209 replies to this topic

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Thu, Jan. 06, 2005

REAL ESTATE
Overseas investors find South Florida to be a hot property

Economic strength and an international business climate put South Florida among the top areas for overseas investors seeking profitable real estate deals.

BY MATTHEW HAGGMAN
mhaggman@herald.com

South Florida ranks among the top five most attractive places in the United States for foreign real estate investors to put their money.

So says an annual survey spotlighting the real estate markets being targeted by large international institutions -- insurance companies, banks and pension funds investing millions in such properties as office buildings, industrial parks and residential projects.

One recent high-profile example: the purchase of a pricey residential enclave, Fisher Island, by London-based Euro Fund Properties.

''South Florida and Miami are now on the international radar screen for the first time, positively,'' said area real estate analyst Michael Cannon. ``We have been on the international and national radar screen negatively, so I think this is good.''

Despite the rows of international banks on Brickell Avenue and the Latin American buyers snapping up thousands of condo units, South Florida has never made the list before.

Heavyweight cities such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco have traditionally dominated the attention of large investors looking for profitable, yet safe, investments.

`MIAMI HAS EMERGED'

But those investors are looking to diversify into other regions, and South Florida, with its strong economy, is a natural beneficiary.

''Miami, in particular, has emerged as a 24-hour city with an internationally friendly business climate,'' said Randy Mondt, who runs U.S. real estate giant Principal Real Estate Investors. ``But the opportunities go beyond Miami-Dade County and also include Broward and Palm Beach counties.''

Mondt said South Florida properties returned 14.5 percent during the past year, compared to a national return of 12.4 percent, citing figures from the National Council of Real Estate Fiduciaries.

A BIG CHANGE

When developer Alessandro Ferretti moved to Miami Beach from hometown Verona, Italy, 10 years ago, the region's reputation -- tainted government corruption scandals and cocaine cowboys, among other things -- discouraged large investors.

That has changed, he says.

''South Florida is recognized as an international destination in a more solid way than before,'' Ferretti said. ``Now it is not a place where people just come and go. We have lost the aura of a Miami Vice kind of place.''

The survey, released Wednesday, was conducted by the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate in Washington. It surveys its 160 members from 17 countries. The association has conducted the survey for 13 years.

Washington, D.C., ranked first in the survey. It was followed by New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. South Florida and Chicago tie for fifth.

Meanwhile, the region received another dose of good news by way of a Moody's Investors Service report concluding that Miami-Dade's real estate market is among the 10 strongest in the country. In a report assessing cities' real estate prospects for the coming year -- which includes everything from multifamily housing to the office and hotel market -- Moody's placed Miami-Dade fourth on the list. The top-rated market was Los Angeles.

''There are several real estate areas in Miami doing above average and none are doing awful,'' said Sally Gordon, vice president of Moody's Investor Services.

Stamford, Conn., rated worst on the list, just below Jacksonville.

Favorite U.S. markets of foreign investors:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. New York City
3. Los Angeles
4. San Francisco
5. South Florida: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm (tie)
5. Chicago (tie)

[Brickell]

We're in pretty good company on that list.

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Thu, Jan. 06, 2005

Interim Miami airport director to seek job permanently

By INA PAIVA CORDLE
icordle@herald.com

Miami-Dade Interim Aviation Director Carlos Bonzon is applying for the permanent job, competing in a national search to head Miami International Airport and five other smaller facilities coping with the demands of a volatile industry.

His decision was prompted by encouragement he got from ''movers and shakers'' within the local business community, he said, and ``being here day to day -- I just love what I am doing.''

Bonzon told The Herald he will e-mail a letter of interest and his resume to the county by Friday's deadline, fulfilling a promise he gave last month that he would decide by Thursday.

When he was named interim director in November, following former Aviation Director Angela Gitten's resignation under pressure, he had said he would not likely apply for the permanent job.

But he talked to his wife, son and daughter over the holidays and they said to go for it. He declined to name other high-level business people who have encouraged him, but he said they did not include airline executives or others with business interests at MIA.

''This is to me the best place to work, such an exciting place,'' he said. ``We have many challenges ahead and I love challenges. We have excellent employees, a high level of professionalism. I just love aviation.''

Link to Article

[Aessotariq]

MODEL CITY
HUD wants Miami to pay back $2.6M

In the latest setback in the effort to build affordable housing in Miami's Model City, the federal government wants its money back -- for the second time.

