tour will leave the city’s Dinner Key Marina in the Grove to bring visitors to Biscayne National Park.
will pay the city the approved commercial dockage rate, in addition to ticket surcharge fees, to operate boat tour services from Dinner Key Marina to the park. The park service determined that commercial boat tours should be provided under a competitively bid 10-year concession contract. The park has determined the city’s marina is “an ideal launch site.� The city has committed to license dock space and amenities to the concessioner. Daniel Rotenberg, director of the city’s Department of Real Estate
and Asset Management, told commissioners the tour boat deal will bring the city at least $28,000 a year. An existing transient slip will be used for the park tour boat service so no vessels will be displaced, he added. The memorandum of understanding outlines the framework of the city’s cooperation with the park service, which will be a revocable license agreement with the eventual concessioner. “It’s an excellent program,� said Commissioner Ken Russell, who made the motion to approve the
Public Notice NOTICE IS GIVEN that meetings will be held before the following Committees on the dates stipulated below in the Commission Chambers, located on the Second Floor, of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW First Street, Miami, Florida, wherein, among other matters to be considered, a public hearing will be held relating to the following proposed ordinances/resolutions: Housing and Social Services Committee (HSSC) Meeting – Monday, February 13, 2017, at 9:30 AM t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUFE UP UIF "GGPSEBCMF )PVTJOH 5SVTU 'VOE JODSFBTJOH BENJOJTUSBUJWF DPTUT DBQ BNFOEJOH Section 17-132 of the Code Government Operations Committee (GOC) Meeting – Tuesday, February 14, 2017, at 1:30 PM t 0SEJOBODF SFQFBMJOH 0SEJOBODF /PT BOE SFMBUJOH UP UIF 8FTU &OE .VOJDJQBM "EWJTPSZ $PNNJUUFF TFDUJPO POF BOE 8FTU &OE .VOJDJQBM "EWJTPSZ $PNNJUUFF TFDUJPO UISFF QSPWJEJOH TFWFSBCJMJUZ FYDMVTJPO GSPN UIF $PEF t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUJOH UP "OOFYBUJPO QSPDFEVSFT SFRVJSJOH B NVOJDJQBMJUZ UP QSPWJEF B DPNQBSJTPO CFUXFFO $PVOUZ BOE NVOJDJQBM MBOE VTF QSJPS UP NVOJDJQBM BOOFYBUJPO PG VOJODPSQPSBUFE BSFBT JO UIF DPVOUZ BNFOEJOH 4FDUJPOT BOE PG UIF $PEF Public Safety and Health Committee (PSHC) Meeting – Tuesday, February 14, 2017, at 1:30 PM t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUJOH UP XBHF UIFGU FOIBODJOH QFOBMUJFT GPS GBJMVSF UP DPNQMZ XJUI XBHF UIFGU PSEFST BNFOEJOH 4FDUJPO PG UIF $PEF t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUJOH UP B TVSDIBSHF JO DSJNJOBM QSPDFFEJOHT DMBSJGZJOH BO FYDFQUJPO GPS JOEJHFOU EFGFOEBOUT amending Section 11-13 of the Code Transportation and Public Works Committee (TPWC) Meeting – Thursday, February 16, 2017, at 9:30 AM t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH UFSNT PG BOE BVUIPSJ[JOH UIF $PVOUZ .BZPS PS $PVOUZ .BZPS T %FTJHOFF UP FYFDVUF BOE mMF UISFF HSBOU BQQMJDBUJPOT XJUI UIF 6OJUFE 4UBUFT %FQBSUNFOU PG 5SBOTQPSUBUJPO 'FEFSBM 5SBOTJU "ENJOJTUSBUJPO GPS VQ UP PG 'JTDBM :FBS 4FDUJPO 6SCBOJ[FE "SFB 'PSNVMB 4FDUJPO 4UBUF PG (PPE 3FQBJS 'PSNVMB BOE 4FDUJPO #VT BOE #VT 'BDJMJUJFT 'PSNVMB 1SPHSBN 'VOEJOH BOE BVUIPSJ[JOH SFDFJQU BOE FYQFOEJUVSF PG GVOET QVSTVBOU UP TVDI BQQMJDBUJPOT BOE BHSFFNFOUT BOE PG BOZ BEEJUJPOBM GVOET BT TQFDJmFE JO UIF BHSFFNFOUT TIPVME TVDI GVOET CFDPNF BWBJMBCMF t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH UIF ': VQEBUF PG UIF 'JWF :FBS 1FPQMF T 5SBOTQPSUBUJPO 1MBO *NQMFNFOUBUJPO Plan t 0SEJOBODF SFMBUJOH UP SPBE JNQBDU GFFT SFRVJSJOH UIBU #JDZDMF 1BUIT #JDZDMF -BOFT BOE (SFFOXBZT BSF FMJHJCMF GPS DPOTJEFSBUJPO BT PGG TJUF SPBEXBZ JNQSPWFNFOU DPOUSJCVUJPOT JO MJFV PG GFF BNFOEJOH 4FDUJPO & PG UIF $PEF "MM JOUFSFTUFE QBSUJFT NBZ BQQFBS BOE CF IFBSE BU UIF UJNF BOE QMBDF TQFDJmFE " QFSTPO XIP EFDJEFT UP BQQFBM BOZ EFDJTJPO NBEF CZ BOZ CPBSE BHFODZ PS DPNNJTTJPO XJUI SFTQFDU UP BOZ NBUUFS DPOTJEFSFE 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 the appeal is to be based. .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 TFOE FNBJM UP agendco@miamidade.gov. )"37&: 367*/ $-&3, $)3*4501)&3 "(3*11" %&165: $-&3, For legal ads online, go to http://legalads.miamidade.gov
