DEVELOPING STORY: After six years of back and forth and what can only be described as stonewalling and foot dragging by Miami-Dade 
County on the fate of the once-ballyhooed Airport City, Odebrecht USA could sue the county for reimbursement of all or part of $11 million they say they have spent on the project so far.
In a letter sent Monday to Mayor Carlos “Cry Wolf” Gimenez, Odebrecht CEO Gilberto Neves is sure to emphasize repeatedly that his firm is still very interested in completing the $512 million project. In fact, it reads a little like legal blackmail — “Let’s get the ball rolling or else” — and Ladra is just not too sure how that will work with Gimenez, who has shown repeatedly how he can dig his heels in, even if it hurts.
It could even backfire.
Neves states in five pages — with a three page addendum on the summary of negotiations — that the company entered in good faith into the procurement process in 2008 and, after it won the bid seemingly fair and square, in negotiations with the county to design and build the hotel and amenities on MIA property.
Last year, Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio Sanchez recommended that the county take back one of three parcels in the project footprint for future aviation purposes. But Odebrecht was still interested. Several times since May, 2013, the letter states, Miami-Dade Aviation officials “have shaken hands with Odebrecht executives stating ‘We have a deal.’ Each time, however, MDAD would later reverse course and articulate new, always changing reasons for not moving forward.”
Claiming “unprecedented transparency” on their part, they say they county has put up one “pretext” after another to stall the project.
The latest pretext, according to the letter, came just last month when Gonzalez said new information made them reconsider the public/private partnership approach to the project. that made the county rethink the project and perhaps look at having the county build and operate the hotel itself. Neves said in the letter he questions this “new” information Gonzalez got in a span of months. His quote marks, not mine.
Basically, he is saying that the pretexts are just excuses for the real reason, which became evident last February when some commissioners tried to go back to square one and direct the mayor to seek new proposals or other uses for the site. The motion was made by Commissioner Esteban Bovo, who takes issue with Odebrecht’s parent company doing business in Cuba.
That coup attempt failed in a tie vote that exposed ethnic tensions on the dais. Commissioners instead passed another, competing motion that directed the mayor to start negotiating with Odebrecht to make Airport City happen.
Read related story: Airport City coup fails; but true colors (Cuba) revealed
Sources tell Ladra that the mayor — who has been busy with the budget, beating down county workers’ morale and his obsession with sports stadiums — has not moved on it at all and has very little motivation to. Apparently, Nieves believes the letter can light a fire under his, er, chair. Some sources say Gimenez may be reluctant because the competing bidder — his good old friend Jorge Munilla — wants another stab at the half billion dollar project.
Who wouldn’t?
That’s why Odebrecht still wants to complete the project, Neves said over and over in his carefully-worded letter. He can’t just say they’ll sue because that would halt the process completely. So he has to say that they could and hope that jump starts the process.
And the letter may have at least gotten him a little spark.
Ladra hears that Commissioner Dennis Moss — the firm’s biggest champion on the dais, whose motion passed in February — might bring this up this afternoon at the Aviation Committee meeting.
Stay tuned.
Odebrecht threatens Miami-Dade lawsuit on Airport City added by Ladra on
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