How much do you wanna bet that 100 people go and speak against the American Dream Miami mega mall nightmare complex
that is being pushed for the Northwest corner of Miami-Dade?
How much do you wanna bet that commissioners will ignore them and approve the development agreement that basically has the developer, Triple Five, give us a few shiny new buses in exchange for allowing them to build a $4 billion retail center and theme park with a 16-story indoor ski slope, a 20-slide water park, an indoor lake with submarines and a beach, a 14-screen 3-D movie theater and a 2,000-room hotel?
Not only that, but the developer clearly intends to use public taxpayer dollars to make his American Dream come true. How much you wanna bet?
Read related: American Dream mega mall developer would give us buses for our troubles
Opposing malls who don’t want the competition might be the ones demandin
g that the American Dream developers vow not to take any public subsidies, but they’re not alone in thinking that. And they are right in demanding that it be a deal breaker. Sure, they hope it’s a poison pill that prevents the Triple Five people from building the mega mall. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t.
It shouldn’t. Not if it’s going to be the huge economic engine success that proponents say it is. It should just make the developers more responsible with how they build it. But that doesn’t matter.
What matters is that there shouldn’t be any more corporate welfare gifts worked into our strapped county budget. We don’t have enough for transit solutions or to keep all our libraries open every day and these developers 
come and get subsidies — whether in the form of incentives or bonuses or even just discounts on their impact fees — when they should be paying more not less to get the variances they get on everything from density to required number of parking spaces.
And that’s not what the developer said or intended two years ago. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who negotiated this deal and even convinced the state to sell the land surplus at discounted rates to the developer, has said that Triple Five planned on requesting county subsidies for the project.
But even if they don’t request county funds, they could request state subsidies — which are still our public dollars. In 2016, there was a late amendment to a state bill that would have allowed counties to form special tax districts for funding infrastructure work around economic-development projects. It was sponsored by none other than Miguel DLP and would have benefited the mega mall tremendously.
Read related: Miami-Dade mega mall: A new, and shinier, insider deal
It is also interesting to note that in New Jersey, the American Dream Meadowlands mega mall developer got $1.2 billion of tax-exempt municipal bonds for that project plus another $390 million in state grant over several years if they reach sales-tax targets. You think they’re going to skip trying to get that here? Sometimes, Ladra thinks the whole point of these projects is to get the public funding.
Either Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo is ignorant to all that or he was being somewhat disingenuous Wednesday when he tweeted 
“A misinformation campaign is in full swing regarding #megamall I received this text message that gives the impression that the @MiamiDadeBCC is contemplating giving tax dollars to the developer. I said on more than one occasion that NO tax subside is or will be considered.”
He posted a photo of the text message, which urged him to call Commissioner Bovo and “tell him to prohibit our tax dollars from going to billionaire developers” and linked to the South Florida Taxpayers Alliance page, which seems like an opposition page funded by the other malls.
But misinformation comes in all forms, Commissioner.
The developer has time and time again refused to make a promise that they will not take public funding. It should be easy enough to agree to — but only if you don’t already intend on taking state subsidies. If you do, then it’s hard to say 
good bye to millions of dollars that aren’t yours and that you can get for free for your project.
Also, if the developers really believe that this American Dream Miami mega mall will be so successful, then it should be easy for them to not only agree to forfeit any public tax dollars but also to pay real impact fees and contribute heavily to the transit solutions that will help offset the damage such a project will have on the area and help get people to the mega mall.
Of course, that would be acting in the best interest of the community, not in the best interest of their pockets. That’s not the developer’s job. It is, however, the commission’s job to act in the best interest of the community.
They have this one opportunity Thursday to make such criteria — no public funds used in the project and real impact dollars towards transit solutions — a requirement of the development agreement.
Let’s pray they listen to the people.
American Dream Miami mega mall should not get public dollars, discounts added by Ladra on
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[…] sound and air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods and remaining wild areas.” (As reported to Political Cortadito by Wayne […]
I have never set foot in Marlins park nor will I based upon principle. Ditto this proposed boondoggle Mega mall. Where are the millions raised for transportation by the penny sales tax implemented solely for transportstion that aren’t there because Gimenez instead illegally commandeered the funds to fill his budget shortfalls. Now this mall monstrosity that will only add to our gridlock transportation woes is proposed? Talk about pouring salt on a wound. This mall not only should not receive a dime of tax payers’ money it shouldn’t be built period. Let Gimenez replace the monies he squandered back to transportation before ANY project guaranteed to further snarl traffic is considered. Get us out of gridlock and NO public dollars to any developer period should be considered. Enough with paving over what’s left of our “paradise.”
Thank you, Ladra, for your continuing responsible coverage of this and other issues.
