Miami Today: Week of Thursday, August 24, 2017

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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TRANSPORTATION PLANNING TEAM ADDS BRICKELL TUNNEL TO ITS LONG-RANGE PLAN, pg. 2 DEGREES ON TIME: A foundation’s gift will hand 1,000 students in the last year of their studies at Miami Dade College and Florida International University $1,000 apiece each year to expedite completion of their degrees. The gift from the Braman Family Foundation is to be announced this week in the face of statistics that 15% of college students in their last 25% of college drop out, mainly for financial reasons. “We value education and want to do our part to ensure that the young people in this community achieve their goals,” said Debi Braman Wechsler, director of the foundation. “We know that there are many students who are unable to complete their education due to financial limitations and, with this gift, we are excited to see more students graduate on time in the coming year.”

The Achiever

By John Charles Robbins

TRANSPORTATION WISH LISTS: The City of Miami seeks ideas on transportation projects that a future multi-modal transportation impact fee could fund. The Office of Transportation has scheduled community outreach meetings as the city considers creating such a fee and wants input on potential projects that those funds might finance. Meetings will be 6:30 p.m. each day: Aug. 29, Coral Gate Park, 1415 SW 32nd Ave.; Aug. 30, City Hall Chambers, 3500 Pan American Drive; Aug. 31, Juan Pablo Duarte Park, 2800 NW 17th Ave. Details: Office of Transportation, (305) 416-1073.

NEW OFFICES RISING: Office space under construction in Miami-Dade County at the end of the year’s second quarter would add 2.4% to the overall office supply in the county when completed, according to statistics just released by the Cushman & Wakefield brokerage. The county now has over 46.6 million square feet of offices, the firm’s report shows, with another 1.37 million square feet under construction. Of that construction, just 318,000 square feet is in the central business district. And during the first half of this year, the company lists just 20,000 square feet of office space completed, none in the central business district. In all, the county now has 466 buildings with office space tallied by the firm.

CLASS A SPACE GROWING: An even 100 of Miami-Dade County’s 466 office buildings are rated as having Class A space in a new report from Cushman & Wakefield brokerage. Of those A-rated buildings, 16 are in the central business district and 84 throughout the rest of the county. Those 100 buildings have a total of 20.7 million square feet of office space, just over 43% of the total office space in Miami-Dade – and all office space now under construction is also Class A, which will move the top level of office space closer to being half of all offices here. The firm says the leasing rate for Class A space in the central business district now averages $52.21 per square foot with Class A elsewhere in the county averaging $38.71.

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

Raj Singh

Growing BankUnited organically as a two-market bank The profile is on Page 4

Countywide internet kiosk sites to be unveiled

By Gabi Maspons

With fewer and fewer residents using public transit, Miami-Dade is pulling out all the stops to add riders.

To improve the ride and blend more technology into transit, the county has partnered with CIVIQ Smartscapes LLC to install up to 300 interactive touch-screen kiosks, at no cost to the county.

CIVIQ has installed 10-foot-tall kiosks in the Stephen P. Clark Government Center lobby downtown and in the second-floor transit station. The company is to unveil to the county the other planned locations by “the end of August,” said Alice Bravo, Miami-Dade’s director of transportation and public works.

The county is to approve the list by Sept. 22 before CIVIQ installs kiosks.

At the kiosks, riders can plot personalized routes, charge phones, access Wi-Fi and take photos of themselves they can send over e-mail.

CIVIQ is to also provide free-high speed Wi-Fi at the kiosks and on county trains and buses to connect the transit schedules, access emergency alerts and give passengers internet access.

Boating use threatening key stadium

“They’re going to put modems on all of our buses, trains and Metromovers to improve our real-time data,” Ms. Bravo said.

CIVIQ is giving the county over 1,000 WiFi devices in transit vehicles and over 50 for transit stations.

“These devices are much more than a new way to access the internet,” Ms. Bravo said. “It will enhance engagement with our services and provide easier access to information.”

CIVIQ is investing about $20 million up front in the kiosks and Wi-Fi, and is responsible for operating and maintenance costs, the transportation department says. Based on cellular fees for 209 buses, all Metrorail and Metromovers, the county will save $2.1 million, the department says.

CIVIQ aims to profit: each kiosk has a digital screen with ads, and CIVIQ can also push ads out to Wi-Fi users.

The kiosks will have the same interactive interface as the transit department’s smart phone app.

“The kiosks will be reading off our platform that has all of our transit information,” Ms. Bravo said. “They’ll have trip planning, real-time data and all of the other features on the app.”

Ms. Bravo said the county doesn’t yet have the number of kiosks that CIVIQ is committing to. “We’re dealing with it in waves. We want to get a few under our belt to see what the issues are.”

All kiosks are to have video surveillance cameras that feed into the county.

“We will receive the surveillance through central observation centers we have in place,” Ms. Bravo said.

While CIVIQ hasn’t confirmed kiosk locations, George Burciaga, company director of global government development and innovation, told Miami Today that the company is looking into other ways to connect the county.

“We are proud of our partnership with MiamiDade County and our shared commitment to enhancing the Miami-Dade experience for tourists and residents alike,” he said. “We are actively working with the county to deploy a full smart city solution and bring CIVIQ’s WayPoints into neighborhoods and communities throughout Miami-Dade.”

Angel Petisco, county chief information officer, said, “This is one of the single largest tech upgrades, providing real-time benefits to residents of Miami-Dade, I’ve seen in my years here.”

A mooring field planned for the historic basin of Virginia Key threatens future uses of a restored Miami Marine Stadium.

Miami’s mayor, commissioners, manager and others were notified Friday of a Virginia Key Advisory Board resolution opposing the city’s mooring field project.

Advisory board members were concerned after learning the city continued to pursue wet slip moorings there at a time the advisory board, city commission and public were loudly opposing that idea.

