Miami Today: Week of Thursday, April 13, 2017

WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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Shopping centers shift focus, look to entertainment, pg. 13 WORKING TO STREAMLINE: Miami has been selected as one of 10 cities to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities initiative – one of the largest efforts to enhance the use of data and evidence in the public sector. The city will receive technical assistance from worldclass experts to address local issues. Miami’s first priority as part of this initiative is to streamline the building and permitting process. Miami’s selection was announced by former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at the second annual What Works Cities Summit in New York City. From Miami, Chief Innovation Officer Mike Sarasti and Strategic Planning and Performance Manager Cheriene Floyd attended. There are 77 mid-sized US cities partnering with What Works Cities. Miami is one of the latest to commit to enhancing its use of data and evidence to improve services, inform local decision-making and engage residents.

Major transit-oriented project under a cone of silence, pg. 15

The Achiever

By John Charles Robbins

ZIKA VACCINE TRIALS HERE: The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine will soon begin one of the nation’s first full-scale Zika vaccine clinical trials testing the National Institutes of Health’s experimental DNA-based vaccine. An endemic region is critical to help determine the vaccine’s safety, effective dosage and whether it can effectively prevent disease caused by Zika. The Miami arm of the study will be led by Margaret Fischl, a UM infectious disease physician and scientist with the University of Miami Health System and Miller School. “The vaccine is really important in Miami because we saw the nation’s first cases of locally-acquired Zika, which needed a more immediate response,” she said. “A Zika vaccine was an important effort to respond to the Zika outbreak.” Researchers will initially recruit individuals from Miami-Dade, who will be given the vaccine in varying dosages to test safety.

NEW COLLEGE CERTIFICATIONS: Miami Dade College’s School of Engineering and Technology will offer three new college credit certifications in the fall and the School of Education will offer a certificate in instructional design and technology. The engineering and technology certificates are an engineering and technology support specialist 18-credit-hour certificate; a mechanitronics 30-credit-hour certificate and a 12-credit-hour rapid prototyping certificate that prepares students for entry-level jobs in high tech production, manufacturing, distribution and engineering research and development facilities. The instructional design and technology certificate is 15 credit hours. Open registration begins May 22.

Dave Howard

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

Sports executive uses his experience to start a railroad The profile is on Page 4

Pivotal cost cut may fuel Grove bayfront project

By John Charles Robbins

Miami Parking Authority officials, working with architects and engineers, may have figured out how to shave millions in unexpected costs from a municipal garage planned for the Coconut Grove bayfront.

The garage and its ground floor retail are a key part of a public-private partnership among the authority, the City of Miami and Grove Bay Investment Group LLC. The developer has leased about 7 acres from the city as part of an agreement to redevelop the waterfront north of City Hall into The Harbour.

Authority CEO Art Noriega told the city’s Off-Street Parking Board last month that he was confident of lowering the costs of the Grove Bay Garage. He followed up April 5, reporting that value engineering is expected to cut the cost by more than $5 million.

What it means is the garage is being redesigned, and one major change will lower it from three levels to two. But even with one less level, Mr. Noriega said, interior changes should result in about the same number of parking spaces: 333.

He convinced the parking board it was worth

Plastic bag war moves into Miami

boosting the architectural firm’s pay for the redesign. The board followed his advice and hired a project manager.

“As a result of the value engineering process, I felt it’s very important that we have technical support to act as our project manager,” Mr. Noriega said. The board approved hiring RH Engineering Group Inc. for project management for about $6,500 a month.

Clearing has begun on the site that will house the garage, at Pan American Drive and South Bayshore Drive.

The plan calls for Grove Bay Investment Group to make about $17.9 million of privately-funded improvements to redevelop a marina, construct restaurants, improve the public baywalk, make other improvements and fund part of the garage.

As part of a revised agreement, the developer agreed to contribute $4 million toward the cost of the garage, or about half the $8 million construction budget.

But authority officials were shocked when the bids came in more than double the estimated budget.

Four contractors’ bids ranged from about $17.7 million to nearly $18.8 million. All

were rejected.

Mr. Noriega has said some factors leading to the high costs arose during the permitting process. One of the biggest unexpected costs came when the Federal Emergency Management Agency ordered flood panels built into the structure, he said.

The parking board hired Wolfberg Alvarez & Partners for design and architectural work on the garage on a $375,000 contract in 2014.

Litigation against the city delayed start of The Harbour and was not settled until 2015.

To cover additional work by the architectural firm, the board added $93,000 to the contract in October 2015. Last week, the board approved $160,000 more.

Mr. Noriega told the board he’s hopeful the redesigned project can go out for new bids in 30 to 40 days.

Proposed design changes include reconfiguration of the parking levels, including the ramping system to simplify the structure; reduction in the ornamental façade; and adding an open metal skin façade to satisfy rules for a naturally-ventilated garage, versus a mechanically ventilated garage with an exhaust fan system.

On the heels of Coral Gables restricting use of plastic bags, Miami city officials will consider a similar campaign in seeking a cleaner environment.

On today’s (4/13) Miami City Commission agenda, a resolution from Ken Russell could be the first shot in a war against the prolific plastic bag.

The measure would urge Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature to repeal part of a state statute intended to prohibit local governments from regulating disposable plastic shopping bags.

The law preempts municipalities from regulating the use, disposition, sale, prohibition, restriction or tax of disposable plastic shopping bags. Critics say the statute is in limbo, and a judge has said it’s unconstitutionally vague.

In mid-March, Coral Gables commissioners on first reading voted to prohibit carry-out plastic bags from stores within the city and by anyone holding a city special events permit.

The first of its kind in the state, the ordinance sponsored by Commissioner Vince Lago aims to promotes reduction of litter and pollutants. A final vote is awaited.

