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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 2018-07-12 Minutes (Revised)City of Miami City Hall 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, FL 33133 www.miamigov.com "'s O 10 / 7f * INCOAP 0AAIE0 , � 18p96 R / Meeting Minutes Thursday, July 12, 2018 9:00 AM Regular City Hall City Commission Francis Suarez, Mayor Keon Hardemon, Chair Ken Russell, Vice Chair Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner, District One Joe Carollo, Commissioner, District Three Manolo Reyes, Commissioner, District Four Emilio T. Gonzalez, City Manager Victoria Mendez, City Attorney Todd B. Hannon, City Clerk City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 9:00 AM INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Present: Chair Hardemon, Vice Chair Russell, Commissioner Gort, Commissioner Carollo and Commissioner Reyes. On the 12th day of July 2018, the City Commission of the City of Miami, Florida, met at its regular meeting place in City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida, in regular session. The Commission Meeting was called to order by Chair Hardemon at 9:20 a.m., recessed at 11:22 a.m., reconvened at 2:11 p.m., recessed at 5:46 p.m., reconvened at 6:05 p.m., and adjourned at 10:44 p.m. Note for the Record. Vice Chair Russell entered the Commission chambers at 9:21 a.m., Commissioner Reyes entered the Commission chambers at 9:22 a.m., and Commissioner Carollo entered the Commission chambers at 9:34 a.m. ALSO PRESENT. Emilio T. Gonzalez, Ph.D., City Manager Victoria Mendez, City Attorney Todd R Hannon, City Clerk Chair Hardemon: Welcome to the July 12, 2018 meeting of the City of Miami City Commission in these historic chambers. The members of the City Commission are Wifredo Gort, Joe Carollo, Manolo Reyes; Ken Russell, the Vice Chair; and me, Keon Hardemon, the Chair. Also on the dais are Emilio T. Gonzalez, our City Manager; Victoria Mendez, the City Attorney; and Todd Hannon, our City Clerk. The meeting will be opened with a prayer by Commissioner Gort, and I will lead the pledge of allegiance. All rise. Commissioner Gort: Good morning. Invocation and pledge of allegiance delivered. PART A - NON -PLANNING AND ZONING ITEM(S) AM - APPROVING THE MINUTES OF THE FOLLOWING MEETINGS: AM.1 City Commission - Regular Meeting - May 10, 2018 9:00 AM MOTION TO: Approve RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair SECONDER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Reyes ABSENT: Carollo Chair Hardemon: Is there a mo --? Well, is there a motion to approve the City Commission meeting minutes of May 10, 2018? Vice Chair Russell: I will move that. Chair Hardemon: It's properly moved; seconded by Commissioner Reyes. Chair Hardemon: All in favor of the motion, say "aye. " City of Miami Page I Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 ORDER OF THE DAY The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: All against? That motion carries. Chair Hardemon: Do we have any proclamations? Any proclamations? Vice Chair Russell: Nope. Chair Hardemon: So there aren't any proclamations today. So we will begin the regular meeting. The City Attorney will state the procedures to be followed during this meeting. Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): Any person who is a lobbyist, including all paid persons or firms retained by a principal to advocate for a particular decision by the City Commission, must register with the City Clerk and comply with the related City requirements for lobbyists before appearing before the City Commission. A person may not lobby a City o ficial, board member, or staff member until registering. A copy of the Code section about lobbyists is available in the City Clerk's Oj ce or online on wwwmunicode.com [sic]. Any person making a presentation, formal request, or petition to the City Commission concerning real property must make the appropriate disclosures required by the City Code in writing. A copy of this Code section is available in the City Clerk's Office or online at wwwmunicode.com [sic]. The material for each item on the agenda today is available during business hours at the City Clerk's Office and online 24 hours a day at wwwmiamigov.com [sic]. Any person may be heard by the City Commission through the Chair for not more than two minutes on any proposition before the City Commission, unless modified by the Chair. If the proposition is being continued or rescheduled, the opportunity to be heard may be at such later date before the City Commission takes action on such proposition. The Chairman will advise the public when the public may have the opportunity to address the City Commission during the public comment period. When addressing the City Commission, the member of the public may first state his or her name, his or her address, and what item will be spoken about. A copy of the agenda item titles will be available at the City Clerk's Office and at the podium for your ease of reference. Anyone wishing to appeal any decision made by the City Commission for any matter considered at this meeting may need a verbatim record of the item. A video of this meeting may be requested at the Office of Communications or viewed online at wwwmiamigov.com [sic]. No cell phones or other noise -making devices are permitted in Commission chambers; please silence those devices now. No clapping, applauding, heckling, or verbal outburst in support or opposition to a speaker or his or her remarks shall be permitted. Any person making offensive remarks or who becomes unruly in Commission chambers will be barred from further attending Commission meetings and may be subject to arrest. No signs or placards shall be allowed in Commission chambers. Any person with a disability requiring assistance, auxiliary aids and services for this meeting may notes the City Clerk. The lunch recess will begin at the conclusion of the deliberation of the agenda item being considered at noon. The meeting will end either at the conclusion of the deliberation of the agenda item being considered at 10 p.m. or at the conclusion of the regularly scheduled agenda, whichever occurs first. Please note, Commissioners have generally been briefed by City staff and the City Attorney on the items on the agenda today. At this time, the Administration will announce which items, if any, are being withdrawn, deferred, or substituted. Thank you. City of Miami Page 2 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Mr. Manager, if you can name the action -- I'm sorry -- the item first and then the action that you're asking for second? Emilio T. Gonzalez (City Manager): Yes, sir. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, Commissioners, Madam City Attorney, and Mr. City Clerk. At this time, the Administration would like to defer and/or withdraw the following items: PH.7 is being deferred to September 13; RE.2 is being withdrawn; RE.3 is being withdrawn. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Oh, RE.2 and RE.3. Got it. Mr. Gonzalez: Yes, sir, RE. 2 and RE. 3. Chair Hardemon: Are there any other items that need to be deferred, withdrawn, continued that the Commissioners know of? Seeing none, is there a motion to -- in accordance with what the Manager stated? Vice Chair Russell: I'll move it. Commissioner Gort: Second. Chair Hardemon: It's been properly moved and seconded. You're recognized, sir. Unidentified Speaker: Chair (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much, sir. No problem. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor of the motion, say "aye." The Commission (Collectively): Aye Chair Hardemon: All against? That motion carries. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR REGULAR ITEM(S) Chair Hardemon: There aren't any personal appearances that are scheduled for the morning. And so, what I'll do at this time, we have our morning agenda. I want to be very clear. This is going to be the opportunity for public comment on the morning agenda. The morning agenda is -- are the items that do not include the Planning & Zoning items. However, they also do not include PA.1, RE. 9, or RE. 10. So if you're here to speak on anything related to soccer, it is not the time to do so. The time to make your public comment relating to soccer is at 2 o'clock, the time certain for the soccer item to be heard. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to open the floor for public comment regarding the rest of the agenda, not including anything involving soccer. I am going to be strict to this rule, so if you start to comment about soccer or anything related to soccer, I'm going to stop you, because this is not the time to do it. Vice Chair Russell: How about go f? Chair Hardemon: So -- and also, I'll be a stickler to the two -minute rule regarding the issue. So I look forward to everyone's public comment regarding other issues that are not involving the 2 o'clock time certains or the PZ (Planning & Zoning) agenda. You're recognized, sir. The -- Robert Kunst: Can you hear me now? Okay. Chair Hardemon: Yes. City of Miami Page 3 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Kunst: My name is Bob Kunst, native from Miami Beach, homeowner on Miami Beach. I'm here to ask you to reconsider an issue that came out recently, which was an invitation to the Democratic Party Convention to be here in 2020, and I want to re -- urge you not to accept this invitation and to turn it down. Dr. Allan Rockway and I were key factors. We were front page Miami Herald at the '72 Conventions in Miami Beach. We were very much part of the anti -war movement. My mother, myself, thousands of people got teargassed, and we were trying to do the right thing. We had signs everywhere, "Welcome to the delegates and non -delegates to the City of Love, Peace, and Happiness. " That crowd went crazy, and that crowd is not as dangerous as what we're witnessing today. This group out there today is unbelievably violent, negative, and I could just give you one example we had. June 23, Homestead shelter -- there are three people here that were with us -- we were there protesting the fact that the Democrats were equating the holocaust and Auschwitz, and exploiting kids in order to get votes with the shelter down there. Here are kids getting three meals a day and playing soccer; but they're equating the holocaust and extermination camps with this madness? We go down there. We have a peaceful protest. 500 people show up to -- descended on us, calling us Nazis. We were there with two police. We almost got our heads beaten in. The only thing that saved us was a rainstorm and a thunderstorm right on the spot. A week later; I'm at the Democratic State Convention with the same message. 10 Hollywood policemen had to surround me to prevent me from being attacked by 250 demonstrators with the same game plan. I know the Democrats want to win the State of Florida, and they think this is the way to do it, but I'm telling you right now, of the 18 cities that did conventions, nobody made money, and now we're sitting in a situation where the danger is extreme. We don't need riots here, and the money that you're going to -- Chair Hardemon: Your time expired. Mr. Kunst: --spend could go to a million differentprojects of everyone's -- Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Your time has expired. Mr. Kunst: Okay. Thank you very much. Chair Hardemon: Have a wonderful day. So, if you're here for public comment, now is your time to approach the lectern. So approach one of the two lecterns regarding this, the way that I explained it just earlier. Is there anyone else that wants to speak on any other item, besides the PZ item and the soccer items? Hello, Ms. Betancourt. Brenda Betancourt: Good morning. Brenda Betancourt, 1436 Southwest 6th Street, Miami, Florida 33135. Today is just in reference of the Fourth of July celebration that we enjoy. I want to actually thank Commissioner Joe Carollo and our Mayor; Francis Suarez, for those event, and we hope to see more movement. But I have a question for you guys. The Code Enforcement has been changed in different ways, and I just would like to know if the Code Enforcement that we have right now, we have a new service 24 hours a day. James is doing an amazing job, and people complaining because he's doing his job, but I want to know, are you guys going to let him actually enforce the law and not going to interfere, because he's a friend of a Commissioner or the Mayor (UNINTELLIGIBLE) get fined, or they will be -- remove anything that they have in their property if they are breaking the law? That's my question to you guys. Because the same way that the Code Enforcement go and put fines to seniors who has houses with efficiencies that back years -- 25 years ago, it did not require to get permit, and now they are suffering all these fines. It should be the same for everybody; those who are friends with the City officials and the regular citizen. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thank you. Is there anyone else? City of Miami Page 4 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Nathaniel Robinson: Good morning. My name is Reverend Nathaniel Robinson, III. I'm senior pastor of Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in West Coconut Grove. I'm here today because of the shotgun home preservation. I want to share with you all that the word "shotgun " is -- comes from a word from our African ancestors that went to the Bahamas and eventually arrived here. It comes from the word "Shogon. " And "Shogon" means, "The House of God. " And before there was any temple, before there was any church, before there was any house of worship, people worshipped God in their homes. And so, the shogon homes, or the shotgun homes, that we have in our City represented a family, it represented the center of our community, and it represented the place where God resided. And so, we need to preserve this heritage. Historical preservation is a biblical concept. If you look in the book of Kings, it's a man by the name of Nabat, and King Ahab came to him and said, `I want to buy your property. In fact, I'll sell it to you, or I'll give you abetter piece. " And he says, `I can't give it to you, because this property was" -- `I inherited this from my ancestors. " And so, what we're saying today is that we need to preserve these properties, these shogon homes, because if you take away our homes, then you take away our souls. So please, we ask that you vote favorably for preserving the shotgun homes. Thank you. Jose Antonio Lopez: My name is Jose Antonio Lopez. I am president of the organization, United to Save America. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- and I see in the agenda, they talk about housing opportunity, H -U -D, HUD (Housing and Urban Development). My complaint is about the abuse they have in the Miami -Dade Housing with the elderly people, where they was abused verbally, discrimination, and harassment, false accusation. I accuse to the Mayor; Carlos Gimenez, Michael Liu, Director of Miami -Dade Housing; Yvette (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Administrator of the Robert King High, 800 Building -- 700 Building and Modified Villas. I give it personally to the Carlos Gimenez a video, where they attack the lady sit here in wheelchair; where they told in front of one person of the office, "Get out that chair to fight. " And they told about the religion. It's the religion of the Bible. This, we can't accept that discrimination; yet, two days ago, they attack me in front of one police, and they have to call the rescue. And they attack me with a cane, but if they have a knife or machete or something, I'll be dead. Many Commissioner -- I write a letter to all the Commissioners, Mayors, and they don't do nothing. We're waiting. What they going to do? Till somebody be kill? You know, I'm sick. And the organization soon -- we'll go work together to make a petition to remove the Mayor or somebody (UNINTELLIGIBLE) do the job. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much, sir. Your time has expired. So I'll repeat myself again. This is the opportunity for public comment on any item, except Items PA. 1, RE. 9, RE. 10, and the PZ (Planning & Zoning) agenda. So if you're here to speak on any item besides soccer and the PZ, or the Planning & Zoning agenda, now is your opportunity to be heard. Sir, you're recognized. Charles Wellons: Good morning. My name is Charles Wellons. I'm president of the Coconut Grove Homecoming Committee. I was raised in Coconut Grove. I have a very close affinity for the culture and the history of this community, of which the so- called shotgun houses are an integral part. We need to preserve those houses, because they represent for more than just a physical structure. They represent a spirituality that has covered this community all my life, since I've been in Miami, and still does. We are -- we watched Good Bread Alley being torn down when the expressway came through. We watched other shotgun houses being torn down when Metrorail came through. So now we're faced with the fact with culture and our history may be obliterated if these shotgun houses are destroyed. So with all due respect, I would beg all of you on the dais to take heed to the thoughts and the feelings of those who were raised and nurtured in Coconut Grove and their history that is represented by those shotgun houses. I thank you all, and hopefully, you'll hear our pleas. City of Miami Page 5 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, sir. Sir, you are recognized. Thaddeus Scott: Yes. My name's Thaddeus Scott. I live at 3794 Florida Avenue, Coconut Grove, Florida; have always been -- I have always lived here. I grew up in one of those shotgun houses, and I think I'm a pretty decent citizen today, so those houses not only represent the decency of my community; those houses represent the founding people of my community. On -- they're styled after the Bahamian -style houses that were built here in Coconut Grove as the settlers came over. And if you'll go through my community now, you'll see where there is hardly -- especially with the new development -- that there is no semblance of that Bahamian heritage that was brought here by the original settlers. And it would be a crying shame for a heritage of a people, a heritage and a legacy of a community to just to be wiped off the face of the earth. So I plead with you guys today to please take in account of holding onto a legacy of the very first community here in the City of Miami. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Ma'am, you're recognized. Linda Williams: Good morning. I'm Linda Williams, 3523 Charles Avenue, here in Coconut Grove, born and reared. We're here to talk about or request from this panel the consideration of preserving the shotgun homes. This is our heritage. This is our history. It means a lot to the City of Miami. It's important that these homes be preserved; not in pictures, not in stories passed on, but by actually being preserved. It's important that we cultivate and maintain our character; our heritage, our culture; preserve it whenever we can, however we can. Other cities are doing it around us. Why not here? Coconut Grove is important to all of us. It's a staple. It represents the City of Miami. Do not forget our heritage; it's important. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Ma'am. Dorothy Wallace: Good morning. Chair Hardemon: Good morning. Ms. Wallace: I'm delighted to be here. In 1951, I moved to this beautiful community in Coconut Grove with my husband, Harvey Wallace. We was pretty well-known. And he loved the City. Oh, he really wooed me to come from Missouri to come to the -- what he called, "The Golden City, the Gate to South America. " And when I got here, I found a beautiful city lined with palm trees and also with beautiful flowers, and it was a lot of people and a lot of flourishing houses and people here. I didn't really want to stay, because I thought, really, I was out of place, but I've learned to love the place and to love the community. And I joined the oldest black church in Miami South Dade, which is Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. Not only did I join the oldest black Baptist church; I worked in the community, and my husband, Harvey Wallace, ended up buying the `Ace" movie house, which was the only black movie house that existed from Homestead to Coconut Grove, and we must preserve our community. I never can forget reading Thelma Gibson book about her home place at Evangeline Street. We must not get rid of any of those, and please keep these shotgun houses, because when you visit a town, you don't want to just see something; you want to see part of the heritage. And when I travel abroad, I always ask, "Let's go where the people were. " You go to Rome. You go to London. You go all those place. You go where the heritage is. Don't lose our heritage; preserve it. I look around now, and where have all the people gone? Chair Hardemon: Thankyou so very much, ma'am. You're recognized, sir. Anthony Witherspoon: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Anthony Witherspoon. I reside at 3629 Grand Avenue. I'm a Coconut Grove native and Executive Director of the Coconut Grove Sports Hall of Fame and President of Leadership Prep Foundation, Inc., a community non-profit organization that City of Miami Page 6 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 provides community-based educational sports, leadership, development programs, in addition to providing hospitality and culinary workforce training as an instructor with Miami Dade College. The past year have seen a great political shift to provide the necessary resources to economically revitalize the West Grove. To save our shotgun houses is another economic initiative that would blow the winds of fortune on the citizens of West Grove. Unique places with strong historic character represents a sense of place that enhances economic competitiveness, attracting residents who want to live in a distinctive neighborhood; visitors who seek interesting, vibrant places to work, shop, or spend leisure time, like the beautiful young lady just mentioned before me; and investors who view stable and unique locations as attractive opportunities for investment. The shotgun houses present this type of opportunity. With this unique historic opportunity before us, I strongly recommend your loyal community support for the "Save Our Coconut Grove Shotgun Houses" initiative. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Frank Schnidman: Yes, sir. My name is Frank Schnidman. I live at 1858 Northeast 24th Street, in Fort Lauderdale. I'm here because I represent five of the property owners who own shotgun homes or who own actually vernacular wooden homes. Three of these people have actually been providers of affordable housing for many, many years. And I'm here really to say "thank you" to the HEP (Historic & Environmental Preservation) Board and to the Commission, because though this is not an historic district designation, it is the designation of individual properties. And so, the HEP Board realized on July 3 that they really needed to actually look at each and every one of these homes, because though there is a single report for the designation, the process of the HEP Board and due process requires an evaluation of each and every one of the homes, a discussion, and a vote. And so, we are looking forward to that meeting on Monday. And I did want to say that, as you voted for the multiple property designation, you recognized the need to save 20 shotgun homes. The staff cast a very wide net; it now has 51 properties in them, a number of them built as late as the -- 1940. And so, the question really is, do they comply with the requirements? We're in favor of saving the shotgun homes that are part of the historic history of the Grove. And we need to recognize, as we will, the fact that on Monday, each and every one of the 51 will be presented, reviewed, and voted on. Thankyou very much for your time. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You're recognized, sir. Bradford Brown: Good morning. Vice Chair Russell: Good morning. Mr. Brown: -- Chair, members of the Commission. My name is Brad Brown. I'm Vice President of the Miami -Dade NAACP (National Association of and Colored People), and I speak here on behalf of our President, Ruban Roberts, who could not make it. It helps that I'm retired to make these things. The NAACP is concerned about this issue in Coconut Grove, because we're concerned about the future of Coconut Grove and its vibrant black community. We don't want to see the history that repeats itself. If we go to two of our most historic cities in this country, Philadelphia and Boston; if you go to Independence Hall and you visit those tourist areas, you're only a stone's throw away from Historic Bethel AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church, the mother church of African Methodist Episcopal denomination in America. And you recognize that this was in 1800 a vibrant, free black community, and it's not there anymore. All that is left is the church, and it's able to be survived only because of its -- in that location only because of its historic significance. If you go to Boston and watch the historic trails -- if you walk the black history trail, you'll go down behind the State House on Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill signifies old money and high society, but on that trail, you will visit the original City of Miami Page 7 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 black church, the original black school, and you realize that in the years prior to Civil Way; that was the heart of the black community that was fighting for the abolition of slavery and the right to free blacks in the State of Massachusetts. We don't want our grandchildren to come back to Coconut Grove and see a monument on a stone describing the contributions of that area to this City. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much, Mr. Brown. I'm sorry, your time has expired. Mr. Brown: (INAUDIBLE). Chair Hardemon: Mr. Brown? Mr. Brown, your time has expired. So I appreciate you coming for public comment. Mr. Brown: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) roots go real deep into Coconut Grove. And I do have in addition -- a letter that was submitted by the Black Democratic Caucus that I was handed this morning -- Chair Hardemon: Can you give it to the Clerk, please? Mr. Brown: -- on this issue that I will hand to them for you to have. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, sir. Mr. Brown: And I commend you for moving forward on this historic area. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Mr. Brown: Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Ma'am, you're recognized. Jacqueline Rose: My name is Jacqueline Rose. I moved to Miami when I was 12 years old. I went to junior high, Ada Merritt, Miami High, and University of Miami. I'm here because of the impact of the designation process, which has caused me a lot of anxiety and frustration. I've come to many of the meetings, even though it's difficult; I'm 85 years old. I own property at 2000 South Bayshore Drive. I love Coconut Grove. The property I bought was as an investment; to buy it and sell it to a builder. This building that I bought, I've had it inspected. It was built in 1936. It's got -- on a 5,000 -square foot lot. It's a slum building. It -- someone has inspected it. I've submitted the report to you. It will cost 230,000 to repair it, and it cost me 230,000. That's $460,000. I need to be able to sell it to a builder. It is notfeasible to keep it. I let the seller of the home, who had lost it, live in the home until he became ill and had to move in with his brother. They posted an unsafe structure notice on May 9, 2018. I applied for a demolition permit. It was put on hold, pending the historic designation process. I had people -- two builders who wanted to buy it. Now they don't want to buy it, because of the problems. I'm hopeful that on Monday, the Historic Environmental Preservation Board will remove me from the list so I can move on with my life. I'm 85 years old. I'm post polio. I've had two cancers. I need to get rid of this property. And it's -- Vice Chair Russell: Thankyou, ma'am. Ms. Rose: -- not livable -- Vice Chair Russell: Thankyou. Ms. Rose: --unless I spend 460, 000, which is unreasonable. Please help me get out of this. City of Miami Page 8 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Vice Chair Russell: Thank you for your comments. Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): Ma'am, could I have the address that she's talking about, just to have it? Or -- Vice Chair Russell: I'll ask her to give it to the Clerk if she does. Ms. Mendez: -- if somebody can -- Ms. Rose: My home is 2000 South Bayshore Drive, Villa 34, Miami, Florida 33133. Ms. Mendez: I apologize. I meant the address you're discussing, the unsafe structure that you're -- Ms. Rose: Oh, I'm sorry. Frank -- I know it's on Frow Avenue. Unidentified Speaker: 3514. Ms. Rose: 3514 -- It's a frame house that is falling down; everything is rotten and needs to be replaced. Chair Hardemon: Okay. Ms. Rose: Please help me get out of this. Chair Hardemon: Thank you. Ma'am, you're recognized. Ma'am, you're recognized. Sandra Riley: Good morning. Sandra Riley. I live in South Miami, but my heart and soul is in Coconut Grove. And I'm representing today Mariya Brown, who built the first house on Charles Avenue in 1891, and that home is 3298 Charles Avenue. I would like to urge you that the founding person of the West Grove community be honored in such a way as to rebuild her home and expose it to everyone that wants to see it as a pioneer home, a family museum. And so, I have a lot to say about her, but I'm not going to say it now. I've written Mariya Brown a solo play that tells the story of the beginning of the community; how she built the house and earned the money, and then called all of her friends around to join her, and they built more homes, and founded in her home the St. Paul's AME Church; and from there, the community has had its foundation and should continue. And I hope that you will support this issue. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, ma'am. Sir; you're recognized. J.B. Diederich: My name is J.B. Diederich, 3758 Frow Avenue and 3475 Hibiscus Street. I've been a long-time owner of two duplexes in the West Grove. I left my vacation, left my wife away. I drove eight hours and flew six hours to be here this morning. I just landed a little while ago. And I just wanted to thank the Commission and I want to also thank the HEP Board for hearing us out on Monday and considering each property individually, because I think that it is important that each property that is designated historic stand on its own merits. And I'm very happy to hear that there are those who want to be included in this historic designation. Commissioner Russell, you should be very happy. I think you have a nice group behind you. Anyway, thank you very much, and have a great day. Chair Hardemon: Sir; you're recognized. Heaven Dozier: Yes. Good morning. Glad to be here. City of Miami Page 9 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Gort: Bring the mike up. Mr. Dozier: Hello. Good morning, everybody. I'm glad to be here. My name Heaven Dozier. I'm a vendor in the community. I sell lemonade, food, drinks, and I support a lot ofpeople and the kids in the neighborhood. Chair Hardemon: What's the name of your business? Mr. Dozier: Excuse me? Chair Hardemon: What's the name of your business? Mr. Dozier: Juice Bar & Grill of Miami, on tri wheels. I support a lot of people in the community, the kids, elders, the construction workers in the Coco Walk area. And they actually need a lot of more help over there. And another thing about the Coco Walk area, it's a lot of -- too much -- like it's too much construction going on over there that -- I'm a little nervous. Chair Hardemon: Take your time. Mr. Dozier: All right. It's like, for the pedestrians to pass, it's like real hazard over there, for all the construction that's going on. I constantly find myself trying to help some of the roadwork that's going on; like some accidents be happening, and at the time it happened, a lot of safety people not there; like for OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), they not in our presence. So as I'm passing, I always find myself stopping and putting in like a extra hand to keep someone from not getting harmed or something like that. I also find myself giving out a lot of my products free to people that's working, construction workers, that's not in the distance of going to a store, or a store that's close by them to be able to stay hydrated, or to continue working to keep these buildings going up. I understand that it's a lot of construction work going on; not enough construction workers in the area. I was wondering if we could have some kind of workforce or something to get jobs for the people in the community faster. I find myself seeing like at every construction site, there's work -- people from workforces there, but they from other communities. Chair Hardemon: Sir -- Mr. Dozier: I understand we have -- Chair Hardemon: -- your time has expired, but we got -- we have your question. We know exactly what you're asking us to do, so thank you very much for your time. Vice Chair Russell: Mr. Chairman, I'll be glad to meet with you, Heaven. We'll work on it. Mr. Dozier: My time expired? Chair Hardemon: Right. Vice Chair Russell: Yes. But we can work on it together; you and I. Mr. Dozier: Okay. Chair Hardemon: Okay? Mr. Dozier: Tin wondering if my words really mean something -- Chair Hardemon: They do. City of Miami Page 10 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Dozier: -- because I constantly find myself giving a extra hand, and it's been going down negative, negative, negative since Hurricane Irma, even before that. No financial is coming -- no financial assistance coming into this community -- Chair Hardemon: Meet with your Commissioner. Mr. Dozier: -- because of the construction. You guys need to put more work into it, please. Chair Hardemon: Meet with your Commissioner, okay? Mr. Dozier: All right. Chair Hardemon: All right, Bro. Mr. Dozier: Thanks, everybody. Chair Hardemon: Hello, ma'am. No problem. Sonya Suarez: Buenas. Me llamo -- No, no, no. Chair Hardemon: No, no. It's for you. Ms. Suarez: Me llamo Sonya Suarez. Soy president de Martin S Villas. Chair Hardemon: Espera un momento para interpreter. Pretty good? No? Commissioner Reyes: Very good. Vice Chair Russell: I'm no good at translation. Commissioner Reyes: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: I got the point across. Commissioner Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Ms. Suarez (as translated by Maria Aguero, Official Spanish Interpreter): Good morning. My name is Sonya Suarez. I'm a President of the association of a housing building. I've been going to the housing direction, because I've been mistreated by the housing development. She has been abused verbally. She has been abused physically, and she has been discriminated by his religion. I have been to the office of the Mayor Gimenez, because she has been threatened a lot of time, and they have been at her home to malice her, to beat her. And she has been served by his position of -- on the association that she has been elected in. She's asking for the favor for her to reinstate her again in the -- in his position of the association. She's trying to - - she would like to talk to the Chief of Police so she could take care of her and his -- and her problem, because she's afraid for her life, and she doesn't know where to talk to solve this problem. Mayor Suarez has been everything that he could have done. She's very grateful with him, because she has -- he has done a lot, but every day the situation is worse, and she's afraid for her life. Thankyou very much. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much. If there's an officer that's here, just make sure you just have a conversation with her. Ms. Aguero: Pardon? Chair Hardemon: No, I'm not speaking to you. Ms. Aguero: I'm sorry. City of Miami Page 11 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Yeah. Unidentified Speaker: Yes, sir. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized. Valentina Winkfeld: Good morning. My name is Valentina Winkfeld. I'm a representative of "I Am Coconut Grove, " and I have a video on the behalf of the people of Coconut Grove about the historical preservation of the shotgun houses. (Audio-visual presentation made.) Ms. Winkfeld: Thank you. (Applause) Commissioner Reyes: Very good. Chair Hardemon: Please, please. No clapping, please. Thank you very much. That was a great video. Michael March: Yes. Good morning. I would like to thank Valentina for that beautiful presentation on my neighborhood, the West Grove. She featured some coverage of my home, which is on Charles Avenue. The address is 3586 Charles Avenue. My name is Michael March. The "Shotgun Shack, " as they call it, that Valentina featured, had a yellow door and a green door. And she also featured a mural, which I love, which is on Douglas Road, where it says, "One Grove. " I read that mural when I drive by every day. And something that I read into that, which maybe other people may like, is that I look forward to the day when we recognize that there is only one human race; and that black, white, Latino, we have more in common with each other than we have different, okay? So regarding Charles Avenue, the street where I live, since the turn of the century, it was one of the first places where African Americans could legally buy land in this area. I find it ironic today that these land owners on Charles Avenue are having their property rights taken away. I think that the people who live on Charles Avenue and in the West Grove should be able to decide whether they stay in their home and whether they keep their homes the same. Never before in the City of Miami has any home been forcibly designated historic, and I don't think anybody's home should be forcibly designated historic. Even worse, what's going on with this motion is that many people's homes are being designated historic without even their knowledge, because many of the residents of the West Grove are elderly, are not computer -savvy, and many of them live out of State. So I hope that due process is given to every property owner in the West Grove. Considering designation of their property, I would like to thank the City for providing us a separate hearing on Monday so that each of our individual cases can be heard and that the voices of the property owners can be heard. In 2012, our street, Charles Avenue, was designated a historic corridor. At that time, a decision was made to not designate the residences historic. That was because it places a burden on the homeowners in terms of making repairs and also hurts the resale value. Chair Hardemon: Sir, your time has expired. Thank you very much for your comments. You're recognized, ma'am. Barbara Mills: Good morning. My name is Barbara Mills. I felt like he was talking to me. He kept looking at me, like -- Chair Hardemon: Yeah. It might have just been his direction. City of Miami Page 12 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Ms. Mills: -- "more power to the people." Chair Hardemon: No, no, no. Ms. Mills: Okay. My name is Barbara Mills. I live at 3637 Florida Avenue. I am a resident, of course, and a business owner. I am in total support of the historical preservation for West Grove for various reasons. I am original member of the Rolle family, R -O -L -L -E, and it's a lot of us. However, the last names have changed. And what it is all about is these wooden houses, many people and I do -- I was born in a wooden house, and I never did say, `I'm going home to my shotgun house. " I've always said, `I'm going home, " okay? So it's a home to lot of people, whether they are renting it or whether they are owning it. Nonetheless, most of the houses have been torn down, which the house that I lived in -- was born in on Florida Avenue, it was -- now it's concrete. And I asked my mother, in her 90s, what happened to the wooden house, because I loved it. And if I have the opportunity, I would rebuild it. The thing about that, she says, after most of the children grew up --12 of them -- and went out on their own, the house was too big, so they had it reconstructed, so it's concrete. So my thing is still yet, you have a lot of other individuals who have not -- don't have emotional bearing to the community that has come into the Grove -- okay? -- and they're trying to revitalize it in a different aspect, eliminating the characteristics of the Bahamian culture, and this is what we are, and this is where we came from. My grandparents came from the islands, from the Bahamas, and they settled there, had their family there, build there, they grew up there. Now because the houses have been torn apart and gentrification has come, many of them now have -- live in other areas. So I'm saying, I'm in total support of preserving West Grove. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much, ma'am. Thank you. Ms. Mills: Thank you for listening. Chair Hardemon: You are recognized. Thelma Gibson: Good morning. Chair Hardemon: Good morning. Ms. Gibson: Mr. Chairman and members of the Commission, Honorable Suarez. Thelma Anderson Gibson; live at 3661 Franklin Avenue; was born in Coconut Grove 91 and a half years ago, and have lived on the historic Charles Avenue all of my childhood and early life. And we were "colored" back in the days when we were black -- `Negroes. " You know, we didn't get to be black until the '70s, and then it turned to African Americans in the '80s. But up until that time, we were either "colored" or "Negro. " So I'm one of those colored women that came up in this area as a child in this quaint, little area called "Coconut Grove, " and especially the fact that the Bahamians came here and built up that place, and my grandparents were part of that. And so, I'm always proud to stand here and say how delighted I am to think in terms of what happened back then. The house that we live in wasn't one of the shotgun houses, but it was a wooden house made of the pine, Florida pine, and one of Stirrup houses, and they had the different shapes with the two bedrooms, with the hallway going down to the kitchen; and we had no running water, no electricity, and all the things that they had back in the day. Most people don't remember that today, but people want to come back to our quaint, little area of Coconut Grove. And, of course, I think all of you know I was before the historic board to get our church, Christ Episcopal Church, which is the older -- the third oldest church in Coconut Grove. We're 117 years that we have been there. And so, while I'm for historic preservation, there is one property that I have a concern about, and it's the church's property at 3447 William Avenue, and we have a copy from our own City of Miami department saying that that building should either be repaired or demolished. And this is really the only building, out of the 51, that's been designated as City of Miami Page 13 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 something that needs to be demolished. And so, while I'm all for that, this one piece, 3447, when it comes before the Commission -- because it will after the HEP Board meeting. I'm sure it will come back before the Commission -- I'm hoping -- All of you appoint the people to the HEP Board. So, you know, I know how you could use your Chief of Staff to go to those members and say to them, "This is one piece of property that I think you ought to take off, 3447. " I have a copy of the letter from our City inspector that says that it should be demolished. So I would hope that you would consider that when you think in terms of -- Chair Hardemon: I couldn't let you walk away without Joe Carollo saying something to you. I know he wants to say something sweet to you. Go ahead. Commissioner Carollo: Any time that Commissioner Gibson comes up here, we listen, because it's got to be important for her to be up here. And Mrs. Gibson, it's a real pleasure every time that we get to see you up here. You have been one of our best Commissioners, along with your husband -- Ms. Gibson: Yes. Commissioner Carollo: -- the Reverend Theodore Gibson, that I had the honor of having served with both of you. Mr. Gibson: You were "Mr. Mayor" at the time. And I appreciate your support, Mr. Mayor. I really do appreciate that. You know, back in the day when we had the old form ofgovernment, where the Mayor was apart of the Commission, this young man decided that I was the person that should be a part of that, and he made the other Commissioners have a unanimous vote to vote me on the Commission, so I always thank Commissioner Carollo for that. And I'm sure that he will support this item when it comes forward. Commissioner Carollo: Well, we did the right thing then, and we'll do it again if -- I know the property well, and I have to fully agree with you. I know the district Commissioner -- Ms. Gibson: It used to be two houses on that -- Commissioner Carollo: -- is in full agreement. Ms. Gibson: --piece ofproperty. Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. Ms. Gibson: -- and one was a shotgun house. And when it was turned over to the church, we did have the one little house demolished, but this one was -- stayed, and it's in disrepair. Commissioner Carollo: IfI could askyou -- Ms. Gibson: Nobody lives up in there. Commissioner Carollo: -- a favor before you go. If you could step in my office and have them make a copy of that so we could start moving on it right away. But I think you know you're going to have full support up here. Ms. Gibson: I know. And I know Mr. Reyes -- Commissioner Reyes will also support us, as well as Commissioner Gort, and of course, our Chairperson. Commissioner Gort: I'll have some suggestions. I got some good suggestion when it comes up. City of Miami Page 14 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Ms. Gibson: Thankyou so much for listening to me this morning. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Commissioner Carollo: Great seeing you. Carolyne Donaldson: Good morning. My name is Carolyne Marie Donaldson, and I'm here representing Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, the oldest black church on the South Florida mainland, and located right at the corner of 3515 Douglas Road and Charles Avenue. And I'm here to speak on behalf -- and want to thank you for giving us consideration and a voice as it relates to the shotgun homes and the historic preservation of Coconut Grove. I was quite surprised, after having been a number of years -- because of my business -- took me out of the country. And when I look at the experiences that I have had in the various countries that I've had an opportunity to live in, historic preservation was number one. You could always go and share the history, and visitors were able to share that. So returning back to Coconut Grove and to the church where I worshiped as a child, and seeing some of the devastation and castration of our history in Coconut Grove was really surprising and alarming to me. So my plea this morning, really, is to say, whatever we can at this point preserve and make as a -- if it's not necessarily a historical designation, but the preservation of a heritage community and one of the oldest heritage communities in the City. We're older than the City of Miami, as well as Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church is older than the City of Miami. I think it's something that, when people visit Miami, they need to see. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Ms. Donaldson: Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Sir. Jonathan Archer: Good morning, Mr. Chairman, fellow Commissioners. My name is father Jonathan Archer. I am the rector of Christ Episcopal Church, 3481 Hibiscus Street. I'd also like to speak on the historic -- multiple historic designation. Ms. Gibson, of course, has already spoken, and I just want to echo her sentiments, which are those of the church, in asking that the property at 3447 William Avenue be removed. We want to, of course, say very clearly, as a church, that we do fully support historic and cultural preservation that benefits the community, that benefits people, and that helps to improve their socio-economic circumstances. This group designation, however; has caused us, as a church, and specifically as it relates to this house, to be in a bind. Not only is the house -- not only did the house received a first notice to demolish or repair, but, as Ms. Gibson said, the church itself has been designated historic, and we have faced a whole lot of financial hardships trying to maintain that building. Just last year; we borrowed $246,000. We had to replace the church doors that cost an additional $25,000, and that does not include many of the other things that we need to do. The roof needs to be repaired, and so many other things. And so, getting this additional building, which no one has lived in for eight years, is really going to be a challenge for us. And not only that, the church, in recognizing the needs of the community, has embarked upon an affordable housing project, and this was something that was started before the multiple historic designation. We have spent our money on legal fees and all of that. And our developer has said to us that if this house remains, that we will be unable to do the project; will not be financially viable. And so, for us, it becomes a choice between this building and our church, and this building and providing housing for people. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. City of Miami Page 15 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Archer: And so, we're asking that the Commission consider removing that property. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much, sir. Mr. Archer: Yes, sir. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, ma'am. Nicole Singletary: Good morning, Honorable Commissioners. For the record, my name is Nicole Singletary, Executive Director for the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, located at 3390 Mary Street, Unit 130, in Coconut Grove. It's my pleasure to be here today on behalf of our board and more than 200 property owners, many of whom have lived and worked in the Grove for decades. Resolution 4298 before you allows the BID (Business Improvement District) to initiate the renewal process with the distribution of ballots to the affected property owners. Should we obtain the majority vote required, a public hearing before the City Commission is scheduled for January. What we're asking for today is an opportunity to continue to help shape the growth of the Grove in a positive way and to build on the original reasons the BID was created. Established in 2009 by its property owners and merchants, the BID has provided a steady and reliable source of --for the types of supplemental services that a growing community like the Grove needs, providing over $1 million in sanitation, security, beautification, and marketing services annually. In your packets, you will find a detailed summary of the BID's accomplishments over the past decade. During which time, it has worked to jumpstart the neighborhood's commercial comeback. Working in tandem with our partners at the City, the BID has tackled street -level problems, producing measureable results that have restored and enhanced the village's commercial core. Some of our most recent activities include the funding of alternative modes of transit, including the purchase of two trollies for the City of Miami, at a cost of approximately $400,000; and the implementation of our echo friendly, on -demand transportation through our partnership with Freebee, which now services the entire Grove area seven days a week. After Hurricane Irma, the BID's contractors removed about 225 tons of debris to get the district back up and running. Additionally, the BID has leveraged over $1 million in property improvements to our FaVade Improvement Grant Program over the last five years. The decade ahead will bring new opportunities and challenges to the Grove, which is why we must maintain and build on the original reasons the BID was created. We've made a lot of progress towards revitalizing the Grove, and restoring its status is one of Miami's top destinations, but there's still work to be done. Now that Coconut Grove is experiencing a commercial and residential renaissance, the BID is in a position to usher in the next chapter; and is thinking critically about how to encourage growth and vibrancy while maintaining the Grove's history and charm. Chair Hardemon: Ma'am, thank you very much. Ms. Singletary: IfI -- Chair Hardemon: One more sentence? Ms. Singletary: Yes. Chair Hardemon: I'll give it to you. Ms. Singletary: Bypassing this resolution today, you're giving the property owners in the Grove the opportunity to continue receiving the services that they've become accustomed to, from extra trash pickup and security to special events, like the Fourth of July and the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. We're excited to get this process started and happy to answer any questions you may have. City of Miami Page 16 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Sir, you're recognized. Guillermo de la Paz: Good morning. My name is Guillermo de la Paz. I live in the West Grove on 3441 Charles Avenue. West Grove is 15 square blocks, 75 intersections. Today, there is 34 homes on the unsafe list of the City of Miami. There's 75 foreclosure, 128 houses with past -due taxes, and 51 proposed historic homes. This is what driving people out and people in. We have to embrace people of each color, each culture, and we cannot question anymore of who live where and why they live there. If you're willing and able to buy a property on the West Grove and build your own property, you should not be questioned because you're not a Bahamian or because you're not black. We have to stop that rhetoric. This is America. This is the land offree and the home of the brave. And we should embrace each neighbor and stop that rhetoric. I do have a question for my Commissioner. Where's the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) money that was approved on January? Where's the million dollars for the only empty pool in Miami -Dade County? Where's the $2 million bond? Where's the plan? What we're planning to do with 51 homes that we're going to take the right from those people? Where is the plan? What is the special construction Code that we're going to apply to them? What is the process? How much is the cost those people going to be associated with? Let's stop doing politicians with people -- politics with people rights. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Sir, you're recognized. Rusty Butler: Good morning. My name is Rusty Butler, and I'm here to speak on behalf of Miami Church, a Christian nondenominational church in Coconut Grove, and I'm here to speak in response to Resolution 5, Item 4298, regarding the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District. And as a business owner, I just wanted to speak to the good that the Coconut Grove BID has been doing over the past decade. They've really helped us in the neighborhood. Just as far as awareness goes, they host a multitude of events throughout the year, and our church has been able to partner with them and provide volunteers, which helps them pull off these wonderful community events and helps us gain some recognition as a church. And our connection and our relationship with the BID has been one of the best things that's happened to us since we started our church three years ago. And also, I wanted to speak out as a resident of Coconut Grove. Just how -- what they're doing with the BID has improved quality of life, the sanitation efforts they're making, cleaning up the streets, the safety they provide, transportation with Freebee. So I'm just here to speak again on behalf of my business and also as a Coconut Grove resident. We love Coconut Grove BID, and we hope that you would allow them to continue doing the good that they're doing in the neighborhood. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Mr. Butler: Thankyou. Bruce Ehrenhaft: Good morning, Chairman Hardemon, Commissioners. My name's Bruce Ehrenhaft. I'm a board member of Dade Heritage Trust, DHT, 190 Southeast 12th Terrace. DHT supports the multiple listing designation in the West Grove as a means to preserve the culture and heritage of the early settlers who contributed so much to the City. There's much evidence, locally and nationally, that historic preservation benefits communities economically and culturally, and it can and will do no less for the West Grove. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Matt Friedman: Hello, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Commissioners. My name is Matt Friedman, partner at Freebee, and I'm here today to speak in support of the City of Miami Page 17 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Coconut Grove BID and the renewal of their contract. The Coconut Grove BID plays an extremely vital role within the community where it comes to problem - solving and creating economic vitality within the district. Without the BID, Coconut Grove wouldn't be where it is today. I've had the pleasure of working with the BID over the last six months in helping provide f rst- and last -mile -mobility solutions and economic development for all the businesses. We were brought in by the BID to help transform Coconut Grove into a community where you can live, work, and play without the need of a personal vehicle; or if you're driving from somewhere far, a place where you can come, park your car once, easily maneuver around the Grove, and not have to take your car out until it's time to leave. In partnership with and funded by the Coconut Grove BID, we have been able to implement a free, on - demand, door-to-door, electric transportation system that has allowed Coconut Grove to transform the way people move through the community. Since February, we've been able to move over 10,000 people. Additionally, the BID was even able to negotiate free advertising for all of the local businesses through our "Ride Freebee " marketing pla form. These businesses have the opportunity to promote their businesses for free and offer an exclusive deal or discount to incentivize consumers to visit them. And the best part about our platform, people can request free rides to these businesses and we physically deliver these consumers to the doorsteps of their place of business. This is all courtesy of the Coconut Grove BID. Without the BID, no one would be looking out for the best interest of the Grove and none of this would be possible. It would be a disservice to the entire community not to renew this contract. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Christine Rupp: Good morning, Chairman Hardemon, Commissioners. Christine Rupp, Executive Director of Dade Heritage Trust, 190 Southeast 12th Terrace, Miami 33131. I'm here, of course, to speak in support of the multi property designation in the West Grove, and obviously, I can't state the reasons any better for preserving these wonderful wood frame homes than the residents of Coconut Grove have said here this morning. I would like to take some time, though, to dispel some misinformation that's been put forth. When a building is designated, it does not naturally kick in a process that says the building owner must make these repairs. If repairs are to be made on a building -- it doesn't matter if it's designated or not -- it doesn't automatically kick in a new review process. If there's a roof that needs to be repaired, that would be true for a building designated or non -designated. Historic designation is also not a taking of property rights, and this has been ruled on by the Supreme Court. So Dade Heritage Trust believes that this Commission should support the residents of Coconut Grove, the ones that have taken stock in their neighborhood and believe in its energy, its diversity, and its value to this community. Across Miami, we all know what's happening as far as gentrification. People in Little Haiti, people in Overtown, people in Allapattah are feeling like they're being displaced. And here you have an environment of residents that are speaking out to help save their cultural heritage and their architectural heritage, and the Commission should support their efforts. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. You're recognized, ma'am. Carolina Sanchez: Hi. My name is Carolina Sanchez, and I'm hereon behalf of the Coconut Grove Pumpkin Patch Festival, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Family Zone, and the Coconut Grove Streets and Concerts. I'm here to -- in support of the Coconut Grove BID. Throughout the seven years that we've had events in Coconut Grove, they've been a great partner to us, especially for us when it comes to the marketing of the Grove. We really believe that they've brought in new people and that they have improved all the events in the marketing efforts in the Grove, so I just wanted to come and give my support. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. You're recognized, ma'am. City of Miami Page 18 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Telica Henry -McQueen: Good morning. My name is Telica Henry -McQueen, and my address is 11105 Southwest 161st Terrace. However, I'm here on behalf of my grandmother and my family for 3671 Williams Avenue. I do plan to present on Monday to the HEP Board; however, I thought I should take this opportunity today, because I've noticed most residents have said that they have a right to speak, and they feel like they have an authority on what Coconut Grove should be. I, too, feel like I have that right, although I no longer physically live in Coconut Grove. I believe that the historic designation should be the right of a property owner. If you are interested in that right, then give them the opportunity to choose that option. We are not interested in that right. We do not want to be a part of the designation, and therefore, I think that it is our right to speak and say that we would not. And as far as authority, I went to school with some people inhere. I was taught by some people in here. Ms. Wallace was my principal at one time. I'm currently an educator myself. So I got some great things from the community, and I feel like I have a right to speak out and say that not every member of the community feels the same. I also lost a child in the community two years ago, so I think I've earned that right. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thank you, ma'am. You're recognized. Jane Muir: Hello, members of the Commission. Madam City Attorney, it's a pleasure to see you today. I'm here in two capacities. One is as a member of the Muir family, who have been residents of Miami and Coconut Grove for almost a hundred years, and a friend of Ms. Mills and Ms. Gibson, to support the historic designation of the West Grove, as well as the preservation of Christ Church. I'm a fellow Episcopalian, and that's very important to us. I'm also here as the Chair of the All Grove Crime Watch, in support of Ms. Trench and the renewal of the Business Improvement District contract. We've been working in partnership with the Business Improvement District for the last decade, and over that time, crime has precipitously declined. I attribute that, in large part, to the BID's effort to put in cameras and have people strolling around in order to watch and make sure that nobody's stealing bikes or shoplifting. And I'm very proud to say that compared to last year, crime is down 38 percent this month; in large part, thanks to our partnership with the Business Improvement District. So thank you all for your consideration on those two issues. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Ma'am, you're recognized. Linda Alger: Good morning, Chair Hardemon, Commissioners. As you know, I've been involved in this process since October 26, 2017, when it was introduced multiple property to the Commission for the 20 shotguns. It passed second reading for multiple property designation. Chapter 23 was changed as of November 16, 2017. The first public meeting was held on March 10. As you know, I've been before you with great concerns because of the notification process, because it was a public meeting. Many of the residents were not at the first two meetings. Finally, the HEP Board listened, and they sent out certified letters, which I do appreciate, so that property owners would become aware that -- what was happening with their properties, so they were able to get out. And two additional meetings were held because of the confusion and misrepresentation, and a lot of questions that needed to be answered. My concern today is that on July 3, when this item was on the agenda at the HEP Board -- and they did ultimately vote to delay it -- defer it to this coming Monday, the 16th -- the City Clerk told us that anybody that didn't have a chance to come back on the 16th, as long as they got their documents in by July 9, at 12 p.m. -- that was this Monday -- that their documents would be included in the agenda package. Well, they jumped the gun, and they published the agenda on Monday at I p.m., approximately, so many of those documents did not make it into the agenda. You should be aware of this. Thank you for letting me speak. City of Miami Page 19 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 ChairHardemon: Thankyou. Curas Ceider: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Curtis Ceider. I'm the General Manager at Sonesta Hotel. I'm here today to talk about the BID and hopefully continue their support. I'm here on behalf of the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, which I am a board member as well. And as you're aware, the Business Improvement District serves in a lot of capacities and relationship for functions and shops and property owners, restaurants; performs all types of duty ties that sometimes the City has a challenge covering. The fact is, Coconut Grove really has been on top of this since day one. For over 10 years, they've been attracting and enhancing our community, commercial areas, and restoring economic validity to our City. They've been a strong voice, advocating on behalf of the property owners, merchants. They've had a positive impact on the development of our neighborhood. I personally have been in the Grove for 10 years, overseeing Sonesta Coconut Grove. And as a hotelier, they really have connected closely with the Greater Miami City [sic] Convention Bureau in really driving awareness to our community and obviously making us one of the top destinations in the City of Miami. A lot of their improvements help our tourism, and a lot of things that they've been able to accomplish, such as the historical walking and bicycle tours are obviously benefits for our tourism in the community. I do believe that they're very instrumental in raising the public awareness in our City, and all the objectives and activities aforementioned would not be possible without their services. I believe the BID has the capacity to rebrand our City and the -- impact a new and fresh positive identity. As such, I respectfully submit that the BID continue to provide their services to our community. Thankyou. ChairHardemon: Thankyou. Marcelo Fernandez: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Marcelo Fernandez, 3523 North Bay Homes Drive, a life-long resident of the Grove; studied, went to school here, my kids went to school here; and I'm also a developer, contractor; and also own a company called Grove Properties in the Grove, which is the longest -standing real estate firm, since 1925, here in the Grove. On their side, on November, I was also elected as Chair of the Coconut Grove Village Council, so a lot of these issues, I walk a very tight line in realizing what I want best for the Grove as a resident and also what's best for the future of the community. One thing that I can't find any negatives on is the continuation of the BID. I've been working with them as a Village Council member, also as a resident; not being part of the executive board or anything. I've been to all their meetings -- not all their meetings - - most of their meetings. I've been through a lot of emails with Nicole, and I can't find any negative at all. It's supported by them. It's a really great process. I really want to endorse the BID to be, please, extended. On a more dij cult pro -- issue is the historic designation. Historic designation and preservation of cultural and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is very important, and the only way it happens is if government gets involved. If you leave it up to the people and individualize it, it's not -- it doesn't happen. Now, we have a situation here that, you know, there's -- it is a tool that allows government to help fund and assist people that need help in keeping their home preserved, but then on the other hand, people think that this designation takes away property rights. I think it's an opportunity here, because we're not talking about a huge area. There's a great way to get some kind of hybrid. And I know you can't go around and designate who is and who's not as a district, but in general, the districts do work. And I think there's no reason why -- Commissioner Russell already said something about, you know, having an appeal process be free to the applicants that don't want it. I think that's the way to go, and try to have an appeal process that's paid by the City, that they can evaluate each one individually and see what is the best for the community and for those homeowners at will. Thankyou very much. ChairHardemon: Thankyou, sir. City of Miami Page 20 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 H. Bredemeier: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is H. Bredemeier. I own a store in Coconut Grove for over 30 years, H & H. Jewels. I also sat on the executive board of the BID for 10 years. The bid has provided so many services for not only the business community, but also for the actual residential community. I'm totally in support of us going on for the next 10 years to bring it back on the ballot. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thank you, sir. Hello. Vicky Leiva: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Vicky Leiva, with the law firm of Bilzen Sumberg, with offices at 1450 Brickell Avenue. I am appearing before you today on behalf of Christ Episcopal Church. You already heard from Father Archer and from Commissioner Gibson, but I just wanted to bring one particular issue to your attention. Your City Code, Chapter 23, Section 4, has a list of properties that are exempt from designation -- and I repeat -- exempt from designation. One of those items that are exempt are properties owned by a church. I would respectfully ask that when you have your discussion item this afternoon and you have your City staff -- of course, through your City Manager -- you instruct them to follow 23(4) in your City Code and remove the property owned by the church from the list and the designation report. And I want to make it very clear; because there was a little bit of a mistake by someone who came up. The church is designated. The church itself is designated, because this congregation brought that church as owner to be designated. It is a house that was gifted to the church by a neighbor that is now putting the church in this predicament that we ask -for you to remove from the list. Thankyou so much. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Ms. Leyva: I have copies of the section, if you'd like to -- Chair Hardemon: You can pass it to the Clerk and he'll pass it out. You're recognized, sir. Fabio Lannelli: Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Fabio Lannelli, 3404 Poinciana Avenue. I'm here this morning as a citizen and as a resident of Coconut Grove. I'm also the Vice Chair -- Vice President -- sorry -- of the Four -Way Lodge Homeowners Association, which represents 40 residences, also here in the Grove. I am also a business owner here in the Grove. I've worked very tightly with the Business Improvement District for the last eight years, under four of the directors, and I urge -- strongly suggest that you basically renew their Charter for the next 10 years. I think they've been a very strong and driving force within the community. They've definitely helped Coconut Grove be revitalized and have put it back on the map within the City of Miami. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Ma'am, you're recognized. Natalie Morales: Good morning. My name is Natalie Morales. I'm the owner of Dharma Yoga Studio on Commodore Plaza. We opened eight years ago, pretty much the same year that the BID started, and I'm here to offer support. I don't want to be redundant and say -- repeat all the things that the people have said so far; all of which I agree with, but what I do want to point out are the ways that they've helped us. Not only did they award us the fagade improvement grant, which really helped to beautify our storefront; but also, by helping us do that, they helped the community so that we could continue with the programs, our outreach programs that we do. We have free Chair Yoga classes for people in wheelchairs at our studio, free Chair Yoga classes for seniors. We have a community class on Fridays. Every Friday -- every month we support a different nonprofit, one of which has been the Thelma Gibson Health Initiative, and many others, local charities. And through City of Miami Page 21 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 their help, through the help from the BID, we're able to continue those programs; otherwise, we would have a great burden to provide those free services. And about five years ago, we started a program with the BID to provide free classes in the park, in Peacock Park, and on the rooftop of the Mayfair Hotel, and right now we get about 250 people every week. And when the BID approached us to help us sponsor - - to get sponsors for those classes, it helps not just us as a business -- and as a business owner; of course, I'm here to provide support and just tell the truth about how helpful they've been, but also they directly impact the community at large, because we're helping people to stay healthy, to be in a good mood, and to spread good cheer in the fresh air in this beautiful town. So I just wanted to come and be honest about that. So thank you. I hope that the BID can continue for another 10 years and beyond. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Hello. Melinda de Armas: Good morning, Commission. My name is Melinda de Armas, and I'm with Entercom Communications South Florida, and we are partners with the Coconut Grove BID, and I'm here on their behalf. I think it's of vital importance to renew them for another 10 years. Through our partnerships, we're bringing events to the Grove, getting people to come; not just the locals in the Grove, but out of the Grove, which I think is a key, key factor in bringing the Grove back to life and back to its, pretty much, glory days. I grew up here, and that was the place to go, the place to be, and I think that's what we're all striving for; helping the business owners there, helping local residents; just bringing the community together and making the Grove that place to go on the weekends; family-oriented and just driving people here. So I would really, really encourage another 10 years. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Sir, you're recognized. Art Noriega: Good morning, Commissioners. Art Noriega, 40 Northwest 3rd Street, here in my capacity as a BID board member, finance chair of the BID. I won't continue to extol the virtues of the BID; plenty have done that. I want to --just want to appeal as it relates to RE.5, in favor of RES; more on the principal of the property owners themselves in the Grove have invested 10 years of resources in the BID, and certainly deserve the opportunity to decide whether they want to continue with that investment and continue with the future of the BID, and based on its own merits, and your approval of the RE.5 will allow for that and will allow the property owners to hopefully continue with the BID and continue to its success for the next 10 years. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Pamela Weller: Pamela Weller; Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Boulevard. I'm hereon behalf and in support ofD1.1. I think it's important that you understand that while we're only in downtown Miami, we care about the entire City of Miami. We care about the residents of Coconut Grove. We are sponsors in the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, and support many of our community leaders and residents, and I urge you to consider this a very, very important project. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Sir. Bill Talbert: Good morning. Bill Talbert, with your Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. I'm here to speak about three items -- no, I mean two -- sorry -- two items. Number one is everything Commissioner Gibson said this morning about the shotgun here in the Grove, I'm associating with those remarks. So we're supporting the shotgun issue. Also, I want to speak about -- and also, we have are multi- cultural operation here (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Petra, so we're strongly in favor of that. And also, the Coconut Grove BID. I live and play here. Our company is based in Miami, so this Coconut Grove BID is very important to us. Everything you've City of Miami Page 22 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 heard about that is important. Grove is important to the City. It's important to our overall community. It's very important to the world. Thank you for listening. ChairHardemon: Thankyou, sir. Corky Dozier: Good morning, Mr. Chair; members of the Commission. My name is Corky Dozier. I've been apart of the Coconut Grove community since 1972, when I came to perform at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in `Don't Bother Me. I Can't Cope. " Can we cope? Can we cope with where we are today? It's an honor always, and I thank all of you that are on the dais for the opportunity, as Executive Director of the Greater Miami Host Committee, to have represented your enclaves from developing the first information for Little Havana and the interpretation for tourism and economic development that eventually became Calle Ocho, to doing projects in Overtown, to doing projects in Little Haiti, and hopefully, the next enclave will be Little Bahamas. We are very proud indeed. I represented the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau with the United States Department of Tourism, multicultural heritage, and there, many individuals that represented African-American heritage destinations talked about the shotgun, the shotgun that could be called the original slave cabin, the original railroad houses. These were the shotgun houses, the original affordable workforce housing. Its a very special part of the culture ofpeople of the African decent that we recognize that this is a part of our culture. I'm working along with the State of Florida Department of State, and continuing not only what we started with Viva Florida 500, but now continuing their campaign, which is an extension, which is culture builds communities. And now, it's my pleasure indeed to present to you Alexis Snyder; Chief of Staff from Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. ChairHardemon: Thankyou. Alexis Snyder: I feel special today; I got a special introduction. Like Corky said, I'm Alexis Snyder; Chief of Staff in the Office of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, 18425 Northwest 2nd Avenue, Suite 355, Miami Gardens, 33169. And what I want to do today -- the Congresswoman is in DC (District of Columbia), and so I -- she sent a statement that she'd like to put on the record. Thank you, Commissioner Russell, for allowing us to be supportive in this endeavor. `It is an honor to represent one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse congressional districts in the nation, whose rich history and cultures help to give the unique mix of characteristics and identities recognized not only in South Florida, but throughout our entire country. As the first Bahamian -American elected to the United States Congress, I ask you to join me in celebrating the Bahamian Independence Day that was just two days ago, July 10, 2018, and most importantly, the major role that African -Bahamians played in establishing Coconut Grove, Miami's and the South Florida mainland's first black settlement. These Bahamians came together with African Americans and contributed greatly in the building of the City of Miami and its incorporation in 1896. I lookforward to serving as the honorary chair of a future Bahamian enclave initiative in West Grove. I have steadfastly worked to emphasize my role in establishing a special synergy of harmony and goodwill with the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. I ask you, Mr. Mayor and City Commissioners, to help in this decision-making process to preserve, protect, and enrich the Bahamian cultural and natural heritage in all its diverse manifestations, including historic sites, structures, resources, traditions, families, and community, here in your city. I respectfully request that your Historic Preservation Office idents the 50 shotgun homes to be designated as a historic collection. Protecting them would indeed help preserve one of your City's oldest and most distinctive neighborhoods. Together, we can explore reciprocal opportunities and establish an international venture that can strengthen a cultural and economic agenda in Coconut Grove's historic black community as a model for future vision, regional partnerships, and mutual understanding. I look forward to cooperatively setting a strategic plan with a timeline that affirms the intent for partnerships with South Florida, the City of City of Miami Page 23 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Miami, and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. And to quote Henry Ford, `Our future is truly based in the following: Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.' And in the motto of the Bahamas: `Let's move forward, upward, and onward. "' Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Vice Chair Russell: Thankyou. Nick Hamann: Good morning. My name's Nick Hamann. I'm a Coconut Grove resident and a active participant in the City of Miami. I'm also a Coconut Grove BID board member, and I'm here to definitely speak on the support of allowing this Commission to allow the voters to vote on the extension of the BID for another 10 years. If -- I'm going to keep it short, but the -- if there's anything that I want people to understand is that the BID, it does focus on the business interests, but more importantly, it focuses on the lifeblood of our streets -- the entrepreneurs, the restaurateurs, the retailers -- how to make them successful, and what it is that we can do as a city to really help them out so that the experience can be that much better. This would enable that to continue on. We've done many successful -- we've reached many successful milestones over the last couple of years, and I'd love to see the BID continue doing that. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Sir, you're recognized. Worrell Troup: Good morning. My name is Worrell Troup. I'm a resident of 3420 Charles Avenue. We have the house on Charles Avenue, which is a two-story home, which we've been therefor about 50 years. My mother's currently there, and two of my older siblings are there. I would love to see the homes continue to exist on Charles Avenue. Most of these homes needs repairs, and I hope you guys have some kind of funds set aside where these houses can be improved. That's one of my biggest goals. This house been so important, just where we've had seven generations go through this household. It's very special, because we have some siblings that may fall on hard times, and they'll have a place to go back and lay their heads. So it's very important that our people have a place to retreat to when they fall on hard times. Thanksgiving is always a beautiful time there, Christmas. It's a place where you go back and get spiritually recharged from our past. So I hope that you all will consider keeping the homes there that want to be historical, or those people that want to feel like it's their choice, but most importantly, that they are funded with funds, whereas they can improve their homes and stay there and enjoy the beautiful paradise which is called Coconut Grove. I love Coconut Grove. I've always been here. My home was known as the `Kool-Aid" home, where all the kids came, and we shot marbles, spin tops, build camps in the backyard, high jumps. We had a perfect childhood. We rode motorcycles on Franklin Avenue, and we just had a great time. And I'd like to see that my grandkids can come back and see where I grew up at. And I have one of my pictures from my grandson; just want to show you how beautiful Coconut Grove was. Keep Coconut Grove alive. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Lalo Durazo: Good morning. I'm Lalo Durazo, from Jaguar Hospitality Group. I'm a local resident and a business owner in the Grove, and I'm here to speak on behalf - - well, I'm here to speak in favor of the renewal of the Coconut Grove BID that is coming up. And basically, I just want to say that whether we like it or not here in Coconut Grove, we're within Miami, which is today one of the most important tourist destinations in world. Coconut Grove is the original community where everything got started back 1876. In today's competitive environment, I cannot see us being able to remain competitive and updated without a body, where government and the private sector design a plan that is good for all, tourists and locals, and work diligently to execute it. The BID today has the talent, the structure, and the City of Miami Page 24 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 discipline to execute this plan and make it happen. At the end, we will have the most beautiful, unique, and best lifestyles here in Miami. The last thing, competition is coming very strong. There is a lot of communities that are working together with a plan and being very effective in attracting tourists, as well as locals, that want to live within these communities that represent the best lifestyles that today we can offer to the citizens. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, sir. Mr. Durazo: Thankyou so much. Chair Hardemon: Now, sir, I'm not mistaken, but you've spoken already. Mr. Witherspoon: I forgot to say, I wanted to submit letters of support to the Clerk. Chair Hardemon: Absolutely. Mr. Witherspoon: He indicated I needed to step back up to do that. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much, sir; appreciate it. You're recognized, sir. How is that building coming along? Miguel Soliman: Thank you very much, Commissioner -- Chairman Hardemon, all the Commissioners. Miguel Soliman, 1436 Southwest 6th Street. First of all, I'd like to recognize the great job that our Commissioner Carollo is doing in District 3. The police have been incredible. The Commander we have up here has done an incredible job, and we have seen the hard work that's going on. Second, I'd like to thank him and Mayor Suarez for that great Fourth of July celebration we had with excellent fireworks. It wasn't five minutes of a few rockets going off, no. It was a tremendous show. Thankyou very much, Commissioner. I'd also like to make a few comments on this historical discussion in Coconut Grove. When you designate historic homes -- Right now you can go to Home Depot and buy a window for your home. Once you designate it historic home, you need special windows. Right now you can spend 3, $4,000 to change a windows. Once that home becomes historic, you're looking at 25, $30,000 to change those windows. The roof is going to be twice as much to change it. With all due respect, the same thing happened -- Commissioner Russell, the same thing happened in Shenandoah. A few people wanted to change a section to historic, and they decided -- the neighbors decided not to because of these reasons. And once you designate it historic, you can't demolish it, you can't do anything to those homes. But when you're going to repair it, it's going to cost you 2, $300,000, like you've heard here people speak. And then the home, you won't be able to do it. So be careful what you wish for. Perhaps -- I have a suggestion. Perhaps, turning that section, creating a special architectural design district that embraces that Jamaican history -- Chair Hardemon: Bahamian. Mr. Soliman: -- and making sure that -- Chair Hardemon: Sir, your time has expired. Mr. Soliman: You have. Thankyou very much. Bye-bye. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Commissioner Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: Seeing no -- well, we have one more young lady? Yes. City of Miami Page 25 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Sue McConnell: Sue McConnell. I'm talking with regard to the recertification of the BID. Twelve years ago, I was invited to be on the BIC, which was the Business Improvement Committee. We worked for three years until we got the vote to become the Business Improvement District. I remained on that board, on the BID Board for nine years, and on the committee's now for two years. If you're a new resident to the Grove, you just came into a wonderful area. If you've lived here before that, you've seen a lot of improvements. The BID is responsible for so many things we now have. We have -- we're working on better sidewalks. We've improved the look of the Grove. We have flower baskets. We have better trees. We have better transportation that we're working on. There's a lot of construction going on, but that will improve everything. And they're -- they help our signature events tremendously. And I hope that you'll recertify us, or at least get us on the Commission hearing board. Thank you very much. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much. Seeing no further persons for public comment regarding those issues, I'll close the public comment at this time. LVA \YaLVA VMS] ZU4VAC67;&9 NO MAYORAL VETOES (Pursuant to Section 4(g)(5) of the Charter of Miami, Florida, Item (s) vetoed by the Mayor shall be placed by the City Clerk as the first substantive item(s) for City Commission consideration.) Chair Hardemon: Mr. Clerk, are there any mayoral vetoes? Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): Chair, there are no mayoral vetoes. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. END OF MAYORAL VETOES City of Miami Page 26 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Idea Ell :&1970Fil1VM»;0:7_\01[61;&9 PA.1 PERSONAL APPEARANCE 4448 SPECIAL PRESENTATION BY DAVID BECKHAM AND JORGE MAS ON MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER FRANCHISE COMPLEX AT INTERNATIONAL LINKS MELREESE COUNTRY CLUB. RESULT: PRESENTED Chair Hardemon: Calling the July 12, 2018 Miami City Commission back into order. We are calling our attention now to the PA (Personal Appearance) agenda. So the PA agenda is set for public appearance. We have here Mr. David Beckham and Mr. Jorge Mas. They're recognized. Jorge Mas: Mr. Chairman, Commissioners, fellow Miamians, and friends and residents of our great City, before I begin, I want to acknowledge what I've observed since I got here at 1:30 today. First, sharing with so many people outside who are supporters and fanatics of the sport of futbol, and who are here passionately supporting a team here in Miami in the future. But I also want to recognize the fact of the beautiful example of our democracy that we've seen in the course of approximately the last five hours, and the opinions and the support given from all sides; to the young men and women of The First Tee, to those who are supporting futbol, and to others who have very different opinions. And I'm a huge believer that our voices should be heard. And one of the things today that I will frankly end with is that I believe that all of the residents of the City's [sic] of Miami's voices should be heard. I am a proud child of people -- of my mother and father; who came to this country seeking freedom; seeking nothing more than making a better life for themselves and for their children. I am a product of love, and I am a person who considers himself a born and bred Miamian. I bleed for this City. In every endeavor in my life, since I grew up on LeJeune and 2nd Terrace, as I attended St. Michael's and Epiphany, and Christopher Columbus High School, and the University of Miami, and through all of the blessed places in the world that life has taken me, I have always taken my city in my heart, because I believe that this is one of the greatest cities on Earth. What a beautiful cultural mosaic we have observed today; peoples from all walks of life, different countries, cultures, but all with a love for Miami. And I think the one ingredient that separates us from everyone else is passion, and that's something that I think is a beautiful trait of our City. We stand before here, talking about soccer. And let me share with you for a minute or two how we became involved in soccer; and what ultimately for us, I believe, is a labor of love. I was reached out by the Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber late last summer, while I was in the midst of that time in the pursuit of another sports franchise, trying to do good things and build something the right way in our City. He asked me, "Are you familiar with the efforts of David Beckham" -- and his group at that time -- "to bring major league soccer to Miami?" I said, "Commissioner, only what I've read and only what I've seen. " And he said, "Would you have any interest in getting involved? Because it is, in my opinion, that he needs a local partner that needs someone who knows the City of Miami. " Frankly, I waited a few weeks until I received another phone call from him, when he called me to tell me that the Major League Soccer Franchise was leaving Miami; that they no longer considered Miami as a viable choice, because it was difficult to get an ownership group, they weren't exactly there with the potential of a stadium, there was no local partners; and, in fact, he told me, "We have IS cities waiting in line who want an expansion franchise in major league soccer. " My brother and I flew up to New York City of Miami Page 27 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 City. We had a dinner with David's partner and with another one of our partners, and we -- my brother and I -- shared a vision for what we could see the potential could be in Miami. These gentlemen shared our vision. We told them that if this was going to be a team located in our City, it has to be Miami's team, it had to be a local team, it had to be a team that encompassed everything that is good about our community, and that it was our desire that if we brought a team to Miami that it be the MLS' (Major League Soccer's) global team, because we are a global city. For us, you know, I've always been brought up dreaming. And my partner, David Beckham, who didn't have to choose Miami, when he came, after a very illustrious career, to the LA (Los Angeles) Galaxy in 2007, he rose the league up, and he was given an option for franchise, and he chose our City. And frankly, as I explored and viewed, you know, how, frankly, he was treated, mainly with open arms, but I felt that he wasn't guided by the hand by the best interests of the best of what is Miami. And as we moved forward and we started looking and doing more research and due diligence in how we could make something different, we did it with the purpose of trying to build a sports team that is different than our current sports teams, because I'm a huge fan. I'm a baseball fan, I'm a fan of the Marlins, Dolphins, the Miami Heat, the University of Miami, my Christopher Columbus Explorers, and I grew up playing in the parks in Dade County; specifically, in Suniland Park. So I think that I understand the value of sports, and I truly believe that it unites communities. The fabric of a community many times is identified by sports and how it can unify and how it can bring different nationalities together; and I think there's no greater sport than does that is a global sport, which is soccer. And I think we have seen over the past few weeks and months of how it unites not only people in Miami, which, by the way, we're the largest market in World Cup viewership in the world, in Spanish and English. So when you look at our market, there's huge, huge potential. When we looked at this, and wanting to make a difference, we said, "You know, the sports experience here is you go to a game, you watch it, you go home." There's really nothing that has been, in my opinion, successfully done in sports facilities in our community that allow families to spend time pre -game, during, and post -game. So in our endeavor -- and we started traveling the country, and frankly, looking at what the MLS models started being with soccer -specific stadiums. There are 20 -- approximately 22 to 25,000 around the country, and they're unbelievable experiences, and very different than the typical stadiums that we have now. This is not the size of a Marlins Park or a Hard Rock Stadium; it's very different; it's half the size. They have a museum -like look to them. And when we started looking and doing research late last year, you know, and looking at what the franchise previous to our involvement had done, you know, we saw and looked at the inherited site at Overtown. And I, frankly, at that time, met with a lot of the people who I know in Overtown, with community leaders, with many of the people who work for us at MasTec, who live in that community. And frankly, I never found that the stadium would do something that would uplift that neighborhood. I personally felt that it had the potential of potentially gentrifying that neighborhood; that it was going to be extremely difficult to build around the stadium anything that could serve a purpose for that community. And I will state now for the record that, unlike the majority of team owners around all of the sports in the United States, I do not believe that stadiums, on their own, are economic engines; they are not. When we looked at the situation in Overtown and we looked at what could be done, and we own the land there, we said, V think that our community deserves better. I think our fans deserve better. We need to build a fan experience, and we need to do something which is different, which is iconic, which really separates us from the rest of the cities in the United States in how we watch sports. " And as I looked at the ownership group around me; as I looked at David Beckham, a global icon, a brand ambassador; a man who's known throughout the world; as I look at his partner, Simon Fuller; one of the most successful men in entertainment and a creator of American Idol; when I looked at Marcel Claure, very successful businessman, who is a resident of the City of Miami, who is the Chairman of Sprint; when I look at our other partner; Masa [sic] Sun, Japanese origin, and today, he is the largest technology investor in the world, has the largest fund created in the history of mankind, $100 billion to invest City of Miami Page 28 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 in technology -- Uber, We Work, virtual reality companies, and hundreds of other technology entities that are growing throughout the world. And my brother and I frankly looked and goes, "It's important for us, as children of Miami, to attract the strengths of our partners, and to commit them to Miami, and to invest in South Florida." And how do we do that? So as we continuously looked for potential locations for a new stadium -- but more importantly, for a new experience -- how could we combine bringing in investment and technology that could provide high - paying jobs, that could provide employment, that could provide something great for our fans, and we started searching. There is not one single site in South Florida that we have not looked at, much less the group. Five years they spent looking for a site. One of the caveats to our choosing a site is that Major League Soccer has to approve where the facility goes. It's their league, this is practically their team, and they need to approve. And they have always this team to be, frankly, in the urban core. So as we looked, we had some restrictions, and we brought a contingent of MLS officials to South Florida, and many others, and they probably looked at over 40 sites. When we started looking at the potential of the site at Melreese, my first thought and my first focus -- and frankly, I was taken aback, as I've shared with many of you, Commissioners -- the fact that there was a fence around the property. And I grew up playing at Grapeland Park, playing baseball. My son just finished playing there as of a couple years ago. I understand the importance of golf there, but in my view, a golf course is not a park. So if we were going to do anything at all, it had to be predominantly in mind to, "How can we activate a park for all of the residents of the City of Miami?" And I want to preface this here before my presentation of our ideas comes through, and why is our vision, and why are we calling it Miami Freedom Park. I have a message to the young men and women and the parents of those who participate in The First Tee. I am a fan of your program. I have provided a significant amount of college scholarships to many of the young men and women who have graduated from The First Tee. And there is absolutely nothing that would fill myself with commitment and the desire is that The First Tee remain in this project; that you continue with the classroom work, with the ethics, with the type of morals that are built there. We want you to have a place in Miami Freedom Park. So it is our intention in everything that we have to do to accommodate The First Tee Program; frankly, to expand The First Tee Program so more young men and women have an opportunity to participate in that. I want you to know that you have my personal commitment and our support to make sure that your program thrives, and that absolutely nothing negative happens with it. Having said that, when we look at the creation of a park, it was extremely important for us to how -- and is it even possible? -- to make a design encompassing what we wanted to do. You will see today a presentation by the designers and the architects, but when we looked at it, we said, "Can we do something here that is great for our City, that is great for Miami?" And the one thing that I wanted to make sure of is that -- because we, as residents, have been hurt by and tainted by sports deals before. The Marlins deal is a terrible deal for our community; and trust me, I know. In my pursuit of the franchise last year, I know the deal. It is a bad deal. The first thing that I said is, "We are not going to do anything like that. This has to be a completely different transaction and different deal. " So first, when we had -- and I'd like to share with you some of the images of what we're proposing. Number one, it is to make sure that this park and this buffer on 37th Avenue for the neighborhood is open to all and gives the space for the tens of thousands of residents who want to enjoy what will be the largest park in the City of Miami. I also wanted to make sure that besides providing golf and sports that we provide something for the youth of our community in soccer. "When you look at this site, " I said, "how can we tie this into public transportation? How can we make sure that the Miami Intermodal Center that is there is connected to this facility to facilitate entry and exit?" And this is a view from north to south, and you can see it's connected through a walkway to this development. And in terms of scale, the Sheraton, which exists there now, is exactly the same height and same scale of this project. When we looked at it, there are certain restrictions on this property; restrictions having to do of assembly because of a proximity to a runway; meaning you cannot put certain high-rise buildings in the City of Miami Page 29 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 middle of the property, you cannot put housing, you cannot put schools. And once our designers design this project, I said, "It is important for us that the elements that we want to include, include soccer fields that are open to all. " In this design, there are 23 acres of soccer fields for youth that'll be open to all. This is not going to be soccer fields that are going to be used by the team or the academy of the team that will be located elsewhere; either in the City of Miami, or other cities who could express an interest in having our team. This is a site which today has approximately 150 to 160 acres. The park will encompass 110 acres of that. It will include the 23 acres of soccer fields; it will include everything else to the eastern and southern portion; and what we call a soccer village, which is the flow of traffic here, going to the stadium, is frankly 73 acres in total, but it includes the 23 acres of the soccer fields. So, frankly, the area that is going to be used here, in an open -park -like pedestrian friendly way is less than 50 acres. And the reason that we did it in this fashion is because we thought it accomplished the goals of attracting technology investment, of creating jobs, of being able to do something that --for our residents and our fans -- on the food and beverage and entertainment sides could be something enjoyable besides activating the park. When you look at the location, obviously, of this facility, through major thoroughfares -- and you will hear a little bit about ingress and egress when our architect comes to speak -- one of my initial concerns was the major economic engine of our City and our County is the airport. "Whatever is designed here, "I said, "cannot disrupt entry and exit into the airport"; the 50 million people who come in and out of our airport every year, and the tens of thousands of people who work at the airport and the adjacent areas on a daily basis, who get in and out. So how can you work the inflows and outflows to not disrupt the airport; and, more importantly, to not disrupt the neighborhood to the east; to make sure that the flow of traffic there is one that's seamless and does not interrupt traffic? So from a logical point of view, in my mind -- and I did a -- besides the engineers -- I said, "How much could we increase traffic when you have 50 million people coming out of there and the adjacent property?" So I think from a traffic perspective, this has been well researched and well -studied, and you'll hear a little bit more about that in the future. Let me talk about the park. Why Freedom Park? You know, my parents came here seeking freedom. Many of us in this room are products of families seeking freedom from so many different countries. What better symbol to our City and to our City's aspirations to represent that noble cause, which is freedom? So I think it's an appropriate name for what we all aspire to. I think when you look at the scale of the park -- and we want to make a beautiful park, a resilient park, which I think is an extremely important component of our City and our neighborhood, especially with where we are located, these are some of the images that we want to share. This gives you a scale of what the stadium will look like from the park. It is low-lying, it is not overwhelming, it's pedestrian friendly, and it's an active park, as I said before, for all. When you look at the fields that are there, that will be open to all youth, the object of our team is to try to break the motto of 'pay to play. " Our children enjoying soccer should not have to pay to play. It should be open to all. It should be free, because, frankly, that is the way that the best players in the world have been developed, and I have an aspiration that our team be a great team; hopefully, with homegrown talent. When you look at our soccer village, one of the things that we want to do is, for example, create an amphitheater outside of the stadium, free to all. We want anybody who wants to watch a match to be able to watch it from an amphitheater; on a lawn, in a picnic -like setting, because we're extremely confident that a 25,000 -seat stadium here will be successful, will sell out; and hopefully, as is the example in many cities throughout the United States, there will be a waiting list for our fans to enjoy. The stadium will be technologically advanced, extremely modern in nature, with new technology. It will have a skywalk to highlight views of our City in a 360 -degree way --fashion. This gives you again more scale, and a pedestrian friendly walk into the stadium, with restaurants, food and beverage; shops, especially with sports. There's a segment of this that we want to dedicate to arts and culture, and sculpture gardens. So what does this mean? When we looked at that, we asked our question: "Can we even do this?" This is a project that is going to take between 850 million and $1 billion to build. One of the City of Miami Page 30 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 things that I have repeated multiple times is I want to make sure that we do a project which requires zero taxpayer money. I will repeat that. This project will require zero taxpayer dollars. Based on what I've alluded to earlier, in our partnership group, we have a group of men and entities that want to invest in our City, that want to bring high paying jobs, that want to build a project like this. We should open our arms to the people who want to do this here. When we looked at the financial considerations, I also said, "We need to pay fair market value for the lands. " We don't want a subsidy, we don't want a giveaway, we don't want absolutely anything. We want to give to the City, and create what does not exist today. So when we viewed this, we looked at paying a fair market value of lease directly to the City of Miami, $3.6 million a year. We looked at also, in addition to that, how could we help activate a park? The park area here belongs to the City of Miami. And we said, "We want to help and assist in activating that park. " So we're willing to make a $20 million gift in the activation of that park and those activities. This will create 11, 000 jobs over the next three years during the construction of this project, and it will create 2,300 permanent jobs, of which the payroll related to the jobs is approximately $106 million. And I think that is an important, important factor that we have to consider in bringing a project such like this to South Florida. This -- and to not bore anyone -- is a tax chart of what a project like this and a $1 billion investment can bring to our taxpayers. It brings $5.8 million into the City of Miami, $11 million to Dade County; $23 million to the State of Florida, primarily through sales taxes; and $3.8 million to the School Board; this is a year; annually. So I have always said that you need to dream to realize. Many times, it's very easy to say, "no, " to be satisfied with the status quo, to take the easy path, to be satisfied with the Overtown site; and frankly, do something in my heart that I think is wrong. But as I met with the Commissioners, all of them, and I looked at, "What are your concerns? What should we be doing?" And frankly, one of the issues that came up was green space. Green space, I understand. So it has been our desire always, and it has been our legacy, and, I think, our philanthropic way of doing things, and I want to share something here with the Commission and may -- that we may have forgotten, and it talks, I think, about my family's commitment. In 1997, we drove in front of the Freedom Tower, and my father was ill. And that was a symbol for the Cuban - American community. And I told my father, "We will restore it." And I bought the Freedom Tower, and I spent $30 million restoring that for our City, and I gave it to Miami Dade College so it could live forever. That's what my family is about. So when we stand here before you and tell you that we have our City and its heart in mind, we do, and I do. And when we talk about green space, I don't want there to be a net loss of green space here. And I understand that the City is pursuing a baywalk and a riverwalk, and trying to look at other areas, how we can create new green space in the City. And you have our commitment as an ownership group, and I understand that there's a potential $5 million shortfall for the riverwalk and baywalk project -- we are committed to provide those $5 million so that can become a reality so we can increment more green space in the City of Miami. And I think that speaks to the type of things that we want to do in increasing parks throughout our City, and bring pocket parks with soccer to the inner city, to the urban core; be able to help you activate more parks and more green space around our City. That's what our ownership group is about. That is the type of legacy that I, as a family, want to leave. I want to aspire to great things. I want to see people who come in and out of the City of Miami see -- this is the first thing they see in our City; an iconic tribute to all of the generations that have preceded us. That's what I want for my City. I want greatness in my City. I want to be able to dream big. I want to be able to look at this project and have people two months ago tell me, "You're crazy, that's impossible." It is not impossible. We can make it happen if we want it to. And I want the voters to decide. I want every single voice in the City of Miami to make a decision on this project, and I think that is what we should all do, and let them decide. If they share this vision, if they want greatness, so be it; and if they don't, then they don't. It's the voters' decision to do. So I'm very, very happy and satisfied that you've given me, a product of Miami, an opportunity to share our vision; and City of Miami Page 31 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 frankly, to share and pour from heart what I feel for my City. So thank you. And my partner in David Beckham, you're up. (Applause) Chair Hardemon: Decorum. Remember, the same rules apply. David Beckham: Good afternoon, Chairman, Commissioners -- sorry -- good evening, Chairman, Commissioners, people of Miami. We've been -- sat here since 1:30, like you guys have, and everybody's been very patient, and it's been great to hear everybody's opinion on wherever they agree or wherever they don't agree. So I'd like to keep to protocol, like everybody else has. I'm David Beckham. I'm from the east end of London. My zip code is E17. I grew up in the east end of London, with a working-class family. I was able to play for Manchester United, play for Real Madrid, play for PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), play for AC Milan, play for the Galaxy, and represent my country 115 times. I'm passionate about this game. I'm passionate about bringing this game to this great City. Before I go on, I do want to thank The First Tee community, and I want to thank Miami futbol community for being here today. You guys have been her since -- some of you -- 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 5:30. And I have four -- well, I have three young children and a 19 -year-old son. I know how difficult it is sometimes to get my children out of bed in the mornings, so to get your children here today to support a cause that you feel passionate about, it means a lot. It means a lot, and I know exactly where you're coming from, so I want to thank you for that commitment. I want to thank you for what you've done, because it's all about our children, and that's one thing that I've always believed, so thank you for that. Like I said, I grew up in the east end of London. I was given the opportunity to play the game that I loved. Like I said, I'm from a working-class background. My parents work hard. My father is a gasket fitter. My mom is still a hairdresser; hard-working people. So they gave me the opportunity to live my dream. I was able to move to Manchester when I was 15 years old, to play for a club that I adored, that I loved; and that coming from an east end lad to go up to Manchester to play for a team that he supported, that my dad had supported from a very young age, was a dream come true. I first went up to Manchester when I was 11 years old. Its a three-hour journey from London. I cried all the way up there and cried all the way back; not because I was homesick, but because I realized I had an opportunity. And this is what we're trying to say today. We're trying to let you guys realize there's a real opportunity here. My legacy in the game is all about what I've been and done on the field. Everything that I have outside of the field, I've only been successful in is because what I've done on the field. So I owe everything to the career that I've had. I owe everything to the coaches that I have, the players that I've played with, the fans that I've played in front. The reason I'm successful on the field is because of them, because of hard work. Growing up in the east end of London was always something that I'm very proud of. To say that I've played for the clubs that I've played for; to have won championships with the clubs that I've played for; to represent my country 115 times makes me very proud. To say now that I'm an owner of a team in a city like Miami, a city that you guys love, adore; to say -- to turn around to me when I was 11 years old and say, "This is exactly what I would have done," I would have laughed, because all that was important to me was playing futbol, becoming a professional futboler. And as a young lad, as a young boy -- and there's a lot of young girls around here -- that play the game that we all love, there's a real opportunity. We are trying to create something for the City of Miami -- a global city -- a global sport. We are bringing a global sport to the -- one of the most interesting, important, vibrant, exciting cities in the world; this is what we're bringing. It's been a long time before I've walked into a room and people have not smiled at me. Its not a nice feeling. I've had it once or twice on the field -- actually, more than once or twice -- and it's not nice. I can handle it on the field. It's not a nice feeling. So I hope that today you realize what we're trying to do for the City of Miami, what we're trying to do for your Miami. Like I said, I'm from London. I'm from the east end of London, so it's easy for you guys to say, "You're not from this City of Miami Page 32 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 city. You don't know what this City means to us." Actually, I do. I'm not homegrown, but this is becoming my home, and this will become my home. So thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk to you today, to voice my opinion; to, hopefully, make you realize that we're good people. We're trying to do the right thing. We want to do the right thing by your children and your children's children, because at the end of the day, that's what it's about. I have four children that I'm proud about, proud of. I have four children that I love, adore, and I want them to look back at this, 20, 30, 40 years from now, and say, "That's what my dad created. That's what my dad bought [sic] to the City of Miami, to the MLS, to America. " We want to grow this sport. This is the greatest sport in the world. It's the biggest sport in the world; the most popular sport in the world for boys, for girls, for anybody, and it's why we feel so passionate about it. I want to thank you all. I want to thank Miami. I want to thank the Chairman, the Commissioners, my partners. Thank you very much. Mr. Mas: I'd like to share with everyone here a video that we prepared, which is a little bit of the vision of Miami Freedom Park. Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): IT (Information Technology), can you come out here, please? Chair Hardemon: We're just imagining maybe Enrique Iglesias -- Mr. Mas: You got it. Chair Hardemon: -- Luther Campbell -- Mr. Mas: Mr. Chairman, ifI -- Chair Hardemon: -- Trick Daddy. That's the music that's going through our heads. Mr. Mas: -- started singing here -- Chair Hardemon: All Miami music. Mr. Mas: -- this room would clear out so fast, it's not pretty. Bernardo Fort -Brescia: Good afternoon. My name is Bernardo Fort -Brescia. I'm a principal of Arquitectonica. We are a Miami -based, homegrown architectural firm and planning firm, and we're very pleased to be part of this important project. I'd like to begin by telling you the task that we're here for, because the task of creation in my field of architecture and planning is very complex. We have to deal with functional issues, aesthetics, environmental, contextual, and connectivity issues. And, of course, the emotional part, because for buildings not to be just buildings, but to be architecture, they have to generate an emotion. And today we're here -- I'm here to explain to you how all this comes together, all those factors that come into a project so that it can become reality. The site plan that you see in front of you is the project that is within those 130 acres that you've heard. It contains most importantly, as you can see from this image, a very large park. And this park is -- what is a welcome moment into the property. It is a real park, because it's truly accessible and open to the public, and it re -- within this park remain the baseball fields, the water park that are currently onsite. And it also has a series of other functions that are part of this project. It includes a golf facility, similar to what you see in Drive Shack or Top Golf- includes pavilions in the garden that activates the -- activate the park; includes, of course, the stadium, strategically located within the permissible heights of the airport; what we call (UNINTELLIGIBLE), at 118 feet of height. It includes the series of soccer fields that were very much part of the presentation today for you, over to the left of the screen. So these are some of the components. And included in that is a whole soccer village. As you know, in the City of Miami Page 33 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 world of soccer, there's such a thing as the march, and that you go through, you arrive early, you have a good time, meet with friends, speculate about the result of the game, maybe meet the fans of the opponent team. And it is very much a place of gathering, because in the world of soccer; the game is a very different game than others. You have to be there the entire time so you don't miss the goal that may determine the result of the game. And then after the game, you leave and actually gather with your friends to talk about the game, and talk about the critical moments that made that game a real event, a real special moment in -- for you, and your family, and your friends with whom you went. It also includes some additional aspects, including hotels, some office space; elements that will make this place a real mixed-use environment, a real place that supports the stadium as a neighborhood, not just as a free-standing building. Jorge explained very clearly that that being an objective is important, because it has to be part of a larger whole, and not just be a sole purpose statement. You can see from these images, and if you read all the other elements that -- contained in this park, there's a skate park, there's a kids' playground, there's an event lawn, and there's the amphitheater that I'm going to explain a little bit more. Hidden under those fields, by the way, we have a total of 3, 750 parking spaces that are protected from the rain and the sun, they're not visible, and they're concealed, and comfortable. And there is -- and we have the appropriate arrival areas for Uber, for taxis, for van, for buses. It is thought out in every respect, with respect to connectivity. But if I had to say what is the defining thing about this site compared to many sites that don't have these virtues, is that this project is so close to the MIC (Miami Intermodal Center), and we are so lucky to have a site that has that level of connectivity, because that is where the future is going, and I'm going to elaborate a little bit more about that level of connectivity. So with this view, you can see the context of the site; and, of course, we have an airport on one side, we have the MIC to one side, a residential neighborhood, but ifI had to also define it, it's that it's imminently accessible. We know that we're between 112 and 836, so there's many ways of arriving from east and west, because if you look at the overall picture of this site and where it's located in our County, it's in the geographic center of the County, so traffic is distributed in four directions. I like as a matter of reference to say, let's assume that it was on the waterfront. There would be only one way out. Here, we have a way to distribute the traffic in all the directions where people are coming and going from. In this view, you can see the fields to one -- to the right and you can see the park to the left, and you can see the stadium in its prominent location as you arrive into the City of Miami, announcing us as a very special place. In this other view, you can see the stadium in the context of our downtown, not too far. And you can see the connection of 836, you can -- and all the ways of getting into this location. But more importantly, it is that it is very much part of the City, and we are right in the center of this great metropolitan area. There are -- when I mean activation of this park, I mean the fact that there are places of gathering for people to get together and meet and talk, and be -- so that we become -- really are creating more of a forum than just a simple open space. You can see the potential for water features, and the natural and organic aspect of the park. And at the end of this park, at a distance, you see the stadium itself. These are the fields that occur over that parking that I just described to you. They are the ones that -- they conceal, but they create this amazing elevated field or -- that conceals the parking spaces. And lastly, Jorge talked about the lawn, the viewing lawn with the big screen. This is something that our City has done extremely well; for example, in the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, where some people are in the symphony and some people are in that beautiful park, experiencing, thanks to the amazing technology of our times, what happens inside, and this is an example of what we are trying to create in this park. And to the right, you see what we call the soccer experience, and this is a museum, interactive museum about soccer, a place that visitors to our City would like to come, people who come to the stadium would like to visit. It is a special place that is sort of the anchor; a sports cultural anchor for this complex that we're proposing. This is the view inside the stadium. And what I talked about -- emotion and forum and aesthetics, and function -- this is what -- how this comes together. This is the complete book. There are four sides of the -- City of Miami Page 34 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 where one can feel the energy of the patrons that have come, see this game. It'll -- the roof will create the echo that will make it a very powerful place. And the roofs are sculpture. They're much -- telling us about who we are. This is a city of exuberance and excitement. This is not a staid city. This is what makes us a destination. The world sees us as a very fun and exciting place to come, and a place of art, and art has defined our city. Art Basel and many other activities that occur in the City have redefined our city as a more complete city, and the stadium itself should represent that impetus that the City has developed. And this is the view -- what I talked to you about the march, the walk to the game. This is an example of that walkway, with buildings on both sides that provide excitement and activities, before and after the game. Before and after the game, I emphasize, because it's very important that people don't all leave at once. It is great that they have a place where to go after the game. And the game is asocial event. It's not just being a spectator; it's also about exchanging ideas with your friends. You can see here the rooftop terrace, with a rooftop bar overlooking the stadium, a series of rooftop gardens that will be very much part of the expression of that soccer village. So let me take you to a very important aspect. I told you at the beginning about aesthetics, about functionality, about content, about programming of the spaces, and I also mentioned connectivity. And connectivity is critical, and some of it is related to the geography. Look at the location and where we are in the context of South Florida; the connectivity, even to the west coast; to the northern counties of this area -- to Palm Beach County, to Fort Lauderdale and Broward County; and to the southern side, towards Monroe. This is a very central and accessible site for all of South Florida. You can see in black in this diagram the new rail that connects from the MIC up all the way through the Tri -County area that will bring spectators from all those areas. And you can see also in the other colors the connection from the MIC into downtown Miami and to other neighborhoods in the City through People Mover and Metrorail. And I think, in that sense, there couldn't be a better connected site, and a better site to encourage people to use mass transit. We have invested in that MIC millions and millions of dollars, and now we are creating a destination and access -- that is accessible through mass transit. It is -- so here, I show you all the possibilities. We have five Metrobus routes that come today to this site. We have 65 trains a day that come to the MIC. We have Amtrak, we have inter -city bus, we have the Miami Mover and the Miami Beach Bus, 35 buses a day from Miami Beach. And we have, of course, Tri -Rail. That is a unique situation in the United States. There are not too many -- if any -- locations for a stadium that are this well connected, and I think it would make us a very contemporary and modern city to think of this site as the right site for the project. With respect to vehicular access, I mentioned to you 836, 112, and connectors through LeJeune in other directions. Well, you wonder; how is it that we are doing this? Well, we brought in Kimley-Horn, our traj c consultant. We have -- we did a traffic analysis. We looked -- a whole analysis and proposal for access and egress from the site. And as you can see, there are many ways of getting in and out in a very smooth way into the site, and we have a complete analysis that is -- will be available to you from our traffic consultants that is, in a way, not a surprise, because when you visit the site, if you look at it from the air; you realize that this level of connectivity with exits and points of egress, and access into the site is unique and very special. I do want to point out that we have done the analysis in the first image that you saw for ingress, for egress, and then for exiting, and we have looked at every possibility from where people are coming from and where they're going, whether it's Kendall, Coral Gables, West Broward, to Miami Beach, to downtown, and we've looked at all these possibilities and all the roadways that exist, and the ways of handling it. But if I had to give you the most defining element of connectivity and vehicular engineering for this project, it's that within the site, we contain the entire queuing aspect of the project. We all know that queuing is what really is the real crux of the matter, I would say, in the world of traffic engineering. But because of the size of this site -- we actually have 10, 700 feet of queuing internalized within the site. That is essentially two miles of queuing internal to the site so that queuing does not invade the public realm; it stays internal to the site. And therefore, it doesn't create the congestion that is -- really, the source of City of Miami Page 35 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 congestion is usually the queuing. And so, we have that ability to create that concentration within the two kilom -- two miles of queuing that we have internally. Frankly, it's very unlikely that we'll even use it in its totality, because of the amount that it represents. It is -- so I thought this was probably the most important aspect of the engineering part, the functionality part that I mentioned in the beginning in which we have resolved it, and it's a complement to the connectivity that we have for mass transit onto this site. And with this, I think this shows you how all this comes together into one total solution that involves all these different elements that are part of a design that solves the problems. Thank you very much. Richard Perez: Thank you. My name is Richard Perez, 701 Brickell Avenue. And thank you once again forgiving us all an opportunity to be here. We're all honored to have a chance to be part of this project. And I'm going to start by giving you just a glimpse, a little window into my first meeting with George and Jose Mas about this project. And you saw a little bit of the passion that George has for this project and for the City already. So picture this, right? So I walk into the conference room, full of people, everybody running around. And when I walk in, George jumps up, looks at me, and says, "Rick, this can't be the Marlins deal. We have to do everything different. " And, well, that was the beginning point of where we looked at structuring this deal, what we looked at doing, because it was very important to George that this not be the Marlins deal; that this be the opposite of the Marlins deal. And I knew George knew that deal pretty well -- right? -- because he had gone through the process of negotiating for the purchase of that -- of the ball club. So him and I, we sat there, and we went back and forth, discussing the key elements of the Marlins deal and how we were going to make this different, right? So the first key element of the Marlins deal that you have to understand is that the Marlins deal was a management agreement in which the County took the ownership of the Orange Bowl land, right? The City actually transferred that Orange Bowl land to the County. And -- well, this may seem rather insignificant, this kind of legal structuring, but it has a dramatic fiscal and legal impact, because there's this quirky Supreme Court decision out there that says that County -owned land is immune from taxation, while City -owned land is only exempt from taxation. So if you're the County and you put something on that piece of property, it doesn't matter what you put -- private or public use -- that property will not get taxed. If the City does it, well, and it's a private use, it gets taxed. And what does that mean for the Marlins? That means that today, the Marlins pay absolutely zero in real estate tax. So if you go to the Property Appraiser's Office, you bring down that tax roll, what it shows is zero. And so, what have we suggested to the City that we do? Our suggestion to the City is a lease agreement, and we have never come to the City about transferring land to either the County or the School Board, or anything like that. And that, just that difference, that change in the legal structure means that at full buildout, MVP, Miami Freedom Park, LLC (Limited Liability Company), will pay $11 million or more in real property taxes to the City, to the School Board, to the County; just 6 mil -- 6 million of that just to the City, and that doesn't include all of the additional taxes that we're -- that we've been talking about -- the sales tax and all that -- which means a total of nearly $44 million in additional taxes to the State, the County, and the City, and the School Board. And so, that one change has a dramatic impact. The second key element of the Marlins deal that we discussed was that the Marlins essentially pay zero with regards to rent to the City; absolutely -- to the City, to the County, to anybody. The deal -- they don't pay rent. They have a management agreement. They manage the facility, but they don't pay -- they essentially don't pay any rent. And so, what is MFP's commitment? MFP's commitment, on the other hand, is that we're going to pay fair market value for this piece of property; not zero, not another number; not a subsidized number. We will pay fair market value for this property. And, as set forth in the referendum, what we have done is that referendum, because of the legal constraints, has a specific number in there. It says we're going to pay $3,577,000 and change in annual rent to the City, but that number can change if, as we go through this process, two independent appraisals show that that number should be larger, we will pay more money. Now, if that independent appraisal says City of Miami Page 36 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 it should be less, we're still going to pay 3,577,000. So that number in the referendum sets the floor as to what we will pay. So, again, zero rent for the Marlins; fair market value and a process to get to a real number in terms of fair market value. The third key element of the Marlins deal is public financing of that -- of the construction of those garages. The Marlins received over $488 million in public dollars, in hotel tax revenue; and in addition to that, the City spent millions of dollars building the parking garages for the -- for the construction of the -- for the Marlins and their use. MFP, again, our commitment here is not $480 million in hotel tax dollars, not the City building parking garages. Our commitment here is that all of the improvements to the soccer -- all of those improvements -- the soccer facility and all the ancillary development, all of that will be privately funded. Look, we understand that this is a -- sort of a post-modern world. And we sat here and we listened, and what is obvious from everybody is that there's a cynicism about these typed of deals. We get it, right? And frankly, that cynicism is probably well founded in some occasions. So what can we do to ensure the public that what we're saying are not simply words -- right? -- that this promise is -- are not just simply cheap words that we get up here, that lawyers talk about, and go back and forth. And so, our suggestion to you is a change to the referendum language. That referendum language today speaks to the construction of a soccer facility, et cetera. We would suggest that that language include 'privately funded." And why is that important? Because if it's in the referendum language, the only way that we could -- if we ever thought that crazy thought of coming back here for public funds is to go back to the public. It enshrines in your Constitution -- in your Charter; it enshrines the necessity that this project needs to be privately funded. And so, we think that by doing that, it provides not just the words, not just the commitment -- and it is our commitment today, it is our commitment tomorrow, and it is our commitment in the future that this will be a privately funded obligation. But you don't have to take our words for it. Change the referendum language, and put in there 'privately funded." We will live by that commitment. And so, the other thing we looked at was sort of the underlying narrative of the Marlins deal, right? We didn't even want to follow that underlying narrative of the Marlins deal. And that underlying narrative was, if you build it, they will come. Right? We put this soccer facility in Little Havana and all of a sudden, that whole area will have cafes and shops, and all that stuff. And so, that is not something that -- as Mr. Mas indicated, that is not going to happen here. Right? A soccer stadium is not, in and of itself, an economic engine. And so, the one thing you have to understand about this group: They're dreamers, but they're not just dreamers. They're builders. They're in the construction industry. They understand how to build and what -- the concept from the very beginning is not, "Build it and they will come. " They will build it, they will fulfill the promise, they will have the economic development. It will all be there with a significant public park. The fifth element of the Marlins deal was that there was really no public space; it was just the stadium, the plaza, and the parking garage. And as you've heard here, the commitment is there. 20 -- a $20 million commitment from the Mas family, from this team to improve that public park and make it a space worthy of this destination. Right? And so, the sixth element of the Marlins deal was these people were cut off. It was done at the Commission level; and so, from the very beginning, from the very first conversation, this whole team was committed; that this needed to be a referendum; this needed to have community support; it needed to have the entire community saying, "Yes, we want this. We want to have this." And so, from the very beginning, from the first conversation we had, it was important for this not to be the Marlins deal, not to put this on the elected officials, but to allow the public to participate in this decision, and ultimately to make the decision. And what will they be deciding upon? And as you've heard here, it's a project that'll generate $44 million in taxes per year for the City, for the County, for the School Board, for -- and for the State; a project that will generate thousands of good paying construction jobs; a project that will generate thousands of good paying permanent jobs; a project that will result in the establishment and the funding of a large public park, an open space -- not a closed -off space -- an open space; a project that will be the proud home of our MLS franchise. And ultimately, the choice comes down to this: City of Miami Page 37 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Will you let the people decide they want this vision, this project, and this team in their city? Thank you. Note for the Record: At this time an audio-visual presentation was made. Mayor Francis Suarez: Mr. Chair? Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, I listened intently to the public comments section today, and the word that kept sort of percolating in my mind is the word, "trust;" the word, "trust." And I also heard a tremendous amount of compelling stories, and I believe in that. I believe that you don't know someone until you know their story. And I think we heard a tremendously compelling story of the life of Jorge Mas, Jr., of the life of David Beckham, and I trust them. I trust their commitment to Miami. I trust their track record. Let me tell you my story, because I don't think I've ever said it here. Let me tell you my story. I was born in Mercy Hospital, just down the street. I grew up in Shenandoah, where I learned how to ride bike. I went to St. Hugh, in Coconut Grove; we then moved to Coconut Grove. I went to high school at LaSalle. I played basketball on all the parks of the City. I bought an apartment in Brickell. I now own a home in Coral Gate, where I'm blessed to raise my two children; and have a loving wife, who's very patient. I am the proud son of the first Cuban Mayor of Miami, and I am proud to say that I am the first Miami -born Mayor of the City of Miami. Last November; I asked you and you gave me your trust in a way that we've never seen before. But this is not about me, or about any individual story, as compelling as they all are, as invested as we all are in our City, in our greatness, in our future. This is about our residents. They are the ones that own this property. They are the ones that should decide its destiny. And let me tell you, as Mayor, I rise and I fall with all of you. I feel your pain. I wake up in the morning, and I feel your pain. When Igo to sleep at night, I feel your pain. I can tell you that it compels me to say here today that I'm not a perfect man, I am not a perfect father, I am not a perfect husband, and I am certainly not a perfect elected official. But today, I am asking all of you Commissioners to place your trust in our bosses, the owners of this property: the residents of the City of Miami. Why am I asking you to do that? I think The First Tee Program is a magnificent program, and from the beginning of these conversations, I have fought hard and will continue to fight hard, and I ask you to trust me and believe in me that I will continue to fight hard to make sure that your program is not only preserved, but it is enhanced. I think Mr. Mas obviously made a commitment to keeping the program at the park. But my commitment to The First Tee went beyond that, because some people said, "Well, a driving range is not The First Tee. We need an 18 -hole golf course. " I had a lot of people tell me, "We need an 18 -hole golf course. " Miami had another 18 - hole golf course. We sold it in 1997 for $3 million, but we took back two reverters. What does that mean? Two conditions. One condition was that it had to remain a golf course. The second condition was that we would split the revenues, 50150. And just a few months ago, I got a phone call, out of the blue, from someone affiliated with Miami Springs, and they said, "Mr. Mayor; we would like for you to consider to waive the deed restriction to split the revenues with Miami Springs, because we have an idea on how we can split the revenues and maintain the golf course. " And I said, "Well, as a matter of fact, right now, we are considering the possibility of letting voters decide on what they want to do with our remaining golf course." And so, I said, "I would consider; I would consider waiving that deed restriction on one condition: That you consider taking The First Tee Program to Miami Springs. " And I'm going to read a letter to you from the Mayor of Miami Springs. "Dear Mayor, it was a pleasure to meet with you recently to discuss the Miami Springs Golf Course, one of the prides and joys of the City of Miami Springs. Please allow this letter to memorialize the conversation that took place in your office on May 21, 2018, amongst you; William Alonso, the Miami Springs City Manager; Paul Odell, Miami Springs Golf and Country Club Director, and me. As I advised, when Miami Springs City of Miami Page 38 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 purchased the Miami Springs Golf Course from the City of Miami, several conditions were placed on the deed, including but not limited to: That net revenue proceeds generated on the golf course must be shared with Miami. Regrettably, in the more than 20 years the Miami" -- "that Miami Springs has owned the golf course, it has not turned a profit. However; we are hopeful this situation will soon change, and we are eager to recover the funds that have been paid into the Miami Springs Golf Course; as such, I requested of you that Miami release the revenue-sharing condition on the deed. I was pleased to hear from you that Miami Springs Golf Course could be of greater service to the golf community. You advised that the Melreese Golf Course located down the street from Miami Springs could be a possible site for the much discussed Miami Soccer Club Stadium. If that were to occur, certain programs would be displaced, including The First Tee Program. The First Tee is a fantastic youth development program, and we would welcome your offer for the Miami Springs Golf Course to host it. Certainly, there are issues that need to be addressed, but I am confident that we can work through them. Kindly advise when you, City staff, and The First Tee are available to discuss in greater detail. We look forward to working with you. Thank you for your interest in our community and our golf course that are both, as our slogan says, 'At the heart of it all.' Sincerely, Billy Bain, Mayor of the City of Miami Springs. " So as this project has envisioned, I have always kept my sights set on making sure that The First Tee is not disrupted in any way, shape, or form, and you have that commitment, and I ask you to place your trust in me. What we are contemplating is something that the City does not have. We are contemplating having an expansion of youth services, with 23 new public soccer fields, which are filling -- which would fill a huge community need. I can tell you, in parks like Shenandoah, in the ouffleld of two softball fields, the kids play soccer so much that the sod deteriorates to the point where they have to shut the field down. We're thinking of making that ouffield into AstroTurf. Douglas Park, another one with a softball field where, again, you have multiple clubs that play soccer in that park. And so, our capacity to meet the demand for soccer in our City is over -- is not sufficient. Like I said before, I'm a product of the City Parks Program. Not only did I play basketball, I sailed in the Parks Program, just out here on this bay; a program that no longer exists, you know, and it's a sad thing. And I go out there every once in a while on that balcony, and I think about how many beautiful days, how many beautiful afternoons I spent out there. What we would be doing here for the area of Grapeland Heights and for the entire City of Miami would be creating one of the largest public parks in the City of Miami. It would cost zero dollars for any of our residents from anywhere in the City to come and enjoy that space. People have criticized this idea, because they say that it's a private entity. Well, right now, it is a public space managed by a private entity. It's a good entity, but it is a private one, and it is not a public use, specifically. You cannot, I cannot -- and I do live close to Melreese. I live on 37th Avenue and Southwest 17th -- right off 37th Avenue and Southwest 17th Street. I cannot get in the car, take my son or my wife there, and I cannot picnic there, I cannot fly a kite there, I cannot learn to ride a bike there. What we will have now, if the residents so decide, is one of the premier public parks in our inventory. It can also serve as a model for resilience for the neighbors and for the neighborhood. We are struggling with sea level rise, and we need to start looking at our parks as part of the solution, as retention ponds, as aquifers, so that we can deal with the rising threats of sea level rise. Finally, bringing an MLS team to Miami in a financially responsible manner that the voters will decide is something that is important to the City. We would be one of only 11 cities in the United States with all five major sports. MLS is the fastest growing league in the United States, and as was mentioned, one of the highest viewing markets for the World Cup, which we'll be hosting, by the way, the World Cup in 2026 We have a tremendous opportunity to do something that is the diametrically opposite deal of the Marlins deal. It pains me to hear otherwise. It pains me to hear otherwise. When you create a deal where the team will be paying rent and property taxes -- by the way, that is a delta -- a swing of $3 billion. Let me explain to you where I come up with that number; $3 billion, conservatively. The Marlins deal, once interest is paid and the taxpayers are paid off, are going to cost our taxpayers City of Miami Page 39 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 approximately $2 billion; statistics just given to me by our Administration. If this project generates 8 to $10 billion a year -- and that's conservative, because that is property taxes that increase. And let me tell you, the last six years, our property taxes have increased at a rate of 10 percent per year for six consecutive years; that's 60 percent. So the billion dollars in revenue over 99 years is probably very conservative for those who are checking my numbers out there. It's a $3 billion delta; a $3 billion delta; changing from a $2 billion cost in one deal to at least $1 billion in revenue in another one. We're creating public space, there are no public subsidies; and finally, and most importantly, this is going to referendum so that the residents decide what they want to do with their property. As compelling as all our narratives are -- and each story is compelling -- none of us here, none of us here individually own this property, no one. The people own this property. The people should decide what it should be used for. I'll close with a couple more comments from a transit perspective. And I hope I'm not being repetitive, but I do think it's important to note that this in the epicenter of the County, and it is connected to mass transit, and it will be connected directly to mass transit, which is something that is very unique and very unusual in this community. Finally, and probably one of the most important aspects of this is that this is probably one of the few sites in Miami - Dade County -- and certainly in the City of Miami -- where you can find three sides - - the north, the south and the west -- not abutted by neighbors. The eastern side, which is abutted by neighbors, has a 60 -acre park buffer. My friends, my colleagues, we have taken many dijFcult votes in the history of our careers together. What I am asking is that you place your trust in the residents of the City of Miami so that they can decide what they want to do with their property. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: All right. So I'll assume that the public in the -- Commissioner Gort: Mr. Chairman -- Chair Hardemon: -- PA is concluded. A 011 1X672»:9167 L1/_1W_1»Evil :7_1 0116 MI City of Miami Page 40 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Cey_QelejLlW El0111r_Crl;l 011711 Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item CA.], please see "End of Consent Agenda. " City of Mimni Page 41 Printed on 08/24/2018 The following item(s) was Adopted on the Consent Agenda RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes CA.1 RESOLUTION 4235 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Department of ATTACHMENT(S), AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE CITY Resilience and MANAGER TO ACCEPT EIGHTEEN (18) RIGHT-OF-WAY DEEDS Public Works OF DEDICATION AND ONE (1) QUIT CLAIM RIGHT-OF-WAY DEED OF DEDICATION AS LISTED AND DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT "A," ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED ("DEEDS"), FOR RIGHT- OF-WAY PURPOSES PURSUANT TO SECTION 54-58 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED; APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE RECORDATION OF SAID DEEDS IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA; AND DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO KEEP COPIES OF SAID DEEDS. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0282 This matter was ADOPTED on the Consent Agenda. Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item CA.], please see "End of Consent Agenda. " City of Mimni Page 41 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 CA.2 RESOLUTION 4306 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION Virginia Key Beach AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ACCEPT AND Park Trust APPROPRIATE A GRANT AWARDED TO THE HISTORIC Park Trust VIRGINIA KEY BEACH PARK TRUST ("TRUST") IN THE NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF ONE HUNDRED FORTY-NINE THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED EIGHTY DOLLARS ($149,580.00) FROM THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES ("IMLS"), MUSEUM GRANTS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE ("GRANTOR"), WITH A CASH AND IN-KIND TOTAL CITY OF MIAMI ("CITY') MATCH, NOT TO EXCEED ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-ONE THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS ($171,275.00), TO CREATE A DIGITAL ARCHIVE OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, PHOTOS, AND ORAL HISTORIES, RELATED TO THE CIVIC, SOCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA KEY BEACH PARK FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019; AUTHORIZING THE TRUST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE A GRANT AGREEMENT AND ANY AND ALL OTHER NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, APPLICATIONS, RENEWALS, EXTENSIONS, AND MODIFICATIONS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, FOR SAID PURPOSE, AND TO CREATE THE NECESSARY ACCOUNTING STRUCTURE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE GRANT FUNDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0283 This matter was ADOPTED on the Consent Agenda. Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item CA.2, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " CA.3 RESOLUTION 4307 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ACCEPT AND Virginia Key Beach APPROPRIATE A GRANT AWARDED TO THE HISTORIC Park Trust VIRGINIA KEY BEACH PARK TRUST ("TRUST") IN THE NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF FORTY-NINE THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY-ONE DOLLARS ($49,751.00) ("GRANT FUNDS") FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019 FROM THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE, DIVISION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES, 2018 HISTORIC PRESERVATION SMALL GRANT PROGRAM ("GRANTOR"), FOR THE RESTORATION OF HISTORIC STRUCTURES ON HISTORIC VIRGINIA KEY BEACH PARK; AUTHORIZING THE TRUST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE GRANTOR AND ANY AND ALL OTHER NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, APPLICATIONS, RENEWALS, EXTENSIONS, AND MODIFICATIONS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, FOR SAID PURPOSE, AND TO CREATE THE NECESSARY ACCOUNTING STRUCTURE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE GRANT FUNDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0284 This matter was ADOPTED on the Consent Agenda. City of Miami Page 42 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item CA.3, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " CAA RESOLUTION 4300 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE TO PAY RYAN Office of the City GELLINEAU THE TOTAL SUM OF FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS Attorney ($50,000.00), WITHOUT ADMISSION OF LIABILITY, IN FULL AND COMPLETE SETTLEMENT OF ANY AND ALL CLAIMS AGAINST THE CITY OF MIAMI ("CITY"), ITS OFFICERS, AGENTS, AND EMPLOYEES IN THE CASE OF RYAN GELLINEAU VS. THE CITY OF MIAMI, ET AL., PENDING IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, CASE NO. 17 -CV -22044 -MGC, UPON THE EXECUTION OF A GENERAL RELEASE OF ALL CLAIMS AND DEMANDS AND A DISMISSAL OF THE DEFENDANTS WITH PREJUDICE; ALLOCATING FUNDS FROM ACCOUNT NO. 50001.301001.545010.0000.00000. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0285 This matter was ADOPTED on the Consent Agenda. Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item CA.4, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " END OF CONSENT AGENDA Chair Hardemon: What I'd like to ask is for a motion to approve the -- Well, first I want to make it known, because some Commissioners were not here at the time. PH7 was deferred, RE.2 was withdrawn, RE.3 was withdrawn. PH7 was deferred, RE.2 was withdrawn, RE.3 was withdrawn. So the Chair would like to entertain a motion to approve the CA (consent agenda); the PH (public hearings), what's left of it; and the RE (resolution) agenda, excepting, of course, RE 9 and RE.] 0, because that's for 2 o'clock. So the CA agenda, the PH agenda; the RE agenda, except for 9 and 10, which is for the afternoon. Is there a motion to approve it? Commissioner Reyes: Move it. Commissioner Gort: I'll move it. Chair Hardemon: Been moved by Commissioner Reyes; seconded by the Vice Chairman. Is there any discussion on any of those items? Commissioner Gort: I'd like to -- Chair Hardemon: You're recognized. Commissioner Gort: -- discuss the one of the historical site in Coconut Grove. Vice Chair Russell: That's DI. 1. Commissioner Gort: I think that one is -- what is that? Vice Chair Russell: DT 1, a discussion item. City of Miami Page 43 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Gort: D-1. 1. Vice Chair Russell: Yeah. Commissioner Gort: I think it's very important to understand, we can use that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Chair Hardemon: But, Commissioner. I don't think we're -- we're not there yet, though. DLI is -- Commissioner Gort: We're not there yet? Chair Hardemon: Yeah, DI.1 isn't part of it. Commissioner Gort: Okay. I thought it was part of the RE. Well, I want to speak about that when it comes up. Chair Hardemon: Okay, certainly. Commissioner Gort: Okay? Commissioner Reyes: Me, too. I will speak about it -- Chair Hardemon: On that one, okay. Commissioner Reyes: -- later on. Chair Hardemon: So, if there's no further discussion on any of those other items that are being considered right now, all in favor of the motion, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: All against? Motion passes. City of Miami Page 44 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 100:1111141Los: INEI N1►[069 PHA RESOLUTION 4179 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION Department of AUTHORIZING THE ACCEPTANCE OF UNITED STATES Community and DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Economic ("HUD") ENTITLEMENT GRANT FUNDS IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT Development OF $20,912,567.00 FOR THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS IN THE Development FOLLOWING AMOUNTS: (1) $5,259,044.00 FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ("CDBG") PROGRAM, (2) $3,545,440.00 FOR THE HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS ("HOME") PROGRAM, (3) $11,680,308.00 FOR THE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS ("HOPWA") PROGRAM, AND (4) $427,775.00 FOR THE EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANTS ("ESG") PROGRAM FOR PROGRAM YEAR 2018-2019; FURTHER AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, AS MAY BE NECESSARY TO ACCEPT SAID HUD ENTITLEMENT GRANT FUNDS. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0286 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item PH.], please see "End of Consent Agenda. " PH.2 RESOLUTION 4178 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Department of ATTACHMENT(S), AUTHORIZING THE ALLOCATION OF Community and PROGRAM YEAR 2018-2019 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Economic BLOCK GRANT ("CDBG') FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,259,044.00 IN FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019, AND IN THE AMOUNT Development OF $150,145.77 IN PUBLIC SERVICE FUNDS, FROM PRIOR YEAR PROGRAM INCOME, FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $5,409,189.77, TO THE ACTIVITIES SPECIFIED IN ATTACHMENT "A," ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED, BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 2018; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, AS MAY BE NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE ALLOCATION OF SAID FUNDS. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0287 City of Miami Page 45 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item PK2, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " PH.3 RESOLUTION 4175 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Department of ATTACHMENT(S), ALLOCATING HOME INVESTMENT Community and PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM ("HOME") FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF Economic $3,545,440.00 AND PRIOR YEAR PROGRAM INCOME IN THE Development AMOUNT OF $1,179,174.02, FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $4,724,614.02, FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS, FOR PROGRAM YEAR 2018-2019, AS SPECIFIED IN ATTACHMENT "A,' ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, AS MAY BE NECESSARY FOR SAID PURPOSE(S). ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0288 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item PK3, please see "Public Comment Period for Regular Items" and "End of Consent Agenda." PHA RESOLUTION 4174 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Department of ATTACHMENT(S), AUTHORIZING THE ALLOCATION OF Community and EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT ("ESG") FUNDS FOR Economic PROGRAM YEAR 2018-2019, IN THE AMOUNT OF $427,775.00 AS Development SPECIFIED IN ATTACHMENT "A," ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, AS MAY BE NECESSARY FOR SAID PURPOSE. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0289 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes City of Miami Page 46 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item PH.4, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " PH.5 RESOLUTION 4173 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION ACCEPTING Department of SECTION 8 HOUSING PROGRAM FUNDS, IN THE AMOUNT OF Community and $4,663,200.00 FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND IN THE AMOUNT Community and OF $436,800.00 FOR PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION, FOR A TOTAL Economic AMOUNT OF $5,100,000.00, FOR PROGRAM YEAR 2018-2019 Development ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, AS MAY BE NECESSARY FOR SAID PURPOSE. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0290 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item PH. S, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " PH.6 RESOLUTION 4170 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Department of ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING THE ALLOCATION FOR Community and PROGRAM YEAR 2018-2019 HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR Economic PERSONS WITH AIDS ("HOPWA") PROGRAM FUNDS, IN THE AMOUNT OF $11,680,308.00, AS SPECIFIED IN ATTACHMENT "A, Development ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED, TO PROVIDE HOUSING ASSISTANCE AND HOUSING RELATED SERVICES TO LOW- INCOME INDIVIDUALS LIVING, WITH HIV/AIDS; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, AS MAY BE NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE ALLOCATIONS. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0291 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item PH. 6, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " City ofMiami Page 47 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 PH.7 RESOLUTION 2864 TO BE DEFERRED Department of A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Community and ATTACHMENT(S), BY A FOUR-FIFTHS (4/5THS) AFFIRMATIVE Economic VOTE, AFTER AN ADVERTISED PUBLIC HEARING, RATIFYING, Development APPROVING, AND CONFIRMING THE CITY MANAGER'S FINDING, ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED AS EXHIBIT "B," THAT COMPETITIVE NEGOTIATION METHODS AND PROCEDURES ARE NOT PRACTICABLE OR ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THE CITY OF MIAMI ("CITY") PURSUANT TO SECTION 29-B(A) OF THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, AND SECTION 18-182 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED; WAIVING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SAID PROCEDURES; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO SELL THE CITY -OWNED PARCEL OF LAND LOCATED AT 1812 NORTHWEST 2 AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT "A," ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED, TO YOLO MIAMI, LLC ("YOLO") FOR $25,000.00 FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING; FURTHER AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, FOR SAID PURPOSE. MOTION TO: Continue RESULT: CONTINUED MOVER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair SECONDER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Reyes ABSENT: Carollo Note for the Record. Item PH.7 was continued to the September 13, 2018, Regular Commission Meeting. For minutes referencing Item PH. 7, please see "Order of the Day." END OF PUBLIC HEARINGS Citv, ofMiami Page 48 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 M:a&9Ewe70U7Nmril Q101[eye]SQ104W01us] 4 SRA ORDINANCE Second Reading 4290 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION DELETING Commissioners CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE X, SECTION 2-830 OF THE CODE OF THE and Mayor CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, ENTITLED "ALTERNATE CODE ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM CREATED"; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. ENACTMENT NUMBER: 13774 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Joe Carollo, Commissioner SECONDER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Gort, Carollo, Reyes ABSENT: Russell Note for the Record: For additional minutes referencing Item SR.], please see "Public Comment Period for Regular Items." Chair Hardemon: All right. So what -- let's do this then: Let's have Madam City Attorney read SR.1 into the record. SR.1. The Ordinance was read by title into the public record by the City Attorney. Chair Hardemon: Is there any discussion or a motion to approve SR.1 ? Is there a motion on SR.1 ? Commissioner Carollo: There's a motion. Chair Hardemon: Properly moved by Commissioner Carollo, SR.1. Is there a second? Commissioner Reyes: Let me ask you something before -- Chair Hardemon: Yes. Commissioner Reyes: -- just for the record. How much more do we spend on -- Chair Hardemon: Press your button. Commissioner Reyes: How much more do we spend on -- this is what is called the board, right? The Code Enforcement -- the magistrate, right? Commissioner Carollo: You saying with this? Commissioner Reyes: Yes. Commissioner Carollo: Well, it probably will end up being somewhat neutral because of the small amount of money involved, but you actually are going to save money by doing it this way, because the magistrates are more expensive than even if we have to bring in Code Enforcement Officers after hours and pay them. The other City of Miami Page 49 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 benefit is that you're not pulling out scores of Code Enforcement Officers during the most important times of the day; that instead of being out there doing their job, they're here at meetings. Commissioner Reyes: They have to come at the meeting and -- Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. Commissioner Reyes: -- and they will have to -- okay. Commissioner Carollo: And most of all, Commissioner, you're going to have a playing -- a level playing field for everyone. I'm going to tell you what happened since we voted for this on first reading last time. They immediately scheduled two meetings that -- you never had that before. It went up tremendously in what they scheduled, because people who are using their influence to get things done quickly through one individual, a magistrate, instead of going through citizens that live in the City of Miami, that we all designate through the Code Enforcement Board. That's not fair and that's not right, and that's what's been happening here. Commissioner Reyes: Okay. I'll second it. Chair Hardemon: It's been properly moved and seconded. Any further discussion about -- Commissioner Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Administration. Chair Hardemon: Sir. Jeremy Calleros Gauger: What specifically? Questions? Commissioner Gort: Well, my understanding is that we're talking about the benefit that they have making -- changed it to this being in front of us today, and what could be the default on it, too. Mr. Gauger: Well, first of all, Jeremy Calleros Gauger; Deputy Director for Planning Department. We did some cost comparison to try and get to an apples -to - apples number, and we found it to be very cost -neutral. It was within S percent for -- the Code Enforcement Board was actually slightly higher for 2017 in terms of man- hours. Commissioner Gort: My question is, Commissioners, I understand there's going to be additional work that's going to be given to the citizens that represent us on the board, and then might have delay. And one of the biggest problems that I have with Code Enforcement, when we find somebody in violation, they have to go to the hearing; and if it's postponed, if they continue with the violation -- Unless we can find a way that we can stop the violation right away, instead of waiting two and three months to have them comply with it, I wouldn't have any problem with it. Commissioner Carollo: But this is exactly what's been happening, Commissioner Gort; that individuals that know how to play the game that are connected, they don't care how many fines we are giving them, because you're going to find certain representatives, certain individuals that, through different companies, have a history of violating our Code. They never show up, interestingly, before the Code Enforcement Board; they always go to a magistrate, so they have no fear; because they know that, at worst, they're going to pay a little fine, and they get away with all this. Now, you heard on first reading from the Chairman of the Code Enforcement Board, from the Vice Chairman, from other members of the Code Enforcement Board, they have no problem holding as many meetings as they need to, stay in as long as they need to, and they have done this in the past. And furthermore, as I City of Miami Page 50 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 pointed out on first reading, there was only 46.9 hours in all of last fiscal year that they had for magistrating [sic] hearings. So there's not going to be any problems, at all, that they take that on during a 12 -month period. Commissioner Gort: I would go along with you, and let's see what happens in there. But at the same time, I want to make sure that people -- we have to find a way when people violate the Code, they can put it up to meet the requirement right away and give an opportunity to come back and then take it off, but -- because what happens right now, the neighbor will call you, `My next-door neighbor is doing mechanic job, " so the guy gets a -- whatever -- citation, and he takes three month before anything can take place. Commissioner Carollo: I think you're absolutely correct, and I'm in favor of that, and I think this process will more than ensure that. The other process, you didn't have that assurance. The only people that got to seethe magistrates were those who are connected, and then a few others here and there that they threw in to kind of stuff it. Commissioner Reyes: Mr. Chairman, I would like to hear from the Code Enforcement Director, and I want his take on this. James Bernat: Good morning. James Bernat, Director of Code. I heard the middle of the meeting, so if you could recap? As I was walking in, I was -- I heard "Code" and I heard -- so if you could -- if you don't mind to -- Commissioner Reyes: Sure. Mr. -- Chair Hardemon: We're here on the Item SR.], which is deleting Chapter 2 of the Alternate Code Enforcement System that was created, removing the magistrates from the decision-making abilities regarding Code violations, so leaving it to the Code Enforcement Board. And so, we were having discussion about -- what was stated earlier by Administration was that it was cost -neutral, really, within S percent, and we just want to know what the opinion is if -- basically, if you believe that Code Enforcement could still be effective without the use of the magistrates. Commissioner Reyes: I have a specific question. Chair Hardemon: And then -- Commissioner Reyes: If we abolish the magistrate, then your inspectors, they don't have to go to those magistrate meetings. They will be out in the street fining people that are violating Codes, right? Mr. Bernat: That's partially true, Commissioner, but the effect it will have is where the magistrate is during the day, that means every inspector that is mandated to go to the board will be after hours. That means, every hour they spent to attend the boards at night will be comped. That means they'll earn comp time. And then they will -- actually, when they trade it in to not to be at work, those are less hours that they would work during a 40 -hour work, because they'll actually trade that comp time. Commissioner Reyes: If that is the case, how come it's cost -neutral? Mr. Bernat: I never -- Chair Hardemon: That's the way the numbers -- Commissioner Carollo: Well -- City of Miami Page 51 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: -- apparently, that's the way the numbers come down. Mr. Bernat: Yeah. So -- but that will be the effect. If someone earns 10 hours comp and they want to take that time, that's less time they're in the field, so you're trading time -- one time from another time. Vice Chair Russell: It's neutral. Commissioner Carollo: Well -- Chair Hardemon: But I will say -- Well, no. Go ahead. Commissioner Carollo: We remember, on first reading, the statement that you made was that we were going to have to pay them time and a half,• that it was going to cost us more money. Now you're saying comp time. Mr. Bernat: So -- Commissioner Carollo: And what I brought up when you made that statement that it was going to cost us time and a half was that with the dollars that it was costing us for the magistrates, it would more than cover any overtime that we would have to pay them, plus have the benefits of having them out in the field during the key hours of the day. That's why the Administration says it's, more or less, a neutral in dollars. I agree with that. I think we save a little money, but it's so insignificant amounts that I'll go along with the neutral side. Mr. Bernat: So historically, even with the boards at night and the magistrate, any scheduled boards at night has been as comp, not as overtime. Historically, we don't have overtime in the Office of Code Compliance. This year, I had the benefit of having a small budget for overtime to cover holiday and maybe special details to make sure we're providing the service during the holidays, but generally, we don't have the budget to pay overtime for inspectors to go to the board hearings. Commissioner Carollo: Well, okay, so you misspoke. You weren't familiarized with that when you made the statement on first reading that you said that we would have to pay overtime. You clarified that. I accept that. But here's the bottom line: That we're only talking about less than 50 hours for the whole fiscal year, so we're not talking about a heck of a lot of time. Mr. Bernat: No. May I ask a question, Commissioner? Commissioner Carollo: Yes, sir. Mr. Bernat: So the 46 -- or the 40 hours, where did that number -- how was that number derived? Commissioner Carollo: That number was the one that staff provided for us at last fiscal year, that the board had 46.9 hours, and that's what they paid on. Mr. Bernat: So I'm not familiar with that number. The 40 -- what comes to mind at 46 is that's the average amount of cases they see in a month. Commissioner Carollo: No, no, no, no, no. Mr. Bernat: My under -- Commissioner Carollo: They gave hours -- Mr. Bernat: Yeah. So ifI -- City of Miami Page 52 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Carollo: -- that was very clear -- on the fiscal year; 46.9 hours. Mr. Bernat: So if -- even right now a Code inspector will spend anywhere between one to four hours going to a board hearing, according to when it's heard. And if you have 10 or 12 inspectors going to any given hearings, I don't know how the 46 hours was computed. Commissioner Carollo: Well, this is what staff gave us. And what it comes to is just a hair under four hours a month, and that was on the record last time. Mr. Gauger: You're correct, sir. So the 46.9 hours -- Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. Mr. Gauger: -- that's what was billed by the special masters, so that's the total number of hours of hearings. I think there's a bit of miscommunication, because that's not necessarily the same as the number of Code Enforcement Officer hours spent there. Commissioner Carollo: Well -- of course, because you're going to have numerous cases within those 46.9 hours, so you're going to have more than one Code Enforcement Officer that's going to come. That's clear. Actually, by doing it this way, bringing it to the people's board, the Code Enforcement Board, is going to be even more efficient, because Code Enforcement OjFcers -- and there's only a few that are doing that -- cannot cherry pick whoever they want to do a favor for and put them in the magistrate; and therefore, they might only have one or two cases where you could lump these all with the Code Enforcement Board and whatever cases they have, you're going to have that officer there handling a bunch of cases at each meeting. So the excuse that I originally heard that, "Boy, this is going to create such a backlog, " less than four more hours a month. And you heard from the president -- or the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and members of the Code Enforcement Board that they had been willing to have extra meetings; they could stay late at night, whatever it takes to get it accomplished. Chair Hardemon: So if there's no further discussion, all in favor of the motion on the floor, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: All against? Motion passes. Commissioner Gort: I'd like to recognize Sergeant -at -Arms Solera, who's here back, and thank you for being back. You look like you're having a good time. Commissioner Carollo: It is good to see him back. Boy, he looks more relaxed than ever. END OF SECOND READING ORDINANCE City of Miami Page 53 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 IS�S*10111110j111Is] 0&1 REA RESOLUTION 4352 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Southeast ATTACHMENT(S), ACCEPTING AND APPROVING THE AMENDED Overtown/Park BUDGET OF THE SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN/PARK WEST West CRA COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ("SEOPW CRA"), ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED AS EXHIBIT "A", IN THE AMOUNT OF $55,963.379.00 FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2017 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2018, AS APPROVED BY THE SEOPW CRA'S BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0292 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item RE1, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " City ofMimni Page 54 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 RE.2 RESOLUTION 3967 TO BE WITHDRAWN Department of Real A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Estate and Asset ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING, SETTING FORTH, AND Management SUBMITTING TO THE ELECTORATE A PROPOSED CHARTER ABSENT: AMENDMENT AMENDING THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED ("CHARTER"); AMENDING SECTION 29-B OF THE CHARTER, ENTITLED "CITY -OWNED PROPERTY SALE OR LEASE -GENERALLY," TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY COMMISSION BY A FOUR-FIFTHS (4/5THS) AFFIRMATIVE VOTE, TO WAIVE COMPETITIVE BIDDING AND AUTHORIZE AN AMENDED AND RESTATED LEASE WITH HYATT EQUITIES, LLC, TO EXTEND THE CURRENT LEASE TERM TO A TOTAL OF NINETY-NINE (99) YEARS, TO EXPAND THE LEASED PREMISES TO INCLUDE THE LAND UPON WHICH THE CONVENTION CENTER IS LOCATED, AND AMENDING THE PARKING AGREEMENT, WITH AN ANNUAL BASE RENT PAYABLE TO THE CITY OF MIAMI ("CITY") OF AT LEAST TWO MILLION DOLLARS ($2,000,000.00), PLUS ADDITIONAL PROFIT PARTICIPATION RENT FOR OTHER USES, WITH RESTRICTIONS, REVERSIONS, AND RETENTION BY THE CITY OF ALL OTHER RIGHTS, TO BE REDEVELOPED PURSUANT TO A COMPREHENSIVE REDEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN, INCORPORATING THE JAMES L. KNIGHT CONVENTION CENTER LAND, REQUIRING CITY COMMISSION APPROVAL; CALLING FOR A SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD ON AUGUST 28,2018; DESIGNATING AND APPOINTING THE CITY CLERK AS THE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY COMMISSION, WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF VOTER REGISTRATION BOOKS AND RECORDS; FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO CAUSE A CERTIFIED COPY OF THE HEREIN RESOLUTION TO BE DELIVERED TO THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OF MIAMI- DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, NOT LESS THAN 45 DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF SUCH SPECIAL ELECTION; PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE FOR THIS RESOLUTION. MOTION TO: Withdraw RESULT: WITHDRAWN MOVER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair SECONDER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Reyes ABSENT: Carollo Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item RE.2, please see "Order of the Day. " Citv ofMiami Page 55 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 RE.3 RESOLUTION 3968 TO BE WITHDRAWN Department of Real A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Estate and Asset ATTACHMENT(S), DIRECTING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO Management PREPARE AN AMENDMENT TO THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF ABSENT: MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED ("CHARTER"), FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE REFERENDUM SPECIAL ELECTION SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 28, 2018, PROPOSING, UPON APPROVAL OF THE ELECTORATE, TO AMEND SECTION 29-B OF THE CHARTER, ENTITLED "CITY -OWNED PROPERTY SALE OR LEASE - GENERALLY," TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY COMMISSION, BY A FOUR-FIFTHS (4/5THS) AFFIRMATIVE VOTE, TO WAIVE COMPETITIVE BIDDING AND APPROVE AN AMENDED AND RESTATED LEASE WITH HYATT EQUITIES, LLC, TO EXTEND THE CURRENT LEASE TERM TO A TOTAL OF NINETY-NINE (99) YEARS, TO EXPAND THE LEASED PREMISES TO INCLUDE THE LAND UPON WHICH THE CONVENTION CENTER IS LOCATED AND AMENDING THE PARKING AGREEMENT, WITH AN ANNUAL BASE RENT PAYABLE TO THE CITY OF MIAMI ("CITY") OF AT LEAST TWO MILLION DOLLARS ($2,000,000.00), PLUS ADDITIONAL PROFIT PARTICIPATION RENT FOR OTHER USES, WITH RESTRICTIONS, REVERSIONS, AND RETENTION BY THE CITY OF ALL OTHER RIGHTS, TO BE REDEVELOPED PURSUANT TO A COMPREHENSIVE REDEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN, INCORPORATING THE JAMES L. KNIGHT CONVENTION CENTER LAND, REQUIRING CITY COMMISSION APPROVAL. MOTION TO: Withdraw RESULT: WITHDRAWN MOVER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair SECONDER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Reyes ABSENT: Carollo Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item RE.3, please see "Order of the Day. " Citv ofMimni Page 56 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 REA RESOLUTION 4269 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Office of ATTACHMENT(S), RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF SOLID Management and WASTE SERVICES, FACILITIES, AND PROGRAMS IN THE CITY Budget OF MIAMI, FLORIDA ("CITY"); DESCRIBING THE METHOD OF ASSESSING SOLID WASTE COSTS AGAINST PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY; DIRECTING THE PREPARATION OF AN ASSESSMENT ROLL; AUTHORIZING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR SEPTEMBER 13, 2018, OR ANY OTHER DATE BEFORE SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 WHICH IS (A) SET BY THE CITY COMMISSION AND (B) PUBLICLY NOTICED, AND DIRECTING THE PROVISION OF NOTICE(S) THEREOF; FURTHER AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO DETERMINE THE APPLICABLE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS FOR THE ASSESSMENT ROLL ON OR BEFORE THE LATEST POSSIBLE DATE BEFORE SUBMISSION OF SUCH REQUIRED INFORMATION TO THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PROPERTY APPRAISER FOR THE ESTIMATED SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT RATE SCHEDULE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0293 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item RE.4, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " Citv ofMimni Page 57 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 RE.5 RESOLUTION 4298 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Commissioners ATTACHMENT(S), RE-ESTABLISHING A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT and Mayor DISTRICT AREA TO BE KNOWN AS THE COCONUT GROVE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ("BID") AND AUTHORIZING THE LEVY AND COLLECTION OF A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT FOR A PERIOD OF TEN (10) YEARS, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF A MAJORITY OF AFFECTED PROPERTY OWNERS FOR THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF THE BID; PROVIDING FOR THE NATURE AND ESTIMATE OF BENEFITS TO BE PROVIDED; PROVIDING DETAILS OF ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES, PAYMENTS, AND STATUTORY LIENS; PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION OF LEGAL NOTICE; PROPOSING AND RECOMMENDING AMENDING THE COMPOSITION OF THE BID BOARD OF DIRECTORS; AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER, THE CITY CLERK, THE FINANCE DIRECTOR, THE BID EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BID BOARD MEMBERS, AND ALL OTHER NECESSARY CITY OFFICIALS, AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY, TO UNDERTAKE ALL NECESSARY ACTIONS AND PROCEDURES TO ACCOMPLISH THE PURPOSE AND INTENT SET FORTH IN THIS RESOLUTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHAPTER 170, FLORIDA STATUTES. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0294 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item RE.5, please see "Public Comment Period for Regular Items " and "End of Consent Agenda. " RE.6 RESOLUTION 4417 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION Commissioners AUTHORIZING THE ALLOCATION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI'S and Mayor ("CITY") ANTI -POVERTY INITIATIVE GRANT FUNDS FROM THE DISTRICT 4 SHARE IN A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED EIGHT -THOUSAND DOLLARS ($8,000.00) TO SUNSHINE FOR ALL, INC., A FLORIDA NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION, FOR GENERAL PROGRAM FUNDING; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, FOR SAID PURPOSE. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0295 City of Miami Page 58 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item RE.6, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " RE.7 RESOLUTION 4422 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION DIRECTING Commissioners THE CITY MANAGER TO INITIATE THE PROCESS UNDER and Mayor SECTION 54-16 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA ("CITY CODE"), TO PROHIBIT VEHICULAR ACCESS TO THE PORTION OF NORTHWEST 7TH PLACE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, BETWEEN NORTHWEST 32ND STREET AND NORTHWEST 34 STREET ("NORTHWEST 7TH PLACE") ABUTTING MATER ACADEMY OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND THE CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH SPORTS FIELD DURING THE DAYS AND TIMES SPECIFIED HEREIN, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL BY MIAMI-DADE COUNTY; UPON INITIATING THE PROCESS PURSUANT TO SECTION 54-16 OF THE CITY CODE, THE CITY OF MIAMI'S POLICE, FIRE -RESCUE, AND SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENTS SHALL REVIEW THE PROPOSED PROHIBITED VEHICULAR ACCESS AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COMMISSION AT A PROPERLY ADVERTISED PUBLIC HEARING TO BE SCHEDULED FOR A LATER DATE AND TIME; SUBJECTING THE PROHIBITION OF VEHICULAR ACCESS TO ANY AND ALL REQUIREMENTS OR CONDITIONS THAT MAY BE IMPOSED BY THE CITY'S PUBLIC WORKS, POLICE, FIRE -RESCUE, AND SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENTS; FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO DECLARE THE PORTION OF NORTHWEST 7TH PLACE, ABUTTING MATER ACADEMY AND THE CORPUS CHRISTI SPORTS FIELD DURING THE SPECIFIED DAYS AND TIMES A PLAY STREET PURSUANT TO SECTION 35-5 OF THE CITY CODE UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE PROCESS PURSUANT TO SECTION 54-16 OF THE CITY CODE IS COMPLETED AND RECEIVES FINAL APPROVAL FROM THE COUNTY; DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE CITY MANAGER AND THE DEPARTMENTS STATED HEREIN. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0296 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item RE. 7, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " City ofMiami Page 59 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 RE.8 RESOLUTION 4463 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION Commissioners AUTHORIZING THE ALLOCATION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI'S and Mayor ("CITY") ANTI -POVERTY INITIATIVE GRANT FUNDS, FROM THE MAYOR'S SHARE, IN A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TEN - THOUSAND DOLLARS ($10,000.00), TO SLAM FOUNDATION, INC., A FLORIDA NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION, FOR GENERAL PROGRAM FUNDING; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ANY AND ALL NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, FOR SAID PURPOSE. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0297 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item RE.8, please see "End of Consent Agenda. " City ofMimni Page 60 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 RE.9 RESOLUTION 4449 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION DIRECTING City Manager's THE CITY ATTORNEY TO PREPARE AN AMENDMENT TO THE Office CHARTER OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED ("CHARTER"), FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE REFERENDUM SPECIAL ELECTION SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 6, 2018, PROPOSING, UPON APPROVAL OF THE ELECTORATE, TO AMEND SECTION 29-B OF THE CHARTER ENTITLED "CITY - OWNED PROPERTY SALE OR LEASE - GENERALLY," TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY COMMISSION BY A FOUR-FIFTHS (4/5THS) AFFIRMATIVE VOTE, TO WAIVE COMPETITIVE BIDDING AND TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE A GROUND LEASE AND MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT ("LEASE") BETWEEN THE CITY OF MIAMI ("CITY") AND MIAMI FREEDOM PARK, LLC ("MFP"), FOR APPROXIMATELY SEVENTY-THREE (73) ACRES OF CITY -OWNED PROPERTY LOCATED GENERALLY AT 1400 NORTHWEST 37TH AVENUE, MIAMI FLORIDA, 33125, AND IDENTIFIED AS FOLIOS 01-3132-000-0080 AND 01-3132-000-0090 ("DEMISED PROPERTY"), WITH AN INITIAL TERM OF THIRTY-NINE (39) YEARS, WITH TWO (2) ADDITIONAL THIRTY (30) YEAR OPTIONS TO RENEW, FOR A TOTAL TERM OF NINETY-NINE (99) YEARS, WITH AN ANNUAL BASE RENT EQUAL TO THE GREATER OF THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE DOLLARS ($3,577,365.00) OR FAIR MARKET VALUE AS DETERMINED BY TWO (2) STATE CERTIFIED APPRAISERS, IN ADDITION TO ANY RENT INCREASES AND/OR ADDITIONAL RENTS NEGOTIATED BY THE PARTIES, PROVIDING THE DEMISED PROPERTY BE USED FOR A SOCCER STADIUM, TECHNOLOGY HUB, ENTERTAINMENT CENTER INCLUDING FOOD AND BEVERAGE VENUES, OFFICES, RETAIL, HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER, AND OTHER ANCILLARY COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH A MAXIMUM HEIGHT NOT TO EXCEED FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AEROSPACE OBSTRUCTION STANDARDS; AND AUTHORIZING THE CREATION OF A PARK INFRASTRUCTURE FUND BY THE CITY THAT WILL RECEIVE A TWENTY MILLION DOLLAR ($20,000,000.00) CONTRIBUTION FROM MFP, PAYABLE IN EQUAL YEARLY INSTALLMENTS OF SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED SIXTY SEVEN DOLLARS ($666,667.00) FOR A PERIOD OF THIRTY (30) YEARS, TO DEFRAY THE SITE DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE -RELATED COSTS FOR A PUBLIC PARK OF APPROXIMATELY FIFTY-EIGHT (58) ACRES TO BE DEVELOPED ON PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THE DEMISED PROPERTY, WITH RESTRICTIONS, REVERSIONS, AND RETENTION BY THE CITY OF ALL OTHER RIGHTS. MOTION TO: Defer RESULT: DEFERRED MOVER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. Item RE.9 was deferred to the July 18, 2018, Special Commission Meeting. Note for the Record. For directive referencing RE.9, please see Item NA. I. City of Miami Page 61 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Now -- Commissioner Gort: Good presentation. Chair Hardemon: -- what I believe we should do first -- my first question: Is the PA (personal appearance) appearance, are they ready to go on the PA appearance? Commissioner Gort: I would like to recognize El Duque, which is one of the -- where's El Duque? Vice Chair Russell: He was here? Commissioner Gort: He's here. Baseball great. Chair Hardemon: There it is. I just need some clarification. Is -- where are the individuals who are for the PA? Are they in the building? Commissioner Reyes: Mr. Chair? Chair Hardemon: Yes. Commissioner Reyes: I want to do -- I want to encourage everybody that is in favor or against to be able to speak, speak up their mind, because -- Chair Hardemon: Right. Commissioner Reyes: -- this is a decision that is going to affect a lot of people's lives. Chair Hardemon: Yes, sir. Commissioner Reyes: And therefore, I think that we owe it to the public, and particularly the residents, you see, the courtesy of they [sic] expressing themselves, and we should know -- we represent you guys, and we have to know how do you feel. Chair Hardemon: All right. So this is what we'll do. We're going to start our public comment section for Items PA (personal appearance) -- well, RE.9 and RE. 10. As I explained this to you earlier; if you're `for; "you stand to this lectern, which is to my left, the one that says, "For. " If you are "against, " you stand to this lectern, which is to my right, and you speak against. You'll have two minutes to address the body. What I ask you to do is to state your first name, your last name, you may state your address, and we know what item you're speaking about so there's no need, necessarily, to say the item. But I do want to recognize an individual first, one of our School Board members, Ms. Lubby Navarro. Can you --can we please have her step to one of the lecterns? Ms. Navarro, you here? So I just wanted to give some professional courtesy to you to speak. You're recognized, ma'am. Lubby Navarro: Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, Commissioners. It's such an honor to be here today. I wanted to come by and then -- and express my support on behalf of, obviously, my community. I represent District 7 on the School Board; all of -- practically, all of Kendall, and we love soccer. And I wanted specifically to say that School Boards across the school -- School Boards across the State have been (UNINTELLIGIBLE) throughout this year. It has been a very difficult year. So upon me reading about this plan, I saw that local tax funding will be able to be generated to School Boards. Immediately, I said, "Wow. This is not even in our horizon. " As we wrap up our budget year in the next two weeks, many of us across the states are looking at how we're going to be able to do that with the lack of funding that we received this year. So an opportunity for us City of Miami Page 62 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 to get money for our School Boards, to me, is very important. And I just wanted to express to you that this, to me, is a great proposal to do that. And I know you have a dijjicult decision in front of you; I feel your pain, but I look at it for us in terms of local government to provide education and services to our children. Any opportunity to get funding for us is a great opportunity. And today, I'm here speaking on my behalf as one of the School Board members; we're nine. And it is such an honor to know also that this project will yield jobs. I've lived in this community for many years, and I know the lack of jobs that this community faces every year and the hardships. Sothis project will provide jobs for our community and revenue for our School Board. So I just wanted to express to you, Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, my support on behalf of Kendall. If you come to Kendall, you'll see soccer being played in every park throughout the unincorporated area. And I know this project will benefit our entire community and provide youth programs and academies for children to be home-grown right here in our community, to be the next soccer players, who will see many benefits throughout the world, as they will be born and grown here and be able to play here in our community. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much. Are there any other elected ojjicials that are here that we didn't see that wasn't recognized? Okay. Seeing no other, let's start our public comment further. This side, you're recognized, ma'am. And anyone -- if you're in -- I don't know if it's IT (Information Technology), or whomever it is -- because I don't know if this is a digital thermostat, but if you can lower the thermostat to make it as cool as possible, that will be great. Commissioner Gort, yes. Vice Chair Russell: Oh, it's hot in here. Commissioner Gort: Can we ask our Law Department to explain each one of the issues in front of us? Chair Hardemon: Sure. Commissioner Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: Yes. Before we do that -- you can stay there, but -- the Commissioner would like for you all to explain what RE9 and what RE.10 is before everyone speaks. Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): RE.9 and RE10, both items, basically, are to place -- it's the ballot -- it's the language directing the City Attorney to draft ballot language to place the possibility of bringing soccer to Miami and putting that before the voters. And then RE.10 is the actual proposed Charter amendment that would be voted on and placed on the ballot for November. These are preliminary. Then after that, it would come back to the Commission. And by a four-fifths vote -- so four votes in order to approve any contract and negotiations at that time. So just because it passes by the electorate, the Commission still has to review it and make sure that this is something that the Commission wants to waive -- Commissioner Gort: Thank you. Ms. Mendez: --by a four-fifths. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Ma'am, you're recognized. Ziola Herrera: Good afternoon. I'm Ziola Herrera. I reside at 4709 Northwest 7th Street, Apartment 207-9, Miami, Florida 33126. On behalf of Melreese, I would like to talk about my experiences at this golf course. Coming from a low-income family, I have -- or better said, we don't have the means to afford golf, which is an expensive City of Miami Page 63 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 sport. Having a mom that's disabled and a dad that I don't live with, life becomes very difficult for me. Because it is an amazing facility, I've been able to travel the country doing what I love. Chair Hardemon: So you're speaking for? Ms. Herrera: Yes. Well, no. I'm -- Chair Hardemon: Against. Ms. Herrera: -- speaking -- Tin speaking -- Chair Hardemon: Just checking. Ms. Herrera: Yeah. Recently, I traveled to San Francisco to go participate in a leadership academy and play golf, and it was absolutely one of the best experiences of my life. How was I able to afford it? Because of the people at Melreese. MJ' flight, hotel, food, and golf fees were all affordable, thanks to the wonderful work Melreese does. The --just some of the things that the program does, not even how they help me find my passion for golf. Having started at 9, I've grown socially, physically, and mentally, thanks to Melreese. Because of being able to play at golf -- Melreese -- on scholarship, I can use golf as a stress reliever from school in my personal life. This place is my sanctuary, my oasis, my safe place, and if it's gotten rid of, me and many other people like me wouldn't have their homes and jobs; traffic would be horrible; living and going to school in that area would be a nightmare because of how congested it would be. Because of this course, I'm now up for a scholarship in West Virginia at one of the top -rate G2 schools, because of the values and lessons I've learned at Melreese. Wouldn't you want a child to have the same opportunities that me and the other kids in this room have; to have golf scholarships, make business connections, meet new people, and so many other opportunities that are offered at this facility? This is the number -one golf facility in America. We have technology that isn't available at any other course in Dade County. Melreese isn't just a course; it's a group of people that always have each other's back. We're not just a program or staff- we're a family that has a common interest, and we support each other and root for each other. I promise you, you can't find any facility like this in America, let alone Miami, a place that changes lives, makes and breeds people to be better citizens. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Your time has expired. Ms. Herrera: Okay. Chair Hardemon: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to here? You're recognized, sir. Julio Ramirez: My name is Julio Ramirez; been a resident of South Florida since 1978. My professional career has been down here. I worked at Burger King Corporation for 26 years, where I retired in 2010. I've known the Mas family for many, many years, and many of the people that work at MasTec. It's a great public company, very well-run, high ethics. And the Mas family is very high ethics individuals. I know them from the United Way and many other locations. I'm very much in support of allowing soccer to be on the ballot or the proposal to do Melreese as a soccer facility. Soccer's a sport, not only of the future, but of the present. We're a multicultural city, tremendous growth. I think you see it with the World Cup fever around. I'm familiar with The First Tee Program as well. Its hard not to be impressed with The First Tee folks here. I'm on the Orange Bowl Committee. The Orange Bowl is very supportive of First Tee, and I would love also to see -- and I think there's a commitment from Mas and others to resolve that issue, and I very much have faith that they will, because I know the individuals behind it. City of Miami Page 64 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 So again, my vote is in support ofputting this on the ballot, and I think it'll be a great thing for South Florida and our kids and our grandkids in the future. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You're recognized. Jiana Blaha: Hi. I'm Jiana Blaha. I'm a bit nervous, so excuse me. My street address is 2015 Alamanda Drive, Miami, Florida 33181. I would have never imagined that a golf ball would influence my life so much. This little object has shaped my community in so many ways. When I was nine years old, my mother took me to Melreese to play golf for the first time. I was immediately approached by Charlie De Lucca, Sr., who gave me my first golfing lesson and my first pair of clubs. Every day I was welcomed with open arms. Melreese has been a support system for veterans, veterans with disabilities, persons with disabilities, and the local youth. Melreese also supports women to play in the male -dominant sports. It has allowed veterans who are disabled in their lower body to play sport and be in society again, especially -- this is especially important with the suicide rate in America of veterans being very high. It allows so many people to be exposed to a beautiful game. I could go on, but I'll give you a few examples of how Melreese has supported me to do so many wonderful things. I played on the boys' and girls' varsity team in high school, got a golf scholarship, academic scholarship; I'm a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Sport Foundation alumni [sic] Burger King, scholar; awarded the Emerging Leader of Miami, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and founded my own nonprofit organization. In addition, I would not be able to attend my university in Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia) without the help of Melreese. And now, due to the sport of Melreese, I will be doing research for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in Sipan in less than two weeks. So I ask you, how can you take away a golf course that changes so many lives? Many believe that taking away the course and keeping The First Tee building will have the same influence as it does today, but it won't. How can you have a youth golf program without a golf course? How can a young woman change a game without having a place to play? No other course is as welcoming as this one. It's not only about The First Tee; it's about everyone who plays there and what it does for the community. It's about everyone of all ages, gender and ethnicity, being welcomed without having to be elite. Melreese has been the backbone to so many in the community, and I believe that putting a price on a community support system is not right. This course is priceless, so I urge you to please say "no" in building the stadium at Melreese, as it provides so much for the community. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Sir, you're recognized. Before you speak, let him set up. All right, sir; go ahead. Sir? Alex Lastra: Good afternoon, Mayor; Commissioners. My name is Alex Lastra, past president of the Latin Builders Association, but today I'm speaking as a resident of City of Miami, District 2, where I support our Commissioner; Ken Russell. I support Miami MLS (Major League Soccer), and I support the Miami Futbol Club in taking the vote of the stadium to the voters in November. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Renita Holmes: Good afternoon. Madam Renita Holmes, Executive Director of Wave of Women in Public Housing, Education, Finance, and Development. It's a wonderful sister city that we live in, and when we see sister city, we, as sisters, really would like to see the empowerment more of women and the growth, but because we're such a great city, Commissioners, Chairperson, and because we're sports - oriented and tourist -oriented, we forget about our home girls. When we talk about not only the myth and taking the myth out about whether women are in sports, we are. But when we look at the little inner-city positions and the projects that are going now, they're in a male -oriented industry. And I've never seen this many women in sports appear at one time on any project, so that says enough about City of Miami Page 65 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 disparity. I never heard such eloquent young ladies speak about their future and scholarships, but what they've identified -- and then I will close -- is that most of these projects where men are primarily getting the jobs and people promise you jobs about construction, that's not what we're all about. We want to play. We want the benefits. We just don't want the seats. And I think if you're going to call this a sister city, then the League of Sister Cities should start empowering women and girls. Don't tear down what's working for us in a time when we're having our "me, too" moments. Let's accelerate and empower and elevate women in sports industries in Miami, and let's really show that we're a sister city. So I believe that this should be negotiated. When I look at the number of children in the schools and the inner-city community that don't get scholarships from stadium deals -- the last one, I think, was 15 jobs in 50 years -- I say, they forget that we really are better negotiations [sic] and women. We really are just as entitled to it, because we have to wash their funky shorts and shoes when they come home, and that we need to have a presence of equity when it comes to building and development. Please consider the benefits that we get as women; not just from the golf, but as women that play soccer; and as women who work in male -oriented industries. Thankyou. Fairness is the key. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Daniella Perez: Hi. I want to first take a moment to thank you all for letting me speak today. My name is Daniella Perez, and I am a recent graduate of West Minster Christian School, where I was a four year dual letterman in golf and soccer. I am before you today in support of the MLS in Miami Freedom Park. I have the unique experience of being both a golfer and a soccer player. I have participated in The First Tee Program, and I believe it to be a wonderful organization, an organization that will continue to thrive and prosper for years to come. However; with the Miami Freedom Park, we have a once -in -a -generation opportunity to have a first-class soccer complex, park, and an MLS team that will truly be a team that belongs to all of Miami. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Ma'am, you're recognized. Margin Vargas: Hi. My name is Margin Vargas. I live at 5271 Southwest 8th Street, Apartment 215, Miami, Florida 33134, and I'm a candidate for District 6 County Commission, so these are my people here. And I've seen this movie before. A millionaire wants public land or public money to build a stadium or build a project. It has to happen right away. It's an emergency. They promise millions in tax revenue and thousands of jobs. Don't worry about all the details; it's an emergency. You've seen this movie, too. We all have. It's a dark, dark comedy. Millionaires get what they want; politicians get campaign contributions, and the people get nothing. Let me tell you what the real emergency is. People cannot afford the rents. They're commuting for hours, stuck in traffic, and they're losing all trust in government. That's the emergency. That's what you should be working on, not this. Time and time again, our Commissioners have negotiated bad deals, and the millionaires have not delivered. Our residents are here, and here because they had enough. They had enough of the broken promises. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. You're recognized. Luke Arcila: Hi. My name is Luke Arcila, and I'm herein support of the stadium project. I'm 13 years old and have been playing organized and competitive soccer since I was four. Throughout my years in various clubs, I have seen and experienced limitations. For example, the club that I am currently in has been practicing in various places due to lack of space for soccer fields. I think that it would be a great asset to our community to not only have a soccer stadium, but a soccer -- but soccer fields that will serve the community and help foster the development of our youth soccer programs. Thankyou. City of Miami Page 66 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Sir, you're recognized. Christopher Carbello: My name is Christopher Carbello. Currently live at 6259 Southwest 57th Street. My father was a First Tee director before he passed away in December of 2016. I just -- he has been -- he's been part of The First Tee of Miami since -- we've been living in like two houses before this current house that we moved into now. And I just wanted to make sure that -- some of the things that he would always speak to me about when he would return home from work, strong local community, the joy the kids displayed when at that golf course. I have participated in the past as a volunteer with him, and I just wanted to make sure, also, that you knew how happy he was when he would return home and just speak about the kids and the smile that they had. Oh, yeah. And the kids -- and just being part of that strong local community that they help -- that they built. I mean, I saw these -- I saw this built from day one, and now they're super -- they're strong -- every day they're stronger. They arrived to my father's funeral as a strong team and --I mean, I just want to make sure you know before you know --you vote. You guys lay the second vote to a bigger community that you know that -- that you'll be leaving a very strong community up to a bigger vote, and I just want to make sure you know before you regret any decisions that you leave to others. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Andres Valina: Good afternoon, Commissioners, Chairman. My name's Andres Valina. I represent District 4, with Florida Wildlife Kids. It's a non-profit organization. We raise awareness of kids not going outdoors and the effects that it's having on them, and by nature, we connect kids with nature. I happen to serve and chair the advisory board of Parks & Recreation. That's been a big challenge for us with green spaces. So that's -- this group is doing an amazing job, but I think the City of Miami has struggled with green spaces. The City of Miami, I believe, is still at the bottom of the list in the country, per capita, of green spaces for people. I would like to see something done about that. Parks are good for kids. I'd like for everybody to work together. So I am for it. I think the square footage that I heard Mr. Suarez say that this plan and titles is amazing, because we don't have green spaces. That's it. One more thing. I'm sorry. Also, the impact fees. I want to make sure that we remember the issues that we've had with impact fees not being charged to the developers or being applied to the general fund. That's supposed to go, according to the Miami -Dade Planner, to the City of Miami Parks Recreation Buildout Plan; supposed to go to the parks, and it hasn't been until now. So I want to make sure that we don't use our money, our tax money, and we do get the impact fees. That's all. Thankyou very much. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You're recognized, sir. Eugene Eisner: Commissioners. My name is Eugene Eisner. I'm a physician, an ophthalmologist, and I've lived here since July of 1974. I live across the street on Bayshore Drive. I still work, and I play golf at Melreese every Saturday, and have been doing this for many years. I want to thank Mr. Beckham and Mr. Mas for bringing soccer to Miami. I believe that will be a great endeavor. However; I don't believe they should be using Melreese for that. This is Miami, our beautiful city. Melreese is a magnificent golf course, managed impeccably for the genera -- for three generations by the wonderful De Lucca family. You know, golfers are very passionate about golf, as soccer fans are passionate about soccer. We can have both without taking away our golf course. You can build your soccer stadium anywhere. I do understand, it may cost you more money, but something to consider. The citizens of Miami shouldn't have their golf course taken away from them for the benefit of -- and profit of private citizens. Please, tell me, Commissioners, how can we have a City of Miami without a golf course? That idea is ludicrous. If you read Wednesday's paper, this is quite an ambitious project. 425 million in revenue. Wow. Only 11 percent expected from soccer. Does this sound like a soccer deal to you? City of Miami Page 67 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Of course not. It's a money -making deal. Don't get me wrong; I'm not against making money; just not at the expense of our golf course. Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, projections are just projections and promises are promises. Mr. Loria promised a Miami a piece of the profits on the sale of the Marlins. My math says he made a billion dollars. How did that work out? Private enterprise is entitled to their profits. They take the risk. They aren't entitled to the City of Miami's golf course. Commissioners, I implore you, do not give away your beautiful green space and our only golf course. You are too smart to fall for this deal. We haven't even discussed airport traffic in all of this, or the fact that there are only 23 soccer dates a year. Golf is played 365 days a year. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, sir. Your time has expired. Mr. Eisner: Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Whomever is next. James Adams: My name is Bishop James Adams. I'm the senior pastor of the Historic St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Overtown. I'm neither against golf or soccer. What I am concerned about is the fact that we are not really thinking this thing through, because the issue is not whether it's golf or soccer; but whether or not the people in the City of Miami have an opportunity to have their voices heard through the ballot box. I don't think, in my opinion, that the decision should necessarily be made not to give the soccer stadium an opportunity. I was against it originally, because it was in Overtown, in a small area and a small place. This is much larger. It affords itself quite a bit of economic promise. Now, I'm not here to defend it in the standpoint -- or the standpoint from the financials. That is something that those of you who have the pay grade have the ability to do that. My issue today is asking you not to abort the democratic process where all of Miamians -- see, there be no ambiguity. If the whole City speaks and says, "no, " then it should be "no." Why? Because it's the democratic way. We're losing enough of our rights in other areas. And so, to lose the right to vote on something that all of us are passionate about would be a great and tremendous travesty. Thank you for your time. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, sir. Sir, you're recognized. Erik Compton: Gentlemen, my name is Erik Compton. I'm a PGA (Professional Golf Association) Tour player. I grew up in Miami my whole life. I was born in the Grove. I've lived in district -- different districts throughout Miami. I'm also a two- time heart transplant recipient, where I had both of my surgeries at Jackson Memorial Hospital. I feel like this is a ludicrous conversation that we're having. I speak on behalf of all of the kids that are in orange, because I am one of them. I'm probably the only PGA Tour player that practices and plays out of a public facility. The public facility that we have and the reason I am there is because of these children and these kids. I want them to have the same opportunity that I've had. I've had the opportunity to grow as an individual. I learned strength, courage through this wonderful town that we live in. And having -- being a resident here in Miami, I'm feeling the pressure and I'm feeling the heat, and you're going to lose good citizens if you continue to ruin beautiful places in our -- in Miami. I love to fish. I love to be around Miami. Are you suggesting that we build soccer stadiums in the Everglades? Or are you suggesting that we take away the airport and put in the Everglades? Are you suggesting that we take Peacock Park and put a beautiful hotel there, so that people can come and make money and learn and see the beautiful sea that we have out there? I think this conversation is overwhelming for a lot of the kids, and I really want the kids to have the same opportunity that I have. Just think, guys, just please think about the decision that you're about to make. This is not about soccer. This is not about golf. This is about big money and greed. And I've had the opportunity to play very beautiful golf courses all around the world. City of Miami Page 68 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Melreese is a very special place. Soccer can fit in Miami, but not at Melreese. These kids have nowhere to go if you take away Melreese. It's the only public facility golf course we have. It's crazy if you get rid of it. There's too much history. There's room for soccer. I'm an American Norwegian. I love soccer. But soccer doesn't belong at Melreese; the kids belong there. We have a beautiful place. And I appreciate your time. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Ma'am, you're recognized. Monica Tunez: Good afternoon. My name is Monica Tunez. I'm a current senior at Yale University. I'm from Miami, Florida, originally. And I'm here to speak on behalf of supporting MLS. Chair Hardemon: That's a junior college, right? Ms. Tunez: Excuse me? Chair Hardemon: That's a junior college, right? Ms. Tunez: Yeah, I guess. As -- I grew up really low-income. I was on public assistance my whole life, so I know firsthand the kinds of impacts that youth programs have in empowering children and getting them to places that they otherwise couldn't have without the assistance of others. And after looking at the MLS and kind of coming from it as a perspective of a student and trying to see in what ways would it impact the community -- and the kids that I grew up with that didn't have the chance to go to Yale like I did, how would it provide more opportunities to kind ofget children from low-income Latino communities to succeed -- or not even Latino, but migrant communities, as we have a huge population over here in Miami, and how can they get to the places of success, period, and I think MLS provides a wonderful -- as they've emphasized again and again, they do have youth programs, and they will be introducing spaces for kids to play soccer. And I don't think, as much of the opposition seems to present, it seems to be taking away the opportunity of golf, but in a way, it's bringing in a humongous opportunity for other kids to play soccer, and so you're just changing the medium, not necessarily taking away any resources from youth. I think, if anything, with the popularity of soccer and the predominantly soccer -supportive community we have here, you create a much more beneficial and impactful way to change the youth here. Thank you. Robert Burlington: Good afternoon. My name is Robert Burlington. My office is right across the street at 2601 South Bayshore Drive. My view is that entertainment, while valuable and important in a society, should never; ever displace human enrichment. Melreese is not simply a golf course. In fact, it is so much more than a golf course. Melreese is a decades -old, established community center. It is a safe haven for people of all races, and especially for people with special abilities, children with special abilities, children with special needs. Thousands and thousands of people had been enriched for decades because of Melreese -- not Melreese Golf Course -- because of Melreese, this City's unique and special asset. It's an asset that serves this community unlike any other asset that I know of. It should be cherished. It should be preserved. And space should be made somewhere else for soccer. Chair Hardemon: Thank you, Mr. Burlington. So Tin going to make an announcement again. If you've come to speak and you spoke, and you are sitting, I'm going to ask that you step outside of the chambers to relinquish your seat to someone else. Thank you so much. You're recognized, sir. Erick Montes de Oca: Thank you very much. And good afternoon, distinguished Commissioners, City Manager. My name's Erick Montes de Oca. Tin the president of the Latin Builders Association. I am a local business owner; and I reside in the City of Miami Page 69 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 City of Miami, in Commissioner Carollo's district. And that reminds me of something that you always ran on and you always stated and you still do till today, and that's to reinvest in our community. And this is something that I see as a reinvestment in our community. It's not whether you like golf or you like soccer, because I'm a golf aficionado. I love golf. But the reality is that this is not a soccer stadium; this is a destination. This needs to be viewed as such that will enhance revenue, short-term and long-term, for the City of Miami. That is why I am in favor of the development. I thank the Mas family and David Beckham for bringing this forth. I thank the designers for the vision to have this as a destination and not a stadium. And if we move forward on that path, and with the short-term revenue is provided the opportunities for the local businesses to take part in the design, the construction, the planning, the zoning, and then in the operations of said development, I think it's a win for all involved. And I thankyou for your time. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Orlando Hernandez (as translated by Maria Aguero, Official Spanish Interpreter): Good afternoon. My name is Orlando Hernandez (UNINTELLIGIBLE) El Duque. I played baseball for 12 Seasons in the Major League Baseball, and I represent The First Tee from Miami. My English is not very good to -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE). He prefers that everybody here understand what he's trying to express this afternoon, and it's clear. He comes from a country that democracy doesn't exist, but he thinks democracy is not taking happiness away from people to give them to other people. I think the best thing that the golf course has is that it's a family. He started in 2007 to work, to volunteer; and to help a lot ofpeople that comes there, and they don't know each other, and finally, they get a family there. That's the reason why he's here, and thank you. He wants to say, he's a very (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but he's more fanatic of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) loyalty and friendship. Chair Hardemon: So he's not going to say, `I love Miami. " Commissioner Reyes: `I love you, Miami." Mr. Hernandez (as translated by Maria Aguero, Oficial Spanish Interpreter): It's his brother, Levon Hernandez; he played for New York. And the reason why he stayed in Miami is because he can express himself easily than (UNINTELLIGIBLE). For 12 years, he wasn't able to communicate with his directors of the team, so he -- here he is again. He always use an interpreter. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Mr. Hernandez: Gracias. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, young man. Alexander Rubido: Thank you, respected Commissioners. My name is Alexander Rubido, and I'm a recent student at FIU (Florida International University). I am here before you today not only to make a plea for a major league soccer team, but to make a plea for the thousands of youth in this great city who call soccer their sport. Many people my age are told that the American dream is alive. This dream is none the more evident than in major league sports. We see players, amazing feats of athleticism and determination pay off in a visible and tangible way. It provides a medium for the youth to envision their own success. The thousands of youth in this City will, with your approval, have not only the location, but the role models they need to succeed here in Miami. This will not only serve as a location to, of course, make money and attract tourism, which I'm sure it will, but it will serve as a nexus for the youth of Miami and around the world to share their successes, experiences, and heartbreak together; to not only be better people and better players, but better citizens. So I urge you to remember that this vote is not for whether a soccer City of Miami Page 70 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 stadium should be built or whether a golf stadium should be allowed to remain, but whether democracy exists in this country. Thankyou very much for your time. Andres Gaviria: Thankyou. My name is Andres Gaviria. I live at 1201 Placetas Avenue, in Coral Gables, Florida 33146. My title is Director of Business Development for the PGA Tour. And for full disclosure, I belong to The First Tee Board. I belong to The First Tee Foundation. I belong to Miami Sports Authority. At the same time, in full disclosure, I'm personal friends with the Mas family, and I'm very appreciative for what they've done for the City of Miami, and for the Cuban community. And at the same time, I show my support and express in a nice message that have nothing to do with this, as their company being part of the first Latin company in the Fortune 500. However, golf has been a staple for 55 years, and the Tour has supported and continues to support the communities through charitable dollars, and we have contributed in excess of $25 million over the last 55 years here in Miami. Golf has been -- or the league, as we call it, has been the longest running league in the state on a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- on the same side when we were at Doral for 55 years. At the same time, we believe that Melreese, which is a jewel nowadays, after 10 years of hard work by the De Lucca family, is the only championship course that can sanction tour events in the City of Miami, and that is very important because we -- after the Doral left, which I happen to be also the director of that tournament up to 2016, we were able to also bring the Latin American Tour Championship here, which we are in our third year this season, and it continues to support golf. As I'm saying, in full disclosure, I also brought in 2012 the master -- I brought Leo Messi and 20 other of the best players in the world that played at the Marlin -- I mean, not -- at the Robbie Stadium or -- now, whatever -- the Hardrock Stadium -- I apologize to the people of the Hardrock and the futbol team, but as I'm saying, we're here to support in any which way we want, but I believe that the two -- that the two sports should co -exist. It's the only golf course that we have in town, and as I'm saying, you should think with your heads. And this is not a soccer deal; this is a real estate deal. And if that's the way you guys go, then let's have a bid. Thankyou. ChairHardemon: Thankyou, sir. Chief. Chief Jorge Colina (Chief of Police): Really quick, guys. Please, let's be considerate of every single person that wants an opportunity to speak. When you have your turn, please follow the instructions and exit, so we can have everyone have an opportunity. We have people that are waiting outside. It's very hot. Some people are speaking and then they remain inside. Please exit so we can give everyone an opportunity, okay? Please. Thankyou, guys. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Sir, you're recognized. Erick Valderamma: Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Erick Valderamma, and I am the President -Elect of the Latin Builders Association and a life-long resident of Miami -Dade County. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Commissioners, for allowing us to speak about the Miami Freedom Park. This park is a beautiful vision and transformative project that's further going to cement the urban landscape that we have in the center of Miami, but first I want to hit a couple of important topics that are beyond -- that occur beyond the visioning stage when it gets to reality; that as a resident of this community, it's important for this project to be a true mixed-use park, having a beautiful stadium, and having it within walking distance of a transit line; that there is inclusion of acres and acres of green space, which is vital, that we need for the center of the County; and that a revenue - generating project that is funded privately by the team members; and that it becomes an entertainment facility long beyond -- of a stadium facility as well, so it's able to be used 365 days a year. So now, as a representative of the construction industry, I'd ask that the team's leadership commitment is to Miami -Dade County and to the local workforce. So for jobs, local, local, local. We need to keep it inside. Also, City of Miami Page 71 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 partnerships with the small business communities. This is also very important. These are some of the lessons we need to learn from what happened with the Marlins Stadium, that we had entities from all over the country building here, and the money that was earned were going elsewhere. So we have the utmost of respect for the Mas family, for their father's legacy, and for the commitment to their hometown, which has been second to none. I ask that you say 'yes, " and allow the voters to decide on whether the park should come or not. Thankyou. Miguel Horvath: Hi, Commissioners. My name is Miguel Horvath. I am a, you know, 35 year resident here in Miami, a parent; and my daughter, Gabby, she's part of the girls golf program; and my son, Michael, is also part of The First Tee. They're actually sitting -- they're actually standing right there, Michael and Gabby. I just want to say that they -- you know, Michael's deaf, and I want to talk a little bit about the special needs program within The First Tee. We've had a lot of challenges with Michael over the years, due to the accommodations, that he requires an interpreter; and we've had a lot of troubles finding accommodations through the different sports. And I want to say that from the moment that we went to Melreese and to The First Tee, everyone there has been extremely accommodating for Michael and really giving him the interpreter that he needs. He's able to actually go to the clinics. He goes to tournaments. He goes to the parties. He has an interpreter at all times. The programs that they have there really have helped him tremendously. I could tell you, as a parent of a special needs child that the programs at The First Tee and the Melreese have made a big difference in Michael's life. You know, he's not able to -- he's tried at other sports that he hasn't done too well in. Golf has really helped him tremendously. So, you know, my comment is just that -- you know, just to understand that. The special needs community is a very unique community with a lot of struggles, and The First Tee, I believe, is the epitome of an organization that's helped us. Thankyou very much. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Sir, you're recognized. Jandi Gonzdlez: Commissioners, good afternoon. My name is Jan& Gonzdlez. First of all, thank you for having us all here to express our support and concerns for this proposition. I can only speak for myself, but I am in full support of Futbol Miami and bringing world-class soccer to our world-class city. I'm excited for the North American bid for the World Cup in 2026, and I can only hope to have the opportunity to watch world-class soccer in our own backyard. I believe the stadium bid will provide proper accommodations for youth golf and is ultimately a step forward for our City. I trust that you will make the right decision and move forward with Futbol Miami at the Melreese location. Thankyou so much for your time. Chair Hardemon: Sir; you're recognized. Omar Caraballo: Hello, Commission, Mayor; Vice Chairman. Thank you for your time. My name is Omar Carballo. My daughter; Mia, is part of the program. I'm a business owner. I own Carballo Liberty Locksmith. We've been around for over 45 years in the City. I have a couple questions. One, I don't understand why builders are asking for this. It's obviously -- I mean, it's -- I don't -- it doesn't fathom me. It's -- obviously, they want it. Us, the folk, the people, we need this for our kids. We need this for our parents to spend time with our kids. We are the only ones that can share time. Like another girl said, this is -- kids nowadays, they spend time inside at all times, and you spend -- I spend with my daughter playing around four hours, quality time with me and her talking about different stuff, okay? I ask you, please, consider. Thankyou very much. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Ma'am. Sharon Frazier -Stevens: Good evening, Chairman, Commissioners. My name is Sharon Frazier -Stevens, and I stand here in support of the Beckham Stadium. When City of Miami Page 72 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 we had the meeting with the County, with my honorable Commissioner; Audrey Edmonson, over at the "Y, " I stood up while I sat and watched a lot of my African- American residents and wondered why they didn't stand up. As you can see, I look out here, and I see a lot offices that doesn't look like my children. I live in Little Haiti. I look out my door and I can see Arthur Teele Park, which is empty. Arthur Teele Park has a soccer stadium, and I want to know where the little boy -- when I look over the fence, little Oliver, when him and his little friends sit there and they kick the soccer ball around. How I know they kicking it? Because sometime it hits my window. But they don't understand, in the black community, only thing we want is economic development and economic opportunity. I am a businesswoman. I have a cleaning business. And a lot of African American women has not -- we have had a disparity study with the County of the African-American small businesswomen not getting the fair share of the contracts. Economic opportunity, that's what this Beckham Stadium will bring. Our parems, our fathers who's returning out of prison, they need jobs. Ain't nothing wrong -- I don't have anything against golf. I like Tiger Woods and the rest of them, but I don't see -- when I was working at the airport, I didn't see people standing inside the restaurants looking at golf too much, but I seen a whole bunch of people representing Colombia and Argentina and Peru and Nigeria and all of these -- this is a international sport. And as I said a couple of months ago, I don't want to displace our children, because I'm an advocate for children. I have volunteered for Miami -Dade County PTA (Parent Teacher Association) for almost 21 years, when I moved here from New York. But we need some jobs, some fair living wage jobs, because I'm getting tired of black men shooting their sisters over some food stamp card. Thank you. And I hope y'all make the right decision. God bless. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, ma'am. Miguel Soliman: Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Miguel Soliman. As you know, I ran for Commissioner for District 3 last year, and if Tm not in that seat that Joe Carollo holds, I'm very proud to see that he's sitting there now. But I don't agree on the Beckham Soccer Stadium. I see the deal with them, the signing rights alone -- the sign rights alone are going to pay for the rent that they're going to pay us in the City of Miami. I see that site as perhaps a park. If Melreese -- if we're considering getting rid of Melreese, let's turn it into a park, like Tropical Park; make it Miami City Park. Let's bring in a corporate sponsor that will fill in, someone like Amazon. You want jobs in our community? 50,000 jobs. They're going to pay more than $60, 000 a year, and that is a lot better than a guy selling hot dogs in a stadium for 10 bucks or 8 bucks an hour. A corporate sponsor would be able to sponsor all the programs we have therefor our children now and a lot -- much more programs that we desperately need. It wouldn't cost the City anything. We'd probably be able to get more money out of it. We'd have a public park to increase the area of parks that we lack tremendously in our City. I ask you to please consider everything I've told you and think of our citizens. Thank you very much. Chair Hardemon: Sir, you're recognized. George Pita: Hi. Good afternoon. My name is George Pita. I live at 4045 Ensenada Avenue, in Coconut Grove. Commissioner Russell, I'm a member of your district; been a life-long resident of Miami; born here in '61, a few months after my parents fled Cuba; grew up in Hialeah; went to school in Opa Locka; went to college here in -- local as well, and been fortunate enough to spend all my adult life working in Miami. So I've -- it's fair to say, I've seen a significant amount of change over the course of the years. That's kind of where I come from. Who am I? Well, I'm not going to start -- I'm not a soccer fan necessarily. I really -- you know, kind of grown on me a little bit, but, you know, Tin not really a soccer fan. I haven't played it. I am a golfer. I regularly golf, although you'd never know it by the way I play, fortunately. And I am in support of The First Tee. I've supported it in the past and continue to support it going forward. So I don't believe this vote is something that City of Miami Page 73 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 says we're trying to end The First Tee Program, by any means. So why am I in strong support of this stadium? Because it's much more than a stadium. Miami Freedom Park and what the soccer proposal brings is not just the elevation of what it does to Miami in terms of us as a city and the elevation of the pro sports and all the economic benefits that that brings, which are significant -- right? -- both from -- in terns of our elevation view as a city, in terns of employment, in terns of just community rallying around sports, but I think most importantly, when you look at this, and you as Commissioners have to determine what the best use ofpublic land is, when you look at what this land will be used for; and the level of involvement that all the practice fields and all the support it'll have for all the youth soccer programs that are going to be in place, it's really a significant enhancement to the usage of that land, both from the elevation it gives the City, and then, also, the impact it has with our youth, as they rally around a team and are all supporting -- these guys are all going to be supporting youth clubs that are part -- that are related to the program, and they'll grow up that way, and at the end of the day -- you know, knock wood -- one of these kids becomes the next Beckham -- right? -- whoever it is. So I look at that element of this, in addition to what I think it brings to this City as a benefit, and then I see where it also does from a community and from a youth involvement standpoint. I believe we'll solve the first prob -- The First Tee issue, because that's not going away. There's other places that can go. And I think as a -- when you look at the picture in total, it's a huge benefit to us as a city to proceed with this, and I think it'd be a shame if you don't allow this to go to vote, because there's obviously a lot of steps here, and I don't know why, under any reason, you wouldn't want to bring this to vote, because it's something that I think we're going to benefit from greatly as a city. So thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Mikey Minagorri: Mr. Chairman, I have some papers here that I want to pass out, and I also want to acknowledge my wife, who's giving me her two minutes, Yoli Minagorri. Chair Hardemon: Where is she? Mr. Minagorri: She's standing right there, sir. Chair Hardemon: Okay. Mr. Minagorri: Okay? Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Mr. Minagorri: Thankyou. My name is Mickey Minagorri. I live at 1065 Fairway Drive -- Chair Hardemon: I just want -- pause the time for a second. Both of you are going to have to walk out, though, okay? Mr. Minagorri: We walk out together all the time. Chair Hardemon: That's fine. You've been kicked out of better places, right? Mr. Minagorri: Absolutely, Chairman. Commissioner Gort: That was the right answer. Mr. Minagorri: Yes. Chair Hardemon: Go ahead. City of Miami Page 74 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Minagorri: Mickey Minagorri, 1065 Fairway Drive, Miami Beach, Florida. I've been living in Miami since 1960, and I'm an activist. I'm a businessman. I don't have any interest, other than doing what's right for our City. I just want to point out to you -- I gave you these pieces of paper in front of you that show exactly the business deal. I want to talk about the facts. I want to talk about the numbers. I don't want to talk about hypothetical things. If you take a look at this, this is an article that makes all the sense in the world. I used to be a developer. I worked with the Rouse Company. I developed Bayside. I developed Town & Country. I worked with the Teachers Annuity Pension Plan, who owns all of Blue Lagoon Drive, all those offices that are actually really parallel to what is going on here. The rents there are actually accurate to what is really going on here, so I know the price per square foot in rentals of office. I know what it is for retail. I know what it is for parking. I know what it is for a restaurant. And these numbers makes total sense. So I am agreeing with Mr. Mas that they're going to be generating $425 million in rent. I mean, that's obvious. Now, there's something called "sales -to -rent ratio, revenue -to -rent ratio." And in every real estate transaction, you're talking about 10 percent of the value of the sales or the revenue. That should be your rent. But let's say we took 50 percent for debt service, because they're going to have to spend from the 425 million, 212 million to pay their debt of making their buildings. And so, now you have 20 -- $212 million a year. Your rent has got to be $22 million to $21 million, not $3.5 million. The City is being cheated out of $17 million every year by allowing this deal. I'll take this deal for $3.5 million. I'll bring my own people and do it. Mr. Mas Canosa signed up for a stadium, not for a village, not for a complex of this magnitude. No wonder he doesn't want any competition. Let me tell you something. You multiply that 17 million times 99 years, it'll be $1.7 billion that the City will lose over 99 years. You guys won't be around here when that's going to happen, but that's going to be the biggest crime ever perpetrated economically to this City, because you guys don't have the right information. I know the Mayor has lobbied many of you, because the Mayor really believes this is right, but the Mayor has the wrong information, okay? The Mayor was given the wrong information, either by the City Manager or the staff. These numbers are incorrect. You can never allow for $3.6 million rent in something that's worth $20 million, minimum. And that debt service is going to go away in 5 to 10 years. So they'll have even bigger rents to pay, $30 million. Take it out to the market. Price it out to the market. And I'll tell you, that 44,000 -- $44 million in taxes, that's never coming back to our city. That goes to the State of Florida. That goes to the County. That goes to the School Board. So how much money are you going to collect in taxes? Commissioner Russell, please, don't leave. I know you have had conversations with the Mayor; and some of you have already made some commitments before you got here. I just want to make sure you understand, your commitment is to your constituency. When you took an oath, you didn't take an oath of --for the Mayor. You took an oath for the City of Miami. And I want you to reconsider whatever it is you have already in your mind. You went the other day to The First Tee and you saw these kids there, and all of a sudden, maybe you think they were putting on a show for you. That happens every day of the year. That's not true at all. So I hope all of you who haven't thought about this really think of the financial consequences and the considerations of the damage of $17 million a year. Chair Hardemon: Thank you, sir. Your time has expired. You're recognized, sir. I need his wife to also exit; consequences of sharing your time. Although many people say, you're all one, so you should get two minutes, but -- You're recognized, sir. Andy Llop: Hi. Good afternoon. My name is Andy Llop, and I'm here to voice my support for Futbol in Miami, in Miami Freedom Park. I say all of this to everyone as someone who is a lifeline -- lifelong Miami citizen, an avid golfer; somebody who's grown up playing golf in Miami my whole entire life, and someone who's supported The First Tee and will continue to support The First Tee going forward. However, this is about the greater socio-economic good for the Miami community. I believe City of Miami Page 75 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Miami Freedom Park and Miami MLS will have a significant positive impact on the greater Miami community today and, more importantly, for the generation to come. So as somebody who loves Miami, let's let the voters decide. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Ma'am, you're recognized. Maruja Gonzdlez: Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name is Maruja Gonzdlez. My address is P.O. Box 940494, Miami 33194. This course, Melreese, is more than just a golf course, couple sand traps, lake here or there. It's more than just that. This is a community. This is a home to these children. Charlie De Lucca and his team at Melreese run the most stellar First Tee Program in the nation. They are recognized as such. My daughter started her training at Melreese when she was 10. She stopped going to Melreese? Never, because when she comes home from college, or now that she's an engineer, her stops are usually at Melreese. She takes pride in having mentored students that are younger than her, players that are younger than her, because that is what they do. That is what Melreese produces. They are a home to these children. My daughter's an engineer, and is the person that she is today partly because of the catalyst that First Tee was. She found a place where she was supported or she was encouraged, and where she was empowered as a woman, as a young woman, to speak up, to be that power. Erik Compton, that just spoke just a few minutes ago, gave her an open ticket years ago from one of his tournaments. She carried that ticket in her golf bag throughout her entire collegiate career. That was her lucky charm. That's the mentorship that is created at First Tee. It's not a place. Yes, you can move First Tee anywhere. Let's see who picks it up. Which golf course is going to be willing to do that? Who has the space to do that? It's taken over 10 years for Melreese to be developed to the point where it's at. Fiscally, this makes absolutely no sense. As a gentlemen before stated, Beckham and the Mas team are going to be earning $426 million in revenue, and the City's -- Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, ma'am. Ms. Gonzdlez: -- going to make 3.2? Chair Hardemon: Your time has expired. Ms. Gonzdlez: Makes no sense. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Sir, you're recognized. Jurgen Mainka: Mr. Chairman, Commissioners, thank you for allowing me the time to speak today here in front of you. My name is Jurgen Mainka, and I'm a local resident. Chair Hardemon: Can you stop the time, please? So, we have a rule. The rule is once you have public -- once you've spoken, you have to step out of the chambers. There are no exceptions. You're recognized, sir. Mr. Mainka: Shall continue, sir? Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Can you start his time over? Because I interrupted. Mr. Mainka: Mr. Chairman, again, Commissioners, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak today. My name is Jurgen Mainka, a local resident. I workfor an organization called CONCA CAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Futbol). We're actually based here in Miami. We're the governing body of soccer in the North America, Central America, and Caribbean region, and our mission is to develop the game of soccer around this (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Projects like this one fall right in line with what we do, develop the game. When you think about this project, the stadium and the soccer City of Miami Page 76 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 infrastructure, it will be a huge mistake to only focus on the benefits of a professional sports team will bring to the City. This soccer complex will be much more than that. It will become a beacon of the most popular sport in the world right here in South Florida, and it will inspire tens of thousands of children in our community to get involved in this beautiful sport of soccer. This privately funded project would also allow our community access to the game for players -- only from competitive, but also recreational backgrounds. Kids of all ages, social economic status, and the visitors will be able to benefit from the life lessons that this sport teaches, such as leadership, team work, commitment, and fair play, among others, thanks solely to this facility. At CONCACAF, we have seen the social transformations sparked by soccer projects, just like this one, around the entire region, including Caribbean and Central America. And as a Miami -based organization and a Miami resident, we would love to see the soccer transformation happen right here in our own backyard, benefiting thousands of kids. This matter, putting it to the ballot in November, I think it will the most sportsmanlike -ship [sic] thing to do, and allow the community to decide. Thankyou very much for your time, sir. Thankyou very much. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You're recognized, sir. William Muir: Thank you, Mr. Chair. William Muir. I'm -- live at 3855 Stewart Avenue, Miami 33133. And thank you, your honor -- or Honorable Chairman. I'm submitting something for the record to the Commissioners and the City Attorney. One of my issues here is that I hear talking points about letting the voters decide, and the issue here I have is with the proposed ballot language that is going to be proposed to go to the voters, should three out of the five of you confirm this resolution. So this resolution contains very misleading ballot language. The ballot language does not say that you would be waiving competitive bidding. So the issue here is waiving competitive bidding. Now, if I'm someone like the University of Miami that has to play in Miami Gardens instead of my old home in the City of Miami, I have no ability to bid on this project, because this deal has seemingly already been concluded. And this low -ball number is $3.6 million. University of Miami is paying 4 million. And I'm not representing the University of Miami. I'm a Hurricane's fan. But they're paying $4 million to Stephen Ross when we could bring that stadium back, if you wanted a stadium. They could share with MLS. I mean, there's other bids that need to be considered. The golfers have a point. You know, the golfers have a point. I've played on that golf course. I've played baseball there as a little leaguer. I've had teammates go play Major League Baseball, playing on those fields next door. So I would keep it as it is, but if we're going to talk about other bids, let's talk about competitive bidding. Let's put it out for bid. I think $20 million is a starting point, what the other guy mentioned. This $3.5 million is nothing. Hurricanes pay that for seven games, seven games, and that's $4 million a year. They pay more than that. So you can't even consider this. You need to change the ballot language. I've got the letter showing why the ballot language needs to be changed, to show that we're amending the City Charter to get rid of competitive bidding, because otherwise, the voters will have no idea what they're voting on. They need to make an intelligent decision based on all the facts, and the ballot language does not include that. So I would suggest you all have an amendment. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Ma'am, you're recognized. Lauren Paulette: Good afternoon, Honorable Commissioners. My name is Lauren Paulette, and I am a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to standing here today, I sat on the Youth Activities Task Force Committee for Miami Lakes for three years, giving my input on parks and recreation. An issue we consistently faced was having profitable safe green spaces for our children. I'm also a Miami resident, who has a dream for our people. This dream is to help provide my generation, the youth in our City, with a beacon offreedom, a center for community, a departure from our City of Miami Page 77 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 everyday struggles, a unifier despite polarity, a goal. Soccer helps fuel our community and has given the Hispanic and migrant residents in South Florida an object to be prideful for. Just like the Freedom Complex, it is a complex and sometimes befuddling experience that provides our youth with a lesson that through hard work, we can prevail. This is a lesson my parents taught me when they left a government that stripped its people of their voice in Cuba. Our democracy is centered on this principle: The freedom of expression. The issue at hand is to give our community the opportunity to vote on this item. Commissioners, I urge you to embrace democracy and give our people the ability to choose whether or not they support this initiative. Let us all decide in the voting booth. Thank you for this time. Gustavo Perez: Hello, Commissioners. My name is Gustavo Perez, and I live at 4725 Northwest 7th Street, Apartment 202, in District 1. I am against this deal for several reasons. This does nothing for the problems splitting our City. Our rents keep going up, our streets get flooded, and traffic never improves. This real estate deal will not solve these problems that everyday citizens face. Despite the plan allowing for a public space, the City is essentially giving away land for a for-profit enterprise. The City will not be a stakeholder in any of these proposed developments. Third, the time frame is too short for the public to be really aware of what's going on. We don't have any traffic studies, and I feel we need to do a lot more due diligence so we can put it to a vote. Also, if the land is really available for use, then we should consider all alternatives, not just a hotel office building with a soccer stadium attached to it. If these investors have a billion dollars to put behind the project and they're willing to pay market value, then we need to do something that's more transparent, competitive, and less hurried manner, or bid on a private land. Thank you very much. Daniella Garcia: Good afternoon. My name is Daniella Garcia, and I am a student at Coral Reef Senior High School. I am part of the Ivy Program, with a 4.0 unrated GPA (grade point average), and I play competitive soccer. I started playing soccer when I was five years old. I am telling you this so that you can understand who I am. I have been playing a part -- I have been a part of the Olympic Development Program in the National Training Center. I have played for Weston FC's Development Academy, and I will playing for FC Prime, the elite club's national league this year. It has been an honor and a privilege to be recruited to play for both of these teams. I wake up around 5 in the morning every day to be on time for school. After school, in order to play in the most competitive environment possible, I have to commute from Pinecrest to Fort Lauderdale. As a result, I go to bed around 11:30 on most school nights. I love where I play, and I am grateful for the experiences I have had with my team, but I want other young girls like me to have access to the sport and highest level of coaching in Miami. I am not criticizing in any shape or form the clubs in Miami, where very good friends of mine currently play. There's a lot of potential in these clubs, which can be harnessed in the facility proposed here today. I can only imagine the pride with which I would wear a Futbol Miami shirt, playing center back with my friends against the best competition in the country. This team would be an inspiration to many young soccer players, like myself, allowing us to believe that accomplishing our dreams of playing professionally are possible through the example being set by professional players nearby. Thank you. William Perry: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the Commission. My name is Bill Perry, 9822 Northeast 2nd Avenue. You know, this process is really not about sports, competition, what have you, because at the end of the day, as a graduate of Miami City Hall [sic], one thing I do understand, that winning is not always winning and losing is not always losing. It doesn't mean that. I am a Charlie De Lucca mentee. I'm also an Orange Bowl Committee member, whereby I'm not here on behalf of the Orange Bowl Committee, because it's not taking a position in regard to this project. However, we do have a long-standing relationship with First Tee, of which I am also a board member of First Tee. And I don't want to, you know, City of Miami Page 78 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 challenge you in regard to these young ladies, in particular, where we recently started a scholarship fund. One of them asked me today, "Well, what happens" -- "My mom is a single parent. What happens in regard to my scholarship or my sister's scholarship moving forward?" And I really have no answer for that, aside from, go down and ask the necessary questions. Hopefully, you can weed through the financial (UNINTELLIGIBLE), as well as the information that's being led here. And also, ask intelligent questions as relates to the impact that FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is going to have on this project, the impact that it will -- in terms of young adults coming primarily from the urban core. So at the end of the day, I'm here on behalf of the legacy that's been started there, and hopefully, we will continue to live and abide by that legacy. Kirk Menendez: Good afternoon. I'm Kirk Menendez. My daughter, Lydia, is on her way from a soccer camp in Georgia. Hopefully, she makes it in time and gets to speak on the behalf of the youth in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) soccer (UNINTELLIGIBLE) she participates with. I'm before you because I've spent most of my life, besides, obviously, working for the City of Miami a few years ago, involved in youth sports. I was a coach for 20 plus years, youth soccer. I also -- not only a coach, but also an advisor to several clubs, and the last 10 years as a soccer dad. I've been throughout all of South Florida, throughout the entire State of Florida, and I see the tens of thousands of children that play soccer, youth soccer. You have kids from every country here in Miami. They're spread out throughout the County. This is a great opportunity to consolidate and give the kids an opportunity, no matter what their income level is, because there are kids at the lowest income level and kids at the highest income level playing side by side in a sport that's the people's sport around the world. As you know, Miami's a global city, and it's becoming more global everyday. This is an opportunity to put Miami in the heart of what is the world of soccer, with international travelers coming in and out to want to live here. And you can bring everyone together under the banner of community, because in soccer, there is community and there is spirit. In speaking about spirit, I want to address the Charter. Section 6 of the Charter talks about referendum. The first few words say, "The electors shall have power at their option to approve or reject at the polls any measure passed by the City Commission or measures submitted by the City Commission. " This section where they emphasize the word 'power of the elector" goes before they even start talking about the elections of Commissioners and the Mayor. It goes before even talking about City departments, City Manager's Office, and the Law Department. I ask you to please, let's hold true to the Charter and allow the people to speak in a referendum -- Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Mr. Menendez: --and I appreciate your time. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thank you, sir. Your time expired. Ma'am, are you hereto speak for or against? Mayra Joli: Very much against. Chair Hardemon: Against. Ms. Joli: Yes. Chair Hardemon: Okay. I think you skipped everyone in the line. Ms. Joli: No. Chair Hardemon: You were waiting in the 'for" line, and then you crossed over to the "against" line, so I'm going to ask that you step to the back of the "against" line so then we can allow everything to flow properly. City of Miami Page 79 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Ms. Joli: Okay. I believe you think that -- Commissioner Reyes: Excuse me a minute. Mr. Chair, she was in line, but she didn't -- Ms. Joli: Yes. Commissioner Reyes: -- know that she was -- Chair Hardemon: I understand. Commissioner Reyes: -- that was the 'for" line. Chair Hardemon: I understand, but she wasn't in this line. I just want to make -- You're okay? Everybody's together? Ms. Joli: Yeah. Chair Hardemon: Okay, we're all together. That's fine. Ms. Joli: All right. My name is Mayra Joli. I am an immigration attorney. I live at 700 (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33176. My office is at 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1210. I'm also running for District 27 for the US (United States) Representatives -- elections for -- in November. Chair Hardemon: Is that your phone ringing? Ms. Joli: Yeah. No. No, it's not my phone. It's his phone. So now, this is a question -- I was on that side and I'm now here on this other side. It's not that I switch. It's that -- this is a question of transparency. Transparency has to start from the bottom, not from when we get to Congress. We need transparency for these people. You see, this group of people in orange, The First Tee, if we know that we are here for the good of these people, we should put them first; not only them, but the people that live around the Melreese Golf Course. Those people are the ones that going to have to be suffering the impact. I don't live in that area of Miami.MJ' office is there. But I live comfortable in Coral Gables. We're going to force these people to live in a place where it's going to be more congested than it is now. Plus, are we telling them that that was a waste -- they used to have toxic waste put on that field, and that to clean it, somebody has to pay for it? There is nothing for free in this country. If we think that David Beckham deserves to have a soccer stadium here or anywhere for the good of the children, the children outside, a group of 15 kids outside that couldn't come inside to see and tell you exactly -- and they play golf. They play soccer -- I don't play soccer. I don't know anything about baseball. I don't know anything about anything: What I know is that the people have to go first, guys, not us. Weare not elected to just fufll the requests of people who has money. David Beckham, he wants a soccer field for the children, he can go to Haiti and build it there, because they love soccer. (Applause) Ms. Joli: So that's what I say. Chair Hardemon: Ma'am, your time has expired. Ms. Joli: And Ifinish. Chair Hardemon: I want you all to listen very closely. If you step outside of the rules of procedures of this chambers, you will be removed from the chambers. So if City of Miami Page 80 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 there are loud outbursts, if there's clapping, all the things that I described earlier that you cannot do, if you continue to do them, I will remove you, one by one. Okay? I don't want to do that, but I will. Thank you very much. Ms. Joli: That's what some said about the voter. Chair Hardemon: Okay. Thank you very much, ma'am. Ms. Joli: We cannot be removed, one by one. Chair Hardemon: Mr. Chairman, how are you? County Commissioner Estevan Bovo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Steve Bovo. I'm the Chair of the Board of County Commission, and I'm here in favor of giving the voters of the City of Miami an opportunity. I know that a lot has been talked about how this may have been rushed, but in all honesty, what you're debating here today and what you're deliberating is giving folks an opportunity, an opportunity not to only opine, to also have public hearings, to be able to vet the entire project, and go through all the details that have raised so many questions. And I think at the end of the day, what makes us effective or try to be as effective as we can as leaders is when we get to listen to the public and get their input and their thoughts on this. I would tell you that if we want Miami to continue to be that capital of the Americas that we all aspire to, that beacon where folks come and invest in our community, diversify our economy, these are the kind ofprojects, quite honestly, that we should be endorsing and supporting. But further on, I think that the voters of the City of Miami should have that opportunity to pine [sic]. They should be at the table to discuss these items, and they should have that ample time, if it goes before them in the month of November. You're talking, literally, four months of debate, public hearings, analysis of the numbers. And I think at the end of the day, it makes all of us on the County Commission and you here in the City of Miami on your Commission, I think it'll make you better public servants at the end of the day. So I would encourage you to allow the debate to go forward and allow the voters of the City of Miami to opine. Thank you very much for the opportunity. I appreciate it. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, Mr. Chairman. County Commissioner Bovo: Thank you, sir. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Stephen Chaneles: Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, members of the Commission, my name is Stephen Chaneles. I live in Miami Beach, and professionally, I'm an attorney. I rise to speak in opposition to RE.9 and RE. 10. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm an avid, although mediocre, golfer. I'm wearing orange, so I obviously support The First Tee. You have and will continue to have many voices that speak to the merits of the project, so I want to speak to process for a moment. As an attorney, I appreciate and deeply value the integrity of any process of government. I state the obvious when I say that there's a reason for competitive bidding, not the least of which is that it promotes a transparency and accountability. As the saying goes, sunshine is the best antiseptic. If there's going to be a deal, let it be a clean deal. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. We need to look no further than the current Marlins Stadium to appreciate what happens when we allow responsible and accountable government to give way to expediency and private selFinterests. In retrospect, we know the extent to which we taxpayers were sold out in connection with the financing of the stadium. As a lawyer and a businessman, I don't begrudge the investor group from looking to secure the best possible negotiating position for their own pocketbook. I get it. However, you, the members of the Commission, were elected to look after the interests of your constituents, the voting public, and be responsible stewards of public property. This City of Miami Page 81 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 project is complicated and has many tentacles, not just a question of who pays for it, but put the project out to bid and let the market speak, and then make a decision based on all of your options, if there is going to be a deal. That's responsible decision-making, and let's be honest, that's what you would do if the subject project were your own private enterprise. So treat public property with no less respect than you would treat your own. There is no compelling need to waive competitive bidding for any disposition of the subject property, other than the developer's own private interests and their timetable. Thank you for your time. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Ma'am, you're recognized. Massiel Leyva: Good afternoon, Chairman, Commissioners. My name is Massiel Leyva. I have lived in Miami most of my life, and I'll be sure to keep my comments brief today. I'm a product of the Public School System. I attended high school in North Miami. Now I attended the University of Miami and spent the past few years in the nonprofit sector, providing social services for our underserved communities, particularly communities -- those who are immigrants, or Hispanic, as I, myself, am. And this fall, I'll be beginning my first year at Harvard Law School. All this to say that these opportunities, in large part, were awarded to me through the support of Mas family. They have been some of my biggest supporters, and I think that when they come before you and speak to youth empowerment, they don't see this as a zero sum game. They don't see it as there can only be First Tee or there can only be the soccer youth empowerment program. There is a middle ground, and they are eager to make it right for all parties. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thank you, ma'am. You're recognized, ma'am. You need an interpreter? Gladys Fuentes: I have -- yes. Chair Hardemon: Oh, you have something to pass out. Ms. Fuentes: Okay. Yes. Hi. Because I am short on time, I am passing out the media guide, which will go into what the Tee -- First Miami Tee [sic] is, okay? My name is Gladys Fuentes, and my husband and I reside at 945 Northwest 25th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33125. I have lived in Miami since 1964. We have seen many changes over the years. We've experienced the bad deals made in the past to give away public lands to private institutions at the cost of its residents. It appears that's why we're here today. We don't want a soccer stadium at Melreese Golf Course. My reasons: One, public land should not even be considered for any group to come and be given land for their whims, even if they say it will create jobs. It's a matter of ethics that a City governing body would even consider such a proposal. We learned our lessons from the Miami Marlins Park on Northwest 17th Avenue. I believe we're still paying for that facility, and the proposals have not come through. International Links Miami Melrose Country Club, better known as Melreese Golf Course, is a state-of-the-art facility. When seen from above, it reveals its splendor; an artistically designed golf course sitting in the middle of the County. Those coming to and from the airport can see the beauty and serene, quiet site. You know the location, 37th Avenue, between 42nd and 19th Street. And it is adjacent to the Grapeland Heights Water Park, with 135 acres total. It began in 1942. And in 1996 and -- to 1997, the only City -owned golf course underwent an extensive facelift to the tune of $3.9 million. Through the direction of the De Lucca family, this park has blossomed, and today is an acclaimed international golf course, which hosts a world of golfing events, local clubs, golf celebrities; and The First Tee Miami, which fosters nine core values, nine healthy habits, which I can't go into. Chair Hardemon: Ma'am, your time has expired. Ms. Fuentes: Oh, gosh. City of Miami Page 82 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Ms. Fuentes: All right. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Sir, you're recognized. Caesar Marrero: First of all, thank you very much for allowing me to speak. My name is Caesar Marrero. I reside at 800 Northwest 41st Avenue. I reside in your district, Commissioner. I am for this project. A lot of people don't mention -- I live down the street from Magic City Casino. When these events happen, the people pour out into my neighborhood. I live around probably five hotels, and the tourists are constantly walking around; the airplanes barely fly right over my house, and I am still for this project. I see the vision that this investment group has. I see the vision that they have for the future for this City; I hope you guys do, too. All that we're asking for; sir, is to allow the people to vote, sir. I hope you guys believe in democracy. I hope you guys believe in due process. I want to see this vision flourish. I believe it's going to benefit the City in the long run; maybe not currently. I understand the traffic congestion. I understand all that. But I live in the City, and I understand what that takes. I understand the commutes are just a little bit longer, but we prepare for that. That's what it takes to live in a city like Miami. We are competing with larger cities; Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York. We need the get up there, and I believe that this project will complement that vision. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Sir, you're recognized. Ross Gampel: Good afternoon. My name is Ross Gampel. I live at 1119 Campo Sano Avenue, Coral Gables, Florida. I work in Miami, 1728 Coral Way, Suite 700, Miami, Florida. I've been working here for more than 40 years, living here more than 40 years, and I am very, very much against this proposal. You've heard eloquent speakers talk about Melreese and how wonderful it is for The First Tee, and they've spoken much better than can I. We haven't discussed the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of rounds played each year by people such as myself and my children, who play as adults at Melreese and enjoy Melreese. The City of Miami has only one golf course. If that golf course is gone, it can never, never be replaced. There is no land that will ever be able to replace the mistake that would be made by getting rid of it. When we talk about what's going on here, we've got a stadium -- soccer stadium that will only occupy a very, very small portion of land with the parking that I read will be underground. It will only have approximately 12 or so home dates out of 365 days a year. So what we're really talking about is the economic development that so many of the builders have discussed today. And the question is, if Miami needs the money that much that they're willing to give up their only golf course and green space in order to get that money back that they hope in tax revenue -- which probably won't be there -- but if it's an economic development issue, an economic issue, then you must open it up to public bidding. The only way to determine the fair market value and to get the most money from this space on an economic basis is to open it up to open bidding. The other issue is here -- Chair Hardemon: Thank you, sir. Your time has expired. You're recognized, ma'am. Dani Dellarco: Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Dani Dellarco, and I'm a fitness instructor in the Miami community. I'm also a writer for "Stayfit305.com. " My job as a fitness instructor is to motivate individuals to make healthier changes in their life, but ultimately, that decision is up to them, whether or not they want to make that change. I'm in support of this stadium and believe in what this project will bring to Miami, the opportunities. And so, I -- all I ask is that you give the voters the choice to decide if they want futbol in Miami and what the stadium will bring. Thank you for your time. City of Miami Page 83 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Geoff Lofstead: Good afternoon. My name is Geoff Lofstead. I'm the Executive Director of the South Florida section of the PGA of America, and I'm here to talk a little bit about the importance that this golf facility and golf, in general, has to the State of Florida. Quite simply, Florida is the golf capital of the world, and it's the golf capital of the world because of unbelievably great golf courses, and the City of Miami should be incredibly honored that the model municipal golf facility in the entire state is here in Miami. And the other thing that we like to talk about with golf and the industry here in Florida is the human impact that golf has, and we've heard a little bit talked about that. And when you talk about The First Tee, a model chapter throughout the entire country here in Miami and what it does for many kids that come from challenging environments and come to a safe place that provides tutoring after school, and provides and teaches life skills and healthy habits, that can't be taken away from this local group. And there are so many examples -- Erick Compton certainly being one of them -- that has gone on to the highest levels of professional golf that wouldn't have done that without Melreese being there. And the other thing that you all should be proud of is it -- this golf facility has become the hub of what's good about golf, the charitable impact of golf. When you talk about the Special Olympics and the thousands of special Olympians that are not quite as fortunate as the rest of us that have been able to gain some positive experiences from what they've seen at Melreese and PGA Hope -- being the hub of PGA Hope. It's a program that assimilates military veterans back into civilian life, and without this program, these veterans would become one of the statistics, and that statistic is 22 veterans a day commit suicide. Those that are going through this program are telling us that this is saving their lives. So quite simply, saving this golf course certainly will save lives and build future leaders for generations to come. I'm convinced that one of these kids in an orange shirt will be sitting up here one day. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You're recognized, sir. Jordan Adams: Hello. My name is Jordan Dean Adams, Minister Jordan Dean Adams, living in the Overtown community. In the beginning, I only saw a stadium. However; through the knowledge of working with Jorge Mas and Jose Mas and Steve Muir; I've been able to hear and understand exactly where these individuals are coming from. We both have something in common in terms of working with youth and seeing what the future has for them. And us doing that, I have been able to understand that they want the future for this City; an opportunity for these children to be able to do exactly what they need to do to succeed, to motivate them, to drive them, to push them to their limits of actually having a dream of becoming a professional soccer player; not only in the African American communities or the Latino communities or the white -- Caucasian communities, but all races worldwide. And what we're trying to do here is ultimately have these individuals have an opportunity to vote, to vote, to be able to get their point across, whether they want this stadium here or whether they not -- whether they don't. Thank you. Michael Cooper: Good afternoon. My name is Michael Cooper. I worked for the World Golf Foundation, the umbrella organization that governs The First Tee. My roles with the World Golf Foundation were Director of Diversity and Southeast Regional Director. In the Regional Director Role, I helped develop and had oversight of chapters in 10 states. Of the 54 chapters that were in my portfolio, The First Tee of Miami had the highest volume of programs offered; it had the highest quality programs, the highest number of participants, and the most diversity by far. I get to know them. And they serve over 250 veterans a year through the PGA Hope program; over 4,000 young participants through The First Tee; over 5,000 through the Special Olympics programs; and they have a partnership with Miami -Dade Public School District, where they partner with over 70 elementary schools and train City of Miami Page 84 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 PE (physical education) teachers how to deliver golf. Melreese is the home for the PGA Latino American Championship. It is the home of the Doral-Publix Junior Golf Classic, which has over 600 golfers per year, representing 45 countries, and it is the home of the founder and originator of the Florida Golf Specialty License Plate. That's the golfer's silhouette. The Specialty Plate generates over $800,000 a year and has raised over $7 million since its inception; all distributed through grants to youth development programs throughout Florida. Melreese is more than a golf course, and The First Tee of Miami is more than a game. They are a home to many, and seem to be the perfect recipe for impacting lives and communities, and I ask that you please keep it that way. Thank you. ChairHardemon: Thankyou, sir. Hector Tundidor: Hello. My name is Hector Tundidor. I'm born, raised and educated in Miami. I want Miami to be the best city in this world. In my role at EY, I travel the globe, observing and meeting many different people, and as a result, have a great appreciation for inclusive cultures and communities. I also understand what makes cities great and efficient. I also understand that youth soccer needs to be played more in our City by all; today, it's not. As someone who played baseball for `Patato" Pascual Academy at Grapeland, who has three daughters that have played competitive -- sorry. I got a call -- soccer throughout the State of Florida, who currently sponsors golf events and First Tee events at the Melreese; as a frequent flier with American Airlines, the one that uses the airport all the time; as someone who communicates -- who commutes from downtown to Doral and Medley often; as someone who graduated from Miami Dade College, Florida International University, University of Miami; as a community leader that is heavily engaged in many organizations, including United Way, Orange Bowl Committee member; NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship), College Map at Miami Central High -- this list can go on and on, but this is not about me. This is about my -- me doing my part in contributing to our Magic City. I want this city to be world-class. 48 years and counting of loving Miami and helping this community, I will not stop, and I can assure you that Miami Freedom Project will only be a positive to this community. Having known the Mas family and Marcelo Claure personally for over 25 years, I'm very confident that they will always do what is best for this community, and as a result, will always find a way to make our Magic City world-class. Please ask our kids in our community if the Mas family has helped their families in our community. Please consider all that has been discussed today. Find a solution that works for all. And allow the voters of our City to vote on this issue. Respectfully and inclusive of all, I believe it is extremely important for our community to vote on this matter; especially one that will be world-class and one that will always have our community's interests first. ChairHardemon: Thankyou, sir. Mr. Tundidor: Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Before you begin, the young lady that had an opportunity to speak earlier who sat down, who just walked into the room, please, if you mind following the rules and exiting back -- the facility. You're recognized, ma'am. Leslie Heburn: Hi. Good afternoon. My name is Leslie. I live in 4275 Northwest 18th Street, 33126. I'm a mother of two First Tee kids. They go to tutoring there. They do their science projects there. They spend their whole summer there. That's pretty much their home. My kid have been therefor 11 years. To take away the opportunity that they have after 11 years and the scholarships that they have worked so hard for, to put a soccer stadium where they can put anywhere -- I believe they were offered in Doral, and they denied it. I don't understand why they would deny for Doral and then fight for a place where other kids are playing at, but that seems very selfish to me. These kids, they -- you know, they spend their whole summers City of Miami Page 85 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 there. I'm sorry. My time is about to go up. But, yeah, my kids have been therefor a long time. And these kids have been here since 6 o'clock in the morning. Nobody has acknowledged that. That's how much effort and support that they give to this program, that they have been here since 6 o'clock in the morning and they're still here right now. Those soccer kids have not been here that long. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thank you. Ma'am, you're recognized. Lorna Owens: Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Lorna Owens. I'm an attorney here in the Coconut Grove area. As I listened to the conversation that has preceded -- Chair Hardemon: Do you have any other business that you have? Ms. Owens: Yes, I do. Chair Hardemon: What business is that? Ms. Owens: We saw each other this weekend. I have a candle company. Chair Hardemon: What's the name of the business? Ms. Owens: Its called Desert Sage Candle, and it helps mothers and babies around the world. So that's what I do. I am struck by two -- that we don't have a binary choice. It's not either golf or soccer. I think we can co -exist. I'm also mindful that every year in America, we send thousands of soccer balls to low resource countries, such as Africa, because we know the power of soccer to bind communities together. US Soccer Association is an association -- a foundation that gives millions of dollars to help improve urban underdeveloped communities, such as in their Soccer for Success Program or their Pass Back. My conversation with you all is to give the people an opportunity to make a choice. I think soccer, because of the nature of the sport, how inexpensive it is for all communities to engage, would be such a wonderful communal thing for Miami, and it's not a binary choice between either golf or soccer. I think we need more sports. We need to be out more. And we need that whole communal thing that society brings. So please give us a chance to be able to make that decision. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Ma'am, you're recognized. Tanya Eathakotti: Good afternoon. My name is Tanya Eathakotti, and I'm a graduated member and volunteer coach for The First Tee Program. I would like to speak on behalf of this program and those integral to the cause, who have all done so much for me in the past 11 years. The time and passion, and pure love that Charlie De Lucca, Sr., his son Charlie, the Sandra De Lucca Foundation, and instructors of The First Tee have put into the program kindles a desire to succeed within each of the thousands of young athletes and special needs children who have been positively impacted by the program. Specifically, I mean to say that the reach of the lessons promoted and instilled in each of these individuals here extends far beyond the golf course, even into the trajectory of our daily lives. However, none of this would be the same or even possible without our home, Melreese. The presence of this golf course, of its players, of its staff, and even the daily interaction, however minimal it is, that occurs, are some of the largest reasons that we feel and the children who come through the program feel very much at home here. It's an atmosphere very largely rooted in the principles and the core values taught by The First Tee. It's a very personable environment. It is rewarding. But most of all, it's familiar. It's an environment that lends itself to a diversity, a richness, and a love that I've lived and experienced absolutely nowhere else. And I'm very proud to say that I will be taking all the lessons that I've learned, that I have been taught, whether it's in my personal regard, in an athletic regard, an academic regard, in The First City of Miami Page 86 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Tee Program, through all the coaches that have helped me throughout all the years, to college, in life. And I know for a fact that, no matter where Igo, all those people will -- I will still be able to call my family in the future, so please consider this when you're making your decision. Thankyou. Unidentified Speaker: Excuse me. I would like -- Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Unidentified Speaker: I'm sorry. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) like to give my two minutes. Chair Hardemon: She's concluded. You can continue, ma'am. Gabriella Di Percia: Hi. My name is Gabby Di Percia, and I live in the Brickell area, downtown. I just -- Ms. Eathakotti: Excuse me? Ms. Percia: -- want to start off by saying that I grew up loving soccer; being passionate about it. It's something that has brought so many people together; so many people out of poverty; it's given so many people opportunities for something greater and to be greater than what they may have felt limited to prior. I just want to say that there are so many different organizations that I've already worked with. I want to, you know, do soccer with, like, my life, so I've -- I looked into a lot of it. And there are so many organizations that help kids who maybe can't afford, you know, to play other sports or to play soccer; to get into something to help them with their time management, to help them with, you know, just to be someone and to be what -- you know, do what they want to do and be greater; and I'm not taking away from The First Tee, because I understand that they also allow kids the same opportunities. However; the Mas family has done so much for this community, so much for Miami, and soccer is such a sport that brings so many people together. The World Cup is something that -- it's so international, so widely viewed; everyone loves it. Everyone that loves soccer, you just complete connect with. And so, I just think that it -- the most fair thing to do would be to allow the people to vote on whether they think the golf course should stay or the soccer stadium should come in. I know that this is something that a lot of people are very like torn about, but honestly, at the end of the day, the people who like soccer like soccer; who like golf, like golf. I just feel personally that soccer is so much more international. It would bring so many more different people to Miami and, you know, make Miami the greatest city it can be. Personally, I know my time's running out, but when the Clasico came to Miami last year -- I live in Brickell -- it caused trajjic, but it was worth it. I thought it was worth it. I know people that thought it was worth it, as well. So I think that it has a lot ofpotential. So thankyou so much for your time. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. You have more you want to say? Ms. Eathakotti: Yeah. I think one of my friends gave me her -- Chair Hardemon: So if you all want to use someone else's time, I would appreciate it if you tell us this in the very beginning so we can prepare and have the time reset for four minutes, because when you concluded, I went on to the next person. So I'll allow you to finish and add two more minutes of comment. Ms. Eathakotti: Thank you for that. I just wanted to hit on a very strong, significant point of what The First Tee promotes, and that's the idea of family. The De Lucca family is, I mean, integral, completely and entirely, in every part of The First Tee Program, in every single life that is impacted and positively touched by the program, by the ability to create relationships, by the lessons that you were taught about relationships, by the ability to call every single person in this room who came at 6 City of Miami Page 87 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 o'clock this morning, as it was previously mentioned, who prepared for this day and all the days before, that I'm able to call them my family; that I'm able to come back to an environment that is so significantly interwoven into each other's lives, and there's an aspect of that that the personal touch that I feel should The First Tee of Miami be displaced will not be there anymore. As I mentioned previously, it's the atmosphere that's created that doesn't just help every single person and help them become a better person in terms of who they are on the golf course, but who they are in their daily lives, who they are in a school setting, whether it's a collegiate setting or a high school setting or a middle school setting, but in promoting the idea of family and the idea ofpersonal connection between each individual that you meet on the golf course is very much there. So thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thank you. Ma'am, you're recognized. Lydia Menendez: Good afternoon. My name is Lydia Menendez. I'm going to be a junior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, and I also play soccer there. I am an avid soccer player since I was six years old, and my teammates have come from all over the world to play soccer; meaning from South America to Europe. And every day you see more and more kids playing soccer. And honestly, we go out there, not because we are forced to or told that you have to do this. We go out there because it's a passion. And with the proposed plans of the World- Class Soccer Academy, it gives -- it takes our passion, and it gives the kids the opportunity to pursue their dreams, such as, like for example, me. I want to play college soccer. Other kids will be a step ahead and they'll have the chance to play and get to the level that they want to be, and perhaps someday they can play in the World Cup, too. And so, at the end of the day, soccer is the people's sport; therefore, I ask that you please let the people decide on this. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. You're recognized, sir. Sharif Amastha: Good afternoon, Commissioners, City Manager, and Mr. Chairman. My name is Sharif Amastha. I come to you as a student athlete, who's proud to have called The First Tee at Melreese Golf Course my home and my second family for the past 13 years of my life. For the sake of perspective, I would also like to say that I recently graduated from Christopher Columbus High School, and for my four years there, I was under the Mas Scholars Program. In addition, I was even an intern at MasTec the summer after my sophomore year. Because of that, I have the utmost respect for Jose and Jorge Mas, and I appreciate and understand the well- being that they have brought to Miami and to myself, and my classmates, as well. However; I do not believe the proposed location for this new stadium will be a positive for our community. This community has witnessed the incredible growth of Melreese and the programs that come with it over the last decade, and more so, programs that have changed the lives of children, veterans, the disabled, students, and athletes for the better. The loss of Melreese will not just be the loss of a golf course or public land to wealthy capitalists; it will be the loss of a family for us, the ones that currently fill this room and have been filling it for the past nearly 12 hours, as well as -- it's also a family that we would be losing. Now, as a Columbus and Mas scholar alum, I have only ever heard the Mas family speak of the brotherhood and family that their programs create. As part of that family, I ask that they recognize not only how their -- how the family that they would be displacing, but how that contradicts the values of what they have taught in their schools, in their businesses, and how that contradicts every value that they've ever proclaimed to us. Now, I will be our final speaker on behalf of The First Tee, because I realize that you guys are trying to get us out of this room as quickly as possible, as was apparent with the frustration with my colleague, just so that Beckham can give his wonderful presentation after that. I understand that that might be the reason why his presentation was postponed to come after us as well. But even though I may finish and leave this room, my friends and my family will be here to remain to show our support, as we have since 6:30 this morning. And I hope that you, the City of Miami Page 88 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioners, will understand that the values that the Mas family have taught and the values that this has taught me are contradictory to everything that they stand for with this stadium and this project. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Miguel Villalobos: Good afternoon. My name is Miguel Villalobos. I formerly worked in the City of Miami as a real estate analyst for the Department of Asset Management. I worked for the City of Miami about 27 and a half years. I have -- if you're going to approve this project, I have, with due respect, some suggestions for the development of the LeJeune Park, which is better known as Melreese Park, to the City of Miami Commissioner and to the Honorable Mayor. I have four -- only five points. If you obtain from the developer a feasibility study for the proposed project; second, obtain an expense and revenue projection schedules for a minimum of 10 years; third, obtain a projection of the above data with at least three different appraisals to determine the value of the property, as this may different in their conclusion of value. My experience has shown me that the appraisals vary very, very much in the conclusion of value. One lease determine the desirable rent, including a CPI (Consumer Price Index) over the life of the lease. And last, that I notice when I worked for the City of Miami in the Department of Property Analyst, there was no real schedules of appraisal reports over the life of the City, and it's very important to make a re -appraisal of the project every five years to determine new rents. I hope you take in consideration my suggestion. And I'd like to give a copy of each one of you, if you allow me. Chair Hardemon: Can you give it to the Clerk, please? And he'll pass it to us. Mr. Villalobos: Okay. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, ma'am. Wendi Walsh: Good afternoon, Chairman and Commissioners. My name is Wendi Walsh. I am the principal officer for Unite Here, local 355 Hospitality Workers Union, 1525 Northwest 167th Street, Miami, Florida 33169. I'm really not here either in support or against the project. I am a little confused by the project. The developer hasn't done a presentation here yet today, and we're really going by what we've seen in the newspaper; and, you know, I wish that there was much more detail that has been worked out between the City and the developer before this would go to a voter referendum. Many of the speakers at the other podium today spoke about the hundreds of jobs that would come to Miami, but we don't know anything about those jobs. The developer hasn't made any commitment about the types of jobs they would provide, and the City has a labor peace resolution that the developer has not yet met the obligation to sign a Labor Peace Agreement with us. We feel strongly that the agreement should be reached before a voter referendum. The voters have a right to know how the developer intends to treat its workers before the referendum takes place. We represent hundreds of workers at the Marlins Stadium, some of whom are outside; can't get in. But, you know, say what you will about the Marlins Stadium deal, but they did sign a Labor Peace Agreement far before any approvals were done for that project. We understand that this is a star-studded project, but this developer needs to meet the same expectations that you hold the smallest developer to in the City of Miami, and we would like you to encourage them to sign a Labor Peace Agreement with us before this goes to a referendum. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Daniel Sotelo: Thank you. My name is Daniel Sotelo, and I would like to urge this Commission to vote `yes" and allow democracy to work and allow the citizens of Miami to decide if they want the stadium to be built at the Melreese Golf Course. The reason they should vote `yes" are the following: The project will pay rent to the City of Miami Page 89 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 City, which those funds can be used to hire more police officers, which the City badly needs, and funds to other programs. Two, even if the numbers of jobs created are debatable, it will create more jobs than the golf course have created at this time. In addition, according to Professional Golf Association, memberships in golf are in decline. That's why many golf courses around the country are shutting the doors. In other words, this is costing the City money. Furthermore, the Melreese is in a very environmental hazard, wasting 360,000 gallons of water a day, and polluting our aquifer with their pesticides. I hope you make the right choice and vote `yes." Thank you, and God bless. Chair Hardemon: With all due respect. Grace Solares: With all due respect, Mr. Chair, I will be speaking on behalf of UEL (Urban Environmental League) in opposition to it, and on behalf of MNU (Miami Neighborhoods United). I've given Todd a resolution on behalf of UEL in order not to go over or belabor the issue. I'll just be reading from the one on behalf of MNU. Chair Hardemon: Yes, ma'am. Ms. Solares: Thank you. Commissioners, vote "no" on this issue. This proposal before you today is a hybrid of the Marlins Stadium and the Flagstone's deals. Once again, we're going to be subsidizing billionaires with the people's land. Let them buy land elsewhere and build their stadium, like Joe Robbie did with the Miami Dolphins. We find it highly offensive that you, our elected officials and the City staff, suggest the City Attorney, for example, have drafted language on the proposed ballot, which I'm assuming something you've already negotiated, when it is indicated that these billionaires will give $20 million over 30 years, 30 years to put amenities in the remaining part of the park, which, by the way, is much, much less than the acres they will be taking from our public land for their project. $20 million is petty cash for this group; yet, you're allowing them 30 years to put amenities in the park for the residents' children? It is obvious that the mention of the $20 million on a ballot as a contribution will look quite appealing, enticing, when it is actually a mockery of the electorate. This ballot language is a farce. The items being brought to the voters have been broken down by bullet points. I find it interesting that one dealing with the rent has a question mark afterwards, when none of the others do. We had somebody here speaking today by the name of Mickey Minagorri, who said that it's totally inappropriate; they should be paying rent for $20 million; yet, we have $3 million in rent? You should be taking note of the people speaking here today, and you should have, since the beginning. Where is it that they live? This proposal is in the City of Miami; hence -- I'll be cutting very shortly -- no statements from anyone, other than City of Miami residents and voters, should have any bearing, one way or the other, on your decision-making. It is the residents of the City of Miami, those who vote for you, who voted for you; those who pay taxes so that you may operate this city government; the one who pay your salaries, your benefits, your cost reimbursement, whom you have to listen to. And in conclusion, Commissioners, if you Commissioners are willing to monetize this parkland, then no park in Miami is safe. We want elected ojicials who will protect and preserve our parklands. We need more parks, actually, not less. Stopping -- stop giving away our public land. Reject this proposal. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Ms. Solares: Thank you. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Bryan Cory: Hello. My name is Bryan Cory, and I was born in the City of Miami. I started playing in youth soccer leagues at age four. My parents worked late, so soccer kept me out of trouble in middle and high school; college was a different City of Miami Page 90 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 story. Through soccer; I learned how to compete, overcome adversity, work with others, win with class, and learn from loss. I'm now a business owner with employees, and I contribute to local, state, and federal taxes; sometimes more than I'd like to. I owe my relatively successful path to my parents' support system, my super hero wife, and soccer. I know firsthand the transformative power of soccer, and I strongly believe that it can solve Miami's greatest issue: Unity. I've always took pride in Miami's diversity in the fact that we are the shining city upon a hill for so many seeking opportunity. But with diversity comes disunity. Miami does not and should not have an official language, but if it did, it wouldn't be English or Spanish; it would be soccer. This team gives us a chance to come together for something positive rather than just after hurricanes. Look at this room and you'll see the power of the sport. This proposed Freedom Park will offer the opportunity of success for young and old in Miami. For that reason, I believe it's imperative to let the people of Miami decide whether or not to accept this offer, which, thankfully, requires no money from the City, and of course, they will be paying taxes, just like I do. Thank you. And vamos, Miami. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much. Before you start speaking, Attorney William Douglas Muir, I know you had an opportunity to speak. And as I stated, if you had an opportunity to speak, I need you to exit the chambers to allow people to come in and have a seat. Thank you very much, counselor. Thank you, counselor. You're recognized. Horacio Stuart Aguirre: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, Chairman Hardemon, Vice Chairman Russell, City Commissioners. Horacio Stuart Aguirre, properly residing at 1910 Northwest 13th Street, on the Miami River District, in Allapattah. Commissioners, I wish I weren't here. This is very uncomfortable for me. You see, my father and the late Jorge Mas Canosa were like brothers. They spoke every day, sometimes several times a day. They worked very closely. He was one of the finest men this community has ever had. And today, I find myself opposing a project that his family supports. And on top of that, I happen to be a soccer fanatic. I love soccer. But you see, City Commissioners, I love my city more, I love my neighborhood more, and I love Allapattah more. City Commissioners, Melreese Country Club is a priceless public amenity that welcomes and serves all, regardless of race, color, creed, age, or financial circumstances. There's no other park like this in anywhere in Miami -Dade County. And today, gentlemen, you're being asked to consider the ransacking and pillage of this great Melreese Park, and especially the surrounding single-family neighborhoods. Gentlemen, let's be clear about this. This is not about soccer; not at all. This is about a major real estate development. Let's be honest. Call it what it is. Speak loudly and freely. Don't be afraid. This is about real estate. It's not about soccer and it's not about kids. So you're going to be told today in a few minutes that there are economic studies that say that millions of economic impact dollars will come to us. Well, you've been hearing that for 30 years, and today, Miami is still one of the poorest cities in the entire United States. So when the economic talk comes about and they tell you how many thousands of people are going to be employed and how many millions of dollars will come, think Marlins Stadium and think rubbish. Thank you. Vote "no. " Chair Hardemon: Thank you, sir. You're recognized, sir. Frantzcisco Damostrano: Good afternoon. Any name is Frantzcisco Damostrano. I'm from Miami. Today, I'm coming to support David Beckham about soccer. Soccer is a legacy. It's not something you start and collapse. It's lived from generation to generation. From my point of view, soccer make me the man I am today. When you play soccer; it let you focus. You don't have to follow people. I'm - - I don't have nothing against the park, but soccer is not about fighting. People come here today, you against; you don't want it. Soccer is about love. To be concluded, we should not fighting about this. Let people vote. City of Miami Page 91 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You're recognized, sir. Mark Thompson: Good afternoon. My name is Mark Thompson. I'm with Special Olympics Florida, and I'm sort of not for and not against, but I support what is happening at Melreese Golf Course, and I take that stance because I'm a -- I believe in soccer. I've been in nonprofits for 32 years. I've coached. I've led youth soccer. I've led all sports, and here's what I know about Melreese. Over the course of six weeks each spring, more than 400 children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities train and compete in golf through Special Olympics at Melreese Golf Course. This has been happening for over 30 years. Over 5,000 individuals have been exposed to golf as a result. It's an incredible collaboration, relationship, partnership, and friendship. And it's not just about golf. You've heard that before. It's a culture of passion and desire to provide a joyful experience to each person participating. Of the 16 sports provided throughout the County each year by Special Olympics to over 6,000 special athletes, golf continues to be one of the most popular. It's more than just golf at Melreese; it's the quality of instruction, it's the smiles, it's the high -fives, it's the hugs, it's the setting, it's Charlie De Lucca. And when the season's over, it's "When does golf start again, Mark?" Just wanted to add one other part to it. After listening to everybody speak, elimination of services, whatever it is, is just not right. And with 32 years nonprofits, we work so hard to collaborate, not duplicate services, and here we're talking about eliminating something. One against the other; it doesn't make sense. Let's work together. Let's make this happen. But it's not golf against soccer. It's really about doing as much as you're already doing and more for children and adults. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You're recognized, sir. Mikhail Phillips: All right. Hi. My name is Mikhail Phillips. I just wanted -- I'm totally in support for soccer here, because, you know, I grew up playing soccer as a young boy, and, you know, I really -- like I grew up in a really rough neighborhood, not over here, and by playing soccer, it actually allowed me an opportunity to grow as a man, to become a man of character. So -- I mean, I know you guys have -- I mean, some of you guys have been watching the World Cup, you know. You guys see how much unity and togetherness that it brings, you know, in Russia, in Brazil, and very soon will be here in the US. So honestly, I believe by you guys supporting this and voting `yes" on this, it'll be a great opportunity for the community and be a great community for those who aspire to be professional players. And I'm not against the people of Melreese. You know, you guys are open to your opinion. You know, it's your city, it's your neighborhood, but just want to say, you know, let the people vote and, hopefully, you vote `yes "for the soccer stadium. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, ma'am. Terry Morales: Good afternoon. My name is Terry Morales, and I live in the Grapeland Heights area. I actually live mere blocks away from the Melreese Golf Course. It is something that I have been very concerned about. I don't believe any of us in this room would ever want to live next to a 28,000 spectator stadium. For those of us who have ever gone to a stadium event before, I think what we really despise is getting in and then leaving. As a matter offact, some viewers will actually choose to leave at -- before the game is over to avoid the mayhem and the chaos. Now, I try to envision that every day in my life, because my house is right there in the midst of all of this, and all of you have experienced a stadium, you know, arrival and exiting. You -- it's a complete, you know -- it is cars stopped, cars not moving, and I now envision myself -- God forbid -- with this stadium project being built, having to live with a schedule of soccer games, you know, in my hand, to make sure what time would be a good time for me to leave my house or what time would be a good time for me to come back so I won't be caught up in that constant mayhem. I don't think anybody has ever -- I'm not sure, because I haven't been able to listen to all the speakers. But has anybody ever imagined what kind of impact this is going to have City of Miami Page 92 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 in the neighborhood, in the residential areas? Houses are right there on 37th Avenue, across from Melreese. And quite frankly, I have always enjoyed the Melreese Golf Course. I went there as a 10 -year-old with my father, and I'm quite old now, so that was a while ago. So Melreese has always been well -loved. It's a jewel. It's a jewel in our neighborhood. It brings class to our neighborhood. As a matter offact, I envision a real estate agent calling their client and saying, `Hey, I have a beautiful house for you. It has everything you need. Everything you want. As a matter of fact, it is even adjacent to a golf course. That would be good. Give me two seconds. " But imagine that same real estate agent calling and saying, `I have the perfect house, but it's adjacent to a 28,000 spectator stadium. " That person would slam the phone on this real estate agent and say, "You're fired. You're crazy. " Chair Hardemon: Thank you. Ms. Morales: Thank you. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized. Olivia Candela: Hi. My name is Olivia Candela. I am here in favor of giving the citizens of Miami the opportunity to express themselves through our right to vote. I have played soccer for over 16 years here in Miami, and have been raised within this amazing soccer community. It is an understatement to say that I owe many of my achievements to being part of soccer here. It has taught me what sacrifice, drive, and hard work really is, and has most importantly given me the opportunity to share some of the most joyous moments and memories here in unity with the people of Miami, which is why I, too, have been here since 6 a.m., rallying support from our soccer community. There's nothing I would want more than to see this community continue to grow and express its passion for this sport. This is an international city, with an incredible passion for soccer, and we deserve the right to vote in important issues like these. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Sir. William Armbrister: Praise the Lord Jesus, because he's worthy to be praised, and if you agree, you can say Amen. And good afternoon to every wonderful person at the sound of my voice. I'm just here on behalf of -- being thankful that I was given the morning off, because I was assured that I had enough members from the Coconut Grove community that I wouldn't be needed. So I took the morning off and I -- but I listened, watched what was going on. We need a soccer stadium. We need another sports arena in the City of Miami like we need another hole on our face, for one thing. Now, I'm a -- I didn't mean that for joke. I mean serious. Because I retired -- when they -- when the proposal was for Florida Power & Light to remove all those electric meters so that Marlins Stadium could go up, there were over a thousand families that was inconvenienced and had to relocate, some of those unit housed two and three families, each individual unit. Now, there is no proof that this -- there is a market for an arena for soccer. There is enough real estate up by the Marlins Stadium that if we were sincere in having a soccer stadium in South Florida, it could be there. We don't need another stadium in our municipality. And if we want to do something with that real estate -- if we're going to consider doing anything other than a golf course with that real estate, we have a greater issue we're faced with. It's called housing that is affordable. The politicians say "affordable housing. " But we need housing that is affordable. So if you're going to do anything other with that -- with our property than a golf course, I would please ask that you consider working with Miami -Dade County, who, in the Building Better Communities Bond in 2004, the 2.9 billion dollar bond, which in it was for the expansion of home ownership, up to some 500 single-family homes, providing first or second mortgages. I'm going to be through. And so, working with them to see how they will give us, the City of Miami, our portion of that $2.9 billion, in addition to what we can -- from our $400 million bond -- City of Miami Page 93 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much. Mr. Armbrister: -- work together -- and if you're going to do something with that real estate, provide for us what we need. Chair Hardemon: Your time has expired. Mr. Armbrister: We don't need -- Chair Hardemon: Thank you, sir. Your time has expired. People are starting to overspeak time and time and time again, so I have to slow it down. You're recognized, sir. Joshua Sliva: Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Joshua Sliva. I've lived in Miami all my life. Futbol is a passion, and one day I dream that I can play for Beckham in this team. The stadium will bring so many benefits to the City. Futbol or soccer is a sport that anyone can play, not just a select group of people. I and many other people understand that this golf course may be something that people have created memories in, but that doesn't mean that they have to stop there. There are so many other courses that can offer the same experiences, but the stadium will offer the whole of Miami the experiences of a lifetime. Just as those disposed to the stadium used the word 'family" so much, we futbol fans want to create and form a family together with the stadium. Everyone understands that the parking and the traffic is something that no one likes, but let's face the facts: This is Miami, and that's everywhere. The City isn't going to increase or decrease the average volume of traffic that we face every day. What truly matters is that the whole of Miami can idents with this new project. I hope everyone can comprehend that this project will indeed flourish, if the decision comes to pass, and I know that those against it will one day enjoy it, just as much as those who are for it. Thank you. John Tobon: Good afternoon. My name is John Tobon. I am a 21 year Federal law enforcement officer. I'm also a volunteer coach at Melreese Country Club. There are very few things that I've heard here today that inspire common sense, so let's just go to common sense. Miami has already had an MLS team. It lasted a whole total sum of four years. When you do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, that's called insanity. There is also something that our grandparents -- or my grandparents instilled in me, and we've all heard it: "Pajaro en mano vale mas que cien volando. " A bird in the hand is worth more than a hundred in the air. What you have with Melreese Country Club, what you have with the synergy at The First Tee, with the individuals that work there, that have nothing to do with The First Tee -- these are the people at the pro shop; these are the people at the restaurant -- what you have is a bird in the hand. You have a program that works in a facility that is well-managed. What you are doing is you are walking away from a long-term happy marriage just because; not because your partner did anything to you, not because there's any cause for you to divorce, but just because you woke up and you said, "You know what? It's July 12, and I'm " -- `I have no reason to leave, but I'm still leaving, because there's a promise. " There are a hundred birds -- "Cien pajaros en el aire" --that Beckham and his people are putting in front of you. I just appeal to your common sense, to what your grandparents, who were very -- probably very close to my grandparents -- said, "You never; ever, ever let go of a bird in a hand, " and this program works. Thank you. Alfredo Lopez-Sotillo: Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Alfredo Lopez- Sotillo, and I'm an undergrad at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Vice Chair Russell: Go Hills. City of Miami Page 94 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Lopez: I grew up in Miami my whole life, playing soccer throughout all my years, and I'm here to support this proposed plan to finally bring a soccer stadium to Miami. Soccer has continued to grow internationally, and it will continue to dominate as a sport. I firmly believe that the Miami Freedom Park will bring a unique experience for families in the City of Miami and across the globe to experience what Miami has to truly offer. The programs which have been proposed by the owners of the new team, will help kids from all backgrounds and communities gain access to more exciting, more unique development programs for so many young children. Soccer's a team sport and it brings people together. It is an extremely accessible sport and easily playable wherever you are, unlike golf. It all boils down to soccer versus golf, not saving the children. Let's leave it to the people to decide. Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, sir. Ma'am. Melissa Delisle: Hi. My name is Melissa Delisle. I live at 4423 Alton Road, in Miami Beach. I'm a golf mom. My son and daughter have been playing for over 10 years. But I'm also a soccer mom. My daughter played for many years, as well as myself, growing up here in Miami Shores. We both played on their club teams. I know the importance of playing on a team sport, and I disagree; and I think golf, even though it's a solitary sport, you playas a team. You play in a foursome. You play in a twosome. And even if you play alone, you have a team behind you. Why I'm opposed to this plan is because of the precedent it creates by leasing 111 acres of public park to a private company. What would other cities do when they see you do this? Will they want to do it as well? Will we lose more of our public parks to private companies that want to lease them and make years and years of money on those leases? Why Melreese is so unique is that it's the only course in Miami where kid -- golfers can play for free. No other course in Miami promotes junior golf, like Melreese does. The game of golf is one of the most expensive sports. At Melreese, no child is turned away from golf, if they want to play. Because of Melreese's exceptional way of giving back to the kids in our community through golf, they've opened many doors to scholarships, like Boston University, Cornell, Barry, American, OF (University of Florida), St. Thomas, University of Miami. One of our girls is even going to Pebble Beach this month to play in a very prestigious tournament through Melreese. Even as we speak here, and you see this sea of orange shirts behind me since 6:30 in the morning, there are still 50 kids in Melreese's summer program learning the game of golf. So please consider the impact of destroying our public golf course will have on all these kids and your community. Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Sir. Scott Wood: Good afternoon, Commissioners. I want to begin by thanking you guys for letting me speak today. My name is Scott Wood, and I'm in support of letting the people of this great City decide. I moved to the City as a young boy, not knowing anyone, and soccer has given me relationships that will last a lifetime. I have played soccer for Christopher Columbus High School and various club teams in Coral Gables, Kendall, and Weston. I'm currently studying and playing club soccer at the University of Miami. I owe soccer for many of my accomplishments in life. It has taught me dedication, passion, and hard work, and I have seen this sport transform people into their best self, and I want to give this to the people of Miami. I believe this great opportunity for this sport, and especially the City. Let the people of this amazing city decide. Thank you. ChairHardemon: Thankyou. Sir. Amilcar Borge: Hello. My name is Amilcar Borge. My family and I have lived in this area for 24 years. The people want -- of Miami want a soccer team, not another stadium. Since 2013, every proposal made has shown itself to be tainted by City of Miami Page 95 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 residential opposition or legal disputes due to lack of transparency. Placing a stadium village next to an airport poses a major risk for our Homeland Security, whether it is caused by human error or intentional attacks. Safety is the number -one concern here, as evident by England's victory over Sweden. The headline news focused on how thousands ofpeople went to the streets, creating public disturbance in the very city Beckham lived and played for, resulting in 370 reported incidents, 70 arrests, roadblocks that prevented emergency vehicles, people were assaulted, and the list goes on. The public safety was at great risk. Additionally, Mr. Mas mentioned that he wants to model a team after Atlanta United, a futbol club in Georgia, which shares a newly -built stadium that left Atlanta residents with higher taxes. Studies indicate that properly funded sports venues built in recent years consistent of hidden costs and average of -- an added 40 percent on average to public official price tag. It is important to note the group already has purchased land on which to build a new stadium in Overtown. Mr. Mas explains he doesn't want to build in Overtown to avoid gentrification. Or is it because the residents don't want it there, either? In fact, during an NPR (National Public Radio) interview in 2016, Mayor Francis Suarez made a reference of former Mayor Carlos Alvarez, who recalled -- who was recalled after going against the will of the people, which was approving Marlins Stadium. None of these men live in the surrounding area to - - which will be affected. Mr. Mas and Mayor Suarez pride themselves on being Miamians with the best interest of the City; yet, they are demonstrating the inability to stay connected to the needs and wants of the people. Home is where the heart is, and Beckham's heart is in England. Miami is business for him. A vote against the stadium in Melreese Park will set the precedent for future public officials that our local government is about the quality of living for the people and not a quick profit on the backs of the common man. This is not a decision about golfers to soccer. It's a decision about whether to ignore the people's quality of life over promises which do not come with guarantees. I implore our Commissioners and Mayor to strengthen the roots of the tree of integrity by soaring morals and dignity, what the communities deserves. To the Beckham group, I say, `No rods. " Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, sir. Daniel Rodriguez: Hello, everyone. My name is Daniel Rodriguez. I've been given an amazing opportunity to be working with Futbol Miami through MasTec, and I'm extremely excited to see what's to come in the near future for Futbol Miami. Although I'm not the best soccer player; I've played many sports in my entire life. From this, I'm able to learn many key aspects in life that made me into the man I am today: dedication, passion, and drive. Many may think that soccer -- the soccer stadium is just an object, but to many others, like myself, it is more than that. It's a place where people can bond over an amazing sport with friends and teammates or people -- sorry -- or people can work and grow their physical and mental strength. Soccer's a worldwide sport due to the skill and strength it takes to play it, and the excitement and joy and rush you get when watching it It's time to expand this love for soccer into the City of Miami, where a soccer stadium would fit right in, but I know and I respect that it is up to the people to decide. Thank you for your time. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Good afternoon, sir. Richard Dunn: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and Commissioners. Commissioner Gort: Welcome, Commissioner. Mr. Dunn: Thank you. My name is Richard Dunn. I live at 1895 Northwest 57th Street, in Miami, Florida. The question is not, Do we want soccer?" It's already been demonstrated that soccer is here. The question is not, `Is there an approved site? " There is an approved site by the MLS. However, let me state some of the facts. The first thing I'd like to state is my son, Brandon -- come on up, Brandon, Little Bit. When he was about 12 years old, he learned how to play golf at Melreese City of Miami Page 96 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Golf Course. My oldest son, Richard, who's now 30 years old, when he was about 15 years old, he learned how to play golf at Melreese Golf Course. The only regret is that I never learned how to play golf, but I didn't want Al Crespo to write me up. Tell him; he's in the back back there. So, also, during that same period -- many of you may know the name, Thaddeus Lewis. Thaddeus Lewis played quarterback at Hialeah Miami Lakes; started as a freshman; played all four years through the 12th grade; graduated; attended Duke University; graduated; went on to the NFL (National Football League) to play for the Buffalo Bills. He learned how to play golf at Melreese Country Club and Golf Club. Tiger Woods made his first appearance at Melreese Golf Club and Country Club -- Golf Club and Country Club. Also -- I'll get it right. I'm not a golfer. But also, many of us marvel that basketball pro, Alonso Mourning; he plays golf at the Melreese Golf Club. It is not just a golf club; it is a culture. And there's an old adage: `If it ain't broke, don't fix it. " It's not broke. It's a culture. And it's more than a golf club. There's tutorial services. There's training. There's Special Olympics. This is something that -- and one of the most beautiful sites in the world is if you're flying into the MIA (Miami International Airport) or flying out of the MIA, and you look to the east, you can see all that green space. We are known in South Florida as one of the golf capitals -- as the golf capital of the world. Let's not lose it, City of Miami. Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Sir. Gabriel Cabrera: Hello. My name is Gabriel Cabrera and I'm certainly a student at Louisiana State University. I'm here in support of the soccer village. I understand how much this means to The First Tee Program, but this is -- with this new soccer village, there's an opportunity to develop similar programs that can also enhance the lives of many underprivileged children of all ethnicities. All we're asking is that for such a major decision, it is only fair that you let all residents of Miami have a vote, since it will affect them, as well. And as heard from a man earlier that said Miami soccer has tried once and failed, did it ever occur that maybe the reason they failed is because they played in a glorified high school stadium in Fort Lauderdale? And what would it say about the people of Miami if we quit just because the time and place was not right the first time? Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Yes. Stephanie Seemann: Hello. Good afternoon, Chairman, Commissioners, City Manager. I'm an advocate for children in education, and I've been an inner-city teacher in Chicago, actually, and I'm very aware of programs that come into the community and really help the inner-city communities, and I've never found a program more organized with the ultimate goal ofgetting these children to have core values, scholarship opportunities; and even for kids that aren't going to have scholarship opportunities, homework, and just building their self-esteem. It's amazing. And I want to thank Willy Gort for being so open-minded and supportive of Miami Tee; and for Ken Russell, who was out there the other day, trying to learn about First Tee. One of the things I think that Chairman Russell observed was the immensely --how big First Tee is. This is not a program that you can just throw us a bone and say, `Don't worry, First Tee. We got you covered. We'll give you three holes and a driving range so you can continue your program. " This is a very, very immense program. And I'm very disappointed that Francis Suarez is not here today. I met him several years ago at a good government class, where he and Dan Gelbert spoke about good government and the importance ofgood government. Well, part of good government is giving to the people the truth and to do your due diligence. You know, there hasn't been a lot of talk -- there will be in a few minutes -- about traffic conditions, safety. You know, we got a major airport here. I hope that people are going to do their due diligence about good entry and exit to the airport. Soil samples. This is on a landfill. Do you know how much time it takes to excavate? I'm not a soil sample expert, but I could just -- we're the landlords. The City is the landlord of this landfill. When we got to start cleaning it up, who's going to end up - City of Miami Page 97 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 -? What if it takes them years to build because of this? I mean, there's a lot of hypotheticals, but we just need to do our due diligence and have good government in mind. This vote --if it goes to vote --I apologize and disappoint you --they're going to win. It is sexy, just like Beckham is sexy. A soccer stadium in Miami -- Vice Chair Russell: Ma'am, your time is up. -- Ms. Seemann: -- let's do it. I am sorry. It cannot go to a vote -- Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, ma'am. Ms. Seemann: -- because they're giving all of you a snow job. This isn't a FIFA (Federacion Internacional de Futbol Asociacion) futbol stadium. This isn't a stadium that can support the World Cup. This is a little tiny stadium with a lot of big buildings. Come on, people. Vice Chair Russell: Ma'am? Thank you, ma'am. Ms. Seemann: I'm talking to all of you. It's a snow job. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, ma'am. Ms. Seemann: Basically, bend over, pull down your pants, because we're getting -- Vice Chair Russell: No, no, no. Please. Ms. Seemann: -- screwed. Vice Chair Russell: Your time is up. Thank you. Please. Let's refrain from making noise and, please, let's keep it civil. Thank you. Sir. Carlos Perez: Good afternoon, sir. My name is Carlos Garcia; was the director of Radiant (phonetic) TV Marti for five years, and I can't be -- I can't -- I know it's your job, but I want to thank you for being so patient and having a good exercise of democracy, which many times, we take for granted, and to listen to each other is very valuable. I'm here to express myself pro, having this project on the ballot. I think soccer -- my daughter was here earlier speaking. I think soccer is a great sport, is a world spot, is a people sport, and that's not to say that The First Tee is not a great program, and golf is also. This is not about golf versus soccer. This is about having an open debate about what's better for the City and what the people want, and that doesn't need to exclude one from the other. So yes, I love soccer. I've traveled the entire State of Florida following my girl playing soccer, but I'm also a golfer, and I played in Melreese, and it's a wonderful facility, but I think this has to have a democratic process. It should be on the ballot. We should debate about it. And we should trust the democratic process. That's why you're here. And I fully trust that that's what happened. We're not in Cuba, Venezuela, Honduras, or El Salvador. Thank you so much for listening. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, sir. Ma'am. Commissioner Gort: They do have elections in Venezuela. Charlene Grall: Yes. My name is Charlene Grall. I live at 2500 Southwest 13th Street, in Shenandoah, and I just want to thank you all for listening to us today. I can't be as eloquent as the lady before me, but I -- Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. City of Miami Page 98 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Ms. Grall: -- do think that this location is not a good location to have this complex, simply because of -- it's -- the closeness to the airport. And also, we have many, many hotels around in that area already. I am not against soccer. I'd love to see a soccer stadium; just not at that location. Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Ma'am. Janinha Piczzetta: Good afternoon. My name is Janinha Piczzetta, and as you see by my T-shirt, I am a soccer fan. Vice Chair Russell: "Buatage. " Ms. Piczzetta: "Buatage. " And I'll be very happy to see a soccer stadium in Miami, but I also feel that we need to know more about the project, more details, debate about it. And on that note, I'll say that let the community to decide if the location is the right place to build the soccer stadium, and if it really will benefit our community, our town. I am about democracy, so let the community decide it. Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Aleda Martinez -Molina: Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Aleda Martinez -Molina. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak. I really should be in the middle, because I'm neither for nor against. I really just have a lot of questions. Perhaps, everybody in the room is a lot smarter than I am, but for me -- by the way, I commend the Mas organization for putting together such a fabulous dream team of big law firms and lobbyists, et cetera, et cetera. I just have a lot of questions. I travel through the area and -- trajjic. Where's the traffic study? What's going on here? What's with traffic? Okay? Also, at the risk of being a geek, this dream team, to me, is reminiscent of `Brave New World. " I don't know if you gentlemen are familiar with that classic, `Brave New World" and `Brave New World Revisited. " Check it out. Read it. Educate yourselves. I do not believe -- to me, this is about complicated issues, like public (UNINTELLIGIBLE), traffic studies, and things that are complicated; that -- again, maybe the rest of the folks in the City of Miami are a lot smarter than I am, but, you know, it's up to you guys to study, understand. And developers are developers. That's what they do. Lobbyists lobby. That's what they do. You gentlemen need to sort through it and really be -- I hate to use the expression, but "man up" --okay? --and do the right thing. Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. I think you were at the right microphone. Tamme Flood: Good afternoon. I moved to -- oh, sorry. My name is Tamme Flood, 928 Northwest 9th Court, Miami. I moved to Miami in 1981, and it was a really small, sleepy little town, and this is amazing. It's an international city. As you see, people are passionate about what they believe in, and it's fabulous. And please, Mr. Beckham, don't take this personally. We all love you. And as the previous lady said, we love to see you play soccer. The thing is, I think that this needs to go before a vote, because, as people have said before me, there's a lot of information out there. The Mas brothers are developers, and it's a developer's project. Nobody is against soccer. Soccer is in all our public schools. This City is ready for soccer. I'd like to suggest a very bizarre thing. We have a professional soccer team that plays at FIU. It's called `Miami FC. " Ricardo Silva gave $3.75 million to upgrade that field to professional soccer. Why doesn't Mr. Beckham partner with them? And let's give the Mas brothers the contract for Metrorail, and then we can kill two birds with one stone. Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you very much. Mr. Stern. City of Miami Page 99 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Grant Stern: My name is Grant Stern. I live at 425 Northeast 22nd Street. I'm here to speak against this project, because we do not know what is being put to a vote. We simply do not know, because the City does not know, either. I asked the City, and the City gave me an answer, a very extensive answer, with a lot of details and a lot of information about the Melreese Golf Club, including the 1996plans, includingpretty much everything, including the two-page plan, two pages, and they are not complete. And in that two-page plan, it does not specify who will pay for the environmental cleanup. It does say that the City would get about one/sixth of the fair market rent for a large piece of property right in the heart of the City. And I can tell you, just based on who is opposing this plan, that there are groups who would pay a whole lot more. Retail rent can be up to 2 percent of the gross sales, in addition to whatever the normal rent is. So there's no share for the City in the up side. This is not about soccer versus golf, or whether soccer belongs in Miami, or any of those other questions. This is about, does the City of Miami vote to create a referendum on a promise, on a handshake, and on some pretty pictures that the City could not even provide? I have not received a single photograph that we have seen in the press, that we have heard through the media, have been exhibited to Commissioners and City staffers; and in violation of the sunshine law, not collected and provided. So we don't know what's being voted on. And the fact of the matter is, this country has a President who got a half -a -billion -dollar subsidy as a second generation wealthy person. We have today in front of us some very second-generat --some very wealthy second -generation folks who are looking for half -a -billion -dollar subsidy from this City in a below-market rent plan that would be pushed through, virtually in the dark of night, because nobody knows why we are even here today; nobody on the dais, nobody in the audience. The only people who know are Mr. Mas and his group. And let me just finish by saying that the MLS group put the Miami FC Club out of business at FIU, the one that the last speaker just mentioned -- Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, sir. Mr. Stern: -- they put them out of business. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Mr. Stern: Thank you. Kenneth Russo: Thank you. Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Kenneth Russo. I'm an attorney. I live in Edgewater, in District 2, Commissioner Russell's district. I'm not appearing today on behalf of any clients. I'm not a lobbyist, and I'm not being paid in any way for here. I'm here as a citizen, as a supporter of soccer. I certainly don't have anything against golf, but I think -- I want to stress how exciting this is, this opportunity that we have that the Mas brothers, David Beckham, Mas (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Marcelo Caure, Simon Fuller; these people are not doing this for money. They have more money than we can ever dream of having. This is about a passion, as we've heard. This is about leaving a legacy for all of our City's residents. You know, in terms of green space, the plan, as you see, is overwhelmingly green. Massive stadium? Quite -- it's quite the opposite. It's 25,000 seats. It's going to be on the far end of the property, away from the neighborhood, and numerous studies are being done. But The First Tee Program, I think it's great that the kids turn out, that everyone has a passion for doing something these days, instead of sitting in, playing video games. There's going to be a place for that. We've heard the assurances. There's no rational reason to oppose this plan. Melreese is not currently a public park; it's for golf only. And the plan includes Miami Freedom Park, of course. Quickly, though, this is about passion. I have lived in a lot of different cities around the world, and I'm not originally from Miami, and every great city around the world has one, if not more than one, soccer; futbol club, if you would, that they rally around. It creates unifying force between people who are rich, people who are not so rich, and people who are poor. It unifies and creates. Miami bills itself as a world city. We deserve to have a world-class City of Miami Page 100 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 facility, a world-class team, and we should be very grateful. David Beckham could have gone anywhere and people would have thrown money at him. He's doing it on his own dime. These people are developing from their own money. Lastly, I urge you, the Commissioners, to allow this to go to a public vote. We live in a democracy, and we should let the people decide. Thankyou very much. Chair Hardemon: Thank you, counselor. Tucker Gibbs: Mr. Chairman, my name is Tucker Gibbs. I represent `Don't Pave Our Parks. " I'd like to ask you a question before my time starts. It's a procedural question, ifl might? Chair Hardemon: Go ahead. Alex Moscoso: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Mr. Gibbs: Oh, yes. I'm sorry. Thank you very much. I forgot. My time is being donated. I get extra two minutes by Mr. Alex Moscoso, who is right over there. Thank you, Alex. Chair Hardemon: This is the young man? Mr. Gibbs: Yes, who raised his hand. Thank you. I appreciate that. My procedural question is, is there an opportunity for public response to the applicant's presentation? I know that the public is speaking before the presentation by the Mas brothers and Mr. Beckham. Will there be an opportunity for a response from people who may be in opposition or just public comment on that? Chair Hardemon: No. This is the time for public comment. So the public comment is about the item that's being heard. The item that's being heard is what's printed in the agenda; doesn't matter the picture or the image or anything of that nature. So that is -- it is the public comment time, which is now. Mr. Gibbs: But if the public comment is about what's in the agenda -- Chair Hardemon: You asked me a question. Mr. Gibbs: I just need to ask you the question, because I need to be clear on it. Chair Hardemon: Yes. Mr. Gibbs: If it's about what's on the agenda, the agenda says this project is 100 -- is one million square feet in -- and you're not approving a project of a million square feet, are you? Chair Hardemon: This is the thing: We're in public comment time. I'm not going to get into this with you. If you'd like to step to the side and ask me a question, you can do that. But as of right now, it's public comment time. This is not question and answer time between you -- Mr. Gibbs: Well, the only reason why I'm asking -- Chair Hardemon: I want you to hear me. Mr. Gibbs: Okay. Chair Hardemon: Okay? So if you want to ask a question, procedural to the --you can do that to the side. But right now, we're going to finish our public comment time. Okay? City of Miami Page 101 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Gibbs: So it has to be after the public comment time I can ask you that question? Chair Hardemon: No. You can ask it now, but I'm going to move on with public comment time while you're in discussion, because now we've already spent minutes going back and forth. Many Gibbs: I don't mean to do that. Chair Hardemon: I understand. Mr. Gibbs: I just (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: But it's clever. And so, I'm going to have the public comment continue, okay? Mr. Gibbs: Okay, then I'll ask. Chair Hardemon: And I'll reserve your two minutes from the young man of eight years old. Mr. Gibbs: I don't think -- He signed up. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. He's 12 years old. I'm sorry. I didn't mean -- you know, you're almost there. Gabriel Miguel: Hi. Gabriel Miguel, 2251 Southwest 27th Street, Apartment 5, 33133. I'm a City of Miami resident, District 4. I was born and raised in this City; yet, I've never played in Melreese Park; not because I don't know where it is. I actually drive by it every day, but to me, I see it as a fenced -off golf course. You know, I can't go for a jog there. I can't go for a picnic. I mean, yeah, I guess I can pay 80 bucks and play golf. I'm not going to do that. But Florida is the US capital of golf courses. We have more golf courses in this country -- you know, in this -- I'm sorry -- in this state, you know, than any other state in the country. You know, it's a game for the few, where soccer is a community sport. It's for, you know, many people. As a first -generation American from Cuban parents, this sport should be lost on me, but it isn't. I have a passion for this sport, just like billions of others do around the world. I've embraced it as my own. And, you know, anyone who's seen the World Cup lately, you can see the passion out there. It hits the streets, it hits the restaurants, the bars, you know, and I expect that we will be hosting that in eight years. Hopefully, we beat Orlando. But this isn't, you know, about golf or soccer, like -- you know, it could be both, you know, but this proposal just provides so much more than the current setup. You know, it provides a City -- our City a stadium that we deserve. It provides our youth soccer, more than 23 acres of field, 110 acres of real green space; money, you know, paid by a lease, where like, the golf course is losing money right now. I'm just saying, let the City residents vote on this. Let us have a voice. As far as the traffic goes, I think this encourages mass transit. You have the Metrorail Station right there. You know, we should be going towards that direction, but like I said, just let us vote. Give us a chance. Thank you for your time. Susan Goldstein: Hi, Mr. Chairman. Kayla (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is going to donate two of her minutes to me, if that's okay with the Chairman? Vice Chair Russell: Of course. Ms. Goldstein: Good afternoon. My name is Susan Goldstein, and I'm a volunteer board member of The First Tee. I am also a lobbyist, a pro bono lobbyist for The First Tee at the State level. I have been able to secure hundreds of millions of City of Miami Page 102 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 dollars at the State level for these programs, because of the outstanding outcomes for the most underserved and the most challenged and vulnerable populations. But today, I'm here as a mother. I am the mother of a fabulous daughter who has severe autism, and as I have for the last 22 years, I've advocated for those who don't have a voice. So today, I want you to imagine behind me 9,200 --yes, you heard me right -- 9,200 people with developmental disabilities. They receive --I'm their voice. They receive services on a regular basis at Melreese. I also want you to imagine on this side 2,500 kindergarten through 12th grade, `K" through 12 kids, 82 percent of which are on the free and reduced lunch program. Those are all your constituents. Those are the people that are going to be voting for you in the next election. Those are the people you need to protect. And as a former legislator -- I am a former legislator from House District 97 -- I'm a little familiar with the political arena, and I have to tell you that I was very impressed by this media blitz. I was very impressed by the incredible transformational-- Melreese doesn't need to be transformed. Itis already a jewel. It is the envy of every other public golf course and some private courses. Yeah, some of the private courses, I mean, Melreese makes them look like municipal courses. So I am also very impressed by the lobbying team; three huge law firms, two regular lobbying firms. But, you know, we don't need to transform Melreese. We need to transform Overtown area, but we don't need to transform Melreese. But I would like to end with saying, El Duque had it right, okay? Politics is give and take, but this is not a give and take. This is a take and give. You're taking 365 days of programs for children with disabilities, minorities, and low- income, and you are giving 17 days of home games in the entire year. You're taking 170 acres and you're giving it to -- nine acres for a stadium. Forget about -- this is all a red herring. The rest of it doesn't matter. It's just an excuse to build another shopping center. You're taking the ability for 40 community organizations who raise their annual funds there in events and tournaments to do more good in this community, 40. They depend on those operational dollars. You're taking that to build another shopping center and more offices. You're taking the peace of mind of parents who know and, for many years, who have been having the peace of mind knowing that their children are safe and that they're supervised, they're not getting into trouble, they're not taking drugs, and you are giving them unsupervised, open elements that come along with every -- and I don't want to speak negatively, because I certainly admire and respect what's happening, and I'm not saying that we don't need a stadium. We just don't need it here. You're taking those kids from that neighborhood. All those 2,500 kids are going to be in this -- You're also taking the opportunity for free tuition -- this is important -- college prep tuition and tutoring that they are earning when they go through this program. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, ma'am. Ms. Goldstein: We have a hundred percent college placements. Chair Hardemon: Your time has expired. Thank you very much. Ms. Goldstein: Anyway, you're taking a profitable operation for a crap shoot. That's my last words. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Javier Campos: Hi. My name is Javier Campos, and I want to thank the Commission for hearing me out. I am a long-time resident of Miami; been here since '87, and one thing that I've seen is the growth of this City over the years. And, you know, one thing is, we've become an international city. Soccer is the international sport. It's the most beloved sport around the world, and it's something that I'm here for, to ask you for -- to allow the residents to vote for. I've been all over the world. I -- basically, when I travel, it's basically to go see soccer in anywhere all over the world, and I would love to see that here in Miami. It's a sport that unites communities. I have no problems against golf. I think golfs a beautiful City of Miami Page 103 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 sport, but it's also an individual sport. You have -- when you have soccer, you have 22 players on the field. I'd rather see 22 kids running on each field that's going to be built than just one kid at the links, and that's the reality. The stadium is also a 25, 000 -seat stadium. It's not -- also, it's not a massive stadium. And if any -- I've been going to MLS games since 1996. I've seen how MLS has transformed a lot of the cities around the country, and that's why every city is going crazy to try to get an expansion team. That's why, you know, why you have people like, you know, Cincinnati, Sacramento, all these places trying to get MLS on board, because they know it's the fastest growing league, it's the fastest growing sport, and, you know, our kids love it. Our kids -- it is what they want. And I just want the Commission just to give us a chance to vote on that. Thankyou very much. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Ma'am, you're recognized. Lynn Summers: Lynn Summers, 1910 Northwest 13th Street, District 1. It is heartbreaking to see the way this matter is tearing this community apart, and it need not be. It is not a matter of golf versus soccer. We can have both. A few points. The item before you that you're being called on to put on the ballot has not even undergone a final analysis from our airport. This project is proceeding on a March 6 analysis. I did a public record's request last week to the airport to confirm that. You may go through all this. You may put your voters in a position of voting on this. The FAA may come along and say, "No." At least demand final analysis from the airport and from the FAA. Second point, there are other sites within the City that are appropriate for soccer; most specifically, the site to the west of the baseball stadium. Soccer was built into the design and the global agreement. At that time, MLS endorsed that site and agreed to invest in that site. That site should be reviewed. And if anything goes to the voters, two sites: Melreese and that site. In addition, other sites are available. In the vicinity of the Melreese Golf Course is the Palmer Lakes area, where Miami -Dade County did an extensive zoning analysis and update. That land is available. Let the Beckham group go buy their land, assemble it, and do what a private developer does. And last, and this is to all of you, but to -- especially to Commissioner Reyes, who is the resident economist in this group. We've read in the newspaper, though we've not seen on a public agenda, huge projections of income based on shopping centers. Do those projections take into consideration a massive shopping and entertainment center just approved by the County up in Northwest Dade? Does it take into consideration the additional one block that is going to be added in downtown Miami? In short -- Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, ma'am. Ms. Summers: -- this item is not ready to go to the ballot. It needs -- Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Ms. Summers: -- much more work. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. You're recognized. Alisa de Armas: Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Alisa de Armas, and I'm in support of the stadium. I think the vision of the stadium can bring the City together and provide an outlet for the youth as it's a park that's for everyone, not just for golf, and will also put us on the playing field with international cities throughout the world. But I do respect both sides of the argument, and I think this is something for the people of the City to decide. Thank you for your time. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Gary Reshefsky: Commissioners, my tame is Gary Reshefsky. My address is 7401 Southwest 66th Street. I've had the privilege of serving on the City's Bond Oversight City of Miami Page 104 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Board for about eight years with Commissioner Reyes, and one of the things I've learned when I met someone on that board, who became a mentor to me, was a quote that stuck with me. It was "speak truth to power with love. " Speak truth to power with love. And it reminds me of the situation of why we're here today. The citizens of Miami, in their wisdom, elected you to make the decisions that are in the best interest of the City. You are the trustees of our public lands, and you have been enlisted -- entrusted with the responsibility to protect our open spaces with the expectation that major changes will undergo a careful planning process, design charrettes, community input, lengthy study. That's how it's always done and should be done in every great city. This is your job. Let's be clear. The last five, six, seven City referendums for land leases have been approved by an overwhelming majority; hence, the argument to let the voters decide is unfair, because it does not reflect the true wishes of the people that most enjoy the City of Miami. Mr. Chairman, I own property in the City of Miami. I've served on City boards. I volunteer in the City, but I don't get a vote because I don't live here. My 11 -year-old, who goes to The First Tee Program, she doesn't get a vote. Jiana Baha, who was here earlier; who grew up in North Miami, but her father worked at the Miami International Airport and dropped her off at 7 a.m. at the golf course, she doesn't get a vote and her father doesn't get a vote. Miguel Horbeth has a hearing-impaired son. He drives from Kendall to take his son to this one place where he feels equal, where his son feels equal for hearing-impaired kids. That's Melreese Golf Course. 12 -year-old in the back doesn't get a vote. Commissioners, I know you'll do the right thing, and I appreciate your time today in listening to the public. Thank you very much. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. Maria Aleja Sanchez: Thankyou. Good afternoon. Hope everybody is well. Thank you guys for having us today. So my address is 750 Euclid Avenue, Apartment 5 -- Miami Beach, Florida. Chair Hardemon: 500. Ms. Sanchez: Yeah. There you go, 500. So my name is Aleja Sanchez, and I am a Columbian futbol player that is residing in South Beach. Growing up as an athlete, I learned many lessons that help shape the person that I am today. Those lessons being respect, discipline, work ethic, humbleness, and passion. Miami's a city of lifestyle and community, and we have an MLB stadium, an NFL stadium, and even and NHL stadium, so why not let one of the most respected names in futbol represent our roots of unity and flavor that Miami has to offer? This should be left for a public vote, because this is for the people. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Sir, you're recognized. Mike Simpson: Hi. My name is Mike Simpson. I reside at 2901 Virginia Street, here in District 2. I apologize if my comments are a little disjointed. Everybody took all of the really eloquent points already. But I would like to stress two things that I think have been a little underrepresented, and one is that we seem to be losing sight of the fact that the department that runs Melreese for the City is called the Department of Parks and Recreation. Not every city park is a giant field of grass. We have one of those right next door; and last weekend, you saw plenty ofpeople out there getting their kayaks ready to go off the dock and out into the bay, and today it was filled with soccer fans tailgating, and those kinds of parks are fantastic and we have them all over the City. Some of them even have kids playing soccer in them. But some of our City parks are for recreational purposes that are specific. We have baseball diamonds. We have basketball courts. We certainly wouldn't want to go to Kirkman Row Park and try to picnic while people are playing -- trying to play tennis. We can't play soccer on the Dinner Key islands that are just off the shore here, but those are City parks as well. Some of the City parkland is for a specific purpose and some of it is general purpose, and in the entire City of Miami, there is one park that City of Miami Page 105 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 provides golf. So any plan to relocate First Tee does so by relocating it out of our City. Now, if they had come in here and told us they wanted us to relocate the Dolphins and take over their stadium, we would certainly oppose that. If they decided to relocate the Marlins, because they wanted that stadium, we would oppose that, maybe, depending upon how big of a fan you are. But this is a singular entity in the City. There is no other option, other than giving it to somebody else. The other idea I wanted to touch on is the idea that this isn't going to cost the taxpayers anything. I read the ballot initiative, and it doesn't tell us that they're going to build us a 50 -acre park. It tells us that they're going to give us $667,000 a year over 30 years for the park. We'll have to pay for that. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much, sir. Mr. Simpson: Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: And don't lose money by betting with the Dolphins. You're recognized, sir. Sergio Yeppes: Good afternoon. My name is Sergio Yeppes, and I support the stadium being built. Commissioners, today you're here to hear from the people. The problem being posed before us is one of displacement, business, fear, and love, amongst other things. As a human, I feel for the opposition, the fear of change, because it's their home that are at stake, and I can't say how I would act ifI was in their shoes. Proper compensation for homeowners in the build site is a foundation to begin the legacy that futbol can bring to our City. Where other teams have failed, this one will succeed. God hide its biggest fears behind -- I'm sorry. Let me start that over. God hides its biggest rewards behind fear; fear of change, fear of investing, fear of failure, but most importantly, fear of success. The City is ready. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You're recognized. Daniel Balmgard: Commissioner; the gentlemen man in the fourth row is going to give me his two minutes. Unidentified Speaker: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Unidentified Speaker: I have to walk out? Chair Hardemon: Just until we're done. We'll bring you back. Mr. Balmgard: Good afternoon. Nelson Mandela said, "We can be frank and outspoken and disagree without being reckless and abusive. " Commissioners, let's leave personal vendettas out of this debate. We all want soccer; just not in our park. As City of Miami officials and Commissioners, you are elected by the people and should work for all the people. Your job is not limited to seeking out big romantic money --just big romantic money. Community is not all about the money. We, as a community, want a great quality of life. There are 35,000 local, regional, and international golfers that play golf on this course. How can you take that useable green park away? Why not just build on all the tennis courts, all the balyl-elds, any other parks in Miami? They don't make money. Why put -- why not put several hotels right here? I pay a lot of money in taxes to the City of Miami, and I want a golf course close to my Coconut Grove home. What are the proposed facts to your giveaway? The land is currently zoned public parks and recreation. It will have to be ceremoniously rezoned. I'm afraid that the proposal will be -- eventually be seen by the public will be very tricky for the average person to comprehend. They'll have no idea what the hidden costs and the negotiations are behind the deal. They will not comprehend that they will be responsible as taxpayers for millions and millions City of Miami Page 106 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 of dollars involved in the project. All they will hear is soccer, soccer, soccer, which MFP claims, by the way, will lose money. They will hear that the soccer folks will spend their own money to build the stadium. What they won't hear is the millions that we will spend cleaning and preparing the land and the infrastructure for them. This ridiculous lease for a hundred -acre parcel, they just won't get it. Who is Miami Freedom Park, LLC (Limited Liability Company) that you want to entrust the $200 million park for? Do you have their financials? Do you have guarantees? How much will the City spend building a new park? I hear you are raising millions and a new issuance of bonds. For those who do not understand, bonds are future debt. We have to pay it back. The 20 million promised over 30 years isn't guaranteed by anyone. What will we do when they stop payments, as others did on Watson Island? Do the public know that they have to pay to park on this future endeavor? Why are there not set increases in the lease now before we go to vote? Both the appraisals do not contemplate what land -- what the land will be used for. They do not mention a stadium or high-rise hotels. Certainly, this would increase the value of the land. Who cleans up the property for development? The land is contaminated. Both appraisers used waived the requirements to report any soil conditions; DERM (Department of Environmental Resource Management) did not. Are you reporting the City of Miami is on the hook for millions and millions of remediation costs by contract with MFP? Once you start, there's no turning back from the increased cost and unexpected costs relating to this fee. No bank will loan them money on contaminated money [sic]. The real risk to taxpayers is huge. I'm almost finished. Commissioner Russell and fellow Commissioners, if the City of Miami is going down this road, waiving City Charter; waiving the bid law, waiving the RFP that is required by our current City law, not looking at financial guarantees, we are now by this procedure opening up development on all parkland. If they are, I know a group, a group that has built millions of square feet, that is ready to take bids on any parkland you have. I believe it's wrong, however. In conclusion, giving to the rich and taking from the poor is not a new concept. Don't do this. Why not give those monies you are scheduled to spend on this project to help those programs citywide? Build your legacy on your people. Don't giveaway the largest green space in Miami and leave our kids and future kids behind. Don't kill the De Lucca legacy. Don't steal, perhaps, these kids' best chance in life. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Mr. Balmgard: Thank you. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized, sir. Oscar Amuz: Good afternoon. My name is Oscar Amuz, 13499 Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami. The lady -- they give me a double -- two minutes donated to me so I can speak. Chair Hardemon: Who's donating their time to you? Mr. Amuz: The lady there. I represent Autism Soccer. Chair Hardemon: Can you start his time over? Give him four minutes, please. Mr. Amuz: Sure. My name is Oscar Amuz, Biscayne -- 13499 Biscayne Boulevard; that's what I -- resident. I represent Autism Soccer. I'm the founder of our organization, working with kids on respect to autism, through the soccer. And actually, I represent Roberto Saca (phonetic) and the group from Miami United FC. It's a third -division soccer team in Miami. I was not decide what sides I was when I started. I talked to all of the Orange people. I have a lot of friends inhere that I met today. I was confused, like everybody else confused, and the -- it's really sad. The only thing what I heard about it is money, money, money and who make more money and you and them, and that's really sad. Let me explain you something of my point City of Miami Page 107 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 of view, my personal point of view. In the land that you guys play golf, maybe 1,000 people, 1, 000 kids, 2, 000 kids, 6, 000, you placing 8, 000 kids, 9, 000 kids -- Unidentified Speaker: 15. Mr. Amuz: 15, 000 kids? Good. Thank you so much. They working with 15,000 kids a year. They holding a program with maybe 600 Special Olympics, six weeks of the year. And they do 40 charity events on the golf. Like, congratulations for all the help you do in the -- with the kids, and that's a great opportunity for everybody. Now, with those 15, 000 kids, we can multiply on the soccer field with maybe 40, 000 kids a year. You know how much we can save, only in preventing heart attack, bullying, everything through the sport? Obesity is very good, doing sports really good. I don't say golf is not good. I never play gold in my life. Actually, the day that I play, I was in bed for two weeks, because my back is hurt. Sorry. I'm a former soccer player; and I believe the community who are -- we are play soccer, we not elite community. We just need one soccer ball and 20 kids that can play and have fun. I believe right now, the -- we need -- the City need an stadium to be elite. Everybody from the whole world, they stop in Miami. We have a business for all around the world in Miami, and we do not have the stadium in Miami. I think that place a beautiful place to host an stadium, hotel, whatever they do. Somebody have to make money. Everybody make money at the end. So it's -- this is not about money. It's about how can we help the community and the amount of kids that can be helped, and the support that -- the big support to the charities event; not only 40 a year. We have 365 years -- days in the year that we can do charity events. So I pretty sure for -- let us, the community, vote. You guys can invest money to let the people know about it, about what is against or what is not working good for the community. So I say, please, put your pants on. Don't let a few people tell you what to do. I think you going to do the best for the community, and not only that small community; for all Miami. Thank you so much. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Sir, you're recognized. Charles Dusseau: Thank you. My name is Charles Dusseau, 7721 Southwest 53rd Place. Honorable Commissioners, thank you for allowing us to speak today. Iliad come originally thinking we were going to talk about the merits of the actual proposal itself,• and, obviously, listening to all of this, that's not what this is about. This is ending up being about, really, all of you. You've had an incredible problem dumped in your laps. You are now being asked to choose between golf and soccer. It's a completely false narrative. It's a binary decision that you really don't need to make. There's lot of ways of allowing both sides to have what they want. And to say that, "What we'll do is we'll solve it as Commissioners by kicking the can down the road and allowing for a public vote, " is, in my mind, a real abdication of your responsibilities. So what I'm asking you all to do today is to embrace the responsibilities to which you've been elected. You all are up here to make hard decisions, to get data, to look at the facts, and make a decision to -- best for all the different people that are here. You have the opportunity to do that. The people who are sitting here, the voters who are out there, are they going to look into the minutia that went into the contract for the Miami Heat Arena, where the County can't collect any money now, even -- it says we're supposed to be getting part of the profits, or the same thing that happened with the Marlins Arena? They're not going to be able to do that. You have the ability, you have the staff to -- able to make that happen, to make sure that the people are well treated. So what I would ask you to do is not hide behind the pseudo argument of, "Let the people vote, " but rather; work as hard as you canto find someplace to put soccer in this City. This is a simple, simple thing. Instead of subsidizing the development of another Dadeland, which has a soccer field as an amenity, why don't you put some money into the whole idea of a real soccer stadium for the City of Miami and all of Dade County? Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. City of Miami Page 108 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Dusseau: Thank you very much. Chair Hardemon: Ma'am, you're recognized. Jenna Guadagni: Hi. My name is Jenna Cruadagni. I live at 21 -- I'm sorry -- 2801 Florida Avenue, right here in the Grove. I also own a yoga studio in the community, and I have seen firsthand the impact that soccer could make for young children. I have a four-year-old daughter who had severe ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) anxieties. We've tried -- we tried every sort of sport. I obviously stand behind yoga and meditation, and soccer was really the only thing that made her blossom, so I think that it's a beautiful sport. I also work very closely -- I'm on staff with the Miami Dolphins as their recovery specialist, and I see, also, the impact that a professional sports organization can make in a community, privately and openly. So I just ask that we give everybody the opportunity to vote, and to make the decision. Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Sir, you're recognized. Larry Tornek Good afternoon. My name is Larry Tornek. I've been a resident of Miami -Dade County for over 50 years, and for the -- over 30 years have lived in the Moorings in Coconut Grove at 3455 South Moorings Way. I'm for a stadium. I wish that this discussion was about the stadium, as some people have talked -- brought up -- and not about a land grab. Hidden in the Beckham/Mas proposal is that the City is responsible for all infrastructure development and environmental cleanup of 107 acres. It cost $8 million to clean up Douglas Park; 1.2 million, as Commissioner Russell knows, to clean up Merrie Christmas Park; $10 million, which is on the same site as Melreese, to clean that up, environmentally. Mas and Beckham Developers have graciously offered $20 million, which is really roughly 67 -- $670,000 a year, which is worth about $3 million over 30 years, at a 5 percent discount rate. What is not discussed is the fact that this money is supposed to go to a bond issue; a bond issue that the City of Miami will take out to offset the costs and cover the costs of remediation, and all infrastructure that the City of Miami is supposed to pay for. This cleanup, not even counting the infrastructure, as pointed out in recent articles in the Herald and New Times, and given the cost of what it took to clean up Grapeland, could easily cost $50 million, maybe $75 million. The taxpayers would be burdened by just an -- a staggering amount of money, because this bond issue would cost -- would just cover a miniscule part of it; and all that to allow the Beckham Group to produce more than $425 million in revenue. And for that, they ask us to amend the City Charter; to do away with its safeguards of competitive bidding. If this bidding was -- went out to independent real estaters [sic] -- real estate developers -- they'd be around the block to try and get this deal. If you want to destroy 10 percent of the City's green space and decide to pave over our City parks, maybe we shouldn't stop at Melreese. Maybe we should pave over Kennedy Park or Jose Martini [sic] Park, I mean, for good measure. This is an unconscionable proposal that looks to circumvent our City Charter, and is nothing more than a naked land grab, using the soccer stadium, which people believe passionately in, as a smoke screen to just enrich a small group ofpeople. I want to see a soccer stadium built. I want to be the first person in line to have season tickets. But I don't want to see my city impoverished financially and have our green space destroyed for the benefit of Beckham and Mas as land developers. Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Mr. Talbert. Bill Talbert: Good afternoon. Bill Talbert, with your Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, 701 Brickell, Miami, Florida. I live at 1601 Nocatee Drive, City of Miami. We're in District 2. Thank you, Commissioner Russell. While I -- we live and play in District 2 -- live and work in District 2 -- we play in all districts here in the City. You've hired your Convention Bureau to bring visitors here, to bring City of Miami Page 109 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 meetings and conventions here, and to bring special and global events here. This is a unique opportunity. We're competing right now for the World Cup. Right now, we're one of 17 cities in the US (United States). That's going to go down to 10. That's going to go down to 10. In 1994, World Cup Soccer was played in Orlando. Orlando is one of those 17 cities. So this is an opportunity -- First of all, I don't think anybody questions that First Tee is a fine program. I'm a supporter of First Tee. So this is an opportunity to let the people decide. I'm a voter; live, work, and play here. This is an important project, kind of once in a lifetime. It's going to be 23 acres, probably 12 soccer fields. We work with the soccer community. There's a desperate need for soccer fields in the City. Thank you for listening. We urge you to vote "yes. " Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, Mr. Talbert. Tucker Gibbs: Good afternoon again. My name is Tucker Gibbs, with law offices at 3835 Utopia Court, in Coconut Grove, and I represent Don't Pave our Parks. I'm here to speak for four minutes on the issue of the actual amendment, and I want to talk about the actual amendment. Commissioner Carollo: Excuse me. Chair; with all respect to Mr. Tucker, he spoke before. And we're going to be here all night, and it's not fair to others if we keep playing the game that, "I'm taking two minutes from here, I'm taking two minutes from there. " Chair Hardemon: Let's just -- I agree with you. Let's give him his four and it'll be done. Commissioner Carollo: Okay. And then we close this part up, because if we keep up with this and let the other side get four minutes from somewhere else, and then we could play this game until 2 in the morning, if need be. I got coffee on the way. Chair Hardemon: Thank you. You have three minutes and -- what? -- 30 seconds left. Mr. Gibbs: I'll make -- 30 -- okay. Chair Hardemon: No. You have three minutes and 30 seconds left, I believe. Mr. Gibbs: I'll make it quick. The Charter amendment would waive the requirement for competitive bidding -- that's what this is about -- waiving a Charter requirement for competitive bidding, and allowing a proposed lease to be approved by a four- fifths vote by the City Commission. This proposed Charter amendment is not ready to go to the voters. It's a product of behind the scenes deal -making, and last-minute changes, and lacking critical information that has been talked about already. It shows a project that needs to be more thoroughly vetted before the Charter change is actually placed on the ballot. The existing Charter process is competitive and open, which allows for an informed and public evaluation, and this proposal seeks to waive that protection for what may be the largest, most complex development scheme on City property in over 50 years. So what are the details? You've heard about financial statements. You've heard about the issue of the plans. When will it -- what will be built? Has the City made a preliminary review, received public comments? The issue of traffic and the airport; the issue of park- and open -space acreage that needs to be replaced; environmental remediation, which is a huge and expensive issue for the development of this size and on this site, and we need to know how much remediation is required, and the estimated cost, and who is going to pay for it. And this should all happen before the voters are put on the spot to vote on this issue; this procedural issue that will allow a different mechanism by which to approve a project. And that proposal -- I mean, and that Charter amendment -- the Charter amendment that exists requires the City to issue a Request for Proposals with -- and City of Miami Page 110 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 if it's more than -- and you get from the public, you get different responses to the specific requirements, so you know what you're getting. The Charter amendment proposal seeks to circumvent and waive the Charter provision to allow one development group to be able to lease public property for a huge commercial development with a soccer stadium. If the Commission wants such a development here, it should follow the existing Charter, issue a detailed Request for Proposals, seeking competitive bids, and let there be a robust and transparent evaluation and review of the proposals; not just one proposal, but any proposal that comes out. My client urges you to reject the amendment to the Charter, and vote "no" on both agenda items, RE9 and RE. 10. Thank you very much. Chair Hardemon: You're very welcome. Thank you, counselor. You're recognized, sir. Saul Cimbler: If I may. My name's Saul Cimbler, with an office at 150 Southeast 2nd Avenue. I'm here as a private citizen. I've been involved in this matter initially through the folks at First Tee. There's a lot of stuff that's been said, and I have no intention to come up here and be redundant. We've heard about the central issue, as most people see it. This is not about a soccer stadium. We all love soccer stadiums. This is not about the Mas family or the Beckham family. They're fine people. They're members of this community. What this is about is about a real estate deal that is being packaged around the gadget of a soccer stadium to usurp a hundred years of zoning and zoning laws in this City; let alone, picking up the last big public space we have. So I'm only going to touch on a few issues. I'm not going to touch on the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) issue and the fact that eminent domain is something that this district is going to be nailed with, because if anybody thinks this is going to get built without those roads being widened and people losing their homes, they're being naive. I've been involved in real estate development and appraisals, and stuff like that since I'm 18 years old. What I want you to come out of this is with two things. You're relying on an appraisal. Appraisals area historic document, based on historic facts. And when you get to an appraisal of something like this, there's no appraisal [sic] in their mind who can tell you that their appraisal is a substitute for a contract, which is something somebody's willing to pay, and that's what comes out in competitive bidding, because different people are willing to take different things. But here's what -- the takeaway that I want you to come out with, which is two things: Ifyou do it here -- and Commissioner Russell, with all due respect, I believe your district is the one that's in harm's way, because they've -- if they get away with this here, your district is next. You have a lot of waterfront property that developers -- there's a lot of zoning lawyers sitting out here, chomping at the bit, trying to figure out when this does, when do they go to their clients and tell them, "Hey, we have to" -- "we can do it, because they" -- it was done in District 1, and the precedent is there." This is what I want you to walk away from: If you permit this to go to a public vote without vetting it out -- and that's a technical term. It needs to really consider it in the reasonable way; not in the rush, created by the developer. If you permit that, to do it, you're basically telling the electorate, "We have blessed this project. We looked at it," because all of the folks who voted for you voted for you because they believe you. They believe that you're people who look at things, and do not do things in a rush, and that is the danger. If I may have 10 seconds, Mr. Chair. We haven't -- in the last few days alone, this project has morphed into different things. First, it was on the northwest corner. Now the soccer stadium is on the northeast corner. Now, it may be in the middle. We have an opportunity to push this back for a week, bring it back at the next zoning hearing, and still have time for a second reading, and let's see what comes out in the next week, because even this morning, other things came out. I thank you for your time and for your indulgence in letting me speak more than I was entitled to. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Commissioner Reyes: Can I ask you a question? City of Miami Page 111 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. You want to ask him a question? Commissioner Reyes: Yes, sir. Chair Hardemon: I want to finish the public comment. Commissioner Reyes: Okay. Chair Hardemon: If he'll stick around, or if you want to pull him to the side, that's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) okay. Commissioner Reyes: No, no. It's just about how the -- it says that before any proposal comes through, it has to be reviewed by the Finance Committee; it's a procedure. How is the -- how -- the proposal have to be reviewed and approved by the Finance Committee, it says here. City will incur any debt for agreement. No long-term financing wherein the City incurred a debt obligation. The City Manager aware of conditions that be reviewed and approved by the Finance Committee. Mr. Cimbler: The whole thing, as proposed, is a free fall; there's no bottom for it. Once this gets passed, a lot of the responsibility is going to be going to the County Commission, because when they go for eminent domain, there's nothing anybody in this room can stop; that's a County function. FAA, that's a County and Federal function. So you're being asked to be used as a pawn to push this program -- process over under the guise that it's soccer. Nobody's anti -soccer. But believe it or not, 150 pounds ago and four decades ago, I was a soccer player. Don't laugh; I was good. Okay? So nobody's here because it's against soccer or for -- it's not soccer versus golf, or the Mas family versus something. Those are fine people, and these are all fine programs. You need to really -- you're going to be held accountable by your electorate, because once this is done, in a year or two, when they start going to the County, or they look for development of regional impacts, those voters are going to come back and look at you. And Mr. Russell, with all due respect, your district is the one that's in harm's way. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Commissioner Carollo: Can we close? Al Crespo: I love you, Keon. Chair Hardemon: I love you, too. (Applause) Mr. Crespo: If my lil' mama was alive, I'd have brought her here so she could tell you she loves you, too. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Mr. Crespo: But here's the problem: Putting aside soccer; putting aside golf, putting aside all those things, this has been a terrible weekfor the City of Miami. It's been a terrible week for transparency. It's been a terrible week for accountability. It's been a terrible week for the concept that the citizens of this City have of expecting their elected and appointed officials to operate and play from the top of the deck. This process has been from the top of the deck, from the middle of the deck, from under the deck, from a deck that somebody has in another building. This is a terrible thing that has happened to the City. And the sad thing is it didn't have to happen, but it did. And the responsibility for that lies not with any of you; not even with the City Manager. It lies with the young man who now wants to become the City of Miami Page 112 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 strong Mayor; because he says, "In order for this City to be progressive and go forward, the citizens deserve a Mayor who will bring transparency, efficiency, and accountability to this City. " This is what he has done. This is what you can expect if he continues to be -- or gets to be strong Mayor. Every week or every other week will be this kind of nonsense. I'm not going to try to repeat anything anyone else has said here or written here. I want to say this: In 2012, Mayor Tomds Regalado stood in this chamber when the City Commission discovered and found out that because of the poor legal work and craftsmanship by the City Attorney's Office that the deal that this City negotiated with the Loria Group, who owned the Marlins Stadium, that because of that bad lawyering, the City was going to be responsible for paying the taxes on all the parking spaces that the City had leased to Loria from the parking garages that the City owned. And when Tomds Regalado heard that -- a man who never turned down a free meal, who never turned down free gas, who never turned down a free trip -- when he heard that, he said, "In Miami, every deal is a bad deal. " Those words should be placed right above you, right up there, because this is a bad deal. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou, sir. Mr. Crespo: Thankyou, gentlemen. Chair Hardemon: At this time, I'm going to close public hearing, seeing no further public comment. We're going to be in recess for 10 minutes; then we'll comeback for PA. Later... Chair Hardemon: I bring this now to Miami City Commission for discussion, and I recognize the Honorable Willy Gort first. Commissioner Gort: Thank you, Mr. Mayor [sic]. And first of all, I want to thank all of you for being here. I think -- and now, I'm not going to tell my history, because Igo way too back. I'll be here all night telling about my history. But I want to thank you. And I think we all know the Mas, what you have done, which your father began his legacy, and you have continued. And I'm very proud of you guys, and I've told you that even before. The biggest problem that I have is you ignore my community. I know there's a residential area east of the park where you want to build, but you ignore that community. You had public hearing just about everywhere you went to. You had a public hearing Overtown, you had public hearing in different places, and you listened to the people there. Today --and what really bothers me, I don't receive information from my Administration. All the information, I received it tonight, and the people that's sitting there were not aware of anything that's taken place tonight here, so to me, that's troublesome. And you're talking about the fair market value. My understanding, the fair market value, according to some of the information I received, is supposed to be $34 a square foot. My understanding, according to the contract that I'm reading, you want to pay 1.5. I think there's a problem there. Some figures were shown up, and I can see now why you were not able to select the other sites you looked at, because they were too small for your dream, and I understand that. But we have a community out here that needs to be informed, along with us, the Commission. I mean, I met with the Mas brothers. I met with them, and I told them from the beginning, and all I seen was this. Now let me tell you a little bit about traffic. I have a lot of problems in that neighborhood there. Flagami and Grapeland, we had to create a lot of the -- what do you call them? -- traffic bumps, because everybody going through the neighborhoods, avoiding the main streets. So this is something you really have to look at. What is the traffic? How are you going to do it? You got to go to the public and you got to talk to them. You've heard all the people that been here today. I think there's a lot that needs to be done still. I know how you mean, trust you, but I want it on paper. I want to make sure whatever was stated here -- and I want to ensure the people are satisfied, the people that's going to City of Miami Page 113 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 be affected immediately. I don't know how many times you take the 836, but you take 836 at any time right after 12 o'clock, and it's a parking lot. So these are the things we have to look at. And this is -- what really bothers me, I didn't have the information. All the information, I received it today from your presentation. I never had any of this. I don't know if the Administration got involved in any of this; at least, if they did, the information did not come to us. You made a beautiful presentation, but people are not aware of that, the people especially that's going to be affected. Mr. Mas: Thank you, Commissioner. In terms of -- and addressing a few of those items, we have been always extremely forthcoming. My narrative has always been the same, and when you and I met, it's been the same figures, and the same narrative. In terms of the fair market value, I think the $34 you're referring to would be if we would buy the land. I don't think the City wants to sell the land, but it's $34 of value for selling. We're leasing it, so the rental amount is a fraction of the $34. Frankly, let me address something here, because I heard something here during the public presentation, and I want to talk about it now. I heard a gentleman getup here and use a number of $22 million. That would make the value per acre at $11 million an acre on land you can't build on, and on land that's limited to 40 foot height. That is one of the most ludicrous and preposterous things I've heard in my life. So I just want to put that on the record, because I don't want people using someone who came up here and pulled a number out of the air as some type of reference point. We've used and looked at, and analyzed the appraisals. We've had -- you know, I think that we understand the valuation there, and the amount that we're putting for the fair market value, I think is extremely just, and guarantees to the City a return. And in terms of the neighborhood, we would like to incorporate the neighborhood, their opinion. This is going to be a long process. This is the beginning of a very long process, and we'd like to incorporate the neighbors in any opportunity -- especially in having a say of what they would like in a park. Commissioner Gort: I think you have to, especially if they're going to vote on it. Mr. Mas: Yes, sir. Commissioner Gort: But the people that are going to be affected, they're the one that needs to know -- Mr. Mas: Of course. Commissioner Gort: -- what are you doing to fax the problems they have right now and what kind ofproblems you can create with it. Now, we had a lot of the contracts on leases, and they paid the minimum, plus a percentage of whatever the gross is -- not the gross, but the -- Mr. Mas: Right. Commissioner Gort: -- the final. Mr. Mas: Well, this -- again, start of a process. Obviously, we're going to incorporate the opinions of the residents that are affected. Traffic, obviously -- we'd all like to see 836 be a little more smooth, but obviously, it's going -- I want this to be an inclusive process, not an exclusive process; and frankly, the residents are going to have to be part, especially through the whole process; especially that goes through zoning, because this is not -- we're going to need zoning hearings, and there's -- I think I've been told this is just one of a five- or six prong process that's going to be very, very, very thorough. Commissioner Gort: I think you need to get together with the community; that's very important. City of Miami Page 114 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Mas: Agreed. Commissioner Gort: And going back a little, I played soccer in 1959 in Miami High. But, unfortunately, I was a football player; so I tried to tackle people and block people instead of doing the right thing. So I'm a great believer in soccer. I think it's number -one goal, and I have to (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Mr. Mas: So you have my -- I will personally walk the neighborhood, if needed. I will extend the -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) why are we different? I doubt -- there have been few team owners in this City that have come here before you and talked this way. If someone needs to talk to the neighbors, I'll talk to the neighbors. My team could talk to the neighbors. Commissioner Gort: You have to. Mr. Mas: We'll do that. Commissioner Gort: I don't know about the other Commissioners. For me, it's the first time I hear all the numbers and all the figures in this presentation you have made today. Commissioner Reyes: Yes. Mr. Mas: Okay, fair. Commissioner Reyes: Commissioner? Vice Chair Russell: Commissioner Reyes. Commissioner Reyes: Yes. I do agree with Commissioner Gort. During the site that was in Overtown, there were over -- how many meetings they get there? About five or six meetings. There hasn't been a single community meeting in Grapeland or any area that they are the ones that are going to suffer the brunt of it. The only thing that I -- and I also have questions about the financial. Let me tell you something, George. You see, we come from families that are dreamers. I had a dream, too, you see. I don't know that -- if you remember, I ran seven times; seven times, City Commission. And at the seventh time, I won against all odds; against all odds. But I ran because I was driven by a vision, driven by a dream to bring transparency to the City of Miami. And this process, up to today, has not been transparent. I been receiving piecemeal information. I have heard more from the Herald than what I heard from our City Manager and people here. How can I go -- and besides that, I think that -- I agree that we should let the people decide, but we have a process, sir. There's a process that is written in our Codes, right? The process says at 20 -- Section 29-B said that -- City -owned property for sale or lease, okay? It says, "The City Commission is prohibited from favorably considering any sale or lease of property owned by the City unless there is a return to the City of a fair market value under such proposal or sale. The City Commission is also prohibited from favorably considering any sale or City Commission on" -- "There shall be prior to the date of City Commission consideration of such lease, " you see. We haven't seen anything. "An advertisement soliciting proposal for said sale or lease published in a daily newspaper or general (UNINTELLIGIBLE) circulation in the City (UNINTELLIGIBLE) no less than 90 days for the City (UNINTELLIGIBLE) proposals from prospective purchasers or lessees. " And then, keep on going. And then they said (UNINTELLIGIBLE), you see. They said, "Subject to the approval of a majority of the votes cast by the electorate at a referendum." I want the referendum. I want people to -- but I want to do this process. And this process, the only thing that it does is open it for bids; that maybe that would be a good way that we know, you see, the real value there, because there are a lot of people that could City of Miami Page 115 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 jump -- and you know that -- at the possibility of building in that area, you see. When I first got here, I took a page from my fellow Commissioner, Mr. Russell, when we started talking about a park. And Mr. Russell -- I mean, I being an economist and trying to bring as much as I can to the City of Miami -- he told me, he says, "It is not about money, everything; it is about green space and the service to the public, " okay? And now, we are giving green space, see; we are giving green space. And according to you, it said that that green space is going to be replenished by the underlying -- by -- it's not the same, sir. That is ingenuous [sic], because that's a big sidewalk, you see, by -- I mean, you know how you could replace that? If we get back Mel --Miami Spring, of course. You see, then we -- then you are -- I mean, we are comparing apples and apples, because that is disingenuous, Jorge. That is not a -- I mean, we can't accept that. I would not accept that. And what I want -- really want to do is for this to be as transparent as it is, as can be. You see, I also have problems with the financials, because, you see, I got here what I received. And Mr. Mayor, you're talking about the park, that beautiful -- that you call "Central Park," right? I live -- Mr. Mayor, I lived in New York, and I know Central Park, from 59th to 110th. This can never be Central Park, okay? Mayor Suarez: This could be Miami -- Commissioner Reyes: Let's make sure -- Mayor Suarez: -- Miami's version -- Commissioner Reyes: -- well, within Miami -- Mayor Suarez: -- of Central Park. Commissioner Reyes: -- or Miami mini -version of Central Park, okay? Mayor Suarez: Right; could be "mini." Commissioner Reyes: I even have rode on the -- on that lake in Central Park, so I know it real well. And we are going to receive $20 million, installments of $600,000. If you get the present value in 30 years of those 630 -- on the $20 million, we are not going to receive -- probably $10 million, you see, if it has the present value, because everything is -- okay. Now, there is another thing that I -- that is going to be based -- the $20 million, we have to bond it. We have to sell bonds -- okay? -- tax-free bonds. That's what it says here. I mean, you see, this is the problem; that I received this a couple of days, you see. I mean, we have not been informed. And according to this, when you read over it, you see that there is going to be -- it's going to be for the park infrastructure, but let me put it this way: Also, it says -- states that Miami Freedom Park, which might include the following infrastructure improvements we going to use those $20 million for: Development work for the park, storm water management drainage system, grading and paving, environmental remediation. Now, this is very interesting, and I'm putting you on alert, also. Make sure that you go and find out if you're going to build there, if you find out what the environmental remediation is, because that park was a dump. It was a dump, and it has about two feet of ash. And the cost for the water park, it was $9 million, and the cost --just trying to remediate that. Can you imagine now if we are going to remediate and going to make a park, and we have to -- that soil will have to be removed? Let's say that it is at a cost of $500,000 per acre. How much does the City of Miami have to spend on remediating the contamination of that park and making it that it will be use -- that it could -- that DERM will agree of using it as a park? Because a golf course is something different, because a golf course -- people walk and you leave. I mean, you are a golfer. You spend more time in the car than you spend on the ground. People just get and -- but when you have people that are going to sit; people that are going to have the picnic, as the Mayor said, or fly a kite, I mean, there -- Mr. Mayor; there are a lot of places you can fly a kite here, okay? But the people that going to sit, City of Miami Page 116 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 they're going to have a picnic, then there are other requirements from DERM, and you know that. And you know that, okay? So that means that if it is -- how many acres are going to be developed; 58 acres? Unidentified Speaker: 58. Mr. Perez: Correct. Commissioner Reyes: 40 acres ofpark. Mr. Perez: 50, 50 acres. Commissioner Reyes: 50? Mr. Perez: Yeah. Commissioner Reyes: Times 500,000, at least -- how much is it? Mayor Suarez: Why are you asking 50 times -- 58 times --? Commissioner Reyes: Because if you have 50 acres, and according to costs that we have obtained, it will be -- it will cost around $500,000 per acre for the remediation, okay? But let me finish. You see, what it is, is that I don't have anything against soccer; but this is not a soccer stadium. This is a huge development, and it's a huge piece of land that the City of Miami is giving away. It's not giving away. Let's say it's allowing to be built on. I get it. You're going to pay 3,500 or six -- 3,500,000, but those 3,500,000, you see, I don't see a contract according -- I agree with Commissioner Gort. We have deals in other areas that we are partners on gross sales of food and beverage; partners even in a hotel, even in a hotel, as I recall that the Hyatt was offering a percentage of gross sales, you see. As I said before, I had a dream, also. And my dream is to bring transparency and work for the benefit of the City of Miami, and when we make a deal that voters know what they're voting on, because what they are doing if we send this to the ballot, the only thing that we're doing is this Part 29-B that calls for opening the land for bid, it is eliminated. I mean, we are going to bypass that; and then, with a vote of four out of the five Commissioners, then we can have it. But I hate to say this, and I -- it's nothing personal, you see. I hate to say this. We have lost the trust of the people, because we create all the controls and all the processes, and then we violate them, you see. I mean, why don't we start through the process and open it up? And I don't think that you have -- will have any fear of not getting that. But then, we will have different -- the people of Miami will have different proposals that they could vote. But by taking this to the voters, by taking this to election, with all due respect -- with all due respect, you see, we're lying to them. We're saying, "We're going to build a stadium, we're going to build a stadium. A stadium is going to be built." Hallelujah, everybody wants a stadium. And now, people believe that when the World Cup come to Miami, it's going to be -- a game is going to be played in that stadium; it's -- or not going to be played in that stadium. It's going to be played in Hard Rock, and everybody knows that. You know that, okay? You see, now, let's be transparent. Let's do it the way that it should be done. You see, you have your dream. I have my dream, okay? And, you see, that was the only driving force that kept me through seven elections; do the right thing for the City of Miami, bring transparency, and regaining the people's trust. (Applause) Chair Hardemon: Please. Commissioner Russell, Commissioner Carollo? Commissioner Carollo: Commissioner Russell, do you mind if I go now, or would you like to go? Thank you. Let me begin by thanking so many people that came here City of Miami Page 117 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 today, took your own personal time to be part of democracy, be part of the freedom that we have in Miami, in America that you don't have in so many cities and countries of our world anymore. At the same time, I'd like to congratulate the body that is here from both sides that was so well behaved. This meeting was done in a manner of how meetings should be done in government, and I think you should all congratulate yourselves on that, both sides. Commissioner Reyes: Yes. Chair Hardemon: Having said that, I hope that that spirit could stay throughout the end of this meeting. And I've heard from two of my colleagues, and I think both of them are very well-intentioned in what they said, and there's a lot of truth into what I've heard here. I'm not going to be denying it. We're going to deal with facts, with history, with reality. Let me begin by going through numbers. I always have the firm belief that numbers don't lie, especially when they're solid. I kept hearing people calling this parkland, parkland. Well, here in front of the golf course, it says, "Miami Melreese Country Club." And part of what I was given today on talking points by the Melreese people, it says, "International Links Miami Melreese Country Club, " which is all over the internet in their advertising. Last I heard, a country club, whether in Miami, New York, California, London, or any part of the world, you pay to go into it. I don't know of any country club in the world that you go into it free. Here is what I've gotten right today from the internet on the Melreese Country Club, and it says: "Golf rates, April 15, 2018 through November 15, 2018,"so these are up to date. It says the rates for weekdays for City of Miami residents are $75; however; twilight, which is -- it says here, after I p.m. -- is $95 to get into the park, which they call, rightly so, a country club. On weekends and holidays, the rates for City of Miami residents is $80 to get in, into the park, what they accurately call a country club. In twilight, which on weekends and holidays, it's after 2 p.m., the rates are $95 to get in. I again compliment so many of you that came here today, but what I've seen here is that, on both sides, some 95 percent of the people that have come to talk for or against don't live in the City of Miami; you live somewhere else than the City of Miami. The real residents from the City of Miami, from Little Havana, Overtown, Liberty City, Little Haiti, Flagami, Wynwood, Allapattah, they weren't here today. That's the real City of Miami. And you know why they weren't here today? Because they're too busy working, trying to make a living, trying to see how they're going to feed their family and get by. And precisely, their biggest concern are jobs, are how to get their property taxes down; how to get better City services, like Police and Fire, trash collection and more, without having to pay more taxes for it. We talked about here today on some of the good things that have been done at the Melreese County Club, and I heard it. But let me give you the financial reality of how the City has paid for those good works. This is for the last 12 years only, beginning with fiscal year '05 to '06, ending '16117. Out of those 12 years, there's only been two years that the golf course made a profit. The losses that the City of Miami had in those 12 years was almost $3 million. That's 250, 000 per year that we could have done a tremendous amount of good with that money, whether through First Tee, or many other charitable works, if that's what we wanted to have done with that money. But it's much worse than that, because the amount of dollars in capital projects that the City of Miami has poured into the country club, whether directly from general funds, or through the Miami Sports Authority -- and I believe these numbers are not complete; I believe it's much greater than these numbers -- there's an additional $9,432,000 and change, which means that our total loss that I could at least confirm to you now, has been almost $12,400,000. City of Miami could not afford that. We were going through financial urgencies during some of this time. We simply could not afford it then, and we can't afford it now. The contracts that have been amended and amended and amended, I don't even know how much people are being paid to manage those anymore, and from how many entities. But it's a big change of money; that, I could assure you. Let's talk about transparency, because I think it's very important. The facts are that this country club has had a history, a very long history of very little transparency, and I'm going to go City of Miami Page 118 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 into history, because, for better or for worse, I've spent some 40 years of my life in and out of this City Government. This is the fourth time I've been elected City Commissioner; been elected twice, Mayor; twice before, appointed Vice Mayor, when we had the position available. When I came back as a City Commissioner in November of 1995, I soon got appointed also Chairman of the Miami Sports Authority, back when it was a real Sports Authority; that it had real money, when we had the old Miami Arena with the Panthers and with the Miami Heat playing in it, and it had serious money. I soon found that shortly before I came back, there had been a management contract entered into the entity that is still managing the country club. This was a contract that did go out to bid, but there was only one bidder. And what does that tell me? I wasn't here when that happened, but what that tells me, when you get a contract like this that's put out to bid in a location like this that you would have had numerous operators of golf courses that would have wanted to have bid on it. In fact, I'll give you a little secret. Not that long ago, there's a guy that's sitting in the Whitehouse now that was looking at this golf course and had an eye on it, and he was willing to give us a lot more for it than what we're losing today. I was the Manager of the City of Doral back then; that's why I know. But let's go back to '94, '95. The bid went out. Only one person replied to it; the ones that are running the country club now. And what that tells me with all my experience in government is that nobody else bid on it, because the fix was on. It was tailor-made for only one person to be able to get it; otherwise, you would have had numerous other people, entities bidding for it. Then I find out in the Sports Authority when I was Chairman that just before I became Chairman, they had approved some $5 million to be given to the country club of our monies. It had to be approved by this body. Back then, the Mayor had a vote in the Commission. We did not have an Executive Mayor; like we have today; they were separated. And it was a trying time for the City, a sad time. The Mayor at the time, Stephen Clark, was dying. The Commission that I was part of was deadlocked, 2 to 2, which means the $5 million wasn't going to the country club at Melreese. And they held a meeting that Mayor Clark at the time was brought in for only -- one and only one item in that agenda. They brought him in a wheelchair. And the videos are there if somebody wants to look at it. They lifted him up from the wheelchair, sat him down in his chair. To this day, I don't remember him uttering a word; just shaking his head. The minute he did that and they got their three votes, they put him back in the wheelchair; and they took him out, and that's how they got $5 million from the City back then. And I'm going to have people here talk to me about transparency -- Commissioner Reyes: Yes, sir. Commissioner Carollo: -- when that's the history of it? Now, I know there are some here don't want to hear that, but that's how that went along. Let me go into some of the statements that were talked on here today. And one of the ladies that was here I thought touched upon something that I, myself, back when Mr. Beckman [sic] was looking to bring the stadium next to the Marlins Stadium, I thought that was the ideal place to bring it, like supposedly, it was supposed to happen, next to the baseball stadium in Little Havana. Well, he could probably tell you the story better than I. The only reason that Major League Soccer today cannot build a stadium there is because the deal that was made with the Marlins was so outrageously bad that it could not make any economic sense. Even in naming rights, they would get money. They controlled all the lands around it. This is why we couldn't get any retail going on over there, because the retail in our own parking garages that we put -- the residents of Miami -- around $100 million to build, they still had so many conditions that they practically controlled what to do with it. And very few people would go in there, because they weren't going to make any money; they were going to go broke. And the worst part is that some of the same characters that were sitting in this side back then that approved that deal, that are the ones orchestrating a lot of this now, had no problems in giving away three -- a three -acre park right in front of that stadium, in an area that has very little park space in that part of Little Havana. They had no problems in giving it away to the Marlins. And now, boy, they got a problem City of Miami Page 119 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 on a golf course -- not a park -- and a country club/golf course that we're talking for the first time into making it into a real park; not a country club that, as I pointed out, you have to pay to go into it. The Mayor, I think, brought out the relocation of The First Tee to the Miami Springs Golf Course, and I think that's a very good option, but there are others; not just that. Miami -Dade County has a golf course in Key Biscayne. I am sure that if we speak to Mayor Gimenez, they would be more than happy to bring The First Tee over there to that golf course. And there's even a third possibility of what we could do with it in other City lands. So we're not going to do away with First Tee; it's just not going to be done in the way -- or in the same place that it's happening now, if the votes are here. To me, the most important aspect of this land -- and by the way, Mr. Manager, I would suggest that we really look at to see how many acres we have there, because, based on the Property Appraiser's numbers -- and it's divided into two parcels -- I'm adding up 176 and three-quarter acres. So we might have even more acres there than we're adding up right now, but this is what the County is saying; I don't know if it's accurate or not. When I decided to come back after being out of government for some 16 years, one of the main reasons that I came back was that I saw that the City was going to be going into dire financial times again. Now, the City of Miami has had a history that when the real estate economy is up, we get big chunks of money, new money, millions, and we spend them; we spend the money like drunken sailors. Then when the real estate market goes down, we go into financial urgencies. So one of my priorities was to take from the filing cabinets full of dust that we had left behind all the ideas that right from this dais I had left for future Commissioners -- and nothing was done -- of a lot of prime City properties that needed to be developed for our future. Melreese was one of them, and this is why it's so important that we develop that property to the maximum that we can, because we only have one shot. It brings us now to competitive bidding and transparency. If we didn't have a situation that I've explained a little bit on it, even though it might surprise some of you that have spoken here today that maybe, for $9 million, some people wouldn't mind turning the golf course over; but I won't get into that at this point in time. But the -- part of the reason that I'm contemplating voting on putting this to a vote which is the first step -- and let me clam this, not only for the public, but for my colleagues. This is two steps. The first is if a majority of this body wants to put this to a referendum for the residents of Miami to decide if we're going to move forward. If it passes, then comes the real big part, which is trying to put a realistical [sic] lease together. And I submit to you that that might even take a whole year to do, because there's a lot of factors that are involved. It's not going to be overnight that it's going to happen. Some of the factors are the change of zoning, many other aspects that have to be met; not the least, that we have to make sure that we're going to get true market value. And even if I vote for this today, if we do not get real market value at the next step, if it's approved by the voters and it's put to a vote, my vote is going to be different then, because this property can provide a tremendous amount of relief for the residents of Miami into the future. And these are the four aspects that I've been looking at: One -- and really the most important -- is revenue for the City of Miami; recurring revenue that is going to grow every year. Secondly are thousands of new jobs that our people need, badly need. Thirdly, you look at the City of Miami, and we really have two main shopping areas; one is for the rich and famous, the tourists that come to Miami that buy our fancy condominiums and stay here a few weeks out of the year; then leave. That's called City Place. The plans for that began when I was Mayor, and we started building out Brickell Key. That's 520,000 square feet. They're planning on putting another 90,000 in the next couple of years; bring it up to about 610,000. The other major shopping area that we have is Midtown, but it's not a mall; it's boxed stores. It's about 420,000 square feet. The residents of Miami, City of Miami don't have areal people's mall for themselves. The closest that they have, that they have to go to, is Dadeland Mall. A lot of our people don't even have vehicles to get over there, and we all know what public transportation is like. You look at Dadeland Mall, that's a million and a half square feet. You look at the next biggest, closest mall that we have, that's Dolphin Mall; it's 1,400,000. Aventura is one you really don't want to compare to anything else, because they're the second City of Miami Page 120 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 largest in the US (United States); they're 2,700,000 square feet. I submit to all of you here that whether we want to call it a mall, call it retail and entertainment -- whatever the words is -- they're going to be retail shops. This would be the most expensive and valuable retail space anywhere in the State of Florida, bar none. Why? Because it's got such a huge area, like I just described; that there's not a mall, a major shopping center that the people can go to. Secondly, it's within three, four minutes right from the airport; that anyone that's got a few extra hours, instead of wasting it inside a concourse, they're going to come there, go eat there, go shopping there. The millions of Latin American tourists that come to our City, that the bulk of them either go to Sawgrass Mills in Broward, or they go to Dadeland to shop, they're going to be going there just before they leave, and do the shopping there. So that's going to be gold for the City of Miami, and that's why we need to get a percentage of that, along with a surcharge for tickets on the stadium. But the surcharge will bring some real money; won't even begin to compare to a percentage of the dollars that we could bring for the residents of Miami in an overall deal that would be, as I said, the second phase. What I see that is being talked about today, that's being discussed to be put into the ballot for the residents of Miami, the voters of Miami to decide, it's only a minimum. I truly see this going much higher; therefore, the profits that we could receive will be much greater; and the jobs that this will create are going to be several thousand more jobs for the City of Miami. This is very important for the City's history, but it's got to be done right. And why, then, haven't I been in favor of putting this out to a bid, like I've done as Chairman of the Bayfront Park with several proposals that have come to me; that I've asked for Requests for Proposals to be drafted so they could be put out for the best and highest use, and any idea that anybody has? Well, I'm going to tell you why. Because of the same shenanigans that I described from day one, how this whole deal here has developed and has been amended throughout the years. The only chance that we truly have, I believe, is by doing it in this fashion now. If they don't want to come up with real numbers, if it passes a referendum, then we go to the next phase. But I don't want to be in a situation that I'm stuck for another 10, 20 years, losing money in a golf course, because, frankly, I don't care how nice I'm told that people there, they run it are, and I'm sure they're wonderful people. But you know what? No one is going to convince me that they're Mother Teresa, because I've been here from very early on, as I described to you on the history of it. I am willing, with the statements that I've made, to place this on the ballot. And let me say this: I don't care about the golfing aspect of it. I personally don't feel that government should be in the business of having golf courses. I -- while -- with all respect to Mr. Beckham and the partners, I think soccer is the -- not only the main sport in the world, but it's heading to be the main sport eventually in the US. I grew up playing American football; it's a little rougher, and it's in a rough town, a little rougher than London -- Chicago -- when I was a kid. So that was my sport. Then in the winter, I played basketball; the summer; I played baseball. I tried soccer one time in a hill up there called Crooked Hill when I was a kid in Chicago, and it was -- I preferred American football. I'll leave it at that. But a great -- Commissioner Gort: You had the same problem I did. Commissioner Carollo: -- great sport. Yeah, well -- Commissioner Gort: You started tackling people. Commissioner Carollo: -- I think you're right, Commissioner. But you put it a more delicate way, so I -- to me, while there's a big difference in a soccer stadium with MLS than the golf country club that we have there, because there are millions of dollars in publicity that we're going to get, not only nationwide, but throughout all Latin America and other parts of the world that we can't get with the country club/golf course there. What I'm looking at is strictly the other aspects of it that are going to bring the millions of dollars that Miami needs that is going to create the thousands of jobs that Miami needs. It's going to give us a real mall/retail place that City of Miami Page 121 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 we don't have for the average Miamian to be able to go and enjoy, and it's going to give us a real park that you don't have to pay $95 in the afternoon, or 80 in the morning to be able to go into, which is beyond the prices of what the average Miamian can pay. And I -- having said all that, when Jose Mas, Jorge's brother called me -- I think it was the Friday before you guys were announcing the Overtown site. I said to him, I said, "Listen, you guys are too smart to invest there. If you guys want to throw money out the door, you could find a lot better ways of doing it. You can't make it work there. " And he says, "Well, where do you think?" I said, "Well, the place to go is Melreese." And Jose got a hold of the big brother; and they put their heads together. And I knew that the other incentives that were there was going to get their appetite on it. And I knew that in order to be able to go against the people that have that management contract there and the influence that they have, I needed to recruit some heavy -weights to break that, and give Miamians a real chance. You know, we could talk about all we want -- Even one of the women that came to talk in favor of keeping the country club there, she admitted that the last time she was there was like 40 years before, or something like that. I doubt it if even I percent of Miami residents have gone to the country club; not even I percent. The biggest share of the people that use it don't live in the City of Miami, because Miami residents can't afford the $95 in the afternoons, or the $80 in the mornings to go there. So having said that, I know there's two members of this body that have to weigh in, but I'm ready to make a motion, Chair, whenever you all are done, and when -- and it's appropriate. Commissioner Reyes: May I make a comment? Just for the record, when you were referring about policy and the evils they were doing, you were not referring to me. Commissioner Carollo: No, no, no. Commissioner Gort: He wasn't. You got to speak in the mike. Commissioner Carollo: No, no, Commissioner. You weren't here -- Commissioner Reyes: Well, I just wanted to make it clear. Commissioner Carollo: No, no. Let me be very clear. Commissioner Reyes: Also, for the record -- Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. No. Commissioner Reyes: -- because one thing that we have and we had had is contradictory -- I don't know who's right and who's wrong. We had had contradictory information from the Administration. Commissioner Carollo: Well -- Commissioner Reyes: Okay? You have certain numbers there that was given to you by the Administration about the Melreese finances. I'm not saying that yours are wrong, or the ones that were -- the -- I have here by the firm of CPAs (Certified Public Accountants), Vargas and Piedra, which is very well known and been here for a lot, that it states that in the past few years, there has been only, I think, one year that they have lost money. I want to be fair in this. Also, I also want to give that to the -- also, what I want to -- also to know -- and I want to tell the -- why my -- it's -- why I am -- I keep on going back to open the project for bidding. It is -- I am -- the Mayor was talking about trust, and it's not that I don't trust, but using the words of old President Reagan, "trust and verify, " you see. You trust and you verify. And the only way that we can get a real estimate -- because competition, competition is the cornerstone of our economic system. And when people start competing for something, you see, the benefits and the prices, they include -- that goes for City of Miami Page 122 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 everything from grant to labor, you see. And I think that we should do it the way that it was meant to be done. And I still --I'm still concerned about the financials. lam very concerned about the financials. I'm very concerned about the park, the remediation of the park, who is going to pay for it. If we're going to pay for it, you see, that will -- going to cost millions and millions of dollars that we are not going to get, you see. Commissioner Carollo: Commissioner, you're correct in that, and if you can give me a couple of minutes, I want to be very clear on this. In no way any statements that I made was against you. Commissioner Reyes: I know that, Joe. I'm just kidding. Commissioner Carollo: You know that I have the utmost respect for you. I consider you a long-time friend. Commissioner Reyes: That is mutual of you; that's right. Commissioner Carollo: And we could differ and have a difference of opinion -- Commissioner Reyes: Yeah. Commissioner Carollo: -- but that doesn't mean that we're going to disrespect each other or think different of each other. Commissioner Reyes: No, no. Commissioner Carollo: Having said that, you touched upon an area that -- I'm going to tell you what I think. The numbers you used and the problem that we have in that park, that's why we can't handle that ourselves. It's beyond $50 million. In fact, let's lay it out on the table. It might be somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million. Commissioner Gort: Yes. Commissioner Carollo: I don't know. Nobody knows until you finally get there. This is why we have to go out and do accurate market rate on what that property is really worth. Why? Because at the end of the day, they're not getting clean property. This is not a deal that they don't have to do anything to that property. They're going to have to come upfront and put a big chunk of money. Commissioner Reyes: But they don't have to buy that, either. Commissioner Carollo: Well -- Commissioner Reyes: I mean, that's -- Commissioner Carollo: -- so -- but there's money that's up front. Commissioner Reyes: -- you see. Commissioner Carollo: You know, so we're going to have to work that out within that lease with them -- Commissioner Reyes: Yes, sir. Commissioner Carollo: -- from the market rate. Then we're going to have to deduct on that market rate. City of Miami Page 123 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: Can I ask for the Chairman of the Finance Committee to come and explain the numbers that he has done? Chair Hardemon: Well, before we do any of that, I mean, I want to get Commissioner Gort recognized. And before Commissioner Gort, I want to allow our City Manager to make a comment about the two documents with the -- Emilio T. Gonzalez (City Manager): Yes, sir. Chair Hardemon: -- differing numbers. Mr. Gonzalez: Yes, sir. Thank you. Commissioner Reyes is correct. Yesterday, we received a packet from an accounting firm, I believe, that disputed our numbers with regards to the costs and the profitability of the Melreese Golf Course, and I just wanted you to know we haven't had time to look at them, sir. But if you recall, many meetings ago, when the subject of Melreese came up, and it came up in the -- in a conversation regarding their audit -- I made an on -the -record comment that their audit as of last year -- I would wait a year and do another audit, which is coming up, so probably at the next Commission meeting, I will be requesting permission from the board to conduct a forensic audit so we can take a look, sir; at all the numbers, and make sure that we're all speaking apples to apples, and so forth. So I just wanted to make that correction. Commissioner Reyes: The only thing that I want -- Mr. Gonzalez: Yes, sir. Commissioner Carollo: One more thing if I could state, Mr. Chairman, real brief? Look, we've seen other deals in the City that people have come and have promised us the world, and then what happened? Flagstone, prime example. How many years passed by? I mean, I was Mayor when that deal got done, and I'm back now, 16 years later, and -- Commissioner Reyes: Nothing have been done. Commissioner Carollo: -- I haven't seen the first building go up, the first floor, the foundation. Having said that, I want to be very specific. To me, it's very important. I think Mr. Beckman [sic] is a wonderful person, his partners are -- Commissioner Reyes: The best. Commissioner Carollo: -- but Jorge and Jose Mas are the guys that are local. Now, I've had the experience with him in the past when I was Mayor; that there was a time that one of those major crossroads that cities go through -- we were going through one -- I called him in. We sat. I needed his help in something. He gave me his word. And, my god, he kept his word, and he got it accomplished. So I believe in him. I trust in him that when he gives you his word, he will get it done. Having said that, that doesn't mean he's not a shrewd businessman. So we got to negotiate the second phase, if we get to that, on the contract, because I wouldn't expect anything less from him or his partners to try to do the best deal for themselves, and I understand that. But we represent the residents of Miami, and we got to do the same. Commissioner Reyes: That's right. Commissioner Carollo: So that's phase two. Chair Hardemon: Commissioner Gort. City of Miami Page 124 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: Yes, sir. Chair Hardemon: Commissioner Gort. Commissioner Gort: Let me follow the statement about the Administration know that they had problems with the golf club -- the golf/country club, you want to call it --for a long time. The diverse -- the numbers were a little different from the Administration, and never was anything done to it. So I want to make sure we get that, because we want to clear a lot of those things. Okay? Mr. Gonzalez: Yes, sir. That's why we want to get -- make sure we all have the same numbers. Commissioner Gort: The only thing is, it's important to know you can go in there, you can -- breakfast, lunch -- you can spend time in there, you can use the facility. At the same time, we, in all our Parks Department, we have services being provided by private individuals, and if you want to take a soccer game classes, you got to pay; baseball, you have to pay; and swimming, you have to pay. So that does happen in a club. The -- golf is -- Commissioner Reyes: You go in, you pay. Commissioner Gort: -- a little different. I tried it once, and I tried to hit the ball, and never did. So I tried four times and I was not able to hit it. So -- but I played a little bit of it. And I just want to clear that. At the same time, I want you all to know, I know Fort -Brescia doing the architect, I know he's going to come out with some great ideas, and he's the best in the business. But I want to make sure you understand you need to go and talk to that community that lives right next to it. You have to talk to these individuals, too. You got people, they have jobs, but they need those jobs from the country club. They need to go maintain it. And there's a lot of things you got to work on. And I want to meet with you all, because there's a lot of problems within those neighborhoods that we really have to go at it. At the same time, remember, people can vote for it, but then we have to pass whatever agreement we come to, and it's four-fifths vote. Mr. Perez: Commissioner; you have our commitment in that regard -- Commissioner Gort: Well -- Mr. Perez: -- and so much so that I believe that the next time we get up here, George Mas' address will be in Grapeland. He'll be living there. That community -- we understand the commitment to that community. Commissioner Reyes: I want to also -- through the Chair. I want also to make clear that it's not that I distrust Jorge Mas, but I know he's a businessman, and everybody -- him and his associates -- they are in the business of making money. I mean, that's fine. This is the system. This is the capitalist system. More power to them, and I hope that they make all the money in the world, you see. But I am in the business of trying to protect the people of Miami. Mr. Perez: Understood. Commissioner Reyes: You see, and that's why I am -- still, I have problem with the finances; financial is important to me. You see, I have the Chair of Finance -- of the Finance Committee, and I want you to come and -- Have you analyzed this -- can I - - can you come and -- you okay? Eric Zichella: Yes, absolutely. City of Miami Page 125 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: Okay. No, no. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Mr. Zichella, the Finance Committee. Commissioner Carollo: Who is this? Commissioner Reyes: The Chairman of the Finance Committee of the City of Miami. Commissioner Carollo: What's his name? Commissioner Reyes: Zichella, Zichella; Chair of Finance Committee. Commissioner Carollo: What's his first name? Chair Hardemon: You can just take this lectern. Unidentified Speaker: Eric. Commissioner Reyes: Eric. Eric Zichella. Commissioner Carollo: Is he the one that's been -- Vice Chair Russell: Tweeting. Commissioner Reyes: I don't know. I just heard that -- I mean -- and I just -- Commissioner Carollo: Eric. Mr. Zichella: Hello. Eric Zichella, 2100 Coral Way is our office address. I am the Chairman of the City's Finance Committee. I can't stand here and speak on behalf of the Finance Committee, because we haven't had an opportunity to consider this item. I think the Code requires that we would at some point, but, you know, we -- I'm sure that individual members, like myself, have certainly taken the time to look at it, and there were a couple of things that jumped out at me. And I can only speak for the term sheet that was included in the proposal, but there's a number of factors within the term sheet that I think you need to pay close attention to, and they're important for you to get your arms around before you put this out to the voters for a referendum, because I think the deal could end up being far different for you than you think it is today and you believe it is today. So the first and the most important thing that I'll mention to you is that the term sheet is very clear that the proposers expect the City to sell bonds to pay for the cost of certain improvements, and there's a whole list of improvements that they expect you to pay for with those bonds, and it's more than just $20 million; or, as Commissioner Reyes alluded to, the present value of those payments would be about $10.2 million. But if I could, I just want to walk through briefly the -- Commissioner Carollo: Eric, I'm sorry to interrupt you. Since -- Mr. Zichella: Yes, sir. Commissioner Carollo: -- you're my appointment to that board that -- or appointed by my predecessor, but you're still mine. And if I could take a point of personal privilege. What numbers you're going to go through with us, is this something that was discussed in front of your board? Mr. Zichella: Absolutely not. Like I said, I'm here as an individual and -- Commissioner Carollo: Okay. But you're also here more than an individual, which I understand that, and you made it clear now. You're also here as an opponent of City of Miami Page 126 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 this project, because I think you were tweeting or putting stuff out in the social media against this project, weren't you. Mr. Zichella: So -- Commissioner Carollo: Yes or no? Mr. Zichella: -- you know, if you're asking me question of whether I -- Commissioner Carollo: You have a right to, you have a right to. I just want to -- Mr. Zichella: Yeah. The -- Commissioner Carollo: -- get it on the record. Mr. Zichella: -- so I'll answer the question directly since you asked it directly. Commissioner Carollo: Please. Mr. Zichella: I don't think it's a good idea, and I'll tell you -- Commissioner Carollo: There's not -- Mr. Zichella: -- I can explain to you why. Commissioner Carollo: -- what I'm asking. You could finish answering and giving all of your personal opinion that you would like, now that you clarified it's not a board- -- Mr. Zichella: Sure. Commissioner Carollo: -- approved opinion. My question directly to you was, were you or weren't you putting out in the social media, whether Twitter or -- Mr. Zichella: Absolutely. Commissioner Carollo: --other stuff against this project? Mr. Zichella: Absolutely. Commissioner Carollo: Okay. Mr. Zichella: I think it's -- Commissioner Carollo: All right. Well, I just -- you have a right to, and -- Mr. Zichella: Sure. Commissioner Reyes: Yes. Commissioner Carollo: -- I respect that. But I just wanted to get it on the record -- Commissioner Reyes: Yeah. Commissioner Carollo: -- that your opinion might be a biased opinion, that's all. Commissioner Reyes: But it's my request -- Mr. Zichella: It's fine. And I'll -- City of Miami Page 127 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: --and I want your expertise on that. Mr. Zichella: -- walk through with you why I feel the way I feel. Chair Hardemon: May I interject? Mr. Zichella: And I'll just be on record, also, right now, saying that I can't wait to have an MLS team in Miami. I think it's a great idea. I think it's going to be great for the City, but I don't believe it should be in this location, based on what I'm about to walk through with you, and I'll explain to you why. Commissioner Carollo: I understand that. I understand that. Mr. Zichella: So -- Commissioner Carollo: One thing's got nothing to do with the other. You might want to see an MLS team in Miami, but not necessarily there. I understand that. Chair Hardemon: So -- Mr. Zichella: And I think this ownership group would be great, so. Chair Hardemon: Okay. So thank you for giving us your opinion. Mr. Zichella: So you -- Chair Hardemon: No, no, no. I don't want you to explain. I don't want you to explain. I know you asked him to come up to explain numbers. Commissioner Reyes: No, the only thing that -- Chair Hardemon: We have to -- Commissioner Reyes: -- I wanted was to walk through to this, because I'm still confused, and I -- about all the improvements that we have to do in that 58 -acres park. Chair Hardemon: Understood. So -- Commissioner Reyes: You see, the $20 million, you see -- How much does it cost per acre to build a park? How much does it cost -- how much -- what --? Mr. Zichella: Can I take a shot at just -- and I'll try to be very brief for you, Mr. Chair, if you would humor me. Chair Hardemon: I'm at a point right now where we're supposed to be having public -- we're supposed to be having a discussion amongst the Commissioners. Commissioner Reyes: Okay. I'm sorry. Chair Hardemon: And so -- Commissioner Reyes: I'm sorry. Chair Hardemon: -- and that's what I want to do, because -- Commissioner Reyes: I take back the -- but I know -- I just wanted him to clarify certain things, you see. I want to know how much it cost to build a park, you see, City of Miami Page 128 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 because we are going to have only $20 million, and that is one of the reasons why I want to go through the whole process and to go into competitive bidding, because if we accept this like it is, and it is only $20 million for the park that we going to receive in 30 years, it's going to be -- the present value is about $10 million, but what -- where are we going to get the money for the additional expenses that is going to be -- that are going to be incurred in building that Freedom Park? Commissioner Carollo: Commissioner, it's very simple. Commissioner Reyes: Yeah? Tell me. Commissioner Carollo: We don't need to have such a big park if we can't afford it. Mr. Zichella: So I think, just respectfully, that the expenses could approach $400 million -- Chair Hardemon: Sir -- Mr. Zichella: --for the City. Commissioner Reyes: That -- and the process says that if we are going to bond anything, we have to go through the Finance Committee. Mr. Zichella: But I'm at your disposal, Mr. Chair. If you want to -- Chair Hardemon: No, no, no. Mr. Zichella: -- end the testimony, I'm happy to walk away. Chair Hardemon: What I'd like to hear from -- I'd like to hear from our District 2 Commissioner, because what I'm looking at here is -- I'm looking at RE.9 and RE.10, and RE.9 and RE.10 doesn't have anything within it, besides the facts that are before it that talk about any of the future financing costs and -- Commissioner Reyes: What this -- Chair Hardemon: --I see what you have in your hand. Commissioner Reyes: -- is the business plan that I received. Chair Hardemon: I understand. Commissioner Reyes: That is my concern. Chair Hardemon: But what I'm saying to you is -- Commissioner Reyes: This is the business plan. Chair Hardemon: -- what I'm explaining to you is that -- I think it was explained on the record earlier, about this being basically a multi -step process. And the first step, obviously, is getting the opinion of the electorate, you know, if there's going to be an opinion of the electorate. And then from there, you have to decide whether or not the deals are worthy of actual consideration by the City of Miami; and in fact, you need four-fifths of a vote for that, which is probably a tougher vote than we have today, and it might be a tougher vote than the electorate vote. Commissioner Carollo: Much more, I assure you. City of Miami Page 129 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: So, you know, what I'd like to do is continue on with the discussion from our Commissioners, because, for instance, that sheet of paper that you have before you is not included in any of the materials that I have before me, and that the people have to actually vet, and I don't believe that that's going to be a piece of information that's going to be considered for people to actually vote on. Commissioner Carollo: It's not. Chair Hardemon: So, you know, I think about FP&L (Florida Power and Light). FP&L came before us, and they said they wanted to underground some wiring for us. And we asked them, "How much is this going to cost?" And I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was something like in between $8 million and $30 million. Well, how do we know? Well, first, you got to pay us some money to actually go down and see, and we won't know until we actually start the project. And I've seen them do that on a number of different things; on the private side, and also, on the government side. So the fact of the matter is that you don't know. It's like opening up an old house. Commissioner Reyes: That's right, but -- Chair Hardemon: You just don't know. Commissioner Reyes: -- Mr. Chair; if we are going to go into this business, we must have -- we must -- and by the way, the only way that I got this was that I made a public record request, which I think that's totally unfair. And the last time that I checked, Tin still a Miami City Commissioner -- City of Miami Commissioner; and you -- we should have gotten all the information and being on the loop. That's why I'm saying it is not your fault, it's not your fault, I don't think that it is your fault at all. But I think that this has not been -- I mean, there is no transparency on this, because we been getting information piecemeal, you see, piecemeal. Chair Hardemon: I don't think we have a -- we don't have a term sheet just yet. Commissioner Reyes: Okay? Chair Hardemon: I mean -- Commissioner Reyes: And another thing that I want to make clear; I want to make clear. I want to go -- I mean, we can deal with this some other time ago, but I want to go through the process. This is an unsolicited bid, and according to our Charter; there is a process. By God's sake, let's start respecting our own Charter. And if this is going to go on the ballot, you see, and you decide that this is going to go on the ballot now, as it is, in order to bypass 29-B, you have to let people know that it's not a -- I mean, that they're voting not only for a stadium, a soccer stadium; that there is a huge, huge development that is going to take place, so they know what they're voting, because there have been a lot of instances that they don't know what the hell they're voting on. Commissioner Carollo: Madam City Attorney, could you pass out the ballot language that's being proposed with the slight change that I'm proposing? And the slight change that I put in it is to put no less than the $3,577,365 annual minimum rent, and the reason I put that is to make sure that it's clear that it's going to be higher than that; no less than that. Commissioner Reyes: How much? We don't know. Commissioner Carollo: Well -- Commissioner Reyes: Let's go to bidding. City of Miami Page 130 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Carollo: --let me tell you why we don't know. Because if we put this in the ballot, it's got to be approved today, and then it's approved in November. Then after it's approved is when we have to start entering true negotiations. And -- Commissioner Reyes: But why we are going to bypass the rules? Commissioner Carollo: Which ones are you talking about? Because -- Commissioner Reyes: 29-B. Ms. Mendez: I can talk to 29-B if you give me a moment. Commissioner Reyes: And I know that it's legal. Ms. Mendez: Okay. Commissioner Reyes: I know that it's legal. It's nothing illegal; it is legal. But we have -- and that's what been happening all the time. And you talking about bad habits, you see, that's been happening all the time, and I mean, my question is, you see, try to avoid all of those things. Commissioner Carollo: Well, we don't -- Commissioner Reyes: That's a more straight question. Commissioner Carollo: -- bypass it -- Commissioner Reyes: No, we don't. Commissioner Carollo: -- if the residents approve it. Commissioner Reyes: No, no, no. Commissioner Carollo: That's the difference. Commissioner Reyes: No. We are the ones that are approving sending it to the ballot. Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. Commissioner Reyes: Okay. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair? Commissioner Reyes: And the residents -- and let me tell you this, let me tell you this: You're a politician. You know that the residents, they don't have the deep pockets to start a political campaign, you see. And what I want to do is, without the - Commissioner Carollo: There's another question that's coming. Commissioner Reyes: -- there's another issue. What I want to do is -- Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. Commissioner Reyes: -- bring into the ballot a question that they know that it will benefit them, I mean, who is -- City of Miami Page 131 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Carollo: Commissioner -- Commissioner Reyes: -- what is the best value that we're going to receive for that land. Commissioner Carollo: I understand what you're saying. Commissioner Reyes: I don't have any -- Commissioner Carollo: I -- Commissioner Reyes: -- doubt -- Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. Commissioner Reyes: -- that they will win the -- Commissioner Carollo: I understand what you're saying, and you're correct. The opposition would not have the deep pockets. Commissioner Reyes: Oh, no, no, no. Chair Hardemon: Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Carollo: That's the point that I've made in some other questions that'll be coming up in November. Commissioner Reyes: Absolutely. Commissioner Carollo: That -- Chair Hardemon: Mr. Mayor -- I want to recognize the Mayor. Mayor Suarez: I just want to say briefly that the 29-B process that we're using is the same one that we used -- I think -- a month ago for Jungle Island; the year before for Monty's. Commissioner Reyes: Yes, sir. Mayor Suarez: Before that, for Rusty Pelican. Commissioner Reyes: Sir; but those were businesses that had been established in the City already. What we did, we extended the contract. Mayor Suarez: I'm just saying -- Commissioner Reyes: And that's it. And -- Mayor Suarez: --it's -- Commissioner Reyes: -- it is wrong, too. Mayor Suarez: Right. Commissioner Reyes: Okay? Mayor Suarez: I'm just saying, it's the same process -- Commissioner Reyes: Yes, sir. City of Miami Page 132 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mayor Suarez: -- that we used in all those other occasions, just like -- Commissioner Carollo: The one that we're going to use in the Hyatt, in the future, maybe. Mayor Suarez: Right. Just like -- Commissioner Reyes: But the Hyatt's there. Mayor Suarez: -- we did a no bid extension in 2012 for the current operator of the golf course, which I voted on, by the way, and voted in favor of it. 2012 or 20147 Unidentified Speaker: '12. Mayor Suarez: 12. So, you know, there is precedent for doing things a certain way, and I -- Commissioner Carollo: That was '127 Mayor Suarez: I think it was '12. Commissioner Carollo: Okay. I- the last one I thought I saw was 2011, so -- Commissioner Gort: Maybe not. Commissioner Carollo: -- I'm only asking because there's more stuff -- Mayor Suarez: Yeah. Commissioner Carollo: --that I haven't seen. Thankyou. Mayor Suarez: Thankyou. Commissioner Reyes: Yeah, but those were existing businesses, and you know that, Joe. You know. Chair Hardemon: Does the Vice Chairman want the floor? Vice Chair Russell: I've got my popcorn. I'm enjoying listening, so. I'd like to hear what you have to say, Chairman. Commissioner Gort: We need more popcorn. Commissioner Reyes: Are we going to have a theater in there, too? Chair Hardemon: That's -- but that's part of the benefit of being the Chair. I encourage conversation and discussion amongst my board members, and then I usually give my opinion, so that's fortunate for me; and so, that's what I'll do. That's what good Chairmen do; they encourage conversation. Commissioner Carollo: Well, you're a good Chairman. Commissioner Reyes: The best. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou. Vice Chair Russell: Well, I'm the youngest politician up here, except for Manolo Reyes. He's politically younger than I am. City of Miami Page 133 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: Yes, I am, but I tried more times than he did. Vice Chair Russell: That's true; doesn't count till you get in. But I won't bore you with my life story. I mean, I was a surfboard salesman. I didn't play golf, I didn't play soccer, it's not my district. But I'm starting to count what's going on here, and I think a lot ofpolitics in Miami is counting, and I'm feeling the district Commissioner, that I know; Commissioner Reyes, that I know. Commissioner Carollo already made the motion, if I'm not mistaken; it has not been seconded. I'm really impressed with the accomplishment and vision that is before us today; the accomplishments within sports, within business, with -- to me, it's only surpassed by the potential of the people that are sitting behind you; the kids that are here for -- now, 14 hours? Commissioner Reyes: Yes. Unidentified Speaker: 15. Vice Chair Russell: 15 hours, because they care so damned much. I really trust in the Mayor's vision. I understand what he's working on here, and I can see it; we can see it. It should be a very happy day for us when we're sitting here, looking at the potential here, and if the numbers I understand so far -- there's a lot of potential benefits here for the City. But we're not happy; there's fear, there's anger; there's mistrust, there's -- I want to be helpful here. I want to try to get us to a place, but I forgot my rubber stamp. We got work to do. I got lots of problems. I got 99 problems, and this pitch ain't one. And it starts with process. Now, I don't expect those who are coming in to know the best way to get this done, but you've hired the people who do. And the Mayor sets forth a vision, and his Administration is to carry it out, and they know. And there's been a lot of talk over the last six months of -- we are Commissioners for the City, we vote for the City. But the truth of the matter is the people most directly affected in that area where that project goes, before the entire City gets a vote, only elected two people: the Mayor and this Commissioner. My vote today, I'm untouchable to them, because they don't get to vote for me down - - up or down next time up. So the role of a district Commissioner is sacred; it is important. He has the pulse of the people in his neighborhood that get affected the most, and he's been disrespected in this position. He should have been the first stop, the very first stop by the applicant, by the City, because it's very hard to push a project forward without the support of the local Commissioner, and it's -- that's the first big hurdle for me, because I felt that before, when I know what's going on in my district and I know, I know how they feel. So I don't know how the constituents of Commissioner Gort's feels; and, unfortunately, neither do you, because we haven't had a public meeting in the neighborhood, which is usually another -- that's step two, because if you'd gone to him, that'd probably have been the first thing he said. He might have been completely opposed, but he said, "Let's talk to the neighbors and see what they want, " because in the creation of a master plan of this project, they should have say-so. They should have a say-so in what the plan looks like, the amenities, the type ofpark,- and, inevitably, they will, if this goes forward, because between now and -- at least I would not let it get past that point without a lot of public input. We do much more public input for much less project -- much smaller projects, and this is a big one; possibly the biggest land deal the City's ever done, and it's coming so fast; it's coming so fast. It's got my stomach turning all day today, and I honestly don't know, and I haven't known for days, my staff doesn't know where my vote is, because I'm really torn. I want to see the voters have a choice, so Tin not opposed to voting "no, " to put this before the electorate. But they trust us to vet these projects before it comes to them so they know that when they vote 'yes" or "no," they trust that we've done our homework. And it's been tough getting the information I need to make this decision, because it's a big decision. And I've met with your group, Mr. Mas, three times now. I went to the golf course met with the De Luccas for the first time this past week. I'm so glad I did that, because it really, really made me see what's there, and that's -- so let's just start there. For me, that is City of Miami Page 134 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 -- deal breaker number one is that The First Tee continue in existence in a -- as the same or greater form than they are today. That's a non-starter for me if that's not the case. But -- and I see the solutions happening. I see that the Beckham team, Mr. Mas, you've looked at the program. You understand what's going on here; you've incorporated. You could fully house their program in a Chelsea Piers style of oust, and create a first-class First Tee Program. I get that. They lose an 18 -hole golf course for that, though, and that's a big part of it, too, apparently. So Commissioner -- Mayor Suarez stepped in, and he solved that problem, and pretty quick -- very fortunate -- with the Mayor of Miami Springs, which -- literally, it's a mile away. So could this be a solution that could work for you? I see a lot of heads shaking, and I see a lot skepticism, because, unfortunately, this hasn't been done together with you; it's kind of being done to you. And so, that makes it tough, as well. And the irony is that the things that you care about and love and want, and push for are the same things they care about and love and want. We should all be here together. We're having trouble, and it's making it tough. But I don't want to say I can't get there, because I've been very open from the start of the concerns that I've had in the meetings that we've had. I've -- I think it's surmountable, but the process has left my constituents -- the people who elect me -- very angry and very nervous about where I'm going to be on this, and I'm hearing from it every day, even since we've been up here. People don't feel comfortable, because they don't know what's going on, on something very big. Commissioner Reyes: That's the problem. Vice Chair Russell: And we know a little bit more, because we've been pulling at it. We've been trying to get as much information over the last three weeks as we can. I feel like I should be a dentist. I've been pulling teeth, trying to get planning and zoning information, financial information, remediation information. I became a Commissioner because I wanted to clean up the contaminants out of the park in front of my house at Merrie Christmas Park; has the exact same ash that's in here. I can tell you every one of the chemicals that's in there if it's the same ash that was dumped from the incinerators that used to burn the trash in the poor parts of town. And as much as I'm stressing about this, it's all brought into perspective from this morning, from those of you who sat through this morning's entire session, listening to the African-American Bahamian people of the West Grove and the existential crisis they face just trying to make it and live, and have a house; gives you whiplash to think of the things that we're worrying about here tonight; very important things, but it's the tale of Miami; it's the tale of two cities. And the ash that rained down on their houses is what's in this golf course right now. It's not -- Ms. Mendez: Allegedly. Vice Chair Russell: Allegedly. Thank you. Ms. Mendez: Thank you. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, Madam City Attorney, for claming; don't want to get us in trouble. Commissioner Reyes: That's (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Vice Chair Russell: And it wasn't that the golf course was just built on the dump. They used the ash to build the golf course. They brought it in, in the '40s. Commissioner Reyes: Really? Vice Chair Russell: Before that, this was captured from the residents by eminent domain to create a sewage plant; not the cleanest history. There's a lot of work here. So number two on my list -- after taking care of First Tee, which I do see we City of Miami Page 135 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 have a potential to do, and it looks like it may work out -- is this remediation, because I know what it costs to clean up a remediation, and this one scares me. And I need to know that the City will have zero liability in the cleanup of this remediation, no matter what it is, no matter how bad it gets, no matter you find when you pick that scab, because I'm assuming the worst; certainly doable, certainly cleanable, but it could be something pretty significant, and I don't know if you've budgeted for that. I don't know if you're prepared for that, and what your limit is. Mr. Mas: May I address that? Thank you, Commissioner. We have, and, you know, we've been discussing, obviously, the remediation, the cleanup. We have had conversations with -- I think there's been a significant amount of involvement, hired by the City, consultants, work; work done when the golf course was rebuilt. I think recently, four or five years ago, the largest ash plume was where the existing water park is now; that's why the expense of -- I think, I believe almost $10 million was needed, because it necessitated the removal of the soil to another site. We have obviously explored and looked at what is the liability there, because it obviously affects the feasibility, not only of this project, but of any project that is there. You know, when we've looked at it -- and I have had estimates given to me by different firms -- they're multi -million -dollar estimates; it is expensive. So one of the reasons -- and could I have a few seconds? I know I'm going to mix a couple subjects here, because a lot of this is on land and percentage lease that we've talked about. When I spoke earlier, my narrative of no taxpayer dollars, to me, it was extremely important. The typical -- and the typical deal comes here at the City and you partner with someone and the City invests some money and the City pays for cleanup and it's a partnership, and you share in the ups and downs of a project, understood. I didn't want to be stigmatized by that, because of the stadium and the Marlins issue. So when we looked at the remediation, I would like to make a commitment to you that the City is not going to be on the hook for any of the remediation, for any of the lands, for any -- for 100 and -- there's been a question as to the size of the land. I believe it's more than 150, but -- 130 acres, 130 acres. So we looked at remediating the park portion, as well, the 58 acres. Our objective was to be able to leave a green, clean pad there; the majority of which they told me can be done by capping. We've looked at numbers and ranges. The whole site development budget that, frankly, we've been looking at, is around $100 million. Not all of that is remediation, obviously, because it -- there's a significant amount of other cost. I have been told, and I share with you -- and, you know, I have always told you exactly what I think and what I know -- that the largest factor of cost there is going to be the depth of the lakes. If the depth of the lakes is 30 feet, it is going to be an extremely expensive remediation. If the depth of the lakes is 15 feet, which is what they think is there -- and we don't have measurements yet -- the remediation should be a reasonable amount of money that we, as a group, will undertake all of the responsibility for the remediation of the whole property. So if we're given the depths of the lake, I think that we can very, very quickly come up with a figure and a number in order to achieve the objective that the City is not on the hook for any of the remediation, because, again, when I stand here before you and I tell you I do not want the City to have to pay for anything, it's an unknown. I cannot give you a figure of commitment on that, because we may go in and find something there that makes this unfeasible for anyone, ever. They've told me that's not going to happen, but it's a possibility. So, you know, I believe that by using liner, by capping, and by doing these things, I think that we can -- you know, if those things can be accomplished, knowing the depth of the lakes, we could commit to -- and obviously, there's different phases here, so this -- not tonight -- we could make a commitment to you that you will bear no remediation cost on the property. Vice Chair Russell: So that was -- that -- there's a little contingency there, because you still have some measuring to do, and it might be worse than you think. But if we're looking at putting ballot language together tonight, I would like the words, "100 percent privately funded" in this ballot language, so that's -- City of Miami Page 136 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Carollo: It is; it is there. Vice Chair Russell: And I notice that you are -- you and I were thinking on the same terms here. Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. It is there. Vice Chair Russell: Special moment of clarity. Commissioner Reyes: Yeah. Vice Chair Russell: And I just received the draft you passed out. Another phrase that I wanted to add in is -- well, we'll get to that a second. But that "100 percent privately funded, " is a very specific term -- Mr. Mas: Yes, it is. Vice Chair Russell: -- a very -- legal ramifications. Mr. Mas: Understood. Vice Chair Russell: And that protects the City. Mr. Mas: Understood. Vice Chair Russell: And that lets the voters know that there can't be -- Mr. Mas: No turning back. Vice Chair Russell: -- even the utilities hookups can't be comped by us. The police security that shows up can't be comped by us. This is a 100 percent privately funded project, and that's very generous. And many of the things that you're offering here are very generous. This is not something we've seen before in a stadium deal. So it also pains me, too, when I heard the words, "giveaway, " and I hear the words, "Marlins deal, " because I've studied this enough to know it's neither of those, but it's just unfortunate that our residents haven't been able to study enough, and that vacuum of information has caused mistrust. Mr. Mas: And, Commissioner; to address that, as well, because, you know, in our research for some of the remediation, it could take some time. And apparently, there's been no access to the site. But let me address that; and again, if I could go back for a second. We have -- this team is kicking off in March of 2020. I got involved in November. I sometimes have hoped -- I wish I would have been involved five years ago, but our Lord didn't have it that way. We are doing things as fast as we can. We are under a significant amount of pressure from the league in the MLS, by legal agreement, that we need to have a path to where we're going to build a stadium. We do not, and I do not, as an owner of the team, responsibly have the luxury of a lot of time. I found that the mechanism, which was explained to me and processed to me about getting it to the ballot, and then anything that we do has to come back here. And, obviously, it is in our responsibility to inform the electorate; first, what they are voting on, and what the project is. I want to keep the electorate informed as quickly as I get informed. So on the remediation, I'd love to give you a figure, a range on remediation now, and tell you, "This is the range we're in, " and we're done. I don't have that. But I truly believe that the ballot language does not prevent any of us from finding solutions to any of these issues. Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. City of Miami Page 137 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Mas: And I think and I commit to you that we're going to work diligently to solve these things; to solve the remediation issue, to solve The First Tee Program, hurry -- and remembering the youth that's going to, you know, enjoy soccer here. This is a lot of different phases; doesn't lock us into anything, but I think it's important to begin this process in this manner, because I understand there are timelines. I wish they weren't, but there are. And -- but you have my commitment as the managing owner of this team, and as the -- you know -- head of developing this property; that it is our intent that this be 100 percent privately financed with all of the connotations, as you very well explained. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. The next thing that troubled me was the park space issue, because not only will I not allow The First Tee to disappear or diminish, I will not allow the City to expend its tax dollars on this project, but also will not allow us to lose one acre -- one inch of park space. And by what magic we can do that -- it's in our comp plan. It's a no -net -loss parks policy, but it's got to be real. It's got to be Commissioner Reyes: Park; have to be park. Vice Chair Russell: -- not only the letter of it, but the spirit of it, because there's all sorts of legal gymnastics we can do to say, "That swale over there is our new piece of park, and that median over there is now declared a park, " but if we reduce park space -- and I know -- I understand the argument, because you are -- you would be creating this 58 -acre --you know --park, plus the 12 soccer fields on top of the park, and which could be considered park, open access, kids playing, the whole thing. I get it. But the commercial aspect of this would reduce park space in our -- in the legal term of what it is. This is a CS, civic -space -zoned area now. We've got to find it elsewhere, and in our discussions, I know you heard me on that, and that's something we have to make up for anywhere in the City. It can be done in a large legacy project, like the baywalk and riverwalk. It can be done in pocket parks. It can be done in rooftop soccer fields that are in old abandoned tennis courts owned by the City, but that we're making experiences for sports that could be called a real park; that it could pass the toddler test when they walk into it and look around, and go, "Yeah, this is a park." Because if they walk into part of the shopping area here, and we say, "Well, this is still zoned CS, because it's this much percentage green space over here, " but that toddler doesn't feel like he's in a park. It doesn't count for me. So we cannot lose park space in this City, and whatever we work on in this deal cannot lose park space. So all of the replacement park space needs to be identified by the time of any zoning change, and it needs to be completed -- like, accessible by that toddler -- by the time you get a CO (Certificate of Occupancy), by the time you open, so that when this park disappears, that one appears. The zoning is still a bit of an anomaly to me. I've had ranges -- because my first question to my Administration that I couldn't get a straight answer on was, "How much park space would we lose in this? How much would we have to zone away from CS to something else -- T6-28 -- whatever it is we need to do to build the commercial side of this? I couldn't get a straight answer, but it could have been as high as 70 acres, but I understand there's interpretations that it could be as low as seven acres and -- or eight acres, and that scares me, because I see -- the stadium, for example, I don't know if I would still consider that park space once it's done. There is -- we got a lot of work to do, and I don't know how we get there tonight. I want to be helpful here. I want to solve the concerns that the residents have, change the language that's necessary, find the right financials for the City, and see if we've got something that we can come on consensus to, to put to the voters. So do I have a commitment from you with regard to the park space replacement that we talked about? Iris Escarra: Correct, we do. Iris Escarra, at 333 Southeast 2nd Avenue. We do have a commitment to comply with the comp plan's no -net -loss policy. We'll work with the City, with yourselves, with the Commissioners, and probably the community in order to assess exactly where we comply with that policy that's in place today. City of Miami Page 138 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: Let me -- Mr. Chair? Vice Chair Russell: The next problem is the finances, and I've expressed -- I've been very clear with the Manager; with the Mayor; and each of you as I've met with you that I have a problem with the finances, because we are waiving competitive bidding. And there may be reasons for doing that, but in doing so, nobody's fighting over each other to give us the best deal. You're potentially offering the lowest legally mandated deal, and that's not good enough for us. So how do we have comfort allowing our residents to vote on this and waive competitive bidding? They've got to trust that we're getting them the best deal, so it's got to be great for the City, not just acceptable. And I mentioned early on that I believe I've got some potential solutions to that, because, one, we're looking at the base annual minimum rent by the appraisals, and we have that. But I really believe that if 10 years from now, you all are doing very successfully -- and by the charts I've seen, 380 million a year in revenues, and we're still hitting our 3 million a year; or maybe you even multiply that; or maybe you sell some of the assets within it, and we're still capped, but your sky is limitless -- it's going to look like a bad deal, and it will have been a bad deal. So what I'm asking for is a percentage rent of gross revenue, and I would like a percent of the capital transactions that happen any time within the lease, because then, the City wins when you win. When you do well, the City does well, and we all win together, and nobody can fault us for cutting a bad deal. I know we're not equity partners in this with you, as we're not investing in this, but I do believe that if we put this out to bid, somebody's going to come back with a revenue-sharing deal to try to get the deal, and I needed -- I need the result we get from this to be one that you foughtfor; and then, I need that our residents, when they vote on this, they know that why they're voting is to waive competitive bidding, because in the current draft ballot language, that is not there. This just goes to them, and they might come away just saying, "Do you like soccer? Yes? Check here. " And that's not good enough. So I need the words, "waive competitive bidding, " and I know that Commissioner Carollo added that in his draft, as well, into the first line -- Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. Vice Chair Russell: -- of the Charter language. How are we feeling about revenue- sharing? Mr. Perez: Well, let me ask the -- let me answer the first aspect of your -- the first part of your question; then Mr. Mas will address that, the revenue-sharing portion. So the way that I think this ballot language reads now and the way that we've discussed this deal with the Administration is that we're setting a baseline, 3,577, 000 and change per year in terms of annual rent. But that rent will be adjusted, based on the fair market value of two independent appraisals. So you'll have a market check with regards to an independent -- two independent appraisals establishing that number in protection for the City in terms of a floor of 3,577,000. And then, the way the City has structured all of their lease transactions -- at least all of the ones that I've been involved with and I've seen -- is that there is an additional check to that as the years go by. So in future years, you're going to reevaluate that fair market value and set a new baseline as you go forward. So if the jumps in any given particular year over a period of time aren't sufficient to match fair market value, you'll have that check in future years. So structurally, the way that the City has negotiated its leases in the past, you have a mechanism to address those changes in valuation over time that would protect the City, and provide an independent check to those numbers through independent appraisals. So -- Vice Chair Russell: That sounded like a good lawyerly "no. " Mr. Perez: No. That sounded like I answered the first half of your question. City of Miami Page 139 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Vice Chair Russell: Oh, the first half. Okay, sorry. Mr. Perez: There you go. Vice Chair Russell: Because, yes, that would address the market value, the fair market value of it. Mr. Mas: Let me address it; not as a lawyer. As I have seen, the typical transactions where the City participates with a vendor business or developer -- and let me clear up some of the numbers that I've seen reported -- 380 million, 420 million. Those are all estimates of the sales that the businesses that are tenants there will do. And I hope the number is much higher, because it generates more taxes. But that is not the number that we will be receiving. And to use very simple mathematics, if we did -- pick a number -- a million square feet at $40 afoot, triple net, and this was a really, really beautiful project that we want to do, that's $40 million. On an $850 million investment, you're going to have some parking revenue with that, you'll have other revenue trailers, but the entity -- the Miami Freedom Park entity that is doing this transaction will never get anywhere near a hundred - plus -million -dollar number. The --for example, if we take a tenant in and he pays $40 million -- and let's use our T-shirt sponsor; Adidas. And let's say Adidas wants to open a mega -store there -- one of the three worldwide ones they're looking at opening -- and they're paying $40 a square foot. And I hope that they have a line outside the door and they do tens of millions of dollars in sales. That's something that's not attributed to us, so I want to clear up that point. When I stand here before you and I say that we're committed to no taxpayer dollars, to making the investment with no participation from the City, to cover the potential remediation and cleanup, to spend in excess of $100 million that is necessary to even start vertical construction, that is a significant and substantial investment; that the reason that we designed the land lease like that, with no percentage revenue, is because we're investing that amount of money. If I were to stand here before you and be asking you to participate with us as partners, then I think a percentage of revenue of some sales would be appropriate. In this case, I think we're making such a massive investment that, frankly, the yield would not be -- it really would be very difficult to give a percentage; it would be negligent. And I'm not going to be facetious here. So our offer is on the land lease -- and we will give the City the privately 100 percent financing on everything. But let me address something that you said that I think is a larger narrative, and I'll use this not as the anti -Marlins. I'll use this as the anti - Jeffrey Loria, because I'm familiar, also, with what happened when he sold the team now, because I came in second place. If for some reason this project is ultra - successful and it is doing very well, and there is a capital transaction -- a sale or any type -- of that type -- I do think that if it is a windfall, the City should participate. So I am extremely open to a percentage of the gross sale -- not net, like the Marlins designed it -- gross sale so in order -- so that the taxpayers of the City participate in the potential of value and windfall in this project. You have our commitment on that. Vice Chair Russell: That's good. We're ha Way there. Commissioner Reyes: Can I ask you a question? How about if it fails? Mr. Mas: If it fails, none of us get anything. So let me talk about that. But the City still gets their $3.5 million. Commissioner Reyes: Okay. Mr. Mas: The City is guaranteed $3.5 million, bad and good. And we can't fail -- let me give you a difference with the Marlins as well. The Marlins have zero incentive to fill your retail space. They're not going to fill it, because there's no gain to them. Here, I have all the risk. I need to make it successful, because I'm bearing the risk, me. I'll share in the upside and like up -- you know -- upside, but I'm bearing the City of Miami Page 140 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 risk; that is why, since he walked into my office the first day that I saw him, I told him, "This deal will be different." And if it's not feasible to do, I wouldn't be standing here and presenting it. Commissioner Carollo: Yeah, but it -- something else that you left out: The reason the Marlins don't care and really don't want the retail space that's ours to be filled, because -- Mr. Mas: Competes. Commissioner Carollo: -- it's going to compete with them. Mr. Mas: Yes. Commissioner Carollo: And that's all they care about. Mr. Mas: Yes. Commissioner Carollo: Inside the stadium. Mr. Mas: Yes. Commissioner Carollo: Now, the bottom line, outside of what he said, and I believe that when we get -- if we get to the second phase of negotiating the lease, there still is some wiggling room, and, you know, we'll get into that, and I'll show you and I'll show them how. But it's impossible to get into that now for the simple reason that all these numbers -- we're putting minimums, but they're going to change. You might put more hotel, less office, more retail. Between now and when the lease gets done, those numbers are going to change, and the monies that they make in each separate item is going to be different, so that's why we can't do that now, too. Vice Chair Russell: I'm open to an average blended rate of S percent of gross proceeds; not total revenues, but gross proceeds. And that would mean maybe it's 7 on the hotel, maybe it's 2 on the hotdogs, or whatever. And if you don't make revenue off of a sub -lessee, then I get it. But our deal is with you, and we believe that we are, in a sense, partners here, because it's not just land we're giving. We're giving our people. This is their asset, it's not ours, so we have to fight for that. And I know it was much recommended by the Administration, "Wait, we can worry about that later," but I can't just close my eyes and vote now. This is our moment. I believe this is our moment to get this right, at least on the parts that matter to a guarantee that when the voters vote, they -- things can't change, because we can negotiate that lease till the cows come home, but once the voters say, 'yes, " and they want this to happen, and the momentum is behind it, we -- and by "we,"I mean the residents -- lose a lot of leverage in this negotiation. I believe in their vision; I believe in what they're giving back; I believe in their true intentions for the City of Miami. But they are very shrewd businessmen, and we need to try to be, as well. Commissioner Reyes: One thing thatl -- Commissioner Gort: Let -- Commissioner Reyes: -- want to add to this -- Chair Hardemon: Let me recognize Commissioner Gort. Commissioner Gort please. Commissioner Gort: Let me tell you, the City is giving the best land that exists in all of South Florida, so that's something that we are putting in. Now -- City ofMiami Page 141 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Carollo: No; that was Watson Island. Commissioner Gort: Well, it's a little smaller. But the one thing I see here, I see a change already. With all my backup material, I have a 500 -room hotel. In here, it's 750. Commissioner Reyes: 750. Commissioner Gort: What is it? Commissioner Carollo: That's minimum. Commissioner Gort: But in my backup that I've been reading and I've been studying, doing the work on, it's 500. Commissioner Carollo: What is says is, "at least 750 -unit hotel, conference center, and a million square feet of retail, entertainment, and office. " Vice Chair Russell: Was that your amendment or theirs? Ms. Mendez: The -- Commissioner Carollo: This is the amendment -- Ms. Mendez: Okay. So let me clam that for a second. I passed out Commissioner Carollo's proposed amendments, and that's where he put certain minimums in order to address the fact that we didn't have all the exact terms. So that's where you have a minimum of 750 -unit hotel, conference center, a million square feet of retail entertainment, and office; no less than -- and this address Commissioner Russell's point -- 3,577,365 million for the annual minimum rent and those issues. So it's minimums, and those are his amendments. Commissioner Gort: You need 750 rooms? Mr. Mas: Excuse me, Commissioner? Commissioner Gort: Do you need a hotel with 750 rooms? Mr. Mas: We are plan -- the plans, as shown in the vision is 750 hotel rooms; yes, sir. Commissioner Gort: Okay. See, this just changed on me today. I wasn't aware of that. I mean, the backup -- Mr. Mas: I don't know what -- Commissioner Gort: -- material says -- Mr. Mas: I don't know where you're receiving your documentation from, but -- Vice Chair Russell: Which; the 500 or the 750? Because it did change, right? Mr. Mas: Did it change (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? Commissioner Carollo: Mayor, what did you receive? Mayor Suarez: I think what happened was you proffered a floor amendment, which changed it from 500 to 750, and that's what the delta is; that's what the difference is. City ofMiaini Page 142 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 So, I mean, any Commissioner has the right to proffer any floor amendments that they'd like. Commissioner Carollo: So you could understand, the Miami International Airport, they have 250 rooms that are very, very old. Commissioner Reyes: Right. Commissioner Carollo: They're planning on tearing those down, and they need to build 800. So if we build that, it's going to be taken up immediately, because it's going to be even 50 less than they need there. And frankly, if we're smart, we should build even more there, because it's going to be a need for it -- tremendous need -- and that means more revenue to our residents, and more jobs to our residents. Commissioner Gort: I got a problem with those changes. This is what this deal's been all along. We don't get the right figures all the time. They make changes and we're not aware of it, you know. I'm going to put this in the record. I'm responsible to these people. They're the ones deciding the (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Vice Chair Russell: What's that? Commissioner Gort: I want to make sure you put that in the record. Mr. Mas: Petition. Vice Chair Russell: I've got a couple more financial questions. There was a comment made earlier about labor peace. Are you all committed to the labor peace negotiation, putting that together? That's one of our requirements, honestly. Mr. Perez: We've already commenced negotiations with the union representatives; we're in the process. We've exchanged drafts of agreements already, so we're working through that process right now, so. Vice Chair Russell: Right. Here's another one: Anyone who contracts with this City -- and apparently, by the way it's written, it wouldn't apply to your situation -- must pay a minimum wage of $15 an hour to all of their employees. Is that something you'd be willing to commit to? Mr. Perez: I think -- it's something again that I think we need to -- it's a very difficult one for us at this point to really sort of commit to. I mean, that's a -- we will commit to working with your office, Commissioner Russell, on all of these issues. Some of these are -- have a very dramatic financial impact on the bottom line. We will work with you in an incredibly transparent manner to show you those numbers. And we honestly believe that the leverage of this Commission is not diminishing; in fact, it probably increases after this vote. It requires a four-fifths vote for us to get this lease approved, and you all will have an enormous amount of leverage at that point in time in terms of this project. And so, what we can commit to you, Commissioner Russell, is that we're going to work with you on those specific issues, and we'll be as transparent as we possibly can in terms of what we can and we cannot do. Commissioner Gort: Let me give you a little news. Mr. Perez: Yes, sir. Commissioner Gort: You're going to have to work with me. Mr. Perez: Of course. City of Miami Page 143 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Gort: I'm the one that got the signature, and those are the neighborhood that put me in power. Mr. Perez: Absolutely. Commissioner Gort: And they're the one that elected me, and I'm responsible to them. They have all the signatures in there. I get the phone calls. I go to the market, they come to me, and they give me the complaints; and so, you're going to have to work with me, and we have to work with these individuals who're sitting in here right now. Mr. Perez: Commissioner Gort, you have our absolute commitment to that. We will work with everybody. We -- the ultimate goal -- you heard from Mr. Mas. This is not going to be the Marlins deal. We are committed to making this Miami's team, and it starts here, and it starts in that neighborhood. We know this. We're going as fast as we can to address all of these issues, and we will have the time to do it between now and the finalization of the lease. Commissioner Gort: We need to, because we have -- you need -- Mr. Perez: Of course, sir. Commissioner Gort: -- a four-fifths vote, and you have two right now. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair? Mr. Perez: We entirely understand that. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair? I'd like to make the same commitment to you, Commissioner. I think you know me as a person of my word. I think any time you've ever needed me, or you needed me to be somewhere on any issue, I've been there. And anything that you need for your neighborhood -- your neighborhood is my neighborhood. I've transitioned -- and you told me the other day, "You've transitioned" -- "You have to transition from being a Commissioner to being the Mayor. " Commissioner Gort: To being the Mayor; yes, sir. Mayor Suarez: And that was good advice. And you've always given me good advice. You've always been a mentor for me. So I am committed to you to doing what it takes to make you feel comfortable, as well. Commissioner Gort: We got to work with them. Mayor Suarez: Sure. Commissioner Gort: That's the main thing. Mayor Suarez: Sure. Mr. Perez: You have our absolute commitment to that, Commissioner Gort, absolute commitment. Vice Chair Russell: This is our land. This is our gift to our community, and it should be the pinnacle of what we believe our community should be. And the pay wage gap in this City of what it costs to live and what people make is one of the worst in the country. The people who live here will have to commute for so far to just make it; that I believe it's our duty to use this City property as an example to say a business can be fully successful as a service organization, retail, restaurant, parks, City of Miami Page 144 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 everything, with a minimum wage of $15 an hour. That's an important one to me. This percentage of annual gross revenues is also a very important one to me, and that -- although I hadn't mentioned $15 an hour before, the percentage of revenue -- I've said it from the very start -- this deal is a non-starter without that, because I really believe that this City should benefit as you benefit; it should grow as you grow; it should be a really good partnership in that sense. The rest of it, I think once the community gets full education on the finances and the green space that's created, we can get through this. Mr. Perez: I think we can, for sure. Vice Chair Russell: But for me, those two points remain outstanding as non-starters for me. We can continue to negotiate, but that means I'm not ready tonight. This is so fluid. I mean, for us to be 'yes" tonight is -- it's pretty hard to swallow, actually. This is coming so fast, with such numbers changing, and unhappy Commissioners, and I think we can get there, but I -- Help me out, Chairman. Where are you at? Can I shut up and eat popcorn now? Chair Hardemon: I don't think it matters if you are where you are, but -- Commissioner Gort: Mr. Chairman, let me tell you, I think we've seen a show of individuals pro and against, the way they behave here. And I think they all deserve to get the best for them, for both. I think the golffor the kids, I think that's something that's very important. You know, you can become a soccer professional player; but it's not that easy, and we can tell you it's not that easy. But playing golf and educated in golf, you can get a scholarship a lot easier than playing football, basketball, or soccer. So The First Tee is very, very important to us. And I need to sit down with you guys and discuss some of the issues; we need to do that. The neighborhood has got a lot of problems with the traffic going in and out, because people don't want to use the arterials anymore. And now, you have the software that tells you how to go into the neighborhood and go -- cut the corner. I don't know what they call that software. I never use it. Chair Hardemon: Waze. Mayor Suarez: Waze. Commissioner Gort: But with the Waze. So this is something we really need to work on. And sometimes we might need to stand with the County, and the State. At this time, you made -- you talked about 45 buses coming to the facility. Right now in my district, Miami -Dade County eliminating two routes -- Mr. Mas: Okay. Commissioner Gort: -- that's being used by the senior citizens. They're no longer there. Mr. Mas: Okay. You have, Commissioner; our commitment on that. And frankly, when you look at the benefits that the County is going to receive in this, I think that, you know, from a planning and transportation point of view, they could use a lot of those resources and dollars to improve the situation in the neighborhood. And I think that we should approach the County and have them as a partner in finding solutions. Commissioner Reyes: Mr. Chair? Commissioner Gort: Okay. City of Miami Page 145 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: I only hope that we are not starting a trend of developing our green spaces. You see, I think that it's very important to keep our green spaces. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair, if I may on that issue? I've spent my entire career as a Commissioner trying to create green space. I did -- and maybe it's not as popular today as it was then -- champion a $50 million impact fee, a catch basement for the Underline. I have worked extensively with the County Commissioner Rebecca Sosa on Ludlum Trail. I did create a pocket park initiative with impact fees that has resulted in the purchase of multiple pocket parks. I did vote in favor of demolishing the building right out there. It took four years to convince Burn Notice to demolish the Miami Convention Center to create the park that's right out there; Regatta Park. So I've -- you have my commitment, Commissioner. This is not our objective. This is simply an idea that I think merits going to the voters for them to decide what they want to do with their property. It's certainly never been my history as a Commissioner, and it's not going to be my history as Mayor. I support the baywalk wholeheartedly. I've told you that privately. I'll tell you that publicly. Tampa did it, and it's revolutionized Tampa. I think we have a tremendous amount of upside by converting underutilized public spaces into park spaces and horizontal spaces, and that's what great cities do; that's what Copenhagen has done; that's what a variety of amazing -- Atlanta has done, with the Bellway. There's a lot of great cities that have done that. And that's my commitment, as well, to you, Commissioner. Vice Chair Russell: I have a question about the assessed value that's listed in here, the 3.577 that's in the ballot language. If we already have two appraisals, and the larger of those two is already at 4.7, why are we not using the 4.7 number? And maybe that's just a financial misunderstanding on my part. Could somebody help me with that? Mr. Mas: No, when -- do you want to speak about that? Unidentified Speaker: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: Mr. Rotenberg. Mr. Mas: Yeah, you talk about it because (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: Mr. Rotenberg. Daniel Rotenberg: Good evening. Daniel Rotenberg, Department of Real Estate and Asset Management. When we do the appraisals, we don't necessarily take the highest one. We do usually make it back, though -- Commissioner Reyes: Sure. Mr. Rotenberg: -- with percentage rent. We usually let the developer come back to us, and we have to alleviate some of their risk, but we usually make it back on the tail end with additional rent, whether it's increases with percentage rent, percentage rent and equity participation, but we usually make it back. That's fair market value and the actual market value, as we keep alluding to. Vice Chair Russell: So -- if I may? Chair Hardemon: Yes. Vice Chair Russell: Mr. Rotenberg, which number should we be asking for as the base? City of Miami Page 146 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Rotenberg: We can start lower at the 125, as long as we have percentage rent. I think we'll be comfortable with that, as long as we get the percentage rent, and we have increases coupled with it. Commissioner Carollo: But what we're forgetting is the upfront cost they're going to have to clean up that whole area. That's going to be (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Vice Chair Russell: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) risk. Mr. Rotenberg: We do have to take that into account, and we do have to have an idea of what that number is going to be, so it will be fair market. That is a true point. Vice Chair Russell: I'm willing to let it kick in at a certain point when they've recovered some of the initial costs; cushion a little bit of that. I'd be willing to take the lower base estimate if it included a percentage rent that we could lock into at this point; even though it'd be an average blended. We're going to work it out in the lease, butt want the voters to know that this is part of it. Mr. Rotenberg: The County. Vice Chair Russell: In some sense, this is part of it. Mr. Rotenberg: And like Commissioner Carollo says, as long as we take into account some buffer; so if the cleanup is a certain amount, we figure that in. Mr. Perez: One important factor for you to understand, Commissioner; is that each of those appraisals that you saw, both had a major assumption in them that this property was -- had no environmental contamination. And so, that's why that number, $1.50 is a -- it's an accurate number, but it's an accurate number that assumes that there's no environmental contamination. Vice Chair Russell: Commissioner Gort, with more information and more public outreach, are you a potential 'yes" on this, or has it--? Commissioner Gort: I don't want to commit from now, because I want to make sure -- I want to keep them honest, to realize that the four -fifth will take place when it comes to the negotiation. I want to make sure they sit down with me, they talk to me, and then we take care a lot of the problems that we have in the neighborhood, and with our people. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair? Chair Hardemon: Yes. Mayor Suarez: I do think that there are community meetings that are going to be needed, and I do think that that is part of the land use component of this project. I think the reason why there were community meetings prior to the Overtown site being chosen as the final site was because that was a land use issue; and so, it's sort of an apples -to -apples comparison. In this case, you have the additional step that you have to approve this deal by the voters. So there will be community meetings. I've committed to doing that with the Commissioner. Mr. Mas is committed to walking the neighborhood, door to door. And I think the Commissioner has a great point. He has a tremendous amount of leverage, because the lease itself requires a supermajority coming -- you know -- back to this Commission. So if this were to pass tonight as a 3-2 vote, then there's still an enormous amount of leverage with this Commission, because it is not sufficient to sign a lease under those circumstances; and so, they're going to have to also commit to whatever they're going to pay, which is going to be an upfront cost for the campaign, as well, because City of Miami Page 147 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 I presume that they're going to advocate for this, so that's all at some cost. And they don't have the guarantee that they're going to win, number one; and they don't have the guarantee, number two that they're going to have the four-fifths vote when it comes back. Chair Hardemon: Mr. Mayor, I'm glad that you said that, because -- and by "that, " I'm referencing the public input that was put -- or the public meetings that were -- that occurred in the Overtown area. Not every public meeting was managed by the Miami City Commission; there were some managed by Miami -Dade County, and I think they got a little unruly. The ones that we had in the City, they were a bit more managed. And they certainly didn't have the same players involved. I'll say -- I remember this deal first came to my attention, probably at the beginning of my first term, and how we -- you know, I'm just a -- as Commissioner Gibson put it, you know, "I'm just a colored kid from Liberty City, " but I could tell that when this deal first came about -- I think it was being discussed at -- in the port area -- it didn't look good. It appeared to be that people were more excited about parading around with Mr. Beckham than actually trying to get the support that they needed to make a project come into fruition. I mean, everyone was telling their story, and I'm not going to tell you a long story, but I'm the only person sitting up here that was born in public housing. So I was born in James E. Scott Community Homes Public Housing Project, and that was the second public housing development in Miami -Dade County; ended up becoming one of the largest. Eventually, it was torn down, a lot of people were disenfranchised, moved, and forgotten about. And so, golf wasn't my first sport. I don't know if it ever became a sport. I played baseball and I played football. I was pretty quick. I think if I had three months of training, I can beat Beckham in afoot race. If he gives it tome, I'll take it, right? But what's important about it is that I think I -- when I went off to college, I entered a business program, so I ended up graduating Florida A&M (Agricultural and Mechanical) University. I chose to go to that school over Florida State. Florida State offered me a little bit more money, but there was something about an experience that I had when I first went off -- when I was looking at colleges. And I watched about 1,200 African- American students, male and female, walk into this space called an auditorium for a function called forum. And what it was, was that in business school, they invited CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) of major Fortune 500 companies into this space, and the students would be allowed to ask them questions, and each question had a couple different premises, a final question, and then a follow-up question. But I had never seen that many black faces walk into a space, wearing a suit. I never had a black teacher until I went to college. And these are things that, you know, you don't realize have value until it happens to you. It was kind of like, "wow." You know, being born and raised in Liberty City, I didn't know anyone that wore a suit every day. A blackperson? Naw. Commissioner Reyes: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: Well, he wears shiny suits; it's a difference. And so -- and I didn't know T. Willard Fair; so. But -- so it was just a -- it was an incredible experience to see that happen for me; to see all these people that looked just like me, they were as young as I am, walk into a space with a tailored suit on. The only suit that I wore -- I modeled for a business that is still in existence called Rasool's Menswear. I see some faces smiling, because they know what Rasool's Menswear attire looks like. And I could probably find the picture for you, but the suit was a pink leather suit. It was grossly ill -fitted, and I was wearing Air Force I's; thought I looked good. And I'm glad things changed. But at FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University), I had an opportunity to take a business sport, because in the business school, to end up graduating with a -- my master's in business administration, I had to have taken a sort of business sport. My business sport that I chose was golf. So, you know, I learned it, played it from here to there. But my point is that throughout my childhood into adulthood, I never actually played golf, and I probably would have never, even if I was exposed to it, because of the cost. Baseball was more -- City of Miami Page 148 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 was expensive enough. Soccer just was a -- had never, ever come to mind. I think any -- we didn't even have a soccer program -- I don't know if we had a soccer program, especially where I grew up, no; it just didn't happen. So it's just -- it's interesting, because I'm watching this proliferation of soccer happen in my City. And in my district, I mean, we just spent many millions of dollars in creating a artificial turf soccer field in Little Haiti, which is something that American football and football, as we know it, had been competing on the same field, and the field was going through a lot of deterioration, and you would have to shut the field; cost a lot to keep it up; and so, we put a turf out, and everyone's excited about it. And I'm watching how, you know, we have these spaces in Overtown and also on -- in Liberty City, in the Liberty City area where they've created these mini soccer fields underneath expressways. And so, people are actually traveling into that space to play soccer, et cetera. And so, when I think about a playing field, that's what a golf course is; it's really a playing field. When we talk about the country club, James E. Scott Housing was my country club. You didn't have to pay in there; might have to pay to get out, but -- I mean, it really speaks to me. I mean, I'll admit to you, I've been to Melreese, had many sandwiches there, but I've never played golf there, and I've never had an opportunity, I mean, to walk one hole. And so, you know, I think about that. And, you know, I wonder to myself, "Can that space be better utilized?" And when you look at what was presented today and you see -- just the fact of the matter there is a park that's being introduced to the space, I mean, that changes things. And so, when I think about, you know, the sort of input that was put into the Overtown area, you know, I was very -- I did my best to be quiet in that, because I take my role very seriously, being a quasi-judicial role, when I sit on planning and zoning matters, because I know that if attorneys were smart -- and they are -- if there was a Commissioner that was really adverse to their cause, they would probably just try to disqualify you before it even got to the matter; if it meant that much to them; it depends. And so, you know, the community will always give their opinion. And during that time, Spring Garden was -- I mean, they were the -- they were in opposition of that stadium going to that space, and they were loud. Ironically -- well, not ironically -- I would say, as expected, the residents of Overtown, most of them, they didn't -- they weren't participating. But it goes back to what Commissioner Carollo said. They're working, they're trying to find ways to feed their family, put clothes on their back. A soccer stadium, who? They're not going to go, most of them; vast majority of them would never go. The vast majority of people have never been to the Marlins Stadium. Its just -- and so, you're putting it in their backyard. And the people who invested in homes in the Spring Garden area, you know, they stood up and said, "We don't want this here. This is" -- "these are the issues that it's going to call us" -- "cause us. " And I'll tell you, one -- when I first met Mr. Mas, the one thing I appreciated about him was his honesty, because he was the first person that represented this organization that told me, "You can't do this without parking, " and that's what everyone was saying. And I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone, because everyone was saying, "No, no, no, we can do it. We'll walk, we'll Uber, we'll this, we'll that"; all these different things. And that was one of the first statements that he made. Then he made some other statements -- the economic engines -- because I would say to the media, "Look, I personally don't believe that a stadium is an economic engine, in and of itself, because if it was, then Pro Player Stadium and the surrounding area would look much different. Marlins Stadium and the surrounding area would look much different. And then you can -- the list goes on and on and on. And so, to watch how this thing began to morph and take a stadium, which was just a stand-alone thing where people were going to play soccer inside of it and become a space that everyone could enjoy -- meaning, with the parks and all the other facilities -- I think -- I thought it was -- that part was exciting. And when I think about the -- all the opposition that the Spring Garden community gave, not one person who spoke today was from Spring Garden. Not one person from Spring Garden came and said, "No, we don't want a soccer stadium. " And so, you know, it's difficult; it's difficult being in a position like I was at that time, where everyone expects you to say something now. "Give us your opinion now. What are you going to do now?" And that's just not how the process works. In fact, the first question City of Miami Page 149 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 that you would have had to consider there was a zoning change. And the zoning change really has -- what -- the product that you decide to put on it is not of concern. The question is the zoning, in accordance with the neighborhood. Does it fit where it's going to bel There are many different uses for the zoning that could be there. And so, when other sites were being proposed and that thought to be more feasible for the thing, I was actually relieved, because it is so much easier to get a zoning change than it is to win a vote in the City of Miami. I've been there, where I was on the losing end of a zoning change. I've fought against zoning changes, where this body voted against me, so they voted for the zoning change. But I've also supported some items where the body -- I voted in favor of some things that the body voted against me in, where it was 4-1. And I was the district Commissioner, and it was in the actual district; wasn't going to have much of an effect on the entirety of the City of Miami, but, you know, that's what happens sometimes. But what's interesting about this is that I don't think there is any greater degree of participation that you can have than to let voters decide for themselves. If you have a citywide asset, the question is, should -- that we have before us today -- is, should the people in the City decide what to do with that asset? Now, the people who came here today, for the most part, are all interested people. I expected there to be First Tee here. I expected there to be people who said, "MLS soccer. " My grandmother owns a home in this community. She had 15 children. She's from Cordele, Georgia. The vast majority of them live here. Should they have a vote? They didn't come. I have cousins by the dozens and boatloads. They didn't come. Should Commissioner -- I mean, should the -- should Mayor Suarez have a vote on the issue? Maybe. Should our City Manager have a vote? He's a resident. Sometimes there are things that I think that we do here that you have to literally --you protect our constituency from. We have a responsibility, I think. And because those things may be difficult to understand, they may be complex, and they could be easily misled, and we've seen those things happen when we start to pilot project things out. I'll give you an example, briefly. Y-Grene, where we were worried about seniors being taken advantage of, second mortgages or liens being put on their home, and then they're being removed from them, and then making it more difficult for people to move into neighborhoods; especially poor people to move into a neighborhood, because you have to extinguish a second mortgage on a property that you didn't expect. But this one is -- doesn't seem so complicated to me. The question is, do you want this, or do you not? Now, I appreciate my Vice Chairman, because, you know, I think about a lot of these issues. I was here before he came here, and we talked, we -- I mean, affordable housing, we fought for. Enhanced wages didn't exist until we started to fight for them. Labor peace agreements, you know, because we're building hotels, I mean, those things started to happen in the City of Miami. Jobs for residents; I think about scholarships for college -bound City of Miami residents; enhanced City services; economic development. I mean, all these things are very, very important. And when you look at the totality of this sort of thing that's being proposed here, it allows us to touch some of these issues. But I really do believe that -- I think the major hang up, besides all the bad things that we've said about the Miami Marlins Stadium, about the actual inner workings of the deal, one of the biggest things that I heard, that I experienced was that the people didn't get an opportunity to decide. It was a room like this; it was a Commission like this that decided for it. A 20,000 -- 25,000 -seat stadium is not a big stadium at all; that is not reflective of the sort of venues that this gentleman played in. So this MLS stadium isn't -- well, the size of the stadium does not make it world class. This is what your "B" leaguers --a "B" league --you know, that's like a "B" league -- you're not going to say it. Just smile. But there are different paths that soccer players go on, right? And -- but, certainly, this is one of them. And so, just like in professional football teams, they have different leagues. People have an opportunity to make a living playing the sport that they love, and I think that's what's special about many of these things, is that not everybody chooses to go to school, get an education, become a lawyer, blah, blah, blah. Some people decide not to go to school, and some people drop out of high school, and make millions of dollars. They go into business. I mean, life has a way of twisting and turning in many different ways. But the opportunity to be able to do those things is City of Miami Page 150 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 not for, I believe, us to decide. I think people do have an opportunity to decide, and I think that when you have a vote of your electorate, all the sensationalism is gone. I don't care how high you jump, I don't care how fast you run, how many signs you can hold up, how compelling your story is, how -- it doesn't matter; because someone takes the opportunity to go into a voting booth and say, 'yea" or "nay, " and that's the most beautiful part about our democratic system; that you actually have that opportunity to vote. Then the only people who don't get that opportunity are people who have been convicted of a felony, those who have apathy. I mean, all these things we're working on to give more people an opportunity to vote. So you have a lot of communities that just don't have that opportunity. But who are we to deny the people that do have an opportunity, who are we to deny their ability to vote on these things? And so, I mean, I want to know that first question. I want to know that first threshold. Do the people in Miami really want MLS in their community? Moreover, I think the question becomes a little bit more complicated, because it's not only do you not want it -- do you want it in your community, do you want it at Melreese Park -- or Country Club? That is a more direct question, and I think that we're going to get an actual response where you don't have to poll for it. If you poll in this room, it tanks. But the ultimate poll is the ballot, and this is not -- you know, we're not doing this just for --it won't happen just for this matter. There are lots of things that are on the ballot, and this is one of them. And so, I'm one of those people where even if -- I remember there was a vote in Little Haiti for a storage facility, and I hated the idea of a storage facility being on a major thoroughfare in Little Haiti, and it was in what they term as like the cultural -- it was a cultural district, a Caribbean -themed district, etcetera. But they were within their rights to have it, and for me to have voted against it and convince my colleagues to vote against it, it would have been a slap in the face of what the law clearly said. And I think about that in these sorts of things. Like, look, I don't necessarily have an opinion just yet. I don't know. Until that deal comes before me, like Commissioner Russell, I mean, those things matter. The deal is what's most important. Soccer, yeah, okay, that's fine. But the deal now -- because now you're in bed with the government. Now -- you know -- you decided to take a lease with us. And so, the people have an opportunity now to weigh in on the things that are important to them, like you have an opportunity to weigh in on the things that are important to you. And so, I'm -- you know, I'm willing to hear from the input of the community, because the community comes back and says, "no, " then the conversation's over. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair; it's not just the ultimate poll; it's the ultimate RFP (Request for Proposals), because that's the ultimate selection committee. And they're our bosses; they own the property. No one of us individually own this property. No one who has an opinion on this matter -- and there is a diverse set of opinions on this matter. Clearly, there's a tremendous amount of scrutiny, a tremendous amount of criticism. No one owns the property individually. There's only one way to know what the owners of the property want to do, and this is the only way to do it. Chair Hardemon: I think we have a responsibility, and as Chairman, I facilitate the discussion on this dais; that's what I do. And I try to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be heard, and everyone who wanted to speak on this matter did. And so, you know, I wait until the -- I'm the last person that really usually gets an opportunity to say something about a matter on the dais, but I shouldn't be the last person to say something about a -- an issue like this; I think the people should. Now, there is going to have to be -- and I'm sure that there will be -- a tremendous amount of outreach that goes on in District 1. I was happy to see that, when I first saw the image, that there was this massive park that served as a buffer to the community. But those people need to feel comfortable with it, as well. Someone once asked, "Well, I don't think anyone would want to live near this." I had a chance to visit Seattle, and people literally lived next to the stadium, like on the stadium grounds. They built it, and people were buying into it. And so, I don't know. You know, there's a market for everyone. And so, you know, that's kind of the way I feel about it. I'm not here to talk necessarily -- I'm not going to argue through the details of the City ofMiami Page 151 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 deal, because the deal is not before us just yet. What I want to do is give the people of this community, who live in this community, the opportunity to vote on this project. So, you know, whatever social media says -- you have Twitter, you could be from anywhere; Instagram, you could be from anywhere; emails, you could be from anywhere. I mean, all these people weigh in who feel that they have an interest in saying somethingpositive or negative, orfacetious regarding this issue. But the only thing that I'm interested in is what the residents of the City of "Miamuh "feel about what should go there. And then once they make their decision, we have a responsibility of getting the best deal that we can for the residents, or we have a responsibility of honoring their desire not to have a soccer facility and all the other things that are being requested on Melreese Park. That's true; all I have to say about it for now, I guess. Vice Chair Russell: Mr. Chairman, I believe that the voters can go in and choose "yes" or "no." They can close their eyes and vote, because they trusted that we did not; that our eyes were wide open to all the details, and that we fought the hardest, and we knew all the potential pitfalls so that when they vote 'yes," they trust that we did our job, and that's why the details are important to me at this point. I need to know that there's going to be 100 percent cleanup on their dime, not on ours. I need to know that we're going to get a percentage rent. I need to know that there will be a living wage that we want. Even the way the park gets remediated, the finances of that is still a little nebulous to me, because that 666,000 a year; maybe we're going to bond it out; maybe we're not. If we're not, I don't see how it's enough to bring that park to the level we want, but I honestly don't know what level they're going to deliver it to us; whether it's just the remediation and a clean pallet; and then, we start spending 666 a year. It's certainly not going to be Regatta Park that we have out here, and it's not going to be our Central Park. But if we bond it out, I mean, maybe it's sufficient. It's just a lot of details; it's a lot of details, and that's why people are upset, because they see it happening fast. There's no details. Unless I can get an answer on those things, I'm either a "no" or I'm a "deferral" -- Chair Hardemon: So -- Vice Chair Russell: -- because -- and for that, we could do a special meeting next week. I'm willing to put in the time. I know we've all been through a lot tonight, but this is important, and worth it. I'm willing to do it on the 26th if we can put it in there. I mean, we -- everything's been said that needs to be said. It's really, "What do we need to negotiate between now and then? What do they need to work out with the District I Commissioner?" and then we can go. But that's -- with those question marks, I'm not ready to vote 'yes. " Chair Hardemon: There were Commissioners that thought I was crazy when I supported pushing the bond initiative forward without a list of details. And one of the things that I said was, "Look" --for that matter; for that matter, it was, "You can kill yourselves with the details." What does that mean? That means that someone's going to look at the list of projects and say, V don't know what sea level rise is; has no effect on me. These projects aren't within my neighborhood, so I don't care about those. So why should I pay for all these improvements if it doesn't affect me?" And then you have the issue of timing. It was a matter of, "Today, there's an appetite to do this. Will there be an appetite to do it tomorrow?" So in that matter, it was, "We're going to spend six months creating a plan -- maybe a year; saying, "Okay. These are all finally the things that we want to do, and we need $400 million to do it. " And then, you go to the electorate and say -- after we spent all of our time and energy -- "Make that a reality. " And because they don't see anything for themselves, then they say, "no "; versus what we ended up doing, which was saying, "Let's get the money first. We know that there's a need for all these different things. Let's go out and actually secure those funds and then create a plan to spend those dollars in a way that's best fit for the neighborhoods. " And so, in this, what we have today is a team for MLS that wants to play soccer in Miami, that's provided a commitment to City of Miami Page 152 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 be here in Miami; that's been booed out of many different neighborhoods, and many people thought that it was going to end in Overtown, and I'm proud to say that it did not. Vice Chair Russell: Good. Chair Hardemon: You wouldn't have wanted to come to that meeting. Whatever public hearing we were going to have on that one, you guys wouldn't hear; the truth, that is. And so, here, it's a matter of -- to me, it's the same sort of thing. Why spend our time working on a lease agreement if the people say "no"? So the first question that we're asking ourselves is, "Should we even get into this discussion?" So I'm -- Vice Chair Russell: I understand where you're going. Chair Hardemon: And that's how I look at it. Vice Chair Russell: We got six different versions of ballot language floating around right now. Commissioner Reyes: Yeah. Vice Chair Russell: And we got to tie it up tight enough to be legally proved that we cannot be susceptible to challenge. And it's partly my fault that anyone in the City can sue the City if we violate our own -- Chair Hardemon: You -- that's a cute way of putting it, partly, but -- Vice Chair Russell: Yeah, well, I advocated -- Commissioner Gort: You're the one vote. Vice Chair Russell: I advocated. Commissioner Gort: Yeah. Vice Chair Russell: I'm partly, because -- and the remedy to that is to get it right. I like that the spotlight is on us to get it right. I like that we're susceptible to that, and it forces us to not violate our Charter, not make mistakes, but getting this ballot language, it -- I believe it was the sky -rise ballot language that talked about no tax subsidy, and that's what led to a potential legal challenge on a simple utility hookup or something like that. Later... Mayor Suarez: Chair -- Chair Hardemon: I'm going to recognize Commissioner Gort. Mayor Suarez: I mean, after the Commissioner. I'm sorry. Commissioner Gort: Let me tell you, I understand the silent majority is not here, but I got a lot of signature from the people in the neighborhood that's going to be affected. What I'm willing to do -- why don't we defer this to the 26th? And it will not be a public hearing. I think we heard all of the public comments from everyone. And let's come up with the -- if you believe so -- with the right language, or (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Commissioner Carollo: I would suggest that, instead of the 26th, if that's what this body wants to do, you do it either before or after on a special Commission meeting, City of Miami Page 153 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 because we're going to be so crowded on that 26th date. And, really, this is more important than anything else that I see that this -- that we're going to have on that agenda. Last, but not least, I'll say this: The people in that neighborhood on the 37th Avenue side -- because the Mayor well said the other three boundaries got no neighbors -- that area, as you know, Commissioner, because it's your district -- has major problems with a lot of the homes sinking in, because precisely, the filling that was used when they built that whole area up was bad filling, so homes are sinking in, and the property values are low, very low in that area. If there's one thing that's going to help those residents there increase significantly their property values would be if this project goes forward. And I'm not talking about the stadiums there; I'm talking about all the rest that's going to go there. In fact, they're going to be wanting -- they're going to be demanding that we put some flyover bridges over 37th so they could go into the mall, they could enjoy the restaurants, go shopping, and everything else there. Commissioner Reyes: That's right. Call the question then. Chair Hardemon: Well, there's no question that's put on the floor just yet. Commissioner Carollo: Well, there -- Chair Hardemon: And second -- wait, wait. Commissioner Carollo: -- there's a motion that I made. Vice Chair Russell: Which date? Chair Hardemon: So I'm going to be clear. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair, may I? Chair Hardemon: I want to be clear. So we're -- we are deferring only to draft the ballot language; is that what this is about? Mayor Suarez: I -- Mr. Chair, I would respectfully ask the Vice Chair if he could meet, maybe, with the Mas family, and see if he can get there. I think, you know, he has basically articulated a variety of different concerns, all of which have been met, with the exception of one and I think we're very close, and I just don't want to delay something if we can make it happen when we know we have a long road ahead of us. I mean, we have four months to educate the public and continue that process. We have zoning issues, if it passes. We have a lease that requires a four-fifths vote. I mean, there are a variety of different steps to go forward, and I just think, you know, delaying this is simply going to -- and I'll tell you this: There's been a tremendous amount of dis-information and misinformation, and it's just going to increase the volume on that. I mean, it's been very, very upsetting -- Commissioner Carollo: Mayor, if -- Mayor Suarez: -- to see some of the dis-information that I've seen. Commissioner Carollo: --you're right. Later... Mayor Francis Suarez: I -- Chair Hardemon: At this next meeting, there won't be any public discussion, and the only thing we'll be deciding is the ballot language. And, I mean, we've sat here from City of Miami Page 154 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 the morning, and -- to come to ballot language, which is something that I think is something that we can get through. I don't understand. Commissioner Carollo: But, Mayor; I'm willing to stay here until whatever -- Mayor Suarez: As am I. Commissioner Carollo: -- hour it is if there's a possibility that we could -- Mayor Suarez: As am I. Commissioner Carollo: -- resolve this tonight; but if there's not, I don't want to waste anybody's time, nor mine. Ms. Mendez: If we can -- if we can just take 15 minutes, and maybe just regroup; and then -- Commissioner Reyes: Why? Ms. Mendez: -- at least it's worth a try. Vice Chair Russell: Question to Commissioner -- Chairman Hardemon's comment about public comment. If we were to come back in another meeting and take up the issue, if -- don't we require public comment for any action? Chair Hardemon: Nope. Commissioner Carollo: We had it today. Ms. Mendez: Right. Vice Chair Russell: There's nothing -- if there's nothing new brought in, or if it's the same item, we don't have to? Chair Hardemon: Nope. Ms. Mendez: Right. Commissioner Carollo: We're deferring -- Chair Hardemon: The City of Miami is probably one of the most generous governing bodies when it comes to public comment. Vice Chair Russell: I just want to make sure we're crossing the "T's." You know, I've got these few items that have not been addressed that we're at a bit of an impasse. But it's also the issue of everybody digesting what we did here tonight. Everybody's going to read about it in the paper tomorrow, and give me their feedback of what they felt they heard and saw, and everything. Mayor Suarez: No, you're going to get a lot of feedback. Vice Chair Russell: I know. I've been getting it constantly as we're here. Mayor Suarez: Right. Vice Chair Russell: And I'm telling you, there's a lot of anger at our process; not so much at the project, but our process, and I want us to do better. Commissioner Carollo: Well -- City ofMiami Page 155 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mayor Suarez: Commissioner -- Chair Hardemon: You know, I'm one of those people -- I look at -- these sorts of decisions are tough decisions to make. Fortunately for us, we don't decide whether or not there's a stadium that's going there; the people in the communities will decide that. And so, you know, as Chairman, my interest is always, you know, moving meetings forward, getting the will of the body, moving forward. But I promise you, I don't see the reason for continuing this to another day, only to discuss ballot language. That's the only thing I'll say about it. Commissioner Carollo: I see it like you do. Chair Hardemon: But I understand the reason -- Commissioner Carollo: I see it like you do. Chair Hardemon: -- why you would request it, if the decision that was made on the dais was going to be one that was terminal for the project. But if this is just about ballot language; 75 words, I think it is -- Commissioner Carollo: 75 words, or less. Chair Hardemon: -- that we put time and energy in. Commissioner Reyes: Mr. Chair? Vice Chair Russell: That's not what it is. Chair Hardemon: Yes. Commissioner Reyes: If we're only going to discuss ballot language, that means that you're assuming that we are all in agreement to place it in a ballot the way it is in order to bypass 29-B, you see. That's my only objection. Mr. Perez: Mr. Chairman, with your -- Vice Chairman Russell, could you articulate what the three concerns that you have are so that we can fully understand what it is that you're asking? Vice Chair Russell: Someone's got to swim to the bottom of the lake and let me know if you all are willing to pay for 100 percent of cleanup costs. I'm looking for a percentage rent for the City, a blended average rate of 5 percent. And I'm looking for a living wage for everyone who works on the property of $15 minimum. Commissioner Carollo: Mr. Manager; can you have the police put a drone over the country club? I want to make sure that they don't start digging that hole deeper tonight. Vice Chair Russell: Am I the Chairman right now? Commissioner Gort: I think you are. Vice Chair Russell: All right. We're almost losing quorum now. Commissioner Gort: Why don't we take five? Mr. Mas: Mr. Vice Chairman -- Vice Chair Russell: Yes, of course. City of Miami Page 156 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Mas: -- may I speak? Okay. Again, I'm going to try to go back so we go forward, so we can address these issues and these concerns. When we look at the -- your areas of concern, and the first one being, let's do the remediation cost, in the deal that we proposed, as proposed, the remediation costs are going to be covered by us. I have brought up the issue that we do not have sufficient information to idents the exact amount of funds re close range, because we have had -- not had access to the site. So we anticipate -- what we anticipate there, we will cover. If there is some unknown, it will not only affect this project, it will have huge effects, and we'll know that in very short order. So our intention is to pay for 100 percent of the remediating costs; again, because my narrative has been no taxpayer dollars, so the 100 percent funding on the remediation, which includes the 130 acres that are not -- except the 20 that is part of the rest of the site. Vice Chair Russell: So, I mean, realistically and financially, what we're talking, though, is if it's much worse than what you expect, this isn't going to happen -- Mr. Mas: If it's -- Vice Chair Russell: -- unless you can find the funding elsewhere. And that's illogical -- Mr. Mas: Correct. Vice Chair Russell: -- because the remediation that's been done to get it to where it is now is sufficient for a golf course; it works. By DERM (Department of Environmental Resource Management) standards, there's a covenant there. But what your intention is, is a different project; and so, DERM needs to come back in and tell you what it's going to need. Mr. Mas: I'm highly confident that the remediation won't be an issue; that it should fall within what I anticipate, but I want to bring up the fact that the issue that was brought up to me and the depth of the lakes changes the economics. If the lakes aren't 30 feet deep, I could assertively tell you now that we'd cover 100 percent. Vice Chair Russell: Well, I don't need you to cover 100 percent. I just need to know that we're covering zero percent. Mr. Mas: Oh, correct. Vice Chair Russell: Wherever else you find it from, I don't mind. Mr. Mas: But if I'm covering 100, there's nothing else left to fund. Vice Chair Russell: No, but you're saying if it goes beyond what your budget is, because there is a number somewhere in there -- Mr. Mas: Sure, there is, sure. Vice Chair Russell: -- that you guys will not exceed -- Mr. Mas: Correct. Vice Chair Russell: -- because it just doesn't make financial sense -- Mr. Mas: Correct. Commissioner Gort: But he's saying he'll find the money elsewhere. City of Miami Page 157 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Mas: Sure. Vice Chair Russell: You could find it elsewhere. Mr. Mas: Absolutely. I understand. Vice Chair Russell: I just need to know that the City will not be -- Mr. Mas: Understood, understood. Yes, we agree. Vice Chair Russell: --responsible. Mr. Mas: 100 percent. Vice Chair Russell: City's not responsible for any of the remediation cost -- Mr. Mas: Correct. Vice Chair Russell: -- no matter how bad it gets. Mr. Mas: Correct. Because if it gets that, that bad, either we find Federal money or there's no project to do, or it's untouchable. So that's to address that issue. On the percentage of lease in addition or as a combination, or as a mix of the base, the minimum amount of money of fair market value. When we looked at fair market value in the appraisal -- and I think this is extremely important, and something that I want to emphasize -- the appraisal specifically says it is on highest and best use, which has a very, very specific meaning; it is a clean site; it is a zoned site, and it's ready for vertical construction. None of those three conditions exist at Melreese today. So the appraisal that you're looking at is extremely inflated. In order for us to move past that -- and in discussions and negotiations with the City Administration -- we worked out on a transaction where for -- it's $1.15 afoot, which follows in a range of -- the range that we saw --from $1 to $1.50, because of the unknowns in the remediation. If the City -- if that property would be ready to go, ready to build, and clean, we pay $1.50. So there is a discount. I frankly had our appraisers tell us that they feel that if they parch through that appraisal, it's going to be lower than a dollar; because they said when you add the cost of remediating, when you add the cost of getting it prepared for vertical construction, when you add the cost of getting zoning issues, and remembering that -- something in here that's extremely important -- the majority of those 49 acres -- right? -- are extremely restricted, extremely restricted. You can't put housing, can't put schools. The only uses that you can do there are the majority of the fields and the parking structure, and some of the passageway getting into the park. That is the only use for that land. In my opinion, that land is worth very little. So when we blend the activation, I think that is the way that we come up with our formula of being able to pay the City a base guarantee money with no risk. So we'd be happy to share the financials with you. I have no issues with that. What I can commit is, if for some reason our financial projections - - and the people who have done that for us have done a very good job -- we exceed them, we will pay a percentage of the gross sale on a capital transaction to the City. You have my 100 percent commitment on that. You have my -- Vice Chair Russell: Say it again. Mr. Mas: Five years from now, we go and we --for some reason, this is going very well, and we have an insurance company come in that wants to buy the development or the cash flow of the development, and there's a transaction to sell -- similar to what the Marlins do with their property -- I would be willing to have a percentage benefit -- Mayor Suarez: Gross. City of Miami Page 158 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Mas: -- on the gross amount, on the gross amount that would go to the City, the benefit would inure to the City, based on a percentage, you know, of how the project's doing, and there's a percentage increase, so the perception doesn't exist -- "Look, oh, my God, the City did a terrible deal. Look at these guys. They made five times their money. " So on a capital transaction, I will gladly pay percentage of the gross amount of the capital transaction to the City. On the remediation, on the remediation issue, the intent is exactly that, zero. The only thing that we should analyze is the percentage rent and the base. I've had actually -- if we want to go to a percentage rent model, it'll fluctuate for the City. It'll go up and down. Commissioner Carollo: This issue -- I'm sorry, Commissioner -- it's a much, much more complicated issue, and this is one that we really need to deal with it if this goes to a ballot and this passes. Even if he promises a percentage rent now -- and I think you heard what I heard -- I'm not sure that that would be sufficient. I really want to analyze this much better than doing it in the middle of the night, or in a few days before a special meeting. Vice Chair Russell: I do, too. But I -- Why are we here doing this now? Why are we negotiating on the dais? Where have we been for the last three months? Commissioner Carollo: Well, I -- Vice Chair Russell: Since the -- I -- we should have been doing this, and our Administration should have had the natural curiosity and the tenaciousness for our residents to fight and negotiate so that the time this came to us, it was a great deal; that all those things were considered, and we could get out the rubber stamp with confidence. I'm a surfboard salesman, I'm not a real estate lawyer. I don't know how to negotiate these things, and I'm trying; I'm doing my best. I'm trying to get us somewhere tonight. But I -- my gut tells me that we can do better and -- we can do better for our residents, and all I can say is, let's push it and work on it a little bit; let's get there. But the way it is now -- and I know these are details that could be worked out later, but until we do, I'm a "no. " Commissioner Carollo: I respect you. That's why I said before we beat this horse around enough. We're not going anywhere, let's go. But if we're not going to vote on this tonight or in the future, then those that are voting against it, I want a commitment tonight that we're going to put this out to a bid for the best and highest use, whoever wants to come, because the biggest disgrace that we've had is the deal that we've had going there for years. Mr. Manager, please, you get someone and check that out, inside -out, as soon as you can. And I would hope that you get someone from the outside; not even our internal Auditor; someone that is sufficiently experienced that's going to get to the very last dime that's gone through there. Vice Chair Russell: Commissioner; we don't need to -- Commissioner Carollo: Yes, sir. Vice Chair Russell: Let's stick to the item of tonight and the party that we're working with. Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. Vice Chair Russell: If there's a deferral to be considered, I'm very open to a special meeting before the next Commission meeting. I will be seeking public comment, because I really believe that our -- and I'd welcome advice from our Attorney and our Clerk, because anyone who comes who watched tonight or couldn't make it today, or has an opinion knew that what -- of what was said now and the deal we're City of Miami Page 159 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 dealing with. It's a hassle for us, but it's our job. People don't expect a whole lot of us, but what we need to do is listen to our people. But I'm open to doing that. Commissioner Gort: I made the motion. Vice Chair Russell: I need to hear a date. What can we dol Commissioner Gort: Any time they want to get together next week, I'm available. In the meantime, we're going to sit down and talk to them. Vice Chair Russell: Are they -- are Commissioners really walking off the dais as we're working on this? Commissioner Carollo: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Commissioner Reyes: Motion for -- Willy, you made a motion for deferral? You made it? Vice Chair Russell: Yes, but I need a date. Commissioner Reyes: I'll second the motion. Vice Chair Russell: Gentlemen, what date can the three of you -- the two of you meet? Commissioner Gort: Next Wednesday is fine with me. Give some time for them -- Commissioner Reyes: 27th? Commissioner Gort: -- to sit down with us so we can discuss a lot of the things we need to discuss. Commissioner Reyes: 27th, 28th? Vice Chair Russell: That's -- Commissioner Reyes: Many people are going to go on vacation (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Vice Chair Russell: Is that -- Ms. Escarra: If I may, Chairman? If I may? I apologize. I just want to ask the board's indulgence. I know that you're considering a deferral of the item, but because of the late hour; if you would give us a few minutes' recess and allow us to please sit down and discuss these items? Because some of the reasons why these items have not been fully vetted is because we're here tonight, really, for the RFP component; that is truly what we are here for tonight. The item you are voting on tonight is the RFP component of this very long process. Five more hearings -- I've got to do three Zoning hearings; there's another lease hearing, and so forth. So that is a very integral part timing -wise to this project. So if you would please indulge us, give us a IS -minute recess, allow us to sit down and discuss this item a little bit further with you to explain, we'd appreciate that opportunity. Vice Chair Russell: I don't understand. We are discussing this here, in front of everybody. And part of the problem of what's gotten us to where we are is that we're Commissioner Gort: You have to -- City of Miami Page 160 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Vice Chair Russell: -- discussing things out of the public. Ms. Escarra: But the thing is that you're ask -- discussing items that are really lease related. These are all items that -- if we can even get to first base, we are definitely - - we have to talk -- You know how long these leases are with the City? They are like 20 pages, 50 topics. These level of detail, I assure you, when this lease comes back, it will be vetted, discussed, publicized, charrettes regarding the zoning. We know we have to do all this. Today we are truly here only for the RFP component. The City has had an enormous amount, unfortunately, of bad experiences with the RFPs. As you know, they've been thrown out, there's been -- the RFPs also get criticized for not being transparent. There's a selection committee, then there's a cone of silence. All this happens, and then, there's a vote. Here, we're trying to do it opposite. We're trying to do this in the public. Putting it out to the voters --just a question: Do you want a lease? These are the basics. We all know there's a lot of work to be done here. Vice Chair Russell: These are my basics. Ms. Escarra: Understood, understood. Vice Chair Russell: And -- Ms. Escarra: And they're very basics, and they're important components of the project. But with the item before you tonight being only the RFP, I ask you to please consider looking at this for the purposes of the process that we are seeking your board's indulgence on. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair; may I ask a question? Vice Chair Russell: Yes, of course. Mayor Suarez: May I ask a question? May I ask a question? Would you be willing to potentially change your mind if we came back to a special meeting? Commissioner Gort: I'm going to have to sit down with them and discuss a lot of things that really need discussing. Mayor Suarez: Would you be willing to change your mind? Commissioner Reyes: My position was stated at the beginning. I want to go through the process. I will not vote on placing -- I mean, not this -- anything on the ballot that is not transparent. We haven't had any transparency here. We have -- I mean, everybody's getting different information, and it is -- if it doesn't follow the process -- we made a process in our statutes, you see. The Codes, we have to follow them, and that's it. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner; I have to respectfully disagree with you on that. We have followed the process. Commissioner Reyes: Listen, what we're doing here, we are not allowing competitive bidding, and what -- maybe nobody will come. Commissioner Carollo: Well, are you going to make a motion for competitive bidding, or do we have to call Charlie to get his okay on this one, too? Commissioner Reyes: "Oye, " listen, listen. You better respect me, because I have respected you. Commissioner Carollo: I mean, I am; I am respecting you. City of Miami Page 161 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: No, no, no. You're doing this for personal reasons -- Commissioner Carollo: No, no. Commissioner Reyes: --for personal purpose, and don't -- Commissioner Carollo: No, because -- Commissioner Reyes: -- mess with me, Joe. Joe knows what -- Commissioner Carollo: For -- Commissioner Reyes: -- hey, listen. Nobody -- Commissioner Carollo: -- 30, 40 years -- Commissioner Reyes: -- tells me what to do. Commissioner Carollo: -- it's what's been happening -- Commissioner Reyes: Okay, nobody -- Commissioner Carollo: --you know? Commissioner Reyes: -- questions my integrity; nobody. Commissioner Carollo: Since -- I'm not questioning your integrity. Commissioner Reyes: Listen, listen -- Vice Chair Russell: Gentlemen -- Commissioner Reyes: -- just a second -- Vice Chair Russell: -- one at a time, and through the Chair, please. We will have decorum. We will respect each other. Its been a long day, and I'm sure everybody's got a short fuse right now. Mayor Suarez: Chair? Vice Chair Russell: Yes, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: Would you grant them the 15 minutes to confer on the items that you've raised? Commissioner Carollo: Mayor; Mayor, gentlemen, look, let me be very specific and clear where I'm at. I don't care if it's this group or what group, or whoever comes in here and gets a lease from the City as long as that property's going to be developed to the fullest, as long as the residents of Miami are going to be able to bring in millions of new recurring revenue, that we're going to create several thousand new jobs. That's my whole goal. And the only thing that I'm not going to be in favor of is to keep status quo. And this is what I've been seeing that's been happening in this City since these individuals have gotten this contract. We talked about transparency tonight. There's been no transparency in that whole process since they got the contract from day one, and this is why I'm upset. I'm not questioning the integrity of any of my colleagues here. I'm just fed up with what I'm seeing there. I'm seeing in my district, in your district, in your district, in Gort's district; in West Grove, in your district, people that are in dire needs. They can't afford where they're living. City of Miami Page 162 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 They're living with rats, with roaches, elderly that don't even have enough food to live on. And we're going to keep getting that deal that we have there, that we're losing money on? We're not even making money; we're losing money. And we're going to say "no" to a potential, from whoever it comes from, of millions of new dollars of recurring revenue that we need, because we can't even balance our budget for this next fiscal year; a potential that's going to bring thousands of new jobs. Sol' want to be clear. I don't care about the soccer part. I don't care about the golf part. These are all great guys, I'm sure, but, you know, I really don't care about them. I do know that they have -- unlike others that have gotten contracts here -- deep pockets; so that, I do know for the people involved. I do know that once Jorge Mas gives you his word and signs it, he will keep that in a contract. He's local; he doesn't leave town. He's -- you know, he's going to stay here. But at the end of the day, I don't care if they get a lease there, or somebody else does. What I do care is for the residents of the City that need that. And the worst thing that we could do is just leave status quo there. You know, we talk about this First Tee. My God, not even including the $10 million that I mentioned that we put into that place -- and it's probably more, because the City can't even keep track of how much we've put into that -- we have lost in the last 12 years a quarter of a million dollars there. And I'm going to have people here come and lecture me about The First Tee, what it's done, what it hasn't done? I guarantee you that First Tee has not spent a quarter of a million dollars in scholarships every year. And we would have that money if we didn't have -- if we would shut down that golf course today, we would have a quarter of a million dollars available on the average for the next 12 years for scholarships, whatever we want to do. Vice Chair Russell: Mr. Chairman, I -- Mr. Mas: May I -- can I make a comment? Chair Hardemon: You threatening me? Commissioner Carollo: Huh? Chair Hardemon: Are you threatening me? Commissioner Carollo: Am I afraid to? Chair Hardemon: Are you threatening me? Commissioner Carollo: Am I threatening you? Chair Hardemon: Yeah. Are you threatening me? Commissioner Carollo: You, too, now? Chair Hardemon: Come on guys and get through this. Vice Chair Russell: I make a motion -- Commissioner Reyes: No, we'll get -- Vice Chair Russell: -- that we defer both items to next Thursday. I believe that's the Mayor Suarez: Special meeting next Thursday? Vice Chair Russell: -- special meeting of Thursday, the 19th, 9 a.m. City of Miami Page 163 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: Well, we have -- I want -- at that --for the record, I have a meeting at that time. Vice Chair Russell: 10 a.m. Commissioner Reyes: At what time -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? Unidentified Speaker: We're at the County all day with the elected officials. Commissioner Reyes: We're going to be at the County all day with all the elected officials. Chair Hardemon: 27th. Ms. Escarra: IfI may? Commissioner Reyes: The 27th is fine with me. Vice Chair Russell: The 27th, I'm out of town. Commissioner Reyes: You're out of town. You see? Ms. Escarra: IfI may? It's my understanding that the living wage requirement that you're asking is already codified. Vice Chair Russell: Then you should have no problem saying 'yes. " Ms. Escarra: No, we have no problem with it, because we have to comply with it anyways. Vice Chair Russell: Its not, though. Commissioner Carollo: No -- Vice Chair Russell: They -- I've asked my City Attorney, and it doesn't apply to this particular contract, so service contracts with the City. This is a land lease. Commissioner Reyes: Yes, sir. Commissioner Carollo: It does. And then, frankly, I don't know if you could live with that one or not, frankly. Ms. Escarra: No, no, if -- no, no, I don't know that we can. I was just saying -- I had just asked -- if it was already a codified provision, we would have to already comply. But if you're saying that it's a codified provision, but it's not applicable, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it's something that the financials have to be analyzed for. Chair Hardemon: Let me ask you a question, Mr. Mas. Mr. Mas: Yes, sir. Chair Hardemon: I open a stadium. There, you have part-time jobs, mainly. Mr. Mas: Right. Chair Hardemon: You -- what do they sell? I mean, they don't sell peanuts, so like, what is it that people buy? What sort of foods do people buy inside of a place like that? City of Miami Page 164 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mr. Mas: I'm hoping local food. Chair Hardemon: So local food. Mr. Mas: And local cuisine. Chair Hardemon: So the people who are -- so that means that you're hiring local businesses to fill -- You're not providing the actual food yourse#? Mr. Mas: No. Chair Hardemon: You have local businesses that are providing the food? Mr. Mas: Yes, sir. Chair Hardemon: So you would have to -- So the question is, would the $15 wage apply to -- Mr. Mas: To the local -- Chair Hardemon: -- his employees, or would it apply to the local businesses? Because that's kind of the intricacies of it, because what I imagine is, if you open a stadium, you're going to have employees. Your employees are going to be -- Mr. Mas: Right. Chair Hardemon: -- a certain number of people. Mr. Mas: Right. Chair Hardemon: They may be -- I mean, who? Because they usually out -source security -- Mr. Mas: I mean, it'll be vending companies, it'll be security companies, it'll be food vendors, it'll be the maintenance of the park. I mean, it'll be different entities, because a lot of those things are probably going to be subcontracted to local businesses, so it's a local business issue on that. Chair Hardemon: Because the way I think about it, when I thought about how many employees, and actually, just the soccer team -- Mr. Mas: Right. Chair Hardemon: -- employees -- Mr. Mas: Right. Chair Hardemon: --if you were --I mean, I just couldn't imagine that there are many people who get paid less than $15 that would actually be working for you. Mr. Perez: Right. And here's the difficulty, Chairman, Vice Chairman Russell, with the $15 for anybody who works on that property, which is it's a multi -tenant location, so you're going to have retailers, you're going to have off -- you know -- you're going to have office building workers, and all that. So you're going and you're going to negotiate with a law firm and say, "Hey, come onto this piece of property, please. You know, we would like you to be here. " Right? But if you go -- if you're on this property, what you have to do is, all your clerks, you have to pay them $15 an hour; and moreover, the City's going to want to know -- right? -- that you're actually complying with that obligation. So now we have an obligation to -- City of Miami Page 165 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 you need to open up your books so that the City can audit you to determine whether or not you're paying your auditors, right? But that same business can go right across the street and not have those requirements. So what it does, because there isn't a statewide requirement for this, and everybody isn't in that particular location, it makes it very difficult to then find tenants to come into those properties, and what it does, it substantially reduces the value of that property. Vice Chair Russell: Please, not -- Mr. Perez: And it's very difficult. Vice Chair Russell: -- and with all due respect, I -- Mr. Perez: It's very, very difficult. Vice Chair Russell: -- don't need a lecture on the economics of the living wage -- Mr. Perez: Well -- Vice Chair Russell: -- and I do know how it affects things, and it is very important to us. When the boat show came, they agreed in a heartbeat. Everyone that worked at the boat show was paid a living wage. Their subcontractors -- Mr. Perez: Right. Vice Chair Russell: -- if that hotdog's an extra buck, so be it. But people will make a living wage, and they will be able to take care of their kids. They will -- Miami is a very expensive place to live, and the State minimum wage does not think about Miami. It thinks about the State average, and what it costs to live in Ocala is different than what it costs -- Mr. Perez: Right. Vice Chair Russell: -- to live in Miami, and we are willing to fight for our residents on a property that is ours. Mr. Perez: Commissioner Russell, we understand, but it makes the property -- Vice Chair Russell: You're trying to convince me why it doesn't work, why it shouldn't work, or why it would be bad, or whatever is going to happen. Mr. Perez: What I'm saying is today -- Vice Chair Russell: You're not going to change my mind. I've studied this issue. Mr. Perez: -- it's a very difficult issue for us to manage on the dais right now. Commissioner Carollo: Chairman, can I cut through the chase, Chair? Vice Chair Russell: We may just be a "no. " Commissioner Carollo: Can I cut through the chase? Chair Hardemon: You're recognized. Commissioner Carollo: I'd like to make a motion that we put the Melreese Country Club up for bid for the best and highest use. Vice Chair Russell: It's late. City of Miami Page 166 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Mayor Suarez: Guys, guys, guys. Vice Chair Russell: No, no, no. Mayor Suarez: Please. Vice Chair Russell: We are very close. Commissioner Carollo: But, Mayor, I want to make a point. Mr. Mas: Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chair -- Commissioner Carollo: I want to make a point -- Mr. Mas: --can I say--? Commissioner Carollo: -- what's going on. Mayor Suarez: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Commissioner. Commissioner Carollo: And this is why we had to take this process the way we did. Mayor Suarez: I know, I know. Listen -- Commissioner Carollo: Everything else is a ruse. Mayor Suarez: Listen, I know. I know that. I know that, and it's really unfortunate, what's -- Commissioner Carollo: No one will second my motion. Mayor Suarez: -- happening. Commissioner Carollo: Let it be there in the record. Mayor Suarez: But it is what it is. And by the way, I just wanted you to know, Commissioner, that I have met with The First Tee many times, and spoken to them on the phone many times. Chair Hardemon: You feel like it's intense (UNINTELLIGIBLE)conduct, right? Mayor Suarez: Just want to say that clearly. City of Miami Page 167 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 RE.10 RESOLUTION 4450 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPROVING, City Manager's SETTING FORTH, AND SUBMITTING TO THE ELECTORATE A Office PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT, AMENDING SECTION 29-B OF THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED ("CHARTER"); ENTITLED "CITY -OWNED PROPERTY SALE OR LEASE -GENERALLY," TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY COMMISSION ("COMMISSION") TO WAIVE COMPETITIVE BIDDING BY A FOUR-FIFTHS (4/5TNS) AFFIRMATIVE VOTE TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE A GROUND LEASE AND MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT (THE "LEASE") BETWEEN THE CITY OF MIAMI ("CITY") AND MIAMI FREEDOM PARK, LLC ("MFP"), FOR APPROXIMATELY SEVENTY-THREE (73) ACRES OF CITY -OWNED PROPERTY LOCATED GENERALLY AT 1400 NORTHWEST 37TH AVENUE, MIAMI FLORIDA, 33125, AND IDENTIFIED AS FOLIOS 01-3132-000-0080 AND 01-3132-000-0090 ("DEMISED PROPERTY"), WITH AN INITIAL TERM OF THIRTY- NINE (39) YEARS, WITH TWO (2) ADDITIONAL THIRTY (30) YEAR OPTIONS TO RENEW, FOR A TOTAL TERM OF NINETY-NINE (99) YEARS, WITH AN ANNUAL BASE RENT EQUAL TO THE GREATER OF THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY- SEVEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE DOLLARS ($3,577,365.00), OR FAIR MARKET VALUE AS DETERMINED BY TWO (2) STATE CERTIFIED APPRAISERS, IN ADDITION TO ANY RENT INCREASES AND/OR ADDITIONAL RENTS NEGOTIATED BY THE PARTIES; AUTHORIZING THE USE OF THE DEMISED PROPERTY FOR A SOCCER STADIUM, ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, INCLUDING FOOD AND BEVERAGE VENUES, OFFICES, RETAIL, HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER, AND OTHER ANCILLARY COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH A MAXIMUM HEIGHT NOT TO EXCEED FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AEROSPACE OBSTRUCTION STANDARDS, WITH RESTRICTIONS, REVERSIONS, AND RETENTION BY THE CITY OF ALL OTHER RIGHTS; FURTHER AUTHORIZING THE CREATION OF A PARK INFRASTRUCTURE FUND BY THE CITY THAT WILL RECEIVE A TWENTY MILLION DOLLAR ($20,000,000.00) CONTRIBUTION FROM MFP, PAYABLE IN EQUAL YEARLY INSTALLMENTS OF SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED SEVEN DOLLARS ($666,667.00) FOR A PERIOD OF THIRTY (30) YEARS, TO DEFRAY THE SITE DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE -RELATED COSTS FOR A PUBLIC PARK OF APPROXIMATELY FIFTY-EIGHT (58) ACRES TO BE DEVELOPED ON PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THE DEMISED PROPERTY, CURRENTLY USED FOR THE MELREESE COUNTRY CLUB; AND PURSUANT TO CHARTER SECTION 29-B ENTITLED "CITY OWNED PROPERTY SALE OR LEASE GENERALLY," CALLING FOR A REFERENDUM SPECIAL ELECTION AND PROVIDING THAT THE CHARTER AMENDMENT SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE ELECTORATE AT THE REFERENDUM SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD CONCURRENTLY WITH THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 6,2018; DESIGNATING AND APPOINTING THE CITY CLERK ("CLERK") AS THE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMMISSION WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF VOTER REGISTRATION BOOKS AND RECORDS; FURTHER DIRECTING THE CLERK TO CAUSE A CERTIFIED COPY OF THE HEREIN RESOLUTION TO BE DELIVERED TO THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, NOT LESS City of Miami Page 168 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 THAN FORTY-FIVE (45) DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF SUCH REFERENDUM SPECIAL ELECTION; PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE FOR THIS RESOLUTION. MOTION TO: Defer RESULT: DEFERRED MOVER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. Item RE.10 was deferred to the July 18, 2018, Special Commission Meeting. Note for the Record. For directive referencing RE. 10, please see Item NA. 1. For minutes referencing Item RE. 10, please see Item RE. 9. END OF RESOLUTIONS City of Miami Page 169 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 I_[sw_llaIce] :701E'QelIINI01111&1*$lIs] 0I ACA ATTORNEY-CLIENT SESSION 4402 UNDER THE PARAMETERS OF SECTION 286.011(8), FLORIDA Office of the City STATUTES, A PRIVATE ATTORNEY-CLIENT SESSION WILL BE Attorney CONDUCTED AT THE JULY 12, 2018 MIAMI CITY COMMISSION MEETING. THE PERSON CHAIRING THE COMMISSION MEETING WILL ANNOUNCE THE COMMENCEMENT OF AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT SESSION, CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, FOR PURPOSES OF DISCUSSING THE PENDING LITIGATION IN THE CASE OF 346 NW 29TH STREET, LLC, ET AL. V. CITY OF MIAMI, ET AL., CASE NO. 13-037260 CA 01, PENDING BEFORE THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 11TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TO WHICH THE CITY IS PRESENTLY A PARTY. THE SUBJECT OF THE MEETING WILL BE CONFINED TO SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATIONS OR STRATEGY SESSIONS RELATED TO LITIGATION EXPENDITURES. THIS PRIVATE MEETING WILL BEGIN AT APPROXIMATELY 10:00 A.M. (OR AS SOON THEREAFTER AS THE COMMISSIONERS' SCHEDULES PERMIT) AND CONCLUDE APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR LATER. THE SESSION WILL BE ATTENDED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COMMISSION WHICH INCLUDE CHAIRMAN KEON HARDEMON, VICE-CHAIRMAN KEN RUSSELL, AND COMMISSIONERS WIFREDO "WILLY" GORT, JOE CAROLLO, AND MANOLO REYES; CITY MANAGER EMILIO T. GONZALEZ; CITY ATTORNEY VICTORIA MENDEZ; DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEYS JOHN A. GRECO AND BARNABY L. MIN; DIVISION CHIEF FOR GENERAL LITIGATION CHRISTOPHER A. GREEN; SENIOR ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY HENRY J. HUNNEFELD; AND ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY KERRI L. MCN ULTY. A CERTIFIED COURT REPORTER WILL BE PRESENT TO ENSURE THAT THE SESSION IS FULLY TRANSCRIBED AND THE TRANSCRIPT WILL BE MADE PUBLIC UPON THE CONCLUSION OF THE ABOVE-CITED, ONGOING LITIGATION. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT SESSION, THE REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING WILL BE REOPENED AND THE PERSON CHAIRING THE COMMISSION MEETING WILL ANNOUNCE THE TERMINATION OF THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT SESSION. RESULT: DISCUSSED Chair Hardemon: So it appears to be that our morning -- Well, is there a attorney- client privilege [sic] that you need to read into the record? I mean, attorney-client session? Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): No attorney-client session, but I believe you have a CRA (community Redevelopment Agency) lunch -- Vice Chair Russell: We do at noon. It's a quick one. Ms. Mendez: -- meeting. City ofMiami Page 170 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: What time is --? Is it scheduled for 12, or is it scheduled for -- Ms. Mendez: One moment. 12. It's scheduled -- Chair Hardemon: That's tough. That's tough, tough, tough, tough. Vice Chair Russell: 20 minutes, 20 minutes. We could do it on the way back in. We could come a little early. Commissioner Gort: Do we have (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Vice Chair Russell: It's literally a three-minute meeting. Chair Hardemon: Okay, okay. Right, we'll do it when we come back. So what I'll do then is I'll recess for lunch and be back at 2 -- we'll be back at -- it's really 2 o'clock, right? Commissioner Gort: 2. Chair Hardemon: We'll go straight into your meeting, handle the meeting, and then we'll go into our time certains. Commissioner Carollo: Okay. Chair Hardemon: Sounds good? Commissioner Carollo: Back at 2? Chair Hardemon: Back at 2. Commissioner Carollo: Thank you. Chair Hardemon: Recess. END OF ATTORNEY-CLIENT SESSION City of Miami Page 171 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Yom-X67_lSIpw_10UZ919]Ly, lLy, I IaIEll NK BC.1 RESOLUTION 3684 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT COUNCIL FOR Clerk TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN Citv ofMiami Page 172 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.2 RESOLUTION 3685 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE AUDIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR TERMS Clerk AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: BC.3 4251 Office of the City Clerk Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN NOMINATED BY: Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City of Miami Page 173 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BCA RESOLUTION 4253 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT BOARD FOR TERMS Clerk AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: Chair Keon Hardemon Commissioner Manolo Reyes Commission -At -Large (Alternate Member) RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN BC.5 RESOLUTION 4060 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING A CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUAL AS A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD FOR ATERM Clerk AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEE: Aaron Gordon ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0304 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Joe Carollo, Commissioner SECONDER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Gort, Carollo, Reyes ABSENT: Russell Chair Hardemon: Are there any Boards and Committees? NOMINATED BY: Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Carollo: Like I used to look before I came back. Nicole N. Ewan (Assistant City Clerk): A couple. Chair Hardemon: We recognize you for Boards and Committees. Ms. Ewan: Thank you, Chairman, Commissioners. BC.5, Community Relations Board: Commissioner Carollo will be appointing Aaron Gordon. City of Miami Page 174 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: Motion? Commissioner Carollo: Motion. Commissioner Gort: Second. Chair Hardemon: All in favor, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: All against? Motion carries. BC.6 RESOLUTION 4255 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN Clerk FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY Chair Keon Hardemon Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Joe Carollo RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN City of Miami Page 175 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.7 RESOLUTION 4257 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD FOR TERMS Clerk AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: (Voting Member) (Post -Secondary Education Representative) (School District Representative) (Children's Trust Representative) (Ex -Officio Non -Voting Member) (Ex -Officio Non -Voting Youth Member) RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN Chair Keon Hardemon Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City of Miami Page 176 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.8 RESOLUTION 3855 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ADVISORY BOARD Clerk FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN Chair Keon Hardemon Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes Commissioner Manolo Reyes IAFF FOP AFSCME 1907 AFSCME 871 City of Miami Page 177 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.9 RESOLUTION 3856 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE FOR TERMS AS Clerk DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: BC.10 4437 Office of the City Clerk RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN Mayor Francis Suarez Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez ::1 RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING A CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL AS A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL EMPLOYEES' AND SANITATION EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT TRUST FOR A TERM AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEE: Olga Machin (AFSCME Local 1907) ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0305 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Joe Carollo, Commissioner SECONDER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes NOMINATED BY: Commission -At -Large Nicole N. Ewan (Assistant City Clerk): BC.10, General Employees and Sanitation Employee Retirement Trust: GESS is requesting confirmation of Olga Machin. Chair Hardemon: Is there a motion? Commissioner Carollo: Motion. Commissioner Gort: Second. City ofMiami Page 178 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BCA 1 1599 Office of the City Clerk BC.12 4395 Office of the City Clerk Chair Hardemon: Properly moved and seconded. All in favor, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: All against? Motion carries. RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE HEALTH FACILITIES AUTHORITY BOARD FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN NOMINATED BY: Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE HISTORIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION BOARD FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES/CATEGORIES: NOMINATED BY: (Citizen — Category 7) (Real Estate Broker — Category 5) (Citizen — Category 7) (Architect — Category 1) RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Manolo Reyes Citv, of Miami Page 179 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.13 RESOLUTION 4064 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE MAYOR'S INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR Clerk TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: BC.14 4259 Office of the City Clerk Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Chair Keon Hardemon Commissioner Wifredo (Willy) Gort RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE MIAMI FOREVER BOND PROGRAM CITIZENS' OVERSIGHT BOARD FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN NOMINATED BY: Chair Keon Hardemon Commissioner Manolo Reyes City of Miomi Page 180 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.15 RESOLUTION 4260 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING A CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUAL AS A MEMBER OF THE MIAMI SPORTS AND EXHIBITION AUTHORITY Clerk FOR A TERM AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEE: NOMINATED BY: Frank Veloso ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0306 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner SECONDER: Joe Carollo, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Commissioner Manolo Reyes Nicole N. Ewan (Assistant City Clerk): BC.15, Miami Sports & Exhibition Authority: Commissioner Reyes is requesting the appointment of Frank Veloso. Commissioner Reyes: Move it. Commissioner Carollo: Second. Commissioner Gort: Second. Chair Hardemon: All in favor, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: Against? Motion carries. City of Miami Page 181 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.16 RESOLUTION 4261 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD Clerk FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: BC.17 4401 Office of the City Clerk RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING A CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL AS A MEMBER OF THE PATRICIA AND PHILLIP FROST MUSEUM OF SCIENCE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR A TERM AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEE: Ken Russell ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0307 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Joe Carollo, Commissioner SECONDER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes NOMINATED BY: Vice Chair Ken Russell Nicole N. Ewan (Assistant City Clerk): And BC.17, Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science Board of Trustees: Vice Chair Russell is requesting to be reappointed to the Trust. Commissioner Gort: Move it. City ofMiami Page 182 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Carollo: Can we put this up for the next meeting for consideration? Chair Hardemon: Been properly moved and seconded. Commissioner Carollo: No. I move the motion that he will be placed again on the board. Commissioner Reyes: And I will second. Commissioner Carollo: Just only joking. Chair Hardemon: All in favor, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Commissioner Carollo: The one before, not the motion I made. Chair Hardemon: Motion carries. Ms. Ewan: Thankyou, Chair, Commissioners. That's it. Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: Thankyou very much. -loxN*If]ILIj1101L1 4396 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING, ZONING AND APPEALS BOARD Clerk FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN NOMINATED BY: Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes Commissioner Manolo Reyes City of Miami Page 183 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.19 RESOLUTION 4262 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE SEA LEVEL RISE COMMITTEE FOR TERMS AS Clerk DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: BC.20 3692 Office of the City Clerk RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes Commission -At -Large Commission -At -Large City Manager Emilio T. Gonzalez RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR CITIZENS' ADVISORY BOARD FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN NOMINATED BY: Mayor Francis Suarez Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes City of Miami Page 184 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.21 RESOLUTION 3693 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE STARS OF CALLE OCHO WALK OF FAME Clerk COMMITTEE FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: Mayor Francis Suarez Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Joe Carollo Commission -At -Large Commission -At -Large Commission -At -Large RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN City ofMiami Page 185 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.22 RESOLUTION 3476 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD Clerk (UDRB) FOR TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: Chair Keon Hardemon Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Wifredo (Willy) Gort Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes Commissioner Manolo Reyes RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN BC.23 RESOLUTION 4263 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING A CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUAL AS A MEMBER OF THE VIRGINIA KEY ADVISORY BOARD FOR A TERM Clerk AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEE: NOMINATED BY: Mayor Francis Suarez RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN City of Miami Page 186 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.24 RESOLUTION 4411 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE VIRGINIA KEY BEACH PARK TRUST FOR Clerk TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: Mayor Francis Suarez Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Wifredo (Willy) Gort Commissioner Joe Carollo RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN City ofMiami Page 187 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 BC.25 RESOLUTION 4264 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION APPOINTING CERTAIN Office of the City INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS OF THE WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD FOR Clerk TERMS AS DESIGNATED HEREIN. APPOINTEES: NOMINATED BY: RESULT: NO ACTION TAKEN END OF BOARDS AND COMMITTEES Mayor Francis Suarez Mayor Francis Suarez Chair Keon Hardemon Chair Keon Hardemon Vice Chair Ken Russell Vice Chair Ken Russell Commissioner Wifredo (Willy) Gort Commissioner Wifredo (Willy) Gort Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Joe Carollo Commissioner Manolo Reyes City ofMiami Page 188 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 III aQ614i���9Is] 0111114LVA DIA DISCUSSION ITEM 4384 DISCUSSION REGARDING THE MULTIPLE DESIGNATION OF Department of PROPERTIES LOCATED IN THE WEST COCONUT GROVE Planning NEIGHBORHOOD. RESULT: DISCUSSED Note for the Record: For additional minutes referencing Item D1. 1, please see "Public Comment Period for Regular Items. " Chair Hardemon: Since there are so many people here regarding that issue, what we'll do is we'll go to the DI.1 instead of doing the SR.1 first. So I'll recognize D1. 1. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I may, I -- it's very emotional for me to see the support of the community come out like this for an initiative, because I really want it to be clear that this is not my initiative, this is not my community. And I don't want to impose upon a community something that is not the will of that community. We absolutely must preserve not only the history, the culture, and most importantly, the people of Coconut Grove, and the story that they've created for our City. What we're dealing with today is just a discussion item on the way to the HEP Board, as the City is the applicant for this issue. And so, the Commissioners are basically hearing from the community whether or not there's support on this as it moves forward to the HEP Board; the HEP Board will make their decision; and after that, there would most likely be appeals. I do recognize some of the concerns that have been raised, and I would like to address those in the right way. It was never the intention of this Commission, I don't believe, as we look toward designation that we take a home that has already been slated for demolition, that it is so far gone that it cannot be brack [sic], or the cost to do so would be prohibitive, especially in a community such as this and structures such as these. So I do hope that the HEP Board takes that into consideration. There's also been a consideration with regard to the idea of the nest egg; that the value contained in these homes could be limited and -- by those who own them and have owned them generationally and would look to either redevelop their property. And so, I hope that the HEP Board gives special consideration with regard to Certificates of Appropriateness if these homes were able to be moved, specifically in this designation. These are very modular homes with spaces underneath, and some can move quite easily; some a little more complicated, but it's possible, and I do hope that the HEP Board considers that, as well as if and when a home receives a Certificate of Appropriateness to be moved and it is moved, it is within the NCD (Neighborhood Conservation District), it is within Coconut Grove and Village West, and that the property that remains could potentially then be undesignated. So this would relieve some of the burdens ofpotential long-term hopes of those who own those homes and are looking for options, and would still allow for the preservation of those homes. And I do hope for the Commissioners' support and the HEP Board's support as we move forward on this. And thank you very much all for coming. Chair Hardemon: Commissioner Gort. Commissioner Gort: I just want to make this statement: Back in the '70s, as I recall, in New York Times named a place in the City of Miami -- because a lot of us moved in that area -- "Little Havana, " because a lot of people come to the area looking for City of Miami Page 189 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Little Havana, but the architecture was not there. So what we created with the Planning and the Zoning Board and the people that lived in that area what is called the "Latin Quarters. " I think there's something very similar that you can do in the Grove, where you can create a tourist attraction by creating the historical site. And people love to -- people travel today to see history, and we have a lot of history in Miami that we can show, the changes that have taken place in Miami. Miami's a city that changes daily, so this -- I think this is one of the issues that you can address, and that could be a great economic development. I mean, it took a long time, but like today, Commissioner Carollo, you're aware, we have over 13 buses going in Little Havana. And you know when tourists get down, they spend money. So it's a great economic development that can be created also to help out. Chair Hardemon: Commissioner Reyes, you're recognized. Commissioner Reyes: Yes. I'd like to address this -- what's going to happen with the historic designation. And Commissioner Russell, you know that -- what my position has been on it. But I am very pleased to see that you have taken into consideration the right ofpeople, that they have special needs, they have special cases, and they're going to be heard case by case. And there's no doubt if they -- I mean, there's an appeal process, and that's what I was -- all the time, I was addressing in my -- the legislation that I presented was, I mean, specifically that; not that I am against historic preservation. On the other hand, I think it is necessary, but it cannot be -- you see -- I mean, there have to be a process. I am all about process, process that provides individuals with the right to appeal or the right -- and also, stage where they can express either their opposition or their agreement on being declared historic. Congratulations, sir. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, just a brief statement. I remember on our Commission approximately a year and a half ago, there were several appeals on a historic district designation that were granted, because they were swept up in a blanket designation. Commissioner Reyes: That's what I would like. Vice Chair Russell: They weren't designated -- they weren't -- it was found that they weren't taken into consideration individually. Even though it was a blanket designation, we have to look at each one, and I'm glad that the HEP Board and the Preservation Department is doing that. Commissioner Reyes: That's right. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner Reyes: And we had cases that came before us that they were -- some of those homes, they were declared that they were dangerous, I mean, uninhabitable, and they were declared. You see? Okay. Commissioner Carollo: Chair? Commissioner Reyes: Thankyou. Chair Hardemon: You're recognized. Commissioner Carollo: Commissioner Russell, the appeal process, is the ultimate board to appeal, would it be this City Commission? Commissioner Reyes: The Commission. City of Miami Page 190 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Carollo: Okay. That's what I want to be sure. That's fine. You have my support. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. END OF DISCUSSION ITEM City of Miami Page 191 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 PART B: PZ - PLANNING AND ZONING ITEM(S) Chair Hardemon: Calling back into order the June 12, 2018 meeting of the Miami City Commission. Let's have the Clerk swear in everyone for the PZ (Planning & Zoning) agenda. Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. If anyone here will be speaking on today's Planning & Zoning items, today's Planning & Zoning items, may I please have you stand and raise your right hand? The City Clerk administered the oath required under City Code Section 62-1 to those persons giving testimony on zoning issues. Mr. Hannon: Thank you, Chair. Chair Hardemon: Thank you very much. We will now begin the Planning & Zoning items. The City Attorney will state the procedures to be followed during this time. Barnaby Min (Deputy City Attorney): Thank you, Mr. Chair. PZ (Planning & Zoning) items shall proceed according to Section 7.1.4 of the Miami 21 Zoning Code. Before any PZ item is heard, all those wishing to speak must be sworn in by the City Clerk. Please note, Commissioners have been briefed by City staff and the City Attorney on items on the agenda today. The members of the City Commission shall disclose any ex parte communications to remove the presumption of prejudice, pursuant to Florida Statute, Section 286.0115 and Section 7.1.4.5 of the Miami 21 Zoning Code. Any person may be heard by the City Commission through the Chair for not more than two minutes on any proposition before the City Commission, unless modified by the Chair. If the proposition is being continued or rescheduled, the opportunity to be heard may be at such later date before the City Commission takes action on such proposition. The Chairman will advise the public when the public may have the opportunity to address the City Commission during the public comment period. When addressing the City Commission, the member of the public may first state his or her name, his or her address, and what items will be spoken about. A copy of the agenda item titles will be available at the City Clerk's Office and at the podium for your ease of reference. Staff will then briefly present each item to be heard. For applications requiring City Commission approval, the applicant will then present its application or request to the City Commission. If the applicant agrees with the staff recommendation, the City Commission may proceed to its deliberation and decision. The applicant may also waive the right to an evidentiary hearing on the record. The order of presentation shall be as set forth in Miami 21 and the City Code, providing that the appellant shall present first. For appeals, the appellant will present its appeal to the City Commission, followed by the appellee. Staff will be allowed to make any recommendations they may have. Any person that's testifying must be sworn in. The City of Miami requires that anyone requesting action by the City Commission must disclose before the hearing anything provided to anyone for agreement to support or withhold objection to the requested action, pursuant to Section 2-8 of the City Code. Any documents offered to the City Commissioners that have not been provided seven days before the meeting as part of the agenda materials will be entered into the record at the City Commission's discretion. If any Commissioner thinks that documents supplied to the Commission less than seven days before merit a continuance, the item may be continued by the City Commission. Thankyou, Mr. Chairman. Chair Hardemon: You're very welcome. Are there any items on the PZ agenda that wish to be withdrawn, deferred, continued? Administration? City of Miami Page 192 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Jeremy Calleros Gauger: Yes, sir. Jeremy Calleros Gauger, Deputy Director for Planning. PZJ, Item 4029, is to be deferred; PZs.2 and 3, which are companion items, are to be indefinitely deferred; and we want to go ahead and hear PZ. 4. Mr. Hannon: Chair? Chair Hardemon: Yes. Mr. Hannon: Item PZ.1 is being deferred to when? Mr. Gauger: That would be to September. Mr. Hannon: September 13 or 27th? Mr. Gauger: The second meeting in September. Mr. Hannon: Say again, sir. Mr. Gauger: Second meeting in September. Mr. Hannon: September 27. Chair Hardemon: Is there a motion in accordance? Commissioner Gort: Move it. Chair Hardemon: It's been properly moved; seconded. Any further discussion on that? Hearing none, all in favor; say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: The motion is approved. Okay. City of Miami Page 193 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 PZ.1 RESOLUTION 4029 ITEM TO BE DEFERRED Department of A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Planning ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING THE CLOSING, VACATING, ABANDONING, AND DISCONTINUING FOR PUBLIC USE A PORTION OF A STREET OF APPROXIMATELY 0. 185 ACRES (OR APPROXIMATELY 8,067 SQUARE FEET) AND MEDIAN AREA OF APPROXIMATELY 0.044 ACRES (OR APPROXIMATELY 1,939 SQUARE FEET) WITHIN THE LIMITS OF APPROVED SANDPIPER VILLAS TENTATIVE PLAT, NO. 1872-B, LOCATED BETWEEN SOUTH VENETIAN DRIVE AND BISCAYNE BAY, ON THE WEST SIDE OF SOUTH VENETIAN COURT, ON BISCAYNE ISLAND, MIAMI, FLORIDA, PURSUANT TO SECTION 55-15 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT "A"; MAKING FINDINGS; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MOTION TO: Defer RESULT: DEFERRED MOVER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner SECONDER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Reyes ABSENT: Carollo Note for the Record. Item PZ.1 was deferred to the September 27, 2018, Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting. For minutes referencing Item PZ.1, please see "Part B: PZ - Planning and Zoning Items. " Citv ofMimni Page 194 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 PZ.2 ORDINANCE First Reading 4196 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Department of ATTACHMENT(S), AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 10544, AS Department of AMENDED, THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP OF THE MIAMI Planning COMPREHENSIVE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN, PURSUANT TO SMALL ABSENT: SCALE AMENDMENT PROCEDURES SUBJECT TO SECTION 163.3187, FLORIDA STATUTES, BY CHANGING THE FUTURE LAND USE DESIGNATION FROM "MEDIUM DENSITY RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL" TO "RESTRICTED COMMERCIAL" OF THE ACREAGE DESCRIBED HEREIN OF REAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 824, 826, 834, 842, 852, 860, 868, AND 876 NORTHWEST 1 STREET AND 29 NORTHWEST 9 AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT "A"; MAKING FINDINGS; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MOTION TO: Indefinitely Defer RESULT: INDEFINITELY DEFERRED MOVER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner SECONDER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Reyes ABSENT: Carollo Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item PZ.2, please see "Part B: PZ - Planning and Zoning Items. " PZ.3 ORDINANCE First Reading 4201 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Department of ATTACHMENT(S), AMENDING THE ZONING ATLAS OF ORDINANCE Planning NO. 13114, AS AMENDED, BY CHANGING THE ZONING AYES: CLASSIFICATION FROM 75-0," URBAN CENTER TRANSECT - ABSENT: OPEN, TO 76-8-0," URBAN CORE TRANSECT - OPEN, FOR THE PROPERTIES LOCATED AT 824, 826, 834, 842, 852, 860, 868, AND 876 NORTHWEST 1 STREET AND 29 NORTHWEST 9 AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT "A"; MAKING FINDINGS; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MOTION TO: Indefinitely Defer RESULT: INDEFINITELY DEFERRED MOVER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner SECONDER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Reyes ABSENT: Carollo Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item PZ.3, please see "Part B: PZ - Planning and Zoning Items. " City of Miami Page 195 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 PZA RESOLUTION 4267 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH Department of ATTACHMENTS, BY A FOUR-FIFTHS (4/5THS) AFFIRMATIVE VOTE, Planning APPROVING AN EXCEPTION PURSUANT TO SECTION 12-2(A) AYES: THROUGH 12-2(C) OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, ABSENT: FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, TO ALLOW FOR AN ADDITIONAL TWENTY-FIVE (25) AMUSEMENT GAMES OR MACHINES, WHERE FOUR (4) ARE ALLOWED BY RIGHT, FOR A TOTAL OF TWENTY- NINE (29) AMUSEMENT GAME MACHINES WITHIN AN EXISTING BUILDING LOCATED WITHIN A "T6-8-0," URBAN CORE OPEN TRANSECT ZONE, THAT ALLOWS FOR A FAMILY DINING AND ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATION, TO BE KNOWN AS PETER PIPER PIZZA, AT APPROXIMATELY 3749 NORTHWEST 7 STREET, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS LEGALLY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT "A"; MAKING FINDINGS; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. :1 41 /_C" I IT, I =124 III i' lIJ IT, 14 =1:M :a F-111y*F•. MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioi SECONDER: Manolo Reyes, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Reyes ABSENT: Carollo Chair Hardemon: Now, we have one item that's on the PZ (Planning & Zoning) agenda; that's PZ.4. Is there a member of the public who'd like to speak on Item PZ.4? Seeing no member of the public that wants to speak on Item PZ.4, is there a motion to approve Item PZ. 4? Commissioner Gort: Move it. Commissioner Reyes: Second. Chair Hardemon: Been properly moved and second to approve PZ.4. Any discussion regarding that motion? Hearing none, all in favor of the motion, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: All against? Motion passes. That concludes our PZ agenda. Thank you so much for your participation. END OF PLANNING AND ZONING ITEMS) City of Miami Page 196 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 NA - NON -AGENDA ITEM(S) NAA RESOLUTION 4507 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION DIRECTING THE MOVER: CITY MANAGER TO WORK WITH THE CITY OF MIAMI'S ("CITY") Office of the City STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LOBBYIST TO SEEK AND Clerk OBTAIN AVAILABLE FUNDING FOR THE REMEDIATION OF BROWNFIELD REHABILITATION AREAS WITHIN THE CITY, WITH A FOCUS ON MELREESE COUNTRY CLUB, A CITY PARK, FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND ANY OTHER APPLICABLE FEDERAL GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY; DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO SEEK FUNDING FOR THE REMEDIATION OF BROWNFIELDS REHABILITATION SITES FROM OTHER POTENTIAL NOW GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES; DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO MAKE THE FINDING OF AVAILABLE FUNDING FOR SAID REMEDIATION A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY; FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE OFFICIALS STATED HEREIN. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0302 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Joe Carollo, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Note for the Record. For minutes referencing Item NA.1, please see Item RE.9. Commissioner Carollo: Look, I don't want to beat the horse over and over again. If there are not three votes here to move this forward, then let's end this meeting tonight. But before we do that, if I can make one motion that I think I could get a majority vote on. With the Chairman's permission, I'm going to make a resolution instructing the City Manager that he instructs our lobbyists, both at the State and Federal level, to look for every dollar that they can for brownsfield [sic] money for the Melreese Country Club. With them, I prefer they use the word, "Melreese Park, " because some in Washington or Tallahassee might be offended with the "country club" wording. But there's money out there that we could get, both from the State and the Feds, and at some point in the near future, I would hope that that money could be gotten, and it would be quite helpful, because regardless of what happens with this vote, I'm not going to give up in developing that property for the best interests of the residents of Miami, that huge, silent majority that's not here tonight, because they need the jobs, they need the monies that this project is going to bring. Later... Commissioner Carollo: But if I could just interrupt you for a second, and then you can proceed again. We had a motion and a second on the motion that I made. Can we get a vote on that? Vice Chair Russell: Would you reiterate it, please? City of Miami Page 197 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Carollo: Excuse me? Vice Chair Russell: What was it? Commissioner Carollo: The motion is instructing the City Manager, for him to give instructions to our State and Washington lobbyists to find every dollar that they can for brownsfield [sic] monies for the Melreese Country Club Park, swimming pool, baseball fields. Chair Hardemon: The motion will carry if it's without objection. Commissioner Carollo: Okay. Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): Chair, my apologies. Who was the seconder? Vice Chair Russell: I'll second it. Commissioner Carollo: Commissioner Russell. Chair Hardemon: Commissioner Gort? Commissioner Gort: What's this motion now? Chair Hardemon: Well, there's no motion on the floor right now. That -- the motion -- that's already passed. But -- Commissioner Gort: Okay. Chair Hardemon: -- so right now, we're just trying to decide. And this is the part that I'm trying to figure out, because as I understand, there's a desire to defer this to another meeting. City of Miami Page 198 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 NA.2 RESOLUTION 4505 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION SCHEDULING A Office of the City SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION MEETING ON JULY 18, 2018 AT 10:00 Clerk A.M. AT MIAMI CITY HALL, 3500 PAN AMERICAN DRIVE, MIAMI, FLORIDA FOR THE PURPOSES OF DISCUSSING AND TAKING ANY AND ALL ACTION ASSOCIATED WITH: (1) A POTENTIAL GROUND LEASE AND MASTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT ("LEASE") BETWEEN THE CITY OF MIAMI ("CITY') AND MIAMI FREEDOM PARK, LLC ("MFP") FOR APPROXIMATELY SEVENTY-THREE (73) ACRES OF CITY -OWNED PROPERTY LOCATED GENERALLY AT 1400 NORTHWEST 37TH AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33125 AND IDENTIFIED AS FOLIO NUMBERS 30-3129-000-0050, 30- 3129-0000160, 01-3132-000-0080, AND 01-3132-000-0090 ("PROPERTY') WITH AN INITIAL TERM OF THIRTY-NINE (39) YEARS WITH TWO (2) THIRTY (30) YEAR OPTIONS TO RENEW FOR A TOTAL TERM OF NINETY-NINE (99) YEARS, WITH AN ANNUAL BASE RENT EQUAL TO THE GREATER OF THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE DOLLARS ($3,577,365.00) OR FAIR MARKET VALUE AS DETERMINED BY TWO (2) STATE CERTIFIED APPRAISERS IN ADDITION TO ANY RENT INCREASES AND/OR ADDITIONAL RENTS NEGOTIATED BY THE PARTIES; (2) AUTHORIZING THE USE OF THE PROPERTY FOR A SOCCER STADIUM, ENTERTAINMENT CENTER INCLUDING FOOD AND BEVERAGE VENUES, OFFICES, RETAIL, HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER, AND OTHER ANCILLARY COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH A MAXIMUM HEIGHT NOT TO EXCEED FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AEROSPACE OBSTRUCTION STANDARDS, WITH RESTRICTIONS, REVERSIONS, AND RETENTION BY THE CITY OF ALL OTHER RIGHTS; (3) AUTHORIZING THE CREATION OF A PARK INFRASTRUCTURE FUND BY THE CITY THAT WILL RECEIVE A TWENTY MILLION DOLLAR ($20,000,000.00) CONTRIBUTION FROM MFP, PAYABLE IN EQUAL YEARLY INSTALLMENTS OF SIX HUNDRED SIXTY- SIX THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED SEVEN DOLLARS ($666,667.00) FOR A PERIOD OF THIRTY (30) YEARS TO DEFRAY THE SITE DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED COSTS FOR A PUBLIC PARK OF APPROXIMATELY FIFTY-EIGHT (58) ACRES TO BE DEVELOPED ON PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY USED FOR THE MELREESE COUNTRY CLUB AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE -RELATED COSTS; (4) CALLING FOR A SPECIAL ELECTION AND PROVIDING THAT THE PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT BE SUBMITTED TO THE ELECTORATE AT THE SPECIAL ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 6, 2018; (5) DESIGNATING AND APPOINTING THE CITY CLERK ("CLERK") AS THE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY COMMISSION WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF VOTER REGISTRATION BOOKS AND RECORDS; (6) FURTHER DIRECTING THE CLERK TO CAUSE A CERTIFIED COPY OF THE RESULTING RESOLUTION TO BE DELIVERED TO THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA NOT LESS THAN FORTY-FIVE (45) DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF SUCH SPECIAL ELECTION. City of Miomi Page 199 Printed on 08/24/2018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0298 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Commissioner SECONDER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chair, can we pick a date? Can we pick a date --? Chair Hardemon: I'm not available on the 19th. I have a family reunion that I've been waiting for; for a very long time. Mayor Suarez: Right. Vice Chair Russell: How about the 20th? Chair Hardemon: I'll be on my family reunion at that time. Mayor Suarez: Okay. Chair Hardemon: My first family reunion with my wife and my daughter. Mayor Suarez: How about the 18th? Vice Chair Russell: 18th, I'm fine; 20th, I'm fine. Mayor Suarez: 18th, the 18th? The 18th; Wednesday, the 18th? Vice Chair Russell: Yes. Mayor Suarez: Wednesday, the 18th? Chair Hardemon: I'm here. Mayor Suarez: Wednesday, the 18th? Vice Chair Russell: I'll move for a deferral to Wednesday, the 18th. Chair Hardemon: You know, I want to know this: What are we discussing -- Mr. Mas: What are we defer --? Chair Hardemon: -- on Wednesday, the 18th? Mr. Mas: That's what I'd like to know. Vice Chair Russell: Ballot language, because it's a mess. We would be here another hour just cleaning up ballot language, first of all, and we've got to get it right; and getting a 'yes" vote from me. Commissioner Carollo: Can I make -- see if I get a second? Chair Hardemon: You can make -- you're always at liberty to make a motion. Commissioner Carollo: Well, no, no. The five-day rule can be called. Mayor Suarez: Guys, guys. City of Miami Page 200 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Commissioner Reyes: Five-day rules. Mayor Suarez: Just pick a date. We have a consensus on a date, which is Wednesday, correct? Is everyone okay with Wednesday? Commissioner Carollo: I'll come any time. Mayor Suarez: Okay. So let's do it Wednesday at 10. Wednesday at 10 it is. Do we have to make a motion for that? Vice Chair Russell: Yes. Commissioner Gort: Move it. Chair Hardemon: Yeah. You have to defer the items till Wednesday at 10. Commissioner Reyes: Then we'll have a clear mind. Vice Chair Russell: It's been moved. I'll second it. Commissioner Carollo: Okay. I'll be available. Vice Chair Russell: Thank you. Commissioner Carollo: Will you call the question, Mr. Chairman? Commissioner Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Chair Hardemon: No, no, no. So to make it very clear, who's the mover of this motion? Vice Chair Russell: Commissioner Gort did. Commissioner Carollo: Gort. Chair Hardemon: So Commissioner Gort moves; seconded by the Vice Chairman to defer Item RE.9 and RE. 10. (INA UDIBLE COMMENT). Chair Hardemon: Oh, you know, you have to create a special Commission meeting (UNINTELLIGIBLE) day, actually; that's what you have to do. So the motion actually has to be to create a special Commission meeting on -- hope everyone's listening. So the motion would actually have to be that we have to create a special Commission meeting on the 18th of July, at 10 o'clock, to address RE.9 and RE. 10. And at that hearing, there won't be any public comment, because we've already had public comment. Someone's shaking their head. Commissioner Gort: You think we did? Chair Hardemon: I think we had public comment. Vice Chair Russell: Can I get a clarification from that on Legal and the Clerk, please? I just want to make sure we do everything by the book. Commissioner Carollo: Well, the City Attorney. Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): Yeah. There -- City of Miami Page 201 Printed on 08/2412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 Chair Hardemon: We could always -- Ms. Mendez: -- doesn't have to be any more public comment. We've had public comment; it was noticed. Everything was noticed for today. You only have to -- you're --you only have to speak once. We had the -- Vice Chair Russell: So even if we're changing anything or amending --? Ms. Mendez: I mean, we're not changing anything that's -- Commissioner Gort: Can we continue? How about if we continue so --? Ms. Mendez: It doesn't -- Vice Chair Russell: Okay. If it's -- Ms. Mendez: -- neither -- it doesn't matter -- Vice Chair Russell: -- legally sound -- Ms. Mendez: -- either. Vice Chair Russell: -- I trust you, and I'm fine with that. Commissioner Reyes: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Ms. Mendez: And we've done this before on big items, as well. It wouldn't be the first time that we -- you know -- ended the public comment and just have a vote for the Commission on a different date. Chair Hardemon: All right. So is there a motion in accordance with what has been stated on the record? What's stated on the record is that is there a motion to have a special Commission meeting minute -- special Commission meeting on July 18, to commence at 10 a.m., to discuss -- well, to -- right -- to address Items RE.9 and RE. 10? Is there a motion? Vice Chair Russell: That has been moved. Chair Hardemon: Who moved it; Gort? Commissioner Gort: Moved and second. Chair Hardemon: Seconded by the Vice Chairman. Any further discussion about that motion? Seeing none, all in favor of the motion, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: All against? That motion carries. City of Miami Page 202 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 NA.3 RESOLUTION 4508 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO MEET WITH AMERICAN FEDERATION OF Office of the City STATE COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 1907 TO Clerk DISCUSS ISSUES RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS AND SCHEDULE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS SAID ISSUES. ENACTMENT NUMBER: R-18-0303 MOTION TO: Adopt RESULT: ADOPTED MOVER: Ken Russell, Vice Chair SECONDER: Joe Carollo, Commissioner AYES: Hardemon, Russell, Gort, Carollo, Reyes Chair Hardemon: Madam City Attorney, on -- I mean, I don't know how long that meeting is going to last. I would assume -- I just don't know. Is there any way that we can add to that agenda, maybe a shade meeting to discuss some of our labor stuff? Vice Chair Russell: Executive session. Chair Hardemon: Is it executive session? That's what it's called? Yeah. Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): Yeah, an executive session could be called -- Chair Hardemon: Right. Ms. Mendez: -- that day, but that's separate, so we'll -- the Manager will -- Mayor Suarez: Might as well. Chair Hardemon: No. What I'm asking you is, do you have to make an announcement today for that one? Ms. Mendez: Notfor executive, no. Chair Hardemon: Okay, great. Vice Chair Russell: I would -- do we need to direct? Because I would like to direct our City Attorney -- I mean our City Manager -- to get together with our labor union, AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) so that we can discuss their contract at the next executive session. Mayor Francis Suarez: I agree with that. Vice Chair Russell: Someone else does, too. Please, please, they've been -- it's been a long time. And we had an offer on the table with them; it got retracted. I know there's -- you need to work out with them, but please do it so we can get something put together for them by next week. Mayor Suarez: Thankyou. City of Miami Page 203 Printed on 0812412018 City Commission Meeting Minutes July 12, 2018 ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair Russell: Do you need a vote on that? Do you need a -- Is that sufficient direction? Commissioner Carollo: Yes, you need a vote. Vice Chair Russell: Well, that's a motion, then. Commissioner Carollo: Its a motion. Second. Call the roll. Vice Chair Russell: I'm sorry. I'm the -- I've got the gavel, so -- Commissioner Carollo: Well, you pass it. Vice Chair Russell: -- pass the gavel. I'll make the motion. Commissioner Carollo: I second it. Commissioner Gort: All in favor -- Any further discussion? Vice Chair Russell: No. Commissioner Gort: Here comes the Chairman. Go ahead. All in favor -- Vice Chair Russell: Just say, "All in favor, say 'aye."' Chair Hardemon: All in favor, say "aye. " The Commission (Collectively): Aye. Chair Hardemon: Motion carries. Commissioner Carollo: Is there a motion to end the meeting? Chair Hardemon: The meeting is over. The meeting adjourned at 10:44 p.m. City of Miami Page 204 Printed on 0812412018