Miami Today: Week of Thursday, October 26, 2017

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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LIGHT BRIGHTER AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL FOR DIGGING A MIAMI RIVER TUNNEL, pg. 11 GROVE BAY GARAGE RE-DO: New bids for construction of a scaled-down municipal parking garage in Coconut Grove were due Oct. 22 to the Miami Parking Authority. The garage and its ground floor retail are part of a public-private partnership of 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. The garage was redesigned after bids came in more than double the estimated budget. One major change will lower it from three levels to two, but interior changes should result in about the same number of parking spaces: 333. Authority COO Alejandra Argudin told the city’s Off-Street Parking Board this month that staff may have a report on the new bids at the November meeting.

The Achiever

By Catherine Lackner

CONSTRUCTION STARTS REVERSE: Construction starts in Miami-Dade County fell 5% in the first eight months of this year and 10% in August alone, figures from Dodge Data & Analytics show. Residential construction starts were off 29% for the year while nonresidential construction starts rose 36%, Dodge reported. For the year as a whole, the value of nonresidential construction starts has surpassed residential construction, which in recent years was the larger share of starts valuation.

SCHOOL BUS LANES: Traffic may get a bit lighter in South Dade, as Mayor Carlos Giménez’s office is investigating the benefits of Miami-Dade County Public School buses using the South Dade Transitway to reduce congestion on the road. The South Dade Transitway is a dedicated lane for transit services from Dadeland South Metrorail Station to Southwest 344th Street. The mayor’s office is to work with the Miami-Dade Public Schools and federal and state agencies and submit a report to county commissioners in the next four months.

BID FOR GREATNESS: The charter for the Business Improvement District (BID) of Coral Gables has been renewed for five more years by a majority vote (62%) of its property owners, who agreed to retain the special assessment district. “This vote of confidence comes at a very important time when the streetscape project is in full swing, and we are seeing progress,” said Venny Torre, BID president, in a release. Over the past 20 years, the BID has focused on developing marketing strategies to promote Miracle Mile and downtown Coral Gables, said Taciana Amador, its executive director. It has created signature events including Coral Gables Restaurant Week, Taste of the Gables and Giralda Under the Stars, as well as spearheaded downtown Coral Gables’ centralized valet parking, holiday decorations and lighting programs. “With our charter renewed, we will continue to advocate on behalf of our members to ensure that we are creating a vibrant live, work, play environment,” Ms. Amador said.

John Quelch

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

New University of Miami business dean wears two hats The profile is on Page 4

Flagler’s revamp paused again for another study

By Catherine Lackner

The glacial pace of Flagler Street’s renovation downtown has built frustration since the project was proposed in 2011. Last week, directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority agreed to another delay, this one for three months. Supporters say it’s a good thing.

“The task force is recommending a 90-day pause,” said Brian Alonso, who co-chairs the Flagler Street Task Force with Neisen Kasdin, authority vice chair and office-managing partner of Akerman LLP. “And, based on the history, this was not taken lightly.”

Moishe Mana, who has invested in Wynwood and bought a portfolio of Flagler Street properties, wants to study with his architect, Bernard Zyscovich, a possible incorporation of cobblestones into the driving surface, said Mr. Alonso, a principal in his family’s real estate business.

Mr. Mana will pay for the study, which comes as the project is between contractors. The city fired the first, F.H. Paschen; Lanzo Construction has been chosen to continue the work but isn’t under contract yet. The board didn’t

Leadership eyes county gas tax hike

discuss whether Mr. Mana would contribute to the upgrade if the study finds incorporating the pavers is the way to proceed.

Adding cobblestone would probably require drainage changes and add engineering challenges, so reconstruction can’t go forward in tandem with the study, said board and Flagler Task Force member Gary Ressler, a principal of the Tilia family of companies, which owns the historic Alfred I. Dupont Building at 169 E Flagler St. “90 days?” asked board member Danet Linares, executive vice president of Blanca Commercial Real Estate. “We’ve already lost so much time. And this is coming at the 11th hour.”

Mr. Mana is the street’s largest stakeholder, said Ken Russell, authority chair and Miami commissioner, and it’s appropriate that he weigh in on the project.

Construction began in early 2016, but only one block has been finished.Authority members faulted Miami’s Office of Capital Improvements for not supervising the contractor. Multiple problems at the jobsite have include a maze of underground utilities that didn’t conform

to site maps and other unforeseen obstacles.

The project began before Mr. Mana acquired his properties, Mr. Ressler said. “Mana is now the largest property owner on Flagler, and he is passionate about the street’s success.” The street is already shut down and there is usually a construction moratorium in November and December for the holidays, he said.

“It’s a moment in between,” Mr. Zyscovich said. “It’s three months at no cost to the city, to see if this is worth doing, and it’s the last possible moment” to make such a large-scale change before reconstruction resumes.

“Does the city accept?” asked board member Jerome Hollo, vice president of Florida East Coast Realty.

“We don’t object,” said Jeovanny Rodriguez, director of the Capital Improvement Program.

“We realize it’s going to take time; there’s a question of the impact on utilities. We can’t do the construction at the same time.”

“It’s a matter of doing it right versus doing it fast,” Mr. Russell said. “I really trust the task force; they’re the stakeholders on the street.”

Directors agreed, and unanimously approved the pause.

In its quest to add layers to what chair Esteban Bovo Jr. calls the transportation “funding lasagna,” the county’s Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) may suggest that the county bump up local gas taxes.

“It’s something important as we consider options,” Mr. Bovo told the board last week. “This is something I can tell you that the federal government is looking at,” he said, having met recently with Elaine Chao, US secretary of transportation.

Lowell Clary, a consultant to the TPO, said the effect of raising gas taxes usually isn’t felt at the pump, at least not for long. The price of crude oil, supply versus demand, and trading by money managers all affect prices more than gas taxes, he said.

Broward and Palm Beach counties, he said, tax 12 cents a gallon, yet gas prices there are lower than in Miami-Dade, where the tax is 10 cents, he said. If the tax were raised 2 cents, the county would get 74% of the proceeds and 26% would go to municipalities, Mr. Clary said.

Based on current budget projections, the take would be about $18 million per year.

Between 2013 and 2017, 22 states raised gas taxes, Mr. Clary said. Work by noted economist Alison Premo Black showed that, two days later, 22% of the tax increase was noted at the pump. One month later, the increase was 2.7%, as opposed to a 2.5% price increase in states that hadn’t raised taxes.

One year later, drivers in states that had bumped up the tax saw a 3.7% drop in prices, compared to a 3.3% fall nationwide.

