Miami Today: Week of Thursday, July 27, 2017

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT VOWS TO RETAIN FUNDS VIA NEGOTIATION, NOT LITIGATION, pg. 13 TAKING CARE OF BEACHES: Miami-Dade commissioners last week approved giving remaining county funds from a 2016 beach re-nourishment project to Sunny Isles Beach. The federal 2017 Sunny Isles beach re-nourishment project is the next one scheduled for the county by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The initial work is to truck in at least 100,000 cubic yards of sand and place it along the most eroded sections of Sunny Isles Beach. The contract award is due in late summer. Funds are left over from the 2016 Miami Beach Hotspots Beach Re-nourishment project.

The Achiever

By John Charles Robbins

BIG MONEY FOR BIG PROJECTS: Miami city commissioners are set today (7/27) to call for a referendum special election Nov. 7 for a General Obligation Bond for capital projects and improvements, providing for the levy and collection of ad valorem taxes to pay off the bonds. The mayor and city manager’s office had earlier proposed $275 million worth of bonds, but it’s been bumped up to $300 million.

Following public meetings and commission discussions, the proposed project categories of the “Miami Forever General Obligation Bond Program” include: Sea Level Rise Mitigation and Flood Prevention, $191,962,000; Parks and Cultural Facilities, $58.2 million; Roadway Improvements, $22,838,000; Workforce Housing, $20 million; and Public Safety, $7 million.

MORE OFFICE SPACE: More office opportunities are flowing into the Miami-Dade market, according to a second quarter study by Avison Young released Monday. Under construction are 944,398 square feet of class A office space and 147,047 square feet of Class B, the report says.

“Among these are a variety of medium-sized projects found throughout the market ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 square feet and a few large projects such as Waterford at Blue Lagoon, Aventura Park Square and Miami Central located in downtown Miami,” the report says. The firm places the overall office space vacancy in the market at 10.22%. The average asking lease rate for Miami-Dade on a full-service gross basis is $43.65 per square foot, the report says.

CASH STILL REALTY KING: All-cash transactions in purchasing Miami residential sales have fallen markedly from last year but still are double the national average, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. In June 36.9% of all closed sales were for all cash here, down from 44.8% last year. The national figure in June was 18%. In condo closings, the association said, 51.5% were for all cash in June but only 22.5% of single-family closings were for cash.

Elaine Liftin

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

Spearheads Florida’s Council for Educational Change The profile is on Page 4

92-story downtown tower, state’s tallest, gets OK

By John Charles Robbins

A sleek glass tower packed with amenities and mixed uses is ready to make a lasting impression on Miami’s skyline. In doing so, One Bayfront Plaza would capture the prize as the tallest building in Florida, 1,049 feet.

The city’s Urban Development Review Board recommended approval July 19 of a revised plan for the high-profile site in the heart of downtown.

Board members were taken by its style.

“It’s the most beautiful building I’ve seen presented to this board,” said member Fidel Perez. “Congratulations. When it’s built, it will bring Miami to a different level. Job well done.”

Acting Board Chairman Dean Lewis called the project “very sculptural.”

One Bayfront Plaza is to rise 92 stories with 1,361 residences, 100 hotel rooms, 534,379 square feet of offices, 101,650 square feet of retail, 27,500 square feet of exhibition/banquet area, and 8,000 square feet of observation deck/retail.

An abutting garage for up to 2,117 cars is also planned, along with three swimming

City directs slowdown to 25 or 20

pools, a pedestrian passage, and the hope of an elevated walkway linked to Metromover’s Bayfront Park Station.

The 2.5 acres at 100 S Biscayne Blvd. take up the entire block between Southeast First and Second streets and Southeast Third Avenue on its western edge.

Board members asked when developer Florida East Coast Realty hopes to start building.

Jerome Hollo, executive vice president, said it will probably be early 2019 before all needed permits are lined up and, after that, construction is expected to take 48 to 52 months.

Mr. Hollo said the company is open to start earlier. “If we can push it, we’d love to push it.”

Work by project architect William C. Louie of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates includes the mixed-use former Espirito Santo Plaza, completed in 2004. The 1.2 million-square-foot, 35-story tower is home to the Conrad Miami Hotel, luxury residences, and was headquarters of now-defunct Espirito Santo Bank.

In a letter to the city, attorney Vicky Leiva, representing the developer, detailed the history of the downtown site.

The city issued a major use special permit

for One Bayfront Plaza in 2007 under prior zoning. At that time, the project consisted of two large towers with additional floor area.

“The applicant now seeks to modify the previously approved project to provide an enhanced design in closer compliance with Miami 21 [zoning] that will reduce the overall floor lot ratio of the project, create enhanced view corridors, a more activated pedestrian realm, direct and more ample access to Biscayne Boulevard, more open spaces, and other elements consistent with the purpose and intent of Miami 21,” Ms. Leiva wrote.

The enhanced design starts by significantly reducing the podium’s height and replacing it with a lower two-tiered podium. The lowered podium is partially accommodated by adding basement parking.

While retail originally fronted First and Second streets and Biscayne Boulevard, the new proposal adds Third Avenue retail frontage.

The modification also creates a pedestrian passage, aligned with Biscayne Boulevard, through the project from First to Second street, Ms. Leiva said.

“It’s a great development,” Mr. Lewis said.

“I look forward to seeing it built.”

Miami is campaigning to get drivers to ease off the accelerator, seeking residential limits of 25 miles per hour tops, 20 where possible.

But it won’t start soon.

Late last year, city commissioners voted to cut the limit in residential areas, especially those hit by cutthrough traffic beside high-volume roads.

They now have reviewed a speed limit study and directed the administration to continue a drive to lower the limit, which needs a Miami-Dade County okay.

Their July 13 vote to continue the push was unanimous, despite knowing how much it will cost – Sandra Harris, Office of Transportation Management director, estimated 2,500 new signs at $1.25 million.

“We’ll put it in the budget,” said City Manager Daniel Alfonso.

The study found that all streets in residential areas meet Florida Department of Transportation criteria for posting 25 mph, and three – Bayside (north of Morningside), Venetian Islands and Brickell – meet criteria for 20.

Commissioner Francis Suarez said he was pleased that three areas meet standards for 20 mph.

Commissioner Frank Carollo said, “It’s a good first step, and I’m glad we’re doing it,” but he suggested working to lower limits elsewhere, citing The Roads and Shenandoah.

“We need to keep pressing,” Mr. Carollo said.

Ms. Harris mentioned the other city traffic-calming projects to battle cut-through drivers, including traffic circles, speed tables, signs and more.

Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort said it will be vital to enforce the lower limits. “We’ll need to make sure we get with the police to implement this.”

Commissioners pushed the administration to say when lower limits would be okayed and signs in place, but both Ms. Harris and Mr. Alfonso balked on specifics.

“What’s the best-case scenario?” asked Commissioner Ken Russell.

Noting that the county is involved, Mr. Alfonso said, “It will take some time, commissioners.”

EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY PLANS PILOT BUS CORRIDORS ...

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COUNTY NAVIGATES COURSE TO BUILD MORE MARINAS ...

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GABLES, DORAL GET VOICE IN TRANSPORTATION PLANS ...

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YEAR-LONG DOWNTOWN RIP-UP OF TWO VITAL ARTERIES ...

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VIEWPOINT: ABOUT-FACE ON TRANSIT MODES LOGICAL ...

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$40 MILLION MARINE STADIUM REVAMP ON CITY STAGE ...

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COURTHOUSE SITE PINPOINTED, BUT NOT FUNDING PLAN ...

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58-STORY HOTEL ON RIVER WINS CITY REVIEW BOARD OK ...

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 27, 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

Mayor’s about-face on transit modes is compelling logic Not everyone can gaze at new facts, realize he’s been chugging hard down the wrong track, admit it, and then start chugging hard in reverse.

That’s what Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez has done in Michael Lewis the past two weeks, jettisoning a dream of adding six rail corridors and saying that, for now, his new aim will be special buses for most of those corridors that we can get rolling far sooner, all in about three years instead of decades for rail.

The mayor was engineering rail for all six routes. We agreed, so we empathize.

The mayor pushed for the Rolls Royce of transit but it now seems the best we can afford is a dependable American car.

Disappointing, but not bad.

The mayor now says we can’t pay for rail so let’s get the best we can fund, special fast-track buses, and at the same time put transit corridors in county hands, available for coming technology.

Bus rapid transit is estimated to cost $534 million, money we don’t yet have but that the mayor says we can cobble together in a 50-50 deal with the state, and do it far faster than we could get rail even if we could afford it.

There was never a funding plan for six rail lines, but cost estimates range from $3.6 billion to $6 billion, both reliant on federal funds or a private investor, neither of which is real today. Few investors want to lose money year after year as transit does.

Mayor Giménez was wedded to rail everywhere until numbers-crunchers pored over how much is really available and what it could buy.

So on July 14 he wrote to the 13 commissioners that the dream of rail is for now just that – a dream. But he did offer a hope: “If we follow a non-traditional process for developing revenue options and utilize support from our partners, we may be able to initiate service on all six corridors.”

Service, yes, Rail service, mostly not.

The mayor says we can have bus rapid transit in several years by buying buses, getting dedicated lanes, and adding overpasses across busy roads.

Part of his plan is to let the MiamiDade Expressway Authority develop and operate an initial east-west phase along SR 836 and use tracks owned by the Brightline rail service that is soon to start to link downtown Miami to Aventura.

That leaves just four corridors, and the mayor has hopped off the train to say bus rapid transit will at least cut commute time and pave the way for emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles.

One advantage of the mayor’s change, if adopted – he’s not in the driver’s seat – is that we wouldn’t invest billions in

infrastructure that technology may soon outpace by increasing the capacity of roadways and speeding travel. That technology will rely on automated systems that might space self-driving cars just inches instead of car-lengths apart.

Is that technology so far in the future that rail – if we could find money for it – would still be a valid investment in five or six decades, or is it three decades, or two, or one? If rail will be obsolete in ten years and it takes five years to build and start running, we would get five years of full value from, say, $6 billion invested, or $1.2 billion cost per year, versus $534 million total for bus rapid transit.

Most such questions are economic: what must we give up to get the service, how effective will it be, can we get the money in the first place, and then how much will operating costs be annually and do we also have that money?

The mayor’s memo is bare bones. We are now spending $50 million to study the six corridors and cost out varying modes of transit in each. Those studies will flesh out the picture he paints.

Meanwhile, we’re seeing county commission push-back. Everyone was promised a Rolls Royce and nobody wants just a standard American car – even though we’d struggle just to make payments on a Ford or Chevy, let alone to keep the tank filled and the car in good repair.

Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. wants us to scrape together all we can and get one Rolls in one corridor instead of the six Fords – in other words, one

rail line and possibly nothing else for now. We understand his frustration and his desire for rail – we share the desire.

But we are swayed by the logic of Mayor Giménez, who also wanted rail everywhere. He looked at the numbers and found them lacking. No Rolls for us.

Besides, we can’t even afford to operate fully the latest rail we built, the short leg to Miami International Airport. We’re cutting back all the transit service we have for lack of operating funds. Where is the magic operating cash source for new rail?

It’s true that county bus use has been in freefall. In May, riders fell 7.3% below the prior May. But it’s also true that county buses that go farther, run faster and make fewer stops – like bus rapid transit – do far better.

We applaud Mayor Giménez for squarely facing facts that show what we need and can afford today is bus rapid transit simply because it’s do-able and rail isn’t.

Note that he calls bus rapid transit “an initial phase.” Unlike tracks and rail cars, bus rapid transit doesn’t lock in our future with an aging technology, but it will give us corridors for whatever the future brings.

Those corridors could hold future rail, but new technology is coming down the line at us, and the newly acquired corridors would find us ready and waiting for that too.

The mayor’s argument is compelling.

But the decision isn’t his. It’s going to be a wild ride.

College grads are using the wrong yardsticks to choose jobs College students are ill-prepared to connect with an employer and secure a job in today’s marketplace. With little or no career development, selfassessment, or an understanding of vocational calling, they believe that James Thrasher the degree alone will be the proverbial “ticket” to secure employment.

Oh, how mistaken they are! Incorrect job expectations will derail their job aspirations. A Talent Marks survey found that 95% of college grads do not have a clear understanding of their employment expectations or how to get a job.

This reality was candidly revealed by a new study titled, “Work Expectations of Job Seekers,” conducted by the Center of Behavioral Decision Research at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. This study makes it apparent that students are unaware of the impact of their transferable skills and personal vocational calling on their job expectations.

Students who attended a regional job fair were asked to select beliefs and expectations that were most important to them as they pursued employment.

Students (median age 22) were given 13 beliefs/ expectations to determine what they “strongly believed in and whether those beliefs were important enough to induce a negative attitude towards their work” if those things were not present. In

The Writer

Dr. Jim Thrasher is the senior fellow of Grove City College’s career services office and the coordinator of the Center for Vision & Values working group on calling. other words, what these hopefully soonto-be-employed college students most prized about an employment opportunity.