BY ANDREA ROBINSON AND MICHAEL VASQUEZ
mrvasquez@herald.com

During the past few years, Miami has spent millions to boost homeownership in the city's struggling Model City neighborhood, buying dozens of properties and paying consulting companies to help guide the process.

But, as of today, the city still hasn't built a single house, and the federal government -- the primary source of money for the revival effort -- wants its money back. Again.

In a letter recently delivered to Miami leaders, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requested the city pay back roughly $2.6 million in federal grant money that has been used in an area known as the Model City Community Revitalization District.

Miami already returned $1.8 million in Model City-slated money last year because HUD complained city-owned properties were sitting vacant for too long.

Among other things, HUD monitors are criticizing the city for how it acquired properties, questioning some professional services payments, and saying Miami failed to focus on a stated goal: to build affordable housing in one of Miami's poorest neighborhoods.

''The city has spent over $2 million for acquisition expenses, which to date have not met the city's plan to develop affordable housing units for its residents,'' the report states.

Barbara Gomez-Rodriguez, head of the city Community Development Department, which oversees the spending of HUD money, could not be reached Friday.

City leaders say they will return the money, although they hope to ask for it back in the future.

Both Miami politicians and members of the Model City Trust that oversees the program have long been frustrated by the lack of progress in building homes. To a large extent, each side has blamed the other for slowing down the process.

City Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez suggested Friday the best remaining option might be to eliminate the trust altogether. But Marva Wiley, president/CEO of the Model City Trust, sees most of HUD's criticisms as directed at the city, not the trust.

The Model City home project was conceived as part of the city's 1999 consolidated plan to construct more than 1,000 affordable homes in the neighborhood within the first two years. In 2002, a quasi-independent agency called the Model City Homeownership Trust was created to oversee the project.

The city purchased or put under contract for purchase dozens of properties. It seized and tore down slum apartment buildings, and relocated hundreds of tenants out of the area. But no homes have been built.

Sanchez said HUD's recent criticisms left him with little patience for dealing with the trust. ''In government, if something is not working, you get rid of it,'' Sanchez said.

Eliminating the trust would not necessarily destroy the redevelopment plans -- the city could carry those on itself -- but it would nonetheless be controversial, and members of the trust would likely not disappear quietly.

Wiley said her agency has been threatened with dissolution but survived.

''In May 2003 I was told the project was irretrievably broken,'' Wiley said. ``I was told to scale it back.''

The HUD letter, for its part, faults decisions made by both city administrators and the Model City Trust Board.

The money HUD is asking Miami to pay back breaks down into two main categories:

• $1.4 million used to buy properties because construction did not start within 12 months after they were acquired, a stipulation for using HUD money.

• $1.2 million used for professional services that have not created affordable housing -- such as a consultant brought in to study charter schools in the area.

While those professional services may not have created housing, some were related to predevelopment activities, including appraisals and infrastructure assessments.

Wiley defended the charter school study as a necessary expense, saying it was in fact an overall assessment of schools in the area to help potential homeowners.

''It's a critical factor when people decide where they would relocate to,'' Wiley said. ``It does have to do with the marketing piece, being able to attract people to the neighborhood.''

City Commissioner Johnny Winton said HUD knew money was going to such expenses in the past and didn't object. ''If this is all so bad . . . why wasn't it in the first letter HUD wrote asking for their money back?'' Winton said. Some of the property purchases cited by HUD were made in the program's early stages, when former Community Development Director Gwendolyn Warren was running the trust. She declined comment on Friday.

Link to article

[Urban_Legend]

That's cool that Miami is rethinking their downtown master plan.

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Mon, Jan. 10, 2005

New name, new look for Dolphins' stadium

BY ARMANDO SALGUERO
asalguero@herald.com

Pro Player Stadium is no more.

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga today will roll out plans that immediately rename the stadium Dolphins Stadium and set the stage for a major refurbishing project that is estimated to cost nearly half a billion dollars.

Huizenga will announce details of the privately funded plan this afternoon at a press conference but in a statement released through the team said, ``The first step was naming Nick Saban as head of our football operations. The Dolphins have always been in the forefront of the sports and entertainment field, and we have developed a series of plans designed to reinforce that position of leadership.''

