Managed growth, we should control our destiny

By On December 15, 2006 · Leave a Comment
Here is a letter I received from Joe Corradino, of the Pinecrest Village council. Pardon the formatting errors, internet use time is limited…Enjoy…

A decade ago Pinecrest incorporated as a municipality. As a result the Village was required, by the State of Florida to develop a Comprehensive Plan, and subsequent Land Development Regulations. The Comprehensive Plan sets forth the Goals, Objectives, and Policies that the Village lives by. The Land Development Regulations and Zoning Code are the legal implementation of the plan. One of the most important results of our incorporation was that control over zoning and land use was vested in the Village. In the coming months and years we will need to reach out to our neighbors to maintain that control, and implement positive change in our area of the County.

Since 1996, we have come to live in one of the fastest growing, most desirable regions, and cities in the nation. Some estimate more than 30,000 people each year move in to South Dade County. Today we share the US-1 Corridor with over ½ million people living in South Miami, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Homestead, Florida City, and Miami Dade County. All of which impact Pinecrest. The issues we face are diverse and stretch well beyond our boundaries. They are regional in nature. Skyrocketing property values have limited the ability of young middle class families to move in, and the ability of senior citizens to downsize, so that our community may continue its normal, healthy growth cycles. Hurricanes and their results have further burdened tax payers. The tremendous regional growth coupled with separated residential and commercial land use patterns have created highly congested roadways. We often lack critical supporting infrastructure. The environment, relative to water quality and quantity may be degrading, and we have limited land on which to expand. Additionally our economy has shifted and has become largely dependant on this growth.

As a result of these issues, it is being suggested through a coming study that an entity other that Pinecrest control the land uses and densities in Pinecrest. As such, we face serious challenges over the next several years. To protect our rights, we must not only be concerned with our local government and how it functions internally, but we should coordinate with our surrounding municipal neighbors and stakeholders groups in order to understand and address the economic, transportation, land use and environmental consequences that come as a product of living in an extremely desirable location. By displaying the leadership and vision to study, understand, and react to these issues in a holistic and coordinated manner, we have the opportunity of protecting our interests, limiting the unintended consequences of poor planning decisions, and maintaining the right to control our land use and zoning. As part of a symbiotic, sub-regional group of cities in South Dade, our best opportunity for success is to work together to examine and address these issues in a rational manner, so that we can manage our growth consistent to our comprehensive plans and visions. By working to together to develop coordinated responses that not only are reflective of what is in the best interests of Pinecrest, but our neighbors and region as a whole, will assure that we protect our assets and maintain our high quality of life well into the future.

Joe Corradino

Pinecrest Village Council

Seat 4

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Metrocarding…

By On December 13, 2006 · Leave a Comment


Well, I’m off again for my annual winter break trip up to NYC. I won’t be leaving you all empty handed though, seeing as I should have some ample time to write some new articles, but, just in case I have a couple of guest articles prepared to share with you as well. I attended today’s first Coastal Communities workshop on Miami Beach. I’ll share the results and my thoughts on the whole project with you all soon…

If there is a single thing I’d like MDTA to learn from MTA in NYC, it’s the Metrocard pictured above. The MTA metrocard is quite possibly the best tool MDTA could adapt to facilitate the use of public transit, more streamlined, and somewhat technologically advanced. The Metrocard allows riders to purchase fares using either paper currency or credit cards and provides an array of purchasing options including: single fares, full day, weekend, 7-day, and month long passes. It’s such an easy concept but yet we’re still fumbling around with machines which serve no better purpose than to iron our dollars bills…

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The Shops at Wasted Space

By On December 12, 2006 · 1 Comment


Alas, with the demise of the Bakery Center in South Miami over a decade ago, the then proposed Shops at Sunset Place were to serve as the urban catalyst for the city South Miami. Now, eight years after Sunset Place opened, we have been able to see the less than stellar transformation the neighborhood has experienced along with the generally lackluster performance of the new mall.