It’s similar to a Coral Gables ordinance regulating the use of polystyrene. In February, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade upheld that ordinance as valid and enforceable and concluded that state statutes being used to prevent the city from enforcing the ordinance were unconstitutional.

In Miami, in framing the issue Mr. Russell’s resolution cites astronomical numbers. For example, according to research by the Environmental Protection Agency, five hundred billion to one trillion disposable plastic shopping bags are used each year globally.

An estimated 8 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste, including plastic bags, entered the oceans in 2010. Miami as a coastal community is particularly vulnerable to the impact of plastic bags on the environment.

LUDLAM TRAIL ON TRACK, RAILWAY FENCES FENCED OUT ...

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MIAMI FORMALLY ENTERS CLIMATE CHANGE COMPACT ...

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TUNNEL DEVELOPER LOOKS AT COUNTY AIM FOR TRANSIT ...

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STATE AFFIRMS FOUR TRANSPORTATION PROJECT AIMS ...

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VIEWPOINT: FACING 58% OF HOUSEHOLDS ON THE BRINK ...

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WEST GROVE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AREA AIMS ...

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MIAMI AMENDS ZONING TO SPUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING ...

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SCHOOL DISTRICTS GRAPPLE WITH TEACHER SHORTAGES ...

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TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017

MIAMI TODAY

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Port tunnel developer looks at county’s aim for new transit

By Susan Danseyar

The chief operating officer of a company that helped to fund, build and operate the Port of Miami Tunnel told a county committee last week how the firm’s aims might mesh with the now-unfunded plan to add six transit legs in Miami-Dade.

Thilo Tecklenburg, COO for French group Meridiam, a global investor and asset manager specializing in public and community infrastructure, said his company is looking for early stage procurements and preparations in public/ private partnerships (P3s) for transit that will come to a successful end and to align interests with the community’s.

“We need to focus our resources on projects that make sense for us, on projects where we feel the procurement process will be efficient and come to a successful end and that are accepted by the community.

“We don’t own any public assets,” Mr. Tecklenburg said April 6 during MiamiDade County Commission Chair Esteban Bovo Jr.’s Policy Council meeting. “In the US, this market has gained momentum and we need to focus our resources on those projects that make sense for us” – projects that are funded to pay Meridiam back.

Mr. Tecklenburg said Meridiam is an investor/developer asset manager of P3s focused on design-build projects that the firm will also finance, operate and maintain. “One of our major projects is Port of Miami Tunnel in Miami, a design-build finance operate maintain in Miami.”

What Meridiam expects from the public sector before getting engaged is that the long-term funding is in place and that community outreach happens, he said.

“You go right through city roads and community territory [so] you need to talk through all that with the community beforehand so they know what to expect

and we also know how we are expected to mitigate any of those concerns. Those are elements that are really important.”

Meridiam plays “offense on the solutions side,” Mr. Tecklenburg said. “We want to come up with good solutions that fit everybody’s needs. We don’t come up with the ideas for transit,” he said. That’s the community’s responsibility, to define the need and identify the priority project and “see then with experts if the project is a good candidate and you have the champion in the funding in the community.”

Mr. Bovo said the policy council sought the discussion on different ways to do the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) plan, which is to add six new transit legs in the county. “One of the things we have done already is identify the SMART plan is the core project we want to come to fruition.”

Funding sources are still being looked at, he said. In the next month or two,

hopefully there will be some “meat and potatoes” for the county commission to examine, he said.

Transit chief Alice Bravo said her department did some digging through Miami-Dade’s long-range transportation plan. There’s $217 million over the next five years for various projects. The money that’s generated here stays here, she said.

According to Mr. Tecklenburg, Meridiam is a global investor and asset manager specializing in public and community infrastructure with a long-term view. “Our funds are 25-year funds,” he said. “Investors in our funds are institutional investors. We look at projects on a national and international basis. There are 56 projects in our portfolio.”

The company was founded in 2005.

Details:http://miamidade.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_ id=2&clip_id=4292

Rapid rail developer offers pointers on transit partnerships

By Susan Danseyar

Public-private partnerships (P3s) for transit should be flexible and competitive, with both parties feeling they come from a position of strength, Michael Reininger, executive director of Florida East Coast Industries, recommends.

“There’s a need for motivational balance where both sides should have needs and resources for a partnership, and then you can take advantage of both sides,” he said during County Commission Chair Esteban Bovo Jr.’s Policy Council meeting April 6, explaining that his comments were mostly about the creation and formation of P3s.

“Our view is that almost always the public sector’s capital is cheaper than the private sector’s capital,” Mr. Reininger said. “In the construct of P3s,

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Both partners should have needs and resources, said Mike Reininger.

the best possible outcomes are achieved when there’s recognition of a natural tension.”

Using sports analogy, he said the public sector is a defensive team, shielding itself against bad acts, whereas the private sector plays offense. “(For the

private sector) it’s all about initiating and assuming the best possible outcome.”

Therefore, he said, there can be differences in points of view, which can become central. “It represents the difference between a focus on process and

on the end result.” At that point, Mr. Reininger said, the real issue becomes a dramatic difference between the two parties on the value of time.

For the solicitation of any P3 project, he said it’s important to design a process that “exacts an equity of strength in the participants. Every side has to think it’s a fair fight.”

When the parties see themselves as peers, there will be a higher level of competition, Mr. Reininger said. “The energy level is higher when they think the competition is equitable and it becomes easier to make a decision.”

Additionally, flexibility is important. Mr. Reininger said it’s important to know the question being asked and the parameters of what both parties propose. “Competitors like to come to the table with their own special ‘sauce.’ You often

see complex ‘asks’ in these.”

Mr. Reininger suggested more flexibility.

He began the presentation by making a confession. “The comments I offer are in part motivated out of some self interest.