Huizenga's move sends the stadium in Miami Gardens, on the border of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, both into the past and future.

The stadium was originally named ''Dolphin Stadium'' when it was completed in 1987 at a cost of $115 million. It was later renamed Joe Robbie Stadium and eventually dubbed Pro Player Stadium when naming rights were sold to Pro Player, the defunct sports apparel company that filed for bankruptcy in 1999.

Huizenga retained the rights to re-sell the building's name in 2000, but never reached a deal with a new partner.

It is unclear how the Florida Marlins, who share year-round occupancy of the facility with the Dolphins and other events, will react to the renaming and coming work on the facility. Team officers could not be immediately reached for comment.

But the Marlins, their fans, as well as the Dolphins and their fans will be affected.

''It's our vision to transform the stadium into a year-round destination and a venue that is ready-made for the Super Bowl, Orange Bowl and other major national and international events,'' Huizenga said. 'These changes will not only enhance the fans' enjoyment at our games, but also will attract major events to South Florida more frequently and boost the area's economy while these events use the stadium and its surrounding facilities.''

According to Huizenga, the renovation will be rolled out in three phases because the stadium's existing commitment to the Marlins prevents a more immediate implementation.

Projects currently under consideration for Phase I include a remodeled Club Level and luxury suites, new scoreboards, covered exhibition space that would be event-ready and would serve as an additional parking structure adjacent to the stadium, better traffic egress and ingress, improved pedestrian access and relocation of the Dolphins business offices to the stadium.

These privately funded enhancements are estimated to cost between $100 to $125 million.Phase II, estimated to cost up to $300 million, could not commence until the relocation of the Marlins and that would potentially include expansion of the stadium concourses, a permanent or retractable roof, additional seating capacity, expanded exhibition space and parking structures to augment those built in Phase I, upgraded press capabilities for major events, video studios and fiber optic and satellite communications.

This phase also could include retail shops, restaurants and entertainment areas in a Main Street format.

A Phase III is under consideration.

To manage these operations, Huizenga is creating a new company, Dolphins Enterprises, LLC. This company will serve as an umbrella for all of the Huizenga sports and entertainment operating entities, including sports operations, business operations, stadium operations, stadium development and construction, stadium events and exhibitions, sales and marketing and retail and merchandising.

[Brickell]

Convention facilities was the first thing i thought of when I heard the story on the radio today.  It looks like that's part of their plans.  It'd be nice to see some full scale convention buildings and a hotel go up around there too.  There will be a stop on the upcoming metrorail line.  Add to this potentail gambling facilities at Calder and we may have a mini tourist district developing.

[Urban_Legend]

I would hope that there would be convenient connectivity with MetroRail at this stadium project.  I like the idea of that condo/retail/hotel place.  Anything is better than all that parking lot.

[Aessotariq]

It would be nice to see something that gets used even when there are no games playing. And that corridor is just begging to be developed with something useful.

I'm on the lookout for renderings, and I shall post them as soon as I find them.

The Metrorail issue all depends which side they put the track on: west of 27th, east of it, or in the median. If they place it on the east side, the track will be on the same side as the stadium and Calder.

I wonder how that affects people who do tailgating parties in the parking lot...

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Tue, Jan. 11, 2005

FLORIDA ECONOMY
Biotech campus facing protests

The proposed site for the Scripps Research Institute has drawn the ire of environmentalists, raising speculation that Miami-Dade and Broward counties still have a shot at landing the complex.

BY GREGG FIELDS
gfields@herald.com

Florida's largest economic recruitment effort ever is running afoul of environmental concerns, prompting Miami-Dade and Broward leaders to consider whether they could potentially lure one of the world's leading biotech research institutions from Palm Beach County.

Several lawsuits have been filed over the proposed Scripps Research Institute site on sensitive land in northwestern Palm Beach County. Furthermore, development officials have asked for permission to use a small corridor of a wildlife management preserve, creating yet another avenue for challengers.

''As a result, we had to delay the start of construction,'' said Bevin Beaudet, project manager for Scripps in Palm Beach County. Groundbreaking was originally scheduled for this month, but ``it's likely to take some time to sort it out.''

The controversy has become so contentious that some environmentalists were arrested last week. Before police arrived, the protesters dumped rotten oranges and sand in the offices of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, then chained themselves to a stairwell.