The possibility of wet slips in the basin caused friction in a 2015 request for proposals to improve the public marinas on the barrier island. A redo of the request for proposals carefully avoided including the wet slips.

The advisory board’s July 25 resolution acknowledges an active plan for basin moorings but points out that the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board, which designated the basin historic, hasn’t reviewed the city’s plan for moorings; the project hasn’t been presented to the advisory board; it wasn’t discussed at an April visioning workshop for the stadium; and a mooring field in the basin violates the Virginia Key Master Plan.

In the resolution, the board recommends that prior to the city acting on the mooring field project it: Hold at least one meeting of stakeholders to gather ideas and recommendations about creation of a basin mooring field.

Refer the mooring field project to the historic preservation board to review and determine whether it should get a certificate of appropriateness.

Develop a detailed plan on how a mooring field could coexist with anticipated Marine Stadium activities.

Direct the city attorney to explore ways to restrict and manage boats anchoring in the basin.

The city is in early stages of restoring the famed concrete stadium – closed in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew – for about $45 million.

TASK FORCE PROBING URBAN DEVELOPMENT EXPANSIONS ...

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CHAMBER AIMS TO LURE BUSINESS MISSIONS FROM CHINA ...

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61-STORY TOWER OVERCOMES 83-STORY NEIGHBOR’S VIEW ...

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AS TAX RATES DECLINING, MIAMI BUDGET HEARINGS DUE ...

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VIEWPOINT: BIG WHEELS CAN LEARN FROM A SKATE PARK ...

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HIGHER INTEREST RATES FOR SOME DON’T TRICKLE DOWN ...

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PARKS ADVISORY COMMITTEE STILL LACKS 10 MEMBERS ...

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THREE BUS EXPRESS RAPID TRANSIT LAUNCHES RUN LATE ...

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

The Insider LAST-MINUTE TRY: City of Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado has called for a special meeting of the Miami City Commission set for 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at City Hall. The mayor is hoping to get approval of a project to redevelop the marinas on city-owned land on Virginia Key. Any new lease of city-owned waterfront property must be approved by voters at referendum. The special meeting is needed in order to meet an early September deadline to get proposals on the Nov. 7 general election ballot.

ART COMPETITION: The Miami Arts & Entertain- Tomás Regalado ment Council invites Miami artists, art students, up-andcoming artists and art aficionados to participate in the sixth annual art competition, “Paint Me Miami.” It’s an open competition where all artists working in two-dimensional painting media are eligible to enter if they meet the criteria. All work must be original and completed within the past two years and must not have won any previous prize or award.

This year’s competition focuses on paintings inspired by a scene within the boundaries of the City of Miami. Submitted work must be representational and portray the sites and feeling of the city. Winners will be named Sept. 2 at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, 260 NE 59th Terrace. For entry form and detailed requirements, visit www.paintmemiami.com.

REMEMBERING ANDREW: Today (8/24) HistoryMiami is offering free admission to Miami-Dade residents from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to see “Hurricane Andrew: 25 Years Later.” HistoryMiami is recognizing the storm that was the most destructive in US history through a 5,000-square-foot exhibition that chronicles the hurricane from its formation to its legacy. The exhibit has historical footage, eyewitness accounts, photographs, artifacts and Hurricane Andrew-inspired artwork. The museum at 101 W Flagler St. is also offering educational programs for the public and school audiences.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

50% larger task force targets areas for urban development expansions Mayor Carlos Giménez has increased by 50% the membership on a task force he created in May to evaluate whether the urban areas designated in the county’s development master plan are up to date.

The mayor announced in May a list of 18 organizations that would be part of the task force. This month he listed nine additional organizations that would help to study urban areas where expansion can occur under the County’s Urban Development Master Plan.

The mayor announced the additional organizations in a memo addressed to Commissioner Joe A. Martinez, who had written the mayor in June raising questions about the task force’s membership and costs – the mayor assured Mr. Martinez in his memo that no staff would be added to handle the task force work.

The mayor also noted the first meeting will be at 1 p.m. Aug. 28

Mayor Carlos Giménez added nine members to his evaluation team.

at the South Dade Regional Library.

Mr. Giménez said that meetings will be public, records will be kept, but the public can’t comment at task force meetings. Public sessions for comment, he wrote, “will be scheduled at a later date.”

The task force is to provide ideas

and feedback as the county begins its review and update of its Comprehensive Development Master Plan.

An evaluation and appraisal of the plan is required every seven years.

It includes a report of the county’s progress in carrying out the master plan and recommends changes to it.

Added groups that are to be represented at the table when the expansion task force meets are the Florida Nursery Growers & LandscapeAssociation, the Tropical Fruit Growers of South Florida, the Dade County Farm Bureau, the Latin American Business Association, Biscayne National Park, Everglades National Park, the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute, Friends of the Everglades, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida.

The organizations represented will nominate their own representatives “in order to maintain the integrity of the process,” the mayor wrote.

WHAT’S HOT: Miami-Dade neighborhoods that had significant singlefamily home sales in the second quarter of this year yet are in short supply to meet that demand might surprise you. In shortest supply, says the Miami Association of Realtors, is Richmond Heights south of Kendall, where homes on sale would only cover nine-tenths of a month’s sales activity in a county where the average supply covers 5.4 months. Next lowest is Pinewood west of Miami Shores, with 1.5 months, followed by Westview west of North Miami and Brownsville east of Miami Springs, each with 1.8 months, and Palmetto Estates, west of Palmetto Bay, with a 2-month supply.

HOT CONDO COUNTRY: Condo areas with tight supplies of units for sale in a county where the average is a 13.6 month supply are led by Miami Lakes, with just a 1.3-month supply on sale, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. Other hot areas: West Perrine, 1.4 months; Richmond Heights, 2 months; Kendale Lakes, 2.1 months; and Tamiami, with a 2.4-month supply, the association said.