The Shops at Sunset Place was designed as a mall in transition. The sprawling suburban mall concept was just beginning to fade away from the American landscape while the “lifestyle center” concept had yet to fully take off. Having witnessed the failure of the Bakery Center, Simon Malls was careful to not retrace the same steps, but by the same token, was reluctant to fully pioneer a new urban and real “lifestyle center.” Unlike its predecessor, Sunset Place was designed to be an open-aired Mediterranean community, incorporating former mall aspects like big boxed anchor tenants with street-level restaurants, faux cityscapes, and even a few residential units. The center was originally envisioned to be an entertainment center, but the quick failure of some of the theme restaurants and IMAX Theater, quickly changed intended target use. Since its inception, the mall has struggled to maintain a strong and lasting business base. This can perhaps be attributed to its awkward design, as I said earlier, as a mall in transition: too few apartments, too big of a parking garage for an urban center, but too small for a mall, near isolation from the surrounding urban area, and a terrible incorporation into the South Miami neighborhood and nearby public transit.

The Shops at Wasted Space Sunset Place has served as a catalyst for South Miami: bringing the worst urban planning ideas to an area that was once brimming with potential. The area will soon become the biggest conglomeration of public parking facilities I’ve ever witnessed. I walk through this area nearly everyday, somehow avoiding every Benz and Beemer which comes careening through the area in search of parking and jarringly unconscious of any pedestrian laws which might exist. Despite the area’s proximity to public transit, I have never seen such obstinate disregard for incorporating the metrorail with the urban area.


Now, rising in the heart of the area are two developments which will continue the neighborhood’s transformation from urban center to urban disaster. The map above shows the existing public parking garage structures in the area (Red circles.) The first catastrophic development, highlighted by the yellow circle is the upcoming Plaza San Remo (Where’s the Plaza?) with over 100,000+ square feet of office space and a 65,000 square foot Whole Foods Market. The complex, which is being advertised as: “A first-class Medical & Professional Condominium where South Miami, Coral Gables, and Pinecrest Meet” is rising just east of the most uninviting pedestrian façade of Sunset Place. The inhospitable surroundings of the blank walls of Sunset Place, Wendy’s drive-thru, and near chaotic activity along Red Rd. will almost guarantee that this complex will only be accessible by vehicle, so don’t let the pretty red awnings fool you, they aren’t there for anything other than looks. Most disturbing though, Plaza San Remo will contain: “Generous covered parking for owners and visitors – five spaces per 1,000 feet.” A lot of good those 825 spaces will do the area when the local streets area already at or near capacity and the building is less than a quarter-mile from the nearest transit station…


Highlighted by the blue circle on the map and about one tenth of a mile away from the transit station is the upcoming catastrophic restaurant/public parking garage facility. The 435 parking spot garage will sit above 36,000 square feet of restaurants including a Carrabas, Outback Steakhouse, and a “sport themed” restaurant according to city documents (Note the public concerns: “He felt that key points about safety in the garage were addressed such as proper turning radiuses for cars…”) Give me a break! What about the fact that the area can’t handle another 435 patrons cars or that a parking garage isn’t exactly part of the urban design South Miami should be looking for for the city center, all the public cares about is whether they will be able to drive their Hummer or Navigator through without getting a scratch…It looks like the only wait for a table for two will be on the two lanes of 73rd St…

The Green lines on the map indicate streets which contain on-street parallel parking spaces. The orange circles highlight the local existing surface parking lot facilities. Aside from parking and food themed retail, the urban center is lacking any sort of residential identity. The city and County have completely neglected the fact that transit was originally intended to be incorporated into the urban center, a fact which will soon be realized as the South Miami streets become choked by the very traffic they were originally intended to attract…

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Capital at Brickell

By On December 11, 2006 · Leave a Comment


What could possibly be considered the most important architectural contribution to Miami’s skyline in the latest high-rise boom, has finally begun construction. The Capital at Brickell towers will rise to 53 and 57 stories at 1421 S. Miami avenue. The mixed-use buildings will contain residences, office space, and ground level retail which should interact well with the existing street activity in the area. Most importantly, both towers will be capped by a beautiful spire which resembles that of the Chrysler Building…

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Broken News

By On December 8, 2006 · Leave a Comment

I’m back in town and am very glad to be here especially with all the activity going on over the next few days. I plan on stopping by some Art Basel activities this weekend among other things. I will also be attending some community workshops, particularly the Coastal Community workshops; I’ll fill you all in with the times/locations so that you too can attend.