The top five are listed as follows, in order of importance for these job-seekers: 1. Career growth opportunities 2. Safe work environment 3 & 4. Fair compensation & legal and ethical work (tie) 5. Friendly work environment These selections, as the study concluded, were “contractual” in nature. Notice how shallow, how non-introspective and superficial these workplace expectations are in relation to self-knowledge and calling. These perfunctory selections will not provide job satisfaction.

Don’t get me wrong, these beliefs and expectations do have their place in evaluating a job. Today, many people “just want a job.”

What is so essential, however, is that knowing and affirming your design will not only get you the job, but also it will get you the “right” job. By “right,” I mean a job that aligns with the very lifeblood of who you are and places you in an environment where you will flourish.

The most important selections of the 13 beliefs and expectations, in my opinion, are among the ones that did not make

the top five. When it comes to vocational calling and job “fit,” my career services experience (20-plus years of prodding college students to pursue their vocational calling) points toward a different set of top five out of the 13 possibilities: 1. Energizing and motivating work 2. Work they are passionate about 3. Meaningful work 4. Work that matches skills 5. Work that has impact These five capture the essence of desirable and gratifying work.

Ironically, the sub-title of this research study is: Work Expectations of Job Seekers: Work Passion Expectations. The study results confirm, I believe, the lack of any reasonable comprehension by college students of the fundamentally important role of “work passion,” which is birthed by vocational calling.

Vocational calling relates to a person’s unique design, interests, abilities, passions and transferable skills, which then line up with certain jobs and careers. The formal and deliberate engagement of the career development and self-assessment processes will enable the jobseekers, in an informed manner, to prioritize work expectations and beliefs based on who they are, not on contractual employment legalities.

These profound elements provide a framework or roadmap to discerningly assess career paths that will be a natural “fit” and that will bring meaning, satisfaction and fulfillment. If this journey is not undertaken, we have what this study vividly displays: unprepared and misguided students, who potentially turn

into perpetually unemployed grads.

College students who underestimate or dismiss the truly essential job expectations will come up empty in the job search. Failure very likely awaits them.

I propose that it is the intention of the One who made us to have young men and women passionately excel by pursuing their calling through a job. This will be accomplished by utilizing the best they uniquely have to offer through their design, passions and transferable skills.

When grads are energized, motivated and passionate about a job that employs their skill set, and that impacts the world, they will unearth a meaningful employment opportunity. These are the true and great expectations that will lead not just to a job, but to a fulfilling career.

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

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Courthouse site pinpointed, partner and funding to be found

The preferred site for a new civil courthouse is the surface lot at the recently completed Miami-Dade County Children’s Courthouse at 155 NW Third St., according to a report Mayor Carlos Giménez sent to county commissioners last week.

Two parties have provided indepth analyses for helping construct a new Miami-Dade County Courthouse but staff needs more time to analyze the best way forward, the report says – including finding funding for the project.

The county’s Internal Services Department is to come to the county commission in October to recommend a solicitation method for a civil courthouse partnership and the related county real estate assets to be part of that deal, the report says.

The historic Miami-Dade County Courthouse at 73 W Flagler St., now cramped and in disrepair, was built starting in 1925. Judges, Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin and attorneys have been seeking a new courthouse for years, citing inadequacies that can’t be overcome.

Estimates for construction of a new civil courthouse are $361 million and lifecycle costs over 40 years are $227 million, excluding escalation, according to the report.

About $50 million currently available can be used to pay down some construction debt, the report says. Costs for operating the current Miami-Dade County Courthouse are about $3 million per year, the report says, funds that could be applied toward the annual payment required for the debt service and operations of a new courthouse once the existing one need no longer operate.

Arequest for expression of interest was issued May 8 to identify potential partners, financial structures and best practices to build a civil and probate courthouse for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, the Clerk of Courts and related entities.

The expression of interest identified the preferred site and asked responders to incorporate a plan for the future use, lease or sale of the existing courthouse. Responders were encouraged to consider the construction of the new courthouse as well as the manner in which a master developer could use several countyowned downtown real estate assets to contribute to capital requirements in a larger development project. Potential available options were identified as a public-private partnership (P3), joint development business venture, long-term land lease, sale and leaseback, equity partnership and real estate asset swap.

The expression of interest identified the land the county may be able to contribute for a courthouse, including 11 downtown MiamiDade properties with a total area of a little over 20.4 acres.

Plenary Group MCM, HOK and Johnson Controls Consortium; and Skanska AECOM, and John Laing Consortium provided the most in-depth analyses of the project, the report states. County officials met with both as well as with other industry experts.

According to the report that the mayor provided, feedback from the responses and meetings was: ■Separate the P3 courthouse project from potential real estate development.

■Manage the process with a master developer to coordinate both the courthouse and asset disposition.

Carlos Giménez set out the aims.

A memo by Mayor Carlos Giménez says a civil courthouse should rise beside this children’s courthouse.

■Asset disposition may not cover the full cost to build a new courthouse.

■The real estate development and courthouse construction should be on parallel tracks but funding of the courthouse construction shouldn’t be tied to proceeds from real estate.

■The market supports the county’s preferred site.

■The market is seeking clear direction from the county as to the project’s scope, method of delivery and funding sources.

However, legislation the county commission passed requires a recommendation for a solicitation method or a waiver of competition

.A waiver of competitive bidding and negotiations with a respondent to the expression of interest isn’t recommended, the report says, as none provided enough detail about the proposed project to warrant a waiver of competition and sufficient competition exists in the marketplace that would likely end up the best value for Miami-Dade.

County commissioners awarded contracts to architectural firm Perez and Perez Architects Planners Inc. and court planning agency Dan L. Wiley and Associates to prepare the Civil and Probate Courts Master Plan to address current and projected needs of the courts.

judicial system space standards, including one restroom per judge.

■Separate public and judicial/ staff circulation.

■A 10,378-square-foot law library.

■An area for food services to serve employees and visitors.

■A single point of public entry for security and weapon screening.

■Modern technology, including systems for recordkeeping, audio/ video conferencing, courtroom desktop/laptop use, courtroom audio/video recording and evidence presentation.

The report states that based on a draft by KPMG, the P3 model appears to provide the best value to the county. Compared with a traditional design-build approach, the report says, a P3 accelerates the project by one year, taking four years instead of five.

Based on the recommendations of the master plan, key criteria of the proposed courthouse include: ■An accessible location downtown near public transportation.

■About 600,000 gross square feet of building area to include secured parking.