Our (collective) company has made significant investments on things that are public infrastructure over the past four years approaching $1 billion. As we look to the future, we’re looking at ways to see the evolution of both neighborhoods and businesses we touch.”

The company has participated in P3s from both sides of the table, Mr. Reininger said, with representation of the public as well as private sides.

“We only engage in P3s as kinds of investments in areas where we believe we have skills and capacities,” he said. “We have obligations to be strategic and profitable.”

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8 Bedrooms, 7.5 Bathrooms, 9,100 SF, 58,370 sf lot, Open Balcony, pool džƋƵŝƐŝƚĞ ƵƚĐŚͲ ĂƌŝďďĞĂŶ ƉůĂŶƚĂƟŽŶͲƐƚLJůĞ ĞƐƚĂƚĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǀĞƌLJ ĞdžĐůƵƐŝǀĞ ĂŶĚ ŐĂƚĞĚ ^ŶĂƉƉĞƌ ƌĞĞŬ >ĂŬĞƐ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ͘ dŚŝƐ ϮϬϬϲ ĐƵƐƚŽŵͲďƵŝůƚ ĂŶĚ ŝŵƉĞĐĐĂďůLJ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ϴ ĞĚƌŽŽŵ ĞƐƚĂƚĞ ŝƐ ƐŝƚƵĂƚĞĚ ŝŶ Ă ďĞĂƵƟĨƵůůLJ ŵĂŶŝĐƵƌĞĚ ƚƌŽƉŝĐĂů ƉĂƌĂĚŝƐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŚĞĂƌƚ ŽĨ ŽƌĂů 'ĂďůĞƐ͘ zŽƵ ǁŝůů ĨĞĞů ůŝŬĞ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ůŝǀŝŶŐ Ă ƌĞƐŽƌƚ ůŝĨĞƐƚLJůĞ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ĞdžƉĂŶƐŝǀĞ ŚŽŵĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ĞdžƋƵŝƐŝƚĞ ĂŶĚ ĞůĞŐĂŶƚ ĂƌĐŚŝƚĞĐƚƵƌĂů ĚĞƐŝŐŶ ĂŶĚ Ăůů ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŵŽĚĞƌŶ ĐŽŵĨŽƌƚƐ͘ ĞĂƵƟĨƵů ƐƉůŝƚ ŇŽŽƌ ƉůĂŶ͕ ĞdžƉĂŶƐŝǀĞ ŵĂƐƚĞƌ ƐƵŝƚĞ͕ ƐƚĂƚĞͲŽĨͲƚŚĞͲĂƌƚ ĐŚĞĨ͛Ɛ ŬŝƚĐŚĞŶ͕ ǁŝŶĞ ĐĞůůĂƌ͕ ůŝďƌĂƌLJ͕ ŝŶĮŶŝƚLJ ƉŽŽů ǁŝƚŚ ƐƵŵŵĞƌ ŬŝƚĐŚĞŶ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŝǀĂƚĞ ŐƵĞƐƚ͛Ɛ ƋƵĂƌƚĞƌƐ ǁŝƚŚ ĨƵůů ŬŝƚĐŚĞŶ ĂŶĚ ƐŝƫŶŐ ƌŽŽŵ ĂƌĞ ŽŶůLJ ƐŽŵĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĂŵĂnjŝŶŐ ĨĞĂƚƵƌĞƐ͘ ŶũŽLJ &ůŽƌŝĚĂ ƌĞƐŽƌƚͲƐƚLJůĞ ůŝǀŝŶŐ Ăƚ ŝƚƐ ďĞƐƚ͊ Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 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

Facing the challenge of 58% of all households on the brink A sobering view of Miami-Dade’s economy from the bottom half looking up has realistic implications far from the cranes that are building a seemingly separate world that recognizes only the upper edges of county life.

Michael Lewis That systematic sobering look from the United Way of Florida shows that 21% of our county’s households earn less than the federal poverty level and that an additional 37% of the county’s households are struggling to make ends meet, up from 31% just five years ago.

The report also reveals a rapidly aging state and county, with adults 65 and older heading more than 200,000 households in the county and almost 125,000 of those households either in poverty or struggling to make it economically.

None of this is apparent if you look from the top down, where all vestiges of the late recession have vanished. From the still-rising luxury residences to the glitzy Design District and sparkling new Brickell City Centre, affluence seems to be everywhere.

But it’s not. The people whose work supports all of those enterprises frequently live

near the edge, according to the United Way. According to the report, the Miami-Dade household survival budget for a family of four in the past five years rose from $48,166 to $56,753, with large increases in cost for health coverage coupled with a jump in transportation spending stemming primarily from the rising cost of car insurance.

The cost of housing, surprisingly, rose far more slowly from 2012, but only because housing even then was extremely costly.

So while the county’s median household income rose from $41,400 in 2012 to $43,786 today, that increase didn’t keep pace with a rising cost of living. And the county’s median household income lags far behind the state’s median of $49,426.

While the numbers obviously have implications for the United Way and the web of agencies and services it helps to support, the implications spread throughout the community to others.

One of the county’s most vital aims is One Community One Goal, spearheaded by the Beacon Council with the task of expanding the numbers of jobs in industries that pay well above the county’s median levels. It’s evident from the United Way study that far too many in Miami-Dade are in the lower-paying end of the wage scale for multiple reasons.

Throughout the state, in fact, the United Way study found that the largest single job category in 2015 was in retail sales, where 337,140 people averaged $9.99 per hour.

L etters ‘Medical marijuana’ can contribute to health issues

In response to The Last Word (3/30) regarding news that Miami-Dade commissioners unanimously urged Congress and the Trump administration to continue allowing states such as Florida to authorize and implement the use of medical marijuana, I would like to comment on one point: medical marijuana is an oxymoron.