For some reason the local news has decided to work together to write the worst articles on the urban situation in Miami. These are the top three:

  • This article, upon reading it left me with only one reaction: Duh!
  • Miami is trying to attract the 2% of the population with 50% of the wealth. Give me a break, developers are catering to a successful market, you can’t blame them for wanting to profit. It’s our fault that our city code doesn’t account for a type of development that would actually be beneficial to our area, not the developers. Now, given our dearth for land we should continue condo growth in an intelligent manor which will add density to key parts of our city…
  • Um, you’ve got to be kidding me: Study warns that Florida must curb growth or be overwhelmed by sprawl, gridlock. First off it took a “study” to realize this? Second, of course we need to monitor our growth, but, better yet maybe need to build properly across the state. Even smaller cities in this state are using 200% more land that what is necessary for the population growths they are experiencing. With an incoming governor who has already stated: “Floridians Love their cars” what kind of growth can we expect over the next upcoming years? It’s not going to suddenly change, that’s for sure. The state MPO’s don’t have a goal for our cities, the FDOT has no clue what its doing, there’s no plan to link the state with some sort of reliable rail system, our leadership has no clue of how to solve the problem, we have major funding issues, etc…

“We are trying to get some development now because we are in dire need of homes and jobs,” Sasser said. “We absolutely need growth out here just to survive.”

We don’t need to stop growth; we just need to stop sprawling out in every direction with homes on half acre lots surrounded by gold courses and strip shopping centers…

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Mercy Aerial

By On December 6, 2006 · Leave a Comment


Earlier today, Adam wrote:

I’d really like to see some aerial views with the proposed buildings in relation to the existing hospital and neighborhood. My feeling from riding my bike through that neighborhood is that it is pretty institutional-feeling already. It’s hard for me to see the bid difference between 15-20-and-35 story buildings. Anything over 5 or 6 stories is on a whole separate scale. Other than traffic/transit concerns, the skyrises might not be too out of place next the giant hospital.

Using Google Earth, I obtained an aerial view of the so-called peninsula where the buildings would rise. The article does a poor job differentiating that the entire Mercy Hospital complex is located on what could technically be considered a peninsula rather than the actual location of the buildings themselves. I believe that the three buildings would rise where the three blue dots are located, on the Southwestern part of the Mercy property. They would in fact be sandwiched between the central Mercy Hospital complex and the buildings on Grove Isle (Circled in red.) I highlighted in green the principal route that would be impacted by the traffic created by these buildings (South Bayshore Drive) and placed a yellow dot on the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens complex which abuts the Mercy Hospital land. The buildings would be located approximately 1.08 miles from the southernmost building along Brickell Avenue and 1.25 miles from the first tower in Coconut Grove, the SBS tower.

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Mercy, Mercy Me

By On December 6, 2006 · Leave a Comment



Mercy Hospital is pressing ahead with plans to sell a few acres of land to the Related Group in order to finance hospital improvements. The Grove residents are already mounting an opposition group (Gasp!) to fight the three 26-36 story residential buildings which would rise on site. The three towers will hold approximately 300 high end condominiums which as the developer points out, would likely be purchased by wealthy out-of-towners as second and third homes. As the Herald points out, the project has already won the preliminary support of the two nearest homeowners associations, begging the question if the developer successfully paid for the support of the groups. This leads me to an added question in my never ending attempt to understand how public input should be valued when considering neighborhood developments: How much should proximity to development weigh when analyzing the concerns of area residents?

I haven’t seen the plans or traffic impact analysis of the Mercy project yet and have therefore not taken a stance on the development. In any case, I do see them as out of place with the given surroundings but not entirely out of context when you consider the existing 3 tower Grove Isle project which would be immediately South of this development...

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It’s Not Easy Being Green

By On December 5, 2006 · 1 Comment


Tomorrow, one of the most advanced and ecologically friendly buildings will break ground in Miami; marking the beginning of construction on our first official LEED designated building. The 13 story, green glassed office building will rise alongside Douglas road, adjacent to the metrorail station. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.