resolution. Biscayne National Park encompasses coral reefs, islands and shoreline mangrove forest in the northern Florida Keys. Its reefs and islands are accessible only by boat. Dolphins, turtles and pelicans live in Biscayne Bay Lagoon. Commissioners also approved the city manager’s recommendation accepting the findings of a selection committee and the proposals submitted by five companies to lease city-owned waterfront property for tour boat services at Miamarina.
The marina at 301 Biscayne Blvd. is part of Bayside Marketplace. The five companies are Sightseeing Tours Management Inc. d/b/a Island Queen Cruises; Thriller Miami LLC; Miami Aqua Tours; Offshore Power Boat Rides – Miami d/b/a Bayride Tours, and Fiesta Cruises of Miami Inc. The resolution directs City Manager Daniel Alfonso to negotiate a lease with all of the proposers. Abackground memo says the city is interested in executing leases with tour boat operators at Miamarina. The leases would cover individual boat slips, and provide greater financial security to the tour boat operators. The agreement must comply with the city charter and code, be subject to final approval of the city commission, and have a five-year term with no options to renew. The city requested proposals on Jan. 25, 2016. Five were received. Mr. Alfonso appointed a fivemember selection committee to review the proposals. The committee on Aug. 9 evaluated the criteria and scoring values, determined a rank order based on the score achieved and sent a written recommendation to the city manager. The committee ranked the five proposals and assigned boat slips according to that ranking. Mr. Alfonso approved the committee’s recommendation.
Transfers of development rights could preserve agricultural land By Susan Danseyar
Miami-Dade staff advises that the county explore developing transfers of development rights (TDR) to preserve agricultural land to work in conjunction with an existing program for buying conservation easements on viable private land. In a 26-page report to county commissioners, the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources analyzed the effectiveness of Miami-Dade’s existing marketbased TDR models for safeguarding environmentally sensitive lands. In addition to the current purchase of development rights (PDR) program from willing sellers to be used with a TDR, the department also recommends a potential transfer of development rights for historic properties. TDR programs entail turning over some or all of the right to develop or use a site that contains an important resource (“sending area�) in exchange for a right to develop or use another site more intensively (“receiving area�). The report explains that a sending area may be burdened through a deed restriction,
F ilming 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) 860-3823; and the Miami Beach Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment-Film and Print Division, (305) 673-7070. Rivertree Inc. Miami. Pennzoil. Miami Avenue Bridge, William Powell Bridge Turnaround. Great Artist Series. Miami. 50 Years of Culture in South Florida as brought by. Miami Beach citywide. Miles Partnership. Sarasota. Elevision Vision Chengdu Fun Travel. Miami Beach citywide. Sunsetprod Inc. New York. Les Angels. Countywide. NHNZ Ltd. Dunedin. What the Florida. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide. Machete Productions. Los Angeles. Wags Miami Season 2. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide. Sharp Entertainment. New York. Happily Ever After 2.