“In Broward and Palm Beach, they’ve been charging the additional two pennies over the years,” said Dennis Moss, TPO member, chair of its Fiscal Priorities Committee and county commissioner. “We’re not getting those dollars. We’re looking for alternatives to fill the gap in the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit plan and make it whole. Think about it.”

“That’s $18 million, straight up,” Mr. Bovo said. “We should consider it.”

FORT DALLAS PARK PROPOSAL BY DEVELOPERS EVOLVES ...

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TRI-RAIL DOWNTOWN RUNS MONTHS AFTER BRIGHTLINE ...

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VIEWPOINT: SUPPORT BID TO PAY COMMISSIONERS MORE ...

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MIAMI EXTENDS LICENSING PERIOD FOR BIG BUS TOURS ...

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COUNTY ADDS AN UN-RECOMMENDED LOBBYISTS TEAM ...

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A LITTLE HAITI ROUTE FILLS GAP IN CITYWIDE SYSTEM ...

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DOWNTOWN AGENCY VOTES AGAINST OLYMPIA REVAMP ...

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SMART TRANSIT PLAN TOPS LEGISLATIVE AIMS LISTING ...

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

The Insider DDA ADDITION: Though he conceded that the resignation of former board member Jose Goyanes “produced an incredible void” in Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, its chair and Miami Commissioner Ken Russell announced at last week’s meeting that Philippe Houdard, co-founder of Pipeline WorkSpaces, has been tapped for the board.

Mr. Houdard, he said, “has a really keen view of what’s happening downtown,” having worked with clients like Uber, Kayak and Priceline. The board unanimously voted to forward his nomination to the Miami city commission, Philippe Houdard which holds approval powers.

HURRICANE HELP: Downtown authority board member Nitin Motwani told fellow directors last week that the group has been approached to support an emergency measure allowing a temporary bump in the issuance of visas. The new arrivals would work in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico to help with disaster relief, said Mr. Motwani, who is managing director of Miami Worldcenter Group LLC and managing director of the Encore Housing Opportunities Fund. “A lot of stuff needs to be fixed” in the wake of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, he said. “We want Nitin Motwani to make sure the help is prioritized in the right places.”

THE CHIPS ARE DOWN: The Miami Parking Authority, which manages parking at Jackson Memorial Hospital at 1611 NW 12th Ave., is running low on the chip coins used to pay for parking there. The parking agency contracted with Scheidt & Bachman in 2008 to buy and install the parking access and revenue control equipment for the hospital. To keep the inventory level at its maximum, the authority’s board has authorized buying 11,500 more chip coins for $43,850 directly from Scheidt & Bachmann.

PARKING APP HITS GOAL: The Miami Parking Authority reports continued big numbers for online service PayByPhone to pay for parking. Authority COO Alejandra Argudin told the city’s Off-Street Parking Board that 81% of all on-street revenue in July came from PayByPhone use. The agency had set a goal of 80% by October. Fueling use and new customers is the authority taking control of parking at several Miami-Dade County parks, and some city park locations including Morningside Park and Virginia Key Beach.

COLLABORATIVE COMMISSIONERS: When debating the amount the county should pay lobbyists in Tallahassee last week, Miami-Dade commissioners had opposing views on the importance of lobby firms. “For once, I agree with [Jean] Monestime and [Daniella Levine] Cava,” Audrey Edmonson said, drawing laughs. “To cut what people are getting is an injustice. Additional funds should be added; we want them to represent us well.” Though Xavier Suarez opposed adding funding, he jokingly praised Ms. Edmonson for agreeing with the other comAudrey Edmonson missioners, saying, “Hallelujah.” Esteban Bovo Jr. said the collaboration wouldn’t last, telling Ms. Edmonson, “You’ll get over it, don’t worry.”

FLAGAMI ROADWORK ON TAP: Miami city commissioners have accepted a bid from R&G Engineering Inc. for roadway improvements for Southwest 71st Avenue from Southwest Eighth to Fourth streets. A background memo says the city’s procurement department, along with the Office of Capital Improvements and the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department, negotiated a reduction of $9,150.60 from R&G’s original bid for a final amount of $586,158.19, plus a 10% contingency, for a total contract up to $644,774.01. On April 14, procurement solicited bids, and the city received eight.

AFTER A FASHION: After last year’s inaugural, Wynwood Fashion Night Out returns Nov. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. More than 40 participating businesses throughout the edgy district will offer in-store promotions and celebrations.

The grand finale will be at Mana Wynwood. “We’re thrilled to announce the return of Wynwood’s Fashion Night Out and invite the South Florida community to an evening filled with exceptional street art, retail and dining experiences,” said Albert Garcia, vice chair of the Wynwood Business Improvement District, in a release. “Wynwood’s business community is also coming together to collected donated items to support the women and families of Lotus House as part of this year’s annual event.” Details: www. wynwoodmiami.com.

NO MORE HANGUPS: In December, digital permits will replace hangtags for drivers who park at Metrorail stations on a monthly pass (regular hanging decals will be available until then). The same parking rates apply.

To acquire a digital pass, drivers should log in or create an account at the Transit Store (https://transitstore.miamidade.gov/home). Details: (786) 4695151 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

EXPRESS (BUS) YOURSELF: As a follow-up to a survey done earlier this year, the Florida Department of Transportation is seeking public comment on how the bus express service on I-95 is working. “Your input is valuable in helping to continue to improve and provide the best service to South Florida commuters,” the department said in a release. To participate, visit 95expressit.com on a computer or mobile device.

SWEET 15 (MILLION): Florida’s SunPass program, which debuted in 1999 and is said to be the largest and most successful prepaid electronic toll program ever, passed a milestone recently when the 15 millionth transponder was put into circulation. “SunPass transponders were among the first in the nation to become available for retail sale and are now available for purchase at thousands of retail outlets throughout the state of Florida,” said the Florida Turnpike Enterprise in a release. “SunPass is now accepted in Georgia and North Carolina, with other states to follow. [It] can be used to pay for parking at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and also at major airports across Florida. SunPass continues to blaze an innovative trail through the world of electronic toll collection.”

NEW PAYMENT MACHINES COMING: The city’s Off-Street Parking Board has allocated $265,181.40 to Skidata Inc. for upgrading the parking revenue control equipment in the Miami Parking Authority’s Cultural Center Garage. The facility at 90 SW First St. is also known as Municipal Parking Garage #2.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

Fort Dallas Park offering evolves

By John Charles Robbins

A proposal from a private company to redevelop city-owned Fort Dallas Park, on the Miami River downtown, has evolved.