While no one is suggesting the venture will bolt Palm Beach County, the possibility is being discussed by economic leaders across the state.

''Our hope is they're able to work it out,'' said Frank Nero, head of the Beacon Council, Miami-Dade's economic development agency. ``If for whatever reason it can't go there, we will make a pitch for it.''

San Diego-based Scripps was lured to expand to Florida in 2003 by Gov. Jeb Bush. It is the world's largest private, nonprofit biomedical research facility, with more than one million square feet of space. Scripps and other institutions have fostered a huge biotech research business in the San Diego area.

Scripps' move to South Florida, widely praised by economic and education leaders, has been compared to the arrival of Henry Flagler's railroad or the construction of Disney World.

But it came at a steep price: $310 million in state incentives, the biggest such package in Florida history. Palm Beach County has offered roughly $200 million in assistance.

Eventually, Scripps plans to locate 575 scientists in a 360,000-square-foot complex. But state officials, in a nod to San Diego's biotech cluster, believe spinoffs and companies moving closer to Scripps would directly create 6,500 jobs, and perhaps tens of thousands more as a cluster of biotech companies is created.

Furthermore, they're the kind of high-paying, high-skilled jobs that could power the Florida economy in the decades ahead, state officials have said.

The problem is that the proposed Scripps campus -- 1,900 acres known as Mecca Farms that Palm Beach County purchased for $60 million late last year -- is next to sensitive wetlands.

So while Scripps' approvals have flown through local government, the final go-ahead may come from courtroom decisions that could be years away.

''They're building a city in what was a rural area,'' said Janet Bowman, attorney for 1000 Friends of Florida, an environmental group challenging the plan. ``It's the build-out of an area that was supposed to be a western preserve.''

Mecca Farms is adjacent to the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been asked to transfer easements on 30 acres to Palm Beach County.

The service has asked for public comment about the idea. Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife, said the agency's regional director could ultimately find no significant impact from the easement transfer. But a finding of significant impact ''would add a fairly substantial length of time to the process,'' he said.

To keep the project moving forward, Palm Beach has identified alternative sites, including one next to the Jupiter campus of Florida Atlantic University. Scripps is currently moving into temporary quarters on the campus, and FAU is investigating building a second structure Scripps could use temporarily.

''Wherever they go, we're in a position to be their partner,'' said FAU President Frank Brogan, who was lieutenant governor when Scripps was first being courted.

Brogan believes Palm Beach County is unlikely to lose Scripps.

Scripps officials, who couldn't be reached Monday, have veto power over any site.

In the interim, both Miami-Dade and Broward are developing proposals that could keep Scripps in South Florida should it decide Palm Beach County won't work out.

Both face challenges.

Miami-Dade, for instance, can't provide the 1,200 acres of virgin land Scripps prefers. ''They would have to change conceptually, to a vertical campus,'' Nero said.

But he added that Miami has a deep pool of talent to draw on, with both the University of Miami and Florida International University and numerous biomedical firms like IVAX and Cordis.

That sentiment was echoed by UM President Donna Shalala.

''If the governor decided to put it up for bid again, we'd be in an excellent position,'' she said. ``We have land with no environmental problems and could put up buildings for their needs very quickly.''

UM already has a 350,000-square-foot research center under construction and will break ground on a 200,000-square-foot ''wet lab'' later this year. A wet lab is one that allows broad forms of scientific research.

Broward, too, has followed the Scripps saga and is willing to compete for it should Palm Beach County not work out.

''I believe we have the opportunity to do something with Nova Southeastern if it comes to that,'' said JT Tarlton, head of the Broward Alliance, the development agency for metropolitan Fort Lauderdale.

Noting that other Florida cities are sure to show interest, he added: ``Our goal is to make sure it stays in South Florida.''

Link to article

Edited by tivo, 11 January 2005 - 07:39 PM.

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Tue, Jan. 11, 2005

LIBERTY CITY
County leaders, public housing tenants break ground on new homes

BY ANDREA ROBINSON
arobinson@herald.com

Mattie Lawton, slowed by arthritic knees that forced her to stop working, practically skipped up the steps of the stage in a Liberty City lot where public housing tenants and county leaders marked the construction of long-awaited homes.

Then Lawton, 62, a public housing veteran, took the microphone.

