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comply with the promise to the people” once enough funding was available. Maybe, she added, the property would be rented for other events at the higher fees and the county could get to that point faster.
Read related story: ‘El Zorro’ Zapata rides again; kills $62 mil in gifts to ‘insiders’
“What I find very compelling about this is we went to the voters with an offer and we never kept our word on that,” Zapata told his colleagues Tuesday. “There has to be a price for when we change kind of mid stream, when we tell them were going to give you park space but we don’t really give them park space, there’s got to be some sort of financial compensation. I think applying a proper rent is the best way to do it until we figure out a way to proceed moving forward.
“What I’m not going to do is neglect my duties. When I ran I ran to be a county commissioner. 
Not a commissioner for district 11 only. I ran as a county commissioner,” Zapata said.
“We are elected to govern collectively, as a body. Not parochially. I have not bought into this idea that 100 percent of the time blindly we need to look the other way when it is happening in another commissioner’s district.”
The item to lease the land to the Heat was on a countywide ballot, he reminded his colleagues. “So everybody in the county had a voice. It wasn’t just a particular commissioner’s district,” Zapata said. And the $6 million patch up job on the seawall came out of general countywide funds not a district budget. “This was really supposed to be maintained and operated by Miami Heat. This was handed back to the county to fix the seawall. How are we making whole the taxpayers?”
And it’s not like Edmonson doesn’t stray from her own neighborhood. Last year, she proposed a resolution with West Kendall Hospital. “I never got a Sunshine request. You know? I don’t mind,” Zapata said. “I appreciate her doing something in my district. Thank you very much. It was something good for my district and I appreciate her doing that.
“If anybody wants to come in my district and do something positive, 
I will thank you and appreciate it. I don’t even have to be asked permission,” he said.
Monestime seems to have caught that Kumbaya infection from the chair’s position. “Can’t we all get along,” he asked, before he interrupted Zapata, who said he felt he had to defend himself. “Your point is loud and clear.”
“I brought this for the best of intentions, not to offend anybody but to maximize an asset we have for the people of Dade County. We’ve talked about this four times and for this to become an issue at the final step? I find it offensive to me,” Zap said.
Edmonson was so adamant of protecting the Heat’s sweet deal that she quickly shot down a motion to defer the item until she and Zap could speak.
“Mr. Chair, I don’t understand why we are deferring this and prolonging this. This is something I don’t agree with, that the adjacent district commissioner doesn’t agree with,” she said, referring to Bruno Barreiro, who also said he would only consider a countywide policy. “I think it should go down. And if anything comes back it comes back for every single parcel. What are we going to accomplish by deferral anyway? I’m not going to change my mind.”
Wow. She’s so deep in the tank already that she knows she can’t be won over by any sound meritorious argument.
The motion failed 7 to 5. Bravo to Commissioners Esteban Bovo, Daniella Levine Cava, Rebeca Sosa and Xavier Suarez, who supported Zapata’s proposal that we, again, get paid a fair market value for that land. They can see past the egos and act for the greater good.
But any of the prevailing commissioners — that is the ones who voted no — 
can bring this up for reconsideration and I urge them strongly to do so.
Chairman Jean Monestime would be my first choice. Not just because he is the leader of the pack. Mostly because in the spirit of “can’t we all just get along,” he joked about “spot pricing” and said he “liked the intent” but wanted to give latitude for good causes who needed waivers — and then, even after being told that the latitude was there, he voted against it anyway.
He did keep looking at the clock as they approached the eighth hour of the meeting.
They all need to be reminded that this is not Audrey Edmonson’s parcel. This waterfront property belongs to all of us. Call your commissioner and tell her or him that they need to bring this up again for reconsideration and do what is right by all of us.
Here are the phone numbers and emails for all the county commissioners who took part in the pissing match and voted against this — and against us. If you want to call Edmonson, too, and tell her how wrong she is, Ladra wouldn’t mind. They need to hear our outrage on this because any one of them can bring it up for discussion again and do right by us this time:
- Commissioner Barbara Jordan — 305-375-5694 or 305-474-3011 at the district office or [email protected]
- Commissioner Jean Monestime — 305-375-4833 or 305-694-2779 at the district office or [email protected]
- Commissioner Audrey Edmonson –305-375-5393 or 305-636-2331 at the district office or [email protected]
- Commissioner Sally Heyman — 305-375-5128 or 305-787-5999 at the district office or [email protected]
- Commissioner Bruno Barreiro — 305-643-8525 or 305-673-7743 at the district office or [email protected]
- Commissioner Dennis Moss — 305-375-4832 or 305-234-4938 at the district office or [email protected]
- Commissioner Javier Souto — 305-375-4835 or 305-222-2116 at the district office or [email protected]
They should all be ashamed of themselves for throwing our hard-earned tax dollars away.
What happened last week was outrageous. Good policy was sacrificed for, at best, an inflated commissioner’s ego and, at worst, graft or favor. It would behoove any of the aforementioned commissioners to bring this up again. You can be known for doing the right thing — even if it’s not in your district.
Heat’s sweet Parcel B parking deal causes commission clash added by Ladra on
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Face facts people…it will never change.