The rating level a project achieves is based on a points system which looks at six categories: sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design process.

I do have some reservations about this LEED designation. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do think that it is beneficial to the whole community to construct buildings which are extremely efficient and good for the environment considering that buildings account for 40% of our energy usage, but, shouldn’t the LEED certification take the way people will interact with the building into account? What I’m getting at is that a building that is adjacent to a mass transit station should not have a huge parking component built into the structure, period.

The green glass building will feature a unique L-shaped design allowing each office to have window space, while providing ample parking on the interior of each floor.

I mean, seeing that the average vehicle in the United States pumps out 19.4 Pounds of Carbon Dioxide per gallon of gas burned, shouldn’t the LEED certification take this into account when the building will include sufficient parking for every tenant despite the easy public transit access? I think LEED certification should be contingent on the fact that the building will also “green” the daily lives and habits of a building’s occupants…

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Oh Miami 21, Miami 21. Wherefore art thou Miami 21?

By On December 4, 2006 · Leave a Comment

Miami 21 is behind schedule which isn’t much of a surprise to most of us here; however, it is actually understandable for a concept of this magnitude to have all sorts of delays considering how many different aspects of zoning laws will be affected…

”My concern is that the city may be giving us the run-around,” said newly elected City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who attended Thursday’s presentation at City Hall.

”I don’t see the public having opportunity for input but when that occurs, I don’t see their input reflected in changes to the code,” he said.

I hate to break the news, but, you’re technically part of that “city run-around” now. I wasn’t aware that Miami’s residents were certified professional engineers, architects, and urban planners, all teeming full of great ideas on how to suddenly fix Miami’s decrepit urban infrastructure. Just because a suggestion is made by a constituent, why should a professional consulting group automatically include their ideas? Let’s let the hired consultants do their job, otherwise, we could have left the urban planning to the average Joe resident and saved the city millions…Oh snap, I forgot, we’ve already tried that…

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Miami Marine Stadium

By On December 3, 2006 · Leave a Comment

   

    Miami Marine Stadium, the topic of a recent article by the Miami Herald profiling 3 forgotten athletic venues in the area…What do you think should be done with the Marine Stadium?

    Image from ImageMD’s Flickr…

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Transit Miami Growth

By On December 1, 2006 · Leave a Comment


Though I haven’t had a 10,000 hit day like Alesh recently had, Transit Miami visits and activity has been growing quite steadily for the past few months. November visitor numbers grew remarkably quick. Transit Miami has now been in existence for over 8 months. I look forward to the continued growth of the site and will continue doing my best to bring you the highest quality content and information as soon as possible. Thanks Everyone!

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Time Credo Loves Miami, Revisited

By On December 1, 2006 · Leave a Comment

After reading Stephen’s comment with regards to my Time Credo Loves Miami article, I realized that perhaps I may have been painting a bit of a rosy portrait of my beloved city. My issues from the Time article come from the fact that Time failed to correctly differentiate between National, State, and Local issues which plague Miami. I could care less what Time Magazine thinks; I was inherently irked though that such a negative piece could make it into the magazine without focusing any attention on the positive changes which have recently come about in Miami. In any case I provided Stephen’s statement below, before my own response (This is not intended as a personal attack on Stephen, but rather I used his contrasting opinion to certify my position against the article):

Stephen wrote:

Gabriel–I trust you may be overreacting to the criticism of Miami.
It is time to see things as they are and there are some very cogent issues in the TIME article that would be hard to deny right now:

“least affordable metropolitan area in the U.S.”, “one of America’s lowest household median incomes”, “ethnic tensions”, a dysfunctional school board and school system, lack of minimal public health services, “third worst poverty rate in the nation”, “weak government oversight of development”, disorderly urban development, not to mention the Miami-Dade Housing Authority’s massive corruption, huge cost overruns and political manipulation at MIA, cost overruns at the Carnival Center, absolute lack of public transportation and traffic management, out of control property taxes and property insurance. I know of no other place called “paradise” that has these terrible indicators.

Certainly, this is not a third world country, but unfortunately, we do have some third world habits.