The unsolicited proposal still pushes for a public-private partnership with the City of Miami, but instead of building a new 250-seat restaurant the developer is proposing a revitalized riverfront hosting several local small businesses.

These would be “more mom and pop” type business ventures, said Luis Esqueda, CEO of Sanctus Spiritus Hospitality LLC. The proposal, which includes restoration of a historic cottage, is listed as a discussion item on today’s (10/26) city commission agenda. It was deferred once last month and again Oct. 12.

Several structures occupy the site at 60-64 SE Fourth St., north of the river and sandwiched between a hotel on private land and the county’s Riverwalk Metromover station. They include a gutted and dilapidated former restaurant and The Flagler Worker’s House, also known as Palm Cottage, the last known building in Miami directly associated with railroad magnate and developer Henry M. Flagler.

For many years, seafood restaurant Bijan’s operated from the commercial building under a lease with the city. Litigation and allegations of unpaid rent ensued and the eatery eventually closed.

The legal fights are over but the park’s fate remains in limbo.

For the most part, the waterfront site has been blocked off and forgotten, attracting trash and the homeless. The situation got so bad that a temporary security fence was installed around the site.

The Miami River Commission has for many years pushed the city to clean up and improve the park for public use.

A subcommittee of the river commission met Oct. 19 with members of Sanctus Spiritus Hospitality, including Mr. Esqueda and Ron Rick III. Santiago Leon was also listed as part of the ownership in a presentation to the committee.

The original unsolicited proposal came in a June 30 letter from Mr. Esqueda to Daniel Rotenberg, director of the city’s Department of Real Estate and Asset Management. That letter touted construction of a flagship restaurant with seating for at least 250, redevelopment of the existing historical building and capital improvements to the property.

The proposal called for the city to lease the land to the company for 10% of the restaurant’s gross sales.

The newest proposal is included in a letter dated Oct. 17

by Mr. Esqueda to Mr. Rotenberg.

The new letter again proposes a public-private partnership and calls for, in part: The company to demolish the unnecessary structures except the historical building known as Palm Cottage, in accordance with the City of Miami Historic Preservation Office standards. The company would build and renovate structures on the premises to contain local small businesses.

The city to grant the company a 30-year concession lease.

Potential developers want to clear much of the park of old buildings.

The company to share 10% of the gross revenue of the project’s operations with the city, as approved by both sides.

The company to maintain the property, including Palm Cottage and the adjoining dock.

The city to assist the company “with all municipal activities including... obtaining zoning approvals, entitlements, and permitting meetings.”

If the city commission approves moving forward, a vote of city residents may be required as well, because it’s city-owned waterfront property.

Jim Murley, co-chairman of the river commission’s Urban Infill and Greenways Subcommittee, opened the discussion last week, noting the history of the park. He said the river commission has fought for years to get the city to remove obstructions from the site and preserve the historic cottage.

“The public forgets it is public space … we need to get the public access restored,” he said.

“We welcome anyone who wants to improve Fort Dallas Park,” Mr. Murley said.

Mr. Rick said the present state of the property is a misuse of the land.

The company wants to redevelop and activate the property, including the cottage and the public riverwalk.

“Our vision is to create an asset for the city,” Mr. Rick said. “We also want to bring the community into the project,” he said, noting a plan to integrate the Dade Heritage Trust and area schools into activating the site.

He showed photos of an openair design using repurposed shipping containers, terraces and other outdoor spaces.

The idea is to provide a synergy of businesses, he said.

“This is a hip, young, vibrant business center,” Mr. Rick said of the latest proposal.

The company has lined up potential business partners and has $3 million ready to be invested into the property, with an estimated time to completion of the project about two years after final approvals, he said.

Committee members were told the restored historic cottage would be used for cultural and community activities, management offices, restrooms, and salons or galleries for exhibitions.

The Dade Heritage Trust is listed as part of the company’s professional team.

Built around 1897, the house was one of at least 30 rental houses that Mr. Flagler constructed as homes for workers building his Royal Palm Hotel. The building was moved to Fort Dallas Park in 1980

and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

In its presentation, the company says its team has experience in other local businesses including Wynwood Diner, PM Steakhouse and Cantina La 20.

Committee members were also told the company will maintain the side yard access and public riverwalk, will provide a slip for water taxis and will employ a traditional dock master.

In the presentation, the company listed business partners including Proa Yacht, Häagen-Dazs, Pasión del Cielo, Argentinian Grill and more.

“I’m excited to see some movement,” Mr. Murley said.

He said minutes of the meeting will reflect that the subcommittee views this as a very interesting proposal, acknowledges the long approval process involving many agencies and stakeholders, and is willing to “act as conveners” to get everyone to the table.

Fort Dallas Park was established in 1897 by the Florida East Coast Railway. It was designated a city park in 1983.

The park came up in recent debate over redevelopment of nearby cityowned riverfront that’s home to a Hyatt Regency hotel and the James L. Knight Convention Center. Hyatt has proposed a major redevelopment but wants a new lease and control of the convention center.

City Commissioner Ken Russell has suggested a master plan for the entire riverfront, to include the hotel and convention site and Fort Dallas Park.

Most recently, Hurricane Irma destroyed the city dock hugging the shore of the park.

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

Phone: (305) 358-2663 Staff Writers:

Gabi Maspons gmaspons@miamitodaynews.com John Charles Robbins jrobbins@miamitodaynews.com Katya Maruri kmaruri@miamitodaynews.com People Column people@miamitodaynews.com Michael Lewis mlewis@miamitodaynews.com

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 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

Support bid to save money by paying commissioners more A team studying Miami-Dade’s charter has wisely voted for fair commission pay.

What should be an easy step to join Florida’s other 66 counties that use a state pay scale has failed many times, with voters and commissioners alike rejecting efforts to pay fairly.

Voters have long felt commissioners are so bad that they don’t deserve a raise.

Commissioners have been reluctant to ask for one, fearful either of voter ire or of more election competitors if pay were fair.

The result is that full-time commissioners who spend $7 billion yearly in a county of 2.7 million people in 1,946 square miles are paid exactly what their part-time predecessors got 60 years ago when the current charter – equivalent to a constitution – was set up: $6,000 a year, $78,000 for all 13.

How many honest, intelligent, capable people will work full time – often more

than full time – for $6,000 a year?

For whatever reasons, we have 13 people who do. If we want to treat them fairly, pay them fairly. If we think they’re bad, pay fairly to get people you like better or trust more to run for office.

Honestly, how many top-level candidates can afford a $6,000 full-time job?

