Thread by @grantstern

*** THREAD ***

I would like to say something about the #Miami MLS proposal.

Firstly, forget the merits, there's a big problem.

The process.

I do not trust it.

Residents must make a final decision on a complex multi-million dollar real estate transaction.

1/

Thus far, the @MiamiHerald's @joeflech was stonewalled when requesting the public records to report on it during the last month.

The vote is Thursday.

Then it goes to a referendum where competing groups will dump millions of dollars into lobbying a plan nobody has seen yet.

2/

Residents of @CityofMiami have seen the failure of the backwards approach to business time & time again.

Not just from failed developments.

But from MLS very specifically, who has already announced another stadium deal with the City of Miami in 2015

3/

cbssports.com/general/news/b…

If the Beckham/Mas/Claure group is serious about working with the community to allow for a fair and independent evaluation of their plan.

Then they can create a transparent website that the public can access, and deliver that plan to the city as a public record.

4/

Sending the entire issue to a referendum this Thursday without any time for the public to vet the plan and the details is not fair to residents who deserve the time to evaluate such a consequential decision.

Melreese is one of the city's largest real estate assets.

5/

Three months is a minimal amount of time to vet such a large transaction, let alone to disseminate the details of the plan in such a way that an informed electorate can make a decision.

None of this factors in the merits of the plan, who these people are and the central...

6/

Role in Miami that they will play after the City sells them such a high profile piece of the city's property right in the heart of town.

It doesn't take into consideration any covenants that the City can or should place on the deal either.

Because we don't know anything.

7/

The City of Miami has a rare opportunity to control the destiny of a central district and that should be considered carefully with full input by the community.

That simply cannot happen in a few months when all that has been submitted is pretty pictures.

Not a full plan.

8/

Parcel B is a prime example of why this must be done carefully.

Miami-Dade County still doesn't let the public use that waterfront public space even though it has accommodated auto racing.

Whatever agreements were there, were weak.

9/

Jungle Island
Watson Island
Marlins Park

All land deals that have been bad for the city.

Look at the Boat Show: it's a traffic nightmare and they chopped down endangered mangroves to hold the event.

The Miami Marine Stadium is still closed.

10/

Watson Island has a sweetheart lease.

The City Attorney shanked residents fighting the deal along with the City Commission she was supposed to represent.

All that's there is a mega-yacht marina which is profitable to a foreign investor given 10+ years of special help.

11/

Marlins Park?

Do I need to elaborate beyond those two words to invoke the horror of that deal, which Melreese opposer @Manny_A_Diaz made happen?

That deal had a ton of problems.

When the city waived competitive bidding, we got screwed.

12/

Jungle Island is losing money for the owners and the city.

Now they want to upzone the heck out of the island, against ALL covenants and agreements they ever made to get a generous deal.

Again, why couldn't the city have kept THAT as a public space?

13/

So, there is ample room to call the @CityofMiami's history of real estate deals to be less than stellar.

#Miami's public needs time to thoroughly review the MLS proposal for Melreese before it is set for a referendum.

If it is such a great deal, why hide it for months?

14/

Here are the public records about the #MiamiMLS plan

miami.nextrequest.com/requests/18-10…

15/

Here's another set of public records related to the #MiamiMLS plan

miami.nextrequest.com/requests/18-684