■Forty-six courtrooms that could expand to 50 by 2035.

■One jury suite planned for two courtrooms in civil court and one for four courtrooms in probate.

■Two attorney-client privilege rooms per courtroom. http://www.miamidade.gov/ ■Standardized courtrooms and govaction/legistarfiles/Matters/ judicial office sets.

■Use of nationally recognized Y2017/171855.pdf

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TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017

County navigates course for funding for marinas addition

By Gabi Maspons

With all six county-owned marinas at full capacity and an estimated planning and construction period of at least four years, it doesn’t look like Miami-Dade boaters will be getting a new marina soon.

“We live in one of the boating capitals of the world, and it’s getting increasingly difficult for people to find space for their boats,” said county Commissioner Javier Souto, who has been helming the drive for more marina space.

Last November, Michael Spring, senior advisor to the mayor, issued a report calling for a detailed study to “identify additional publicly accessible shorelines… and waterway transport opportunities.”

According to the report, The Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department prepared a grant application to the Florida Inland Navigation District and was also seeking other funding sources to meet the $300,000 to develop the plan.

“The [navigation district] will fund one waterway master plan per county, but we have to match the funds, and we haven’t found a way to match it yet,” said Victoria Galan, parks department communications manager.

“We’ve been trying to do our due diligence and find the money, but we couldn’t do it in house,”

Over the winter the county completed $225 million in marina enhancements at Haulover Beach Park.

Ms. Galan said.

According to the report from Mr. Spring, a recent industry study indicates that when an individual marina has reached full capacity and its waiting list approaches one-half the number of slips, a new or expanded marina is warranted.

All six Miami-Dade marinas are at 100% occupancy and three of their waiting lists have already exceeded 50% capacity.

All counties in Florida are battling the same shortage; The Florida Department of Environmental Protection estimates that

the total of boat slips in Florida is the same as it was in 1987, while the number of registered boats has soared by over 50%.

“The issue of lack of space in marinas is an old and complicated” struggle, Mr. Souto said. “Between lack of space, pollution considerations, money and regulations, it’s not easy to build marinas.”

When asked what has been done about addressing the shortages and moving the study forward, Mr. Souto said, “From what I can gather, we’re in the same situation; marinas are still at full capacity.

I’ve requested a full disclosure, so we’ll know more about the issue soon.”

Mr. Souto said finding alternatives for boaters who can’t access public marinas “is not easy.” He suggested creative solutions like a trailer on the side of a boater’s house or keeping a boat in another county where it can be picked up and hitched to a car.

“There are people doing all kinds of things, I’m sure,” Mr. Souto said. With privately-owned marina rates about 40% higher than county marina rates, people

‘We live in one of the boating capitals of the world, and it’s getting increasingly difficult for people to find space for their boats.’

Javier Souto are sure to get creative.

“The county isn’t going to get any bigger to accommodate the need, so there isn’t a convenient way to resolve the matter. Unfortunately, we don’t have another meeting until September, so we’ll re-address the issue then and try to find additional solutions,” Mr. Souto said.

“The full truth is important, so I will find out more about the grant and try to get the process moving soon.”

US fisheries science center gets county vote of support PUBLIC NOTICE SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN / PARK WEST COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL LEGAL SERVICES RFQ NO: 17-01 The Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency (the “CRA”) seeks qualified transactional attorneys interested in providing legal services to the CRA on legal matters, including but not limited to, contract negotiations, real estate closings, preparing opinions of title, and drafting and reviewing land development agreements. This solicitation is designed to enable the CRA to develop a pool of attorneys to provide legal services to the agency on an as needed basis.

Completed Responses must be delivered to the City of Miami - City Clerk’s Office, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida 33133 no later than 11:00 am on Tuesday, August 22, 2017. Any Responses received after the above date and time or delivered to a different address or location will not be considered.

RFQ documents may be obtained on or after Friday, July 21, 2017, from the CRA offices, 819 NW 2nd Ave, 3rd Floor, Miami, Florida 33136, or from the CRA webpage: http://www.miamicra.com/seopwcra/pages/procurement.html The CRA reserves the right to accept any Responses deemed to be in the best interest of the CRA, to waive any minor irregularities, omissions, and/or technicalities in any Responses, or to reject any or all Responses and to re-advertise for new Responses as deemed necessary by the CRA without notice.

For more information please contact the SEOPW CRA office at (305) 679-6800. #28792

County commissioners last week voted to oppose relocation or closure of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Southeast Science Center headquartered in Virginia Key. The resolution urges Congress, the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to keep the center where it is.

The science center develops the scientific information required for fishery resource conservation, fishery development, habitat conservation and D. Levine Cava protection of marine mammals and endangered marine species, according to the resolution.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) is responsible for scientific research on living marine resources that occupy marine and estuarine habits of the continental Southeastern US as well as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

The center also pursues research to address specific needs in population dynamics, fishery biology, fishery economics, engineering and gear development and protected species biology.

The SEFSC collaborates with the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and other university programs in South Florida to provide research for NOAA missions.

In 2015, NOAA awarded $125 mission to NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, which included Florida International University as well as others in South Florida, to continue weather research for the Oceanic and Atmospheric research program.

Over the past 15 years, the SEFSC has hosted monthly meetings of the Biscayne Bay Regional Restoration Coordination team, a working group of the US Department of the Interior’s South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task established by Congress in 1996 to ensure consistent strategies among all partners working towards Everglades restoration.

The SEFSC provides the only forum for the team to unite local, regional, state and federal agency representations with academic and non-profit sector representatives to discuss the restoration of Biscayne Bay. Several years ago, NOAA proposed relocating the SEFSC to St. Petersburg, but the resolution says that its location in Virginia Key is crucial to continuing research efforts to determine the cause of increasing and unprecedented seagrass and coral die-off, the impact of seagrass and coral die-off to commercial fisheries in Southeast Florida and to continue collaborative research with closely intertwined South Florida universities.

The resolution was sponsored

by Daniella Levine Cava and co-sponsored by Sally Heyman.

Details: www.miamidade.gov/ govaction/legistarfiles/Matters/ Y2017/171836.pdf

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TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017

$40 million marine stadium revamp, floating stage on agenda

By J ohn C harles Robbins

Planned restoration of Miami Marine Stadium is estimated to cost more than $40 million and considers a new version of a floating stage for entertainment acts.

City commissioners are to hear the findings of a report from R.J. Heisenbottle Architects on the restoration of the historic stadium at their meeting today (7/27).

The city hired the Heisenbottle firm in January for architectural and engineering services related to the long-awaited restoration of the waterfront structure on Virginia Key. The city closed the concrete stadium in 1992 in the wake of Hurricane Andrew.