''I never thought anything like this would happen,'' she said, pumping her hands to the sky. She could barely contain her glee. ''Thank God, I'm going to get me a house.'' The small crowd burst into applause.

Almost six years after unveiling a grand scheme to remake the James E. Scott and Carver housing projects, Miami-Dade leaders and new homeowners put shovels into the soil Monday to mark the first phase of construction -- and a dramatic makeover for a storied section of Liberty City.

The HOPE VI program -- Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere -- aims to radically change the area. The large, barracks-style buildings that dominated Northwest 22nd Avenue for more than 50 years will be replaced with a mixed-income village of more than 400 single-family homes, small cluster apartments and townhomes for sale and lease.

The Miami-Dade Housing Agency earmarked 160 of the units for public housing -- double the original plan.

Service amenities such as child care also are expected to come.

The redevelopment project will cost an estimated $106 million, a mix of federal, local and private dollars.

Activists have claimed the lower-density development, financed partly by a $35 million federal grant, would displace tenants who relocated after the 759 apartments were demolished. Critics say HOPE VI displaces the poor and worsens already chronic shortages of affordable housing.

Federal and local housing officials see the project as the answer to years of deterioration, overcrowding, crime and poverty in public housing.

Miami-Dade officials endured more than two years of protests and a failed legal challenge by former tenants before the groundbreaking ceremony.

None of the discord was evident Monday afternoon.

The first five homes in the new project will be built by Habitat for Humanity. Miami-Dade housing officials say those houses will be completed in three months.

The first house -- a four-bedroom, two-bath model -- will go to Lawton, a great-grandmother and soon to be first-time homeowner. She cares for a granddaughter, Tatiana, 13, and three great-grandchildren, ages 4, 2 and 18 months.

The four children were at the groundbreaking, as were other relatives -- a personal cheering section.

When Lawton was introduced, her daughter, Mamie Stanley, and sister, Joyce Arrieta, leaped from their seats.

''She's been praying for this and I was praying with her,'' said Stanley, a minister. ``We all been praying for a long time.''

Al Brewster, the housing agency director, said the county was committed to ensuring that public housing tenants will benefit from the changes.

County Commissioner Dorrin Rolle, who took the bulk of the criticism, was nearly as giddy as Lawton and other prospective owners. He acknowledged some of activists who attended the ceremony and said he understood their points of view.

''I'm happy to see [them],'' Rolle said. 'These are the folks who threw so many javelins at my back. They knew the projects had to come down. Their concern was, `What are you coming back with?' ''

Link to article

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Sun, Jan. 09, 2005

MORNINGSIDE
Residents to battle another condo project

Morningside homeowners, irked by what they say is overdevelopment, have begun mounting another challenge against a condo project.

BY DAVID OVALLE
dovalle@herald.com

In another battle against what they say are undesirable developments in the Upper Eastside, residents of the Morningside neighborhood are appealing the approval of two condo towers on Biscayne Boulevard.

This time, residents have asked the Miami City Commission to deny construction of two eight-story towers at 5301 and 5501 Biscayne Blvd. The development was approved by the city's zoning board in mid-December.

But residents say the buildings are out-of-scale and will dwarf the adjacent Morningside historic neighborhood.

The towers will be ''right up against the property line,'' said Andrew Dickman, an attorney hired by Morningside residents. ``If you're in the backyard of your single-family home in Morningside, you're going to be staring at a wall.''

The project's architect, Bernard Zyscovich, dismissed the criticism, saying the project was well within the zoning guidelines passed by the city last year that limited residential buildings to eight stories.

He said the towers made sense in an area of the city undergoing sweeping revitalization and that ``has this beautiful jewel of a street which was the original main boulevard of the city.''

''This will become a very alive district, where people can stroll and go and enjoy life without having to get into their car,'' Zyscovich said.

The two towers would feature retail on the bottom floors and 105 residential units in total. The appeal will go before the City Commission on Feb. 24.

Some residents in the Morningside neighborhood have been the most vocal against some developments going up in the Upper Eastside.

In December, they convinced the City Commission to send another Zyscovich project -- two towers on 51st and 53rd streets -- back to the drawing board to revise plans, including deepening the underground parking garage.

Last year, many Morningside residents also bitterly opposed approval of Kubik, a two-tower condo building on Biscayne Boulevard near Northeast 55th Street.