Although a compassionate alternative to treat specific illnesses, legalizing “medical” marijuana [under the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014] can also play a factor in contributing to severe health problems and cancers.

As a certified addiction specialist, my message to young and old is this: beware marijuana’s potency no matter the issue.

Did you know?: Studies show that smoking marijuana increases the risk of respiratory problems, including lung cancer. This is because marijuana smoke may contain from 50% to 100% more carcinogens than cigarette smoke. In fact, three to four joints a day can do about as much damage as about 20 cigarettes.

Also, pot smokers tend to smoke unfiltered joints and hold the smoke in their lungs longer to achieve a more intense effect, thus contributing to potential pulmonary problems. THC impairs reaction time, making it a dangerous drug to consume while operating a motor vehicle.

Let us not oversimplify the medicinal marijuana industry as “big bucks for the county.” Whether medicinal or recreational, there could be as much as $7 incurred in medical costs for every $1 of tax revenue, according to Joseph Califano, Jr. CASA founder and chairman. Marijuana affects the risk of addiction and increases experimentation to harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Second was food preparation, with 227,860 persons averaging $8.98 per hour. The third largest category was 226,000 cashiers averaging $9.08 per hour. Those are the top three job categories in the state, averaging together well under $400 per week.

In fact, statewide, the only job category of the top 11 that averaged as much as $15 per hour was registered nurses, who are the top of the 20 largest job categories at $29.87 per hour.

One Community One Goal is geared to bring in more jobs in higher wage tiers, jobs not represented in the top 20 categories in this state and this county.

While the level of success of that effort is certainly not to blame for more and more families – 58% in this county – being at or below the financial edge, everyone will acknowledge that we need to be adding bigger numbers of higher paying jobs faster, shifting more households above the brink of economic danger.

That, of course, is far easier said than done.

Higher paying jobs are most likely to go to those educationally prepared for such jobs, which puts a burden on universities, colleges and those who offer technical training to have workers well prepared for better jobs. One Community One Goal is working closely with educational institutions to make that happen. We won’t attract higher-paying new businesses if they don’t see a sufficient number of trained workers ready for those jobs.

Other needs are also apparent. The largest

to the

Know all the facts.

Dr. Marino E. Carbonell, LMHC, CAP, BCPC Licensed Psychotherapist/Certified Addiction Specialist/Board Certified Professional Counselor

Bridge draft report offers fake congestion solution

While we have recently learned of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) draft report of Brickell Avenue Bridge operations presented to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and reported in Miami Today (3/23), we are compelled to respond.

Our initial review of the report suggests important inconsistencies, omissions, unknown assumptions and misleading results/ findings.

FDOT did not, importantly, include real bridge operation scenario modeling. The evaluation did not address the cause of traffic wait-time long after the Brickell Avenue Bridge had closed. The evaluation did not include a review of bridgetender logs. FDOT seems to have based its evaluation on broad estimates that do not reflect the underlying cause of the traffic congestion and certainly does not suggest a real solution.

Additionally, the narrowly-focused draft report does not include vessel movement on the Miami River in the assessment.

Shouldn’t it?

We trust that the Coast Guard will not be overwhelmed by the 1,354 pages of unexplained data, tabulation errors, unclear assumptions and questionable findings within the DDA-prompted FDOT draft report and review this and pending unbiased assessments of the Brickell Avenue Bridge area traffic congestion using real comprehensive scenario modeling as the basis of Brickell Avenue Bridge operation scheduling.

burdens on the members of the workforce who the United Way study labels “asset limited, income constrained, employed” persons include the very short supply of workforce housing, a lack of adequate public transportation as driving costs skyrocket and housing needs force workers to live further and further from jobs, and the rising cost of health care.

All of these create a web of community issues that should be taken into close consideration with every action of state and local governments. Miami-Dade cannot be a healthy community with 58% of its households waking up in economic jeopardy every morning.

It is easy to allow the growth of wealth at the upper end as the elite of the nation and often of the globe flock to Miami-Dade to obscure the concerns that a majority of the population on the brink should raise as red flags.

Miami is definitely the place to be in a global setting. But when a survival household budget for a family of four is $56,760 and for a single person is $22,488 and when 58% of households can’t make the survival minimum, this community needs to focus attention and resources on making sure that the opportunities are ample for that 58% to help themselves rise above and beyond the brink.

The United Way’s report offers a challenge that is also an opportunity. Government and the business community need to accept that challenge. The opportunity is a far stronger and more stable Miami for everyone.

E ditor

Within the past ten years alone, the Brickell and downtown area has added thousands of residential units, massive shopping-office-entertainment complexes, and thousands of square feet of office space, adding only minimal vehicular transportation solutions.

Still included on the list of issues: no Brickell Avenue area traffic light synchronization to clear the seven-minute average of bridge open-close operation; bridge pedestrians walking around bridge safety barriers causing extended delays; and, inexplicably, FDOT recently removed a traffic lane crossing the bridge. The obvious result from this and the compounding density of the area was easy to foresee – growing complaints from residents and those who try to transit the bridge and the surrounding area.

Years ago, the marine industry agreed to the current bridge opening restrictions with the understanding that this was all they could withstand to remain operational. Currently, the Brickell Avenue Bridge schedule only allows for openings once every half-hour all day long, plus, closes for 90 minutes during morning rush, closes for one hour at noon and, closes for 90 minutes during the evening rush – effectively closing Miami River vessel access for over 89% of the working weekday. Could any business survive and prosper under the proposed increase in restrictions pushed by the DDA? The simple truth is that extending Brickell Avenue Bridge closure restrictions will not afford the relief that the Brickell Avenue and downtown area needs, could create navigational safety hazards and, ultimately cripple the Miami River marine industry.