Those who can have lots in the bank or a well-paid spouse, a no-show outside job (do we really want commissioners beholden to some business for “free” income?) or somehow pocket lots of money just by being a commissioner (we sure don’t want that kind).

A fair salary can make it possible for solid people capable of earning good pay but without outside funds to do public service. Maybe some could make more in private jobs, but they need at minimum a salary that allows them time to actually deliberate as they spend billions, actually read laws before they vote, and actually dig into the key issues that are often neglected until it’s too late.

If we’d had more thinking commissioners decades ago, we wouldn’t find ourselves owing more than $2.5 billion today for a baseball stadium or $16 billion behind in water and sewer work. We might have unscrambled transportation. Maybe we’d

have acted on climate change.

Instead, we cheaped out at $6,000 and got what we paid for. Are we going to keep doing that?

Appointees who must review our charter every five years last week voted to join the other counties on a state pay scale that we’ve opted out of. We’d join the big counties that pay commissioners $99,997 a year. That’s what Broward, at two-thirds our land area and two-thirds our population, pays. So does smaller Palm Beach.

Instead, we pay less than a quarter of what Florida’s smallest counties pay. Lafayette, the tiniest with 2,142 households, pays $25,747. Liberty, with 2,222 households, pays $25,823. Each has a population less than a sixth that of Coral Gables or Doral or Homestead.

Lafayette and Liberty commissioners yearly deal with budgets just over $14 million. Miami-Dade’s is 500 times that – in fact, larger than the budgets of 130 nations.

Do we really want to badly underpay people who have to live while they’re spending our billions? Avoiding a single bad contract to a “friend” could save us far more than underpaying commissioners for years.

The charter task force was appointed primarily by commissioners. A suspicious

mind could think the team is doing commissioners a favor by seeking higher pay.

Even if that were true, it would also be a service to taxpayers, who would benefit more than commissioners. Again, think of a broader pool of candidates and the likelihood that all commissioners, present and future, could devote more time and brainpower to service because their outside work pressures would decrease.

We encourage the charter team to stand firm in its final report and seek proper pay.

We encourage commissioners to be fair to all by making sure that the question goes on the ballot for voters to decide. And we encourage voters to do the right thing and pay fairly. Everyone will benefit.

We also urge the charter task force and every civic organization to tell voters why paying commissioners more is actually far less costly as well as far more equitable.

Past votes on commission raises have failed when organizations like the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and their brethren didn’t mount a sophisticated campaign for better government with a yes vote.

Frankly, we’re very lucky to get the commission quality that we have at $6,000 apiece. Fair pay, however, can increase the odds of improving that quality – and our quality of life.

Right-to-try drug proposal a solution for non-existent problem This fall the US House of Representatives is likely to take up legislation passed by the Senate that gives terminally ill patients the right to try unproven, experimental drugs that are not yet on the market.

Thirty-seven states Trudy Lieberman have already passed similar legislation.

All this may sound like terrific news for very sick patients with few or no treatment options left, but the issue deserves a much deeper look thanks to its potential impact on people’s pocketbooks and health.

“The public has no idea this is not a good thing,” says Alison Bateman-House, a medical ethicist at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. “They know nothing about the bill except that the rightto-try sounds like a good thing.”

For example, she said, few people in those 37 states know they may lose hospice coverage, or they may be denied

The Writer

Trudy Lieberman is a fellow at the Center for Advancing Health. Contact her at trudy.lieberman@gmail.com. coverage for home health care if they use an experimental treatment. In Colorado, Connecticut, Oklahoma and West Virginia, patients may lose their health insurance.

Their coverage may be denied for six months after treatment ends.

So why is there a drive for a national law? According to Ms. Bateman-House and others who oppose the law, the underlying goal is to remove FDA involvement from a process that’s currently in place regarding experimental drugs.

Under the current process for obtaining such drugs, patients must first find a doctor who will agree to try the therapy and contact the drug company for permission to use the experimental treatment.

Once the doctor and patient have that permission, they fill out paperwork and send it to the FDA. If the FDA says yes,

Letters to the Editor 22nd Avenue traffic plan was not well thought out

I am a resident of 23rd Terrace with two small children. The added cut-through traffic funneled through my street has endangered the quality of life for my family.

I completely oppose the [traffic control] poles on Southwest 22nd Avenue. It has increased traffic on my street tenfold.

The honking of cars all day long is extremely irritating. Cars are backed up on my street, 10 to 15 cars at time, waiting to turn onto 22nd Avenue either headed to US 1 or Coral Way. Crossing over 22nd Avenue is nearly impossible at

peak traffic times. It is ridiculous to close so many alternate arteries and expect a decrease in traffic.

I am a rational person and realize it is impossible to make everyone happy.

Many of my fellow community residents are probably happier now that there is less traffic on their streets – but at the direct expense of the residents of 23rd Terrace and 25th Street. My street has become a mini-highway, with traffic all day long.

This project was not well thought out, and unfortunately for us at the moment, we need to suffer the trial-and-error period of a inadequate plan.

Costa Grillas

a patient can try the drug.

But there are other hurdles. An institutional review board, also called an IRB, at the hospital or other institution where the treatment will take place, must also approve the treatment. Finally, the patient must give consent and have money to pay for it.

The right-to-try bill pending in Congress eliminates the FDA from the process. The Goldwater Institute, a libertarian think tank based in Phoenix, has led the drive for legislation, and other like-minded thinks tanks that aren’t keen on government regulations have also weighed in.

If someone is desperate, “I don’t think a person or agency has a right to tell that terminally ill person, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m going to let you try this,’” Phoenix physician Jeffrey Singer, also a fellow at the Cato Institute, another libertarian think tank, told MedPage Today.

But the FDA isn’t the gatekeeper here, Ms. Bateman-House said. “The idea the FDA is the stumbling block is completely wrong.” It’s the drug companies, which decide if they’ll let someone try one of their drugs that’s still being developed and is not for sale to the public. “We don’t know how many times requests to drug companies are approved or denied,” says Ms. Bateman-House. “If the drug company says ‘no,’ that’s the end of it.”

The FDA, however, approves about 99% of the drugs that people who are terminally ill ask for, and the process moves quickly.

The FDA turns around emergency requests within 24 hours, and in non-emergency situations within three to four days.

Why is FDA involvement important?

For one thing, it doesn’t have a vested interest in the outcome of someone’s treatment the way a doctor or drug company has. For another, it knows about other drugs in the same class as the experimental drug and can look for problems that have arisen with those drugs. For example, how does the drug affect the heart?

The FDA can also call for safety adjust-

ments in the administration of the drug – such as what’s the best dosage – should the patient be on a heart monitor.

