Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado took a slew of county officials, including Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Morales, to Key Biscayne Wednesday to explain the controversial Rickenbacker Causeway project proposal to concerned Village residents.
Let’s just say it was not her crowd.
She was heckled and booed for her perceived defense of a controversial request for proposals on the redesign and redevelopment of the Causeway, which is the one way in and out for all of Key Biscayne’s 13,000 or so residents.
And a majority of them want nothing to do with the project.
Know more: Miami Beach dodges causeway Plan Z for privatization, but not Key Biscayne
Most of the people who spoke want to stop the project before it starts. They recognized the shady secret way it was ushered in after an unsolicited bid triggered what looks like a rigged RFP with a rushed timeline. “Why do we have to do it at all,” someone asked at the town hall meeting, which was also streamed on zoom, where the volume was controlled whenever people booed or applauded — like we wouldn’t be able to tell.
It has become overwhelmingly apparent that the people in Key Biscayne do not want anything like the unsolicited bid and RFP lovingly known as “Plan Z,” after architect Bernard Zyscovich, one of the designers. And they are angry and frustrated that the RFP is just a carbon copy of their proposal.
One of the questionable aspects is the involvement of Jack Kardys, the former Miami-Dade Parks Director who was working at the county when this was first presented more than seven years ago — and is now a partner in the firm that presented the unsolicited bid (more on that later).
“What confidence do we have as citizens that this is not a compromised process,” someone asked.
Know more: Rickenbacker RFP looks like a done deal set-up for no-bid Plan Z proposal
Others expressed concerns about the privatization of the causeway and how that may increase tolls and usage along the Causeway. They feel like too much emphasis has been put on the separate bike lanes.
Regalado has been mostly defensive of the project, but she has said repeatedly that it is because of the very necessary repairs to the bridges, especially Bear Cut Bridge, which were started in 2014 but never finished.
“My focus is the infrastructure piece,” Regalado said, adding that the it’s important to make the causeway resilient to sea level rise. She also said a few times that the design and uses would have to come back to the commission and that there would be other opportunities to make changes.
“The board of county commissioners doesn’t have to accept this,” Regalado said.
But the crowd wasn’t buying it. Nor were they swallowing the lovely powerpoint presentation made to convince them.
If this is about resiliency and bridge repairs then why is the RFP so detailed about the design? Why is there a linear park? Why is there an observation deck (read suicide magnet)? Why the fishing pier? Why the concessions and gift store and all those bells and whistles?
The crowd laughed and heckled when the new transit director called it “primarily a transportation project with a recreation and open space element,” because it feels like the opposite. It also feels like it is more focused on benefits for cyclists instead of motorists, many said.
Know more: More questions than answers on makeovers for Rickenbacker, Venetian
“The time to stop it is now. This is a mistake,” one attendee said.
Even on the Zoom chat screen, most of the comments were overwhelmingly negative.
“Let’s STOP this crazy project” wrote Laura Varela. Her caps, not Ladra’s.
“The process is flawed,” wrote Cecilia Absher. “The idea that an unsolicited company could propose to take over the access roads and bridges of a community and develop recreation the community has not real input on and the county must take it seriously and move forward makes no sense to me. Why not just reject it and develop a process that makes sense for the community?”
“Our council must pass a resolution against this RFP,” wrote Betty Contoty, “The County thinks we support the RFP because our elected body is not fighting it! We all must speak up!!”
Some said they found Regalado to be rude and condescending.
One man at the meeting said one thing other speakers — and even the zoom attendants in the chat — kept repeating: This whole mess has succeeded in bringing the people of Key Biscayne together.
It’s been unifying alright. They all hate it.
Key Biscayne crowd heckles Raquel Regalado on shady Rickenbacker RFP added by Ladra on
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