CASH FLOW: Miami-Dade commissioners ratified three contracts with three different providers totaling more than $18 million for water and sewer projects in a single vote last month. All of the projects are related to a consent decree signed with the federal government to quickly improve water and sewer deficiencies. The county commission in 2014 gave the mayor the power to speed such contracts and then get ratification after the fact.

One contract for $9.3 million with Ric-Man Construction Florida Inc. is to design and build a 48-inch-diameter water main downtown loop closure.

Brickell Bridge opens more than 26,000 times a year, costing productivity to snarled traffic: Francis Suarez.

The other two contracts, with Corradino Group Inc. and A&P Consulting Transportation Engineers Corp., are for $4.4 million each for six years apiece with two-year options to renew. Each of the two is to design small-diameter water and wastewater pipelines for the wastewater and water collection transmission and distribution system. Accompanying documents show that Ric-Man has been awarded five county contracts in the past three years totaling more than $40 million.

SAFER STREETS FOR ALL: The county’s Department of Transportation and Public Works has partnered with the Miami Downtown Development Authority and the city to launch a year-long pilot project along Southeast/Southwest First Street, which was converted from a one-way, three-lane street to one lane for cars, a bus-only lane and a dedicated high-visibility bicycle lane. “Normally when we have a traffic problem, we think we need more streets for more cars to move faster, but we need more options.

This is going to make cycling safer and buses more convenient,” said Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, Ken Russell chairman of the DDA’s board of directors. If the pilot is successful, the transportation department will identify other candidate corridors to redesign. “What many people overlook is that transportation is more than just automobiles,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez. The Complete Streets are designed to enable safe access and travel for all users.

“The best part of this is the collaboration between all of us; the different levels of government working together,” Mr. Russell said. “It’s becoming less and less rare.”

NO NEW STARS: The Calle Ocho Walk of Fame, a collection of stars embedded in the pavement on Southwest Eighth Street between Southwest 12th and 17th avenues that pays tribute to famous Cuban and Latin artists, personalities and cultural figures, has not received any new stars since the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana approached the City of Miami in February 2015 to care for the Stars of Calle Ocho Walk of Fame. “There’s really not much activity to report,” said Jerry Fernandez, president of the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana. “The committee established by the city has not met and we’re waiting on further direction from them.”

RIDEFLAG APP PUSH DUE IN FALL: South Florida Commuter Services, which in May completed a commuter challenge to encourage commuters to try different transportation modes in order to lessen road congestion, has yet to create incentives for using its RideFlag app after promising to offer challenge participants incentives and rewards based on their location, such as preferred carpool parking spaces. “We have not moved forward on creating incentives for ridesharing,” said James Udvardy, project director for South Florida Commuter Services. “We are beginning campaigns in the fall for Civic Center, Miami International Airport, City of Miami Beach and City of Doral, which will be promoting RideFlag, our on-demand app.”

Transportation planning team bores Brickell tunnel into long-range aim

By Catherine Lackner

The push to bore a tunnel underneath the Miami River got a boost when the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO)’s Transportation and Mobility Committee voted unanimously last week to add the tunnel to a 2040 long-range transportation plan.

The committee also voted to urge the Florida Department of Transportation to fund and order a study that is required before the county can apply for state or federal money. The matter is to go before the TPO’s full board Sept. 14.

“I don’t have to convince you of the critical need for access between Brickell and downtown, and how difficult it is currently when the [Brickell] bridge is up, how paralyzed those two centers of commerce become,” Francis Suarez, Miami commissioner and committee chair, told fellow committee members.

“This is the best idea I could come up with to move people in an efficient and dedicated fashion. The longer we wait, the more expensive it becomes.”

The City of Miami’s downtown area population has increased 37% over the past three years, he said. Sales taxes from businesses

downtown and in Brickell contribute $4.5 billion annually – almost 5% – to the state’s budget, he said.

“It behooves the state, and all of us, to try to find a way to relieve this bottleneck, because a lot of economic activity centers around our downtown.”

Miami’s Downtown Development Authority has long sought solutions for Brickell-to-downtown gridlock.

The downtown authority has waged battle with the US Coast Guard, Florida Department of Transportation and Miami River Commission over what it says are improper openings of the Brickell Avenue bridge that bring traffic to a standstill downtown and in surrounding areas. So far, it’s a standoff, with the authority calling for help from Sen. Bill Nelson and the river commission getting support from Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

In January, Mr. Suarez, who is a mayoral aspirant, received the authority’s blessing for the tunnel.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that one of our biggest challenges is the inability to get around Miami when that bridge is up,” Mr. Suarez said then. The bridge opens more than 26,000 times per year, costing millions in lost

productivity due to snarled traffic, he added.

“Downtown deserves this, and it would cost about one-quarter of what the PortMiami tunnel cost,” Mr. Suarez said.

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, AUGUST 24, 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

Big wheels in DC, Tallahassee can learn from skate park Memo to Washington and Tallahassee on how to get things moving in these days of partisanship, division and government gridlock: just skate over to Northeast Miami-Dade – literally.

A federal Michael Lewis government that would have trouble right now agreeing that ice is cold and water is wet without making it a partisan issue and a state government that wouldn’t vote before tallying on a napkin whether there would be enough yes votes to override a veto could learn a lot by looking into Haulover Park, where six governments agreed to share costs to build a skate park.

Okay, it’s not exactly health care or a federal or state budget in magnitude. It’s just a small service to a fairly small constituency of skaters who want a recreation

area of their own. But people presumably from two parties cooperated to serve the public – “presumably from two parties” because in our local governments we don’t ask which party our leaders belong to, just whether they do the job well. The jobs are all listed as non-partisan.

Some day some of those leaders might graduate into higher levels of government, into places where it matters far more whether they’re campaigning for office under the sign of the elephant or the donkey than whether they improve the lives of their constituents or save them tax money or play well with others.

