And a city staffer may have fudged grant documents
Gables residents, 2 – City staff, 0
The Coral Gables Commission on Tuesday voted with a group of residents who don’t want bike lanes in front of their Alhambra Circle homes, nixing the second such project in less than two years. Last year, homeowners on Riviera Drive prevailed.
After hearing from a number of residents who fear the project would destroy their canopy and green space and create more 
narrow, less safe roadways, a resolution from Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli “directing the City Manager and City Staff to cease further consideration of bicycle lanes on Alhambra Circle as part of the Alhambra Circle Complete Streets Project” was approved unanimously. Well, after Commissioner Pat Keon hemmed and hawed a little bit (more on that later).
In fact, the city’s whole Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, adopted in 2014, may be reconsidered or “revamped,” Vice Mayor Vince Lago said.
Now the city, which has reportedly spent upwards of $300,000 and countless staff hours on this part of the “complete street” project, may never get that money back. While the “complete street” plan does not seem to be entirely abandoned — at least not yet — a $597,000 grant promised in 2015 by the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (today’s Transportation Planning Org), with monies from the Florida Department of Transportation, was based on bike lanes happening.
Read related: Unpopular bike lanes stir rally, may be halted by Coral Gables mayor Tuesday
But, let’s not allow this new peace and harmony between the homeowners and the administration gloss over allegations that this 
grant may have been applied for fraudulently.
That’s a serious accusation against Assistant Director of Public Works Jessica Keller, who has spearheaded this effort from the beginning, under then-manager Pat Salerno and then-acting manager Carmen Olazabal. But there are some serious emails from last year that seriously indicate Keller may have taken a serious short-cut to qualify for the grant.
One day before the deadline to submit the application, Keller realized she lacked one thing: the required “evidence of community support” for the project. In order to get that, she shot off an email just after 9 a.m. March 19, 2015, to John Swain, Deborah Swain and Robert Ruano, all members of the Bike Walk Coral Gables board.
“All
I‘m submitting two applications for the Transportation Alternatives Program.....due tomorrow, 5pm. I understand you may not be able to provide a BWCG endorsement letter without a board meeting but a resident letter with signatures would be great. Interested?”
She then proceeded to explain the project in detail.
“Projects described as follows:
Alhambra Circle Bike Lanes
Project includes engineering design services and construction of a total 4.6 miles of bicycle lanes on Alhambra Circle from Coral Way to San Amaro Drive. The project connects existing bike lanes on Alhambra Circle from Coral Way to Lejeune Road to the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida. The overall project includes reducing automobile lane widths to ten feet on Alhambra Circle to calm traffic, construction of two 5′ adjacent bicycle lanes as identified in the adopted Coral Gables Bicycle Master Plan and repaving of the entire roadway surface.
Safe Routes to School – Carver Elementary
This project includes the construction of ADA compliant sidewalks at various locations in the Historic Macfarlane Homestead District to provide safe pedestrian access to George Carver Elementary School located at 238 Grand Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33133.”
Ten minutes later, John Swain replied: “I think that can be arranged. One letter for both ok? Would you like one endorsing bike lanes on University Drive from downtown to UM also?”
Later that afternoon, Keller responded: “One letter for both is fine. If you want to prepare University for next year, of course! ;–)”
Score 10 p.m., Keller got the “evidence of community support” she needed from her group of cheerleaders. An endorsement on BWCG letterhead, to boot, though it is unclear if they had time to call an emergency meeting. In the email with the attachment, John Swain said “Here you go; it’s official”:
“The City Of Coral Gables is applying for grants under the Transportation Alternatives Program. One is for bike lanes on Alhambra Circle and another for sidewalk improvements around Carver Elementary school.
Alhambra Circle Bike Lanes
Project includes engineering design services and construction of a total 4.6 miles of bicycle lanes on Alhambra Circle from Coral Way to San Amaro Drive. The project connects existing bike lanes on Alhambra Circle from Coral Way to LeJeune Road to The University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida. The overall project includes reducing automobile lane widths to ten feet on Alhambra Circle to calm traffic, construction of two 5‘ adjacent bicycle lanes as identified in the adopted Coral Gables Bicycle Master Plan and repaving of the entire roadway surface.
