Sources say Art Noriega could join the Inter Miami Freedom Park team
Time-out.
More than three years after a voter referendum gave the Miami commission the green light to negotiate a lease for a real estate complex disguised as a soccer stadium on the city’s Melreese golf course, the Miami Freedom Park team is still not ready to play.
Readers of Political Cortadito are going to get sick of the city of Miami this week. That’s because the commission has four back-to-back meetings over three days — including the much-anticipated no-bid, 99-year deal for development of the Melreese golf course.
The dates on the dais begin Wednesday with a special meeting to establish the Miami Baywalk Greenway along Biscayne Bay. It passed last month on first reading with only Commissioner Manolo Reyes dissenting.
Looks like Miami Mayor Francis Suarez talks out of both sides of his mouth.
Last summer, after he made a backroom deal with David Beckham and Jorge Mas to turn Melreese Golf Course into a $1 billion real estate/retail/office complex with a hotel and, oh yeah, a 25,000-seat soccer stadium, Suarez and his new business partners made certain promises to protect the First Tee program, a not-for-profit that provides golf lessons and mentoring to kids who might never otherwise play the game.
Suarez even lauded the program as honorary chairman of the group’s young ambassador’s board and said “The First Tee of Miami is an organization that has a great impact on our community by providing character education to the youth of South Florida. I congratulate all of the future young ambassadors on your desire to make a difference in your community. The future of the First Tee of Miami looks bright because of you.”
But now he wants to erase that future and asks the city commission on Thursday to direct the city manager, city attorney and independent auditor to take “any and all actions necessary regarding any improper occupancy or any use of city of Miami owned premises by unauthorized business entities including but not limited to the Melresse Golf Course.”
Read related: Miami Commission should kick no-bid soccer shopping complex out of Melreese
Including but not limited to? Please! He is obviously targeting Melreese to pave the way for Miami Freedom Park.
The mayor told Miami New Times that he simply wants the organization to provide the documentation that he has asked for about 15 or so entities using the golf course address at 1802 NW 37th Ave. They have 30 days to produce the documents, which include financial records for each of the companies — even though the city already has most of those documents and explanations from the group’s attorney about other entities that don’t exist anymore.
It certainly seems heavy handed, at the very least, and more like a first step in booting the non-profit from the property because, after all, they are an inconvenient obstacle to the big real estate deal. Suarez doesn’t want little kids in matching t-shirts coming to the meetings when the retail complex disguised as a soccer stadium starts negotiating with the city.
That’s just bad optics.
Perhaps there is something in the agreement with Delucca Enterprises that limits or prohibits the use of the address for other entities, even though they are all tied to the same organization one way or another. That would allow the city to find the Deluccas in default and give them cover to force them off the property.
Read related: Miami’s Francis Suarez loses big as Miami voters reject strong mayor measure
This is going to cause some major drama at the city commission meeting Thursday as Ladra fully expects Commissioner Willy Gort, whose district Melreese is in, and Commissioner Manolo Reyes, who has spoken against the Freedom Park plan, to balk.
And don’t forget the kids in the t-shirts.
Suarez is working hard to become a one-term mayor and making it easy for Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez to take it from him in 2021.
More on that later.
Former State Sen. and current Miami city commission candidate Alex Diaz de la Portilla had another stellar month for fundraising in February, more than doubling his total to almost $86,000.
But at least half of the $45,380 raised in February, according to the campaign financial reports filed last week, was through bundles, which generally indicate donors with more than just a passing interest.
That includes $2,250 in 11 contributions from real estate development companies tied to Sergio Pino, $5,000 in five maximum contributions from real estate development companies controlled by Henry Torres, $3,000 in three maximum gifts from property management companies held by Lewis Swezy, $3,000 from lobbyist Eric Zichella, another $5,000 from real estate and development companies controlled by Rolando Delgado, $2,500 from former State Rep. turned lobbyist Eddy Gonzalez and $2,500 from hotel developer Richard Meruelo.
Ladra can’t help but wonder if these folks want a piece of the Miami Freedom Park Pie, the mega shopping/office/retail complex disguised as a soccer stadium that is planned for Melreese Golf Course. It’s got room for a hotel, too. The Dean — whose first month was also marked by a bunch of bundles and lobbyist dinero — is running for the seat vacated by the termed out Commissioner Willy Gort, who opposes the mega complex as planned.
Read related: Alex DLP bolts out of Miami gate with a campaign cash advantage
The open seat has drawn a number of candidates.
The only one with more money than Diaz de la Portilla is Miguel Angel Gabela, who loaned himself $100K. He raised another $17,000 but has spent more than half of that so far. Horacio Aguirre has spent the same $8,575 or so, but he has raised a total of $42,425. Eleazar David Melendez, the former aide to Commissioner Ken Russell, raised $4,442 in February, but spent $3 more. He has a total bank of $22,165. The only other person to have raised any funds is Yanny Hidalgo with $12,087, and spent $2,561 of that.
Former congressional candidate Michael Hepburn has withdrawn from the race and none of the other three candidates have raised a dime.
But, wait, there’s more. Because Alex DLP’s political action committee — the one he used for the senate race and then the county commission race — has raised almost $22,000 since October. He’s also spent almost $10,000, including $3K to Absentee Ballot Queen Sasha Tirador.
