Miami Freedom Park is still not ready for prime time.
The special city of Miami meeting Friday on plans to turn the Melreese Golf Course into a mega real estate complex with hotel, retail, restaurants, offices and, oh yeah, a soccer stadium, has been pushed back to April 28.
And it was so appropriately scheduled for April Fool’s Day.
Mayor Francis Suarez sent a memo to commissioners Tuesday telling them of the switch. No reason was given. A spokeswoman told the Miami Herald that it was because City Attorney Victoria Mendez would be out of town and unable to attend this very important meeting.
But this is the second time this month an the fourth time this year that the vote on the real estate boondoggle — to benefit InterMiami owners Jorge and Jose Mas and David Beckham — has been postponed. It’s really not ready. And there are so many other possible and better reasons.
There were almost 30 different points earlier this month where the city had not gotten what it wanted, according to outside counsel. Certainly all that hasn’t been resolved in two weeks.
Read related: Premature and postponed: Miami Freedom Park deal not ready for vote
Perhaps the commissioners haven’t gotten everything they wanted, either. They each had their asks. Except Commissioner Manolo Reyes, who has been a solid no from the beginning.
Ladra suspects the mayor doesn’t have the 4 out of 5 required votes. And perhaps this is why he was sitting out the redistricting fiasco and the chaos with the police chief and everything else.
Maybe Baby X lost Commissioner Ken Russell by allowing the carving up of Coconut Grove in redistricting. But if Suarez had sided with Russell — who wants the Freedom Park people to invest in green space elsewhere (read: the Baywalk Greenway) and may already be committed — he would lose either commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla or Joe Carollo, or both.
Read related: Commissioner wants to stop city manager from selling out for juicy job
The delay could also be coming from City Manager Art Noriega, who needs some time to negotiate more perks from the cushy job he’s likely getting with InterMiami after this deal goes through.
This constant rescheduling is also — don’t blink — a good way to wear down the public and desensitize the community to create less visible opposition.
Everybody knows how much they hate any opposition.
Whatever the reason is, this really smelly deal has apparently not been fully cooked yet.
Miami Freedom Park vote is delayed again — pick a reason, any reason added by Ladra on
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Tourists AND residents will miss flights IF corrupt commissioners vote to demolish Melreese Park. Trees and grass will be killed if corrupt commissioners vote to kill Melreese Park. Francis Suarez will get money from Jorge Mas if corrupt commissioners vote to kill Melreese Park.
What’s the deal with publicly-funded stadiums? Don’t we have enough stadiums in our community? Ralph Nader is warning about a publicly-funded stadium in New York: https://twitter.com/ralphnader/status/1508573715642171398?s=21&t=-DFZ8hhj5Uc5IOdsuEU3Ag
If this goes through, it will be another green space destroyed. We already live in a concrete jungle. Pull the plug on this travesty. Create a park. The area badly needs it. This project is a bad deal for taxpayers, the environment and flora and fauna that will be destroyed and displaced. Humans also need green spaces. Not more buildings.
We need to get rid of all of these politicians. A pox on them all for their lack of ethics. Almost none of them represent us any longer, starting with most of those who will be voting on this issue.
Corruption as is very best please fill my pockets and you get my vote
Most of you all vote for the mayor and commissioners so now live with it. Toma. You deserve this and more
I want soccer in Miami. So let them work out their deals. As long as they are transparent and as long as it does not cost the public I am all for it.
The Memo! Attorneys wrote a memo describing what a POS lease Francis Suarez is promoting. (Did Francis Suarez even read the lease?) The “lease” was drafted by Mas and his attorneys and of course, it is totally one sided. Smart people remember the Marlins used the same lease to screw taxpayers and taxpayers are still paying over $3 Billion for that scam. Every commissioner should vote no to this new scam.
We The People Have Been Ignored ! ALL THAT COUNT IS THE CASH *
On point, Ladra!
However, no matter how much cooking goes on – this “smelly deal” shall not only remain pungently offensive – it will be a high public health danger placing people en masse under Miami International Airport flight paths and their harmful, noxious, air pollution health affects, risks and consequences.
Tragically, despite the fact, the Mayors, Miami City Commission, Dade County Commission and their public health departments and officials are aware – or should be aware – they are placing the health status and wellbeing of an unsuspecting public in a dangerous, highly toxic environment. Nevertheless, they march on in lockstep with little regard to protect the community they serve – and seemingly and willingly doing so with impunity. Sadly.
It’s been a pleasure reading your thoughts and thank you for your public service. “To be informed is to be forearmed,” though that often appears illusive in South Florida’s corrosive politics and institutional inconsistencies.
Along with the myriad of other reasons why this is a bad idea has anyone actually driven to the airport recently? 836 and Lejune are absolute nightmares. The office park will obviously make it worse and on soccer game days you better plan on getting to MIA 3 hours early. Fun!