easement or other legality that severs the established right but TDR programs can achieve protection for agricultural and environmentally sensitive land or historic resources. Currently, the county has one TDR program called severable use rights, 4,700 of which were assigned to the East Everglades area. According to the report, the purpose of setting up the severable use rights program was to provide property owners with an alternative to on-site development within the environmentally sensitive East Everglades. Approximately 1,116 of the 4,700 allocated severable use rights had been applied to receiving areas in the county as of January 2016, the report states. “New TDR programs that allocate credits to the same receiving area as the severable use rights program has the potential to diminish the value of the remaining severable use rights,� the report concludes. “When analyzing the viability of new TDR programs, the county should consider the impact of these new programs on the existing severable use rights program.�
in
M iami
Miami International Airport. N House Productions. Miami. Carters. Countywide. Summit Productions Inc. Fort Lauderdale. Bon Prix. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide. OneKreate. Hollywood. Soma Swim Catalog. Crandon Park Beach, Haulover Beach Park. Stillmax Media LLC. Miami Shores. Fashion CatalogBrice/Laura. Countywide, Crandon Park Beach, Miami Beach citywide. P. Studios Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Top Shop. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide. Pro One Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Otto Fashion 1. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide. Pro One Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Otto Fashion Swim. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide. P. Studios Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Matches Magazine. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide. Photography by Depuhl. Miami. Parks Department Photoshoot. Countywide. N House Productions. Miami. Next Directory. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.
WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
TODAY’S NEWS
MIAMI TODAY
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Four county job categories set worker records
Struggle over Virginia Key’s beaches eyed By Marilyn Bowden
Gregory W. Bush, associate professor of history at the University of Miami and most recently author of “White Sand Black Beach: Civil Rights, Public Space and Miami’s Virginia Key,” will give a presentation to members of the Prologue Society – an organization dedicated to the appreciation of history – at noon Feb. 15 in the Riviera Country Club, 1155 Blue Road, Coral Gables. The book, reviewed in Miami Today’s Sept. 1, 2016, edition, correlates the 1945 struggle to open up access to the county’s beaches to its black citizens and the ongoing battle to preserve and maintain public spaces throughout the county. It’s a subject Mr. Bush is well qualified to address. Known for his activism locally, he’s actively making history as well as teaching it. To touch on a few recent examples: He initiated a Florida Public Space Program with high school teachers that involves studying and redesigning public parks, and has been at the forefront of efforts to maintain Virginia Key and Bicentennial Park. For the past year he’s chaired the Virginia Key Advisory Board, which advocates responsible development in keeping with the 2010 Virginia Key Master Plan, among other things. Recently, in conjunction with the National Park Service, the county’s parks department, Miami Dade College, Shake-A-Leg Miami and other partners, Mr. Bush set up a program called Nature Links, designed to help young adults with developmental delays continue their education through local history, job training and volunteer opportunities in the natural world. Mr. Bush is former board president and current vice president for programs of the Urban Environment League, which supports environmentally responsible development, including protection of the waterfront, public places, and historic and natural areas in urban Miami-Dade. Founded in 1996, the league has saved and enhanced many of the county’s public spaces. His earlier publications include “Lord of Attention: Gerald Stanley Lee and the Crowd Metaphor in Industrializing America” and, with Arva Moore Parks, “Miami: The American Crossroad,” a winner of the Florida Historical Society’s Tebeau Prize. The Prologue Society is sponsored by Brickell Bank, Miami Today and Books & Books. Guests are invited to attend one event annually before registering as a member. (Membership information: theprologuesociety@gmail. com or 305-323-1154.)
Four job categories set records for number of workers employed in Miami-Dade County in December, an analysis of US Bureau of Labor Statistics records shows. At the same time, the total number of people working in the county was a record in itself. Setting new category highs were leisure and hospitality, financial activities, education and health services, and a category called other services, lumping together disparate types of jobs. At the same time, unemployment rose to 5.4% from 5% in November as more workers poured into the growing labor force. But that employment figure was well down from 5.8% in December 2015. Leisure and hospitality, one of the county’s stalwarts for jobs, grew to a record 141,700 people employed in December, accounting for one of every nine jobs in the county. That record eclipsed the mark of 139,600 set in November. Ten years ago, 104,700 persons worked in that industry
Another job high was in the broad category of education and health services, with 178,900 persons at work in December, up 1,000 jobs from November, 1,900 jobs from December 2015 and far ahead of the 146,500 jobs a decade earlier. Also at a record high was the category of other services, which totaled 55,100 jobs in December, up 1,000 jobs from the prior month, 2,100 from the prior year and 9,300 from a decade earlier. Other services, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics, includes industries as diverse as equipment and machine repair, religious activities, grantmaking, advocacy, dry cleaning and laundry, personal care, pet care, photofinishing, temporary parking, and dating services. The county’s total employment of 1,284,673 in December set a record, as did the total labor force of 1,357,331. The total of nonfarm employment rose 2% in 2016 to end the year at 1,169 million persons.