This is a great place to live too, if you have enough money to afford your taxes and insurance(or have lived here a long time and have a homestead exemption–a strong incentive against near arrivals), a good job or retirement income, are multilingual, enjoy the food, art, music, etc. Otherwise, the quality of the jobs and the salaries paid here are not up to national standards and many young professionals are well advised to move north as they are doing now.

All of these and many other issues have been raised in numerous studies of the region that are politicians are well advised to read. I assume that they have no ambition to change things as they are.

Stephen:
Not at all, I understand Miami has its share of problems and it is a shame that the majority of the problems you list can be attributed to the elected officials chosen to represent the citizens of the area. The development concerns span across the country, Miami is no better or worse designed than most of the cities across the country or even the state. Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Ft. Lauderdale, etc, are all experiencing the same terrible growth problems as Miami on an equal or even greater scale. The absolute lack of public transportation is a national issue; our entire country’s infrastructure is vehicular dependant due to decades of neglect on other means of transportation. We have very few alternatives and little emphasis is placed on alternative transportation. The racial segregation is no more prevalent in Miami than in any other major city. Sure the disparity between black and white neighborhoods may still exist but Miami is far better racially integrated across all races than most of the cities in the United States. The abundant homeless population is the result of a migration of homeless people to warmer climates (Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico have a very disproportionate amount of homeless people migrating into the cities, yet I’m sure funding for homeless issues is distributed equally nationally.) Our property taxes are by no means out of control, they actually decreased the millage rate in most cities recently and property values are at a premium because, well face it, the law of supply and demand controls the real estate market. Notice how the so called collapse of the real estate bubble has barely influenced prices in some of the most desired neighborhoods, like Miami Beach. Florida’s population keeps growing annually, so as long as the demand to live in the state is still prevalent, land costs will simply keep rising. Property insurance is spiraling out of control across the state, but, it is by no means the fault of Miami citizens and is a lame argument for the purposes of the Time Magazine article.

Are there problems in Miami, yes, I full heartedly agree with you, but, the Time Magazine article did a pretty poor job of summarizing the real issues we face in Miami placing much of the blame of national and state issues on the municipality. I started this website to address many of your concerns, I agree, Miami’s infrastructure is terrible, but, what do you expect when our state DOT is willing to spend billions to widen avenues in the western part of the county but won’t spend a cent on public transit? When our incoming governor sees nothing wrong with widening the UDB when the southern part of the state is already on the verge of an infrastructure and water crisis? What can be expected of a county commission which is paid a paltry sum for their public work? The education system is dreadful locally, but, our teachers are now faced with a terrible standardized test (F-Can’t) imposed by the state which does little to actually improve the fundamental education our kids our receiving. Now outgoing Governor Bush is also leaving us with the terrible plan of incorporating “majors” into high schools thereby forcing 8th graders (um, 13 year olds) to choose an area of intended study for the next four years of their lives. All these factors should be taken into account when you analyze the problems which affect Miami and may be extremely evident of some major deficiencies, but, it was incorrect of Time Magazine to solely place the blame for such issues on our municipality.

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$2 Billion Widening Spree

By On November 30, 2006 · Leave a Comment

What a way to waste $2 Billion. Widening Krome? Don’t be fooled, our basic transit infrastructure fell apart long ago. FDOT simply doesn’t understand the social ramifications of doing this. They claim the widening is necessary to create a safer facility for motorists; however, it will only open a floodgate to more pointless housing developments. When I spoke to some FDOT officials recently, they informed me that the money is designated for improvement on Miami-Dade roads only, if the project isn’t completed within a designated time frame, the money is simply funneled to another county in the state for a similar project. I was initially inquiring to find out the possibility of using the money for something that would benefit a wider range of people within the county, say Public Transit? No, that would be intelligent…

