FIU student prez, county mayor keep pushing to evict Fair

FIU student prez, county mayor keep pushing to evict Fair

Just as the Dade County Youth Fair is set to start its annual three-week carnival on March 17, FIU has a new champion for it’s delayed and struggling plans to expand onto property currently occupied in a rock solid lease by the Dade County Youth Fair and Expo: The student government president at the Tamiami […]

Carlos Gimenez: ‘I’d break The Fair’s lease if FIU pays’

Carlos Gimenez: ‘I’d break The Fair’s lease if FIU pays’

As expected and reported in Political Cortadito previously, we are still nowhere near a deal for FIU to expand onto the grounds currently occupied by the Dade County Youth Fair and Expo. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez finally admitted Wednesday that talks have led nowhere and that The Fair doesn’t have to budge because it has […]

Juan Zapata enters FIU/Fair fight to slap down the mayor

Juan Zapata enters FIU/Fair fight to slap down the mayor

It looks like that famous Harvard education that Miami-Commissioner Juan Zapata is getting — which has brought him so much grief — hasn’t helped him understand the difference between a true mandate and a marketing plan. Zapata, who has been against the Pet’s Trust Initiative voted by almost 65% of the residents in 2012, used […]

FIU’s bully battle vs Youth Fair keeps costing us plenty

FIU’s bully battle vs Youth Fair keeps costing us plenty

There have been a few recent volleys in the battle for the public land that is now occupied by the Dade County Youth Fair and dearly coveted by Florida International University for it’s much-ballyhooed expansion plans. None of them really matter, since The Fair has no intention of moving and we are still where we […]

Mayor to meet with FIU and Youth Fair over standoff

Mayor to meet with FIU and Youth Fair over standoff

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is scheduled to meet Thursday with representatives from Florida International University and the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair over their standoff on the school’s expansion plans into the fairgrounds. The Fair people don’t want to move — and they don’t have to. They have a locked-in lease through 2085. That’s 70 years […]

Veto on FIU expansion was on the money; gift was premature

Veto on FIU expansion was on the money; gift was premature

Among the $43.3 million in Miami-Dade projects vetoed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott was $5 million in state funds designated for Florida International University’s ambitious expansion plans. And we should give Scott props for that one. Because ity was premature. Because the expansion plans are contingent upon the Dade County Youth Fair organization, which has a […]

FIU’s predictable ‘mandate’ argument — no fair to Fair

FIU’s predictable ‘mandate’ argument — no fair to Fair

Ladra called it last year when the commission voted to put the FIU “expansion” question on the November ballot: They are going to use this to push the Dade County Youth Fair and Expo into a relocation deal, to apply the political pressure. It didn’t take long. On Monday, as kids rode the swings and the […]

Premature ballot item = pressure on Youth Fair/FIU land deal

Premature ballot item = pressure on Youth Fair/FIU land deal

In what seems like a classic case of putting the cart before the horse, Miami-Dade Commissioners will discuss on Wednesday the possible ballot language for a question on the future and uncertain FIU expansion into land now used by the Dade County Youth Fair an expo, which would be moved to another location without using […]