Regalado To Seek Miami 21 Delay…Again

Its official – Regalado will try to delay implementation of Miami 21 for another six months. I received this draft ordinance from an inside source:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 13114, PASSED ON OCTOBER 22, 2009, ADOPTING A NEW ZONING CODE, TO BE KNOWN AS THE “MIAMI 21 CODE”, FOR THE ENTIRE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, TO EXTEND THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF ORDINANCE NO. 13114 FROM MAY 20, 2010, TO JANUARY 2, 2011; AND ALSO TO EXTEND THE REPEAL OF ZONING ORDINANCE NO. 11000 TO JANUARY 2, 2011; AND EXTEND OR REPEAL, HOWEVER APPLICABLE, ANY ANCILLARY ORDINANCE IMPACTED BY THE ADOPTION OF MIAMI 21 AND THE REPEAL OF ZONING ORDINANCE 11000; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

WHEREAS, the City Commission, by way of Ordinance No. 13138, extended the effective date of Ordinance No. 13114 from February 19, 2010 to May 20, 2010; and

WHEREAS, the City Commission, after careful consideration of deems it advisable and in the best interest of the general welfare of the City of Miami and its inhabitants to extend the actual effective date of Ordinance No. 13114 from May 20, 2010 to January 2, 2011; and also to extend the repeal of Zoning Ordinance No. 11000, to January 2, 2011;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1.  The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Ordinance are adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section.

Section 2.  The City Commission hereby amends Ordinance No. 13114, passed on October 22, 2009, adopting a new zoning code, to be known as the “Miami 21 Code”, for the entire City of Miami, Florida, in order to extend the effective date of Ordinance No. 13114 from May 20, 2010, to January 2, 2011; and correspondingly to extend the repeal of Zoning Ordinance No. 11000 to January 2, 2011.

Section 3.  Correspondingly, the City Commission extends or repeal, however applicable, any ancillary ordinance impacted by the adoption of Miami 21 and the repeal of Zoning Ordinance 11000.  If any section, part of section, paragraph, clause, phrase or word of this Ordinance is declared invalid, the remaining provisions of this Ordinance shall not be affected.

Section 4.  This Ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days after final reading and adoption thereof.

Can’t say I’m surprised. Given the many problems facing the City of Miami (and there have big problems) its a wonder to me that the Mayor would pay so much attention to a law that was already voted on and which has profound implications for the future of our city. Why reopen this wound now? This delay is not only bad planning, it is fiscally irresponsible. It will further destabilize land values, and push our city deeper into economic malaise.

Don’t think so? How can any real investment take place in a city where you as a landowner cannot be sure whether the city commission will suddenly decide to down-zone your property? Why would I invest in the City of Miami, where my property rights are based on the whim of the mayor’s judgment. No sir, I would rather take my dollars elsewhere – like Coral Gables, or South Miami, or any of the other dozen cities we have in Dade County. Or maybe I won’t bring my money here at all.

Commissioners:  Miami 21 has been vetted. It has been vetted to death. Let it pass. By now, thousands of business owners and residents have made their mark on this code. It already belongs to the city. You will never get everyone to agree because our city is diverse – but we can stand by basic principles. Our code should prioritize walking, provide for active streets, and provide for better transitions to neighborhoods. Miami 21 does these in a way that 11000 cannot. For the simple reason that Miami 21 is a huge improvement over 11000  it should be implemented now.

Please contact your commissioner and let them know that Miami 21 is what our city needs.