Many patient advocacy groups don’t support the legislation pending in Congress. The American Society of Clinical Oncology says it supports access to investigational drugs outside of clinical trials when adequate protections are in place.

It doesn’t support right-to-try legislation because it ignores “key patient protections without actually improving patient access to investigational drugs outside of clinical trials.”

The Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) has issued noncommittal statements about the bill. “As long as you have private sector investment driving drug development, the priority is get the drug approved and sold and not to start giving it away, says medical ethicist Arthur Caplan.

It seems right-to-try laws are a solution looking for a problem, but that solution can cause problems of its own for desperately ill patients.

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TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

Land use, zoning hurdles await vast American Dream Mall

By Marilyn Bowden

Triple Five Group, developer of the proposed $4 billion American Dream Miami “mega center” in Northwest Miami-Dade, hopes to get its entitlements squared away by the end of this year in order to complete the project in 2023, says Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a land-use attorney representing the project.

“We have a pending master plan application that we’ve been working on for the past couple of years,” Mr. Diaz de la Portilla says, “and we have to go through the land use and zoning process.”

Although the project is often referred to as a “mega-mall,” he says, it is in fact not a mall but a family entertainment destination, a distinction that requires a change in zoning from industrial & office uses to business & office.

Triple Five, Mr. Diaz de la Portilla says, hopes to present the master plan and zoning changes along with the development plan to the county commission by the end of this year. The commission’s last public hearing of 2017 is scheduled for Dec. 7.

Getting to this point has taken years of negotiations, says Edgar

The American Dream Mall faces a long list of steps it must take before the first shovel of earth is turned.

Jones, a veteran commercial broker who serves as consultant to the group.

Robert Gorlow, Triple Five’s senior executive on the project, says the process began in 2013, when the developers first talked with the Graham family, which owns a large parcel adjacent to the American Dream Miami site.

There followed a two-year process of assembling 194 acres for the site, he says, which is cobbled together from about 15 different parcels.

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The largest, Mr. Diaz de la Portilla says, was comprised of 82 acres formerly owned by the state that was sold to the developers under Miami-Dade County’s economic development powers.

“Unlike a run-of-the-mill development project,” he says, “this is primarily an economic development project, which makes it unique.

“As part of that agreement, a restrictive covenant requires us to create a minimum of 75,000 permanent jobs. There’s a 35% work requirement to use community small business enterprises for architects and engineers, and also a 35% requirement for construction. So we have made a specific commitment to the public good and job creation.”

Under the auspices of the South Florida Regional Planning Council, Triple Five representatives have also attended at least eight meetings so far with stakeholders, Mr. Diaz de la Portilla says,

“two meetings before we even filed the application and two after that, as well as other meetings primarily to work through transportation and road issues.

The council found our master plan to be consistent with their regional plan.”

“We have been working with the county for a couple of years,” Mr. Jones says. Once the project won approval from the county Planning Advisory Board, he says, the Miami-Dade County Commission voted to send it to state reviewing agencies with a recommendation of approval.

“The reviewing agencies provided their comments,” Mr. Jones says, “which we responded to. So everybody – including police, fire, transit, zoning, the Department of Environmental Resources, public works and so on – has had a part in getting the master plan approved, and it is ready to go forward.”

Once the entitlements are ap-

proved, Mr. Diaz de la Portilla says, there are still a few more hoops to jump through before the first shovelful of earth is turned.

“There’s the administrative site plan review process, followed by the planning process,” he says, “and then we have to pull permits to actually start construction.”

Depending on demand, a second hotel may be built at a later date, Mr. Diaz de la Portilla says, but “basically everything will be built in one construction phase.”

That phase – covering about 7.2 million square feet – consists of a staggering number of discrete parts. “It includes a hotel, entertainment, retail, back-of-house operations and common areas,” Mr. Gorlow says.

In addition to a projected 450 retailers, restaurants and services, entertainment options announced so far include the world’s tallest indoor ski park, a skating rink, indoor water park, aquarium, submarine ride, gardens, a permanent Cirque du Soleil installation, a multi-screen luxury theater complex, an arts center for live performances and more.

Triple Five Group – a shopping mall owner and operator, hotel operator and real estate company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – is the developer of West Edmonton Mall in Canada, Mall of America in Minnesota and the upcoming American Dream Meadowlands in the Greater New York area, scheduled to open in about 18 months.

“We hope to open American Dream Miami in 2023,” Mr. Gorlow says, “contingent upon freeway interchanges opening at the same time as our doors open.”

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MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

11

Transportation Light at the end of tunnel nearer for a Miami River tunnel

By Catherine Lackner

New developments should encourage proponents of a tunnel under the Miami River.

On Monday, the county’s Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) released a study by Doralbased Atkins engineering firm.

The study for the TPO, dated August, said in part, “The potential impact of the Miami River tunnel is significant in terms of relief to surface-street congestion in the vicinity of the Brickell Avenue bridge, especially when exacerbated by bridge openings for marine traffic in the river.

“Limited travel demand modeling suggests that the tunnel will attract sufficient traffic to justify a four-lane facility and that traffic crossing the existing bridge will be significantly diminished. These benefits would be accrued only with a significant investment in the capital cost and ongoing operations cost of the tunnel facility.

“The tunnel as proposed would also trigger some shifts in travel movement patterns across the lower section of downtown Miami

Seaport tunnel, seen in 2012, is called “very instructive to the advancement of this new tunnel proposal.”

and in the Brickell district. These shifts need to be identified and analyzed further as part of any further planning and development of this proposed project.”

The study calls the PortMiami tunnel “very instructive to the advancement of this new tunnel proposal,” as is New York City’s Second Avenue subway project,

which will add new subway lines in a constrained urban setting.

The study outlines the next steps, which are already underway. They include the tunnel’s incorporation

into the TPO’s 2040 long-range transportation plan as an unfunded project (board members voted unanimously to add it in August) and “pursuit of funds for further corridor study and analysis within the adopted five-year Transportation Improvement Program.”

Last week, the TPO’s governing board unanimously approved a request by its vice chair, Miami commissioner and mayoral aspirant Francis Suarez, to further amend the long-range transportation plan to include the tunnel’s unfunded section, and to urge the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to fund and begin the project development and environment study for it. That study is necessary before the project can move forward. Mr. Suarez has been a strong proponent of the tunnel as a way to alleviate gridlock downtown and in Brickell.

“Should the project be advanced, it would capture the intent of the tunnel and bridge options first identified in the 1966 study sponsored by the Florida DOT to connect Biscayne Boulevard with Brickell Avenue,” the Atkins report observed.