Using the Brickell Avenue Bridge and the marine industry as a scapegoat for this problem is merely a short-term pretense of a fix. This is a fake solution that won’t solve this traffic problem and will be a serious setback for Miami’s historic working river.

We anticipate the Coast Guard report reviewing vessel movement on the Miami River. We trust that the Coast Guard will review this report together with the narrowly-focused FDOT final report; and, we are hopeful that clear minds – without the heavy hand of the DDA – will help determine fully-informed Brickell Avenue Bridge operations.

Additionally, we hope that Commissioner/DDA Chairman Ken Russell will look for creative and real solutions to traffic management and encourage the Miami River marine industry, and not break the Miami River marine industry by increasing the already heavily regulated bridge operations.

We urge all to review the recommendations for alleviating traffic congestion in the Brickell Avenue Bridge area authored by the Miami River Commission.

Bruce L. Brown President, Miami River Marine Group

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

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Boot camp on way as music tones up social transformation

By Camila Cepero

The Miami Music Project, which uses music as an instrument for social transformation, has launched a boot camp and is accepting applications to its summer camp to complement its four existing programs that most participants say helped their confidence, concentration and determination.

Founded by conductor James Judd and established as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation in 2008, the Miami Music Project organizes children orchestras, a leaders orchestra for advanced students, a summer music camp and the Teaching Artists Training Program.

The same year, it was awarded a $1 million grant by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge.

The children’s orchestra program is designed as an intensive, tuitionfree, after-school music program providing hundreds of children from at-risk demographics with a fully integrated music curriculum.

It is comprised of four chapters in Liberty City, Little Havana, Little Haiti and Doral.

Five program levels are offered, depending on the child’s experience.

“Depending on the level, we provide an average of five days of programming,” said communications director Melissa Taveras.

The programming takes place after school during the academic school year, barring seasonal breaks.

“It’s rigorous and consistent,” Ms. Taveras said, and while there are other community-based music programs “that will provide students with some sort of after-school activity, they don’t necessarily provide that same continuity.”

Currently, the children’s orchestra program is seeing an average of 500 students per year, with the leadership hoping to grow the program.

Students are taught by professional musicians and educators called “Teaching Artists.”

“They are classically trained musicians who understand the program and understand the

F ilming M iami

in

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.

2C Media Inc. North Miami. HGTV “Tiny Home.” Crandon Park Beach, Miami-Dade Fire Department Resources.

55 Productions. Pompton Plains. Owner/Director. Port of Miami.

Somos Productions. Miami. Vikki RPM. EGA Gym. Baba Films LLC. Miami. Belleville Cop. Metromover, Normandy Island Neighborhood, Rickenbacker Causeway, Venetian Causeway.

CNN/HLN. New York. Inside Secret Places. Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Lockbox Productions. New York. Famous Footwear BTS17.

Unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

NFGTV Inc. D/B/A Eastern. New York. Love & Hip Hop Season 1. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.

Machete Productions. Los Angeles. Wags Miami Season 2. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.

Bongo LLC. Redondo Beach. Adventure Capitalists. Hickman Garage, NW Second Ave., Stephen P. Clark Building Government Center.

N House Productions. Miami. Carters. Countywide.

Six Degrees Production. Miami Beach. Adcet-Fashion Catalog 03. Miami Beach citywide.

Richard Hall Inc. New York. Monroe & Main. Countywide, Cultural Center Plaza.

Brian Smith Pictures. Miami Beach. Key Biscayne Beach Shoot. Rickenbacker Causeway Beaches.

Pro One Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Otto Fashion.

Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.

Pro One Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Otto Kids. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide, Rickenbacker Causeway Beaches, Rickenbacker Causeway Fishing Pier, William Powell Bridge Turnaround.

Milagros Canelon. Doral. Rise. Doral Central Park.

New World Symphony Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas offers advice at an earlier boot camp.

methodology and some offer oneon-one training with the students,” Ms. Taveras said.

The organization also works closely with the New World Symphony. Symphony fellows sometimes teach guest classes for the students, with training for specific instruments.

“We bridge these diverse communities through chapters and performances,” Ms. Taveras said.

Students have the opportunity to perform at professional venues like the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the New World Center.

The recently launched bootcamp takes place during teacher planning

days, when students are off from school.

“Rather than not doing anything on those days, the kids do boot camp,” Ms. Taveras said. “We’re trying to provide children with a sanctuary, or safe place – we have them in our school, they are safe and they are learning about leadership, about working hard, and about working together.”

Miami Music Project orchestra boot camps, made possible by a Knight Arts Challenge grant, are free of charge intensive orchestra workshops led by Miami Music Project Teaching Artists along with distinguished special guests and classical music’s finest, according

to the organization’s website.

On Jan. 23, Michael Tilson Thomas, co-founder and artistic director of the New World Symphony, offered advice during the boot camp held at the New World Center in partnership with the New World Symphony.

Miami Music Project’s Summer Music Camp is a four-week long program that aims to ensure that orchestral students continue to grow in their performance abilities through the summer months.

Students participate in sectional and orchestra rehearsals, undergo daily repertoire analysis and participate in intensive social development activities, according to its

website. The focus of the Summer Music Camp is to provide comprehensive music education through orchestral participation from very early stages, group lessons, and peer teaching.

The Summer Music Camp is accepting applications now for the program that will run June 12 to July 7, from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. in Little Havana’s chapter at Citrus Grove Middle School.

The organization’s 2016 annual report, due out soon, “examines the manner and impact of participation in the Miami Music Project in terms of providing assistance for critical positive youth development.”

Results showed that nearly 94% of children in the program reported improved confidence, concentration and determination, 96% reported being more self-motivated, 93% reported being more creative, 92% reported improved self-esteem, and 93% reported better leadership skills.