Growing hospitality jobs include aiding the Eden Roc’s beach-goers.
in Miami-Dade – so December’s figure was up by 37,000 jobs in a decade. The financial activity jobs record was a remarkable turnaround for an industry that had been hammered in the Great Recession of the last decade. While in December 2006 a total
of 78,000 persons worked in the financial sector in Miami-Dade, by January 2010 jobs had eroded to 64,800 as thousands were forced from the industry. But in December, employees hit 82,500, or 500 jobs above the prior record for the sector of 82,000 in August 2016. 40
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Seaport sets global record, just misses 5 million passengers By Camila Cepero
PortMiami had another strong year in 2016, coming close to hitting the 5 million multi-day passenger mark. The port’s latest cruise season set a world record in cruise passenger traffic with 4.98 million multi-day passengers, a 1.5% increase from the previous year. The numbers follow the port’s tradition of annual increases in passenger numbers. In 2015, PortMiami processed 4.91 million multi-day passengers – also more than any other port in the world at the time. The year before, the port saw 4.77 million multi-day passengers. Passengers are counted when boarding and again when departing, meaning that almost 2.5 million individuals took multi-day cruises through the port last year.
The seaport increased the number of passengers it handled by 1.5%, hitting a 4.98 million multi-day total.
The most recent cruise season welcomed Norwegian Cruise Line’s new build ship the Escape, Aida Cruise Line’s Aida Mar, Aida Vita and the Aida Diva, Carnival Cruise Lines’ Splendor, and Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas. December alone saw the port welcome two additional newbuild ships – Carnival Cruise
Lines’ Vista and Regent Seven Seas’ Explorer. In 2015, “We were recently honored by the industry with the 2017 Best US Port Award – a ranking for going above and beyond in customer service, quality operations, and all around excellence,” said PortMiami director Juan Kuryla in an emailed statement.
“Additionally, we recently kicked-off a capital infrastructure program to facilitate a new era of smart cruising,” Mr. Kuryla said. “The port is transforming its cruise landscape, which includes the restoration and modernization of its terminals to accommodate the industry’s newer generation of cruise ships.”
These new ships include the MSC Seaside, scheduled to arrive later this year, and the Norwegian Bliss, scheduled to arrive in 2018. The port last year entered a public-private partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruises for the construction of a roughly $200 million brand new cruise terminal that will accommodate the cruise line’s biggest ships, including its Oasis class. “The agreement allows Royal Caribbean to design, construct, operate and maintain the new Cruise Terminal A,” Mr. Kuryla said. “[It will be] the largest most innovative cruise facility in the US once completed in late 2018.” PortMiami is among America’s busiest ports and recognized as a global gateway. It contributes more than $27 billion annually to Miami-Dade County.
Talent and training here but employers don’t see it, panel says By Camila Cepero
Employers are using an “outdated lens” to search for new talent and need to modernize their hiring practices, according to panelists at an economic summit. Johanna Mikkola, cofounder of coding bootcamp Wyncode, said that employers themselves are the biggest challenges when it comes to hiring new tech talent. “It takes a long time to convince larger corporations that the talent is here and the training is here,” Ms. Mikkola said. “The problem is that most companies are using an outdated lens to look for and find talent. They’re looking for a computer science degree in order to identify good developers, but in today’s day and age... that’s not necessarily the best metric for finding a developer to run your website.” “Slowly but surely companies are coming around and realizing that their hiring practices aren’t as modern as they should be. We’re having companies really look at how they’re hiring and what they’re looking for in their technology talent – that’s the big thing that we’re working to change right now.” Speaking at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 South Florida Economic Summit, the panelists sat down to discuss what the workforces of the future will look like. Emily Gresham, assistant vice president for research in innovation and economic development at
Photos by Marlene Quaroni
Johanna Mikkola of Wyncode makes point as Emily Gresham listens.
Look at the structure in which you operate, Rick Beasley suggested.
