Sweet deal giveaway of public city park to school could and should be reversed

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Miami City Commissioners will get another chance this week to take back a public park and reverse a vote that was basically bought through public corruption and led to the September arrest of former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla on bribery and money laundering charges.

In April of 2022, Diaz de la Portilla convinced his colleagues to give away the city-owned Biscayne Park, right next to historic Miami City Cemetery, to The Centner Academy so they could build a “state-of-the-arts” sports center (read: gym) for their students and also for profit.

Commissioner Miguel Gabela, who beat ADLP’s re-election attempt last year after he was suspended by the governor, had already put an item on the agenda to reverse the vote at the last meeting in January. But it was deferred after a bunch of people — mostly parents of students at the private school that got the park — urged the commissioners to leave the agreement in place.

Now, Gabela, who put it on the agenda again for Thursday’s meeting, says it might be withdrawn so that the school board and more people can weigh in.

It really should never have been kicked down the road in the first place. This is a no-brainer. Not only because it was the subject of a bribe, but because it was a bad deal to begin with.

But perhaps it is that he doesn’t think he has the votes. Gabela needs four to reverse the 2022 vote. And the Centners also gave to Commissioners Joe Carollo and Manolo Reyes. And las malas lenguas say Billy and Barbara Hardemon are the new bagmen (bagpeople?) for the Centners — since attorney Bill Riley was arrested with ADLP in September — so there goes Chairwoman Christine King.

Read related: Miami’s Alex Diaz de la Portilla arrested on corruption, pay-for-play park deal

City commissioners unanimously approved a license agreement with Centner Academy that allows the school to build their sports facility on Biscayne Park, 150 NE 19th St., and “provide programming.” This is paid programming. They would need to make up their promised $10 million investment and then share 50% of revenue from programming and concession sales with the city, using the other 50% for maintenance and security for the first 10 years.

In exchange, they would get to use 33% of the park exclusively all the time and another 33% exclusively for some hours during the day. That leaves really only a third of the park available for the public.

The people who went in the green shirts to advocate on behalf of the private school were parents and others who were goaded into being there by the school’s owners, David and Leila Centner, who made national headlines and were investigated by the Florida Department of Education after they told teachers that if they got the COVID-19 vaccine, they would lose their jobs. Citing false and disproved claims of “shedding,” the school told parents that students who got vaccinated would have to stay home and “quarantine” for 30 days. They became a national laughing stock.

Read related: Private Centner Academy gets to run Miami public park for $10 million

The reality is that the neighborhood residents will not be able to use the park most of the time. This also sets a dangerous precedent of giving away public parks to private schools. Who’s not going to want one?

The parents of children at the Iprep Academy, a Miami-Dade Magnet School of Excellence with an international education and global focus that was supposed to be relocated to the city-owned park, weren’t there last month. But they will be on Thursday — or the would be if it was going to be heard.

The school was part of the ongoing negotiations by the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency and the Miami-Dade School Board to redevelop the school board’s administrative offices and surface parking lots, 10.5 acres of prime downtown real estate, and generate much-needed housing. In exchange, the Iprep Academy would be relocated to Biscayne Park. The PTSA had collected 947 signatures on an online petition, as of Wednesday evening, urging for commissioners to “halt the privatization of Biscayne Park.”

Parents also formed a website and Instagram page titled Public Land for Public Schools with the following message:

We are deeply concerned about the proposed privatization of public land (Resolution R-22-0153) that our children and future generations depend on. This land, located at 150 NE 19th Street Miami, Florida 33132, can provide much-needed outdoor facilities for our children, fostering their growth and development. The current proposal would see this precious resource used only 30% of the time for public benefit, with the remaining 70% allocated to private interests.

Public lands are a crucial part of our community infrastructure. They provide open spaces where children can play and learn about nature, contribute to environmental sustainability, and serve as communal areas that foster social connections among residents. 

The proposed plan threatens these benefits by reducing access to these lands for private gain. We believe that it is essential that these lands remain fully accessible to the public – particularly our PUBLIC schools – rather than being exploited for private use.

We urge you to reconsider this decision and prioritize the wellbeing of our community over private interests. Let’s ensure that all public land in Miami remains truly public – benefiting 100% of us all the time! Please sign this petition if you agree.

The website includes a link to Political Cortadito’s original story on the sweet giveaway deal and video from WPLG Local 10 on Diaz de la Portilla’s arrest.

Diaz de la Portilla was charged with bribery, money laundering and 10 other felonies in September after an investigation found that he had taken more than $245,000 from a shell Delaware company tied to Riley, the Centner’s former attorney. Riley also paid for ADLP’s extended stays at the East Hotel in Brickell — which is in District 2, not District 1 — and for the watch party for Renier Diaz de la Portilla’s judicial race, which he lost. And the commissioner travelled to Boston with Riley and his wife a month after the vote.

At that same tainted meeting last April, Diaz de la Portilla also sponsored an item to upzone other properties the Centners own around their preschool campus at 4136 North Miami Avenue. Gabela, who was apparently in Tallahassee for Dade Days on Wednesday and could not be reached (did he make it to ADLP’s “Eve on Adams” after party?), should move to reverse those votes, too.

  Alex Diaz de la Portilla, Miguel Gabela