It worked for the Mas brothers in Miami so why not repeat the public land grab somewhere else?
A quiet proposal to build a 60,000-seat stadium in the middle of Tropical Park has hit some opposition in the community. Critics have collected more than 2,300 signatures against the plan which really hasn’t been presented anywhere else except twitter and includes two hotels, underground parking a restaurant and, possibly, a sports medicine complex.
On Wednesday, outgoing District Commissioner Javier Souto issued a statement slamming the proposal from “strange forces” and calling the park a “sacred” space.
“All of us, good, decent, law-abiding, taxpayers who vote in all elections and love our community, our State, and our County know well that some ‘strange’ forces are trying to take control of Tropical Park, our sacrosanct regional park, to exploit it by building a big football stadium, thus destroying this marvelous enclave of joy, happiness, and health to so many people of Miami-Dade County.
“Tropical Park has been called the ‘Central Park’ of this southwestern part of Miami-Dade, serving over one million people every year. Tropical Park is a historical park so designated by our county government and our state government. I want to make it very clear to all that I strongly oppose any effort by anyone to alter the present state of affairs at this jewel of a park, full of different sports and activities to please everyone.
“Also, the beauty, the peacefulness, and the solitude that Tropical Park offers to those seeking it makes it an irreplaceable and ‘sacred’ place to our community.
“Tropical Park is not a place for a football stadium for a University or a College. Tropical Park is not a place for buildings or residences. Tropical Park is a historical park and a special part of our community. It’s a regional park serving all the people of Miami-Dade County.
“We need to keep Tropical Park ‘sacred.'”
Rumors of a football stadium at Tropical Park started around February or March, just as the Westchester incorporation effort was halted. University of Miami booster and La Ley attorney John H. Ruiz and his family first wanted to put the stadium at Coral Gables High School, but there was no way the posh people in the City Beautiful were going to let that happen.
Read related: Javier Souto pulls back Westchester incorporation post resident pushback
So, of course, they go to the county, where it’s usually a free-for-all.
The pitch is great. UM can’t be a top tier football team school without its own state-of-the-art stadium with luxury boxes and a retractable roof less than three miles — or bicycle distance — from the campus. The university has an agreement to play at the Hard Rock Stadium until 2033. And the developers will throw in a bunch of improvements to the rest of the park.
But the proposal is not just for a stadium, of course.
It’s a repeat of the Miami Freedom Park takeover of the Melreese Golf Course. The plans at Tropical Park also call for not one but two hotels, underground parking for more than 12,000 vehicles and the draining of one of the man-made lakes. There has been talk of a fancy restaurant, some classrooms and a medical complex for UM’s sports medicine program.
All of it on public land.
Take a look at these side by side images. The one on the left is Tropical Park as it is today. The one on the right is the newly envisioned park redesign to accommodate the stadium right on the edge of the big lake. All those little white boxes are buildings.
But neither Ruiz nor his son wanted to talk about their plans, saying a lot of other things including that not every detail has been nailed yet.
Read related: Miami Freedom Park scores yes vote for massive stadium real estate complex
“Our parks are not prime real estate for private development,” said Amanda Prieto, who started the Save Tropical Park grassroots movement and petition.
“As density and growth continues to increase, our natural resources and public open spaces become even more valuable to our communities,” said Prieto, who should know since she is also leading the opposition to a plan to build 550 homes on the abandoned Calusa golf course, which has become a rookery for Florida’s protected birds and a haven for the endangered bonneted bat.
“Mr. Ruiz can build the absolute best stadium in the world — somewhere else, on private land,” Prieto told Ladra.
Late last month, Ruiz released the first renderings of the stadium, which would built with private funding on leased park land. It would be home to UM games and also serve nearby high schools. He even admitted that “the process would be very similar to Freedom Park which was just approved by the voters. If you follow their path, we would likely mirror a similar process.”
On Friday, Souto repeated his opposition in his regular newsletter:
“It is very clear that I am TOTALLY OPPOSED to all of these actions by Mr. Ruiz,” Souto wrote, caps his. “Like thousands of persons in our county and other places we love Tropical Park. You have my FULL SUPPORT in DEFENDING Tropical Park against any attempt by anyone of destroying it or doing anything illegal to it.”