But for now, they’re just plain old public servants – a term that seems to be forgotten at the federal and state levels by too many people who think the public is there to serve them rather than vice versa.

What did these folks do? Nothing spectacular. They just cooperated and put their local money voluntarily where their mouths were to get a job done.

As we reported last week, a skate park in Sunny Isles Beach closed because of noise complaints. But skaters still wanted

a park to skate in.

So Miami-Dade County kicked in the land for a park in the southwest corner of Haulover Park, and Sunny Isles Beach, which had just lost its own skate park, kicked in $150,000. Both of those governments were directly involved.

But the cooperation gets better: the mayors of four neighboring communities, who had no responsibility to help out, got involved. All four – Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Miami Beach and Surfside – kicked in $50,000 each to make a new skate park a reality.

Try getting that voluntary cooperation in Washington and see how easy it is.

As a result of the cooperation, residents from all of those governmental jurisdictions – which are after all only artificial lines on a map where there is no thought of walls to keep people in or out – will soon be able to enjoy a skating park that they wanted.

Maybe the lesson is that we’re all in this together. Maybe it’s that partisan labels matter less than a willingness to work together. Maybe it’s that a little

cooperation today will go a long way to help the next time there is an issue in Northeast Dade, maybe a far more serious issue like sea level rise.

Or maybe the lesson is all of those, plus one more: a little imagination among a willing group of government participants can solve a whole lot of problems if none of them stands up and tries to claim all the credit.

Of course, it’s hard to tell Tallahassee or Washington leadership to work together and simply share credit with all involved. Credit in those places seems these days to mean far more than achieving results.

As Mayor Bud Scholl of Sunny Isles Beach told our reporter Gabi Maspons, “In the days of partisanship and infighting, it’s nice to remember that doesn’t happen at the municipal level. We’re not partisan – we’re just interested in creating the best space for our guests. Everyone’s hearts are in the right place.”

We’re all waiting to hear that sentiment echoed from Tallahassee and Washington – not just in word but in deed.

First step for marine stadium: add advisory board as Beach did In response to your Viewpoint of Aug. 17 relating to the Marine Stadium, your comments need to be addressed in more specific detail.

Assuming the new mayor and administration believe in the future of the stadium, Stuart Blumberg they must first appoint a Marine Stadium Advisory Board, patterned after the Miami Beach Convention Center Advisory Board.

The mayor, city manager and each commissioner will have an appointment (seven board members) who are qualified in the field of stadiums, arenas, event planning and convention centers and are residents of Miami-Dade County.

The Writer

Stuart Blumberg was a member of the Miami Beach Convention Center Advisory Board for over 20 years, chairing it for 10 years, and was the author of its booking policy.

This board will then establish the use criteria for the facility as well as the flex park along with its mission statement. Most important, they must create a booking policy that establishes the type of events that will use the facility. This policy will take into consideration those events that are revenue producers, both through base and percentage rent. In addition, impact on hotel occupancy, resort taxes and economic benefits must be factored into the policy.

Once these two issues are addressed and

L etters Boat races sacrosanct for the marine stadium

Re: the boat and air races at a restored Miami Marine Stadium, there may be as little as four major events a year if the American Power Boat Association and Red Bull agree to open and close their seasons at the stadium. Those races would garner big audiences and media coverage.

Even so, those events should become sacrosanct in any vendor’s agenda when it comes to booking events at the stadium.

As for a floating stage, may I suggest an economical proposal that taps into the stadium’s unique laid-back history of encouraging boaters to anchor their boats around the original floating stage (a barge).

The idea is to tie multiples up for the size of the show.

DC Copeland

Smart fiscal decisions vital for marine stadium

$45 Million? Plus, possibly many mil-

not before then, the city should then issue a request for proposals (RFP), seeking management companies that will operate and market the facility. The RFP should be very clear in its expectations, not only what the city expects, but what the company will receive for its services. The successful company will then negotiate a management agreement with the city, detailing terms, fees, rates, etc. The management company will adhere to the established booking policy.

As it relates to food and beverage, the city will have the option to seek a separate RFP or combine it with the management company.

Under no circumstances should an RFP for management be issued by the city, especially the outgoing administration, until the advisory board and booking policy are in place.

The city and Miami-Dade County should

to the

immediately meet and create an interlocal agreement on the use of the tourist development tax or convention development tax for operation and maintenance of the facility. A portion of convention development tax is currently provided annually to the Miami Beach Convention Center by Miami-Dade County.

In addition, a portion of the $45 million for restoration should be set aside for future upgrading.

Though there is no urgent time frame to move this initiative forward, there is also no reason to wait and not put it into place as the ground rules for the future.

The structure and policy has worked successfully for the Miami Beach Convention Center. It’s a model the City of Miami should follow as it moves forward with the Miami Marine Stadium.

E ditor

Bayfront Park can’t be set aside for free do not get reimbursed for their losses.

How is that just or good for Miami? Not running pets, then adding a site to the new even the restaurants make money as the boat project would be great.

Lawrence Snetman show uses its own food service contractors.

This is just a bad deal for Miami. This from someone who used to wait anxiously each year for the boat show to come to town.

Between the parking and bad politics I am soured on this event. Now I just go miamitodaynews.com to the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. It is FOUNDED JUNE 2, 1983 operated by a different entity than Miami.

VOLUME XXXIV No. 13 Mark Stein ENTIRE CONTENTS © 2016 How can the venue succeed with the To contact us: boat show taking the best months of the News

(305) 358-2663 year for a mere $1.1 million? That is not Advertising (305) 358-1008 Classifieds (305) 358-1008 money these days. Even today the marine Can any of the government money Subscriptions (305) 358-2663 stadium area is blocked by the tent frames [from the Biscayne Green grant] be used Reprints

(305) 358-2663 that the boat show has not removed. This to finally fix the numerous nonworking Editor and Publisher / Michael Lewis Vice President / Carmen Betancourt-Lewis is a city park turned into a private venue. street lights and eradicate the rat problem Miami needs good business neighbors in Downtown Miami? and the boat show is not a good neighbor.

