Biscayne Park
Biscayne Park, FL · Municipal
southbeachtopchefs.com
Miami Herald
Miami Seaquarium plan hits a roadblock. Environmentalists fight rushed approval
A plan to redevelop the Miami Seaquarium may be in jeopardy after the project failed to win approval from a key Miami-Dade committee on Tuesday. Developer David Martin faces a year-end deadline by a federal bankruptcy court to get county approval of a proposed 99-year lease for the waterfront property outside of Miami that’s home to the shuttered theme park. Miami-Dade owns the land, and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava needs County Commission approval of the lease allowing Martin to build a marina that’s drawn opposition from environmental groups. That lease was a last-minute addition to Tuesday’s meeting of the commission’s Recreation, Tourism and Resiliency Committee, but the four-member panel was deadlocked on whether to forward the proposal to the full commission. “Why are we getting this at the eleventh hour?” Commissioner Marleine Bastien asked about the 249-page lease added to the committee’s agenda Monday evening. “That doesn’t make any sense to me.” With Bastien and Commissioner Micky Steinberg pushing back on approval, the committee voted to defer the vote to a future meeting. Commissioner Raquel Regalado, whose district includes the Seaquarium’s Virginia Key site, voted against the deferral. Just before the vote, a Martin lobbyist warned that Miami-Dade risked a
Miami Herald
communitynewspapers.com
Miami Herald
Miami elections chief's partisan statement undermines public trust in her office | Letters
Eroding confidence Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia has apparently forgotten a fundamental principle of democracy: election officials count votes. They don’t declare winners before the process is complete. “María Elvira is the winner, with or without a recount,” Garcia proclaimed as U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar held a razor-thin lead over Democrat Eliott Rodriguez. With or without a recount? That extraordinary declaration came while ballots remained unresolved and a legally mandated recount loomed. Garcia is not a political pundit or campaign surrogate. She is the official entrusted with administering an impartial election. Her responsibility is to safeguard the process, not prejudge its outcome. Perhaps Salazar will ultimately prevail. That is beside the point. When an election supervisor publicly declares a winner before the process concludes, they create an appearance of bias that undermines confidence in the institution they represent. Rodriguez’s request for her recusal is therefore understandable, regardless of whether actual misconduct occurred. Democracy demands more than accurate vote totals. It demands public confidence that every ballot receives fair consideration. Garcia’s reckless pronouncement compromised that confidence. Miami-Dade deserves an election supervisor who understands the difference between administering democracy and announcing its results. The voters decide. Not Alina Garcia. Manny