This month the Heisenbottle firm completed Phase I of a professional services report on the stadium restoration.

Phase 1 costs were not to exceed $1,295,624.81 and the work focused on pre-design planning and study activities to include a building assessment and recommendations report, building programming, budget cost estimates and documentation of the structure’s conditions.

The report recommends restoration include removal of layers of graffiti covering much of the structure, and replacing the old wooden seats with molded plastic seating.

Heisenbottle enlisted theater consultants and experts in structural engineering, architectural lighting, geotechnical assessment, landscape architecture and

City commissioners approved borrowing $45 million to restore Miami Marine Stadium.

more in preparing its report.

“The Commodore Ralph Munroe Miami Marine Stadium is a restorable architecturally significant historical structure unique to its location and coastal environment,” the report says.

“The structural concrete skeleton of the Miami Marine Stadium should have the graffiti removed and be restored to its original appearance per the structural recommendations and using compatible concrete patching methods that harmonize the original exposed concrete finishes typical of the modern brutalist style.

“Exposed concrete surfaces, once restored, should be sealed with appropriate clear siloxane water repellant sealer to enhance its longevity. The original

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architectural components most of which are seriously deteriorated or have been vandalized should be restored or replaced to meet current Florida Building Code requirements … All original handrails and safety guardrails should be replaced in a manner sensible to the original nautical concept but should be constructed of anodized aluminum or marine grade stainless steel due to the marine environment exposure,” it says.

The report includes a probable construction cost estimate of $40,323,361, which includes a 10% contingency allowance of $3,665,760.

It also itemizes probable construction costs and what percentages of the overall work each job represents.

For example, new equipment costs

represent about 33% of the overall projected cost estimate, at about $12.1 million. Next in line would be concrete work at about $9 million, about 24% of overall costs.

The new electrical system is projected to cost $2,692,731.46, or 7% of overall costs, according to the report.

In November 2016, commissioners approved a $45 million bond proposal to borrow money to fund stadium renovation and improvements, along with other work on the barrier island, most of which the city owns.

The report has a section on a proposed work schedule, with Phase II being preparation of design and construction documents, bidding and permitting, and city commission approval beginning this month and ending by October 2018.

The projected schedule suggests that Phase III, construction, begin Nov. 1, 2018, and conclude by May 31, 2020, or 18 months.

City staff, in recommending Heisenbottle for architectural and engineering services for the stadium restoration, noted the firm’s expertise in design and historical restoration services, specifically on notable structures in and around South Florida, such as the Olympia Theater (formally known as the Gusman Center), Vizcaya Museum & Gardens and the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

And Heisenbottle’s team includes the architect responsible for the original design of Marine Stadium when it was built in 1963, the staff said.

New firm supported to do lagging Flagler Street job

By Catherine Lackner

Directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority voted unanimously Friday to support Lanzo Construction Co. as contractor to complete the remaining phases of Flagler Street’s renovation from the Dade County Courthouse to Biscayne Boulevard.

The authority’s Flagler Street Task force had recommended the company “and they’re looking to the DDAto bless that recommendation,” said Alyce Robertson, authority executive director.

Construction began in early 2016, but to date only one block has been completed. Authority members faulted Miami’s Capital Improvement Program, which is running the project, for not supervising the contractor, F.H. Paschen, which the city ultimately fired.

Multiple problems at the jobsite have included a maze of underground utilities that didn’t conform to site maps and other unforeseen obstacles. Last month, the authority voted to hire an owner’s representative to add a layer of supervision.

Ken Russell, Miami commissioner and authority chair, asked when Lanzo could re-start the project.

The firm could begin in October, said Patrice Gillespie Smith, authority senior manager for planning, design and transportation.

“They’re going through the contract line by line and going through the specifications,” she said. “Paschen is wrapping things up.”

“What happens if Paschen gets into litigation with the city?” asked Jose Goyanes, downtown businessman and former authority board

member. The contractor had said that the city provided it with maps that were wrong.

“We have a right to terminate,” said board vice chair Neisen Kasdin, office-managing partner ofAkerman LLP. He co-chairs of Flagler Street Task Force with Brian Alonso, an investor and former principal of La Epoca Department Store. Mr. Kasdin said he doubted the contractor has a case against the city.

“I don’t think they have a desire to stay there,” said board member Richard Lydecker, senior partner of the Lydecker-Diaz law firm.

The new contractor has offered to put three shifts of workers on site, if it’s the will of downtown stakeholders, and the city has allocated an additional $3 million to the project, Ms. Smith said.

“Keep the owner’s rep there through the whole process,” Mr. Russell advised.

Though ground-penetrating radar has made what’s underground a little less mysterious, “We started with the least-complicated section,” said board member Gary Ressler, principal of the Tilia family of companies.

“There are many unknowns, and the quantity of change orders is not defined.”

“There a many different layers,” agreed board member Greg West, senior vice president of ZOM Living.

“Ground-penetrating radar is money well spent, but it’s not perfect.”

The authority has arranged some concessions for business owners affected by the drawn-out project, including waivers of some fees and free parking on weekends. On a positive note, Mr. Ressler said, “What’s done looks great.”

14

MIAMI TODAY

EDUCATION TRENDS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017

High school grad dip makes growing university rolls tough

By Gabi Maspons

Responding to a national decline in high school graduates, universities in Miami are competing to maintain – and even grow – their application and enrollment numbers.

“We’re simply… producing fewer graduates, and that has a significant implication on our institutions, as well as on our employers and our workforce,” said Joe Garcia, president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, an organization that provides data and policy analysis, in a statement.

At Nova Southeastern University, the admissions department is tracking high school graduation trends and targeting areas that are the most promising.

“With fewer students graduating from high schools nationwide, we’re all vying for them,” said Deanna Voss, dean of undergraduate admissions at Nova.

“There is growth in the Southwest and Southeast, but decline in some areas in the Northeast and Midwest, so we have been careful not to target our efforts at a region with diminishing returns.”

Despite trends, Nova had an “incredibly stellar year during a time when many universities are not meeting their enrollment targets,” Ms. Voss said.

Nova has a strategic plan, Vision 2020, to enroll 2,020 students in the fall of 2020.

Each year, Nova is to gradually increase its admissions target until it meets the goal.

“We had hoped for 850 incoming freshmen this fall and are on track to be overenrolled with 970,” Ms. Voss said.

“We have plans to continue to grow to make sure we have enough faculty and staff to elevate the student experience.

We are planning on building new residence halls,” she said.