Kubik was eventually approved by the City Commission, but residents have since sued. They presented their argument in front of a three-judge appellate panel in December and are awaiting a response.

Link to article

[Aessotariq]

Proposal dies for $400 million bond issue for new Broward buildings

By Scott Wyman
Staff Writer
Posted January 11 2005

A proposal to ask voters this spring to approve a $400 million bond issue to build a high-rise government center, new fire stations and a shelter for the treatment of the mentally ill has died because of a lack of support.

Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom floated the idea late last year when the county began planning for a special election for March on whether to allow slot machines at racetracks and jai-alai frontons. County staff and the Sheriff's Office then began drawing up preliminary details of a bond issue.

Rodstrom said he decided last week not to pursue the item because of a lack of interest from other officials. He thought the timing was ripe after voters in the county backed a series of other bond issues for fire protection and parks.

"It seemed made to order," Rodstrom said. "We were having a special election, and I thought there were some needs out there to be met, particularly when you consider voters have been in a generous mood lately."

The cornerstone of the bond issue proposal was money to build a county government center in downtown Fort Lauderdale to replace the current headquarters in an old Burdines department store. Officials have been exploring ways to seek private investment to pay for the construction by allowing condos, offices and businesses to be built as part of the project.

While Rodstrom has questioned if such a public-private partnership is workable, other officials think it is and want to continue to pursue it rather than ask the public to finance the entire cost of the building. County officials have operated for two decades out of the Burdines building but think they do not have enough space and are handicapped by antiquated electrical and telecommunications wiring.

Other aspects of the bond issue were to be new fire stations, a mental health building, a centralized booking center for the jail system and a law enforcement training center.

Link to article

[Brickell]

wow, now they're complaining about 8 story towers?

[Aessotariq]

seems to get worse every minute...

"Want some cheese with that whine?"

[streetscaper]

yeah...broward needs to get they're act together...I think a new mayor would do them some good!!

[Aessotariq]

The comments were about Morningside, a northeast Miami neighborhood near NE 54th Street and Biscayne Blvd. They've been very opposed to projects along Biscayne Blvd.

On the Broward article: Broward doesn't have a "mayor" in the same sense that Miami-Dade County does. They have a figurehead leader they call mayor that's actually the chairperson of the County Commission. The Commission selects a commissioner to serve as "mayor" and "vice-mayor" for a one-year term. Not really a strong role. The county electorate would have to amend the County Charter to create an executive mayor position, but that would look too much like Dade County, so they won't do it.

Edited by tivo, 11 January 2005 - 10:36 PM.

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Wed, Jan. 12, 2005

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Talks may bring vote on slot machines

County officials are negotiating with lobbyists on slot machine gambling at jai-alai and dog and horse tracks, pending voter approval.

By NOAH BIERMAN
nbierman@herald.com

Voters in Miami-Dade County may decide in March whether to legalize slot machine gambling at the dog track, the jai-alai fronton and the horse track.

Gambling industry officials have been meeting with Miami-Dade lawyers and administrators to hammer out a deal similar to the one Broward County commissioners are considering, meaning both counties could hold a special March 8 election on the issue.

Together, the two counties have seven parimutuel sites -- three in Miami-Dade, four in Broward.

''We're making progress. We're not done,'' said lobbyist Ron Book, representing the parimutuel industry. ``We've got a lot of work to do.''

Book said he planned on speaking with county negotiators throughout the evening Tuesday. Any proposal needs county commission approval before it goes on the ballot.

Miami-Dade's special election would cost about $3 million. Gambling industry negotiators have offered to help pay that cost, Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez said. Book said some form of payment is part of the negotiations.

But the industry cannot pay for an election directly. Instead, it can pay the county to offset expenses related to gambling, such as increased security needs.

In November, voters passed a statewide constitutional amendment that allows the two counties to have slot machine gambling at parimutuels, if their voters approve.

Since then, gambling lobbyists have worked hard to move the issue forward so they can begin earning an estimated $200 a day on each of thousands of machines. By holding both elections on the same date, they could save money on advertising to voters.

''They will start generating revenue right away. The sooner they pass this, the sooner they start operating,'' said Commissioner Bruno Barriero, the major gambling supporter on the Miami-Dade commission who has been meeting with Book.

Broward's four parimutuels estimate they can hold 10,000 slot machines; Miami-Dade's three venues can hold an estimated 6,500 slots.