Parents of participants were also surveyed, with 68% reporting that they believed the program helped the child perform better in school, 68% that it gave the child expanded opportunities, and 56% that their own stress levels were reduced due to the child participating in an after-school program.

“These are some of the skills that children don’t necessarily obtain from academic settings,” Mr. Taveras said. “Sometimes the children go home to an empty house because the parents are at work and they are not taught skills like time management. So this program is a beautiful way of complementing a child’s development.”

10

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017

Miami formally enters climate change accord

By John Charles Robbins

The City of Miami has formally joined the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact as a municipal partner, and has endorsed a climate action pledge.

The move marks the city commission’s support for the compact, and its promise to consider implementing the Regional Climate Action Plan.

The resolution was sponsored

by Mayor TomĂĄs Regalado and approved by commissioners March 23.

The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact was executed by Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties in January 2010 to coordinate mitigation and adaptation activities across county lines.

Community leaders in the compact say it represents a new form of regional climate governance designed to allow local governments to set the agenda for adaptation while providing an efficient means for state and federal agencies to engage with technical assistance and support.

Resident Linda Alger spoke in favor of the city joining the compact, saying sea level rise is a very important issue. “The city is at major risk. Sea level rise is continuing and we are set to

be at ground zero. We need to adapt or retreat,� she told commissioners.

Hopefully, the city joining the compact “will give us some power,�

Ms. Alger said, and serves as an example to others.

Ms. Alger said more than 30 municipalities have joined, including South Miami. The list includes other adjacent neighbors including Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Hialeah and Key Biscayne.

Mayor Regalado’s resolution says Florida is considered one of the most vulnerable areas of the country to the consequences of global climate change, with Southeast Florida being at the frontline to experience the impacts of a changing climate, especially sea level rise.

Miami is generally at sea level and abuts Biscayne Bay, the Miami River and Little River along a considerable length of its borders, and sea level rise will have broad impacts related to the city’s infrastructure, storm surge, public health, insurance rates, the availability of potable water and socioeconomics, the resolution says.

The city must adapt to and mitigate the adverse effects of sea level rise and other climate-related impacts within its jurisdiction, it says.

In November 2016, the city’s Office of Resilience & Sustainability

The resolution says the city must adapt to and mitigate the adverse effects of climate-related impacts.

and the city’s departments of planning and zoning, public works, and capital improvements participated in the compact’s third annual Resilient Redesign Workshop in partnership with the University of Miami’s School of Architecture to identify adaptations necessary to reduce the risk, damage, and economic losses associated with climate change for the highly flood-vulnerable Shorecrest neighborhood.

In January, the city’s Sea Level Rise Committee recommended that capital projects be developed with considerations made for anticipated sea level rise using the US Army Corps of Engineers High or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration High curve calculator for sea level rise

Public Notice NOTICE IS GIVEN that a meeting of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, at 9:30 AM, in the Commission Chambers, located on the Second Floor of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 N.W. First Street, Miami, Florida, wherein, among other matters to be considered, a public hearing will be held at such time that the item is called on the following: t 3FTPMVUJPO SFOBNJOH UIF +BDLTPO 4PVUI $PNNVOJUZ )PTQJUBM UIF A +BDLTPO 4PVUI .FEJDBM $FOUFS t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH BO *OUFSMPDBM "HSFFNFOU CFUXFFO .JBNJ %BEF $PVOUZ BOE UIF $JUZ PG 4PVUI .JBNJ GPS UIF QSPWJTJPO PG QVCMJD USBOTQPSUBUJPO TFSWJDFT BOE BVUIPSJ[JOH UIF $PVOUZ .BZPS PS $PVOUZ .BZPS T %FTJHOFF UP FYFDVUF TBNF BOE UP FYFSDJTF UIF QSPWJTJPOT DPOUBJOFE UIFSFJO t 3FTPMVUJPO DPEFTJHOBUJOH UIBU QPSUJPO PG /8 OE "WFOVF GSPN /8 TU 4USFFU UP /8 UI 4USFFU BT A .PPOMJHIU 8BZ t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH USBOTGFS PG $FSUJmDBUF PG 5SBOTQPSUBUJPO /P GSPN 1SFTUJHF 5SBWFM --$ E C B &YDMVTJWF -JNP --$ UP $SPTT $VMUVSF 5PVST *OD UP QSPWJEF TQFDJBM PQFSBUJPOT TFSWJDF BT B QBTTFOHFS NPUPS DBSSJFS t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH USBOTGFS PG $FSUJmDBUF PG 5SBOTQPSUBUJPO /P GSPN "MMJFE "JSCVT *OD UP #SJEHF )PMEJOHT 64" --$ E C B 4LZIPQ (MPCBM UP QSPWJEF TQFDJBM PQFSBUJPOT TFSWJDF BT B QBTTFOHFS NPUPS DBSSJFS t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH BQQMJDBUJPO GPS POF $FSUJmDBUF PG 1VCMJD $POWFOJFODF BOE /FDFTTJUZ UP 4UPOFDSBGU --$ UP QSPWJEF TFEBO OPO FNFSHFODZ NFEJDBM USBOTQPSUBUJPO TFSWJDF t 3FTPMVUJPO BQQSPWJOH BQQMJDBUJPO GPS mWF $FSUJmDBUFT PG 1VCMJD $POWFOJFODF BOE /FDFTTJUZ UP 6OJUFE )FBMUI 5SBOTQPSUBUJPO --$ UP QSPWJEF XIFFMDIBJS BOE DPNCJOBUJPO XIFFMDIBJS BOE TUSFUDIFS OPO FNFSHFODZ NFEJDBM USBOTQPSUBUJPO TFSWJDF t 3FTPMVUJPO UBLJOH BDUJPO PO B $MBTT * 1FSNJU "QQMJDBUJPO CZ 1BMN #BZ $POEPNJOJVN "TTPDJBUJPO *OD UP mMM UJEBM XBUFST XJUIJO #JTDBZOF #BZ JO BTTPDJBUJPO XJUI UIF JOTUBMMBUJPO PG B OFX TFBXBMM BU /PSUIFBTU UI 4USFFU .JBNJ .JBNJ %BEF $PVOUZ 'MPSJEB t 3FTPMVUJPO UBLJOH BDUJPO PO B $MBTT * 1FSNJU "QQMJDBUJPO CZ $FOUFS --$ GPS BGUFS UIF GBDU BVUIPSJ[BUJPO GPS UIF mMMJOH PG TRVBSF GFFU PG XFUMBOET UIBU TVQQPSU IBMPQIZUJD WFHFUBUJPO BOE GPS BEEJUJPOBM mMMJOH PG UIF FYJTUJOH TRVBSF GFFU PG XFUMBOET JODMVEJOH SFNPWBM PG NBOHSPWF USFFT BU $FOUFS *TMBOE %SJWF JO UIF 5PXO PG (PMEFO #FBDI .JBNJ %BEF $PVOUZ 'MPSJEB t 3FTPMVUJPO UBLJOH BDUJPO PO B $MBTT * 1FSNJU "QQMJDBUJPO CZ UIF $JUZ PG .JBNJ #FBDI GPS BVUIPSJ[BUJPO UP JOTUBMM UXP

