WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2018
A Singular Voice in an Evolving City
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COUNTY GETS A SHARE OF TWO LARGE-SCALE COLLUSION SETTLEMENTS WITH GLOBAL BANKS, pg. 3 GAMBLING RULE APPROVED: Miami city commissioners on Sept. 27 approved a zoning ordinance amendment to define gambling facilities and to require that approval of gambling uses, including pari-mutuel gambling, card rooms and slot machines, be required via a city commission four-fifths vote. Sponsor Ken Russell said residents ought to have a voice on gambling establishments in their neighborhoods. The catalyst was news that the state granted a license for a possible gambling establishment near Biscayne Boulevard and 30th Street for a jai-alai fronton and card room. Magic City Casino plans to open the venue, and its attorneys and representatives are fighting the proposed city legislation, saying they feel they are being targeted for unfair treatment. One of the casino owners and one of the attorneys threatened to sue the city if the legislation was passed. ELECTRONIC PLAN REVIEW BEGINS: Miami this week launched an Electronic Plan Review (ePlan) to give city residents, contractors and developers the option to submit plans and documents for building permits and development projects electronically. Electronic Plan Review hastens permitting by replacing traditional paper-based reviews. It improves the plan review cycle, reduces costs associated with obtaining right of way, special permits and building permits and reinforces the city’s commitment to resilience by reducing paper, officials said. “We’re committed to customer service and efficiency, and ePlan helps us achieve this while also proving that resilience and innovation can be part of everything we do,” said City Manager Emilio Gonzalez. ePlan reduces review time as different disciplines review a plan simultaneously. The first phase will include the departments of planning, zoning and public works. It’s to be expanded to other areas by year’s end Details: www.miamigov.com CONSTRUCTION DIPS: Total construction starts in South Florida dipped 7% in August from August 2017 levels, though they remain 11% above the first eight months of last year. Residential starts fell 20% in the month while nonresidential starts rose 10%. For the year to date, residential starts in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are up 25% while nonresidential starts are down 3%, according to Dodge Data & Analytics, which tracks construction activity. BRIDGING THE GAP: As the MacArthur Causeway is rebuilt with the addition of a signature bridge and better roadways, motorists facing traffic jams will get a boost from Miami-Dade County, which has suspended tolls on the nearby Venetian Causeway from 7 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 9 p.m. weekdays to keep traffic moving faster there.
The Achiever
By Jesse Scheckner
Carlos Trujillo
Photo by Cristina Sullivan
US ambassador to the Organization of American States The profile is on Page 4
Tightly guarded pact targets transitway growth By Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade County, the county’s Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and all five municipalities serviced by the South Dade Transitway have entered an agreement that had been kept under tight wraps to plan and promote economic development along the corridor. Word of the accord, more than two years in the making, had been silenced in a non-disclosure pact until bus rapid transit had been chosen in a hotly debated battle over transit modes for the corridor. County commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution to ratify the agreement, signed by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez, TPO Executive Director Aileen Bouclé, Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace and city managers Yocelyn Galiano of Pinecrest, Edward Silva of Palmetto Bay, Rafael Casals of Cutler Bay and George Gretsas of Homestead. The agreement “provides for the parties to contribute funding for development of a transitway implementation plan,” Deputy Mayor Alina Hudak wrote in a memo to commissioners. Under the agreement, the county and TPO will each contribute $474,000, or 39.5% of the
Bonds OK helps grow spice maker
project funding. Each municipality will contribute $50,400, or 4.2% of the $1.2 million total. The Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust approved the county’s share of the funding from the Capital Expansion Reserve during its Feb. 16, 2017, full trust meeting, Ms. Hudak wrote. The agreement was signed by municipality officials between July 28, 2016, and Sept. 21, 2016, except by Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace, whose signature is not dated on the agreement form. Mr. Giménez signed the agreement June 28 of this year. Ms. Bouclé signed the day after. But it wasn’t until Aug. 30 that the TPO Governing Board chose bus rapid transit as the preferred improved mode of travel for the transitway. The county had for years considered several options for the corridor, including rapid bus and various rail solutions, including extending Metrorail at-grade. According to the agreement, the cities agreed to not disclose or make public information about the agreement without consent from Ms. Bouclé. Now, with a mode and accompanying infrastructure chosen, the county and cities can move forward with related development planning.
The South Dade Transitway, which runs parallel to US 1 from the Dadeland South Metrorail station to Southwest 344th Street in Florida City, is the first of six priority rapid transit corridors in the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan to have a have an improved transit mode selected. The bus rapid transit development marks the first major overhaul or extension to the roadway in more than a decade. The transitway, built by the Florida Department of Transportation for Metrobus routes, began operation in 1997 with 8.3 miles. Between April 2005 and December 2007, 11.5 miles were added to extend the two-lane corridor to Florida City, the county’s southernmost municipality, according to county records. The newly ratified implementation plan, Ms. Hudak wrote, “is required in addition to the project development and environmental study being managed by” the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works. Albert Hernandez, assistant director of engineering, planning and development for Miami-Dade Transportation and Public Works, will monitor the agreement, Ms. Hudak wrote, adding the TPO will lead the development of the plan.
Badia Spices was cleared Tuesday to get up to $9.5 million from taxable industrial development revenue bonds to pay for a distribution hub near its Doral headquarters. County commissioners approved the financing. Badia has committed to spend about $1 million to upgrade the 54,361-square-foot site on 2.72 acres at 2101 NW 82nd Ave. that it bought from Lagunita Holdings on July 31 for $175 per square foot. The two-story hub was built in 1989. The county Industrial Development Authority’s executive director, James Wagner Jr., will handle the process, Deputy Mayor Edward Marquez wrote in a memo. The authority will issue the bonds, which are treated as a government obligation, but Badia must pay them off. The company estimates it will add 35 “job opportunities” at the site, Mr. Marquez wrote. Badia currently employs 317 people at its five other sites in Doral. Badia manufactures and distributes more than 120 spice and herbal products in almost 70 nations. In the US, customers include Wal-Mart, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Amazon, Sysco, Gordon Foods Services, Sedanos, Food Lion, Presidente and Food Star. Badia previously used four industrial development revenue bonds, county documents show. The first, $4.7 million in March 1999, was used to acquire and rehabilitate Badia’s 93,000-squarefoot manufacturing facility on 5.04 acres at 1400 NW 93rd Ave. In November 2003, $6 million in bonds financed upgrades to the facility, bought equipment and refunded the 1999 bonds. The third issue, $5.375 million in June 2012, helped Badia buy its first distribution hub, which it sold in 2015 and the bond issue was repaid. The fourth, $10.5 million, was used to buy the current distribution and sales office. Cuban exile José Badía founded the firm in 1967. His son, Joseph “Pepe” Badía, is majority owner and president. Sales were $155 million in 2016 and $178.5 million in 2017.
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$200,000 CHECK SLOWS CITY EFFORT TO EVICT MARINAS ...
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BUS DEPOT IN OMNI UNDER A GENTING HOTEL ROLLING ...
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GABLES GARAGES REDEVELOPMENT AWAITS NEW PLANS ...
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VIEWPOINT: WORK-AT-HOME RULES A HINT OF FUTURE ...
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GABLES’ BID TO FLEE PARKING PACT FACES ROADBLOCK ...
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BEACH LOSES BID FOR FAST ACTION ON MINIMUM WAGE ...
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BEACH MAY RAZE CRIME ‘HAVEN’ HUTS ON BOARDWALK ...
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