Martinez will make a key decision today after learning details of the county's negotiations with the parimutuels: whether to put it on next week's county commission agenda, a necessity if the commissioners want to meet the deadlines to hold a March special election.

PUBLIC DISCUSSION

He said he still wants to know more, but is likely to agree to put it on the Jan. 20 agenda so commissioners can at least discuss it in public.

Martinez did say he would ``support wholeheartedly getting some contribution from the industry on this issue.''

Broward commissioners discussed the issue at their meeting Tuesday. They decided to defer a decision, to work out a few issues with the gambling industry, but they are likely to put it on the ballot. Only one Broward commissioner opposes slot machine gambling.

In Broward, the county government expects to collect about $10 million a year from the industry, based on a payout of between 1 percent and 1.5 payout on the profits. Individual cities will also collect money.

In Miami-Dade, Calder Race Course is located within the city of Miami Gardens, while Miami Jai-Alai and the Flagler Dog Track are in Miami's city limits.

Barreiro said Miami-Dade would get ''something similar to what Broward County has'' negotiated.

Book said he has yet to work out a deal in Miami-Dade, but is working feverishly with officials in the county and both affected cities. He said the counties will not have exactly the same deal because Broward County officials have been more concerned with getting a larger share of proceeds for city governments while Miami-Dade negotiators want more money for the county. Broward also has more potential slots.

County Manager George Burgess said he does not expect Miami-Dade County to take a larger share of the profits from its cities than Broward County.

Book said at least 30 percent of the profits -- about $300 million a year -- would go to state public schools.

FOES OF GAMBLING

Anti-gambling activists say they fear that county commissioners in both Broward and Miami-Dade are rushing the issue to a vote before the Legislature meets this spring. Lawmakers are charged with establishing the ground rules for the slot machines.

''They're asking voters to go vote on something that has a serious impact on their community and they won't have all the information to make an informed decision,'' said Paul Seago, a spokesman for the anti-gambling group No Casinos. ``Slot machines and casino are the wrong economic and social policy for the state of Florida.''

Though parimutuels would probably invest heavily in a special vote, they may face opposition from existing gambling operations -- Indian casinos, gambling boats, Bahamas resorts -- seeing parimutuels as competition.

Herald staff writers Erika Bolstad and Tere Figueras Negrete contributed to this report.

Link to article

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Wed, Jan. 12, 2004

(BROWARD) COUNTY COMMISSION DEBATE
Slots voting decision delayed

A vote on whether to allow slot machines inches closer to the ballot in both Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

BY ERIKA BOLSTAD
ebolstad@herald.com

A deal that could expand gambling and bring slot machines to South Florida racetracks and jai-alai frontons went back to the negotiating table Tuesday after Broward County commissioners publicly haggled with gambling lobbyists.

The commissioners, balking over how much money the county and three cities should receive from the slot machines at four Broward parimutuels, made four key demands they want met before they agree to a special election March 8.

But they held off officially approving the election Tuesday, saying it is the only leverage they have with the slots advocates who want the issue on the ballot.

''We can't let this go out of here and go to the ballot unless we have an agreement,'' said County Commissioner Jim Scott.

But he and the rest of the commission -- with the exception of Mayor Kristin Jacobs -- also signaled that if their demands are met, they'll approve the ballot proposal next week and send the issue to voters.

In November, Florida voters amended the state Constitution to allow Broward and Miami-Dade residents to vote whether they want slot machines at parimutuel facilities in the two counties.

Miami-Dade commissioners also are negotiating with gambling interests, albeit less publicly. They're expected to vote on the issue Jan. 20.

''They will start generating revenue right away. The sooner they pass this, the sooner they start operating,'' said Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barriero, the major gambling supporter on the Miami-Dade commission.

Broward's four parimutuel venues estimate they can accommodate 10,000 slot machines; Miami-Dade's three venues can hold an estimated 6,500 slots.

Pro-gambling lobbyists claim that many machines could could bring as much as $500 million a year to Florida schools.

''The health of a community depends on its education system,'' said Jim Horne, the former education commissioner who is serving as a spokesman for the gambling initiative. ``I think we all recognize how important education is to the health of our economy.''