Peter Zalewski The jobs are low paying temporary jobs.

Hotels will still be used even if the show MIAMI TODAY (ISSN: 0889-2296) is published weekly for $145 takes place at a different location. per year; airmail: to Europe $190 per year, the Americas $145 per The best of the Biscayne Green dem- year. Published by Today Enterprises Inc., 2000 S. Dixie Highway, The few local businesses on the island 100, Miami, Florida 33133, USA. Periodicals postage paid at are all closed on what should be a busy onstration project, and perhaps the most Suite Miami, FL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MIAMI TODAY, President’s Day weekend. I am told they popular, was the dog park. If part of 2000 S. DIXIE HIGHWAY, SUITE 100, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33133. lions in ongoing operating losses? We hope City of Miami officials and voters take a hard look at all the projections. We love Virginia Key and we love the Historic Marine Stadium Basin but we hope smart fiscal decisions will prevail.

Peter Ehrlich

Boat show a bad neighbor and a bad deal for Miami

Fix downtown street lights

Biscayne Green dog park

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MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

TODAY’S NEWS

Mayor proposes three carefully focused sister zoo pairings Zoo Miami would pair with sister zoos in the Bahamas, Colombia and Jamaica under a proposal that Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez sent to county commissioners this month.

The three new sister zoos would be in addition to a similar arrangement that already exists with Summit Municipal Park Zoo in Panama City, Panama, to focus on the Harpy Eagle, the national bird of Panama whose existence in the wild is threatened. That agreement was forged in 2001 but never formalized.

The sister zoos pairing program was requested in legislation that Commissioner Dennis Moss introduced and the county commission passed in April.

The mayor’s memo makes clear that there is no money in the county budget for the program and that “typical expenses may include such items as airfare, food, lodging, per diem, communications, and ground transportation.”

But, the mayor wrote, “opportunities may exist for leveraging external funds from friends groups or foundations to support sponsorships and donations for sister zoo and conservation

A pairing with Hope Zoo in Kingston would focus on Jamaican Iguana. A pairing with Summit Municipal Park Zoo focuses on Harpy Eagle.

facility agreements.”

Each of the new sister zoo agreements that the mayor suggests would come with a focus.

One pairing with the Bahamas National Trust in Nassau would focus on the American Flamingo.

An agreement with the Cali Zoo in Colombia would focus

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on the giant river otter.

A pairing with the Hope Zoo in Kingston, Jamaica, would focus on the Jamaican Iguana.

All of the proposed pairings and the mayor’s suggestions for how to operate sister zoo and conservation facility agreements would go before the county commission for approval, the

mayor wrote.

The mayor notes that Zoo Miami in July 2013 entered into a memorandum of understanding with Florida International University to collaborate on conservation research and educational initiatives “with a special emphasis on tropical biodiversity and conservation.”

In May 2016, the mayor notes, Zoo Miami and the Zoo Miami Foundation entered into a memorandum of understanding with Everglades National Park to advance the shared mission of research, education and outreach about the Everglades. The zoo opened its Florida: Mission Everglades exhibit last December.

China missions a chamber target

By Katya Maruri

The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, which jetted off to Asia in April for an Americas Linkage business development trip to China and Hong Kong, is now focusing efforts on welcoming delegations from China to Miami as a way to promote and achieve local business growth.

Throughout the chamber’s 13day trip, the delegation visited Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, Beijing and Hong Kong as part of its Americas Linkage chamber program to facilitate business development opportunities through a series of country briefings, business meetings, seminars and networking opportunities.

“This has been a long process to develop and sell an image of Miami on a global stage,” Hernando Gomez, chair of the chamber’s International Business group and director of valuation and litigation support at accounting firm MBAF, said.

Hernando Gomez “Right now, we are concentrated on growing a strong foundation and helping organize delegations from China to visit Miami so they can see what the city has to offer firsthand in regards to doing business here.”

The mission, which was the

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chamber’s third official trade mission to the region, took about 20 persons to China with the hope of signing a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce as a way to establish and promote business opportunities between Hong Kong and Miami.

“During this trip, we were able to successfully sign a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce,” Mr. Gomez said. “As soon as the memorandum was signed, we immediately created a task force with a committee appointed advisor to advise the chamber as to how to continue making progress with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.”

In addition to signing a memorandum of understanding, the delegation visited the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, Guangzhou’s Canton Fair and Florida International University’s campus in Tianjin.

“The FIU campus is an amazing facility,” Mr. Gomez said. “We got the opportunity to meet with a lot students, faculty and staff and spent time speaking with and trying to attract students to continue to pursue their education at FIU in Miami.”

In visiting the Hong Kong Electronics Fair and Guangzhou’s Canton Fair, Mr. Gomez said, “a lot of the people we spoke to were interested in learning more about startups, real estate opportunities and the technology environment in Miami.”

As a result, the chamber expects to welcome delegations from Shanghai as early as next year.

“The best way to sell the city,” Mr. Gomez said, “is for people to come and see it.”

“Next year,” he said, “we are focused on bringing delegations from Shanghai to Miami and are definitely looking forward to welcoming more delegations from China in the future.”

10

MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Photo by John Charles Robbins

The Miami River Greenway will eventually run about 5.5 miles on each side of the river. Site work has begun for the River Landing Shops and Residences on North River Drive.

New mixed-use development adds piece to river greenway

By John Charles Robbins

Work on a major mixed-use residential and commercial development on the Miami River has begun, which brings with it another 1,500 feet of

public riverwalk – the latest piece in the growing Miami River Greenway.