Only Souto will not be there past November, when he is termed out and replaced by former State Rep. Anthony ‘Rodriguez.
Ruiz is a determined man, however. He has made improved sports facilities at the park — which has recently undergone some renovations — part of the package. He is going to dangle that in front of commissioners and voters, if it goes to a referendum.
He doesn’t even want to hear from anybody that is not 100% on board. On Twitter, Ruiz only responded happily to the cheerleaders. Legitimate questions or concerns about traffic and park space use were ignored or met with hostility.
“Tropical Park by definition is a stadium. That is the problem with all of you that just yap away,” Ruiz tweeted on Saturday to the critics. “If you are going to argue against me you best come prepared. Unless you petition to redefine the word you simply are just wrong!
“Everyone, you can say what you wish, my kids and I don’t need a stadium as a financial play,” he tweeted Saturday. “We love the Canes, kids and this community. We have a vision, may not be yours but our goal is to make it all work as a win-win.”
There is already a football stadium at Tropical Park, close to the Bird Road parking lot. High schools have played there for decades. It could be upgraded and serve the needs of both local high schools and the university. It makes much more sense than to demolish that stadium and build the fancy one in the middle of the park.
But, then, where would the hotel and restaurant go?
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#SaveTropicalPark
Sleazy scammers took 19 acres of Bicentennial Park FKA Museum Park NKA Ferre Park. Crazy because the NBA Basketball Arena has no windows and NO NEED to be on the water SO it could have been built inland. BUT idiot elected officials gave away public park land to Micky Arison so he could make more Billions, for himself. Public parks should be protected or they will all be taken by developers who pay bribes.
A Doctor at work ( I am not a Doctor ) often reads these forums since I told him about it and has said a few times more or less ” It is a shame the people who post there are not even on a good year perhaps 10 percent of Miami ”.
Sadly that is the problem in Miami thus it is a paradise for vile self serving politicos , MANY of the Commissioners being the head of the leech .
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” Mr. Ruiz knows how easy is to sweeten our elected politicians, particularly Dade county commissioners”
Lol yes and they do not attempt to hide it yet ALL reelected . Some cities not all allow for a ” consultation fee ” and that in Miami is the kiss of death.
Money need not go under the table in form of cash plus that is dangerous , it’s simply a grotesque amount of money legally given in the form of ” consultation fee ‘ by developers / private interest .
Granted some do not have anyone running against them so I understand but sadly those that do regardless of how treacherous are rewarded for their self serving , pocket lining contempt for the people with reelection .
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” The Marlins often lose over 100 games a year AND no one buys tickets.”
I’m a fish fanatic . I keep Peacock African Cichlids in a 75 gallon , platys outside in a 125 gallon stock tank I buried as a pond and freshwater shrimp ( Caridina ) in a different heavy planted tank also inside .
I got free tickets couple years ago went to see the big tanks but empty .
Keeping saltwater fish outside was absurd because you need a heck of a chiller in summer and heck of heater in winter , they are not like most fish and temps should stay 76 yo 82 tops but I was interested in the tank , etc and went just for that but empty .
Now they removed it and it cost the tax payers a lot of money as it was 2 custom made acrylic tanks 450 gallons each and yes I need a life , lol.
Btw the outside saltwater tank can be done but you have to always stay on top of it and a pain so didn’t see it lasting at the stadium.
One of Miami’s own and famous in the fish world does it in his back yard just in case someone here is thinking of doing it but again unlike freshwater you have to always be on this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya29Ctum9cw
We are running out of parks in Dade County, Tell the developers to buy land some place else.
Let the kids enjoy Tropical Park. University of Miami has enough land to built a stadium.
To ALFREDO OLIVA, I also want Miami to be a great city, but I reject the concept that taxpayers have to fund private enterprises that have nothing to do with local governance.
I also would love to see a huge Broadway theater built that would bring the best plays from Broadway and London. And if I want that venue, then I should be willing to pay for the tickets that the private entrepreneur thinks is appropriate.
But why should I force taxpayers that may or may not have interest in either Broadway plays or football games pay for these activities? Let the private money bet on their projects and keep taxpayers out of it.
