Commission considers giving $3.1 mil to ‘confidential’ projects

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Tucked into what is going to be a mammoth Miami-Dade County commission meeting Tuesday are two items that seem like they come out of some spy novel: Commissioners will be asked to close their eyes and give a little more than $3 million to “confidential projects” with the code names “Zorin” and “Novel.”

Both are “qualified target industry” or target jobs incentive projects, whatever those are, and both had their applications for subsidies from the state and the county submitted to the board by the Beacon Council.

Commissioner Bruno Barreiro is sponsoring Zorin, which is for $112,000 from general fund dollars to establish a new 18,000-square-foot corporate headquarters for an alternative energy company that wants to relocate here this Fall. The location is unknown, but it is estimated that “Zorin” will employ 80 people. They are also seeking $448,000 from the state for a total of $560,000.

The company, which will invest more than $3 million in developing their site if they move here, is also looking at moving the headquarters to Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas.

The “Novel” project is sponsored by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz and calls for $3 million from the county general funds, but the Beacon Council has indicated they may need $5.5 million more from the county. It is to “retain and expand” a headquarters for a TV and cable producing and broadcasting digital media company by building a 450,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Diaz’s District 12 (which includes Doral, where Univision’s HQ are now). The project is expected to invest $260 million in capital improvements and hire an additional 150 people, as well as retain the 800 employees they have now.

Man! These projects seem like really good ones! Even the jobs are highpaying jobs, averaging about $90,000-a-year.

But the “confidential” thing kinda sticks in your craw, don’t it? It’s not like we have such a deep trust in our local government that we can let words like “confidential” go unnoticed. Why does it have to be a secret? The talking heads can say industry competitors can’t know blah blah blah, but you don’t think they know? Please. They know more than we do.

Are these giveaways really incentives or are they just two more examples of corporate welfare by a county that loves to give millions away to millionaires?

Ladra still thinks its strange that government has to entice businesses to come or stay here. North Carolina? Really?

Here’s an idea. Why don’t we invest these millions in transit solutions, parks and schools, libraries and community centers, infrastructure and public amenities that make Miami-Dade an even more attractive option than it already is. That’s real incentive.

But a project like that would have to go by a different code name: Mission Impossible.

  Miami-Dade budget