Safe Routes to School – Carver Elementary
This project includes the construction of ADA compliant sidewalks at various locations in the Historic Macfarlane Homestead District to provide safe pedestrian access to George Carver Elementary School located at 238 Grand Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33133.
Bike Walk Coral Gables is a non–profit community based organization. Our mission is to promote a safe and friendly environment for cyclists and pedestrians by sponsoring programs and events to educate the community. We envision a Coral Gables community that values cycling and walking as safe and healthy forms of transportation and recreation.
Bike Walk Coral Gables supports the two projects listed above.
Respectfully,
John Swain – Chairman”
Does anything look familiar? Yes, it seems that Swain simply cut and paste what Keller needed onto a Bike Walk letterhead and provided it to her. The only thing missing is the “projects described as follows” line, which now seems like instructions. And he says it’s official, but si cuatro gatos en bicicletas can endorse a $600,000 plus plan to change the landscape of the City Beautiful, well, that’s still not “community” support, is it?
It’s like submitting a job reference from your mother. In fact, could someone review Keller’s job references, please?
Read related: Bicycle lanes, a conflict of interest complaint and intimidation in Coral Gables
This is not evidence of community support. Where was the survey? Where was the poll?
The city wanted to conduct a poll on support for the Alhambra Circle bike lanes, but that would have included around 1,000 additional residents who would not have been directly 
impacted with asphalt and the possible loss of trees in front of their homes.
Janet Perez said that there was a survey conducted in 2018, The data of this community survey was presented at the Sept. 25 meeting. In the list of priorities, residents rated bike lanes as #20 out of 30 quality indicators. “About 1,000 survey results were returned and only 6 residents listed bike lanes as a priority,” Perez said.
Add to that the dozens of residents who met at the green space on Coral Way between Alhambra and 57th on Saturday — with signs and stickers to keep the Gables green — many of whom repeated their concerns at City Hall on Tuesday, and what we have is widespread evidence of community opposition, not support. People shouting “We don’t want it! We don’t want it,” should be a clue.
Commissioner Mike Mena said he feared that halting the project would provide a precedent for other residents to do the same.
“You are pulling the plug on bike paths,” Mena said, adding that anywhere else is going to be impossible if residents don’t want it. 
“Now they’re not only going to point to Riviera, but Riviera and Alhambra Circle.”
That’s when Lago said the city may have to start from scratch.
“I’m willing to revamp the whole master plan. We’re going to piecemeal every single project until we put it on a referendum,” he said, agreeing with Mena. “But I can’t look these people in the eyes and say I’m going to allow the residents of Riviera to say no and not you.”
Keon, trying to resuscitate a dead horse, suggested a rule that would allow the bike lanes on any streets that was at least 28 feet wide. “[Otherwise] There’s not enough right of way,” she said.
Interestingly enough, Keller — who has also apparently deleted a twitter account even after the city manager told her to preserve it because it 
was a public record — made no presentation to the commission when the mayor brought up his resolution. The staff had nothing to say about it, for the first time. Keller wasn’t even in chambers.
But she came before the commission later, conveniently after all the residents against what is known as “Jessica’s baby” had left, satisfied. She said her name had been smeared and that she may have a hard time finding a job in the future because of what people said at the meeting. She thanked only Keon for defending the project.
Ladra disagrees, Ms. Keller. Once city leaders find the courage to let you go, you might be hard pressed to find a job because of what you did, not what anyone said. Ladra also doubts that the Florida Department of Transportation — or any state or county agency, for that matter — will ever consider a grant application from you again.
If city leaders let this stand, what’s next? A grant based on false crime reports? An award based on exaggerated achievements?
Ladra bets Keller already has one of those.
Amid accusations, protest, Coral Gables commission stops bike lane project added by Ladra on
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