StartUp FIU, said that one of the biggest challenges is anticipating the skills that today’s students will need to succeed in the future. “We have this thing called the fourth industrial revolution, and it’s the notion that if you think of the technology innovations coming in the next to 10 to 20 years, they are going to be at the intersection of digital, physical and biological spheres,” Ms. Gresham said. “We don’t even know what that really means yet.” “So we have disruptive technologies in a digital economy that moves and scales rapidly,” she said. “How do we prepare our workforce to be ready for that?
who’s really talented in a separate conversation and they’ll tell you ‘Man, there’s no jobs here.’” Rick Beasley, executive director of CareerSource South Florida, said that organizations need to take a look at the “structure and environment in which they operate.” “Manufacturing is manufacturing,” Mr. Beasley said, “but still, the components of how you’re utilizing the equipment is going to be totally different than what your mom and dad did back in the day.” “A lot of people in this room are thinking, ‘Oh, they’re talking about technology and coding – I’m an accountant or a lawyer so that
This lens that talent seekers look through to see if someone is qualified for a position is an outdated lens. The lenses with which we are educating our students have to be with the acknowledgement that we have 20 years of disruptive technologies coming, and no one knows how to deal with that.” Moderator and Miami program director for the Knight Foundation Matt Haggman asked the panelists to speak about the “disconnect between employers and talent.” “You go through the course of a day and talk to employers who talk about how it’s really hard to find talent,” Mr. Haggman said, “and then you’ll talk to someone
doesn’t apply to me,’” Ms. Mikkola said. “But it actually really does. Everyone here knows how to type on a computer or keyboard, but there was a time when you actually were asked at a job interview what your words-per-minute score was, or if you knew how to type on a keyboard. Today, that is basic computer literacy.” “Coding or some type of technological literacy is going to be a marketable skill set – it already is,” she said, “but it’s going to be a required skill set, and that’s why you really need to look at your company and individually recognize what role technology plays in it.”
Economic summit sifts impact of new federal administration By Camila Cepero
South Florida Economic Summit speakers shared ideas about possible impacts from the new US administration. Moderator Jeffrey F. DiModica, president and managing director of Starwood Property Trust, asked panelists to discuss the “good and bad” of the Affordable Care Act. Penny Shaffer, Florida Blue market president, began by noting how the largest positive outcome came in the form of the more than 20 million people who now have access to care. “Some of the things that we could do
better with are penny taxes... The taxes that were placed on insurance companies and device manufacturers and such basically roll through to the subscribers, the policyholders,” Ms. Shaffer said. “We want to be sure that whatever we do, we abolish the Affordable Care Act but also replace it quickly with something that works, perhaps on a more market-based basis,” said Tony Villamil, co-founder and principal of the Washington Economics Group. “We still have roughly a million people in Florida that make too much for the traditional Medicaid and make too little to qualify for the subsidies on the exchange,” Ms. Shaffer said. “So they’re literally sit-
ting in an uninsured gap with no options.” Mr. Villamil said he believes the new administration should be aiming for “the low-hanging fruits first” and “get started on the things of big consensus in Congress.” He provided examples such as tackling tax rate regulations, “anything that has to do with infrastructure,” and, again, the Affordable Care Act. Regarding changes in healthcare policies, Ms. Shaffer said she doesn’t “think there’s a lot materially that can happen in 2017.” “Healthcare is regulated at the state level. Despite the fact that there may be changes at the federal level, there is still a state timeline,” she said.
That timeline will give the new administration time to take things slowly, she said, and she doesn’t expect any changes until at least the beginning of 2018. “The most important thing is remembering that... the system in our country provides the balance of power and checks and balances,” Ms. Shaffer said. “No one person or party element can change our lives beyond a certain point.” Mr. Villamil said that “overall, the policy makeup, with the exception of trade, looks very positive for Florida.” “I hope that the administration and Congress understand that we live in a global world.”
14
MIAMI TODAY
COCONUT GROVE
WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Grove Arts Festival spotlights 380 artists curated from 11,000
year, highlighting the works of 380 artists. The Coconut Grove Arts FestiThis year’s show will include Both Art Express and a free bikes valet will bring guests to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Feb. 18-20. val returns Feb. 18-20 for its 54th works in mixed media, paintings, photography, digital art, printmaking & drawing, watercolor, clay works, glass, fiber, jewelry & metalwork, sculpture and wood pieces. “Over 11,000 to 15,000 applicants apply yearly,” said Monty Trainer, president of the Coconut “The candy store for wine lovers” Grove Arts Festival, which is narrowed down to 380 artists by five judges during a two-day period. In addition to all of the art, this Any wine purchase of year’s festival will feature a new $40.00 or more. Excludes method of transportation known wines on promotion. Limit 1 per customer as the Art Express. with coupon. Guests can take the Metrorail Expires on 2/26/17 and arrive at the Douglas Road station at 3060 SW 37th Court and BEST SERVICE....BEST SELECTION get picked up by the Art Express Shop online: www.vintageliquor.com bus, which will take guests to and from the festival. Over 1400 different labels of wines. Another transportation service A spectacular selection of single malts that’s available for guests is the green mobility free bike valet. & bourbon whiskey. Last year over 500 bikes used the valet service said Mr. Trainer WE DELIVER who expects over 1,000 bikes to #1 Pinecrest #2 Midtown Miami #3 Brickell be valeted at this year’s festival. 11753 South Dixie Hwy 3301 NE 1st Ave. #105 1836 SW 3rd Ave Another addition to this year’s Pinecrest Fl 33156 Miami Fl 33137 Miami Fl 33129 art show is its family fun zone at 305-235-4302 305-514-0307 305-854-4646 Regatta Park. YOUR-ONE-STOP-LIQUOR & WINE-STORE “We have done away with the ziplines, rides and bounce houses and are going to have a very active kids area,” said Mr. Trainer. “The festival was becoming too much 55 years in Coconut Grove of a carnival and not enough of an art show.” 200 years in the United States Children will be able to watch 216 years worldwide performances by the National Danish Tumbling Team, participate in hands-on activities with the Miami FC soccer team and more. The festival will also feature a cooking demonstration by Chef Pepín as he attempts to cook the world’s largest arroz con pollo, said Mr. Trainer, which will then 䌀唀匀吀伀䴀 䤀一吀䔀刀一䔀吀 䄀䌀䌀䔀匀匀 be boxed up and given to the 䈀唀匀䤀一䔀匀匀 䌀䰀䄀匀匀 䠀伀匀吀䔀䐀 嘀伀䤀䌀䔀 Camillus House shelter for the 一䔀吀圀伀刀䬀 䤀吀Ⰰ 䌀䰀伀唀䐀 ☀ 匀䔀䌀唀刀䤀吀夀 匀伀䰀唀吀䤀伀一匀 homeless. 匀倀䔀䌀䤀䄀䰀 䔀嘀䔀一吀 䤀一吀䔀刀一䔀吀 ☀ 圀䤀ⴀ䘀䤀 倀刀伀嘀䤀䐀䔀刀 Another way the festival gives back to the community is through 圀攀 䄀爀攀 䰀漀挀愀氀氀礀 䈀愀猀攀搀 愀渀搀 匀甀爀瀀愀猀猀 䄀一夀 䌀漀洀瀀攀琀椀琀椀漀渀 3747 Main Highway, Miami, Florida 33133 • 305-446-5673 its young talent scholarships. 椀渀 儀甀愀氀椀琀礀 愀渀搀 䌀甀猀琀漀洀攀爀 匀攀爀瘀椀挀攀℀ www.carrollton.org ⸀⸀⸀⸀⸀⸀⸀⸀⸀⸀ All profits from the festival go Carrollton is a Montessori-3 through Grade 12 all girls Catholic college-preparatory school that 䌀漀渀琀愀挀琀 唀猀 昀漀爀 愀 䌀漀洀瀀氀椀洀攀渀琀愀爀礀 匀椀琀攀 匀甀爀瘀攀礀 吀漀搀愀礀℀ into young talent scholarships, admits qualified students of any race, color, religion, nationality, or ethnic origin. ㌀ 㔀⸀㈀㈀㈀⸀㜀㠀㤀 簀 椀渀昀漀䀀眀愀瘀攀琀攀挀栀猀⸀挀漀洀 簀 眀眀眀⸀眀愀瘀攀琀攀挀栀猀⸀挀漀洀 which provide an average of $5,000 in cash scholarships to two students from five art magnet schools in Miami-Dade County. Last year the festival earned $40,000 to $55,000, said Mr. Trainer, which all went to scholarships and buying art supplies for schools. The festival will also allow students from the New World School of the Arts to sell their work for $100 to art festival patrons, with Limited Homework Small Class Sizes No FCATs Grades 1-12 $50 going to the students and the other $50 going back to the school. An affordable private school in Coconut Grove Festival tickets range from $15 per person per day. Children 12 years and under, Metrorail Golden Passport holders and Patriot Passport holders can attend free. All Coconut Grove residents in 2911 grand ave | suite 400 A | mayfair center | miami, 33133 305.442.2283 | www.mcaacademy.com the 33133 zip code can attend for $5 per person per day. Proof of Non-Discriminatory Policy: residency will be required. By Katya Maruri
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16