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In the News…

By On November 29, 2006 · Leave a Comment
  • Today at 9 am, Miami-Dade Transit will be determining just how large a proposed Transit Oriented Development may be at the Coconut Grove Metrorail station. Grove Nimby’s have promised to be out in force fool heartedly opposing any significant density in from the proposed project. A decrease in density would be a severe detriment to all Miami-Dade residents not just the people who would benefit from the transit development. The site needs to be built to maximize its potential and provide the greatest benefit to the greatest amount of people within in the county rather than the special needs of a vocal minority group. The local community cites traffic issues as their main concern along the intersection; however, they fail to realize that any development which occurs on the site will likely adversely impact traffic. The development would not only be able to maximize the use of our only urban transit system, but would begin to add some much needed density along two major corridors; US-1 and 27th Ave.
  • Kendall residents are at a virtual standstill in traffic deciding what transit options to pursue for their neighborhood. As development continues westward (like the bright idea of building homes west of Tamiami Airport) area traffic will only continue to get worse. Fearing that trains will only “exacerbate” the commutes of many drivers, the CSX rail corridor isn’t seen as a great alternative by many (who likely live along the corridor and fear a decrease in their home’s value.) Here’s a bright idea: Ride the train along the CSX corridor and you too won’t be exacerbated. Residents are also pulling for a proposed rail link down Kendall drive; however, they insist that the train must not remove any lanes of traffic. So, going by the mentality of the majority of Miami residents, they too would like transit in their areas so that other people may use it, while freeing up space for their own vehicular commutes. Good Luck. A train down Kendall drive would be disastrous unless we quickly change the way we develop the major thoroughfare. An elevated train down the median would prove to be a gigantic failure, leaving would-be passengers with at least three hectic lanes of traffic to cross before traversing the parking lots of an assortment of strip shopping centers.
  • Traffic cameras are coming to a city residential community near you. That’s right; the commuter village of Pembroke Pines in Broward is going forward with plans to install a network of intersection cameras to catch red light runners. Need I remind them though, that entering an intersection on a yellow light is legal in the state of Florida and that the driver may complete his maneuver even if the light has turned red so long as it did so after the vehicle completely passed the white markings of the intersection. As long as they cite people for the right thing and don’t abuse the camera policy, I’m all for the eyes in the sky.
  • Miami-Dade Commissioners unanimously approved the final step in the Island Gardens debacle. Flagstone development has now been given the green light by the county to begin dredging along Watson island to support the city’s first mega yacht marina.
  • Keep an eye on Transit Miami for all the latest news on Transit/Development issues in the Greater Miami area. I will be changing up the site soon as I switch to a better blogging software. As always, If you have any stories, news, or information you would like to share, please e-mail TransitMiami at MoveMiami@gmail.com…

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Time Credo Loves Miami

By On November 29, 2006 · Leave a Comment

I got home last week and ironically one of the first things I reached for was the most recent edition of Time magazine which happened to be lying around. I thumbed through the pages when a striking image of a beach I recognized caught my eye. After reading the article There’s Trouble–Lots of It–in Paradise, I tossed the magazine aside in utter disgust that such a prominent news organization could foolishly paint such a bleak and inaccurate portrait of my home city. It felt like a personal assault. I decided not to blog about the article that evening to not further publicize the rubbish. However, recently some bloggers have shared their own sentiments on living in the Greater Miami region, most notably; Rick of SOTP. Rick plans on leaving for Denver as soon as a job becomes available in the area in order to be closer to the rural surroundings where he plans on retiring. I don’t question his choice on places for retirement, I’m sure the Rocky Mountain crisp air and wilderness are just as ideal as the beautiful warm beaches across our state, but, I do doubt the widespread belief that Denver or any other major US city will prove to be a better temporary alternative home. Now, it’s not just Denver, or Rick’s case, but, many of the sentiments shared as reasons to leave Greater Miami are just as prevalent in nearly every American city across the country. Let’s start with traffic. With the exception of a couple major metropolitan regions in the country with excellent public transit, traffic is just as bad if not worse as in Miami (Although, yes, the drivers may not be as bold.) Cost of Living. That’s easy, if you live near a major metropolitan area, you are likely going to pay for the convenience the only way this can be avoided is by moving to the rural parts of the country or to a smaller town or municipality. Business week (via SOTP) references the most affordable suburbs of 2006 all of which I am sure are plagued with the traffic, living costs, etc. They noted Weston as an affordable suburb of Ft. Lauderdale which is ironically itself a suburb of Miami; I can only imagine the traffic headache face Weston residents face on a daily commute. I digressed, but, there was a point in there that I wanted to make: Due to the way our cities have been built over the past few decades, we are all likely to face the same set of poor development hassles associated with city living.