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projections, which are included in the compact’s 2015 Unified Sea Level Rise Projection Report.

In February, the committee unanimously passed a resolution recommending that the city formally join the compact, endorse its Mayors’ Climate Action Pledge, and affirm support for the Regional Climate Action Plan.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory has reported the average global sea level has risen almost 3 inches between 1992 and 2015 based on satellite measurements. Sea level rise in South Florida has been of similar magnitude over the period (NOAA, 2015) but is anticipated to outpace the global average due to ongoing

variations in the Florida Currents and Gulf Stream.

In the short term, sea level rise is projected to be 6 to 10 inches by 2030 and 14 to 26 inches by 2060 (above the 1992 mean sea level).

In the long term, sea level rise is projected to be 31 to 61 inches by 2100, according to a 2015 unified sea level rise projection report from the compact.

The projection report is for use by the climate compact counties and partners for planning purposes to aid in understanding of potential vulnerabilities and to provide a basis for developing risk informed adaptation strategies for the region.

Details: www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org

A jet ski firm opens door, competitor wins contract

By John Charles Robbins

A new company has been chosen to provide jet ski tours and rentals on Watson Island.

The city’s Off-Street Parking Board on April 5 accepted a proposal from Bouyah Water Sports LLC, naming the company to provide services from two spaces at the Watson Island Boat Ramp the authority owns.

Earlier, a company called Jet Ski Tours of Miami submitted an unsolicited proposal to use the authority spaces on the boat ramp for waterborne services.

The parking board followed the advice of authority CEO Art Noriega and authorized a request for proposals to see if other companies were interested in the island locale.

At the April meeting, Mr. Noriega told the board it had received three responses, all excellent.

A review committee evaluated the proposals, assigning scores to the companies on categories defined in the request for proposals.

Mr. Noriega said Bouyah Water Sports LLC was ranked first, Jet Boat was ranked second and Jet Ski Tours of Miami was ranked third.

The committee recommended the top-ranked company.

The Bouyah company is highly respected with operations throughout Southeast Florida and in Tampa and St. Petersburg, said Mr. Noriega. “Their business plan was very detailed, very well put together,� he said.

The request for proposals contained specifics about the scope of services, submission require-

‘Their business plan was very detailed, very well put together.’ Art Noriega ments and selection procedures.

Minimum requirements are 10 years’ experience providing jet ski tours and rentals in the City of Miami; knowledge of business operations and legal requirements associated with this type of operation; ability to acquire and maintain required licenses and permits within the city and Miami-Dade County to operate jet ski tours and rentals; provide the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Livery License with the proposal; Coast Guard Operators certification and CPR/First Aid Certification.

The winning proposer must have at least eight functional jet skis and eight operators at all times.

The awarded proposer will operate a jet ski tour and rental business in the Watson Island boat ramp lot, slips and docks occupying two spaces, at 1050 McArthur Causeway.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017

COMMERCIAL & OFFICE SPACE

MIAMI TODAY

15

Miami Gardens transit-oriented project under cone of silence

By Catherine Lackner

With plans on the drawing board to extend Metrorail from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. station to the Miami-Dade/Broward County line in the median of Northwest 27th Avenue comes a renewed interest in a transit-oriented development in Miami Gardens.

A Miami-Dade County request for proposals is in a cone of silence now, so transit officials won’t discuss it. But a September 2011 study hints at what eventually might take shape on the 14-acre parcel of county-owned land on the northwest corner of Northwest 215th Street and Northwest 27th Avenue, across the street from the Calder Casino and Race Course.

“Several different groups have come together, with the help of Miami-Dade County, the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust and the City of Miami Gardens to plan their future vision for the 14acre Miami-Dade Transit-owned property,” the study said.

At that point, part of the site was planned to be a park-and-ride transit terminal, the study said, “and whatever development associated with the transit use that is deemed of highest and best use of the site. It should be provided that the design is flexible enough to evolve as transit matures

The project site is across from the Calder Casino and Race Course.

into the future… a transit oriented development (TOD) should provide complementary uses that capitalize on the proximity to a transit station. At the very least, the project should generate a long-term source of income for the operation of the transit system.

“Density should focus and stimulate activity around the transit terminal and promote use of the transit terminal to the widest sample of the population,” the study said.

Zoning around the site is a mix of multi-family and single-family residential, the study noted. “To the north of the site, in the City of Miramar,

is a future park site… while the opposite corner is [zoned] community business and heavy business.”