BrightRed rolled across the country to West Palm Beach to join the other four trains of Brightline that are to serve the first phase of travel, between Miami and West Palm.

Brightline’s first run delayed, now on track for year’s end

By Catherine Lackner

AllAboard Florida’s Brightline commuter service linking West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, which was to begin in late summer, is now on track to start before year’s end, a spokesperson said this week.

And, with several legal battles out of the way, the path appears clear for the service to extend to Orlando 24 to 30 months after construction begins there.

The Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations are completed and work on the Miami station is moving forward, the spokesperson said. Miami Central, as the station is called, is part of a complex that will include residential, office and retail uses on several city blocks paralleling Northwest First Avenue.

The new station is being integrated with county Metrorail and Metromover systems,

as well as a Tri-Rail link, which will debut a few months after Brightline.

“All five trainsets for Phase 1 (West Palm Beach to Miami) have arrived and are located at Workshop B, the company’s 12-acre maintenance facility in northern downtown West Palm Beach,” the spokesperson said.

“The company is testing trains daily while commissioning the crews, and we are in the process of hiring new Brightline teammates.”

“Each Brightline train is built as an integrated trainset,” a company release said.

“These clean diesel-electric locomotives will meet the highest emissions standards set by the federal government. The integration improves ride quality and makes for a quiet experience, while the bright yellow locomotive on each end offers high reliability and redundancy.

“Each train abounds with innovations and comfortable features including auto-

matic level boarding, wide aisles exceeding Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, multiple power outlets for devices and free robust Wi-Fi, powered by multiple antennas in every car.”

BrightRed, the fifth trainset, “was built by employees at Siemens’ 1,000-person, 60-acre rail manufacturing hub and is 100% ‘Buy America’ compliant,” the release said.

“Train components were manufactured by 40 different US suppliers from more than 20 states. Brightline is committed to leading private investment toward transportation infrastructure benefiting the public.”

With all of the components seemingly in place for its South Florida service – fares and schedules will be determined closer to the roll-out date, the company said – Brightline will turn its attention to establishing service from South Florida to Orlando.

“In September, an administrative law judge

denied a challenge brought by Martin and St. Lucie counties and the Town of St. Lucie Village on the South Florida Water Management District’s decision to issue an environmental resource permit,” a Brightline release said.

“This marks a second time Treasure Coast counties have lost their challenges against Brightline as it relates to the permits needed for Phase 2.

“The courts continue to validate Brightline and the proper steps the company is taking to construct its system,” Myles Tobin, its general counsel, said in the release. “Each ruling, from the federal courts and the state courts on the private activity bonds to several other permit challenges, has been in favor of Brightline.

As Treasure Coast counties continue wasting millions of taxpayer dollars futilely fighting our project, we move forward with our plans to build a safe and transformative system for the entire state.”

12

TRANSPORTATION

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

Quickly developed El Al route makes Miami return Nov. 1

By Gabi Maspons

On Nov. 1, El Al will fly its first passengers from Miami to Tel Aviv through its new route at the Miami International Airport.

MIA has been in contact with El Al since early last year to develop the route to Tel Aviv, and is the sixth connection point for the airline in North America. Miami will be the El Al’s only destination in Florida and in the Southeast US with non-stop service to Tel Aviv.

“We are very excited about this new flight and are looking forward to selling out our customers in Florida,” said Yoram Elgrabi, managing director of El Al Israel Airlines, North and Central America.

Flights will depart from Miami to Tel Aviv at 11 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Return flights to Miami will depart Tel Aviv at midnight Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Boeing 777 will service the three weekly flights, and can accommodate 279 people: six in first class, 35 in business class, 30 in economy plus and 208 in economy.

“The ratio for business and first class is very high,” Mr. Elgrabi said. “They are in very good demand.”

Full service is offered to all

El Al, which started booking the Miami route in late May, says the late start has held down early demand.

passengers, with the option of 20 kosher meals they can pre-select online.

The service lounge, an El Al brand staple, is already open and ready for the first flight, and is similar to other El Al lounges worldwide. The lounge is to host all premium class passengers, some Matmid Frequent Flyer Club members and members of El Al’s King David Club.

The airline previously offered the same route between Tel Aviv and Miami before cancelling service in September 2008 because

“the fuel cost was one of the highest rates ever and the economic crisis created a perfect storm,” Mr. Elgrabi said.

“We are proud to come back to Miami and are very happy and excited about opening this route,” Mr. Elgrabi told Miami Today in June.

This time, he said, “we came to stay.”

As for demand, Mr. Elgrabi says the new route is doing well.

“We have a very nice demand and capacity for the coming six months,” Mr. Elgrabi said.

“Some of the flights are full already,” he said. Depending on the time of year and the day of the week, some flights are fuller than others.

Mr. Elgrabi said there is slightly more demand from Israeli nationals than Americans, and he hopes that over the next year or so the demand will balance out.

“A lot of Israelis are interested [in this connection] and have already booked to Miami,” Mr. Elgrabi said.

“We have very nice demand

from the Israeli market, and with time we will succeed in having a 50/50 distribution between the customers in Miami and Tel Aviv,” Mr. Elgrabi said. “If we added the flight one year in advance, the picture would be different.

Though most flights are available a full year ahead of the flying dates, El Al opened bookings less than six months before the first flight.

“Unfortunately, we started bookings in late May, so the demand is delayed,” Mr. Elgrabi said.

Mr. Elgrabi told Miami Today the delay was not intentional, but a symptom of last minute decision-making.

“We had a huge debate over whether we were going to operate from Miami or Chicago and had to analyze what was the best for our customers,” he said.

In addition to the competition delay, Mr. Elgrabi said the aircraft serving the route from Miami to Tel Aviv changed, as a new aircraft in New York with a different seating configuration became available.

“I’m sure that both countries will benefit from this operation,” he said. “Everything is developing well and we are very satisfied.”

Airport adding fourth SAS direct route to US

By Gabi Maspons

On Sunday (10/29) Miami International Airport welcomes SAS Stockholm for a new direct route between Stockholm and Miami.

“We have been looking forward to opening another direct route to the USA, this time between Stockholm and the popular destination of Miami,” said Annelie Nässén, VP of global sales at SAS, in a statement.

The airline has only three other direct flights ‘We are thrilled that between Stockholm and the US: to New York, SAS has chosen to Chicago and Los Angeles. expand its presence at After the direct routes from Oslo and Copenhagen to Miami proved popular, SAS says customer Miami International demand drew them to develop the new route.

Airport.’