Site work at 1480 NW North River Drive for the River Landing Shops and Residences project coincides with the start of con-

struction on another portion of the greenway, along Northwest North River Drive from Northwest Third to Second streets.

The project is from the City of Miami and will focus on an on-road

portion of the greenway adjacent to Lummus Park.

Members of the Miami River Commission recently touted both projects – the private and the public – as a plus for the community by of-

fering more public access to the river.

The Miami River Greenway is a public pathway extending about 5.5 miles on both sides of the river, westerly from Biscayne Bay toward Miami International Airport, and is made up of the riverwalk along the water’s edge and the on-road greenway.

Typical places where the riverwalk extends inland becoming the on-road greenway are on properties with marine-industrial uses and some single-family residential neighborhoods.

The greenway is 65% completed, according to the river commission.

The city’s Office of Capital Improvements recently announced the start of the Miami River Greenway Project Segment 3, adjacent to Lummus Park.

The project is to include: Roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, new curb and gutter, new concrete sidewalk, landscape beautification, street and pedestrian lighting, benches and trash receptacles, construction of new ADA ramps, and signage and pavements markings.

Construction is to begin this month and is anticipated to be completed by December. Estimated cost is $565,293. The contractor is Metro Express Inc. The improvements will tie in nicely to the new and improved riverwalk and dockage in Lummus Park, also a city project.

Brett Bibeau, managing director of the river commission, said the commission applauds the City of Miami’s continued construction of the greenway.

River Landing will offer 2 million square feet of retail and residences on 8.14 acres along the river, in the heart of Miami’s Health District. The land is the site of former Mahi Shrine Auditorium, which was demolished in 2014.

The $300 million project has attracted the attention and commitment from some major retailers including Publix Supermarkets, Burlington Stores, TJ Maxx, Youfit, Ross Dress For Less, AT&T, Hobby Lobby, West Marine and more, according to the developer.

The development is to include about 430,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, about 475 market-rate apartments in two towers, and parking for about 2,200 vehicles. It will also include a new riverfront park, thanks to an agreement between the developer and Miami-Dade County.

MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

11

Hearings coming on Miami budget with declining tax rate

By John Charles Robbins

The proposed millage rate in the City of Miami, used to calculate property tax bills, has been lowered for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

The city commission in July set the proposed overall millage rate for fiscal year 2017-18 at 8.0300 mills. It includes general operating millage of 7.4365, and debt service of 0.5935.

The current millage rate for the city is 8.2900 mills, including general operating millage at 7.6465 and debt service of 0.6435.

Christopher Rose, Office of Management and Budget director, and City Manager Daniel Alfonso, reported to commissioners that the millage rate has steadily declined for more than a half-dozen years.

“If the City Commission adopts the property tax millage rate as proposed in this budget, residents and businesses would benefit from the seventh year in a

row of lowering the overall property tax rate (from 8.6441 mills in FY 2009-10 to 8.0300 mills in FY 2017-18),” wrote Mr. Alfonso in his cover letter attached to the proposed 2017-2018 budget.

Mayor Tomás Regalado and Mr. Alfonso presented the commission with a proposed 2017-18 General Fund Budget of more than $725 million, an increase of about $55 million over the 2016-17 General Fund Budget.

The average homesteaded home in the City of Miami has a taxable value of $209,998 and would save $55 compared to the same taxable value in the previous fiscal year, said Mr. Alfonso. With this new budget, the city expects to realize $22.366 million of additional property tax receipts, he said.

Even with the slight drop in the millage rate, many property owners can expect to pay a bit more in overall taxes in 2018 due to an increase in assessed value at the county level. According to the

Miami-Dade County property appraiser, this year the city had an overall property value increase of 11.3%, including new construction.

By law, the city commission must set the proposed taxing rates in anticipation of the new fiscal year, and schedule budget hearings.

The commission has scheduled two public hearings on the proposed budget.

The first is set for 5:05 p.m. Sept. 14, and the second for 5:05 p.m. Sept. 28 in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive.

The commission may lower the general operating millage rate at either of the two hearings but effectively cannot raise it above what is adopted in July, according to law.

The general fund includes revenues from a variety of sources, including fees, fines, and state and local taxes.

The proposed budget shows general fund revenue sources totaling $725,211,000.

Of that, property taxes are expected to bring in $325.9 million, or about 45% of all general fund revenue.

Franchise fees and other taxes are projected to bring in $108.7 million, 15% of the general fund revenues.

Personnel costs, including wages and employee benefits, represent the largest general fund expenditure category. These costs account for almost three-quarters of the total general fund expenditure budget.

As an example, salaries and wages in the proposed budget total $312.4 million, or 43.1% of general fund expenses, and employee benefits will cost about $198.7 million, or 27.4%.

More than half of general fund spending is allocated to public safety services. The Police Department and the Fire-Rescue Department together comprise 50.5 % of the general fund expenditure budget.

The proposed operating and capital budgets are available online at the city’s website at www.miamigov.com/budget.

First condos use new web software to vote during meetings

By Marilyn Bowden

E-voting software called Condo.

Voting, recently introduced by Miami-based Voting Portals LLC, allows condo members to watch live-streamed association meetings and vote electronically over the internet.

The technology was designed by a team led by Ben Solomon, managing partner of ALG law group, who serves as general counsel to hundreds of community associations and condominiums throughout Florida. He’s the founder of Voting Portals.

The innovative software, Mr. Solomon says, was recently put to the test at two South Beach condominiums.

At Mirador 1000, he says, the results of a vote on exterior improvements to the building this month were read aloud to members by the association president via a live broadcast. That made it clear, Mr. Solomon says, that the votes that came in through the association’s password-protected, e-voting web portal made the difference.

“The online votes definitely helped us achieve a valid result and made it much easier for our owners to vote,” says Komal Bhojwani, president of the Mirador 1000 Association. “We also love the live

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

“There’s election fraud in condos all the time. So this will help the integrity of the elections”: Ben Solomon.

streaming video and recording features.”