Neighbors of the site and county officials met to discuss what would happen there. Six scenarios were proposed: The first blends mixed uses including restaurants, small retail, offices and a community hall, along with open spaces, landscape buffering and beautification that included trees, lighting, art and sculptures, with limited pedestrian-only access at Northwest 29th Avenue, on the western boundary of the site.

A Main Street scheme, similar to

Three projects advance aim to alter comprehensive development plans

By Susan Danseyar

The Miami-Dade County Commission unanimously approved action on three pieces of legislation last week about small-scale applications to amend the county’s comprehensive development master plan.

The Comprehensive Master Development Plan (CDMP) is a broadbased countywide policy-planning document created to guide growth and development; ensure public facilities and services; and maintain or improve the quality of natural and man-made environments.

According to a report by Deputy Mayor Jack Osterholt, while the adopted CDMP generally applies county-wide, some text amendment applications and individual, site-specific land use plan map amendment applications may have localized impact.

Several were filed in the October 2016 cycle of applications to amend the plan but one was withdrawn.

The three before the commission are to be presented to commissioners April 26.

Those are: ■Sweet River Harbor LLC for the west side of Northwest 36th Avenue from “industrial and office” to “business and office.”

■London West Holdings LLC for the west side of LeJeune Road/ SW 42 Avenue between Southwest Ninth and 16th streets from “low density residential” to “medium density residential” with one density increase with urban design and “business and office.”

■Galloway Road Partners LLC for the southwest corner of Southwest 94th Street and 87th Avenue from “estate density residential” to “office/residential.”

Jack Osterholt cites local impact.

other state and regional reviewing agencies for review and comment; and then take final action June 18.

The CDMP expresses MiamiDade County’s general objectives and policies addressing where and how it intends development or conservation of land and natural resources will occur during the next 10 to 20 years, and the delivery of county services to accomplish the plan’s objectives, Mr. Osterholt wrote.

According to the county’s website, the CDMP establishes a growth policy that encourages development at a rate commensurate with projected population and economic growth; in a contiguous pattern centered on a network of high-intensity urban centers well-connected by multi-modal intra-urban transportation facilities: ■In locations which optimize efficiency in public service delivery and conservation of valuable natural resources.

■Miami-Dade County has more than 2,000 square miles of land, of which almost 500 square miles have been developed for urban uses.

■The countywide land use plan broadly defines land use categories, with the smallest distinguishable area of the land use map set at 5 acres.

■The CDMP also establishes an Urban Development Boundary.

■A major review and update of the CDMP is done every seven years.

■There is also a tri-annual CDMP amendment process for periodic review of the development capacity of the urban area.

Mr. Osterholt explained that state law allows adoption of the three small-scale applications at the hearing and that an amendment to the CDMP is also allowed as a small-scale amendment if it involves 10 acres and the maximum total acreage in a calendar year for small-scale amendments doesn’t exceed 120 acres.

Since the county hasn’t exceeded the acreage limitations for smallscale amendments for 2017, he wrote, the commission may approve the three ordinances, which total about 10.77 acres, without prior review by the state’s land planning agency.

At the April 26 public hearing, commissioners are to take final action on the three ordinances for settlement of the October 2016 cycle small-scale CDMP amendment applications, Mr. Osterholt reported.

“Such action may be to adopt, adopt with change or not adopt each of the small-scale amendment applications,” he wrote. If commissioners don’t adopt the three filed as small-scale amendments, they Details: http://www.miamidade. may elect to transmit the proposed small-scale amendments to the gov/govaction/legistarfiles/Matstate’s land planning agency and ters/Y2017/170810.pdf

that of Miami Lakes, with shopping, dining and entertainment venues, separated from the surrounding neighborhood by a 10-foot wall, was proposed. The bus bays would be directly on Northwest 27th Avenue.

Another scenario, inspired by Main Street, would include a hotel, banquet facilities, offices, park space, a community hall, businesses, parking lots and garages, but no residential uses. The area would be entered by pedestrian-only gates at Northwest 29th Avenue and would include bicycle and walking paths.

A fourth plan allows only for commercial uses, with the bus bays along Northwest 27th Avenue and the Homestead Extension of the Florida Turnpike, just to the north of the site. The complex would be surrounded by a 10-foot wall and a landscape buffer between the site and the neighborhood, with no connection.

A “visibly appealing buffer” would surround the parcel in another scenario, which includes a hotel, banquet space, “quality shops and restaurants, and professional, up-scale development,” with no residential uses.

A final scheme divides the site, separating the bus bays and parkand-ride space from the mixed-use area, which would include bicycle paths and lanes, and streets land-

Design for Non-Designers

April 22, 2017 9:00am - 3:00pm

scaped with shade trees.

“After presenting several different design schemes, designers worked with residents… to narrow down the community’s comments into a more concise vision,” the study said.

“Most of the residents gravitated toward the images of downtown Miami Lakes and the idea of a main street. This consensus would serve as the driving idea.”

Planners eventually came up with a design centered on a landscaped public plaza with a park, fronted by restaurants and other retail businesses. Walk paths, water features, street furniture, trees and other amenities complete the picture. It did not appear to include residential uses.

“In the proposed plan for the [transit-oriented development] at Northwest 215th Street and Northwest 27th Avenue, the open spaces are organized in a manner to provide a progression through the study area, so that people on foot or by bicycle could move from one public space to another, without the interruption of vehicular traffic,” the study report said. “Those who wish to take advantage of the new business and restaurants could do so on the comfortable, tree-lined streets, but for those who don’t, an interconnected network of public spaces will greatly improve their experience.”

Introduction to Real Estate Development

April 29, 2017 8:30am - 2:00pm

For more information, please visit Short Courses at

miami.edu/urbanism or e-mail mredu@miami.edu

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