An Airbus 330 will service the new route, Emilio Gonzáles featuring free Wi-Fi, personal outlets and 12-inch personal HD entertainment screens.

The weekly flight will depart from Miami to Stockholm at 9:25 a.m., arriving at 2:15 p.m.. Return flights to Miami will depart Stockholm at 4:05 p.m. and arrive the following morning at 7:35.

“We are thrilled that SAS has chosen to expand its presence at Miami International Airport and launch its first-ever non-stop service between Stockholm and Miami,” said Miami-DadeAviation Director Emilio González in a statement.

This new route is the sixth of seven new air services added to MIA this year, and MIA will now service over 100 airlines, more than any other US airport.

“At MIA, international is our middle name,” Mr. González said at an airport conference this summer. “We had 44.6 million passengers go through our airport last year, and about half of those were international.”

From February to April, MIA primarily focused on expanding its passenger flights to the Americas, adding direct flights to Guadalajara and Mexico City, Mexico, through Volaris; Mount Hope in Ontario, Canada, through First Air; and São Paulo, Brazil, through Ocean Air. In an effort to expand globally, MIA also added carriers further east. MIA now services a direct flight to Reykjavik, Iceland, via WOW Air; Dublin, Ireland, via Aer Lingus, and will begin service to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Nov. 1 through El Al. Though the airport has yet to announce any new routes or carriers for 2018, Mr. González previously told Miami Today that MIA is committed to expanding its east to west network and will be making many more announcements of new routes in the coming months.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

TRANSPORTATION

MIAMI TODAY

17

Miami votes support of county-wide list of transit corridors

By John Charles Robbins

Bumper to bumper traffic used to be an early morning and late afternoon reality for Miami-Dade County residents getting to work and home again, especially on major roadways like US 1 and I-95.

Now it seems to be a constant struggle.

That was the appraisal from Esteban L. Bovo Jr., county commissioner and chairman of the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), in an appearance before the Miami City Commission.

He andAileen Bouclé, TPO executive director, delivered a status report on the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan, which then received an endorsement vote from commissioners.

Commissioner Francis Suarez, who serves as vice chair of the TPO, made the motion to endorse the SMART Plan after commenting on the importance of improving public transit in the area.

The SMART Plan prioritizes light rail or premium transit technology along six priority corridors, and a bus express rapid transit network.

“Transportation is the Number 1 issue in the county,” said Mr. Bovo.

Imagine the hours we waste inside a car, stuck in traffic, he said.

It is a massive waste of time and productivity, he said, characterizing the problem as “a crippler.”

Mr. Bovo said, “To be honest, the county has failed to deliver a robust transportation system,” and it has a responsibility to fulfill that promise.

“We owe the next generation a better opportunity … we can’t ignore this anymore,” he said as he introduced Ms. Bouclé.

She presented a slide show and brief his-

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

“It will be critical for us to seek state and federal funds” for the plan: Aileen Bouclé.

tory of the SMART Plan, which answered in part the question: Why is the SMART Plan so critical?

The plan includes rapid transit corridors and express bus routes to increase connectivity for the approximately 77% of Miami-Dade County residents who travel outside their residential district for employment in other areas of the county.

An earlier evolution of the TPO, the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s board of directors, in February 2016 adopted a resolution establishing a policy “to set as highest priority the advancement of rapid transit corridor projects” in Miami-Dade County.

The organization in April 2016 adopted a resolution endorsing the SMART Plan and directed the executive director to work with

a fiscal priorities committee to determine the costs and potential sources of funding for project development and environment study for the projects.

Ms. Bouclé said a financial plan adopted this summer showed $1 billion worth of work over the next 30 years.

“It will be critical for us to seek state and federal funds,” she said, to be joined with local matching dollars to the support the SMART Plan.

The six rapid transit corridors are the Beach, East-West, Kendall, North, Northeast and South.

The six bus express rapid transit corridors area Beach Express, Flagler Street, Florida Turnpike, NW Miami-Dade Express, S Miami-Dade Express and SW Miami-Dade Express. This represents more than 90 miles of express bus network.

In the presentation she stressed the importance of maximizing both partnerships and funding opportunities.

It is also vital to advance a comprehensive unified vision; a consensus of stakeholders, public and elected officials.

Mr. Suarez thanked fellow commissioners for appointing him to the TPO, citing its important role in shaping the Miami of tomorrow.

He said the figure of 77% of county residents traveling outside their residential district for employment in other areas of the county is the first he’d heard that tally but is not surprising.

“We’re very horizontal,” he said of local traffic patterns. “We have a million people trying to move through the county,” said Mr. Suarez, and a growing number do so on city roadways.

Mr. Suarez said the city is experiencing tremendous growth, 37% over three years.

“And we [the city] are getting push-

back,” he said.

Traffic congestion is a major hit to productivity, he said, mentioning a statistic that we each spend an average of 125 hours a year in our cars.

Mr. Suarez referenced the high cost of transportation projects and said, “We’re going to have to make some tough choices.”

Mr. Suarez said some action has already headed toward a better transportation system, citing the cooperative success to bring a TriRail connection to downtown Miami and linking three counties in the process.

He also mentioned the soon-to-be-launched Little Haiti Trolley Service by the city, and plans to go citywide with the free service.

Mr. Suarez also said it’s important that the county is studying waterborne public transportation options.

Of work to solve the traffic problem, he said, “It is infinitely complicated, but I’m glad to see the momentum.”

With that, Mr. Suarez made a motion for the city to endorse the SMART Plan, which was seconded by Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort, a major champion of trolley connectivity between cities and a strong supporter of waterborne transit.

Resolutions of support for the SMART Plan have come from: Miami-Dade County, Southeast Florida Transportation Council, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Latin Builders Association, the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust, Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, The Beacon Council, City of Miami Gardens, City of Doral, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, Miami-Dade County League of Cities, South Florida Regional Planning Council, Miami Lakes, and the Miami Downtown Development Authority.

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TRANSPORTATION

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

Smart plan finally gets route priority, to add north-south first

By Catherine Lackner

Reversing an earlier direction, the governing board of the county’s Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) last week unanimously voted to advance two corridors of the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) plan to top-priority status.

When the plan was approved in February 2016, it was decided that all six corridors targeted for transit improvements would be treated as equal.

The decision means that the north corridor (along Northwest 27th Avenue from the Dr. Martin Luther King Metrorail station to the county line) and the south

corridor (along US 1 from the Dadeland Metrorail station to Homestead and Florida City) will be first in line when federal or state money becomes available, because all of the supporting documentation will have been completed.

It’s widely believed that the south corridor will be among the easiest to adapt for mass transit, because the county already owns the land on which trains or buses will travel.