COCONUT GROVE
MIAMI TODAY
WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
The Harbour project next among rapid waterfront changes By John Charles Robbins
Along the Coconut Grove waterfront, the only constant is change. Significant changes continue to evolve where the mainland meets Biscayne Bay, anchored centrally by historic Miami City Hall. For the last three years, cranes and cement trucks have been major players in the transformation of the waterfront. In the last 12 months alone, the area has seen construction of a waterfront plaza, two expansive new parking lots to serve multiple areas and uses, and additional accents to the new Regatta Park. Exactly one year ago, the area between the new multi-milliondollar dockmaster building and the water’s edge was a expanse of dirt, broken concrete, rocks and twisted steel – covering the demolished remnants of the old one-story dockmaster’s office that fronted Dinner Key Marina. Finishing work on the waterfront project included completion of the 10,180-square-foot outdoor plaza, tying nicely together the city-owned marina and the new dockmaster building. The three-story baby blue structure now serves as the Dinner Key Marina and Harbormaster’s (Mooring) administration building. The project had a price tag of more than $4.5 million. The building looks out over the city’s 582-slip flagship marina, Dinner Key Marina, the largest wet slip marine facility in the state. The marina offers concrete docks/wooden finger piers,
Photos by John Charles Robbins
A new 10,180-square-foot outdoor plaza ties together city-owned marina and the dockmaster building.
electric connections and Internet access, laundry facilities and pump-out service, 24-hour staff and security, fishing charters and more. In addition, the city’s 225-vessel mooring facility lies just offshore. And nearby, paid parking for hundreds of vehicles has come to the waterfront, in two joined lots. The new parking lots were paved, painted and landscaped, and much of the space is devoted to PayByPhone parking, employing an online application to pay for parking. The Miami Parking Authority operates the new paid parking areas. Signs give notice that parking is now paid parking, except on days of Miami City Commission meetings at City Hall. In the parking lot closest to the new dockmaster building, several rows are reserved for Dinner Key
Before the plaza was constructed, this is how the waterfront looked.
Marina users and guests, requiring paid and displayed parking permits. Also in the past year, work was completed on the service road connecting Pan American Drive with the end of Southwest 27th Avenue. The roadway was
outfitted with fold-back barricades so it can be used as a staging area for events tried to Regatta Park and the marina. The park itself has lived up to its name and beyond by hosting many water-related events, including regattas.
In the coming months and years, the land north and east of City Hall will be transformed, and the process has already begun. In November 2015, the city and the parking authority approved agreements with Grove Bay Investment Group LLC to develop the city-owned land there. Grove Bay’s project, called The Harbour, is to include new restaurants and retail, redeveloping a marina, improvements to the public baywalk, and a brand new parking garage. The garage will be built, owned and managed by the parking authority, with Grove Bay paying for part of the construction. Site clearing work has begun on the land that will house the new garage, at Pan American Drive and South Bayshore Drive. However, construction on the garage has been delayed. In December, the parking authority – through the city’s OffStreet Parking Board – rejected all bids for construction of the garage after they came in more than double the estimated cost. The garage is planned at three stories for 333 vehicles and ground floor retail uses. The building is currently being designed to help cut overall construction costs. At a Feb. 1 meeting, authority CEO Art Noriega told the parking board the modifications to the design are being finalized. Once completed, he said, the project will be re-bid. Mr. Noriega said the site clearing work, and relocation of a water main on the site, have been suspended and will not resume until after the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Feb. 18-20.