“We’re going out and promoting NSU both locally and worldwide. We have three members on our staff dedicated to international recruitment. Last year we

Barry University admission counselor Keyonvis Bouie with student prospects during an open house.

had 35 international students, and this fall we’re on track to double that number,” she said.

Even with the spike in enrollment for the fall, universities are not counting their chickens just yet, as enrollment rates melt leading up to the academic year.

“We are in high gear with our melt prevention strategies,” said Roxanna Cruz, associate vice president of recruitment and admissions at Barry University.

“We check who has yet to register for classes, pay housing deposits and complete forms. Our counselors are always following up, because you never know who the influencer might be that will connect with these students and keep them with us.”

“Last year we had a melt rate of 17% and the previous year was even higher,” Ms. Cruz said.

“This year we are shooting for about 10% and are already at 8%, so we’re hoping that number doesn’t creep up and we can maintain about 850 incoming students,” she said.

While Barry is worried about enrollment numbers melting over the summer, it has seen “a dramatic increase in the application pool, and a higher completed application rate,” Ms. Cruz said.

Dramatic shifts in enrollment

‘We are looking to enroll a greater number of honor students from Miami-Dade and create better financial options for those students.’

John Haller trends have driven Barry to revamp old strategies to attract students who are the best fit for the community.

“We’ve really taken a step back to rethink our internal processes; now the recruiting process is more business driven. We looked at our application pool and have worked smarter to capture students that will be interested in Barry. We’ve expanded our

reach, restructured the office and put counselors through training to be more engaging,” she said.

“Even our deans are involved in the recruitment process.”

Integral to the new recruitment strategy is a more concentrated effort by Barry to attract locals: “We don’t want to take for granted that they will come, so we’re hitting the pavement,” Ms. Cruz said. “We’re doing a lot more private visits, busing in local high school students and hosting leadership seminars.”

While some schools are looking to increase application numbers, the University of Miami’s primary focus is making sure that accepted students choose UM. “Over the past decade, applications have increased from 16,000 to 33,000. Our challenge now isn’t getting students to apply, but getting students to accept our acceptance offers,” said John Haller, vice president of enrollment management.

When asked if UM is looking to increase enrollment numbers, Mr. Haller said the university is comfortable with the 2,000 to 2,025 freshmen it generally enrolls.

“However, we are looking to enroll a greater number of honor students from Miami-Dade and

create better financial options for those students,” he said.

In an effort to secure more ‘change-makers’ on the campus, UM amped up its financial scholarships.

“We want to make sure there are no socio-economic barriers to students attending, so we have an initiative to meet 100% of a student’s demonstrated financial means through merit or need-based scholarships,” Mr. Haller said.

The university’s commitment to diversity extends past economic diversity; “We lead our national peer group in the percentage of black students,” he said.

UM’s undergraduate admissions team spends three months each year recruiting nationally and internationally, with an emphasis on South Florida, to create a demographically diverse pool, Mr. Haller said.

This push for diversity is not exclusive to UM, as most universities in Miami take pride in their diverse student bodies and hope that it will help in the coming years as enrollment numbers decrease nationwide.

“Diversity is our strong suit,” said Burcu Ayrim, director of marketing at St. Thomas.

St. Thomas’ undergraduate population is 42.9% Hispanic, 28.2% black and 11.1% white.

St. Thomas relies primarily on word of mouth to increase application numbers, Ms. Ayrim said.

Application numbers this spring went up 26.2% from last spring; summer numbers are up 31.4%; and fall is projected to increase by 26.1%.

While Miami universities are swimming against the current to drive up enrollment and application numbers, they’re optimistic about the outcome.

“We’re excited for what’s to come,” Barry’s Ms. Cruz said.

“We’re having a lot of fun and working hard to continue on this positive trend. When people come together to make a community better, great things can be done.”

Program teaches coding to underserved kids as young as 10

By Catherine Lackner

TechLaunch @ FVI, in partnership with the non-profit Breakthrough Miami’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Academy, has launched a program to teach coding to Miami-Dade’s

underserved students, even those as young as 10.

“It’s all about creating a spark,” said Arnie Girnun, one of the group’s principals. “So many people don’t know what they can do. We want to be the doorway for them to creating technology.”

TechLaunch @ FVI has held a series of coding immersion bootcamps across the county over the past few months and plans to continue to offer classes year-round for all age groups.

At a recent information technology and networking bootcamp in Overtown for students ages

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22 to 50, graduates earned a network certification.

“We’re hyper-focused on inclusion,” Mr. Girnun said.

“We want the students, including some who are economically disadvantaged, to see that they are capable of this.”

The first focus, especially for the younger children, is on entertainment, he explained.

“We’ve come to utilize what we call ‘edutainment.’ The first few modules teach coding as if it were a game.”

A young student at a recent Big Brothers Big Sisters bootcamp began by playing what he thought was a game, Mr. Girnun said. “Within four days, he had already built an app. He had never coded before. When that happens, a light bulb goes on and everything changes.”

When students understand the job opportunities the tech field offers, they are enthusiastic, he said. “The second spark comes when the students see that tech

Hyper-focused, says Arnie Girnun.

jobs exist in industries where you wouldn’t expect them to.

Start-ups of all kinds need tech talent. There are opportunities in healthcare, in trade and logistics, in city and county governments. Technology is so pervasive today – regardless of the industry – that if you have a firm tech foundation, there is almost no limit to the opportunities.”

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017

MIAMI TODAY

17

As valuations rise 12%, downtown seeks flat millage rate

By Catherine Lackner

Miami’s Downtown Development Authority will petition the city commission to keep its millage rate flat at .4681 mills per $1,000 of valuation for fiscal year 2017-18, which begins Oct. 1, authority Executive Director Alyce Robertson told the board of directors last week. The city commission must approve the millage rate by a two-thirds vote.

Taxable values in the authority’s district – which runs from near the Arsht Center to southern Brickell – have swelled from $16.7 billion in fiscal 2016-17 to $18.8 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, she said, “due to the addition of Brickell City Centre to the tax rolls.” That translates to a 12% increase in valuations, 11.4 percentage points of which is attributable to new construction, she said.

The tax increment that funds the down-

“...the cargo business has been spectacular,” said Emilio González.

town authority adds just $2 to the tax bill of a homeowner within the district, where the average condominium downtown costs $305,000, Ms. Robertson said. Downtown’s population has doubled since 2000, (including a nearly 14% jump since 2010), to roughly 89,000 now. It is expected to reach 100,000 by 2020.

