Vote NO on Melreese amendment; save our parks
There’s a category 5 political storm brewing, and we should all be trying to kill it before it kills any of Coconut Grove's beloved parks.
I’m referring to the Melreese Golf Course referendum, where the City has put a no-bid sweetheart deal on the November 6 ballot, to lease 73 acres of our park land to politically well-connected billionaire developers for 99 years, so they can build a high rise office tower, a hotel, an enormous shopping mall and a soccer stadium.
Some current elected officials have lied to us, saying the golf course is not a park, despite the City telling us for years that the golf course is most definitely a park, as you can see for yourself in the Miami Parks Master Plan, chapter 3, pages 27 and 33: http://www.miamigov.com/parks/docs/masterplan/Miami_03.pdf
What does this have to do with Coconut Grove?
If we let this happen the City Hall shadow players will be emboldened to take over more park land in other places in the City of Miami.
Should there be office towers in Peacock Park?
A hotel in Regatta Park?
A shopping mall in Merrie Christmas Park? Or Kennedy Park?
The soccer stadium is only 10% of the deal, so it’s being used as bait. The billionaires are sending out mailers promising jobs, jobs, jobs.
The billionaires met with City of Miami officials and cooked up a scheme behind closed doors before it was announced publicly.
The billionaires would be paying the city far below market value for 73 acres of land.
The billionaires can easily afford to buy their own land to create jobs, jobs, jobs, but why should they bother when the City is willing to be so generous with our park land?
Miami is one of the lowest-ranked cities for acres of park land per 1,000 residents in the country. Miami has supposedly been trying to increase the amount of park land in the City for years, but now it wants to lease away 73 acres of our park land to private developers for 99 years.
That’s 8.2% of the 882 total acres of park land in the City.
Miami officials often say Miami is a “World Class City”, whatever that means, but Miami doesn’t even protect its own park land.
A World Class City would protect its parks as sacred ground, and have a golf course.
But for some at Miami City Hall, there was little hesitation to deal away 73 acres of park land, and the only question was how much money they could get for it.
That land has had a golf course since 1942, but if the City of Miami no longer wants a golf course, it should turn ALL of it into a big, glorious, wonderful park. Why isn’t that on the ballot?
And then there’s the City of Miami Charter, Section 29-A. (b), that says any private development proposed on City land put must be put out for competitive bidding.
If the City wants to put public land out for private development, why isn’t it going to the highest bidder?
Because this is a sweetheart deal for politically well-connected billionaires.
So, instead of obeying the City Charter, the City wants the voters to change the Charter to benefit these specific billionaires.
The ballot language says this sweetheart deal will be at “no cost to City”. Hogwash. We’re giving up 73 acres of public park land for 99 years!
This deal is supposedly “fair market value”, but how can anyone be sure without competitive bidding?
If the City of Miami needs to start monetizing parks to balance the books, what will it do when it runs out of public parks to monetize?
The billionaire developers' PR machine has cranked up to manipulate the voters into allowing a sweetheart deal that is not in the public’s best interest.
They have lots of money to run their campaign.
It’s up to us to spread the word to protect our parks.
Shame on City Commissioners Ken Russell, Joe Carollo and Keon Hardemon for voting to allow a referendum to turn public park land over to a private developer.
Thank you to Commissioners Willy Gort and Manolo Reyes for voting against allowing this land-grab referendum.
Please vote NO on The Great Golf Course Land Grab and ask everyone you know to also vote NO.
The park you save might just be your own.
Elvis Cruz
Miami
posted by Tom Falco at 4:00 AM
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8 Comments:
A public park belongs to the public and the public is you. Any Miami citizen or group can pay just $450.00, total, go to court and make your case and have just one judge make the legal decision if this park can be sold. If the PEOPLE wait for the CITY they claim is corrupt to do the right thing then who's fault will it be if the park or future parks are sold for private development? Jobie Steppe
I don't always agree with Elvis Cruz but I am 100% with him on this subject.
Mayor Suarez is all in for this project and seems like, so is Ken Russel. They brag about $1B that is going to come to the City in ONE HUNDRED YEARS. That is mere $10M/year.
This is a massive commercial project disguised as a soccer stadium for the gullible Miami soccer fans.
Even Jorge Perez, arguably Miami's largest local developer, is on the record putting the market rent for this site 3-4X what is proposed by the MAS family.
If soccer was the real objective, this land is big enough for the same size soccer stadium as the proposed one, same size green space, public parks, soccer fields, with ample parking AND keep the First Tee and a 9 hole golf course to appease everyone.
If passes, this is going to set a precedent and open the flood gates for other no bid commercial development on other city parks.
Berk Boge
Greed, lies, malfeasance and public corruption; welcome to Miami! Robin Parker
I agree with Elvis Cruz on every point! I grew up two blocks from Melreese Golf Course. Melreese and the legendary Charlie De Lucca, through The First Tee program, provides life-changing opportunities for underserved young people. Allowing Melreese, our only remaining City’s golf course, to be eliminated for the benefit of those who are only looking to enrich themselves, is a sad commentary on the state of our community leaders' values. This is the wrong place for this horribly misguided project. There is no excuse for eliminating that beautiful green space. Parks are at a premium in our community, and once it's eliminated, it will never be replaced. Wake up before it’s too late, and do the right thing!
Lynn Guarch-Pardo
Coral Gables
There was a time in local politics when if a politician from a particular area did not endorse a project in their neighborhood, the other politicians would respect his/her opinion, since that person represented that particular constituency. That is now gone.
To their credit, Commissioners Willy Gort and Manolo Reyes are against this project. If approved, each neighborhood is now fair game for special interests, regardless of the uniqueness of the area. The lack of respect by these special interests have no limits. The good of all is trumped by the greed of a few. Replacing an open green space that buffers a busy international airport on one side from single family residential neighborhoods on the another is planning madness. Shoehorning this incompatible use on this site not only shows a lack of vision and understanding, but worse of all underscores the true meaning of ruthlessness. The soccer stadium is simply a ploy to sneak in the money making commercial development component. The real question to be asked of the developers is, "Have you no shame?"
Felix Pardo
Three friends of mine from high school in Fort Pierce, Florida the Garcia brothers, one lived in Miami, would meet at this Golf Course back around, I believe about 1970 and I remember one saying, over supper,this was the only golf course in Florida they could afford and would accept them as members. This course appears to say much about Florid, Miami and those who live in its shadow. It would mean a lot, in my opinion if the entire Miami community does what it takes, to pull together to ensure this property stays as is Jobie Steppe
Elvis Cruz commissioner Russell used you for the historical designation and flipped on the stadium.Welcome to Russell world.
Well-written! Excellent argument. And sickening about our Miami City Commissioners. And I love soccer but I also love our parks. I'm voting no.
Liam Crotty
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