As long as people like Ralph Garcia-Toledo and Jorge Lopez are pulling at Mayor Toolboy’s knickers, nothing will change in this town. They will have the money to outspend and quash any viable competition. Garcia-Toledo, or “Pizza the Hut” as he is referred to on the 29th floor of County Hall, is as corrupt and unethical as he is overweight. Jorge Lopez is a self-promoting scumbag whose days can’t end soon enough.
Face it people, long lost are the days of decent people running this town.
The Mayor has surrounded himself with absolute garbage…from the previous two clowns to Heckler (while he’s out yanking on the DGA’s checkbook to make a living, all his clients are moving over to more effective firms) to Llorente (another lowlife, just ask the coeds in Tallahassee)…the list goes on and on. And now this ignorant, barely-coherent Commissioners are just falling in line.
Thank you to Juan Zapata and Xavier Suarez for continuing to put up the good fight. The rest are garbage.
But again, when special interests are paying for their festivals and message and ground game, it is unrealistic to think anyone has a shot.
So strap in people, cause it’s about to be strapped-on and given to you.
If there was any law enforcement agency worth its salt in this state López and that crew of lobbyist gangsters would have been convicted and imprisoned long ago but that is impossible based on the fact we are saddled with the most corrupt county mayor and State Attorney in all of Florida. So, for the time being, we will continue to give up our green spaces, paying through nose in tolls for public roads and public parks our taxes have previously paid for and electing connected hoodlums who care little about civic life and more about how to enrich themselves while in public office.
Parcel B should be a park, just like Commissioner Zapata said. The Miami Heat promised to build a park, including a mini-soccer field on that site. Instead the Heat parks trucks and toilets there. Audrey Edmonson being lobbied by Jorge Luis Lopez? Can’t Edmonson think for herself?
Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners
The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) are the people elected in 13 districts to represent citizens of Miami-Dade County.
Governance
The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners is the governing body of unincorporated Miami-Dade County and has broad, regional powers to establish policies for Miami-Dade County services. The government provides major metropolitan services countywide and city-type services for residents of unincorporated areas.
Miami-Dade has a MAYOR with the POWER TO VETO COMMISSION ACTION ITEMS. In January 2007, the Mayor was given additional powers providing for the oversight of the day-to-day operations of Miami-Dade. The Mayor can only serve two terms of four years.
Through ordinances and resolutions, the 13-member Commission sets policies and establishes laws for the community. Miami-Dade County is structured into 13 districts. Residents choose only from among candidates running in the district in which they live. Commissioners are chosen in non-partisan, single-district elections and can serve two four-year staggered terms, with elections scheduled every two years.
In November 2012, the Miami-Dade County Term Limit Amendment was approved, modifying the County charter to establish term limits of two consecutive four-year terms.
Adopted Resolution R-688-14 Mover: Juan C. Zapata
Seconder: Audrey M. Edmonson
Vote: 9 – 0 Absent: Monestime , Heyman , Suarez , Bell
File Number: 141158 File Type: Resolution Status: Adopted Version: 0 Reference: R-688-14 Control: Board of County Commissioners
File Name: RECOMMENDED FEE SCHEDULE FOR USE OF PARCEL B
Introduced: 5/19/2014 Requester: NONE Cost: Final Action: 7/17/2014 Agenda Date: 7/15/2014
Agenda Item Number: 11A7 Notes:
Title: RESOLUTION DIRECTING COUNTY MAYOR OR MAYOR’S DESIGNEE TO EMPLOY APPRAISER TO APPRAISE PARCEL B OF THE FEC PROPERTY, WHICH PARCEL IS LOCATED BEHIND THE AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA, TO ASSESS ITS FAIR MARKET RENTAL VALUE AND TO PREPARE AND SUBMIT TO THE BOARD FOR ITS APPROVAL A RECOMMENDED FEE SCHEDULE FOR USE OF PARCEL B BASED ON THE RESULTS OF SUCH APPRAISAL; AND ESTABLISHING BOARD POLICY TO FUND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AT COUNTY PARKS WITH FEE REVENUES REMAINING AFTER PAYMENT OF COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PARCEL B Indexes: NONE Sponsors:
Juan C. Zapata, Prime Sponsor
Month-to-Month Extensions of Permits
Administrative Order 8-5 currently provides an administrative process for issuance by the County Mayor or County Mayor’s designee of a one-year permit, plus a one-year renewal term for private businesses to conduct private business on any County property. Such permits are issued for short-term concessions, use of parking lots, and similar County revenue-generating contracts with private businesses, usually for special events or when there is a need to provide certain goods and services to the public that are not currently provided by the County. Such permits are intended to be used while a competitive process is underway for the use of County property. There is currently no authorization provided in the existing Administrative Order 8-5 to allow the County Mayor or County Mayor’s designee to extend such permit until a competitive contract is awarded. As such, the proposed Implementing Order 8-5 includes new language, authorizing the County Mayor or County Mayor’s designee to extend revenue-generating permits on a month-to-month basis when such a situation exists. This change is not intended to diminish the County’s long-established competitive bidding process, and the County will follow all applicable competitive procedures in awarding concessions, leases, or related contractual agreements.