“Some people will think we should reduce the millage rate,” said board vice chair Neisen Kasdin, office-managing partner of

Akerman LLP, “but we will probably see a flattening in the next two or three years” as buildings under construction are delivered.

Some observers predict that prices will begin to level off as new inventory floods the market “We can’t expect a growth scenario,” Mr. Kasdin said.

“Make sure your reserves stay healthy” by at least maintaining a level millage rate, advised board member Bruno Barreiro, who is a Miami-Dade County commissioner.

“This state has an outstanding record of staying one step ahead of the game,” Angela Gittens told group.

Airport’s cargo growth, new routes touted to peers here

By Gabi Maspons

At the 48th annual Florida Airports Council Conference in Miami Beach this week, leaders were excited to announce Florida is among the top growing states in aviation in the country, with many plans to grow Miami International Airport.

“From the first commercial flight… to the first duty-free concessions, this state has an outstanding record of staying one step ahead of the game,” said Angela Gittens, director general of the Airport Council International.

Florida jumped to the second-busiest state in the nation for passenger traffic last year, according to Federal Aviation Administration reports released this month.

“Change has been the one constant of the aviation industry,” Ms. Gittens said, and Florida is investing to make sure it stays ahead of the curve.

Miami International Airport had its seventh consecutive year of growth last year, attracted 22 new cargo carriers and welcomed 32 new routes, said Emilio

González, director and CEO. Miami International Airport is allocating resources to “grow as the next global gateway,” Mr. González said.

“At MIA, international is our middle name… we had $57 billion of international imports and exports last year,” he said, “44.6 million passengers went through our airport last year, and about half of those were international.”

“We’re built to connect the US to the world; that was Miami’s birthright,” said Ralph Lopez, vice president of American Airlines’ Miami hub.

“While Latin America and Miami are always going to be inextricably tied, we also needed to grow to other parts of the world,” Mr. González said.

In addition to the 80 nonstop flights to Latin America and the Caribbean, MIA offers 25 flights to Europe, with two more on the way; two flights to the Middle East; four cargo carriers to Asia; and is working diligently to get an Asian passenger carrier to Miami, Mr. González said.

To correct neglecting cargo over the years

and support the booming business, MIA is to allocate over $1 billion in infrastructure to refurbish and rebuild cargo buildings.

“This year the cargo business has been spectacular,” Mr. González said. Cargo at MIA has gone up 9% and is to grow exponentially this year, he said.

“Those buildings are old and long past their 40-year life span,” he said.

Mr. González was also excited to announce that MIA will be opening another Federal Inspection Service (FIS): “We’ve made it our goal to be an industry leader in technology. We recently entered into an agreement with our friends at Customs and Border Protection to open another FIS around September or October,” he said.

“This is going to have risk management for the airlines, be completed automated with a minimum number of humans and introduce facial recognition into FIS.” “Miami currently ranks in the top two positions for US airports in terms of nonstop international destinations and international air cargo tonnage,” Fitch Ratings declared in its most recent ratings report.

“MIA’s long-term enplanement activity continues to demonstrate growth with an increase of 3.6% in fiscal 2016 to over 22 million enplanements,” the report stated.

Despite overall traffic down in the first eight months of 2017, “overall passenger strength is still intact through a near equal balance of domestic operations and international traffic,” Fitch said.

Fitch Ratings assigned an ‘A’ to MiamiDade County’s aviation revenue refunding bonds series 2017B,C&D and to the parity aviation revenue bonds.

“The rating reflects the airport’s strong position in the South Florida market for both domestic and international air service,” Fitch said. “Miami stands out as one of [the] nation’s strongest international gateway airports with a dominant position for Latin American and Caribbean air services.”

As MIA continues to grow and expand its network, especially east to west, Mr. González said he will be making many more exciting announcements in coming months.

Facilities fee hike for US flyers called unlikely

By Gabi Maspons

While airports have been lobbying to adjust the federal Passenger Facility Charge to meet infrastructure needs, Florida congressional representatives don’t think there will be enough votes to push the bill through.

Airports and airlines have been fighting over the amount passengers can be charged to help pay for airport improvements. The Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) allows airlines to charge every passenger at commercial airports up to $4.50 to enhance safety, security and capacity; reduce noise, and increase air carrier competition.

While airports want to either remove or lift the cap that hasn’t been adjusted since 2000, airlines argue that passengers are already

charged enough fees and the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding allocated to airports should be adequate to cover update costs.

Some airports have offered to give up AIP funding in exchange for uncapping or raising the $4.50 limit on the PFC to help them address the $100 million in unmet infrastructure needs.

“If we uncap the fund and airports can decide what they need, then there will be a system where airports will not have to rely on the federal government for their improvements,” said Kevin Burke, president of the North American Airports Council International.

“Companies move based on how easy it is to get in and out of cities,” Mr. Burke said.

He said he believes that airports should not

need to ask the government to pay for updates, as they should be paid for by the customer through a user fee.

When Mr. Burke asked US Rep. Brian Mast about the PFC bill at the Florida Airports Council Conference this week, Mr. Mast said, “whether an open-ended or capped alteration, the votes just aren’t there to alter the PFC.” “It’s an issue that comes up every year,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said. “This is just not an issue the county commissioners bring up to us; it’s not on their priority list. We aren’t hearing anything from people at the local level, and a lot of members of Congress outside the Appropriations Committee don’t even know what it is. It’s one of those issues that could be done if it received support, but the votes just aren’t there.”

‘This is just not an issue the county commissioners bring up; it’s not on their priority list.’

Mario Diaz-Balart

24

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017

TODAY’S NEWS

Slender 58-story hotel on river wins review board approval

By John Charles Robbins

The plan to build a 200-room hotel on a narrow site on the Miami River is a step closer to reality after it earned a supportive vote from the city’s Urban Development Review Board.

The project, called The Edge on Brickell, is planned for 55 SWMiami Avenue Road, right next to the South Miami Avenue Bridge on the site of the former Big Fish restaurant.

The property has changed hands since a condo tower was approved for the site in 2014.

New owner-developer Leo Macedo of The Brick Group plans to build about 200 hotel rooms in a tower that is to include a rooftop restaurant and 70 residential units.

The developer’s team presented the latest site plan and drawings of the mixed-use project to the review board July 19. The board recommended approval, with a condition that the developer consider integrating organic Miami motif into the perforated screening on the lower levels on the side facing the river.

The site is about 14,714 square feet, just over a third of an acre.

The revised plan calls for a slender tower of 58 stories (631 feet, 4 inches), with uniquely designed balconies on the eastern side. The project includes a podium for parking about 122 vehicles, with full valet service.