Similarly, owners at Continuum South Tower Condominium Association were able to get enough votes to achieve a quorum on proposed renovations to a social room thanks to participating e-voters.

“Our owners really liked using Condo.Voting,” says Jenny Little, general manager of the South Tower Condominium, “because it is easy to vote and they can watch the meetings online and see all the information. I also like that I can load all of my own content and make whatever

changes I want through the portal any time.”

“I was really encouraged because reactions from the marketplace have been terrific. The e-votes mattered in both events,” says Mr. Solomon.

He says the technology is userfriendly. “It’s a single-page interface system, so when you click a button it doesn’t travel to another page but opens up a display window. It’s also aesthetically pleasing. Each association can load their own logos, photos and documents, almost like a private-label experience.”

One is the difficulty of getting enough votes for any outcome to be legally valid, due to the fact that many members are traveling, working or just don’t have any interest in voting, Mr. Solomon says. Lots of associations, he adds, never achieve a quorum. As a result, some people stay on their boards for years.

“Also,” he says, “there’s election fraud in condos all the time. So this will help the integrity of the elections.”

Live streaming meetings, Mr. Solomon says, gives members a feeling of transparency. “Sometimes,” he says, “foreign investors have anxiety because they don’t know what’s going on in the building.”

Condo.Voting is being offered free right now, with revenues coming from advertising and other retained rights. The company is accepting new condo association clients in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Mr. Solomon says his firm has a wait list of associations whose board members want to sign up for this.

Next month, the company plans to come out with HOA.Voting for home-owner associations.

“The market,” he says, “is huge.”

The timing, Mr. Solomon says, is important because it will help associations comply with a new state statute requiring condo associations with more than 150 units to post official records and other information to a password-protected website by July 1, 2018.

Condo.Voting also complies with a Florida law authorizing associations to use electronic voting and send official notices via electronic transmission to consenting members.

Details: Info@votingportals.

In addition, the software solves com. some major problems.

County planners advance three turnpike projects

By Catherine Lackner

Despite concerns about expanding the road network, Miami-Dade’s Transportation Planning Organization (TPO)’s Transportation and Mobility Committee voted unanimously last week to advance three Florida Turnpike projects in its 2040 long-range transportation plan. The TPO’s full board has yet to vote on the question.

‘My issue is, we keep The committee increased the priority status of two projects to category 1 from category 4. expanding our highways.

They are the widening of the turnpike from We keep prioritizing cars. Northwest 57th to Northwest 27th avenues, As a body, we have made and from Northwest 57th Avenue to I-75, each from four to eight lanes. a decision that mass It also added a project to widen the turnpike transit is our highest from US 1 south of Palm Avenue to Campbell priority.’

Drive in Homestead from four to six lanes, but Francis Suarez as a category 4 project that might eventually move up the list to a higher priority.

“I’m very happy to see this item, as it

impacts mine and Commissioner [Dennis] Moss’s districts,” said county commissioner and committee member Daniella Levine Cava.

“Homestead been clamoring for this for some time, and it’s very critical for bus rapid transit program, or BRT.” She asked, however, why it was only a category 4.

“We’re currently doing the [Project Development and Environment] study,” said Alison Stettner, turnpike planning manager for the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. “This was brought forward to us by Miami-Dade Transportation and Public Works for the BRT project; that’s why we’re moving it forward at this time.

“Parts of it can be accelerated,” she continued. “If you want to move it up in the priorities, the department would welcome that. Right now we’re putting it as category 4 just until we know the funding. We want to make sure we can deliver the project when we say we can deliver it. We’ll have solutions within a year.”

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a priority

1,” Ms. Levine Cava said. She asked how it could be advanced.

“We could work closely with the turnpike staff through the [study] process,” said Aileen Bouclé, TPO executive director. “We could see how to bring that funding requirement into the plan. We can bring back a status to this committee within the next six months.”

Ms. Levine Cava agreed.

“I’m going to support this,” Francis Suarez, Miami commissioner and committee chair, told fellow committee members. “But my issue is, we keep expanding our highways.

We keep prioritizing cars. As a body, we have made a decision that mass transit is our highest priority,” he said.

“I just want to make sure that, as you’re planning, you are looking at transit as a function of how you transport people on your facilities, your assets,” he told Ms. Stettner. “I’m hoping your agency is really analyzing its capacity to deliver people through alternative means.”

16

MIAMI TODAY

BANKING & FINANCE

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

As banks under pressure merge, small banks’ futures murky

By Catherine Lackner

As pressures on community banks increase, some are choosing to be merged into larger institutions.

Observers differ on whether it will lead to the eventual extinction of smaller banks.

“Consolidation within a mature industry, such as financial institutions, is a natural process,” said Angel Medina Jr., president & CEO of Gibraltar Private Bank and Trust, via email. “Consolidation is occurring because of regulation, margin compression and commoditization of many traditional banking products and services through technology.

“The financial services industry is a highly regulated industry,” he continued. “In the past 10 years, the regulatory burden on financial institutions has grown dramatically, as the industry has been deputized to assist law enforcement in ‘following the money’ through compliance with the US Patriot Act and Bank Secrecy Act. “Additionally, consumer advocacy has further increased demands on institutions for compliance in many areas of financial services, not the least of which has been in the area of lending (residential mortgage lending specifically) and financial services fees,” he said.

“Advancements in technology have begun to play an everincreasing role in how financial services and products are delivered to the consumer, including business; thus commoditizing many of these services. FinTech (financial technology) companies are playing an increasing role in today’s economy.

“Net interest income (the difference between what a bank earns from its loans and pays to its deposits) has been the principal driver of bank gross income. Over the past several years, these margins have been compressed, and this compression continues as banks and FinTech compete for deposits and loans.