The other corridors are Miami Beach (a 3.3-mile stretch from Miami’s Museum Park Station to Fifth Street and Alton Road in Miami Beach); Northeast (a 14-mile corridor from downtown Miami to Aventura); Kendall (10 miles along

Kendall Drive from the Dadeland North Metrorail Station to Southwest Avenue; and the east-west (along State Road 836 from the Miami Intermodal Center to Florida International University’s Tamiami campus). The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority has agreed to run shuttle buses, at its own expense, on the shoulders of its expressways in the eastwest corridor.

“I’m very proud to support this item,” said Francis Suarez, governing board vice chair and Miami commissioner. “Even though it doesn’t touch the City of Miami, it affects the City of Miami.

“This is something that people said would never happen; they said we’d be at

each other’s throats,” he continued. “We passed a resolution saying that mass transit was our highest priority. Then we passed the SMART plan. Now we’re prioritizing two of the six corridors,” he said.

“What I always dreamed of is that we would make these decisions nonparochially; all our cities joined together.”

“It is a great day in Miami-Dade County,” said Esteban Bovo Jr., chair of the governing board and of the county commission, in a release. “We have taken a great step toward giving our residents the north and south corridors that were promised many years ago. I applaud my colleagues for unanimously passing the resolution.”

First 8 of 136 rail cars being tested, 16 more in production

By Gabi Maspons

The first eight of 136 Metrorail cars to replace Miami-Dade’s metro fleet are in various stages of testing, the Department of Transportation and Public Works says. The first train is on schedule to begin service by the end of November.

“As the new Metrorail trains are placed into service, our customers will definitely see an improvement,” said Alice Bravo, director of transportation. “They will enjoy a smoother ride with fewer service disruptions.”

Sixteen cars are currently in production at the Hitachi facility in Medley, the transportation department said.

The 140,400-square-foot custom-designed Hitachi facility opened in March 2016, and was solely made for the manufacturing and subassembly of the county’s new trains.

The space is owned by Tokyobased Hitachi Rail US and can test eight cars simultaneously.

Prior to arriving at the Hitachi facility, the train shells are made at the DRS Sustainment Systems Systems in West Plains, MO, which primarily handles military defense contracts.

Once the shell arrives in Miami, workers assemble the doors, electrical systems,

The new cars will feel and sound much different to Metrorail riders, the transportation department says.

wheels and axels, the rooftop HVAC and the under-frame equipment that takes the cars down the tracks.

The tests in the Medley facility “are all about electronic

and water-testing,” Ms. Bravo told Miami Today in February.

“Then they will be taken to the Lehman Center in late March to run on tracks.”

In the Medley facility, 400

spray nozzles shoot water at the trains for a prolonged period in large sloped pits to test the water pressure they can sustain.

Once the trains are proved capable of handling Miami’s

climate, work begins on the interior of the cars.

Some trains are already being tested on Metrorail’s main line at night when other cars are out of operation, while others are being tested on the Lehman Metrorail facility’s test track.

The new cars are roughly the size of the existing fleet but have improved technology.

The transportation department says the cars will feel and sound much different to riders.

They have much quieter disc brakes than the existing fleet, computerized control systems for smoother acceleration and reduced use of electricity, making them more reliable.

“We remain on schedule to place the first train in service by the end of November 2017,” the department said.

All 136 trains are on track to run by 2019.

In the meantime, the transportation department is finding ways to improve the ride quality of the existing fleet while riders wait for the upgrade, Ms. Bravo said: “As new trains are prepared for their debut, we are continuously working on ways to improve the maintenance of our current vehicles to help minimize breakdowns and enhance their reliability.”

Water Taxi Miami looks to expand

By Katya Maruri

After adding a new stop at Purdy Avenue this year, Water Taxi Miami is looking to expand its water-borne transportation service by adding new stops in Brickell and Brickell Key. “We added a new stop at Purdy Avenue earlier this year during the beginning of 2017,” said Jessica Hernandez, manager at Water Taxi Miami. “Right now, we have several locations in the process of being reviewed, but are primarily hoping to add new locations in Brickell Key and Brickell.”

On July 27, Miami city commissioners designated a site on Brickell Key for water taxi service, while the Miami River Commission continues to lobby Miami-Dade County to identify potential water taxi stops on the river.

However, she said, the process of obtaining new stops isn’t easy

and takes a long time to gain approval from the city.

Looking forward, though, she said, these new stops would add to the water taxi’s yellow, green and blue routes, providing guests with more transportation options.

Currently, Water Taxi Miami’s yellow route provides daily service to Bayside Marketplace at 401 Biscayne Blvd. with pickup times at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Water Taxi Miami’s green route, on the other hand, is offered via request, with stops at Miami Beach Marina, Virginia Key, Bayside Miami and the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Miami.

Lastly, Water Taxi Miami’s blue route, which runs only weekends, stops at Bayside Marketplace, Miami Beach, Purdy Avenue and Sea Isle Marina with times ranging from 10:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.

As for the water taxi’s current number of boats and fares, Ms. Hernandez said, “we have three

commercial vessels that can accommodate up to 38 people and have approximately six fares a day, 180 fares per month and 2,000 fares a year.”

A large portion of those fares, she said, are attributed to the water taxi’s ‘fun’ and ‘unique’ bar hops, island hops, Halloween bar crawls and discounts.

“We currently have a bar hop at night,” Ms. Hernandez told Miami Today, “which takes guests to American Social on the river, Whiskey Joe’s on Key Biscayne and Mike’s in downtown Miami.”

The water taxi’s island hop allows guests to jump on different islands and spend the day exploring areas such as the Picnic Islands, just north of Biscayne Island in Biscayne Bay. As for celebrating the Halloween season, Ms. Hernandez said, “our Halloween bar crawl is very popular and a lot fun. We shuttle guests from one location to another, offer them a welcome

Water Taxi’s yellow route has daily service to Bayside Marketplace.

drink and stop along the way at Mambo’s, Whiskey Joe’s and American Social and head back to Bayside, where guests can go to the Mojito Bar.” Another way the water taxi attracts a lot of its guests, Ms. Hernandez said, is through its discounts.

“Currently, we offer discounts for locals, military personnel, police officers and firefighters,” she said, “and we also offer a

discount for guests who purchase an all-day pass and have a partnership with the Miami Heat, where guests who purchase a ticket during one of the home games can jump on the water taxi and head to the AmericanAirlines Arena for a discounted price.”

Looking forward, she said, “We hope to add new stops and continue adding to our different routes so that we can offer guests more transportation options.”

28

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017

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