Whether the Commissioners are reading or listening is another matter, but the Maimi-Dade Democratic Environmental Caucus sent them a letter yesterday. Though as you point out there are many basic concerns, we focused on the environmental issues, as to which the applications are shockingly retrograde, paying somewhat less than lipservice to any of them. Ultimately, 11 buses aside, the developers have agreed to do only the absolute minimum required of them to obtain necessary permits. (Way to drive a tough bargain, Mr. Mayor!) But then, what do you expect of a project that may, on a hot day, draw enough electricity to power 40,000 homes?
Here’s the letter:
Mr. Chairman and Commissioners:
The Miami-Dade Democratic Environmental Caucus has as its primary mission working with Democratic candidates and elected officials on matters of concern to County residents and the environmental experts and activists with which the Caucus engages. As each of you serves in a non-partisan role on behalf of your constituents and as stewards of their resources, however, we are writing to urge you to consider the environmental consequences of approving the Applications, CDMP Amendments and Zoning Applications on the Board’s May 17, 2018 agenda and to vote against them.
Each of our County’s most dire environmental threats are certain to be exacerbated if the largest mall in the country is built on the edge of the Everglades. Building and operating the so-called “American Dream” will involve:
– Paving over more than one square mile of existing agricultural and open lands that currently recharge our imperiled Biscayne Aquifer, after replacing all of the existing absorbent and filtering soils with imported construction-grade fill and cement.
– Creating a massive urban heat island and contributing substantially to stormwater management loads.
– Drawing as much as two million gallons per day of potable water and more than 100,000 additional gallons of non-potable water. This is more than 20% of the total current output of the Hialeah RO Water treatment plant (ADM’s only source) and will substantially increase the plant’s energy requirements and waste output, and likely hasten an expansion of the plant’s capacity at significant expense to the public. Though the water is to be drawn from the Upper Floridan Aquifer, drawdown in that source is a matter of continuing concern and study.
– Consuming upwards of 1400 mw hours of daily electric power – enough to power nearly 40,000 homes – and resulting in a significant increase in CO₂ emissions unless the mall contracts for power from a renewable energy facility.
– Promoting sprawl and threatening the existing Urban Development Boundary, with siting and design contrary to our existing Comprehensive Development Master Plan and any responsible concept of urban planning. ADM’s proximity to existing water and wildlife management areas, its location far from existing transit lines and public services, and the plans for the 20 year expansion of the Graham Companies properties are all certain to spur the rapid, westward growth of the County.
– Adding 80,000 individual external automobile trips per day to existing traffic in the region, increasing CO₂ emissions (not least from delivery vehicles), exacerbating the county’s already-acute traffic problem, creating additional pressure to build more roadways (with their attendant environmental and development impacts), and further contributing to the light, sound and air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods and remaining wild areas.
– Further delaying the implementation of the SMART Plan and other significant transit initiatives, by squandering the opportunity to utilize a project the State of Florida has identified as an “ideal candidate for transit oriented development.”
– Complicating disaster recovery and resiliency planning by bringing over 100,000 visitors per day, thousands of new residences, and all of the employees required to keep them running to a low-lying and flood prone area of the County.
We are not against development or growth. Properly done they provide for the jobs we need and the sustainable future our County’s residents deserve. To that end, the Comprehensive Development Master Plan exists to promote development in locations which “optimize efficiency in public service delivery and conservation of valuable natural resources.” The applications before you this week would not simply amend the Plan, they would tear away at its very fabric.
This is Miami-Dade County, one of the world’s greatest attractions. Our beaches, our Everglades, our weather, our waters, our hospitality and our unique amalgamation of cultures draw visitors and future residents to our shores. Perhaps Minneapolis and West Edmonton and the Meadowlands need indoor waterparks and ersatz environments to flourish. We do not.
There are many more reasons why the American Dream project is wrong for Miami-Dade, and many others have raised them and will continue to do so. As concerned residents, and politically active environmentalists, however, we call on all of you simply to protect our resources, fight sprawl, and vote “no” on all of the CDMP amendments and zoning applications before you.
Many of these same BCC gave us Marlins Park. Need I say more?
In a DISCRIMINATING COUNTY Where The River Landings Got $5 Million Grant a Few Days before leaving his Commission Seat and Where a ” DONATIONS ” of $ 50,000. To” One” Commissioner to build a Mall in West Dade (MH 6/15/2014 ) any and ALL is Possible ?
The INFLUENCE BUYING <PAY TO PLAY Will need To Be Re name and Really Call What It Is ? Are We Ignoring The Many # 1 Positions We are In # 1 in CORRUPTION AND FRAUD in The COUNTRY ? Are We Tired Of Back Rooms Lobbyist Deals YET ?