The 2014 condo plan had a tower of 55 stories and parking for 156 vehicles.

Attorney Ben Fernandez, representing the developer, said the company decided it makes more

The Edge on Brickell is right next to the South Miami Avenue Bridge.

sense to build a hotel there and to modernize the look of the façade.

The narrow rectangular site comes at a point in the river where the waterway makes a bend, said Mr. Fernandez, and the new design

“creates an edge to emphasize the turn in the river.”

The changes in the design add more than 8,000 square feet to the floor area and extend the structure’s length from 198 feet to about 213.

Much of the added length is due to the bend-out balconies, he said.

In a letter about the current proposal, Mr. Fernandez wrote: “The project has been revised to address current market demands and to reflect considerable design improvements that will contribute positively to the architectural experience along this important segment of the Miami River. The elevations now present a more modern aesthetic. Highly stylized perforated metal balcony panels run along the east end of the building and highlight the building’s edge, while also contributing to its name.”

Mr. Fernandez said the materials used to wrap the podium include fiber-reinforced concrete, cement panels and clear ionized aluminum mesh in a circular pattern. This pattern is also continued throughout the south elevation.

Project architect Kobi Karp called the property unique for its small size and location.

The design of the tower relates to the river with nautical imagery, he said. “The river is a very important element,” said Mr. Karp.

Mr. Karp said the Miami River Commission liked the project’s direction. The Edge on Brickell would include a public riverwalk along the river’s edge comprised of an 8-foot-wide minimum width pedestrian trail.

The site plan shows dockage on the river as well, extending out about 14 feet from the property line.

The river commission lobbied hard for a wider riverwalk, while acknowledging the small parcel posed challenges.

Attorney Ed Martos, representing condo owners in a nearby development, objected to the review board hearing the project, alleging the revised plan doesn’t comply with the city’s zoning code.

“It’s here. We’re going to hear it,” said Acting Board Chairman Dean Lewis.

Board members asked staff about the project’s status.

“To us, it’s a compliant project,” responded Joseph Eisenberg, a city planner who works with the design review board.

Mr. Lewis said the new design is a significant improvement from the 2014 proposal.

Board member Fidel Perez said he didn’t see big changes from what was approved for the small site years ago.

Mr. Perez did ask if a traffic study was done.

Mr. Fernandez said yes, the developer hired a traffic consultant who has submitted a report to the city.

“This building is an improvement,” said Mr. Perez of the new design. “The mixed use will benefit the building and the area.”

Mr. Perez concluded that the addition of the balconies shouldn’t be a reason to reject the project.

Board member Neil Hall said, “This design is a wonderful improvement. And the hotel component is a plus, especially considering the development going on near Fifth [Street] in Brickell.”

The site is about one block from the sprawling Brickell City Centre.

“This one will be a wonderful addition to the Miami skyline,” said board member Gerald Marston of The Edge on Brickell.

Downtown authority criticizes planned county transit cuts

By Catherine Lackner

Distressed that the county’s budget for the upcoming year includes cuts in transit funding – and that the transit budget might be cut further if money from the half-penny sales tax is withdrawn – directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority on Friday passed two resolutions targeting the cuts. County officials have cited poor ridership as the reason for the cuts.

“Everybody agrees one of our biggest problems is public transit,” said board member Alan Ojeda, who is president of Rilea Development Group and chair of the authority’s Transit, Connectivity and Mobility Committee. “We cannot simply say ridership is bad.

To me, public transit should be at the top of the top of the top.”

“Are these numbers broken out?” asked board vice chair Neisen Kasdin, office-managing partner of Akerman LLP. In his Brickell office, more people, not fewer, seem to be taking Metrorail and Metromover, he said. “There may be an element of ridership that’s dropping, but is there something behind these numbers?”

Bus ridership and Metrorail ridership is down, the county’s Department of Transportation & Public Works has said, but Metrorail appears more crowded because some cars are out of service. Metromover ridership is higher than in previous years, the department has said.

‘We cannot simply say ridership is bad. To me, public transit should be at the top of the top of the top.’

‘There may be an element of ridership that’s dropping, but is there something behind these numbers?’

‘You improve the product. If you shy away from the problem, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.’

Alan Ojeda

Neisen Kasdin

Ken Russell

In the transit system’s most recently reported month, May, bus ridership was off 7.3% from May 2016, Metrorail was up fourtenths of a percentage point and the free Metromover was off 2%.

“When sales are down, you don’t spend less,” said Ken Russell, chair and Miami commissioner. “You improve the product.

If you shy away from the problem, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“I’m not in favor of the cuts, and the commission is not in favor of them,” said board member Bruno Barreiro, who is a county commissioner. “We’re looking at those ridership numbers as we get

into the budget process.”

Revenues are down because of Golden Passport for seniors, Patriot Passport for service members, and student discounts, he said, and ridership may have fallen off because gasoline prices are low.

The way the system is set up “is pushing people away from using transit,” said board member Richard Lydecker, senior partner of the Lydecker-Diaz law firm.

In ski towns like Aspen, people wait for buses in freezing weather because electronic signs let them know when the next bus is coming, he said.

“Nobody’s messing with some

silly app, waiting for a bus that has decided not to come. I’m not knocking anything anyone’s doing,” Mr. Lydecker said, but the system could be improved.

The county is installing kiosks to provide that information, Mr. Barreiro said. A Transit Tracker app also allows riders to see where their bus or train is in real time, the transportation department has said.

“We all know it’s complicated, and that there are union issues,” said board member Marta Viciedo, founding partner of Urban Impact Lab, “but the transportation department had the highest cuts of any department. It makes no sense.

“The CITT also voted to untie

money, and that’s going to create a huge gap for the department,” she said.

Members of the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust, which oversees the half-penny sales tax, voted July 13 for a more rapid repayment of money that was diverted to run the bus system during the Great Recession. If the county commission approves, as much as $50 million could be redirected from the transportation department to fund the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit, or SMART, plan for six new transit corridors.

Downtown authority directors pledged support for the SMART plan, and urged the county to find money for it and preserve rail options.

As part of the plan, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his staff had previously favored atgrade Metrorail along Northwest 27th Avenue from the Martin Luther King Metrorail station to the county line and along US 1 from Dadeland to Homestead.

Now, it appears bus rapid transit is the preferred alternative for those two corridors.

“Don’t take light rail off the table,” Mr. Russell said. The federal government looks more favorably on rail projects than other alternatives, he added.

“The next two months,” during which the county commission hammers out a budget, said Mr. Barreiro, “are going to be very exciting.”