‘Consolidation within a ‘In some banks, their mature industry, such as compliance department financial institutions, is a is larger than their natural process.’ lending group.’

‘The recession exposed ‘We expect to see a lot of weaknesses..., but consolidations continue, the regulatory pendulum but at a slower pace than has swung too far.’ we expected post-crisis.’

Angel Medina Jr.

Gregory Bader

Hal Lewis

Adam Ingles

The result is less income and more costs, thus decreased net income for financial institutions, and less profitability for the shareholders,” Mr. Medina said.

In that case, consolidation becomes an option, he said. “US economic growth is strongly dependent on small and medium-size business. While FinTech and megabanks play an important role in our economy, community banks play a critical role. Community banks are and will continue to support the needs of small and mid-sized businesses and consumers because of their understanding of their community’s unique opportunities, their local decision-making capabilities, and their ability to offer more individualized attention to their clients, which translate to improved responsiveness and greater flexibility.

“Consolidation will continue to occur simply because of economies of scale. However, with size, the effectiveness of catering to individual community needs decreases and thus the continued need for a strong community banking market sector to drive economic growth,” Mr. Medina said. “Some smaller banks

may simply not be able to compete effectively. But this country can and will continue to support a variety of] banking institutions, simply because of the significant differences of the economic drivers of our great and vast country.”

“We’re down to 120 bank headquarters in the state,” said Gregory K. Bader, attorney and practice leader of Gunster’s banking & financial services practice.

“The driving factors include small banks having a difficult time with compliance,” he said. “In some banks, their compliance department is larger than their lending group.

You’re growing your costs without bringing dollars in. That can make a bank less sustainable,” he said.

“I don’t think we’re going to the Canada model, with just a handful of banks for the entire country.

At some point, we’re going to hit bedrock. Acquirers are going to run out of targets.”

Nor does he see community banks going away. “People really like that sector,” Mr. Bader said.

“There may be the ability to make more money with the administration. If interest rates rise, you can

make more money on the spread.

And as you shrink the banking market, there become pockets and gaps that can be exploited.”

“The recession exposed a lot of weaknesses in the system, but the regulatory pendulum has swung too far,” said Hal Lewis, co-founder and co-managing partner of the Pathman & Lewis law firm, whose practice includes bank litigation, acquisitions and mergers. “In some cases, the compliance officer is the most critical person in the bank.”

The Trump administration is expected to back off some rules, which should give some relief to community banks, which don’t have deep pockets to hire a reporting and compliance staff, he said. “There has to be more normalcy, but there also has to be some structure.”

Some consolidations, like IberiaBank’s acquisition of Sabadell United Bank, occur because the larger bank sees an opportunity.

“A lot of banks want to come into the Miami market,” he said. It was Iberia’s first venture into MiamiDade County; the bank has branches throughout Florida.

Community banks, often the tar-

get of acquisitions, make about $10 billion in loans to small businesses each year, Mr. Lewis said. “It’s a fantastic system that must remain vibrant. It shouldn’t be overburdened by rules, some of which are really not necessary. That is a real threat to this sector.”

“We expect to see consolidations continue, but at a slower pace than we expected post-crisis,” saidAdam Ingles, director of the regulatory risk solutions group of the Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra accounting firm in Miami.

From 2010 to 2012, bank consolidations were more common.

“Five years removed, there’s less uncertainty,” he said “We’ve gone from the early post-crisis era of discount pricing to more premium pricing.”

The cost of compliance, among other factors, makes it advisable for banks that have $500 million to $1 billion in assets to seek out a partner that has a larger loan and deposit base, he explained.

“Buyers want to be opportunistic, and they’re looking for the best economic return. Buyers and sellers are each waiting for the other to blink.”

Bank’s free student checking nets their federal loan deposits

By Catherine Lackner

BankMobile, an up-andcoming electronic bank, offers Miami Dade College students fee-free banking in exchange for students’ federal loan deposits, and throws in financial education as a sweetener.

“We launched in 2015 with a mission of revolutionizing banking on both the businessmodel and customer-experience fronts,” said Luvleen Sidhu, BankMobile co-founder, president and chief strategy officer.

Applying for the bank’s Vibe student account takes just a few minutes online, after which the account-holder has access to more than 55,000 fee-free automatic teller machines, the ability to both pay bills and transfer money online, and to turn their debit cards on and off from their mobile devices, she said. There are no opening or minimum-balance requirements, nor monthly fees.

While anyone is eligible to open an account, there’s a special focus on students and on the economically disadvantaged, many of whom have little access

Luvleen Sidhu, BankMobile president and chief strategy officer, with father and co-founder Jay Sidhu.

to financial services, she added.

As part of the company’s mission to teach financial skills, the bank offers money management tools, blogs on issues that affect students, live talks by financial

experts on its Facebook page, and online courses for which students earn points that are entered into a sweepstakes. The winner of a twice-yearly drawing gets his or her student loans

paid, up to $50,000, she said.

There are 1.7 million account holders in the US – their average age is 27 – and the company plans to launch a credit card in January, Ms. Sidhu said. Rev-

enues come from fees merchants pay when an account-holder uses a debit card, and from interest on student loan deposits, she said.

Ms. Sidhu estimates that students using Vibe accounts save $62 million per year in fees they would have paid to traditional banks, and says that banks earn $33 billion per year in overdraft fees alone. While most large banks have low-cost or fee-free accounts for students, there are age limits and fees kick in once students have reached the age cutoff, she explained.

The bank has signed up nearly 5 million students on 800 campuses, or one out of every four college students in the US, according to a press release, and students can keep their accounts after they graduate, “enabling them to make BankMobile their bank for life.”

Approximately 65 million people in the US “are locked out of the banking system,” Ms. Sidhu said. “We set out to make banking affordable, and also to build awareness in students that financial literacy is critically important.”

24

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

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