In Broward, county leaders will be negotiating four issues over the next week:

• The exact percentage of money the county will receive. Broward County wants 1.5 percent of the revenue from each slot machine, calculated after winnings are paid out. That could be as much as $10 million a year, based on a calculation of $200 a day per machine.

• How much the cities of Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach and Pompano Beach will reap from their separate agreements. The cities are expected to get 2 percent of the proceeds from every machine within their borders.

• Whether the county can get the parimutuels to pay the $2.5 million cost of the special election.

• A ''me-too'' clause that gives Broward County a deal equal to whatever their counterparts in Miami-Dade negotiate.

Anti-gambling activists say they fear that commissioners in both counties are rushing the issue to a vote before the Legislature meets this spring.

Lawmakers are charged with establishing the ground rules for the slot machines, including the hours of operation, the level of taxation and how many can be in play.

''They're asking voters to go vote on something that has a serious impact on their community and they won't have all the information to make an informed decision,'' said Paul Seago, a spokesman for the anti-gambling group No Casinos. ``Slot machines and casinos are the wrong economic and social policy for the state of Florida.''

Although the March 8 vote isn't a sure bet, activists on both sides are lining up campaigns. A coalition of religious leaders, mayors and animal rights activists is already beginning to mount a campaign against slot expansion.

But anti-gambling activists, who held a small rally outside the governmental center Tuesday morning, were vastly outnumbered by people who back slot machines. More than 250 people showed up wearing red ''Yes for Better Schools and Jobs'' T-shirts.

Herald staff writers Evan S. Benn and Noah Bierman contributed to this report.

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Edited by tivo, 12 January 2005 - 10:49 AM.

[Aessotariq]

$15 billion of housing planned in Miami

By Yeleny Suarez
Miami Today

   With an unprecedented 209 mixed-use developments to house 58,317 residential units planned in Miami at a projected construction cost of more than $15 billion, city officials say the urban building boom shows no sign of slowing.
   Of the projects, 32 have been finished at a cost of $1.9 billion, and 31, for $3.6 billion, are rising now, officials say.
   Another 59 projects at costs of $7.3 billion have been approved; 21, for $1.9 billion, are in the application phase; and 66, at $376 million, are in preliminary phases.
   "Because Miami is an international market, it is very difficult to forecast when and how the market will slow down," said Luciana Lamardo-Gonzalez, city special projects coordinator. "Other municipalities like Chicago have already started to see a slowdown. However, at this time, Miami has shown no signs" of one.
   Veteran real estate consultant Michael Cannon of Integra Realty said he is unsure of Miami's future market demand. "There is so much money fueling the market, I can't predict where it's going," he said. "It's going to be interesting to see what is going to happen this year."
   The 209 developments do not include tens of thousands of housing units rising or planned elsewhere in mushrooming Miami-Dade County.
   Only five mixed-use residential projects in the city have been cancelled.
   "Projects can be cancelled for any multitude of reasons, and if so, it is done by the applicant, not the city," said Kevin Walford of the city's planning department. "Projects that come for preliminary review once or twice and are never heard of again can be considered cancelled."
   Downtown's future looks promising, with 72 projects totaling 32,732 units at an estimated construction cost of $10 billion. The next-largest clusters are in Wynwood and Edgewater, with 7,240 units in 40 projects at $1.8 billion, and Coral Way, with 23 projects totaling 2,999 units at a projected cost of $277 million.
   Seventeen projects are planned for Little Havana, with 2,596 units ($199 million); 12 for Allapattah with 3,238 units ($529 million); 11 each for northeast Miami and the upper east side, 3,053 units ($840 million); eight for West Little Havana, 2,078 units ($247 million); six for Flagami, 3,258 units ($249 million); five for Overtown, 765 units ($66 million); two for Little Haiti, 182 units ($20 million); and one for southwest Coconut Grove and Model City, 176 units ($47 million).
   Ms. Lamardo-Gonz·lez said the city can't control when projects are built.
   "The majority of the projects approved or seeking approval should be built within the next six years because approvals for projects last two years" and extensions expire at six years, she said.
   The city commission must approve permits for projects of 200 or more units. The projects are reviewed for such things as design, historic preservation and urban development, zoning and planning before commissioners vote.
   "The true test will come when the current projects that are currently under construction come into the market," Ms. Lamardo-Gonz·lez said. "Then we will have a better idea of how deep the market has been tapped."

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