The city of Miami has quite a conundrum on their hands. When the announce end of last year the development plan for the city's urban core got some people pissed. Overtown residents are saying that money and tax incentives that are earmarked to be used to develop poorer neighborhoods like their own would be used to fun "frivolous" projects like the Performing Arts Center, the new Marlins stadium, the Miami streetcar and the tunnel to Port of Miami. Mind you, I sympathize with Overtown residents who fear city leaders are going to basically fuck them over once again or eventually be pushed out of the city by gentrification.
Then there is Norman Braman. You might know him better as the owner of Braman Honda in Kendall and Braman Motors in Midtown. Yes, this man has touting himself as a champion for the poor by exposing city leaders evil plan to screw over the city's poor by misusing money meant for them and trying to stop the city's plan to extend the borders of the Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency to include the Omni district and Watson Island in order to finance these expensive projects.
Well why would Braman care about what the hell the city does with money that doesn't really affect him? Wait, it does. Projects like the tunnel and the Midtown/Design District streetcar could cut into Braman's profits by -- gasp -- offering true auto-less urban living. In fact, the upper-middle class residents moving into the urban core are exactly the kind of customers Braman wants to sell cars to. They can actually afford their high-priced loft and a brand new luxury car.
Fact is the city needs to fund projects like the tunnel and streetcar because public transportation and roads have not kept up with the city's rapid growth. I mean what's the point of living in the urban core if you can't get anywhere?
While I agree that the city needs to be careful and make sure the even Overtown residents see improvements in their area as well, the last person I'd trust is Braman. He has way too much at stake here. Obviously he has lawyers working already to put a stop to this silliness by the city. But what I think Braman needs to do is back off. He obviously thinks he has more to lose than Miami's poor.
- t
Futhermore, I could give a damn what NY or San Fran does, I live in Miami. Also, most people who live in NY that I know don't own cars and if they do it's park almost most days out of the year.
Oh and I LIVE in Miami.
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140877/index.htm
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1127640/index.htm
Sorry but we need that investment is schools and teachers. Unless you want to have masses of criminals roaming the city in ten years..
What a dumb bunch of comments by the way..a embarrasing state of the MIami intellect, or lack of..
the money for the stadium CANNOT be used for schools and teachers. the stadium is being financed in large part ($310 million of the total $515 cost projection) from tourist tax dollars which residents of miami dont pay unless you live in a hotel. The remaing cost to build the stadium are $155 million from the Marlins, and a $50 million dollar grant which was allocated to the orange bowl site for renovation or redevelopment. In a time of need economically this is a good idea due to its generation of at least 3300 jobs for construction. while you may not support the marlins think about your friend or family member who could use that job right now.
money for the ball park is NOT coming from OUR tax dollars or the $800 million for the projects. It's coming from tourist tax dollars. Tourism tax dollars are NOT used to do any improvements to our schools or health care. That money solely goes into improving tourism.
And did you know that $500 million of that money which is going to improvement issues CAN NOT be used for schools or health care? Funding for transportation improvements must be used by the city that they are given to. If not used, those funds would be relocated to other transportation related issues within the STATE; they wouldn't even remain as funding for any improvements in Miami-Dade.
If you don't want the ball park for some reason as you a) hate base ball or b) hate the Marlins, fine, you have a right to the opinion. But, please people, stop compailing about where YOU TAX dollars are going in reference to this issue. They aren't going anywhere, maybe to the Airport and the zillions of years that it will take to "improve" it.