Monday’s meeting between Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos “Mr. Giveaway” Gimenez and one of the investors in the David Beckham Ma
jor League Soccer team expansion that they want to bring to Miami was not about the stadium that they’ve been talking about for more than a year now, the mayor’s deputy and his spokesman each said.
It was about cellphones. More specifically beefing up Sprint’s network and retail presence in the Miami-Dade area. Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure just happens to be one of the investors in the soccer team, that’s all.
Really? Really? Do they expect us to believe that? We all know that Ladra can be a little distrusting of the mayor, but, normally, these types of discussion do not happen at his level. Gimenez has five, count ’em, five deputy mayors and multiple department directors to handle that kind of minutia and then bring him the summary and the negotiated agreement to approve or recommend to the commission. He doesn’t have these meetings himself.
Read related story: Carlos Gimenez tries to hang on to piece of the soccer stadium
Ladra suspects that Claure also isn’t the one who normally has these discussions with government bureaucrats about expanding their reach into the community vis-a-vis towers on public land or whatever it is that the county has to do with it. Claure has employees and, even, four lobbyists actively registered at the county for that. One of those is Raul Claure, who Ladra supposes is the CEO’s kin.
More likely, the cover of some cellphone meeting gave the two an opportunity to catch up on the stadium. See? Gimenez really should not be 
involved anymore in talks about a soccer stadium that might be built either on city of Miami land near Marlins Park or private land in the city of Miami. Sure, the county will likely need to be called in at some point, for water and sewer and traffic issues. But that is later. And Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado already said that the county would be kept informed of whatever progress the city was making.
But knowing how obsessed Gimenez gets over celebrities and stadiums, later was probably not soon enough.
The meeting was posted on the mayor’s public calendar less than 24 hours before it took place at the Water and Sewer Department, and not the mayor’s office, and at 7:30 in the morning. It looks like a sneaked in powwow they didn’t want us to know about. Claure told reporters waiting there that he would talk to them on the way out — and then sneaked out through a differernt etook a different way out so they didn’t see him. Perhaps because he’s not as good at or comfortable with lying as the mayor’s staff?
Meanwhile, the city of Miami has expressed it’s authority over any proposal that would entail the land surrounding or adjacent to Marlins Park, and clarified that it would take the lead if Beckham’s group partners with the University of Miami for a joint arena to serve both football and futbol at the former Orange Bowl site.
“A large portion of the proposed site is comprised of property solely owned by the City,” Miami City Attorney Victoria Méndez’s wrote June 9 to Miami-Dade County Attorney Robert Cuevas, adding that if this site were chosen, the city would be able to pursue an agreement with Beckham independently of the county .
“Accordingly, please be advised that should the former Orange Bowl location be pursued for such development, it will be done only on those terms and conditions as negotiated by the City,” Méndez said. “Notwithstanding the above, the City will keep the County informed of any plans it develops, as required by the aforementioned provisions.”
The mayor’s spokesman, Mike Hernandez, said the county had not responded to the city.
Oh yeah? What do you call Monday’s meeting?
If Gimenez isn’t going to be front and center, he’ll be in on the deal somehow behind the scenes.
Mayor’s meeting on cellphones, not soccer… yeah, right added by Ladra on
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