April showers bring May flowers, but what do elections, transportation meetings and town halls bring?
The Cortadito Calendar starts April off with a long day on 
transit and transportation talk as the new Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization, the old Metropolian Planning Organization with a new name, meets for two meetings Monday like its in a hurry or something. Then we have another massive Tuesday before us.
What is it about Tuesdays?
As always, please keep sending information about your government meetings, candidate forums and political powwows to edevalle@gmail.com and they’ll keep appearing in the Cortadito Calendar. Try having something on a Wednesday or a Friday.
MONDAY — April 3
10:15 a.m. — The Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (the old MPO) will start an marathon of meetings at 10:15 a.m. Monday — not 10 a.m., not 10:30 a.m. — to discuss fiscal priorities. There will be presentations about financing options as the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority lays out the toll road structure and the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust talks about tax increment financing. There will also be a discussion about integrating any south rail corridor project to a Homestead park and ride.
1:45 p.m. — The same Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization continues i
ts work — like there’s a fire somewhere — with its mobility meeting, in which they will discuss the possibility of establishing a transit authority. Is that another taxing agency? There will also be more presentations as the MDX gives one on its strategic plan and a guy named Jim Wolfe talks about the Coppenhagen tour and pilot project. They will also hear about the Miami-Dade Quick Build Program. Does it seem to anyone else like a lot is happening on this front?
TUESDAY — April 4
8:30 a.m. –The Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club returned last week with commission candidate Joshua 
Levy and Puerto Sagua Restaurant was packed (see the photo t the left, courtesy Daniel Ciraldo). This week, the guest speaker is Zachary Eisner, who is also running in Group 2. Next week, we’ll hear from yet another Group 2 candidate, Rafael Velasquez. This looks like it is the real Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club. But longtime moderator, David Kelsey, who is president of the South Beach Hotel and Restaurant Association, hosts another TMBC meeting at another location. He originally was going to launch April 11th but now it’s been postponed to April 25. Meanwhile, this breakfast club will meet this Tuesday morning Puerto Sagua Restaurant, 700 Collins Ave.
9:30 a.m. — The Miami-Dade County Commission is giving mo’ money away at their meeting that begins at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. That includes $19.4 million in information technology equipment and software, $5.5 million to Jacobs Engineering engineering design services for stormwater sewer stuff, another $5.5 million to Ricondo & Associates for aviation planning and consulting services, $5.5 million for training in the human resources department (two separate contracts for $2.5 and $3 million), and $1.6 million for three buses. They’re also going to talk about using some of the County Hall property for a clinic for employees and a day care for employees. And they will probably give final approval to Resorts World Inc, the Genting casino people, to develop a hotel and retail over the Omni bus terminal. The meeting might end by 3 p.m., which is lucky for Commissioner Xavier Suarez because Ladra is certain he will want to go to…
3 p.m. — The city of Miami’s Historic Preservation Board will hear plans from Miami-Dade County and Florida International University to rebuild and re-open the Coconut Grove Playhouse and it looks like there will be 
plenty of public comment — both for and against. Sure, there are activists and others who support the restoration of the historic building and bring theater back to the Grove. But others think the restoration is really in name only, since the only real part that gets saved is the facade. The proposal aims to demolish the interior of the building and replace the 1,100 seats with a 300-seat theater, a 200-seat restaurant, some retail space and a 400+ space parking garage. Nearby residents are also opposed to having all the loading and garbage access abutting their properties on Charles and Williams avenues, as well as the possible expansion of Main Highway from two to four lanes. They hope that Archtectonica and Jorge Hernandez, the firm and architect proposing this, don’t speak for two hours and “suck all the air out of the room.” This should be a lively discussion.
7 p.m. — A community workshop on the expansion plans proposed by Bal Harbour Shops will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Sea View Hotel, 9909 Collins Ave. The controversial 
plans have been scaled back from the original proposal to add 300,000 square feet of retail and they no longer want to buy the historic City Hall building adjacent to their property. But some believe it’s still too big and there’s concern about their offer to build a second city hall on Collins Avenue. Why would the village need another city hall, unless they still want to take over the old one? Someone ought to ask that Tuesday night.
WEDNESDAY — April 5
All day — It’s Miami-Dade County Day in Tallahassee and that means that some of our commissioners are going to be in the state capital, urging legislators to pass laws that benefit us and seeking public funding for projects here. They’re going to have paella around noon and then meet with Gov. Rick Scott and the cabinet, Miami-Dade Delegation Chairman Jose Felix Diaz and other 305 legislators before the Mambo Kings reception at Maddox Square at 7 p.m. and the after party at the Hotel Dade Days regulars include Mayor Carlos Gimenez and commissioners Rebeca Sosa, Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Esteban Bovo.
THURSDAY — April 6
9:30 a.m. — The Miami-Dade Chairman’s Policy Council is expected to meet Thursday to discuss the process for awarding $14 million in grants to non-profits and community organizations. This buck was passed to them at the last commission meeting, where commissioners were unable to give the grants as recommended by the county’s long and thoughful process mostly because some favored political groups were cut out. But Ladra is not certain it’s going to happen, since it’s still Dade Days in Tallahassee and there is an awards luncheon for people in our community that commissioners may want to stay for. There was no preliminary or official agenda online over the weekend.
FRIDAY — April 7
10 a.m. — Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava will cut the ribbon on the new Accelerate South Dade: Small Business and Nonprofit Incubator at an event from 10 a.m. to noon Friday in Cutler Bay. She will be joined by Cutler Bay Mayor Peggy Bell and Town Manager Rafael Casals at the event at 10700 Caribbean Blvd., Suite 301. Also going: Leroy Jones, Executive Director, Neighbors and Neighbors Association, Inc. (NANA) and representatives of the Economic Development Council of South Miami-Dade, The Beacon Council, the Small Business Development Center at FIU and CareerSource South Florida.
Your Coradito Calendar says hello to April added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →
