Miami Today: Week of Thursday, June 21, 2018

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2018

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00

COMPLEX DEAL TO DEVELOP 10 ACRES OF SCHOOLS LAND, CREATE ARSHT CENTER PARKING, pg. 16 WORLD CUP IN MIAMI: Miami-Dade County residents will know by 2020 whether Hard Rock Stadium will stage matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau President William D. Talbert III. “We could not have done this without the new stadium,” Mr. Talbert told county commissioners. “If we’re counting down, 2,918 days from today, Miami will hold its first World Cup match.” Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, who sponsored the legislation supporting the county’s bid to be a host site, credited several groups and individuals, including Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. “Nothing happens because of one person,” she said. Because the county already has a proper stadium, major expenditures wouldn’t be necessary to host World Cup matches, said Mayor Carlos Giménez, who added he was confident Miami would host a semi-final match. “This has to be played in Miami,” Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz said. “I know with the leadership that’s in place right now, we should have many games and, for our citizens, it would mean so much.”

The Achiever

By Jesse Scheckner

EL SALVADOR SISTER CITY: The Coral Gables Commission last week unanimously recommended that the city of Santa Tecla, El Salvador, be named a Sister City of Coral Gables. Santa Tecla is a municipality in the La Libertad Department. According to the City of Coral Gables International Affairs Coordinating Council, “common ties of mutual interest” exist between Santa Tecla and Coral Gables in the areas of education, arts, culture, economic development, public services, tourism and trade. SHERIFF LAWSUIT COMING: Miami-Dade County may soon join Broward and Volusia counties in suing Florida to remove a controversial amendment from the November ballot, according to Commissioner Dennis Moss and County Attorney Abigail Price-Williams. Amendment 10, which would overrule county charters and require Broward to elect a tax collector, Volusia to overturn a nearly 50-year decision to appoint county officers and Miami-Dade to elect a sheriff, tax collector and supervisor of elections, challenges counties’ rule of power and ability to self-govern, Mr. Moss said. “If we want to have those positions elected, we can certainly go through a process here at the local level,” he said. “You will definitely be seeing something soon regarding that particular issue.” A resolution sponsored by Mr. Moss to either join the existing suits or file on its own will be brought before the commission in July, according to Ms. Price-Williams. Commissioner Audrey Edmonson asked, and was approved, to be added to be added as co-sponsor of the pending legislation.

Clock ticks: courthouse on timeline

Manny Mencia

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

Developing Florida business and trade around the globe The profile is on Page 4

5-point solution targets Brickell Bridge gridlock By John Charles Robbins

Coast Guard’s plan rejected downtown, pg. 13

The Coast Guard says it’s willing to test an altered schedule for opening the Brickell Avenue Bridge if others deliver on four key changes to the clogged roadway crossing the Miami River. On May 29, James Wolfe of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) wrote to the Coast Guard requesting changes to scheduled bridge openings. They include trimming the morning operating curfew by 30 minutes, with a corresponding increase of 30 minutes to the afternoon curfew. This letter asking for an altered schedule to keep the bridge locked down and open to street traffic during peak hours followed a meeting of stakeholders including the Coast Guard, FDOT, Downtown Development Authority and Miami River Commission. The Coast Guard is in charge of bridge operations, as the river is a federal navigable channel. FDOT is responsible for Brickell Avenue and the roadbed crossing the river. In response, Coast Guard Capt. L.A. Allen sent a letter to Mr. Wolfe on June 8 setting forth potential actions that could lead to a Coast Guard

“test deviation from the existing regulation for a period of up to 180 days.” Ms. Allen’s follow-up reads, “However, any deviation or change to the existing Brickell Bridge regulation would be ineffective without implementation of a broader, comprehensive plan to address the vehicular traffic issues.” The DDA has long sought solutions for Brickell-to-downtown gridlock and waged battle with the Coast Guard, FDOT and river commission over what it calls improper bridge openings that bring street traffic to a standstill. When the drawbridge is opened, road traffic snarls, impacting downtown and Brickell businesses. When the bridge is down and ships await a scheduled opening, shipping halts. The river commission has proposed more than a dozen ways to ease bridge jams, including opening all three lanes in each direction to cars, installing pedestrian gates and adding real-time signage on bridge approaches to tell motorists to take a different route. Ms. Allen’s letter refers to some of these, with a hint at some resolution.

“If implemented, any period of test deviation should be used by FDOT to conduct reliable traffic studies that will provide valid metrics upon which a satisfactory cooperative plan for future action can be based,” she wrote. “To aid in my consideration of the request to change the Brickell Bridge curfew periods, please identify a period of time when a test deviation could be accompanied by both appropriate traffic data collection and implementation of these additional measures...: a. Pedestrian gates to prevent pedestrians from delaying drawbridge opening. b. Maximizing the number of open traffic lanes. c. Optimizing traffic signal sequencing for queue clearing. d. Policing the area to assist with traffic and pedestrian law enforcement.” Horacio Stuart Aguirre, river commission chair, knows of the FDOT letter and Coast Guard response, and says he intends to have the bridge operation on his July 9 agenda. “I will have the item on the agenda so any party that wants to be heard or stated on the record can do so,” he wrote to Miami Today in a Tuesday email.

Miami-Dade has a timeline to build a civil courthouse to replace the crumbling one on Flagler Street, with work to start in July 2020, according to a memo from Mayor Carlos Giménez. Commissioners this month voted to cancel a public-private partnership solicitation for the tower, seek a new hybrid partnership and provide a timeline for their consideration June 19. Commissioners on Tuesday accepted without discussion the timeline developed by BMO Capital Markets Corp., Perez & Perez Architects Planners and the county attorney’s office. Between this July and February 2020, the developers are to request proposals for Phase 1 and 2, which the memo doesn’t define; accept proposals and develop design and performance specifications by Perez & Perez; negotiate and evaluate submissions by a shortlist of proposers; and firm up designs and the guaranteed maximum price with the winner. Most critical to the process, which would seek commission approval in April 2020, is completion of designs, operations and maintenance performance standards and payment schedules, the memo said. “This work… must be thoroughly vetted by stakeholders to ensure that the county is adequately protected during the 30year operations and maintenance period,” Mr. Giménez wrote, adding that while the process is expected to take two years, the county is evaluating shortcuts. In March, commissioners at the Public Safety and Health Committee blocked a requested $3 million addition to the $1.5 million Perez & Perez consulting contract. They ultimately approved it June 5. No site for a courthouse is firm, said Daniel Chatlos, strategic programs director for the county’s Internal Services Department. The landmark 1928 courthouse is said to be a health risk and eats up millions for remediation each year, with three floors currently out of service.

DOCKLESS BIKE RENTAL RULES ROLLING, SCOOTERS NEXT ...

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HALF OF BILTMORE’S RENT TO RESTORE HISTORIC HOTEL ...

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AIRLINES PACT WOULD LET AMERICAN BRAND 61 GATES ...

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‘FESTIVAL STREET’ ADDS $10 MILLION TO FLAGLER WORK ...

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VIEWPOINT: PAYING OFFICIALS MORE FAIR TO EVERYONE ...

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HOTEL OCCUPANCY, TOTAL ROOMS, BOOMING DOWNTOWN ...

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GROWTH ON RUNWAY AT TWO SMALL COUNTY AIRPORTS ...

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ALMOST 20% OF IRMA CLAIMS IN AREA STILL UNSETTLED ...

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