Mike says it best and the plan is to do or work toward all those things. UM would lease the land at fair market value, own the building and the country would own and benefit from the other enhancements, fields, courts, stables, and other state of the art amenities that everyone can enjoy. Transport funding much needed could also be on the ballot for voters to approve.
This could turn out to be the fifth private grab of public space and resources for the construction of sport facilities in Dade county in the past 40 years.
Mr. Ruiz knows how easy is to sweeten our elected politicians, particularly Dade county commissioners.
And we want Miami to be a great city. Great cities have parks Miami has concrete. Could you imagine New York developers proposing Giants stadium in Central Park? It’s in Jersey!
Bayfront Park gone! Mel Reese gone! and so many more. In a few years trees will become endangered….. but corruption will prevail and flourish even more.
I think it’s an outrage that taxpayers’ money is used to build stadiums or any other business enterprise that belongs in the private market.
How about auctioning off all “public land” and letting the free market find the most profitable use and let private funding bear the risk involved in any real estate transaction.
If only the Miami Hurricanes had played in this new stadium at Tropical Park the other day, then for sure they would have beaten Middle Tennessee State University a level two school in which the Hurricanes were favored to win by 25 points. See, it’s our fault they lost!
Also, new Hurricanes coach Cristobal only has an $80 million dollar contract. Again, when you shortchange the money paid to your coach, and don’t give the team a new stadium, well….of course you can’t win against a team as powerful as Middle Tennessee.
I think we need to double the size of the proposed stadium, double the coach’s contract…and then we win the game!!!!
Winning is so simple, you just have to be three miles or less from the campus. Then…you win. If you are four or more miles away, you lose.
If we were three miles away, the interceptions we threw, or the poor defensive play, wouldn’t have happened. Do you get it??? The new stadium wins the games!!!!
Miami-Dade elected officials voted to divert over $3 Billion from the taxpayers to demolishing the Orange Bowl and its surrounding 40 acres. Elected officials voted to spend over $3 Billion to build Marlins Stadium. The Marlins often lose over 100 games a year AND no one buys tickets. The site is big and ugly and it has too much concrete. The neighborhood around the former Orange Bowl park got worse.
I think I’m going to be sick 🙁
UM should build a football stadium on its own property. Why doesn’t UM build its own stadium on its own property?
Killing Tropical Park is a crime against the public. Ruiz is just another rich dude who thinks parks are just sites for them to make money.
what, specifically, makes Tropical Park “sacrosanct” and “historic”? it’s nice park, i get it. bern there a while, got it. sacrosanct? historic? s as md btw, not as ll G residents are pish”. but thank you for the ignorant generalization. get off the high horse once.
Let the developers build their stadium in Tropical Park provided that they FIRST pay to build a MetroRail line from the UM station up Red Road to Bird Road, to Tropical Park, to Westchester at Coral Way and Galloway, then to the Fairgrounds/FIU, then to the new Park and Ride lot by the International Mall. If they want our precious park land then they should provide something valuable to the community in exchange.
You know there is (was) a restaurant there? The building is a impressive round glass enclosed room with a open kitchen. It’s on top of the big hill overlooking the lake with a great view, but a hike to get to from the parking lot. Its been a concession stand, a rental pavilion, and a private restaurant, but nothing ever made any money.
Of course they said the same thing about the old park concession stand/lifeguard office at Matheson hammock and look at what a P3 group did with that.
Just for the record Souto thinks Tropical is HIS park and he developed it at will, whatever the fuck he wanted, spending millions on his own pet projects like the cattle show, which should have been part of the youth fair ag exhibits, but he wanted one where he was the big shot so he built an mini youth fair at Tropical, a few miles from Youth Fair which takes place a month later.
How about the little, very expensive 200 seat white elephant theater which makes no business or cultural sense.The county owns lots of theaters, both bigger and smaller, all needing huge in-kind subsidies from the county and the school board just to stay afloat, why take public open spaces to build another? Then hand it to a private operator? Souto wanted to, that’s why. So while Ruiz plan’s never going to happen, Souto bitching about sacred is laughable, it’s not if to build, but who gets to build.