Going back to the Time Magazine article, I find it extremely unprofessional for the author and editor of the magazine to portray such a biased and generally inaccurate story about any municipality. The article focuses on rising insurance premiums and a terrible education system in Miami, both of which are problems which face our entire state rather than solely our community and are the result of terrible guidance by the state and national lawmakers. The article fails to include how Miami’s crime rate has decreased significantly since its all time highs in prior decades. How about the fact that Miami is still the bustling hub for Latin-American business in the United States, second only to New York City in International Banking and Diamond trade, is experiencing a boom unlike no other American city, and is the site to one of the largest global modern art showcases when Art Basel visits. A recent article in the New York Times highlights the recent growth of Wynwood arts district and how the event has changed the once blighted neighborhood. As Bob:Miami points out, this article appears nearly 25 years after to the date of another Time article which began like this: “South Florida is hit by a hurricane of crime, drugs and refugees…” yippee! Let’s not forget their masterpiece published in 1996 titled Gloom Over Miami. As a reader also wisely noted, Tim Padgett, the author of the most recent anti-Miami tirade, wrongfully interchanged statistics between the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County throughout the article. Just bad journalism.

As if a blow by Time magazine wasn’t enough for one week, one of our Senators, Tom Tancredo, publicly stated from a conservative rally at the Breakers in Palm Beach that “Miami has become a Third World country. You just pick it up and take it and move it someplace. You would never know you’re in the United States of America. You would certainly say you’re in a Third World country.” Don’t hold back Tancredo, tell us how you really feel. Certainly he’s visited a third world Country and must speak from his wise experiences. (Note: Tancredo hasn’t ever visited the Miami area and would be willing to do so if he could stay at a five star hotel, just the kind of guy we need making national decisions, a pork barrel spender who makes decisions based on circumstantial evidence, cough, cough, Iraq.) So, I guess Tancredo is the type of guy that would find even the most accommodating Marriott Resort as “roughing it.” I hate to break the news to you, but Miami is haven for Cuban-Americans, most of which are considered legal US citizens due to the policies of the oppressive government back in their homeland. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was quick to defend our city (well sort of, just because they’re in the same party I’d never refer to someone who flat out insults my hometown and district as a “friend”) by inviting Tancredo to visit beautiful Miami and experience our hospitality firsthand. Jeb Bush also quickly came to the defense of the city he will soon once again be calling home and called the senator naïve. I think he’s just an ignorant out-of-touch politician who is just looking to get some sort of approval from his conservative base and clearly fails to realize that like New York and Boston were once havens to Irish Immigrants, Miami is today’s haven to Hispanic culture.

Read Tancredo’s reply to Gov. Bush (The opening statement begins with the notion that Jeb has the “…desire to create the illusion of Miami as a multiethnic all American city…”)

As I search for some sort of reasonable conclusion for this article, I am compelled to remind people that running away from the issues which plague our city is simply not the right solution (No, I don’t accuse Rick, or Tere of running away…Rick is retiring and Tere is likely part of the middle-class that is being squeezed nationally.) Miami, like every major metropolitan city across the nation has its share of problems, but, they will not get better unless we collectively decide to do something about it. Traffic is a uniform problem across the United States, from major cities down to small towns because of the way we have chosen to live and build our municipalities. If we don’t stand up to these problems today, our past will repeat itself and Miami will forever become synonymous with criminal activity, drugs, and a haven for Latin-American culture…

Updates:

Michael Lewis of Miami Today News has a great reply to the Time Article…

Time Magazine affiliates HBO and AOL (all under the Time-Warner Umbrella, local office in Doral) have offices in Miami, Oh the irony…

The company which engineered the exterior cladding of the AOL/Time-Warner headquarters in NYC, is based in Miami…Permasteelisa…

Sorry Time Magazine and Tommy Tancredo, Miami ditched the statewide slump in Tourism…Guess people like to visit third world cities…

26th Parallel, Riptide, and Flablog all chime in…

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