Higher end Grove residences ‘will sell, but it will take longer’ By Catherine Lackner
No one doubts Coconut Grove’s verdant charm and cosmopolitan appeal, but how the village has fared in the luxury real estate slump depends on who you ask. “Depending on the lot size, if it’s priced at less than $1 million it tends to sell quickly,” said Carole Smith, a realtor at EWM Realty International, speaking about single-family homes. “Some are being bought for the land value, but generally people are buying them to live in them.” Homes priced between $1 million and $1.5 million “sell pretty well also,” she said. “At more than $1.5 million, there’s a bit of a slowdown, and at $3 million, we have a lot more inventory than we do buyers. They will sell, but it will take longer.” Ms. Smith said there are buyers sitting on the sidelines who only want Coconut Grove and are willing to wait for prices to come down. Over the past 12 months, 237 sales have closed; the average sale price over all categories was $1.2 million, or $393 per square foot, she said. But last year saw the $34.6 million sale of a single-family home on 6.9 acres to Ransom-Everglades School. If that transaction is factored out, the average price rises to $1.87 million, or $386 per square foot. In the $500,000 to $1 million price range, there were 85 sales, with an average sale price of $675,000, or $403 per square foot. There are 26 homes for sale that are priced at more than $3 million and only one pending sale in that category, Ms. Smith
said. In the $2 million to $3 million range, six sales are pending. “Sellers are going to have to reduce their prices,” she said. “This is a small village with a lot of inventory.” Buyers range from young professional couples whose families have outgrown condominiums in Brickell to empty nesters who are leaving larger homes in Coral Gables or Pinecrest, she said. The latter group “is no longer restricted by schools, they don’t want to maintain a property. They’re looking for a condominium or a smaller home, but one that has been completely updated, with impact windows and lots of closet space.” Some buyers are moving to the Grove at Grand Bay, two bayfront glass towers developed by David Martin. “David has done an amazing job of providing amenities people want,” Ms. Smith said. “We’re lucky to have him.” Controlling the scope and pace of development is crucial, said Ms. Smith, herself long a Grove resident. “Grovites are very passionate about that; they don’t want to lose the very thing that brought them here. We want a lot of that preserved and built into its future.” “The Grove is a niche market and an extremely resilient one,” said Oscar Rodriguez, principal of ROVR Development. “It has had its ups and downs; this is not the first one we’ve seen, but we’ve fared better than other markets. Clearly, there is a huge oversupply of luxury product.” Mr. Rodriguez is building The Fairchild Coconut Grove, a 26-unit luxury residential condominium project set directly on
Biscayne Bay. The five-story development will offer units ranging from 1,700 to 4,200 square feet with prices starting at $1.4 million. His project, the only new complex directly on the water, boasts more than 30% of units under contract after five months on the market. Many buyers are locals who have lived in Miami for many years, he said. “We’re not as dependent on foreign buyers.” Mr. Rodriguez says he is in the process of pulling permits. Construction, he said, will take about 18 months. The strong sales “are a testament to Coconut Grove, which is really a diamond in the rough. There is not one area in the United States of America that is as beautifully landscaped, that is so scenic, that has the sleepy charm. The coastline itself with its nooks and inlets and mangroves – – is breathtaking. And all the history! I think in all of Miami, this is the neighborhood that has stayed truest to its roots.” “The Coconut Grove luxury singlefamily home pricing is down 22% yearto-year with inventory levels rising to 14.2 months,” said Carlos Villanueva, district sales manager for the Coral Gables office of the Keyes Co. “Condos in the same market have fared well pricing-wise, but inventory levels are still hovering at almost two years. The market is similar in Coral Gables. However, compared to the Miami Beach and Key Biscayne luxury markets, the Coconut Grove luxury market is lagging behind.” The median property price (both condominium and single-family home) in Coco-
nut Grove was $1.8 million in 2016 and rose 23% to $2.3 million in 2017, he said via email. “Condo sales in Coconut Grove remain stronger than single-family home sales. We have seen the prices increase as a whole, but the sales pace steadily moving toward a neutral market.” In 2016, there was nearly 19 months of inventory in the area, and inventory has fallen to 13.3 months in 2017 for condos and single-family homes combined, he said. “Luxury properties are less abundant, by comparison to the general market. Currently, Coconut Grove has 112 properties on the market for more than $1 million, seven under contract and one sold for the first month of 2017. “Based on the absorption rate, it’s a buyer’s market in Coconut Grove,” Mr. Villanueva said. “Buyers were in a holding pattern until the outcome of the presidential election was determined. However, we have seen a significant increase in activity, foot traffic and inquiries in the market since that time, particularly in January. We will certainly see what the market brings once we close out the first quarter. All signs are pointing toward a stable market. “We are seeing more US buyers coming into our market due to the relatively lower cost of living and quality of life,” he continued. “Buyers from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles love markets like Coconut Grove due to the convenience of the live/work/play trifecta. Foreign-buyer demand has tapered off a bit, due to currency exchange rates against a strong US dollar. However, the main driver for foreign investment is safety.”
24
WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
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