If you blinked, you missed it.
The Miami City Commission had what is probably its shortest meeting ever Thursday when Chairwoman Christine King adjourned about 10 minutes after it started and deferred all agenda items to the Feb. 10 meeting except redistricting, which will likely come up separately at a special meeting.
Both Commissioners Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Manolo Reyes were out sick.
Diaz de la Portilla reportedly was seeing a doctor about high blood pressure. Wonder if it had anything to do with the mysterious discussion item that Commissioner Joe Carollo had on the agenda about Jan. 5, which is the day that ADLP’s police-issued driver had an accident.
Read related: More questions on that crash with Miami Commissioner ADLP in the car
Reyes was not feeling well Wednesday night and planned to attend virtually, like he did when he had COVID. Even though he tested negative for the virus twice in recent days, a staffer said the commissioner felt worse Thursday and advised he was not going to connect virtually so he could go to a doctor.
The commission could have gone on. Three makes a quorum — which is another argument for increasing the number of districts (more on that later). But King cancelled the meeting because there were a number of important matters that needed or warranted a full board.
“Unfortunately, today we don’t have some of our colleagues here and it is the desire of this body to defer all items until such a time it is that we can get a quorum, because there are several issues that require a full body,” King said, apologizing to the people who had shown up at City Hall.
Most obviously needing all five present? Redistricting.
Consultants Miguel De Grandy and Steve Cody were to make a presentation Thursday on their recommended new boundaries per the redistricting that comes every 10 years with new Census population numbers. And it is projected there will be changes in every district.
Read related: Change at Overtown CRA comes with Christine King — and favors her allies
The redistricting will be taken up at a special meeting, as Commissioner Carollo suggested, possibly on Feb. 7. “That might take up a lot more of our time,” he said. It is also a time sensitive matter that has to be approved by a certain deadline.
They could have just deferred that item, but the other big debate expected was the extension of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, which has several multi-million projects in the works. This is the CRA where ADLP had a ghost employee spying for him and there is expected to be jockeying for its chairmanship. Commissioner Ken Russell has it, as he should because the CRA area is his district. Diaz de la Portilla wants it. Wants it baaaad.
One emergency resolution King sponsored was heard and passed: The allocation of $20,000 for Martin Luther King events during the month of February. Carollo tried to call an item about a permit for a helipad on Virginia Key for two days, which a city staffer told Ladra was for filming. But it was deferred at the mayor’s request.
The Virginia Key Advisory Board on Wednesday had lots of questions about that application at the height of bird nesting season and voted to ask for a deferral.
The Overtown Park West CRA meeting scheduled after the commission meeting Thursday was also cancelled.
So, there’s a lot up in the air.
With 2 out sick, Miami Commission cancels meeting, defers everything added by Ladra on
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